#how did you Americanize Black Widow?

[maastrichtiana]

the mcu’s corporate aversion to eastern europe has to be studied

[latenightdaydreams]

Cowboy!König x Farmer (fem pov)

MDNI🔞

Master List ✍🏽

>cw: fem/afab, mention of death (widow), p in v, spanking, oral

2.3k word count

Set in 1890's America

🤠

.

.

It has been exactly four months and seventeen days since your husband, Henry, passed away. The two of you decided to leave your dull city life for the excitement of the untouched wilderness. Everything had been going perfectly. In only five years the both of you were able to build a beautiful home, a big barn with animals to fill it, and enough crops to feed yourselves and sell. Success to the point of needing to hire extra hands. It was the American dream.

It’s just you and a failing farm. The work just continues to pile up and you never seem to be able to catch a break. With no other options, you set off into town looking for help. You hang fliers in the local stores and on street posts, hoping someone reliable will respond. All you can do is wait.

Only just two days later while you’re outside feeding your chickens, you see a black draft horse approaching. You place the bucket of feed on the floor, wipe your hands off on your blue jeans, and adjust your cream-colored button-down shirt before walking towards him. As you approach you notice that underneath the cowboy hat is an odd t-shirt like mask covering his face.

“I hope you’re not here to cause trouble.” You rest your hand on the pistol resting on your hip as you continue to approach him.

“Nein, no trouble, Fräulein."

His thick Austrian accent takes you by surprise. Your eyes look over his body as he gets off of his horse, taking note of how massive this man is. He looks down at you with his pale blue eyes squinting from a smile.

“I’m König,” he holds his hand out to you, “I saw your fliers in town.”

“I’m, y/n. Have you worked on a farm before?” You weakly shake his hand, your body so exhausted from hours of work and no rest.

“I grew up on one in Austria.”

You cross your arms keeping your defenses up as you two speak. There are so many questions running through your mind about his mask, but you decide to not ask. Never in your life did you think a 6’10 giant would be the one to show up.

“Well, as the post states; I can’t pay much but I can offer food and a room to compensate.”

The fact that you can’t afford to pay the standard rate to a farm hand makes you feel ashamed. There used to be three workers and now it’s only you. You can feel the heat in your face begin to build as you wait for him to reject your offer. Without him, you might not be able to keep the farm past this coming harvesting season.

“That sounds like a good deal to me, Fräulein.”

A small smile cracks at the corner of your lips as he agrees. There is a wave of relief that washes over your body. The possibility of getting the farm back to its glory days lingers in the back of your mind.

“Come with me, I’ll give you a tour.”

You turn and start with showing him the farm land before walking inside the home. It’s a two-story farmhouse, well taken care of by your husband. On the walls there are two photos; one of you and your late husband and the other of your parents. You notice König eyeing them, but he doesn’t ask about it.

Up the stairs and around to the left is the spare room. It was supposed to be a nursery, but those hopes of a family died with your husband. In the corner is a single bed and a wardrobe on the wall. It’s not a must, but it’s all you could afford.

“Here is where you’ll be sleeping.” Your eyes follow König as he walks past. His muscles are so big the ripple though the tight blue shirt he’s wearing. His thighs would be so nice to sit on. Henry was a skinny little man. You didn’t know men could be this big. “There are some house rules. No parties, no drinking yourself dumb, and please clean up after yourself.”

König places his small bag on the bed; clearly, he travels light. He nods as he looks around and then his eyes land back on you. The beautiful shade of light blue is only accentuated by the black mask covering his face.

“Ja, I promise to follow the rules. When do I start?”

“You can help me now. All of the animals are fed, but the stalls need to be cleaned out.”

“I’m on it.” König says as he walks past you. You get a whiff of his musky smell from his travels. Deep inside you feel wrong but, on the surface, you can’t help but to be aroused by the man.

You wait a moment before going outside to tend to the crops. Right now, you just need to remain focused on the farm and Henry’s vision. There is no time for men in this life.

You march down the stairs and head to the barn to grab your tools. Once you enter the door you see König with the pitchfork shoveling the animal manure, just as you asked of him. Except his shirt is now off and resting over one of the hooks on the wall. His body is glistening with sweat as his muscles flex with each movement. Trying to not get caught staring, you turn and grab what you need quickly and leave. The sound of your heart beat echoes in your ears, what is wrong with you?

The day passes until the sun begins to set. You’ve noticed that König took the liberty to go around the barn and fix things that have been broken for a while. His work ethic only makes you feel even worse for not being able to pay him more.

A few days pass, the both of you have slowly begun to build a routine. It has been nice to have him around the house, the chores no longer seem unmanageable. There hasn’t been much conversation, but you steal glances of his body everyday when he’s outside.

Today as you’re bent over planting seeds, you feel a warm hand rest on your lower back. You can feel a tingle crash over your body as you stand and turn to him. Your bodies are so close that you can feel the heat radiating from him. All you want to do is rub your hand down his chest and feel his sweat on your body.

“I can finish up; you should go inside and rest.” His eyes flicker back and forth between yours causing your heart to flutter.

“No, it’s okay—”

“Bitte meine Liebe, let me finish.”

You nod slowly. His hand drifts from your back to the curve of your rear before dropping off. The look he gives you melts you completely. Thanking him once more, you walk forward and towards the house. You turn back to look at König and see his eyes following your hips before he continues working.

As you turn the corner, you realize that you forgot your jacket in the barn. You walk back and see it lying next to König’s shirt. With your jacket in hand, you look around before grabbing his shirt. Bringing it up to your face, you take a deep breath in, savoring his scent.

“Liebling, I thought I told you to get some rest.”

König’s voice causes you to jump, accidently dropping his shirt on the ground before turning around to face him. You can’t seem to find the right words to attempt to talk yourself out of this situation; it’s embarrassing.

“I’m so sorry, I know this must look—”

“Like you were smelling my shirt.” König says with a certain cheerful tone in his voice.

All you can do is nod, you’ve been caught; the thought of him quitting makes your heart drop. Words escape you; how does one apologize for this? You pick his shirt back up and hand it to him.

“I’m sorry.” You repeat in a meek tone.

König looks at you for a while before slowly approaching you. His massive hand ups the side of your face and tilts your head back for you to look directly into his eyes. A chill travels over your body.

“That’s…very naughty of you.” His voice is almost a whisper as his other arm wraps around the side of you, pressing you against his chest.

You look up with wide eyes at his response; it isn’t what you were expecting at all. Before you can say anything, his hand squeezes your soft plump ass through your jeans. He gently grinds his hips up against you, making sure you feel how aroused you make him.

“You are simply stunning, Liebling.” König growls in your ear, goosebumps travel all over.

Both of his hands move down to unbutton your shirt, every button felt like it was taking an eternity to undo. The way he looks at your bare breasts like a hungry beast causes your pussy to tingle, a rush of desire pulsing throughout your body. He gently pulls his cowboy hat off and places it on the wooden stable behind you, pulling off his mask as well.

You see a long and deep scar that travels down the right side of his face. It isn’t a turn off for you, he’s still a handsome man. With one hand you reach up and caress the right side of his face gently, König presses his face into your hand as he relishes your touch.

He leans down and wraps his lips around one of your nipples while he unbuttons your jeans. The feeling of his wet tongue swirling around your nipple causes you to let out a soft moan. Your fingers comb back his messy blonde hair as you watch him with closed eyes enjoy your body.

The fabric of your jeans brush along your legs as he pulls them down off of your body along with your underwear. His large hands caress your legs from your calves up to your thighs. He pulls away to look at your full body; your eyes drop to his hands to see his erection straining against his jeans. Your eyes follow as he stands up, towering over your much smaller frame as his hands undo his pants. In this moment you didn’t feel like a widower or even the stress of the farm. It’s just you and König.

A tiny yelp leaves you as he lifts you up and holds you in his arms. Your legs wrap around his waist while he walks with you to the barn wall. His lips crash into yours in a passionate kiss. You pull him to you, deepening the kiss. He tastes strongly of tobacco and smells like sweat from working in the hot sun all day.

König pulls away from the kiss, leaving your lips wet and craving more of him. His eyes look hazy, drunk at this moment. Then you see the head of his cock press against your sopping wet pussy. His once pale blue eyes are now blackened by his pupils.

With one harsh thrust, König shoves himself inside of you. A loud moan leaves your lips as your face scrunches with pleasure. König is such a strong man that he so effortlessly holds you and moves you down on to his cock to meet his thrust.

“Y/n.” He huffs your name.

No words can even be formed as your body experiences new heights of pleasure you’ve never felt before. His cock is monstrous, bullying itself inside of you. Your short finger nails dig into and drag across his pale skin, reddened from the blistering August sun.

Animalistic groans leave König as the most pathetic mewls leave yours. His body leans against yours as he presses you harder against the barn wall, his hips bucking up rapidly like a man in heat. You feel a way of electricity as his tongue licks across the side of your neck. He covers your pulse point with his lips and begins to lightly suck.

Beads of sweat begin to drip on your body, both of you growing increasingly slippery. He gently puts you down, but quickly grabs you by the back of your neck and walks you over to a stack of hay. Not being too rough, he bends you over the stack and presses your face into the hay.

You form goosebumps across your body as he gently caresses down to your hips, grasping them firmly. His pace continues, but you feel his heavy balls slapping against your swollen clit. Your eyes flutter back as one hand reaches behind you to push his chest.

“Too much.” You whimper.

König doesn’t listen, grabbing your arms and folding it behind your back instead. He reaches for your other arm to also hold it that way, one of his hands wrapping around both of your wrist to keep them together. Your ass ripples with every merciless thrust only bringing you closer to orgasm.

You can feel your pussy clenching around his cock, a low moan leaving him in response. This is just too much. The strong build up of ecstasy radiates from deep inside of your core throughout your whole body. In response to this sensation you tremble, König’s name being the only thing you can say as you cry for him over and over again.

“Can I—” König begins to ask, but before he finishes his sentence you can feel his cock begin to pulse deep inside. His heavy body leans forward and rest on you, pressing you more into the hay. He gives your marked neck soft kisses as your body takes every single drop of his cum.

[xqueen-of-disasterx]

Playing Dangerously

Paring: fem!reader × Natasha x Bucky

Warnings: SMUT, threesome, Dom!Nat, SwitchBucky, sub!reader, mommy kink, daddy kink, dumbification, oral, teasing, slight alcohol consumption, fingering, pet names,

A/N: I’m not really a shipper of this but friends with benefits Winterwidow is so hot. @syndote this one is for you.

!Disclaimer English is not my first language so please excuse any grammar or spelling errors. This story is completely fictional!

Masterlist

Don't get me wrong being with THE black widow was something many could only ever dream about but I had to admit that sometimes I felt like I never really got the chance to try different things. From the Red Room to S.H.I.E.L.D and directly into the red heads arms left little to no space for explorations of my sexuality. Sex with Nat was great and always left me satisfied but I couldn't help to wonder about the forbidden fruit, but mentioning this to Nat could lead to a hefty argument which I didn't want to risk; after all she was all a girl like me could want right?

"Bucky will join us for the mission" I turned away from the laptop screen I was watching an episode of modern family on (after spending so much time in russia I was dying to know what the American dream was like), I hadn't heard Natasha approach, spy I had to remind myself. "I thought this was gonna be a me and you thing" She chuckled leaning over the chair, swiping my hair over my shoulder, and letting her precisely painted lips meet the soft skin of my neck. "You know I only ever have eyes for you my little bunny"

I hummed as her sweetened words hit my ears, and made tingles run down my spine "I know Tasha" I sighed standing up but making the fatal mistake of leaving my laptop open. "I'll just be on the toilet alright?" Natasha hummed deciding to press play again as suddenly there popped up a message from I was way. 

Katja: You should really try to communicate this with your girlfriend before this ruins your relationship. 

Natasha couldn't believe her eyes but curiosity got the better of her and she opens the message; I had told her all about how I waned  to experience sexual things with a man but how unwilling I was to cheat on her. She quickly closed the tab again pretending like she didn't have her master plan planned out already. 

The mission was easy inflate a party, steal some hard drive and go back to the hotel. Even though you were there with your girlfriend the thoughts of trying it out with a man couldn't leave your head. Not that I was interested in having an affair of leaving Nat you just wanted her to have this with you. And the fact that out of all people Bucky had been assigned to you two didn’t make it better. I had long expected the two to had have something going on in the past but never had the courage to ask either. The mission went by quick and you soon found yourself sitting at a hotel bar celebrating our success mission.

***

"I'll have a martin" "A beer for me" The bartender looked at me with expecting eyes "A beer for me too." Sitting between the two I almost felt sandwiched even though there was still space between our bodies. Natasha slipped quietly on her martin while my bottle was still untouched by me I couldn't tear my mind away from the two assassins next to me. "You're awfully quiet Y/N" I heard the deep voice of the Winter Soldier. I opened my mouth before closing it again there were so many words in my heart but so little on my tongue. “You’re normally so filled with life”

I felt Natasha's watchful eyes on my smaller form and suddenly I felt awfully naked in my cocktail dress. "James" her voice was sweet like honey. "Do you remember the last time we were sitting here?" I could practically hear the smirk in her voice "How could I forget that night" He took another slip of his beer bottle. "Are you down for a second time with our little guest" I couldn’t believe my ears was this a lucky guess or did Nat suddenly become a mind reader. I looked down peeling away at the label of the bottle as my cheeks continued to heat up. "I see" he took another close look at me, seizing me up. "I'm down if she is" There were a few seconds of silence with two awaiting eyes in my form; if I wanted to try this now would be the time "Of course" I stated in a quiet voice as I met his lust filled gaze, he only nodded before finishing his bottle. "I'll be in my room"

***

"Strip and lay on the bed" I could hear Natasha's cold words as she went to open to open the door letting Bucky, in his blazer and tie missing, the first few buttons of his white shirt unbuttoned revealing some of his chest hair. Just as he kicked the door closed behind him Nat had him already pressed against the wall as they violently made out with each other. Her hands twisted in his white button up shirt pulling herself impossibly closer to the man. The way Natasha was still containing control of the much stronger man was definitely a turn on. (Not that I had expected it any other way)

Even though she was busy with him from the corner of her eyes I could see she watched me on very move.   She turned away from him sitting down on the cushion of armchair. "James I want you to eat her out" she pulled out a small metal tin with cigarettes in it, lighting herself one "and don't let her cum" He only nodded having seemingly submitted to the redhead without a fight.

He climbed onto my much smaller frame, his eyes scanning my naked form. There was something about the both of them still fully clothed while I was undressed which made me even wetter. He leaned down to catch my lips and my hands went to his short black hair. His tongue fought it's way inside my mouth our tongues dancing a dangerous dance as one of his rough hands went to my breast. He kissed down my neck his beard stubbles irritating my soft skin. 

His chipped lips wrap around one of my nipples and the strong fingers twisted the other. He watched in an awe how my body squirmed under his touch. "Mommy please" I whined out buckling I hips against his hard prick "No sweetie this ain't gonna work" She chuckles blowing out some smoke from her lit cigarette. "Beg Daddy not me, I can't help you little girl" I chocked out another whine as I felt his teeth tugging at my nipple. 

The way his mouth wrapped around my tender flesh made want him even more. He liked over my nipple a few more times each time discovering a new sound escaping from my mouth. Eventually he got bold enough to bit down making me cry out in pure lust. “Daddy please” I didn’t know what I was begging for but the pure title made him moan. He switched sides giving my other nipple the same treatment as his fingers brush over the other one.

He kissed his way down your stomach stopping your hips from buckling as her presses his forearm down on your lower stomach. He kissed your public bone taking in the strong smell of my cunt as he groaned. He took his time kissing and nibbling on the soft skin of my hips. My hands go to his short black hair folding with his soft hair (which somehow was even softer than Nats)

After a while he was done with the teasing having had enough and he just wanted to finally get a taste of Nat’s little girl. He took a bold lick over my cunt moaning inside of my heat as I tried to buckle my hips again but you were stopped by his cold metal arm keeping your hips down.

"Daddy please" I whined, having so much control over a sexual partner did something to him. "No more teasing please" I begged. Natasha (who had been watching closely from the corner) made her way over the the bed puffing out a load of smoke "Be a good boy James" He was seemingly torn between the dominance of having me under him begging for his mercy out still being so obedient to the black widow. It was a match made in heaven or in hell so to say. 

He continued to eat me like the last supper his tongue pressing on the pulsing nub of nerves. Two of his thick fingers pushed passed my tight hole making my eyes roll into the back of my head in pure pleasure, he bit down on my clit sending shock waves through my body. His fingers twisted and turned to to press against my G- spot. I was so close to stumbling of the edge I got a taste of heaven. 

"James stop" I heard her cold voice as he immediately pulled way sitting on his knees and  my juices dripping from the concert of his mouth.  I whined and cried ash the lost of pleasure my tears smudging down my pink cheeks. "Good boy James" She leaned down to kiss him moaning as she tasted my juices on his lips. She pulled away from him whipping the corners of his mouth with her palm. "Would you look at that you made a mess Ana" She inspected your dripping cunt further running two finger through your cunt making you let out a pathetic whimper. She tasted me letting out an extensive moan "I'm almost jealous James got to taste you bunny" 

She whispered something in Bucky's ear and he quietly nods. "Get on all fours Y/N" he rasped in your ear. You placed yourself on all fours and he positioned himself behind you and you heard the sound of this clothes being torn off. "Are you ready" I nodded, my position was beyond embarrassing ass up in the air having gabbed a pillow to bite on.

He pulled down his shorts and let Natasha touch him how she pleased. Her smaller hands wrapped around his pulsing prick I heard him groan as her hands moved up and down his length. Her movements made him impossibly hard a few droplets of pre cum already leaking.

Bucky positioned himself behind me and he slowly pushed his length in making me scream out at the stretch. He let you adjust before moving at a decent pace I took a look behind me to see Nat guiding his hips only not giving him control of his own pleasure. I lead out a few mewls of pure pleasure. "mommy" my whimpered gripping onto the pillow for dear life "need you”

She let go of his hips leaning up to my ear "Do you need your clit played with" she rubbed circles on my back. Bucky's pace was great for his pleasure but I just needed more so I nodded as more tears made it's way down my cheeks "Can't even cum without mommy's help such a dumb little girl.”

Bucky quickend his pace and so did Nat and I was nearly seeing stars "Cum for me" she announced slapping Bucky's ass as if he was nothing more that a common whore "both". It didn't need more to make both of us cum with im pulling out to paint my back in his milk. 

I flipped to my back watching as Natasha and Bucky were caught up in a passionate kiss. His kisses trailed down her neck and chest at the same time pulling her red lace panties down her perfectly shaped legs. He nibbled on her skin paying extra attention to the small scar on her hip.

Natasha laid next to me on her back as I turned to my side stroking a few of her red hair, which were stuck to her sweaty forehead. “Kiss mommy bunny”

I kissed the desperate woman our tongue intertwined. She broke away letting out an almost pornographic moan as Bucky dove in to her wet center.

Our foreheads were seemingly stuck together as were lost in, probably the hottest, make out session I ever had. The air was humid filled with the sounds of Natasha’s wetness and the indecent sounds of our desperate sounds. “Fuck James” she groaned on my lips her hands twisted in my dark blonde locks. “Make Mommy cum” He kept his pace up flickering her clit with his tongue while penetrating her with two of his fingers. With a scream she came down from her high releasing over his chin and face.

***

"Thank you" You signed laying between the older Agents "But I think I'll stay with women for now" Natasha chuckled kissing your forehead "I wouldn't have given you free either way" she joked "And I wouldn't risk talking Nat's girl"

:)

Tags:

@terrormonster55 @marvelobsessed134 @crowswolffe

[afrowrites]

Norman F Rockwell

Black reader (plus size too!) x Homelander

Your a hardworking widow and single mother who works at vought in the graphics department, when a certain all American hero is intrigued by the sight of you, or maybe the scent of you...

Warnings: Stalking, Mentions of Death.

Wordcount: 1,891

Rating: Teen and up

A woman stands alone with her ten-year-old son weeping next to her, her stomach holds the last legacy of her husband. And as they lower him into the ground a rifle can be heard to signify a fallen soldier. And a single tear runs down the woman's face knowing she must stay strong.

“~[Your name]~, did you get the final layout for the Homeboy Kids’ book yet?” She asked as she turned towards her coworker's voice, “Oh yeah, I got them, they look pretty good with all things considered.” 

The woman smiled, proud of her co-workers' adherence to her notes.

“Well, that's good, because you have to present them to Ashley today.” The woman said, dropping a bomb and slipping out of her office.

“Wait, I have to do what?!” You half shout.

You frantically search your emails trying to figure out why today you had to present in less than… 

“Oh shit! I gotta do this in an hour!” 

You were wearing your comfiest business casual clothes but were not ready to entertain your boss today, and the email mentioned that others would be attending. ‘Probably those weirdo's in marketing.’  You thought to yourself. 

You stumble down the hallway towards Ashley's office, holding your layout tubes while trying to zip up the back of your skirt. Thank God you had an emergency “I didn't just have a baby” outfit and some heels. 

You fluff your afro up, put on some lipgloss, take a deep breath and open the door to walk into Ashley’s office.

You could see Ashley's permanent furrowed brow shift into a fake plastered smile she gave to all her employees when trying to save face.

“Good afternoon, miss {Your Name}. Have a seat, please”

“Sure” you answer, feeling a bit awkward.

Seth and Evan are engaged in a calm conversation, tucked away in the secluded corner of the room. Meanwhile, you're absorbed in organizing your layouts, your back to the entrance, when the sharp sound of a door swinging wide pierces the silence. Out of the periphery of your vision, you notice the room's occupants abruptly rise to their feet in a unified, almost military precision.

"Uh, Homelander, welcome," she greets with a strained smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, her voice tinged with a detectable quiver betraying her anxiety. Indeed, the atmosphere has shifted palpably; a heavy cloak of tension settles over the room, making the air itself seem laden with foreboding.

“Ashley,” he notes her presence. Uninterested. 

“ Hey Seth, Evan, good to see you.” Now a hint of sarcastic enthusiasm sets in his voice.

He sets down into his chair, and as he sits he turns his head to you. He sniffs the air realizing something. Even before you'd know, he finds you leaking, and suddenly his interest in you increases tenfold and with a sudden interest in you he introduces himself.

“Why hello there,” his devilish grin and piercing blue eyes startle you, “you know it's a shame I never get to meet all the wonderful people here working at Vought, what's your name Ms…?”

“Rodriguez, although people just call me [your name].” You smile professionally. 

“Well Ms.Rodriguez,” he takes your hand in his, brushing your soft knuckles before planting a kiss on them. “I do hope to enjoy your presentation.” As he gave you a soft wink. 

You find his introduction performative but also slightly genuine.

The marketing guys gave their little spiel on how to market the homelander’s son, Ryan. 

You soon make a suggestion. “I believe that would go well with young adult males, but we aren't thinking of the bigger picture here. We know how Homelander is when it comes to women.” 

You see his jaw tighten, so you tread lightly when you continue.

“We’ve already seen the comic books, so how about we take a look at something more child-like for mothers, show the soft story about Homelander becoming a father raising a child all on his own, raising him to be a good American hero.” 

The market guys roll their eyes and scoff in protest, but before they can open their mouths you hear clapping.

“Wow that’s… well that's good,” To you he sounds almost genuine but his mind is still working on you. You breathe a sigh of relief at his approval. 

You mutter off a “thank you, sir.” And scurry back to your seat.

After muttering a quick, “Thank you, Sir.”, you scurry back to your seat.

“Well I think this has been a great meeting, thank you all for being here. I-” 

Homelander interrupts, “Ms.Rodriguez may I have a moment to ask you something?.” 

Stunned, you respond, “Oh-uh sure,” you give him a weak smile. 

“Great,” he grins a menacing grin. “Let's take a walk.”

It's quiet for the first few minutes, almost bone-chilling . He clears his throat to break the silence.

“So, Rodriguez. What do you do here?” He asks in a way that sounds like he's interested but also way too critical. 

“Well sir, I work in graphics and art, but I do most kid's artwork and stuff.” You chuckle nervously.

He nods at your answer, and he continues, “Well I think that is just super!” He still smells your body producing his favorite thing (well maybe second favorite thing). 

He continues the walk in silence until you guys reach your office, he scans around the room trying to find ways to see you more often. Until he sees, “Oh, you have a family,” you turn the picture towards him.

“Oh yeah, my babies,” you sigh at missing them. “Rafael and America.”

“Wow, what a name for such a cute baby,” he feigns interest because as stated before he's only interested in what's under your skirt.

“Yeah, their father named them.” You feel a sharp twist in your heart when mentioning your husband's name, Homelander sees this and with his well-learned acting exclaims, “Whatever he did to you I'll get him.” He places a hand on your shoulder as he jokes with you.

You look up at him with teary eyes before wiping them away. “Oh no it’s not that my husbands not with us anymore.” 

He feels indifferent to your plight, yet he pulls you in for a comforting hug. He smells like warm spices but underneath he smells metallic almost of blood. It’s unnerving.

He releases you from his grip, only to take a long look down and clear his throat. 

“Hmmm I think you might wanna…,” You look down horrified. You're leaking.

Standing at your threshold, the rich oakwood panels seem to reach out, inviting you into the warm embrace of home. Before your hand can grace the knocker, your mother-in-law materializes, her eyes alight with the joy of your arrival. "Hola mami!" Your greeting is tinged with fatigue, yet her presence ushers in comfort. "Hola, {insert Spanish nickname}, how was your day?" Her inquiry is simple, yet it's the undercurrent of genuine concern that touches you. "Well, Mami, to be honest, it was a bit perplexing..." you admit, the words trailing off as you grapple with the day's events.

Your exchange is gently fractured by the delightful pattern of small feet drumming against the floor, a familiar and heartwarming cadence. It's a sound that signals the arrival of one of the most precious joys in your life, a guiding light that brightens even your darkest days. The architect of your daily smiles, your cherished child, the ever-sweet Rafi, bounds toward you. This tiny being, the center of your universe, radiates unadulterated happiness, infusing your mornings with meaning and your heart with boundless love.

"Hey, Mamacita!," He says, 

"Hey there, Papito" you greet, the corners of your mouth turning up in a weary but warm smile. "You're not gonna guess who I bumped into today!"

His eyes sparkle with curiosity. "Who was it?"

"The one and only, most amazing superhero of all time!"

Glancing down, you notice he's clutching his beloved Homelander action figure, its edges frayed and colors faded from love and time. It was a gift from his dad. The sight fills you with a bittersweet mix of joy and a pang of sorrow, knowing the layers of memories it holds.

Sighing, you reply, “Well I met the one and only…”, pause for dramatic effect, “HOMELANDER!”  You see his gorgeous little eyes light up, you love to see your little guy happy. He jumps around the house as his grandma yells at him.

 “Papito! You're gonna wake the…,” she’s already too late. And as your second little bundle of joy starts to cry, your mother-in-law is about to get the spoon on Rafi, “Don’t worry mami, it’s fine I wanted to see my baby anyway.”  You smile at her as you trudge towards your baby's room. “Hey Meri, how’s my girl doing?” You coo at her. She has your husband’s beautiful green eyes, gorgeous fluffy curls and chubby cheeks. You hold her close to you, your heartbeat calms her down. You sit for a while ignoring the noise from the street corner thinking of when her father took you to New Mexico, 

(~Flashback~)

The evening air is warm and the breeze carries the simple romance of the night through the air. He cradles you in his soft loving arms as the stars pale in comparison to the sparkle of his eyes peering into your own.

“Y’know (y/n), I was just thinking,” “Oh that’s never good.” You snicker to yourself.

“Hey, that hurts.” He pretends to get shot in the chest. “Whatever,” You roll your eyes 

“Well, what I was going to say was, what if we get married…” He sheepishly says that last part.

“Um well, to be honest, I want to, after all, little Rafi-,” He interrupts. “Or Meri, I plan on having ten beautiful girls, well eleven because of you.’

You laugh a hearty laugh. “Yeah right, let’s just focus on the first one, but yeah I wanna be married.”

“Okay great because I have this ring in a box and I didn’t know who I was gonna give it to.” He yawns sarcastically. 

You wide-eyed stare at him for a little, until it sinks in. You sit up and push his shoulders to the ground. “Oh my God!” You kiss his face all over.

“Hey mami, watch the baby. They ain’t finished yet.” He chuckles “I love you, baby.” he smiles with his gorgeous lips. 

“I love you too, papito.” You lean in for a kiss all while smiling into his lips.  And while you once again fall in love, your favorite song plays.

~Como la flor, Con tanto amor, Me Diste tu~

“Se Marchitó, Me marcho hoy,” You sing to the bittersweet words of Selena, “ Yo sé perder, Pero a-a-ay, cómo me duele, A-a-ay, cómo me duele.” 

The smells of your cooking penetrate the room and seep out of your window into the cold air of a New York night, the warmth and love from your kitchen emanating from your apartment.

Unfortunately for you, a certain pair of eyes enjoyed your little performance, and the ethnic food smelled to him albeit too much spice for his taste, he could still feel a distant mother’s love through those smells.

And when you decided to close the window, he took that as a challenge to get into your life and ruin it. 

[olsenmyolsen]

You're Not Alone

master list

dark master list

Post Age of Ultron (WandaNat)

Summary: Wanda discovers a secret about The Black Widow after a mission.

Word Count: 4.5K

Content: Talks of Hydra, The Red Room, Feelings, Tramua and flashbacks.

Wanda was still learning a lot since moving to America and becoming an Avenger.

Much to the dismay of Clint Barton, she discovered how much more trashy American reality TV is compared to other countries. Choosing to watch two toxic people argue while shitfacrd was a late-night pleasure for Wanda.

She also found her niche of new sitcoms to enjoy. Ones like The Office and Parks and Rec. She tried Always Sunny, but Wanda COULD NOT get into it. That disappointed Maria Hill, who liked that one. But not as much as How I Met Your Mother.

Regardless, Malcom in the Middle was a new favorite for Wanda Maximoff.

She also found new oddities about her teammates. Like Sams love of naming his little gadgets. Steve's late-night ballroom dancing practices. Vision curiosity over his humanoid teeth and Thor's love of all things Pop-Tarts and sugary sweets before heading off-world.

Lastly, Wanda most recently discovered something about Natasha Romanoff that almost no one knew.

Natasha Romanoff had a tattoo.

Wanda couldn't believe it when she saw it. But then again, Wanda was never supposed to see it. She only happened to see it because a mission went wonky...

Since joining the team, Wanda had one goal in mind aside from the obvious for the greater good hero crap. Wanda wanted to eliminate Hydra and their bases.

Joining Hydra was a mistake. It gave her, her powers but at the cost of her young adult years. At the expense of her sanity. She lost herself and then her brother.

Now, she was slowly discovering who Wanda was. Who Wanda Maximoff wanted to be. One of the first things on that list was to take down Hydra.

So that's what led Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Natasha in route to the snowy mountains of France. It wasn't the first mission Wanda was cleared to go on. But it was the first time she was on with Natasha Romanoff.

The Black Widow.

To say Natasha intimidated the Sokovain would be an understatement. Wanda was frightened of Natasha. Even if Wanda could clearly use her powers to her advantage, she didn't want to do that anymore.

At least not to her teammates and friends.

Besides, the pair had barely spoken since the fall of Wanda's home country, but yet Natasha's red jacket still hung in Wanda's closet.

They shared the same floor and went to movie nights at the same time, but aside from a look over and a tight-lipped smile. Natasha never gave Wanda anything more.

Not even when Wanda gave everyone on the team a handwritten apology for her actions in the rise and fall of Ultron.

She never received anything back from Natasha.

And yet.

Natasha chose to sit next to Wanda on the flight to France.

Wanda smiled as the redhead looked over the younger woman. Wanda did the same as her eyes traveled over Natasha's face. She couldn't deny how beautiful the Widow was. Her green eyes and striking features were hard to look away from. But that's what benefitted Natasha when she was in the Red Room. Use any and everything to your advantage.

Natasha wasn't doing that now.

She was just being herself. She wanted to talk to Wanda.

So when she saw Wanda's eyes leave her lips and get visibly nervous, Natasha decided to speak up.

"Hi." She started. Simple enough.

"Hi." Wanda softly spoke back.

Natasha took a second before speaking.

"I want you to know that I know this isn't your first mission. But it's your first one with me since..." Wanda nodded as Natasha steadied herself. "I just want you to know that you can count on me to have your back." Wanda smiled at that. "I know you'll have mine." Natasha ended that with a reassuring nod and a look away before looking back when the witch spoke up.

"Thank you, Natasha."

"Of course."

With that, Natasha cleared her throat and started looking at her widow bites. Double-checking them. Even though they had been thoroughly looked over by the Widow herself before the team even left the compound.

Wanda didn't know what to say anyways. Everything that had just happened was shocking to her.

The most shocking part might have been when Natasha didn't leave when she got done with her gadgets; instead, she remained sat in her seat next to Wanda.

Wanda racked her brain, thinking of anything else to say, but nothing came out when she opened her mouth.

But finally, when she was about push the words "have you ever seen the Dick Van Dyke show?" through her lips, Steve called the team up to go over the mission one last time.

The mission? Infiltrate the located Hydra Base. Save prisoners, if any. Capture the goons inside and try not to kill anyone. However, if it comes to it, do what you have to.

Steve made a better speech, but you get the jist.

When the wheels touched down, the group decided to split off. Through the coms, Wanda could hear Steve and Sam finding guys left and right. But that wasn't the case for her and Natasha.

Their side of the base was empty. Cells and rooms had been cleared out, long left abandoned. Dust and dirt had gathered. Flashbacks came to the front of Wanda's mind, but she pushed down the screaming and the trauma that came with it just in time for Natasha's thoughts to be loud.

Begging for Wanda to read them.

The Black Widow tried to focus on the mission, but for the last couple of months, Natasha had been silently struggling.

After mouthing off to Capitol Hill, Natasha came to Avengers Tower under Fury's orders. She stayed and made herself useful to the cause at hand, however, before and in between Ultron happening. Natasha had thought she found solace in someone after her and Maria split. But even after Natasha begged for them to go with her. It wouldn't work.

Nothing Natasha did worked.

So when a little witch made Natasha relive her nightmares, it didn't anger Natasha. It made her feel weak and small, like she deserved it.

So all this time when, Wanda felt like Natasha wasn't making an effort or ignoring her. Wanda technically wasn't wrong. It, however, wasn't because Natasha hated Wanda she was just dealing with her own shit.

"Natasha?" Wanda whispered when she noticed that the Widow wasn't walking next to her anymore. Instead, she was severely feet back looking into a cell.

Wanda walked back and saw what Natasha was staring at. A stuffed pink bear laid face down in the middle room. Covered in dirt and dried blood.

Wanda didn't say anything. She and Natasha had lived something similar. She just forced her eyes to pull away from the bear and look at Natasha, rubbing the left side of her ribs with her right hand, mumbling something to herself before remembering where she was, and what she was supposed to be doing. She cleared her throat and looked at Wanda.

"We should get moving."

Again, Natasha's thoughts were begging to be viewed, but Wanda ignored them and followed Natasha.

"Did you find it yet?" Sams voice came over coms. "We're almost at the drives now. If there's no one to save or take, prepare to evac in five." Natasha said as she and Wanda stopped before a room storing this base's secrets.

Wanda lit up the room with her magic before deeming it safe for Natasha to flick the switch on. "Is that new?" She asked when Wanda lowered her hands. "Steve, Vision, and I have been trying to come up with inventive ways to use my powers."

Natasha nodded as she put the thumb drive into the computer in the corner of the room.

"That's right," Natasha said. "I can see you lifting him from my window." That surprised Wanda. She had no idea Natasha had been watching them after team training ended. "You're doing good." Natasha offered a genuine smile to the Sokovian, who tried her best to hide the red on her cheeks.

Natasha noticed but didn't comment on it.

Instead, she turned to look at the files loading up on the monitor. Folders and folders full of information on this Hydra bases dealings.

What test they ran. Who they tested it on. What bodies were traded for and to whom.

It was all horrible.

Natasha's eyes watched each document and picture flick by her. The progress bar at the bottom of the screen was getting closer and closer to 100% when a picture of a young blonde girl flew by.

Natasha leaned forward.

No.. It couldn't be..

Wanda saw how Natasha's whole body language changed. She saw how her green eyes changed from focused to scared. Before Wanda could comment on it. A loud bang was heard from outside the door down the hall.

Instantly, Natasha rose to her feet, gun drawn. She looked over at Wanda with raised hands. Ready to fight. Natasha nodded to Wanda and then back to the computer and whispered. "Stay here. Make sure it gets to 100% and then take it with you to the quinjet. I'll be there."

Wanda felt like she should stop Natasha. Or that they should go together, but the words never left her mouth as Natasha rounded the doorframe, disappearing from sight.

As Wanda waited, Natasha quietly stalked her way to where the noise had came from. Her breathing was slow and calculated as she kept her gun in front of her. She listened for any voices or footsteps that might give away whoever was around. But no noise was made.

Natasha turned around and was about to head back when a woman wearing a grey Hydra outfit emerged from the shadows with a gun in their hand—firing two rounds at Natasha before they took off running.

Natasha used her quick reflexes to get up onto her feet and immediately started chasing after the person who just shot at her. "I got one running west," Natasha yelled in the coms. "Heading your way, Wanda."

Wanda's head shot up at learning that piece of information, and stood up from the computer to rush out the doorway. Without thinking about Wanda used her magic to stop the Hydra agent. Immobilizing their body, sending them crashing to the floor. The gun sliding away from their hand.

Natasha stopped next to the fallen body and bent down to turn the woman's body over. Natasha saw how the woman's eyes were red. Wanda had her under. "She's scared," Wanda spoke up for the woman.

That's why she ran. Natasha thought as she looked over the woman's blonde hair and at the features on that dawned her face.

Memories came to the front of her mind as her fingers itched to touch the side of her ribs again.

Natasha shook them away and swallowed before standing back up with a groan. The sharp pain rushed through her body as the adrenaline started coming down. Natasha winced and placed her hand on her side where the pain was coming from.

"You're bleeding."

Natasha looked into Wanda's concerned green eyes and didn't move as Wanda stepped closer to her. Walking right over the now incapacitated Hydra goon. Natasha wanted to take a step back away from Wanda but froze when Wanda's soft hands placed themselves on Natasha's body. Her hands gripped Natasha's hips as she bent down to take a closer look at the wound.

"It looks like the bullet just grazed you. Did you not feel it?" Wanda looked up at Natasha, who just shrugged. "I didn't even realize."

Wanda accepted the answer because she could start to see that pushing Natasha would push her away. So, instead, Wanda nodded to herself and raised her hand to Natasha's wound.

"I've been working on something.. Do you trust me?" Wanda asked the one person whom most people could never see Natasha trusting. "Yes," Natasha said without hesitation. Wanda hid a blush at that before continuing.

She raised her hand higher and brought it closer to Natasha's bleeding side. "It won't hurt."

Natasha watched as red wisps extended themselves from Wanda's hand and landed on the marking of the bullet. Before her eyes, Natasha watched as Wanda started patching the wound as if she were stitching her body. "Oh my.. Wanda..." Natasha couldn't believe it, and yet her wound was now sown shut with a red glow around it.

Wanda looked at what she did and smiled. She was proud of herself. So when she looked up, and saw Natasha smiling back down. Wanda smiled brighter. "That's amazing," Natasha said as Wanda stood up. Her hands were still on the Widow's body. "Thank you!" Natasha looked at Wanda with newfound respect and admiration.

And before she knew it, Natasha's eyes traveled from Wanda's green eyes to her pink lips. She started scanning every inch of the Sokovain's face in a new way.

Wanda wasn't sure if what she was seeing was actually happening, so it was best not to comment on it. However, she did notice that slight fall from Natasha's lips when Wanda removed her hands from her.

"When we get back, you'll have to get it checked out. My magic won't hold it forever... At least not that I know of." Wanda chuckled at that last part, making Natasha crack a laugh for the first time in a long time.

The nice eye-darting moment between the two had to come to an end when the prisoner groaned from the floor. They were still unconscious, thanks to Wanda. But needing to be moved.

"I'll check the hard drive if you want to..." Natasha didn't need to say anymore as Wanda effortlessly lifted the prisoner with her powers. Natasha smiled at the easy use of her powers and subconsciously rubbed the side of her ribs above the area where she had been shot once again—an action Wanda had picked up on.

Perhaps it was a nervous habit of Natasha's?

Maybe a tic?

Wanda didn't know, but when she saw Natasha do it again, she sat back down in the chair in front of the monitor. The screen sitting on an image of an experiment being ran on a young kid.

The progress bar below sitting at 100%.

Wanda watched as Natasha's body tensed, followed by her thoughts becoming louder and louder.

_

The flight went by quicker than Wanda thought it would.

She wanted to sit and talk with Natasha but couldn't when Natasha landed herself in the pilot seat. Wanda was sure she wouldn't have been if the Widow told the team about her getting shot, but Natasha didn't.

Instead, when Wanda and Natasha arrived with the unconscious Hydra goon, Steve and Sam had no idea that Natasha was in a fight. Something about the coms failing right after the download started. Steve asked Natasha if she was fine, and Wanda watched her teammate lie and put on a brave face.

So Natasha flew the team back.

When they landed, Sam went to start a report on the mission while Wanda went with Steve to take the prisoner to holding. Natasha went to the medical unit to get her wound looked over.

At least, that's what Wanda thought.

To no surprise but Wandas, Natasha headed straight to her room. She locked the door and went to her bathroom. She opened a cabinet and pulled out her own med kit. She rested it on the counter as her nerves began to calm down. The pain worked its way through her soft and battered body as her suit was slowly peeled off, hitting the floor.

There, Natasha stood in her private bathroom, scanning over her semi-naked body. What's been done to it by others. What's been done is by her own hands. Scars and wounds healed but still leave a mark.

She brings her fingers up over her newest wound and lets the bit of undried blood drip onto her middle finger before she rubs it into her skin.

The red staining her.

Natasha brings her face up from her fingers to look back at the mirror. Natasha realizes just how close the bullet was. Had it been appropriately aimed and higher, it would've gone right through the middle of Natasha's first and only tattoo.

On the side of Natasha's ribs were two incredibly detailed fireflies. One was slightly bigger than the other.

"Look, forest stars!"

"Yeah! You know what? Those are actually part of the Lampyridae family. And the glow that you see, that comes from a chemical reaction called... bioluminescence... Come on time for dinner!"

"I want Mac and Cheese."

"Natasha..?"

Natasha, startled, jumped back and away from the shut bathroom door. Covering herself before, she immediately closed her eyes and got upset at her actions once she realized it was Wanda on the other side.

Had she not heard the witch enter her room?

"I was calling your name over and over, but you didn't hear me." The witch answered. "I came to check on you. I went to the medical wing and... and you never made it. So I knocked on your door before letting... myself.. in..." Wanda tried to laugh to cover the light criminal work she had done. Even then, she opened and closed her mouth, but before Natasha could do anything, Wanda asked: "Are you okay? Do you need help?"

Natasha stood with her bodysuit held in her right hand. A part of her was yelling at her to put it on and send Wanda away. Fix yourself up alone and get back to training. But there was the other half. The one who was exhausted and hurt. The one who needed help.

That voice won out.

"Wa-Wanda..." Natasha's voice was cracked before she cleared it. "Yes?" Wanda answered with a voice of surprise and concern. But then Natasha didn't speak. Instead, there was a click of the door as Natasha removed her hand from the lock. "Come in.." She quietly called out to the Sokovian, who now wore a set of grey sweats, gingerly placed her hand on the knob before turning it slowly, opening the door.

"Natasha..." Wanda hitched her breath as her eyes became focused on the woman standing before her. Only wearing a black sports bra and black shorts. Riddled with scars and bruising. A bullet wound below a black and white marking that Natashas was hiding with her hand.

Wanda took her gaze off Natasha's body and found her eyes. Taking a step forward, Natasha didn't look away from the younger woman. She didn't move. She kept her grip on her suit and waited. "Natasha?" Wanda spoke.

"Hmm?"

Wanda looked away from the Widow and picked up the Avengers-level first-aid kit. "Take a seat.." She gestured over to the edge of the counter. Natasha looked at the spot before nodding.

Cautious, she dropped the suit from her grip but kept her hand covering the tattoo.

Wanda caught onto it and wasn't sure what Natasha could possibly be hiding; after all, SHEILDS secrets had been public knowledge for the last year and a half. But Wanda wasn't going to bug her about. Right now, she just wanted to care for her teammate and friend.

So, as Wanda got closer to Natasha, Natasha sat straight up and lifted her arm up to give Wanda enough space to work. Wanda sent the older woman a flat smile and bent down slightly before starting to clean the grazed area of the bullet.

Natasha did her best not to wince or show much emotion as Wanda cleaned her up and tossed the bloodied pieces of tissues to the side. Wanda knew Natasha wouldn't, but still, she was in such close proximity to THE BLACK WIDOW, and yet she could tell something was wrong. "Natasha?" Wanda finally said when she went to stitch her up without using her powers.

"Yes?" Natasha brought her eyes to Wanda as her loud thoughts of a young blonde child slowed. "Are you okay?" Wanda asked the question that had been begging to be asked.

Natasha wasn't sure what it was, but she easily could've lied to Wanda. She could've nodded, put on a brave face, and shut down any remaining questions, but when the green eyes of the Sokovian looked up at her, she broke. She closed her eyes and squeezed them tight as tears threatened to spill.

Wanda quickly put down the medicinal supplies in her hand and placed her hands on the shoulders of the redhead before they moved down to Natasha's side. Her hand sitting inches above the still-covered tattoo. "Tas-Natasha?"

Natasha shook her head and used her one free hand to wipe at her face. A tear slipped past her mouth as she opened to speak. "I'm tired." She spoke through her rough throat. Wanda nodded. She knew. "So tired."

Wanda rubbed her hands up and down Natasha's side. It seemed like it was still a safe thing to do, considering Natasha hadn't stopped her, and they were both enjoying the touch of each other on their skin.

Wanda was going to let the silence linger. She didn't know what to say to help Natasha that the Widow didn't know, and she was focusing really hard not to read her thoughts. But luckily for Wanda, Natasha very quietly looked up and said: "I miss her."

Wanda saw the soft sadness in the eyes of her friend and felt hurt. She didn't like seeing Natasha like this. It didn't feel right, and someone this pretty should never be sad.

"Who?" Wanda asked, genuinely curious.

"Yelena. My sister."

Natasha saw the confused look on the witches face, but instead of elaborating, Natasha leaned closer to Wanda and lifted her hand off of her tattoo. "Here." She placed her hands on top of Wanda. Moving one just in front of her forehead and the other hand, she moved down the side of her body.

The feeling of their fingers resting on top of one another sent a warmth wave throughout each woman as Natasha finally placed Wanda's hand on the tattoo.

"I got this a year after my deflection to SHIELD."

Wanda rubbed her thumb over the larger firefly before tracing her fingers over the delicate linework. The action making Natasha smile. "Do you know where she is?" Wanda gingerly asked when she took her eyes off the piece of art.

"No."

"Do you wish you did?"

Natasha didn't waste another thought on a lie. She answered truthfully while looking into Wanda's eyes.

"Yes."

Wanda's eyes stayed on Natashas before dropping to her lips and back up. "Can.. I..?" Wanda asked, awaiting consent before earning a nod. With that, Wanda lowered her hand and began looking into Natasba's mind. Looking at what Natasha wanted her to see.

A young blonde child and a girl with dyed blue hair. The two are playing in a backyard near a swing set. The younger girl is laughing and having fun before she falls over.

"Yelena," Natasha repeated her name. "My sister." Wanda smiles at the memory and then raises her hand up and leaves Natasha's mind. "Before she was taken. She didn't know..." When she opens her eyes, Natasha is looking at her. "Thank you for showing me that." Wanda once again looks down at Natasha's watery smile—her lips.

Natasha nods and notices the look on Wanda's face. "Wanda.." Natasha starts as her hands move to Wanda's waist, tugging her closer to her sitting on the bathroom counter.

"We shouldn't..." Wanda already knows what the older woman is thinking, but Natasha wants this. She needs this. It's been a while since she's felt the care from someone else. The touch of another. She also has shared something with Wanda that no one else knows.

So, as she pulls Wanda closer, Wanda knows that they shouldn't, but she can't say no. The words fail to get past her throat. She wants to feel the lips of the other on her... So she leans into Natasha, and the moment between them is soft. Slow and careful. But the sparks fly.

Something happens.

Natasha's hand moves around to Wanda's lower back, pulling her closer, causing Wanda to fall more into her without a fight as their lips collide again and again.

A whimper makes Natasha smile as she bites and pulls the witches bottom lip between her teeth. "You sound so good for me," Natasha whispers, earning another moan. "Natasha..." Wanda tries to speak again but fails when Natasha's right hand begins pulling at Wanda's grey sweatpants. "Shhh.. It's okay.. I want this.." Natasha reassures Wanda to only earn a shake of the head. The younger woman is doing her best to tell Natasha that she's...

"Tasha.." Wanda moans when Natasha's hand brushes past her bare pussy. "Come on. Tell me you want this, Wanda..." Wanda gasps and moans when a finger touches her clit. "Tasha, please..." Natasha smirks and kisses the lips of the scarlet woman with passion.

"Please, what baby..." Wanda loves the kisses being planted by Natasha, but she has never done anything past this moment with someone. She's feeling lost, and the feeling of passion is morphing into nervousness. And she doesn't want to do this with Natasha when she knows and can feel the thoughts coming from Natasha.

Natasha is looking for an escape.

Wanda moans again in pleasure. "Please stop." She says, surprising Natasha. Immediately, Natasha pulls her hands out of Wanda's sweatpants, placing them on her sides taking her lips off of the Sokovian. Looking into her eyes with concern. "What- what's wrong?" Wanda bites her bottom lip before returning them to Natashas, still keeping her confused. "Wanda?" Natasha looks at her friend with soft eyes.

"I've never..." Wanda says, making Natasha feel guilty for pushing her. "Oh Wanda..." Natasha starts, but Wanda stops her again with a kiss, moving their bodies closer together. "Stop. I want to, but..." Wanda bites her lips again. "I don't want to be used." She takes a careful breath before saying: "You and I both know what that's like."

Natasha doesn't realize a tear has fallen from her face until Wanda drags a finger up her cheek. Wiping it away with tenderness. "I'm so-" "Don't." Wanda cups Natasha's chin. "It's okay." Natasha wants to yell at her that it's not, but all she does is collapse as Wanda runs her hand over the tattoo of a distant memory.

Wanda doesn't speak about what almost happened between them. Instead, she leaves Natasha on the bathroom counter as she brings her some clothes to rest in later tonight. She finishes wrapping the wound around Natasha before leading her out to her bed.

Both women are tired but don't let go of one another hand. Wanda smiles when Natasha asks her to stay.

They don't talk about what is new between them. But the two feel closer as Wanda keeps her hand on the tattoo, and with permission, she is allowed to relive the happiest memories from Natasha's childhood. A majority of them involving Yelena. Natasha thanked her as she laid in the Sokovian's arms.

In return, Wanda made her remember that she's not alone.

dividers by @/benkeibear

[falloutboylyricss]

Fall Out Boy and Colors

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

none

Take This to Your Grave

"I'm good to go for something golden" - Saturday

"These friends are, new friends are golden" - Homesick at Space Camp

"My insides are copper, I'd kill to make them gold" - Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash (Wish You Were Here)

"My heart is on my sleeve, wear it like a bruise or black eye" - Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

"All the colors of the street signs, they remind me of the pickup truck out in front of your neighbor's house" - Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

From Under The Cork Tree

"You look so good in blue" - Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

"We're traveled like [nomads] only with worse luck and far less gold" - Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year

"With your backless black dress soaked to the skin" - Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

"Someone old, no one new, feeling borrowed, always blue" - I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me

"This story's getting old, the homewrecker with the heart of gold" - Snitches And Talkers Get Stitches And Walkers

Infinity On High

"At night, we're painting your trash gold while you sleep" - This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

"Kissed teeth stained red from a sour bottle baby girl with eyes the size of baby worlds" - I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)

"I sing the blues and swallow them too" - Hum Hallelujah

"How cruel is the golden rule when the lives we lived are only golden-plated?" - Golden

"Her nose runs ruby red, Death's in a double bed" - The (After) Life Of The Party

"Racing through the city, windows down in the back of yellow checkered cars" - Bang The Doldrums

"There's too much green to feel blue" - Fame < Infamy

"Lips pressed close to mine, true blue" - G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

"Trade baby blues for wide-eyed browns" - G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

"Blackmailed myself, 'cause I ain't got anyone else" - It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't

"I've got the red carpet blues, baby" - It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't

Folie à Deux

The (Shipped) Gold Standard (title only)

"I've got a lot of friends who are stars, but some are just black holes" - 27

"Oh, baby, you're a classic, like a little black dress" - Tiffany Blews

"I want to get stuck and be golden in your memory" - w.a.m.s.

"The infrared scope on pointlessness" - West Coast Smoker

Save Rock And Roll

"Silver clouds with gray linings" - The Phoenix

"Because the world is just a teller and we are wearing black masks" - The Phoenix

"Wave the white flag" - The Phoenix

"And when she touched him, he turned ruby red" - Where Did The Party Go

"Your hot whiskey eyes have fanned the flames" - Miss Missing You

"She's his suicide blonde, she's number than gold" - Rat A Tat

"I kept wishing she had blonde ambition and she'd let it go to my head" - Rat A Tat

"As alone as a little white church in the middle of the desert getting burned" - Rat A Tat

"She's sick and she's wrong, she's young dirty blonde" - Rat A Tat

PAX AM Days

"Every time I see you, I just want to paint the walls white" - We Were Doomed From The Start (The King Is Dead)

"You're just a black widow who fell in love with herself" - Hot To The Touch, Cold On The Inside

American Beauty/American Psycho

"Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold" - Centuries

"Overhead of the aqua blue" - The Kids Aren't Alright

"I always fall from your window to the pitch black street / And with the black banners raised as the crooked smiles fade" - The Kids Aren't Alright

"I got those jet pack blues" - Jet Pack Blues

"And I'm trying to find my peace of mind behind these two white highway lines" - Jet Pack Blues

"She's in a long black coat tonight waiting for me in the downpour outside" - Jet Pack Blues

"This is a black, black ski mask song" - Novocaine

"If you knew, knew what the bluebirds sang at you, you would never sing along" - Novocaine

"Take this sideshow and all its freaks and turn it into the silver screen dream" - Novocaine

"And I confessed, confessed to you riding shot-gun underneath the purple skies" - Favorite Record

"Live with me forever now, pull the blackout curtains down" - Immortals

"And there's a jet black crow droning on and on and on" - Twin Skeleton's (Hotel In NYC)

MANIA

"You were too good to be true, gold-plated" - The Last Of The Real Ones

"I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color" - Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)

"These are the last blues we're ever gonna have" - Bishops Knife Trick

So Much (For) Stardust

"It's open season on blue moods" - Heartbreak Feels So Good

"Running middle fingers through the red lights" - Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Fever-dream tangerine sweat" - Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Take a knife and cut through the darkness, castle-temp red wine" - Fake Out

The Pink Seashell (title only)

"Orange leaves, but we're the ones falling off trees" - Baby Annihilation

"Oh, I'm going neon in the night-time" - What a Time To Be Alive

"I got the quarantine blues, bad news, what's left?" - What a Time To Be Alive

Misc.

"Boxed blondes have less fun" - Lake Effect Kid

"Fyre Fest, Black Parade, Michael Phelps, Y2K" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"SpongeBob, Golden State Killer got caught" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Jeff Bezos, climate change, white rhino goes extinct" - We Didn't Start The Fire

[steviestits]

In The Family Way - Part 2.3

Written for an anon prompt, which can be read in its entirety on this fic's masterpost.

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Background Argyle/Jonathan Rating: E Summary: The Munson family has never had the typical values that most modern Americans have as they find thrill in all that's mysterious and spooky. Steve Harrington, a black widow omega, hadn't known this when he mated with the family's eldest alpha, Eddie, and thought that he'd be another easy mark that he could kill to inherit the millions that Eddie owned. However, not only do all his murder attempts fail, but Eddie actually enjoys them! And to make matters worse, the alpha wants to try for a pup! Steve has to find a way to off Eddie for good, before he gets pregnant and maybe actually falls for the death-crazed alpha. (Addams Family Values au set in the Omegaverse after the events of the movie with Steve as Debbie and Eddie as Fester) Trigger Warning: Attempted Murder as a love language, Mpreg

THERE IS EXPLICIT CONTENT UNDER THE CUT, ONLY CONTINUE IF YOU'RE 18+!

(Link to previous part)

Eyes darkening, Eddie surged forward, unable to resist the sweet callings of the omega. Steve turned his head as he saw the alpha approaching to avoid getting locked into a kiss, but instead, Eddie latched onto Steve’s neck to suck on the claim mark there. Actual shivers wracked through Steve, again surprised by how sensitive he was to the intimate touch since his previous mates had never touched him there, not caring if the omega was enjoying himself.

Eddie remained latched to Steve’s neck even as he hooked Steve’s legs his shoulders before he thrust his cock forward into the omega’s wet pussy. Because of the position, Eddie’s cock rammed into Steve deeply, and it was almost too much. Steve’s toes curled while back arched, and he brought up his hands to wrap his fingers in the alpha’s long hair.

After that, though, Eddie didn’t move, only remained buried nearly to the hilt in Steve. The action confused Steve until he felt Eddie nuzzle against his claim mark. Steve soon realized that Eddie was waiting for Steve to adjust, as if he knew the size and depth of his cock was slightly overwhelming the omega. Blush formed on Steve’s cheeks. He hated it, though. He hated Eddie being sweet and gentle with him.

Panting, Steve tugged on Eddie’s hair roughly. “Harder,” he demanded. “You can even bite me if you want. I don’t care. Just a pup inside me, Alpha.”

“Whatever you desire, I will do, my pet,” Eddie replied while pressing a kiss into Steve’s neck.

More blush colored the omega, from his ears down to his toes, but Eddie didn’t seem to notice as he did as Steve commanded, pulling out so he could then thrust in harder. He set a furious pace from there, fucking into Steve with enough abandon that he couldn’t stop the moans that leaked out of his mouth or the sharp whines that followed as he started getting close to climax again. If Steve wasn’t on birth control, he was certain with how fast and deep Eddie was going, that he’d get pregnant with a pup after this.

Despite what Steve had said, though, Eddie didn’t bite Steve, at least not hard. The alpha instead teased the claim mark with his tip, nipping at the skin that had become even more sensitive now that it had been bruised during Eddie’s previous efforts. That didn’t mean the sensation was bad and was in fact quite the opposite. It was a particularly eager love bite that finally sent Steve over the edge as the touch was too intimate for him to handle properly.

Steve’s hands moved from Eddie’s hair to his back, clawing at the alpha’s skin as the orgasm washed over him. His pussy clenched, encouraging Eddie to continue until he finally released his seed into the omega and for once, Steve didn’t mind the full feeling that came from being stuffed with cum. He kind of enjoyed it, if he was being honest, especially after that alpha’s knot popped, sealing enough inside him that his belly bloated as if he was already pregnant, even though that was impossible due to his birth control.

“You-” Steve began, struggling to catch his breath. “You said you’ve been practicing?”

“Yeah,” Eddie replied, just as breathless. “Every day I watch videos and practice with toys. I- I want to pleasure you, my darling omega.”

“Well, uh... keep up the good work.”

“I will. Want to take care of you in the same way you take care of me.”

Eddie then pulled back as far as their position would allow, so he could look into Steve’s eyes and stroke his sweat soaked hair. He gazed down at Steve with love and affection that the omega never seen directed at him before now. Not even his parents had looked at him like this, like he was something special, something worth keeping. Those weren’t usually thoughts people had about Steve, which was why he used and left them first, before they could throw him away after they found out he wasn’t what they wanted.

“Stop that,” Steve huffed angrily, turning his head to avoid Eddie’s gaze.

The alpha was rightfully confused as he asked, “Stop what?”

“Stop staring at me like some lovesick puppy.”

“But I am!” Eddie laughed. “You have infected me with the deadliest disease, my pet. One of which there is no cure. Until the day I die of this wretched, vile ailment, I’ll remain miserably lovesick over you.”

If it wasn’t for them being locked together by the knot, Steve would’ve pushed Eddie off the bed for being so mushy and making him continue to blush redder. He hadn’t thought that Eddie or the rest of his family would be so romantic because of how dark and dreary they kept their home, but they were. Maybe it wasn’t the fact that they had macabre tastes that set them apart from the typical American family, instead it was that they loved each other, even if the showed it in ways that weren’t normal, and enjoyed their spouse’s company, never treating them like the “old ball and chain” or whatever nonsense alphas were spouting about commitment.

“You don’t know that,” Steve said, hating the vulnerability in his voice. “You could get tired of me one day. It happens.”

Eddie tucked a strand of hair behind Steve’s ear. “Not to me. Not to us. I’ll always want you. You’re my seductive murderess. My sweet and loving demise. There won’t ever be a time where I’d grow tired of your deadly embrace.”

Steve’s heart began beating wildly in his chest, and he now realized that he’d made a grievous error by allowing Eddie to pleasure him tonight. He enjoyed having sex with his mate and wanted to have more sex with him until the two of them couldn’t walk any longer. The omega wanted to hear the alpha whisper sweet words to him as if meant them, as if anyone could love Steve and never eventually see him as a broken plaything to discard.

This wouldn’t do. Determination set into Steve. He’d try even harder to kill Eddie, give the alpha the death he wished by his lover’s hand since he’d lived this story before and heard these promises from others. Steve was going to get rid of Eddie before he got rid of Steve, and nothing was going to stop him.

Part 2.2 ~ Masterpost ~ Part 3.1

[moeitsu]

The Tie Which Linked My Soul To Thee

Summary: Kate is not immune to the dangers of the land. No matter how much she loved it, the land will never love her back.

Ao3 Wattpad Masterlist - All Chapters Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.8 Ch.9 Ch.10

Trigger Warning: Graphic depictions of violence and disturbing imagery. If you do not like depictions of war and torture please proceed with caution. I did heavy research for this chapter, but please know it is entirely FICTIONAL. The characters are not real, but the events are based on real American history. Tags: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character, Widowed, Original Character, Mutual Pining, Slow Build, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, High Honor Arthur Morgan, Friends to Lovers, Child Loss, Trauma, Canon-Typical Violence, Arthur Morgan Does Not Have Tuberculosis, Arthur Morgan Deserves Happiness, Chubby Arthur Morgan, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Ch 7 - The Sun Can Never Dip So Low

1890

I knew I was going to die. 

If the arrow in my side does not take me, then the man who rides the horse I lay across surely will. 

I felt no pain. Perhaps it was the fever of the fight. But it didn’t hurt. I thought of screaming and thrashing, but I thought better of it. As my father would say, ‘The one good thing about problems, is they’ll still be problems later. Don’t need to deal with them right away.’

Either way, I was still going to die. 

If only my father had taught me how to survive the frontier. I know now that you must learn to recognize those who won’t survive, and be wary of their doomed decisions. They are to be avoided at all costs. Because their fear is tragedy’s closest cousin. And tragedy is contagious in this place.

My mind was snuffed by a white blanket of fear, but somehow I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. But God had already abandoned me, perhaps he never loved me at all. My life had been an endless cycle of taking, why would it stop taking now. 

I had no idea where the man was taking me. I did not speak his language. I had heard stories about the wars between the Indians and Englishman. But I did not have a way to tell them I’m not a part of it, but I knew somehow if I could it would not matter. War will turn men into predators, and women into prey. 

Only days ago I felt like I was drowning under a waterfall, but now I see this is the real river of death.

The adrenaline had begun to leak out of my body along with the blood from the arrow. I watched in a blurred haze as the droplets disappeared into the ground as the horse took us swiftly through the dark forests. The pain began creeping in along with the darkness as I blacked out. 

When I woke I found myself laying on the dirt of a fort, the sound of Englishmen talking with the Indians brought me out of my haze. I thought I had been saved, I wanted to yell and scream for help. But the conversation did not sound pleasant, I could barely make out the figure of a man who must be a general and another who must have been the chief. To my surprise, I saw a young Indian woman standing behind the general, her wrists bound. She looked my age, but deathly beaten and ill. My throat closed in. 

The chief's voice rose in anger and I watched him point at me, then at the woman. After a moment the general waved his hands, and the girl was unbound and brought to the chief, he swiftly lifted and cradled her. I knew then it was his daughter. At the same time one of the general's men came walking in my direction and I realized I wasn’t being rescued, but traded. One woman for another, and eye for an eye. 

I thought death was better than being a prisoner, as my mind raced with panic. I almost begged the Indians to turn back and kill me. 

There must be a heaven, because that night I knew I had entered the gates of hell. Crawling on my hands and knees into the belly of the beast as he took me in his bed. Night after endless night. 

My days had turned into nights, and I no longer saw the point in living. Like my eyes had become devoid of color, and the world turned black and gray. Instead of praying to be rescued, I prayed my injury would kill me. 

There were other prisoners in the fort, mostly Lakota men. I bore no hatred for their people, but entirely my own. Their greed so suffocating they took the daughter of the chief, an innocent girl who had no part in their war. And turned her into a shell of herself. All in the name of greed. It was always greed. 

I thought my life couldn’t have any more surprises for me, that it must end here. But my life was about to change yet again. 

I noticed one of the other prisoners began watching me, then leaving behind extra food and water for me. After a few days, he approached me. 

“What is your name?” he asked, his accent thick. Like my language did not fit right in his mouth. Unlike his own.

“Kate,” I answered. Surprised to hear my own voice after days of torture, “what’s yours?” 

“Egwani,” he said, “or in your language little river. That wound in your belly is going to get infected.” River nodded at the small purple wound on my stomach . The general's men had cauterized it, but my body had been rising with a fever for the past two days. 

“It’s already infected.” And I hoped it would kill me quickly. 

River shook his head, “I can help you.” 

“Why would you help me?” Not that there was any hope for me anyways. Even if he stopped the infection, I was still stuck in this hell. 

“That woman the white man traded you for, she is my wife.” 

A chill ran down my spine. I did not want to think about what they did to her infront of him. 

“You gave your life to save hers. So I will save yours.” He said sincerely. Not that I had a choice in the matter, but still. If one woman came out of this alive, then I guess my death would have some meaning to it. 

“Even if you stop the infection, these men will kill me. There’s nothing you can do, I’m going to die here.” My voice betrays my thoughts. Desperation creeping its way into the cracks. Inside I wanted the pain to end, I wanted my suffering to cease. But I was still terrified, beneath it all I longed to return home. Pretend none of it happened. Return to my old life with my family. But that version of me no longer exists. 

River chuckled softly. 

“Is something funny?” The last thing I needed was to be shown kindness and then mocked. Like the general’s men had not degraded me enough. 

“You are stubborn like the Amicalola,” he smiled. Why was he smiling? Had he not suffered just as much as I had? He must have seen his wife beaten nearly within an inch of her life, and he could do nothing, yet he was smiling at me now. 

The pain in my body made my words come out bitter and sharp, “I don’t know what that means.”

“My people’s word for waterfall. You are strong like one too. It is a good name.” 

I scoffed, how incredibly wrong he was. 

“I’m not,” I stated with a groan. My head throbbed from the fever and my body was cold from the chills as the infection raged through my insides. 

“I can give you medicine. And when my people return in a few weeks, I will escape and take you with me.” He explained. 

“I think I’d rather you just kill me now,” I said, closing my eyes. The world around me was spinning in a dark haze, gravity pulling my body down with my thoughts. 

“You could have killed yourself days ago,” River began, “you could have taken a rope to your throat, or a knife to your heart. But you did not,” I opened my eyes again and looked at him, “that is how I know you are strong. Your will to live is burning through you right now with a fever.” 

My eyes filled with tears, and my throat suddenly felt thick. For the first time in what felt like forever, my heart began to fill with hope. River closed the gap between us and placed a gentle palm on my forehead, feeling the heat of my skin. 

“I have watched you turn towards the pain as it tears into you. I have seen the way you survive, these men think they have taken everything from you. But you have not let them devour your soul.”

“I could do nothing to stop them,” I croaked. Hot tears spilling down my cheeks like water through a dry creek bed. 

“Sometimes, there is strength in surrendering. But you have surrendered nothing to the pain. I see your tears, but you do not weep,” he brushed a thumb over my wet face, “you are a warrior.” 

━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━

True to his word, River’s men showed up exactly two weeks later. But before that, he had given me a salve mixed from honey and sage and rubbed it over my arrow wound, as well as the numerous others I had accumulated in my time here. He also gave me an herbal tea for the infection, and by some miracle it was working. Each day I felt my strength returning to me. 

River took beatings for me, when I could not walk or do chores. Or simply when the men felt like taking their frustrations out on another human being. And I felt incredibly guilty for it. But he always assured me that I needed to save my strength for the real fight, when his people came. Yet nothing could have prepared me for what was about to unfold. 

They came under the cover of night, and used the forest and mountains to their advantage. They brought the fire, as the fort was made entirely out of wood and before long it became a fiery prison from hell. I knew our escape would not be easy, even with the help of Rivers' men. I had my strength back, but no knowledge of how to actually fight. I was lucky enough to escape with just a burn on my calf. 

It had been a bloody massacre, and the men fought savagely. The Lakota people came with arrows and tomahawks and spears, and I watched as they made the men of the fort suffer. It brought a sickening joy to my heart, to see the men who had raped me have their skulls crushed and insides ripped apart. It felt like justice. 

We lost people on our side, too many. None of the other prisoners had made it out alive. And I grieved for the other girls of the camp who did not make it like I had, it felt unfair. But we managed to escape. After hours of blazing rage, River swiftly lifted me onto the back of a horse, and together we rode far away from the fort. Only a few of his people escaped alongside us, as we left behind their final resting place. The numbing shock of war is behind me now, and hope has taken its place.

His men had informed us that his tribe had moved to the bottom of the Tennessee river, to escape the constant attacks and find refuge further west. So that is where our journey took us. As if life had still granted me the irony of continuing west, despite all the horrors I had faced to get there. 

It took us nearly three months. We traveled through the Appalachian trails and the journey was not easy. We lived rough, and we lived hard. I felt like a burden most days, as I knew I was slowing down their journey. I was still not entirely healed, and some days I felt I did not have the strength to travel at all. But River was patient, and never made me feel like it was my fault. 

He taught me how to hunt, how to fish, and how to set traps and skin animals. He even taught me some of his language, but most importantly he taught me how to survive. 

“When we kill an animal we must use all parts of it, to honor it. These creatures are innocent, and when we kill an innocent we become a little less of a man, and a little more of an animal.” He told me as he demonstrated how to properly skin a rabbit. 

Death is something we share with all creatures; rabbits, birds, horses and trees. It's everywhere, and eventually it will take everyone. Just as it had taken everyone who had loved me. Even as the stars die, we cannot run from it. 

Despite his people running from war, they could not escape death either. We arrived at River’s tribal camp, along the bank of the Tennessee river, and it had been reduced to ash. We were too late, or perhaps we were lucky, this could have been our fate too. River, and the men who came to rescue us, were the last of his people. I saw something dark enter him that day, as he held the charred bones of his wife and child. The woman whom I gave my life for, all for nought. As I stood there, living and breathing, and she did not. Their entire family history, wiped clean from the earth. 

His rage became the oil to my flame, I felt his anger mix with my own deep in my soul. All this death we had endured. Intertwined our fates like loops on a chain that bound us like shackles. But it was our grief that kept us on a tight leash. River sought revenge and justice, while I yearned to take from the world what it had taken from me. Together, we would instill fear into the heart of every man who crossed the land.

━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━

Kate McCanon died the day I met River. What stood before him now was the Amicalola, the waterfall. I became a woman unrecognizable. 

Like many rivers, their journeys start with quiet beginnings, but as they are nourished by the waters of experience, they gather strength, flowing swiftly and deeply towards their desired path. If you follow their course and witness where they converge — they become a creature of beauty as well as fury. I became the waterfall: untamed and unbridled, sweeping away all in my path with wild abandon.

River made me into a warrior, and with each life I took, the world felt my turmoil. Anger guided my blade, for the world had stolen my family—my husband, and my daughter. It robbed me of myself, leaving me with nothing to lose. 

“Our purpose is to ensure our enemies' fear is greater than their greed,” he told me. We hunted poachers, bandits, and thieves. But his rage was never satisfied. 

He taught me how to kill, how to torture. How to fight with weapons capable of horrific fatalities. And I welcomed it with open arms. We fought and killed together for several years before I would begin to lose myself to the bloodshed. 

We were hunting a group of poachers, when we came upon what we believed to be their camp. River was the first to drag a man from his tent, a knife already in his side. He would ask questions, and then kill him slowly. His fate sealed the moment we found their tracks. The man claimed to know nothing, but we were not convinced. And it wouldn't matter anyways, we would kill everyone in the camp. Just for the sake of it.

“What you take from the land will be taken from you. Know that I am the land, and the land is killing you.” River spoke in his native tongue as he slit the man's throat. Sickeningly slow. He would choke to death in his own blood. 

A sound came from the man's tent and a figure emerged, I drew my bow, ready to release it as they stepped out. The moment a child appeared, I wished then that I had the strength to kill myself back at the fort. I had turned into a monster. 

My heart was in my stomach as a little girl cried for her father. What have I done? I had almost killed a child. And we just killed her father, I realized we had been at the wrong camp. And I had just doomed a mother to be a widow, and a childhood to be ruined. I might as well have handed my fate over to them.

River stood before me, his face shadowed and his eyes vacant. The man who once filled my heart with hope now dwelled in darkness himself. At that moment, I knew I had to leave. I could no longer fight alongside him; our path led to a place from which I could not return. Like Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, yet born under the light of Spring, I too would journey down the river Styx.

He did not resist my departure. River assured me I would always be welcomed among his people, and if I desired, he would take me as his wife. For years, River had been my strength, and I his, but now I was leaving him—to salvage what little I had left of myself. 

After calming the child, I made a solemn vow to reunite her with her mother. This marked the beginning of my journey to break the cycle, and seek redemption for what I had done. It would also mark the end of my journey as a warrior. As we parted ways,  he whispered a message into the wind. I could not tell if it was a goodbye, or a promise, or a warning. In his tongue he told me “follow the rivers, and they will take you to the waterfall.” 

~~~

AN: I seriously appreciate all the love you guys are showing for this story. It motivates me to write more, and I'm truly having so much fun with it. Thank you! <3

[stvrdrops]

the american actress pt 1 | pt 2 ☆ shuri x fem!reader

an invitation to the most lavish and private wakandan ball suddenly makes its way into your lap, despite you being only a regular old actress compared to the world leaders who usually attend. could it be the princess invited you herself..? surely not.

warnings : some implicit actions , fluff & cute flirting between the two !

word count : 2,861

note : this is the first shuri fanfic i’ve written after coming back from my terrible writers block so i apologize if it’s not the best lol i’ve just been so obsessed with her lately that i had to write something for her :)

wakanda is a kingdom of utter extravagance. ever since they opened up their walls they had begun throwing lavish balls and galas to keep the countries distracted from stealing vibranium. the world leaders saw it as an elite gala while wakanda saw it as a way to share their wealth without actually sharing. only the most classy and most important of people could even dream about attending the wakandan dances. the most famous of these balls being the wakandan international gala. something so simply named would have to be but a simple event, right? you would be incredibly mistaken. women dressed to the nines while men wore their most expensive designer suits. governors would discuss politics while tribe leaders ate and danced. princesses and daughters of government officials would gossip and flirt with the many men eyeing them down. most importantly, the avengers themselves would attend. they treated the night as one of their many vacation days from work. the black widow would forgo her iconic black suit, captain america would drop the shield for a glass of whiskey, tony stark would still bring his suit but only to show off, thor’s cape became a tuxedo, hawkeye managed to go without his bow, and bruce banner left the green man at home.

this was your first and what you thought to be your last time attending the infamous event. you were certain to be an outlier compared to the world’s most important people. you happened to be just a simple actress. you didn’t sign treaties or protect the universe. all you did was read off a script and perform some stunts for a living. it was safe to say you believed the invitation to be a mistake, but your agent assured you it was not. apparently you had been invited allegedly by someone with high wakandan authority. they had left their identity a mystery which drove you wild. it made you laugh to think the person who invited you was the princess of wakanda, shuri. you happened to form a crush on her some time ago after seeing her on tv discussing world politics. somehow she made the war over vibranium sound sexy and adorable at the same time. which was quite insane.

you often found yourself wondering if the princess had seen any of your movies. she was far too busy to sit down and watch some silly academy nominated films. after all, she was the princess of a whole nation and led only the best scientists all on her own.

you currently stood in front of large doors made purely out of vibranium. it was carved with thousands of little people telling the story of how wakanda was formed. the attention to detail had been nothing short of incredible. it was so incredible, in fact, that your breathing even hitched a little. you had never seen anything quite like that with its craftsmanship. yet again, you hadn’t seen anything quite like wakanda.

the trip to wakanda had been fairly short despite the long distance needing to be traveled. a limo showed up at your quaint loft in nyc right when the invitation said transportation would arrive. after that you were taken to what seemed to be an army base. wakandan jets were lined along as you watched others enter. they went in groups, while you had a jet all of your own. the next thing you knew was arriving in wakanda and standing in front of these doors. everything had happened so quick!

“ehem.”

your gaze shifts from the top of the door to the two women standing on both sides of it. you blushed out of embarrassment, the red on your checks too bright for your brown skin to hide. out of your astonishment you forgot the two women had even been standing there. they oozed poise and bravery. not to mention they were incredibly sexy.

somehow you felt underdressed when you stared at them. they were wearing their normal dora milaje gear, but still it matched the regality of the gala. you looked down at your thousand dollar gown and frowned a little. it had stuck to your body like a glove, showing off every curve. you felt a little self conscious due to the low back and high leg slit. it almost felt too grown for such an event, but your stylist assured you it would be the right choice for the occasion. so maybe you weren’t overdressed, but perhaps just feeling like you didn’t dress for the right kind of gala.

it made you feel so much older than nineteen. the black sparkles shined bright as the lights in the hall hit every single one of them. your dark stilettos positioned you higher than normal, but you were just of the same height as the dora milaje women. your hair had been done up in a bun style updo, showcasing your collarbones and soft neck. the makeup you wore was soft glam, and that was just how you liked it. you knew you were beautiful but the nerves of keeping up appearances was eating you alive.

you move closer to the door and smile to the two women. they do not reciprocate the smile, but you know they would if they could. their training probably prohibited them from doing such things at events like these.

spears hit the ground causing the large vibranium doors to open. it caught you by surprise seeing how easily the moved open despite how much they had to of weighed. once they opened it revealed to you just how many people were truly at this gala.

your eyes land on everyone below and grow wide at the realization that everyone is staring back at you. you even make eye contact with one of the avengers, natasha romanoff. you quickly turn your eyesight away out of embarrassment, however, it’s just your luck that your eyes land right on princess shuri right after. you could feel yourself freezing as a wide smile grew onto her face. she looked happy? like as if she was happy to see you attending.

“introducing y/n y/l/n, the american actress.” a thick accent shouts before the spears hit the ground again.

everyone’s eyes linger on you for a second while you make your way into the room. the doors close suddenly behind you. you can’t help but feel totally exposed. somehow being in front of a million people at a premiere is better than this, because at least you know those people love you.

music fills your ears as you see the band has begun playing again. people go back to normal as the music starts and you can’t help but let out a sigh of relief. you finally allow yourself to go down the stairs without the risk of tripping from your anxiety.

the room looked much smaller from above, but as you’re in the middle of it all you realize the room is quite large. you can’t help but allow your eyes to scan the room as you take in all the lavish decor and beautiful greenery. the walls were covered in flowers and vines native to wakanda. sculptures of panthers made purely out of vibranium lined the walls and the pillars reaching from out of them. dora milaje stood in little doorways towards the top of the walls, watching down on the guests.

the large glass roof allowed for the stars to shine so beautifully on your sparkly dress. it also helped to create the perfect atmosphere as people danced and laughed. it was just the perfect amount of light.

you hadn’t realized you made your way to the bar until someone tapped your shoulder with a sharp nail.

“are you lost?” a sultry voice spoke.

“oh,” you quickly turn yourself around to see the black widow standing in front of you. you find it hard to form the correct words, only saying, “i’m sorry.”

she laughs, “for what?”

“i- i just…” your mouth goes dry, “i guess i don’t know.”

“hm,” she raises a brow, “you’re just as pretty in person as you are in the movies.”

you gasp, “you watch my movies?”

“who doesn’t?” a thick wakandan accent speaks from behind you.

you feel your legs go weak when you recognize who’s voice it was. it couldn’t be, could it? you turn to the side and your eyes land on the princess of wakanda, shuri. she flashes you a charming smile and you can feel your face heat up once again. she’s not that much older than you, but she looked incredibly mature. she didn’t wear a typical dress, instead opting for a suit that had no under shirt. you could see the most modest part of her chest and how toned her collarbones were. it’s almost as if you could see her muscles underneath the suit. shuri could feel you undressing her with your eyes, but said nothing about it.

“you do not mind if i take my guest, do you romanoff?” shuri spoke to natasha while gripping your hand. the russian spy looked down at the hang gripping and then up again.

“not at all.” she said before going back to sipping on her incredibly dark red wine.

“come y/n, i must show you something.” shuri speaks while flashing another smile and dragging you away from the party. you’re far too starstruck to even say anything, only nodding as a response.

you’re lead through the many corridors of the wakandan palace before reaching the least guarded area in the whole place. the doors were white and looked futuristic. you watch as shuri begins to type some password into a keypad.

“you’re the princess”

ugh, you cant believe you’ve said that out loud.

“yes, i am.” she chuckles, “and you’re a famous american actress.”

“why does everyone refer to me as that? i have a name.” you cant help but frown.

“hmm, fine. i will refer to you as y/n, the princess of all american actresses.”

what a stupid nickname, but it sounded so cute coming from her that you couldn’t help but smile. she noticed this and beamed with pride. her little flirting had been working nicely.

“that works.” you joke with her. for the first time tonight you didn’t find yourself feeling anxiety.

“ah! here we are.” shuri speaks as the white door begins to open. it slides from both sides to reveal what seems to be the infamous lab. you don’t have time to register much of anything due to shuri dragging you inside and up some stairs to a ledge. she stops in front of a table covered in different little trinkets and inventions.

“forgive me princess, but what am i supposed to be looking at?”

“hm?” she looks up at you, tearing her gaze away from the table. “oh yes, hold on.”

you watch as she picks through the items.

“to be honest i didn’t know you knew of my existence.”

she laughs and you can feel butterflies forming inside you. your schoolgirl crush on shuri was truly getting worse and worse by every moment you spend with her. surely she could never see you that way though. hell, you didn’t even know if she was into girls.

“i watch every movie of yours. you are quite an incredible actress. which is why i wanted you to test these for me.” she says while handing you what seemed to be a pair of black glasses. they were the exact same frames as ones you wore in your last movie.

shuri sees you raising a brow at this realization and says, “i liked how well they complimented you.”

“i see.” you say as you hear the subtle cockiness in her voice begin to dwell. you couldn’t help but think about how much taller she was even in your heels. so to look up at her with the glasses on made you feel a bit silly. you enjoyed it though.

suddenly words appear in your eyesight. the glasses lenses turn into screens that display what seems to be a script. it tracks what you read and what you haven’t, highlights certain parts of the text for you, and seemingly more. your mouth can’t help but gape open at how cool it all is.

“did you make these?” a stupid question, but you had to ask.

“of course, with you in mind.”

“why me?”

“it gave me a good excuse to get you in my lab, and trust me, i needed to get you in here somehow.”

oh. my. god.

“why wait until this fancy gala?” you blushed as you spoke, still searching through the words on the lenses.

“i just wanted to see you in a pretty dress. i guessed you’d look amazing based off your premiere pics, but somehow it’s so much better in person. you’re so much better in person.”

suddenly you feel her hand resting on your hip. you don’t refuse her, and she can feel you’re enjoying the reaction. she took pleasure in knowing your hairs probably stood up under that tight dress from her finger tips. she lifts the glasses up, allowing for you to make eye contact with her. she was looking at you like you were the only person in the world. she was looking at you as if she wanted to devour you.

how suave.

“you are much shorter in person, but i prefer it this way. much easier to do this.”

“do what—“ you begin to ask, but unable to finish as a gasp escapes from your plump lips. shuri had lifted you up onto the glass table so easily that it caught you by surprise. you swore you could feel your heart beating out of your chest. your body aches for her and she could tell.

her fingers trail up the slit in your dress as you both hold eye contact. she smiles as they slip under the dress, finding your black panties. the space between you two becomes much less by every passing second.

“i should’ve flown you out to wakanda much sooner if i knew you would let me get this far. perhaps even request you film a movie here.”

“a movie? for the wakandans?”

she laughs, “no silly. our own personal movie. one that involves little clothing. i’m sure you’d be a natural at it since it involves no real acting.”

holy shit she’s good.

she leans in while keeping eye contact. you began growing impatient so you grab her face and push your lips into hers. suddenly the space between you is no longer existing. her hands are on your hips as you attempt to chase some kind of high.

shuri takes pleasure in knowing just how fast you crumbled beneath her. you two didn’t even know each other for two hours and here you were grinding yourself into her and the table trying to chase a high.

your hands dug into the curly hair on top of her head as she dove to your exposed neck. her nails dug into your skin when you pulled slightly on the hair. her teeth sank into your neck and you moaned from the contact. it was almost as if she was a vampire with the way she was sucking and biting on you. she just couldn’t get enough of how fruity you had tasted.

you couldn’t help but melt underneath her and turn into a mess as she pushed your legs up. she was incredibly charming and the best kisser you’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. this certainly isn’t what you had planned for the night, but it would do nicely.

“princess shuri—“

“not,” she came up from your neck and kissing you to speak, “now.”

“but—“

shuri ignored the voice speaking from the walls. you were too busy taking everything in to notice the voice.

“princess shuri!”

a voice booms through the lab and suddenly shuri is pushing herself off of you. you quickly fix your position to keep from falling off of the glass table as you realize someone other than the both of you was in the room.

“okoye, how many times have i told you to not enter when the doors are shut?!”

the woman only raises a brow as she looks between you and the princess. you give a weak but embarrassed smile. her expression drops into a slight smile when she sees shuri’s hand still on your waist.

“i apologize to break up whatever this is, but the queen is requesting your presence.”

shuri sighs, “i better not keep mother waiting.” she looks back at you and attempts to hide a smile from seeing how flustered you look, “i will be back. do not move a muscle!”

you can only find it in yourself to nod your head, already missing how good it felt to have her lips on your neck.

she hurries after okoye and the doors to the lab open.

“must you have sex in the lab?”

“we were not going to have sex okoye!”

“lying is not good for the soul shuri.”

“hmph. you know how long i’ve been crushing on her.”

“oh yes, you never shut up about her last movie. such a lover girl aren’t you? at least take the girl out on a date first.”

“maybe i will.” shuri states in a matter of fact manner.

the doors shut cutting off the conversation to you. however, you heard all you needed to hear, a smile spreading across your lips.

˖⁺｡˚⋆˙✧⋆｡°✩☼⋆｡°✩☽

[justalonelyslytherin]

Legacies | Ten

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Pairing: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Kazansky!OC

Summary: Iceman is dead. At his funeral secrets are revealed. Hangman doesn't take this revelation too well, causing more hurt and heartbreak.

Warnings: military inaccuracies, mentions of dying, mentions of parental death/parental loss, funeral

Wordcount: 4k

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider leaving a comment or reblogging. I don’t allow for my content to be copied, translated, or reposted on other websites/apps. Please don’t steal my work.

A/N: Here it is. The big bad chapter. I hope you got your tissues ready. This was hard to write for me too. I wish I could promise that the next couple of chapters are going to make it better but I fear for now we are in the droughts before it can get better again. Feel free to slide into my asks if you need some pick-up or fluff to handle it in between the wait! There is so much more to say for this story and pairing.

Taglist: open, message me or comment to be added, will be put as reblog

So how do I say goodbye

To someone who's been with me for my whole damn life?

You gave me my name and the color of your eyes

I see your face when I look at mine

So how do I, how do I, how do I say goodbye?

Admiral Thomas ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet was dead.

The news had come unexpectedly, surprising everyone who hadn’t been part of the late Admirals closest circle and family. Grief over the loss of their Commander had taken the Navy by surprise. Many had met the aviator and worked with him over the course of his impressive and long career.

There wasn’t a single sailor in their branch that didn’t have something good to say about the man. He’d inspired many, friends and colleagues alike to the men serving under him.

Now he was gone.

The daggers shifted uneasily in their stiff formal uniforms, arranged in a line at the front with many other servicemen on the military graveyard. A large crowd had gathered today to honor the legend. 

Men and women had come flocking from every part of the US, some even from other parts of the world. And while a majority of them were in service uniforms, the uniformous dark silhouettes of civilians weren’t to be disregarded either.

Each one of them stood tall and proud, representing, their eyes remained forward as the ceremony was taking place. Maverick and Cyclone stood to the side of the casket, flanking the late Commander's family.

Jake hadn’t taken much notice of them, too occupied with standing still and occasionally also thinking about Ana. As the repeated ring of shots from the rifle detail sounded on, he couldn’t help but wonder how she was doing, certainly going through a similar ceremony saying goodbye to her father.

Once the honor guard had folded the American flag, Cyclone stepped forward to take over and represent Iceman’s widow with it. It was then that Jake’s eyes for the first time focused on her. And it was then that he noticed someone very familiar, clad in a black dress, just beside her.

It was Ana.

Red-rimmed eyes, even from this distance Hangman could see how heartbroken she was, her face barely holding the neutral expression she’d put on. The two women were holding hands, Ana clutching her mother’s hand and staring blankly at the casket.

As Cyclone stepped towards them they had to let go of one another. Ana’s eyes briefly broke away and turned to the side. She glanced at the flag only for a short moment, set to look away again. Her eyes strayed toward the crowd, and when they did they met his.

The eye contact didn’t last long but it was enough for Jake to realize who she was. He hadn’t been able to piece it together until now. A part of him hadn’t wanted to believe it to be her, but as she’d looked at him there was no denying it.

She was Kazansky’s daughter. The rumored Top Gun graduate who had changed her last name in order to hide her identity and to not be associated with her father.

Anger rose in the pit of Jake’s stomach. Fiery hot and acidic, it threatened to boil over and consume him. Disappointment settled into every cell of his, not that Jake would have been able to realize so as the anger masked any other sensation he could have felt. 

Ana’s eyes widened in surprise, the recognition that had settled over him now overcoming her. 

Her secret was out. 

Just as quickly as they had crossed she averted her eyes but Jake couldn’t help but continue staring at her. There was nowhere else he could look at now, than at her. 

She wouldn’t look toward him again.

Perhaps it was better so. Jake wasn’t sure he’d have been able to hold himself back had their eyes met once again. Even now the emotions in him boiled close to the surface still, eating away at his resolve and composure. His body was engulfed in flames. 

It was an ugly sensation, rotten and tainted. He felt betrayed. Hurt and angry. So many emotions swirled inside him, he couldn’t name them all. They blurred together to form one shifting, rising monster. Its low rumbles grew louder as its sharp talons dug into him, demanding to claw its way to the surface.

It was the betrayal that hurt the most. No small measure, she’d kept something as momentous as this from them. Their teammates. Their friends. Even after being asked about it, she’d feigned ignorance.

Navy funerals were short. They were straightforward and to the point. Jake barely caught the ending of it. As the group of sailors and civilians slowly dispersed he found himself once more looking out for Ana, rooted to his spot.

“Are you coming?” Halo stood beside him with an arched brow. 

“I’ll be there in a second.” Answer enough for Halo, she turned around and followed the already retreating group of their team members.

Their path led them through the rows of gravestones, toward the front of the lot where the guests were gathering, soon to split into the private mourning party for the following funeral meal and the soldiers and others who would return to work and their own lives.

But Jake couldn’t leave yet, even if he had assured Halo he’d follow. He hadn’t even looked at her during their short exchange, instead, his eyes had searched the crows for the familiar - or now not-so-familiar - person.  She couldn’t have moved past him, he’d seen.

At last, his sharp eyes found her. Ana remained motionless in front of the fresh grave, inconsolably staring at the spot her father had been lowered down mere minutes ago. His final resting place was covered in fresh soil. The dark color stood in contrast with the white marble headstone and the vibrant flowers the remaining family members had placed on top of it. Flower wreaths and bouquets would follow in the next few days, crowding every available space.

The dewy grass made soft noises, scrunching under his feet as Jake stepped toward her. Mere meters away from her he was when Ana looked up. A pang of empathy erupted in his chest, painfully spreading through him, worse than any bullet wound could ever hurt. He hated seeing her this sad and crushed.

Her cheeks were wet with streaks of tears, eyes red-rimmed. A quiet sniffle carried over to him guided by the soft breeze. It ruffled her hair, carefully tucked away in a bun that showed some dignity and semblance to her usually tidy and proper, uniform glad, appearance. Wisps of hair gradually loosened now hanging down, having been pulled out through bouts of nervosity and great emotional distress, framing her face, painted an altogether different picture for him.

Any notion of commiseration was overtaken by the wave of anger crashing over Jake in an even more violent way than during the ceremony. Failing to reel his emotions in, to shove them back into the deep pit he’d had them banished mere moments ago, he lost all control over himself. 

Any composure he’d had was gone and with it, his inhibitions and smart thinking had left as well. Jake would surely hate himself for it the second he’d step out of the cemetery but right now he couldn’t care less. 

“You lied.” The accusation was vile, thinly concealed anger brushing at his lips, demanding to be unleashed.

“I didn’t.”

“You did. You lied to all of us.” 

You lied to me

“It’s not what you think, Jake,” Ana whispered, her voice barely loud enough for the breeze to carry it.

“Oh?”, he scoffed, “Then what is it? Why do you think you didn’t lie to us? Does this not qualify as dishonesty?”

“All my life I have been the Admiral’s daughter. Kazansky’s youngest,” her own name was hard to voice out loud in this difficult time, reminding her too much of the loss. “Ever since I was little people looked at me and only saw my father’s daughter. They made it easy for me, treated me better, gave things to me just because I was who my name made me when all I always wanted was to be looked at and for them to not see my father’s daughter but me.

I wanted to just be me. Not Ana Kazansky, daughter of the famous Iceman.

Just Ana.”

There was a pause, a brief lull, in her explanation in which she looked at him with hopeful eyes. But the hostility with which he eyed her quickly had the hope wither away. She’d never seen him this distant and closed off, not even when he was fully immersed into being Hangman. 

“I knew I could never prove myself and achieve something on my own if I was known as the Admiral’s daughter. Everyone would say I didn’t work hard enough to get so far, that my father’s position got me everything. I didn’t want to be labeled a fraud and be accused of illicitly getting into the Academy and Top Gun. 

So I decided to become someone no one would know by taking my mother’s maiden name. 

I became no one.”

What was his entitlement to judge her on a decision she’d made for her life? Long before she’d ever known him or any of the others? She did not owe anyone but her parents and herself an explanation for her choice. Had she not done it, someone would have found fault in her decision either way.

Yet it hurt much worse for Jake to be this angry about it than any other person. She didn’t give a damn about a stranger's feelings on it and frankly even her colleagues and friends, yet why did it bother her so much to see him with his jaw tightly set in tension and nose scrunched in anger.

Jake kept quiet for too long. Her words echoed in his head. He didn’t want to understand her. His anger made him irrational, refusing to see any reason or logic in it. Even if he wanted to understand her, his anger wouldn’t let him. The monster that had grown deep inside him forbade him from doing so. It wouldn’t let him back down.

“And you think that makes a difference? You still deceived us.”

He forced himself to turn around without another word. One foot in front of another, mechanically he marched away from her. No, not entirely. 

Two more graves lay between them when he turned around once more. The small, fiercely fighting part of his good conscience had lost against the bitter, petty monster that was his hurt, his betrayed feelings, his anger.

“I suppose you won’t come back to finish the mission. Better like that anyway. We don’t need someone we don’t actually know in the air with us. We need someone we can trust.”

Ana watched him turn around, letting her stand there. He marched briskly, calculated steps carrying him through the narrow rows of graves toward the front of the cemetery.

All she could do was stare at the hat-clad back of his head and his tense, impossibly tight squared shoulder. Mind left reeling it felt like with his retreat he’d pulled the earth beneath her feet, plucking her into a dark, endless descent.

First, it were her lips that trembled as fresh tears misted over her eyes, then her hands, and soon her legs followed.  Ana felt the world coming down around her, its weight ready to crush her. Was she not already crushed? The loss of her father had felt like the worst pain she’d ever felt. A hole where her heart had been, she was sure it had been laid beneath the ground with his human remains.

Why then were it Hangman’s words that ultimately brought her to her knees? All strength drained from her limbs, her knees buckling beneath her as she slowly sank down. Down, down, down until she crouched there, head hung, arms wrapped around herself in a feeble attempt for comfort. The endless waterfall of tears dripped onto her knees, wetting the dark fabric of her dress.

Rooster clenched his fists beside his body, teeth churning as he watched her crumble to the ground. All because of him. Hangman. 

Unbeknownst to either of them he had watched their exchange from the distance that was the gravelly front of the graveyard. The attendees of the funeral all gathered there now. 

As Hangman reached the group that was the Daggers everything in him screamed to intercept his path. To knock the arrogant bastard onto his ass and punch a couple of his perfect white molars out. 

Even if Rooster had had his own differences and fights with Ana, she was still as close to a little sister as he could have and no one - but especially not Hangman - got to hurt her like that. Not when she was already hurting enough. He wanted to look out for her, albeit punching the blonde menace and causing a scene now weren’t the best way to do it. 

So instead he glowered at him, a death glare as strongly as Rooster could muster it, and in that he was a master. Hangman breezed past him and most of the rest of the group for that. The gravel under his feet crunched. While the others didn’t understand what was going on, they took the blonde’s initiative to also leave.

“Rooster, you coming?” Phoenix stepped beside him. Her eyes briefly went to the opposite side of the yard, where the private funeral party had gathered. The Kazansky’s. Maverick.

“Go on without me. I’ve got a ride back.”

Phoenix eyed him a moment longer than necessary, gauging his words before she nodded. They’d all come to the graveyard together, shuttled by a navy bus. Her hand briefly landed on his shoulder, squeezing him before she turned around, joining the rest of them on their way back to the bus.

Straightening his back Bradley walked over to the people he considered his extended family. Many of the familiar faces acknowledged him with small nods or waves and the more or less successful try of a smile mustered. He walked past most of them after a polite nod, aiming straight for his aunt Sarah.

Outwardly she seemed composed, her face embellished in the same stubborn mask Ana had worn during the procession. As he pulled her into a hug her composure grumbled and he felt her slump against him, softly crying. Bradley muttered his condolences into her ear, holding her tightly against him. 

He knew best how it was to lose someone important. They’d been there for him after he’d lost his father and their presence had been even stronger when he’d lost his mother to sickness and Maverick to betrayal. There wasn’t one moment in his life in which he remembered the Kazansky’s not being there for him. It was time to give some of this unwavering support back in this dire moment of need and hurt.

It took Ana a long while to calm down enough so she could stand up again. Even then her legs still trembled. It took her even longer to be ready to move. When she was, she felt still rattled, as if the glue that was holding her had come undone.

Hands clenched at her sides and her head turned downwards toward the grass beneath her feet, she was walking quickly. Bouts of electricity shot through her, one after the other feeling like she was shocked by an outside source.

The cemetery was mostly empty now, safe for her family. Before she could reach them another person stepped into her path. Her eyes traveled from the shined shoes, upward the crisp black pants toward the face she least expected to see.

Bradley stood across from her, the rest of the Daggers nowhere to see. A fact she was rather grateful for at the moment. Still, the sight of him put her on edge. She wouldn’t be able to handle it if Bradley were to treat her with hostility now as well.

To her big surprise, there was no harshness, no cold distance in his eyes. Not like the last time he had looked at her. Ever since their talk on the tarmac, he’d kept his distance from her. Either outright ignoring or avoiding. 

Entirely opposite now Bradley eyed her with warmth and compassion. He walked over to her, with every step he came closer Ana felt herself start to tremble again. By the time he reached her, her lips wobbled dangerously, eyes once more watery.

“Bradley,” she whimpered, falling into his arms as he enveloped her. Damned be the navy regulations on uniforms, she didn’t care as her hands clawed into the fabric of his jacket, holding on for dear life.

“Shh, Teds,” she heard him rumble, a strong and warm hand rubbing soothingly over her back.

“Do you think I was out of line not telling the team who Dad was?”

Doubts had started to gnaw at her the moment Hangman had accused her of it. She’d never seen it as lying to them, as being deceiving. What would that information have changed about her ability to fly the mission? What would have changed about her hard work?

Bradley pushed her back enough to be able to look into her tear-stained face. She looked miserable. Broken. 

Another wave of anger washed over him, silently cursing Hangman for causing this. Not long ago he had accused her of the same thing. In his anger over the situation and the close proximity with Maverick, he had misled and directed his anger toward her.

“No, you weren’t.” Reaching out he wiped away her tears and made sure she looked at him, that she saw the seriousness in his eyes.

“You did what was right for you, what was the right decision for you. You chose to do this long before any of them knew you. You didn’t do it to deceive anyone did you?”

She shook her head, sniffling quietly. 

“It is understandable that you didn’t want to be reduced to your familial connections or last name. No one can blame you for the choice you made to be yourself.” Bradley watched her lips tremble once more, eyes glossing over as new tears threatened to fall. Once more he pulled her into his embrace.

“You earned it. Every single thing you earned on your own. Your place at the Academy, graduating as one of their best students. You became a naval aviator. You got into Top Gun and graduated first place. That’s all your doing. You did that, all on your own and no one can take this from you.

On top of that you are an amazing person. Sure you are a great pilot but you are an even greater friend. Doesn’t matter if you are Ana Lawson or Ana Kazansky. The name doesn’t change who you are at your core. Anyone who can’t see and accept that isn’t worth it.”

Hangman wasn’t worth it. If that arrogant bastard couldn’t see who she was but more importantly who she was no matter her last name, then he didn’t deserve to be even in the same city as her.

Bradley didn’t want to pour more salt into the already irritated wound so he kept quiet about the blonde. Instead, he let her cry against his shoulder, the same way not long ago her mother had done so. If this was how he could help them, he’d let them soak every shirt he owned with their tears.

After a long silence in which Ana’s sobs had gradually lessened, she lifted her head off his shoulder. Her eyes were red and puffy, cheeks wet, hair even more mussed up. Softly Bradley brushed a piece of hair behind her ear before his hand at her back carefully guided her to the parking lot.

Ana stopped in her steps, refusing to move as she saw the practically empty lot. There weren’t any people to be seen. Where was her mother? Where were her siblings? Panic settled over her as her eyes frantically began to search the place up and down, and then a second time. But still, no one had remained.

“Where are they?” There was a panicked hitch in her voice. They hadn’t left them, her, had they? They wouldn’t have done that? Had she lost them now too?

“Hey, Teds, take a breath for me.” Bradley once more stepped in front of her, his hands settled on her shoulders, softly but firmly grabbing her there. He was keeping her from hyperventilating, from outright panicking.

“I told them to go ahead to the house and that I would bring you two back.” 

“Uncle Ron,” Ana breathed, her voice filling with emotion once more. She sidestepped Bradley, walking straight into the opened arms of Slider.

“Heya little chip.” The old nickname had her chuckle wetly and sniffle as she hugged him tightly. They hadn’t seen each other in a while, similarly to Maverick. She’d missed him just as much. Up and down Slider’s hand rubbed over her back in a comforting way. 

“I’m there for you Teddy. Always. If you need something, don’t hesitate to call me.” Ana nodded against her uncle’s chest. He’d always been her hero. Slider had never not been anything but utterly devoted to her and her siblings.

“I promised your dad I’d look after you if anything were to happen ever and I’m planning to uphold this promise. If I have to, I'll cross the entire planet for it.” 

Her heart warmed at this, the sensation was so strong it even overshadowed the pang of grief.

“Alright, now you two will get your asses into my car. Your mother will lynch me if we take too long.” 

Water gurgled as it filled the vase. Droplets of it escaped the crystalline brim, traveling down the outer edge of the vessel and ran over Ana’s fingers. The cold sensation stood in contrast to everything else. Over the course of the day she had gradually numbed down, drowning noises alike out.

As the water overflowed she glanced down at the tap, shutting it off. Some of the water she emptied again before she placed the vase on the counter beside her, where one bouquet of the many flowers they’d gotten laid. 

The big table in the dining room and the kitchen table were littered with them and stacks of condolence cards. It was overwhelming. As the flower slid into the vase, their stems submerging into the water, her mind drifted off once more.

Sighing heavily, she ultimately placed her hands down and let her head hang low.

“Mum?” The word left her lips hesitantly. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to utter the words, even less so to hear the answer. Her lips were dry and her throat tight. “Did I make a mistake?” Her shoulders started to shake, a sniffle leaving her lips.

“Did I make a mistake hiding my identity in the Navy? Did I–” She choked. 

“–did I hurt Dad with my decision?” Close to breaking down at the thought of it, Ana heard the kitchen chair behind her scrape over the floor. Then her mother's arms were around her, Sarah hugging her from the side. 

“Oh sweetheart, no. You didn’t make a mistake. You chose what was right.”

“Was it though?”

“Teddy, look at me,” Sarah softly asked, wiping the tear off her cheek. “Your father understood you. More than you believe.”

“You resemble him in so many ways,” sadness overcame her mother’s features as she looked at her, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You are so alike, he was exactly the same when he was your age. Wanted to prove himself and make it on his own. There was never a moment in which he wasn’t proud of you and standing fully behind your every decision.”

Looking at her mother with tear-streaked cheeks and heaving shoulders Ana couldn’t help but sob again. It felt like crying was the only thing she had done ever since.

“I miss him, Mom,” she whimpered, hiding her face on her mother’s shoulder.

“I do too, my sweet little girl.

He is looking down on us from above now. Watching out for us. Don’t ever think he won’t be there with you, for you.”

[devildomditzy]

Are there any fob songs you associate with Mammon? I was on a listening spree earlier when Disloyal Order came on and "What a match, I'm half-doomed, and you're semi-sweet" feels so MC/Mammon coded.

aksjs sorry my two interests constantly intertwine, and Mammon lives in my mind rent free 👉👈

oh ho ho I should have a large sign on my back that says please talk to me about fall out boy

I’m going to just give you the list and the lyrics, but this will still be a loooong ass post

I'm sorry this post took so long anon it's been sitting in my drafts forever.

From Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

Moving Pictures

"Last night I saw a movie And I thought about many movies I've seen at your house Excuse me if I'm rude But I'd rather that we just strike from the record ones I'd see again without you Leaning on my shoulder Distracting me from the plot line

Where can I go when I want you around But I can't stand to be around you? Go home, I'll walk myself to you I'll walk myself away from here"

From Take This To Your Grave

Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy?

"You need him, I could be him I could be an accident, but I'm still trying And that's more than I can say for him"

From From Under The Cork Tree

A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me

"And you're just the girl all the boys wanna dance with And I'm just the boy who's had too many chances I'm sleepin' on your folks' porch again, dreamin' She said, she said, she said, "Why don't you just drop dead?" I don't blame you for bein' you But you can't blame me for hating it So, say, what are you waiting for, kiss her, kiss her I set my clocks early 'cause I know I'm always late"

Of All The Gin Joints of All The World

"We're making out inside crashed cars We're sleeping through all our memories I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive (now I only waste my time dreaming of you)

Turn off the lights and turn off the shyness 'Cause all of our moves make up for the silence And oh, the way your makeup stains my pillowcase Like I'll never be the same"

Sugar We’re Goin Down

"Am I more than you bargained for yet? I've been dying to tell you Anything you wanna hear 'Cause that's just who I am this week"

From Infinity on High

Bang the Doldrums

"Best friends, ex-friends 'til the end Better off as lovers and not the other way around Racing through the city, windows down In the back of yellow checkered cars"

The Take Over, The Breaks Over

"Baby, seasons change, but people don't, and I'll always be waiting in the back room I'm boring, but overcompensate with Headlines and flash, flash, flash photography"

"Wouldn't you rather be a widow than a divorcee? Style your wake for fashion magazines Widow or a divorcee? Don't pretend, d-d-d-don't pretend"

From Folie à Deux

Disloyal Order of the Water Buffalos

"Oh, I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine What a match, I'm half-doomed, and you're semi-sweet"

Tiffany Blews

"Oh baby, you're a classic Like a little black dress You're a faded moon Stuck on a little hot mess (little hot mess) Whoa, whoa"

From Save Rock and Roll

Miss Missing You

"Making eyes at this husk around my heart I see through you when we're sitting in the dark So give me your filth, make it rough Let me, let me trash your love

I will sing to you every day If it will take away the pain Oh, and I've heard you got it, got it so bad 'Cause I am the best you'll never have"

Where Did the Party Go?

"This is the story of how they met Her picture was on the back of a pack of cigarettes And when she touched him he turned ruby red A story that they'll never forget, never forget"

From American Beauty/ American Psycho

Jet Pack Blues

"Did you ever love her? Do you know? (I remember) Or did you never want to be alone? (I remember)"

From Mania

Last of the Real Ones

"I was just an only child of the universe And then I found you, and then I found you You are the sun and I am just the planets Spinning around you, spinning around you You were too good to be true, gold plated But what's inside you? But what's inside you? I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you But not as much as I do, as much as I do, yeah"

Hold Me Tight or Don’t

"I got too high again, realized I can't not be with you Or be just your friend, I love you to death, but I just can't I just can't pretend, we were lovers first Confidants but never friends, were we ever friends?

But when your stitch comes loose, I wanna sleep on Every piece of fuzz and stuffing that comes out of you You, I took too many hits off this memory I need to come down"

From So Much For Stardust

Flu Game

"Last night I dreamt I still knew you You I carved out a place in this world for two But it's empty without you

I got all this love I've got to keep to myself All this effort to make it look effortless"

Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Hold me, hold me like a grudge The world is always spinning, and I can't keep up, woah Faster and faster, can't do it on my own Part-time soulmate, full-time problem, yeah So, hold me like a grudge"

"Call you up and demand, you have no fun without me"

From Believers Never Die Volume Two

Bob Dylan

"When they say, "You and what army?" I guess they're talking about you and me Baby, nobody will love you, nobody will love you like Like I do, I guess that's half true"

"Baby, no one ever thinks of you, no one ever thinks of you As much as I do, not, not even you"

"Cause everyone loves Bob Dylan I just want you to love me like that, yeah Would you bury me next to Johnny Cash? I'm obsessed, do you love me like that? Yeah

I'm sure there's a million more of their songs/lyrics I could correlate to him but we'd be here all day.

I could literally yap about Mammon and Fall Out Boy all day.

[wisteria-lodge]

Assorted historical notes for the second chapter of my jedtavius fic (happy pride everybody...)

~ The Thorne Miniature Rooms were the personal project of wealthy American widow Narcissa Thorne (amazing name) who was able to snap up unemployed skilled artisans during the Great Depression and commission hyper-detailed rugs, furniture and decorations. The room Octavius and Jed end up in is “English Bedroom of the Georgian Period, 1760-75.” 

~ Vagina is just the totally neutral Latin word for “sheath.” The neutral Latin word for ‘vagina’ is cunnus (where we get ‘cunt’) and the rude equivalent would be something like spurium, ‘bastard [producer.]’ Romans did go completely ham with referring to a vagina metaphorically as a field, cave, pit, oven, alter, path, crack… but not really as a sheath. What is also interesting is that a lot of these euphemisms for ‘vagina’ were also used to mean ‘anus’ (literally ‘ring’)  because the Romans didn’t really divide sex along the lines of gender. They more divided along the lines of sex acts, and whether you were a top or a bottom. 

Octavius, therefore, is not really bothered by being interested in men, but by being a bottom/being the ‘penetrated’ partner. The Latin verb for 'facefuck; is irrumo, and is honestly fine, in a macho kind of way. However, the word for 'cock sucking' is fello, and is a gigantic insult. Being a guy on the receiving end of things was more okay when you were younger and more twinky, but the older, more masc and more powerful you got - the more of a problem it became. The Romans got the idea of the erastes / eromenos relationship from the Greeks, where the erestes (lit ‘lover’) was meant to be older, more powerful, more masc, and definitely the top, while the eromenos (lit ‘beloved’) was younger, prettier, more innocent, and the bottom. 

(Obviously there were lots and lots of relationships that did not fit into this formula. Ancient writers absolutely had debates about whether Achilles or Patrocles was the top, and it is very funny.) 

~ If Octavius is a Movie!Roman, then Jed is a Movie!Cowboy, and more specifically a train robber.

He’s got the black hat (bad guy coded.) He’s got full gloves instead of fingerless glovelets (bad guy coded. It is VERY rare to see a good guy wear two gloves that conceal their hands. For one recent example, note how in Our Flag Means Death, Ed wears fingerless glovelets when he’s a good guy, then switches to full gloves after he goes villain and becomes ‘the Kracken.’) It would have been very easy to give Jed a sheriff’s star, but that's not what the film does. The first thing the character does in the franchise is tie Larry to the train tracks, villain style. It obviously doesn’t work, but that’s the basis of the joke.

(and as always, thank you to J.N. Adams and his very dry but very comprehensive monograph The Latin Sexual Vocabulary)

[lizzieisright]

Avengers!AU as I promised. It's rushed because the movie is fucking 2.5 hours long and I'm not rewriting the whole thing, because this is just for fun. I also didn't proofread it, sorry for mistakes/misspellings.

Cap!Abby x Black Widow!Reader if you squint really hard.

Also I gave the reader Natasha's last name (the proper one, not the weird one, sorry, it bothers me to this day).

So we start with Shield base getting attacked by Jinx (Loki) so she could take Tesseract and destroy the Earth because it's her sister's precious place. Sevika (Nick Fury) gets pissed off at the blue haired maniac of a girl and she loses Manny (Hawkeye) so she is furious.  

You (Black Widow) are somewhere in Russia, in the middle of interrogation, when Maria Hill calls to inform you that your buddy is now a baddie and you kick everyone's asses and immediately get on a new mission. You head off to India to persuade Caitlyn Kiramann (Hulk) to help Shield find Jinx and rescue Manny, promising it's only about her physics knowledge and not about the green giant woman she can turn into. 

At the same time Sevika makes it to Captain Anderson, to persuade Abby to help Shield. Abby, still not really adjusted, still so mad, agrees. (Now can you imagine that scene when Steve is beating the punching bag and you can see his back and ass and biceps? Imagine it with Abby). 

Now Maria Hill has the most insufferable person to recruit: Ellie Williams. The Iron Woman is not someone who'd want to work with Shield, she is not a team player and prone to anger, so Maria just wants to bash her head on the elevator door while she gets to her floor on the Williams tower. Thank God for Dina (Pepper) who can make Williams do anything, because Ellie takes the documents and starts working on it. (She is a little excited: she'd get to work with Caitlyn Kiramann! But she also sees Captain Anderson and rolls her eyes: she heard too much about her)

During the flight to the helicarrier Maria gives Abby her new uniform and Abby politely thanks her while inside she screams in agony: didn't Shield watch the war chronicles? Did they see that this atrocity with a fucking skirt was her performance costume? (I have personal vendetta against Cap's costume in this movie)  

The first person Abby meets on the helicarrier is you. 

"Agent Romanova. Captain Anderson." Maria introduces you to each other and you nod politely.

The deep winter in your eyes makes Abby feel understood. She doesn't know you, doesn't trust you, but she feels like you two have something in common. (It's a trauma and a sense of humour). Her cheerful naive side died in arctic ice, and what was left now found a familiar soul in you. 

"You really revived American patriotism." You chuckle and Abby chuckles too. "I didn't think miracles would still happen in our time, but here you are."

Abby wouldn't call it a miracle, so she stays silent. And then a tall woman stumbles into her, so Abby steadies her by her shoulders. Abby saw this face before: she watched the reports about Hulk. But this woman looks delicate and nervous, and the stark difference makes Abby stop for a second. 

"Doctor Kiramann." You say politely, but Abby hears a small laugh in your voice. It's indistinguishable, but Abby spent enough time around people who didn't laugh to know how it sounds.

"Agent Romanova." Dr Kiramann says with apprehension, like you're scaring her, and it definitely amuses you. "Captain Anderson, nice to meet you."

Abby smiles and shakes her dainty hand - not like the one that crushed buildings.

"The word says you're going to find the cube." 

"Yes. Is it the only thing?" Dr Kiramann asks nervously.

"The only thing I care about." Abby shrugs. It doesn't matter to her if Caitlyn can destroy all of them in a fit of rage - they need to anger her first, and Abby can't think what they will need to do for it. After all, she'll be in a lab. 

"Ladies, we need to move." You tell them and lead them inside while helicarrier gets in the air.

Caitlyn helps locate the cube and you and Abby go to Germany to stop Jinx. You thank God for years of training because when you see Abby in her old uniform it's so hard to not laugh. She looks uncomfortable and you pretend this is perfectly normal and mundane while you pilot the jet. 

"Shield didn't do their homework." You note offhandedly and Abby chuckles. 

"I hope this uniform is stronger than it looks. I usually didn't wear my costume to the battlefield." 

"I'm sure Hill made it bulletproof." Abby knows you're making fun of her and somehow this is the most pleasant conversation she had since she woke up. "Okay, she is there and she is doing some crazy shit." You point at Jinx as you get closer. "Good luck Cap." 

Abby salutes you with two fingers and jumps out of the quinjet while you get your cannons aimed at blue-haired disaster.

Seeing Abby fight Jinx is very satisfying, even if this tank of a woman is wearing a skirt. Actually - it's even better. Captain Anderson is in amazing form for 90 years old.

Hearing AC/DC in your headphones - not as good, you have to admit. 

"Agent Romanova, did you miss me?" You hear Williams' smirk and chuckle. The same annoying cocky clowness as always. 

Well, watching Iron Woman blast Jinx is also very satisfying. 

"Make your move, Smurfette." Ellie says and you snort. 

"Miss Williams." Abby politely nods while they watch Jinx surrender.

"Captain." Ellie decides Anderson is not as annoying as the stories about her. 

Jinx annoys the shit out of you, but she also worries you: she gave up too easily. Captain Anderson looks as suspicious as you are, and three of you have a private moment in the pit. 

"Something is not right."

"You mean that the Fairy with Turquoise Hair let you win? I mean, for a grandma you're pretty fit, but she could have knocked you out." Ellie looks Captain Anderson over and you know she is hitting on Abby. Abby, on the other hand, doesn't know it and just rolls her eyes. 

Then you hear the thunder and you get tense, while Jinx starts giggling. 

"What, you enjoy lightning so much?" Ellie smirks, but Abby is assessing the situation.

"Oh-ho-ho, you're in for a treat, girls." Jinx starts laughing and gets up just in time for the hatch to open and a pink haired woman to come in, grab Jinx by her collar and jump back out. 

"Yeah, no. I'm sitting this one out. " You know Vi, and you don't plan on fucking with her. But those two can try. 

"Williams, where are you going? We need a plan to attack." Abby feels rusty and she doesn't like improvisation, she likes to know who she is against. 

"I have a plan. Attack."

"Cocky motherfucker." You murmur and watch Abby grab a parachute. "Where are you going? They're gods."

"I don't believe in them, ma'am." Abby says and jumps out. 

For some reason your hand finds the cross on your neck. 

(I'm sorry I'm not rewriting the Thor and Loki scene) Vi chews Jinx out for lying and pretending to be dead and Jinx invites her to go fuck herself just before Ellie knocks Vi off. Jinx laughs and sits down, curious how this will play out. 

The three of them beef it out, but only when Vi hits Abby's shield with her hammer everything ends. Abby is tired and wants to fucking strangle Williams, but she resorts to making peace with a goddess. 

"We find the cube and you can take your sister back." 

The escort Jinx to the helicarrier and when she passes the lab where Caitlyn is working she winks at her and makes kissy lips, creeping Caitlyn out. 

Sevika is finally in a good mood as she tells Jinx what will happen to her if she tries to escape. Jinx nods like an A-student, pissing Sevika off. 

 "Ooh." Jinx laughs. "It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is."

"Well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something."

Jinx asks for cosmopolitan and a caramel macchiato.

"She is unhinged." Caitlyn says and moves away from the screen. 

"Have care how you speak. Jinx is beyond reason, but she is of Asgard, and she is my sister." Vi says and you look at her. Blissful idiot.

"She killed 80 people in two days." And took my fucking best friend, you think. 

"She is adopted."

"Why is she looking for Iridium?" Caitlyn asks Vi like this golden retriever of a goddess would know. Vi panics, but Ellie saves her. 

"It's a stabilising agent." Ellie looks at Vi in her muscled glory and you want to roll your eyes. "No hard feelings, warrior princess."

Why doesn't Vi hit Williams again is a mystery. 

Ellie and Caitlyn talk about physics and you want to ask for a raise, while Abby looks as confused as you feel. 

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Kiramann. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." 

Can Ellie Williams meet a woman and not flirt with her? 

"Thanks." Caitlyn even blushes a little. 

Ellie doesn't trust Fury and she is one of the smartest people on Earth, so after she innocently banters with Caitlyn while they work, she bickers with Abby and then she brings up her suspicions.

"You think Sevika is hiding something?" Abby asks.

"She is the spy. Her secrets have secrets."

"You don't find it weird they didn't ask Ellie to work on Tesseract when Williams tower has been running on clean energy for over a year now?"

Abby thinks, but doesn't say anything. 

You are sent to interrogate Jinx, and she looks so happy to see you. 

"You should read this article on skin care, agent Romanova. Would be of use."

"If it's about hyaluronic acid I don't need it." You say and Jinx closes her magazine.

"Soooo. What made you visit me? Wanna braid each other's hair and talk about boys?" Jinx looks as you stumble for words. "Or about the boy."

"Once you win, what will happen to Alvarez?"

"How sweet." Jinx cooes. "Your world is going to be destroyed and you bargain for your little boyfriend. True love." Jinx wipes non-existent tears. "You know what, sweets? Your honeybun is my plaything now. So when I win, and when everything on this pathetic little planet is destroyed, I will make Alvarez skin you and he will be conscious the whole time, and when he is done with you, I will make him cut his hands off for killing his boo. How about this?" Jinx smiles.

You swallow, pale from the horror.

"You're a monster." You say, terrified.

"No-no-no, sweetheart." Jinx eyes are dramatically big. "You brought the monster." 

You chuckle. 

"Oh, so Dr Kiramann is your target. Thank you for your cooperation." You nod and leave, leaving Jinx pissed. 

After that everything goes to hell. Everyone gets pissed at each other, Caitlyn hates your fucking guts for lying, Abby and Ellie almost go out to fight each other when the explosion hits. 

You fall down with still pissed off Dr Kiramann and she is not happy to see you. Her other side is not happy too, judging by her heavy breathing. 

"We're okay. Caitlyn, you're okay." 

She growls at you, and you notice you're stuck under a metal bar. You're stuck under a heavy piece of metal with Caitlyn who is halfway into Hulk territory. 

"I swear I'll get you out of here, whatever it takes." You tell her, but her voice is not hers anymore. 

"Whatever it takes?!" She growls and you get your leg out just in time, because Hulk hates you and she is definitely going to kill you. 

You run with all you have, screaming into your earpiece. 

"Can someone help me out here before Dr Kiramann tears me to fucking shreds?"

"I could take her." You hear Vi answering.

"Great, hurry the fuck up!"

Vi manages to knock Hulk out and give you time to escape, so you hide and try to put yourself together. At the same time Ellie and Abby who hated each other's guts a second ago, work together to restart the engine and not fall into the fucking ocean.

Ellie looks at the engine, but can't figure out what's wrong.

"Joel, run diagnostics." Ellie says and looks at the print of the engine when her assistant shows it to her with all damage on display. It doesn't look good. "I'll get inside and restart it manually." Ellie tells Abby. 

"It will shred you." Abby tells her and rip her skirt off in annoyance, only leaving tights on. 

"That's why you need to reverse it so I could slip out."

"And how do I do that?" 

"Red lever on the wall." Ellie goes inside the engine and starts pushing the rotor arms.

Abby stays by red level. 

Sevika is super not happy: her ship is getting destroyed and right now it's fucking Alvarez who is definitely going to free Jinx. 

"Does anybody copy?"

You swallow the terror and answer. 

"I copy."

If Manny needs his butt kicked he will get it kicked. 

Vi runs to detainer just to get into typical Jinx fog. She stumbles around, trying to find Jinx, hearing her giggles everywhere, but she hears a click and the fog disappears. Vi is in the container, and Jinx and smirking at her across the room.

"You Asgardians are supposed to be invincible. Who do you think will win? You or the beast?" Jinx jumps on the control panel and presses the button. "Boop."

"JINX!" Vi growls as she falls down. 

"Bye-bye sister!" Jinx spits and runs away. 

Abby is under attack, and she fights for her fucking life while Ellie is already saying goodbye to hers as she is simultaneously screaming at cap to PULL THE FUCKING LEVER ANDERSON JUST FUCKING DO IT

"Working on it." Abby says as she kicks the last enemy into the air.

But then she is in the air and she barely holds to some kind of wire while Williams is still screaming at her. Her suit is getting so damaged Ellie wants to cry and Joel is being so annoying by telling her the exact percent of damage. 

"I know man, stop upsetting me." Ellie says when she hits the floor with her chest again. "Cap, come on!!!"

Abby wants to tell her to shut the fuck up as she climbs the wire, but she needs to be quick so she saves time to pull the lever. As she pulls it, there is another gunfire, but Ellie flies in and knocks the man out. 

Jinx pissed everyone off. Everyone who is still on a helicarrier wants to get her head. While Manny is recovering from mind control, restrained, Abby comes to you and you notice that the skirt is gone. 

"Do you think there are any pants I could use?" Captain Anderson asks sheepishly. You assess Abby's size and go to Manny's closet to take a pair of blue cargo pants. 

"Sorry, don't have anything with stripes." 

Abby rolls her eyes playfully and leaves to change. 

"(Y/n)?" You turn around and Manny's eyes are clear. 

"Do I need to punch you again?"

"What did I do?"

"Not important. It wasn't you."

"I still did it." Manny chuckles. 

"Do you want to join our revenge party?" You ask as you let Manny out. "Cap will come here in a minute to ask us to go and fight that bitch."

"Cap as in Captain Abigail Anderson, as in fucking Captain America?"

"You can fangirl later. Yes."

Right on cue Abby appears in her new pants, her ridiculous helmet under her arm.

"She is going to take Williams tower. Are you in?"

"Maybe if I put an arrow through her eye I'd be able to sleep at night." Manny says grimly and you nod to Abby.

"In a minute."

Ellie is so pissed. This blue-haired nature mistake dared to put her portal shit on her tower. On the tower she built for Dina, the best woman in her life, and Jinx wants to parade her alien army from her porch! 

"That device has a shield, don't shoot it, kid." Joel tells Ellie and she rolls her eyes but listens. 

She lands her suit and walks to the bar to find Jinx watching her TV. She is watching The Simpsons. 

"Hello Marge, I'm home." Ellie imitates Homer as she searches for her bracelets. Jinx looks up to her, annoyed at the comparison.

"Oh, iron girl. What, you want to beg me too?"

"Actually I came to threaten you."

"Really? With what? Terrible jokes? I already have an old man to do it, what do I have to fear?"

"The Avengers." It makes Ellie cringe. "It's our little team of heroes."

"Yeah, I've met them." Jinx snorts. 

"Well, we needed some team-building, and you provided it." Ellie put one of the bracelets on. "But let's see. We have your sister, a literal goddess; a living legend who actually lives up to the legend (to my surprise); the kindest woman with breath-taking anger management issues; and a couple of assassins whose body count goes into the hundreds. And you, you've managed to piss off every single one of them." Ellie puts the second bracelet on. 

"I have an army, dum-dum."

"We have Hulk."

Jinx huffs in disbelief and slowly makes her way to Ellie. 

"Well, iron girl, I think your team will be a little busy fighting you to stop me."

Jinx taps Ellie's chest and they both are confused as nothing happens.

"It never happened before."

"That's what he said." Ellie snorts, but then Jinx grabs her by her throat, her chipped nails digging into her skin. "Joel, any time now."

"I will destroy you." Jinx hisses and throws Ellie out of the window. 

"Joel for fuck's sake!" Ellie screams as she falls, but the suit catches her signals and Ellie manages to not die. Again. 

Ellie stabilises herself and looks up to see a bunch of aliens coming out of the portal. 

"Right. Army." 

Manny flies close enough for all you comms to connect and Ellie leads you to a new set of enemies. You shoot all of them before Jinx blasts the jet engine and Manny has to make an emergency landing. 

You exit the jet and the first thing you see is a giant flying slug. You look at Manny and both of your heads have the same thought, and the thought is what the fuck. 

Manny notices people trapped and you both cover for Abby so she could run and give orders to police. You and Manny free the civilians and go back to shooting the alien assholes. 

It's weird, but it also isn't: they are enemies who just look strange, and their weapons are not complicated. You steal one and figure out how to shoot in a second, and these things don't have the bullets to run out, so you roll with it. 

By the time Abby comes back, Vi comes to you too and fries the rest of the assholes. You sigh in relief and put the stick down, listening to what Abby has to say, but just as she opens her mouth you hear a bicycle horn. 

Caitlyn is half-naked, drives the bicycle with one hand while her other holds what looks like a towel or a sheet. 

"I apologise, I had to take public transport." Caitlyn says and everyone stares at her for just a second, mainly focusing on long long naked legs.

Is everyone on this team gay? 

Well no, Manny is still straight. 

"I'm in need of some clothes." Caitlyn blushes and everyone rushes to find something until Ellie sends one of her small bots to Caitlyn. 

"It will stretch, big girl." You hear over the comms.

Caitlyn gets covered by some kind of material and she smiles at you, apologetic. 

"I'm so sorry."

"We could use some of that right now, actually." You tell her and Caitlyn nods, while she puts her long hair into a bun. 

“Dr Kiramann, it’s time to get really angry.” Captain Anderson says, still so delicately polite. Captain America is a sweetheart, and you feel your dead heart flutter.

"I have just enough repressed anger." Caitlyn turns towards the giant slug that Ellie leads to her. Caitlyn’s skin turns green as she grows bigger and bigger, and she becomes 8ft tall, her noodle arms grow muscles that put to shame Abby and Vi combined. It’s not Caitlyn anymore, it’s Hulk, and she is terrifying.

Hulk swings her fist and smashes the slug in the nose, making it flip on itself. You hear Vi gasp just before Abby jumps next to you and puts the shield over your head as pieces of meat fly everywhere. She holds you with her other arm, protecting you.

"Thanks Cap." 

"Ma'am." Abby nods.

By that time Ellie joins you, and all six of you are finally in one place.

"Call in, Captain." Ellie says.

Watching captain Anderson work is magical. Her fighting skills are impeccable, sure, but her immediate assessment of the situation and planning is just… it's nice to have someone so talented to be your leader. You don't argue, you just listen and do what Abby tells you to do. Ellie takes Manny and flies away, Vi flies away as well to fry the bastards as Abby put it, Hulk is just straight up having fun beating aliens up, and it leaves you with Abby.

Fighting alongside Abby is effortless. She is strong and big while you're agile and fast and you work as a team, looking out for each other and the best ways to attack. And while you're a killer, you aim to eliminate the threat, Abby is a protector to the bone and you catch her shielding you a few times. It's strange, but sweet - you’re not used to teamwork, to someone watching your back except Manny. The fighting is exhausting, it’s not your usual gig - you’ll have to hit the gym and not be an embarrassment like this - and you don’t see the end to it.

"You know we can't keep this up. We need to close that thing." You shout as you put more bullets into aliens.

"It has a shield on it." Ellie reiterates in your comms.

"Well maybe it's not about guns, Williams." You sigh. “I need a ride.” You look up at flying monsters. “And I just found it. I could use a boost though.”

Abby looks at you as you gain distance so you could run up, and gets into the position, angling her shield for you.

"You sure about it?"

"It would be fun." You shrug and run at Abby, and she boosts you into the air the moment your boot touches her shield. You catch on one of the aliens and fly to the tower.

Hulk is fighting alongside Vi and she is not happy about their previous quarrel, but Vi is very honourable and takes it in her own hands to make up with the beast. 

"It's my honour to be in battle with you, fair Hulk." Vi says and Hulk grins at her.

"Hulk likes." The green woman roars and they destroy a new slug together. 

"Williams, they sent the nuke." Sevika says and Ellie stops for a second, her little bombs still flying from her shoulders. 

"Are you fucking kidding me." 

At the same time you’ve found a way to stop Tesseract and you hold Jinx's sceptre, penetrating the shield around the cube.

“I’ll close it.” You shout into the comms, not really expecting anyone to protest, but Ellie stops you.

“Not until I get rid of the nuke.”   

Ellie catches the nuke and flies into the portal.

“Dina will kill you.” Joel tells her as he makes a call, but she is not answering.

“Not if I kill myself first.”

The last thing Ellie sees is the alien ship blowing up.

You close the portal when Ellie flies out of it, and all of you are relieved - she made it. Until Vi notices she is not stopping, and she swings her hammer to fly and catch her, but Hulk is faster - she climbs the building, makes a powerful jump and catches Ellie. 

It takes a very loud roar to wake her up.

“Did anyone kiss me?” You hear over the comms and roll her eyes. Everything is back to normal.

Manhattan is ruined, Williams’ tower is left with an a on it, and you all sit at the small cafe eating shawarma. You’re not a stranger to it, but the rest of the team are not as pleased as you are. Caitlyn is wrapped in Vi’s cape because even Ellie’s materials can’t handle Hulk yet, Ellie didn’t get out of her suit for this, Vi has a wound on her side, Manny looks half-dead from exhaustion, you lost your guns and Abby’s face is so dirty you want to clean her up like a toddler.

“Let’s never do this again.”

“Save the world or eat shawarma?”

"Both."

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Broken by Jonah Kagen

Summary: Grief is a funny thing especially when you ignore it and let it fester. It can scary and vulnerable like a ticking time bomb that is ready to explode and hurt anyone it it's way.

Word Count: 2.1k

Warning: angst with fluff, grief, death of a major character, drinking, self-harm?

December 3, 2025

Kate was surprised to wake up to an empty bed at 0200, no less. At the beginning of her relationship with the Black Widow, she was used to it, but now she depends on her girlfriend’s warmth to keep her asleep. There were some exceptions when they were both on missions. However, they weren’t on missions and sleeping in their shared New York City apartment for the first time in 2 weeks. Kate needed Yelena. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and noticed the dogs were missing, too. “Where did you run off to?” Kate asked the darkness. Throwing on a sweatshirt, she exited their bedroom. Yelena was easy to find. The Blonde was sitting on the kitchen bar with an open bottle of vodka and the dogs at her feet, fast asleep.

As Kate approached, she noticed the lack of shot glass or glass. Yelena was drinking straight from the bottle. The archer stood before her, leaning against the countertop that separated them. No one spoke. They sat in a heavy silence as they waited for the other to break it. Kate observed her girlfriend; her green eyes weren’t red, her cheeks weren’t blotchy, so she hadn’t been crying. Her jaw wasn’t clenched, so angry was out of the option. But her eyes had a far-off look as if she was staring directly through her. With a sigh, Yelena took a long sip from the bottle. “You should be sleeping, malen’kiy yastreb (little hawk),” she broke the silence. The nickname never failed to spread warmth through Kate. “You have a busy day.” That was true. She had a meeting with Sam, training with Peter, and a lunch date with Geer and Fanny. She quickly stopped at the Sanctum to meet with American and Steven.

But Yelena’s day was just as busy. A meeting with Sonya to go over the next round of Widows that needed to be saved, checking in on some Widows that lived in the city, and a phone call with Melina. “I couldn’t sleep without you,” her honestly made Yelena smile, but it was short-lived. It was a delicate dance when trying to figure out how to help the Black Widow. Sometimes, it felt like a balancing act, carefully walking on a type of rope over a sold-out crowd. But Kate was patient; she wasn’t the world’s best archer because she was impulsive. “Do you want to tell me why you’re sitting here with the dogs and a bottle of vodka?” But her question was met with Yelena taking another sip from the bottle. It was wishful thinking that she would get an answer, but she tried to rack her brain. Did Sonya say something about the last mission they were on? No. “If you don’t want to talk or come back to bed, can we sit on the couch?” She asked, offering her hand.

Yelena stared at the stretched hand in front of her so intently it was like she was trying to diffuse a bomb. With a sigh, she took it and allowed Kate to lead her to the couch, not forgetting the bottle. Once she sat down and was comfortable, Kate laid her head on Yelena’s lap and dragged a blanket over her. The Blonde was staring down at Kate, one arm thrown over the edge of the couch with a tight hold on the bottle. With her free hand, she ran it through Kate’s hair and traced a scar on her temple she received from the Battle of New York.

It was something they both did, tracing the scars that the other wore. It was a simple reminder to both of them of how fragile life was and how quickly they could have lost each other. Yelena’s touch was soothing, and Kate was fighting the pull of sleep. “If you could change the past,” Yelena said. “Would you?” The question forced Kate to stay awake. It was a difficult question that did not have a straightforward answer. To Kate, time travel seemed dangerous. It was a necessary evil for the Avengers to bring those like her girlfriend back from Thanos’ first snap, but it had too much power. It was why the Time Stone was guarded.

“I don’t know, Lena,” Kate finally answered. “What if I go back and change one little thing, and it changes my life now.” She would have never needed to pick up a bow and arrow if she saved her father. “Is the past what’s got you so upset?”

“Do you know what day it is?”

“December 3, 2025,” she answered. “What’s so special about today?” The Black Widow smirked.

“As an Avenger super fan, I’m disappointed,” Kate rolled her eyes. Kamala was the Avenger know-it-all. “It’s Natasha’s birthday,” the archer sat up so quickly she almost hit her head against Yelena’s. “You almost made me spill my vodka.” She deadpanned.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kate asked. Yelena sighed, moving her shoulders up and down. She went for another sip, but Kate grabbed the bottle to stop her. Green eyes sent daggers to her, but that didn’t deter Kate. “You do everything for a reason, Yelena,” she whispered. A pin could be heard if it was dropped in their apartment; not even the dogs stirred from their sports. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She repeated.

“Because I’m broken,” it happened rather suddenly; Yelena ripped the bottle out of Kate’s hand and threw it against the wall. The glass bottle shattered, spraying glass and vodka on the floor and wall. It woke the two dogs up, and they scattered to see the commotion. “Fuck,” Yelena hurried off the couch and began to pick up the glass pieces. The shock Kate had worn off.

“Fanny, Lucky, upstairs and stay,” the dogs obeyed the command, but Kate saw Fanny hesitate. Quickly, Kate approached Yelena and put her hand on her shoulder. The Blonde shrugged it off.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she repeated. Blood started to form on Yelena’s hands as she squeezed the glass shards in her hands.

“Baby, stop,” Kate said. “Stop!” The archer used enough force to push Yelena away from the glass. The Black Widow didn’t put up much of a fight as her back rested against the couch. “It’s okay,” Kate reassured, kneeling before her. “I’m going to clean this up and clean your hands.” There was no response from the Blonde as tears swelled in her green eyes.

It was quick work for Kate to clean up the glass, wipe up the vodka, and then grab a first aid for Yelena. The Blonde was still in the same spot; no tears left her eyes. “Can I see your hands, baby?”

“I’m fine,” but she allowed Kate to grab her closed palms and open them.

“I’ll try to be careful and quick, okay?” She began pulling the shards of glass from her hands and cleaning the cuts. “You’re hurting,” she whispered. “But you show no sign.”

“Cause I’m afraid to give in, break down, and waste your time,” she said, staring at her hands, wincing slightly when Kate had to dig out a challenging piece, but the archer blew on the cut to ease the pain. “You wouldn’t believe me if you knew the things that crossed my mind.” Kate finished cleaning her hands and wrapped them with a bandage. With the serum in Yelena’s veins, Kate knew the cuts would be healed by the time they went to bed. It was mostly for her own sanity that they were protected. Kate kissed each one of them and then traced the bandages. She kept her touch soft and gentle, causing Yelena to breathe shaky. “I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it.” She stuttered. The hitch in her voice caused Kate to look up at her girlfriend as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Tell me,” Kate kept her voice steady and calm when a deep turmoil raced through her. “What don’t you deserve it?”

“Your help or for you to tell me I’m worth it, but I don’t deserve it,” Yelena sobbed. “I need your hand but don’t want to burn it. Please,” she pleaded. “Pull me out of the fire.” Kate brought the Blonde into her arms and switched positions so she was sitting on the couch and Yelena was on her lap. Her face burrowed in the crock of her neck, and Kate felt every tear. Kate never witnessed Yelena break down. There were times when a nightmare shook her to her core, and the only way for her to go back to sleep was if Kate held her tight. She had to get a bullet dug out of her shoulder, and she squeezed Sonya’s hand so tight she almost broke it.

But this was the first time it was unfiltered, vulnerable, and letting down all her walls. Her hands twisted in the fabric of Kate’s search, and she cried. Kate hugged her tight. “I want my sister back. I want more time.”

“I know, I know,” Kate repeated, rocking her back and forth. “You’re doing so well, baby. It’s okay.”

“W-what?” Yelena questioned, pulling back slightly. Her hands rested on Kate’s shoulders, staring down at her girlfriend. “I don’t understand.” Kate smiled, whipping away her tears with the sleeves of her shirt.

“You need to cry, Yelena. You need to cry, grieve, and feel,” she whispered. “No need to hold it in anymore. I’m here. I’ll catch you,” Kate promised. “Just fall, sweetheart, just fall.” Yelena blinked down at her, eyes laced in confusion, and Kate saw a few tears fall onto her shirt.

“Okay,” she lowered her head to rest on Kate’s shoulder, and tears began to fall. There was a song Kate’s father used to sing when she struggled to sleep. She’s long since forgotten the words, but she remembered the tone. Kate hummed that song until Yelena fell asleep.

*

When Yelena woke up, her head was throbbing, and it was past the usual time she usually woke up. On her nightstand was a tall glass of water and a bottle of painkillers, with a note from Kate. She said she was meeting with Sam and would be home right now. Some of her felt guilty that Kate was canceling her plans, but she wanted to be with her after the night she had.

Yelena never allowed herself to break like that. There was never time. The Red Room was always watching, then she was freeing Widows, and finally, she lost five years of her life, which led her to work with Valentine. Kate was the only person besides her sister who felt safe to let these walls down.

Sighing, she got out of bed and walked downstairs. Lucky was the only dog that followed her. It was a long night; Fanny deserved a few extra hours of sleep. She walked down the stairs and over to the record player Kate got her for her birthday. Putting on a record, she began to stretch out her sore muscles.

The question she asked Kate haunted her. Would she go back in time to change the past? She could stop the Red Room from ever gaining power or give Melina and Alexei a chance to betray Dreykov or save Natasha. But Kate was right; how would going into the past affect her now?

She was lying on her back when Lucky walked over to her and stared down at her. The one-eyed Golden Retriever had his tongue out and was looking a little confused. He was probably thinking why she was on the floor. Yelena chuckled, reaching up to pet his head. “Were both upside down?” She whispered.

Lucky barked and began to lick her face, which caused Yelena to laugh. Her sadness and guilt began to fade away, especially when Fanny came running down the stairs to join her friend. Not even the door opening pulled the dogs away from their missions. “Having fun?” Yelena sat up, pushed the dogs away, and stared at her girlfriend. Lucky went to investigate the bags the archer set on the floor. “How are you?”

“I’m,” she took a moment to go over everything. “Sad, but I’m okay.” Kate nodded, picking up the bag from the floor.

“Well, I got something if you up for it. Your favorite mac and cheese, a gingerbread house to decorate, and a few of the Bond movies,” she stacked everything on the counter. Yelena smiled and whipped the dog drool off her face. She brought the archer into a hug.

“Thank you, malen’kiy yastreb (little hawk),” she mumbled. Kate kissed her forehead.

“Always, sweetheart,” she smiled. “If you’re broken, I’ll help you fix every crack until you feel worthy of all my love.” Yelena kissed her girlfriend’s cheek. Unfortunately, Yelena’s past wasn’t kind to her. It robbed her, stole from her, and beat her down to rebuild whatever they broke. However, it got her to meet Kate, and she was excited for the future, but she wished her sister was here to see it. Happy Birthday, Natalia.

[bulkyphrase]

Wanda and Steve or Peter and Steve fics? (not slash)

Thanks so much for the request!

I love Wanda & Steve and Peter & Steve! I've got a few of both. The relationship with Steve isn't always the primary focus of the fic, but there are some great moments with him in all of these.

Peter Parker & Steve Rogers

The Rubble of our Tomb by LovableKillerWhale (@team-cap-for-the-win) (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 10,496 words)

Summary: An Avengers battle goes terribly wrong and Spider-man ends up stuck in a collapsing building with Captain America. Nothing brings people closer together than explosions, blood loss and a healthy dose of self-sacrifice, right?

Held Together by Spiderwebs by TunaFishChris (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 17,306 words)

Summary: Steve is not coping well in the twenty-first century. At all. Three months after the Chitauri invasion, he decides he's had enough. But just as he's about to end it all, he runs into the new hero in town.

More below the cut!

Super Duper Side Effects by awesomesockes, whumphoarder (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 16,261 words)

Summary: The downside of an enhanced metabolism is that it renders most drugs completely ineffective. Captain America accepted this long ago as an occupational hazard. But after Peter sustains a serious injury in the line of duty and the doctors have no way to manage the pain, Steve decides to volunteer as a test subject for Bruce and Tony’s experimental super drug. However, the soldier ends up getting a little more than he bargained for. (Alternative title: Original Drug Tester: Steve Rogers)

Big Brother Rogers by detectivemorse (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 777 words)

Summary: Peter "Spiderling" Parker becomes a full-fledged Avenger. But it isn't what he thought it would be.

Other Duties as Assigned by chasingkerouac (@ckerouac) (Gen, General Audiences, 3,291 words)

Summary: Peter wasn’t sure how exactly he ended up playing errand boy for the Black Widow in a department store downtown while she bullied Captain America into a new wardrobe, but if that's where the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was needed, he wasn't going to leave his SPIDER BRO hanging.

Other Costumes as Assigned by chasingkerouac (@ckerouac) (Gen, General Audiences, 4,968 words)

Summary: It was easy being Peter Parker at school, and Spider-Man out on the job. Being both Peter AND Spider-Man in the same room... that was a little more difficult. Luckily, a certain SPIDER BRO owes him a favor. Well, 'owes' is a strong word. Maybe he can guilt out a favor?

"Spidey On Ice" by Wordsworn (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 14,128 words)

Summary: Peter Parker is at a skating rink for his class field trip...and the Avengers are chaperoning. Looks like it's gonna be One Of Those Days...

Steve Rogers Is (Not) A Good Influence by attackofthezee (noxlunate) (@attackofthezee) (Stucky, Teen And Up Audiences, 4,181 words)

Summary: Steve’s left staring at the kid- Peter, his brain helpfully reminds him. The kid is staring back. “So, you’re, like, Captain America, huh?” Peter asks, and he looks a little starstruck but less so than he did when he’d stared at Tony Stark’s jet taking off. “Uh, yeah.” Steve says, staring hard at a spot just past the kid’s shoulder as he shoves his hands as deep as they can go into the pockets of his jeans. “Call me Steve.” “Cool.” Parker breathes, and Steve tries not to think about just how badly this is going to go.   Aka Steve Rogers' American Tour Of Waiting For His Brainwashed Boyfriend To Come Back And Blowing Up Hydra is interrupted when Tony Stark dumps Peter Parker into his lap.

Wanda Maximoff and Steve Rogers

Down in the Worn Out Place Again by adventurepants (Gen, General Audiences, 2,649 words)

Summary: “You don't look a day over 85, Captain,” Wanda says. Natasha smiles, just barely, and nudges Steve with her elbow. “She makes jokes now.” (Post AoU, stories about friendship.)

Full of Wounds and Still Standing on my Feet by orphan_account (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 7,221 words)

Summary: The five times Steve looked out for Wanda, and one time Wanda decided someone needed to look out for Steve.

and the woman was young again by Mira_Jade (Gen, General Audiences, 3,669 words)

Summary: For Wanda, it was a healing that came with time.

With Magic We Do Fly by Summer_Sunflower (Gen, Not Rated, 2,269 words)

Summary: In Civil War we see Wanda fling Steve into the air with her magic. They must have practiced that, right? Que Wanda throwing Steve against a wall. Many times.

Full of Wounds and Still Standing on my Feet by orphan_account (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 7,221 words)

Summary: The five times Steve looked out for Wanda, and one time Wanda decided someone needed to look out for Steve.

Talks over a Hot Chocolate by psy_ched (Gen, General Audiences, 2,916 words)

Summary: Wanda has nightmares, and she gets an advice from an unlikely ally.

[themculibrary]

Natasha Romanoff-Centric Masterlist 2

part one

although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight (ao3) - paperclipbitch bruce/natasha T, 6k

Summary: Post-movie. “You shouldn’t google yourself,” Natasha tells Bruce.

american pie (ao3) - ashlearose13 G, 4k

Summary: Here's the thing about Natasha Romanoff: before she was theirs, she was her own.

Common Ground (ao3) - Writegirl natasha/nick T, 4k

Summary: Natalia Romanova was many things: a killer by thirteen, a Black Widow at fifteen, on the run from the Red Room by sixteen and captured by SHIELD at seventeen.

“You have a simple choice in front of you. Either you want to live, in which case you give us your total cooperation. Or you want to die, in which case the kill order will be carried out within the next ten minutes.” The agent stood and went to the door. “You have five minutes to make a decision.”

counterfeit and counterpart (ao3) - Frea_O maria/steve T, 28k

Summary: Five times Maria Hill doesn’t understand Natasha Romanoff, and why she might be better off that way.

four times somebody trusted Natasha Romanoff (and one time Natasha trusted somebody) (ao3) - zauberer_sirin bruce/natasha T, 2k

Summary: Natasha is not used to being treated as something other than a threat.

I'll build a house inside of you (ao3) - magdaliny T, 19k

Summary: Natalia is stacking blocks very carefully when the adults come into the room. None of them look at her, because they're all looking at her father. He's wearing combat gear, and the hair on the left side of his head is slicked back with blood. He smells like smoke and something unnameable, sweet and dark and a little sickly in her nose.

Father is saying, “Don't be ridiculous. The only thing children are good at is disobeying.”

i'm so tired (of being afraid) (ao3) - himynameisv natasha/matt T, 35k

Summary: Steve glances at her with what she can only describe as a small, fond smirk. "You're not alone in this," he murmurs.

She breathes in, gathers up the courage to grasp him on the shoulder. "Neither are you," she says.

They stand there, mourning together in the silence, because that's how the two of them have always been.

(Or: Natasha Romanoff had three families. She's going to get them back and/or die trying.)

i'm staying at my parents’ house and the road not taken looks real good now (ao3) - hannaenomia maria/natasha N/R, 22k

Summary: Natasha takes The Avengers to her family's farm to recover after their first run-in with the Scarlet Witch and promptly flirts with Maria Hill in front of everyone, whether she admits it or not. (Black Widow comes before Age of Ultron in this storyline)

In Your Hand (ao3) - SpideySense777 natasha/tony M, 32k

Summary: Major Spoilers for Black Widow if you haven't seen it.

Tony and Natasha overcoming her betrayal after Civil War and finding peace in the fact they are screwed up people.

i see things that nobody else sees (ao3) - burnthatbridgewhenwegetthere T, 1k

Summary: before she was the Black Widow, she was just a black widow. Natasha, Natalia, Natalie- it's hard to be a person when you have specifically been taught to not be one.

the struggle is silent.

Mama Bear (ao3) - Dira Sudis (dsudis) clint/laura T, 2k

Summary: How the Black Widow became Auntie Nat.

melt (ao3) - romanovasquinn T, 5k

Summary: Perhaps she did not have a heavier hand in the transaction, Natasha thought, perhaps she loved me when she first saw me open my eyes.

She found herself living on perhapses so that she would never land on anything definitive. Perhapses were the thing that kept her from thinking about how unloved she was from the day she was born. It’s a dirty secret she kept hidden in the crux of her heart.

Cold, Natasha thought. She must feel very cold."

---

Melina attempts to reconcile with Natasha by taking her to her biological mother's unmarked grave. It goes as well as you'd expect.

music save your mortal soul (ao3) - nunya_bznz_babes G, 3k

Summary: The girls leave behind little things that never last long - an empty bed with the slight indent of their small body on the mattress, drops of blood in the training room, hair follicles and bits of dead skin that would become the dust that settled in barren corners or coated the lungs of the survivors, the instructors. Clothes to be handed down to the next set of potential Widows.

Natalia won't let herself become one of the dead girls, the ghost girls, the tiny bones rotting under layers of soil. But she remembers their names.

Or: Natasha Romanoff

My Unshaped Form (ao3) - atrata bruce/natasha E, 26k

Summary: Of all the people they could have sent, they send Bruce Banner. In his defense, he seems to realize he has no chance of finding her.

No Place In The World (ao3) - Mtabby2260 clint/laura T, 3k

Summary: "The ceremony is necessary for you to take your place in the world."

"I have no place in the world."

"Exactly."

off to the races (ao3) - Elekat G, 11k

Summary: Elementary School was torture. The kids didn't take it seriously, everything was useless information she would never need, oh, and Natasha hated gym class.

one of us will break it (ao3) - zauberer_sirin nick/natasha T, 1k

Summary: Natasha is not in the business of soft.

(Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

September (ao3) - enigma731 pepper/tony, natasha/tony T, 12k

Summary: Natasha studies him for a long moment, trying to decide whether she believes this last assertion. “So basically you’re trying to make an invention to cure PTSD? Why not just go to therapy?”

Tony gives her a look. “You want to go to therapy?” Tony scoffs. “Besides. Like some doctor is going to know what to do about the fact that I have nightmares about aliens and wormholes.”

“Okay,” says Natasha. “So you’re inventing the world’s next great therapy contraption. What did you want from me?”

“Well." Tony turns back to the computer monitor in a movement that may or may not be to avoid her gaze. “It’s not working. Normally I’d ask Banner, but, well.” He huffs out a bitter laugh. “Besides, I hear you’re the one to ask about coding.”

Some Assembly Required (ao3) - AlphaFlyer clint/natasha T, 4k

Summary: "They say that when you go to the seven circles of Hell, IKEA has taken over the suburbs and parts of the ring road.” Natasha and Clint enter an alien universe.

Some Summers They Drop Like Flys (ao3) - kvikindi T, 5k

Summary: Natasha blew all her covers. It's a brave new world.

Training Wheels (ao3) - thetbone G, 13k

Summary: Natasha doesn’t know how to ride a bike, doesn’t know how to be part of a family, doesn’t know how to be free.

But she’s learning.

you taught me the courage of stars (before you left) (ao3) - wcndanat T, 5k

Summary: Madame B waits, waits, and waits, until she doesn’t anymore. She walks to the table in the corner of the room, picking up the gun sitting over it, and Melina’s breath falters (no, please, not Natasha, not her Natasha, not yet).

The glock slips in Sonja’s hands and Melina closes her eyes, just to open them a second later — she doesn’t want to see this, but she has to, — and that’s when it happens, so suddenly that the woman almost starts sobbing right there on the spot.

Natasha gets up.

or

five times someone witnessed Natasha saving herself, and the one time someone saw her giving up.