#i just like playing my little ''find the loki'' game on the point and healing my team
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bookshelfpassageway · 24 days ago
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i don't know what the hell Spider Time does but by the god that is me that's what time i have declared it is. we are pressing random buttons now as fast as possible
also shoutout to the poor guy on console who actually took the time to type out "Why" in chat after i took them and 2 enemies off the nearest cliff while shapeshifting as Jeff. i truly could not answer you in a satisfactory way if I tried. i must simply obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul, which is to be bad at math
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gayometer · 2 years ago
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Can u do the reader in the fic “such happiness in such dull place” be someone who loves to bake and cook for their loved ones and who has a incredible regeneration and healing powers, but if they use them too much they get tired and sleep for a whole day continuous and might get seriously sick but they cant help to not use their powers on anyone who is in pain.
Thank you!
But I just can't help it!
Let's ignore the fact that I don't remember my own titles and had to look for it-
💚Ask💚
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Listen, now Odin isn't an overprotective parent but he does have his limit.
You baking and cooking is already worrying him to the point he'll put Loki in charge to watch over you in case you get burned.
Odin has put rules in place to make sure you don't overuse your regeneration and healing, but you being far too kind has lead you to be in the infirmary more times then he'll like.
He knows you can't help it, but he swears he feels his hair going grayer everytime you do it. He won't prohibit you from doing it, but please, just listen to him and don't use it so often.
"Just cause someone is in pain doesn't mean you should heal them, you could get extremely sick"
- Odin @ you for the 96th time that month
Now onto a different topic, Odin quite enjoys the sweet and savory things you make, yes he worries more then he'll admit about you being so close to fire but he does like anything you make.
No he won't share.
Yes he will kiss the chef, on the head cause that chef is the sweetest being in Asgard.
Hunnin and Munnin also get nice bowls of meat you cook, but they ain't important.
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He sits on the counter everytime he's in charge of you while in the kitchen.
He also gives you pointers for what spices to add so he's not just staring into your soul.
Loki isn't a baker so he just watches or grabs any console he brought with him and plays games.
Don't think he's not watching you tho- cause he is
Loki will make sure you're not hurt, he might be a trickster but he knows plenty about taking care of others.
He won't admit it but he gets far too worried and imagines the worst case scenario whenever you use your healing on others too much. He has cracked before in front if others, but pride be dammed cause his sweet and kind little sibling is sick.
On a lighter note, if you just get tired he'll put you to bed.
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Now, Thor isn't an emotionless war head who only feels happiness when he finds a strong opponent. In fact, he can be one of the most gentle gods when it comes to you.
He doesn't know anything about a kitchen (he put a lemon in the microwave to "make the sour go away") so he stays clear of that.
It's not that he doesn't trust Loki, I mean be doesn't but he will admit Loki knows more about a kitchen then he does.
However, if you ever get an interest in gardening, he's the one to go to.
Thor knows how sick you can get when using your abilities, yes he does worry but he knows you'll be fine because the nurses and doctors in Asgard will do anything to make sure you're fine. After all, no one would want his father to be furious.
Thor would also teach you the basics of self defense. You definitely won't need it but better safe then sorry, plus it's his way of making sure you're fully prepared for anything.
Again as many others have said, Thor isn't good with his words, so he'll spend time with you to show that he indeed lives his little sibling.
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veliseraptor · 2 years ago
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Loki/Steve for ask game
oooh blast from the PAST I dig it I dig it. I mean, I feel like at this point my relationship to Steve/Loki is more of a fond, nostalgic glow than it is an active, passionate shipping feeling, but still counts and I would find it probably easy to resurrect my feelings about these two if I, like, went back and reread some stuff (and weren't so burned out on the mcu in general right now).
What made you ship it?
I feel like I kind of tripped into this one, actually. I'm trying to remember how I got there. I feel like what might have happened was that I was doing a text RP with Loki and a Steve, not necessarily planning on it going in a ship direction, and then it started to go that way and get interesting and I was like. Oh hey will you look at that.
Which is not an unprecedented trajectory for me, as far as "just kinda start playing around with a relationship and afterwards realize that I'm into it in a different way than I expected to be."
But you know, it's got all the ingredients there other than very much actual onscreen interaction, and when has the lack of that ever stopped me.
What are your favorite things about the ship?
I feel like my favorite thing about Steve/Loki is the ways in which it was always a ship about healing and climbing out of the dark and finding a way to be better than you were before. More obviously for Loki than Steve, of course; for Steve it's a subtler...moving out of grief and becoming just a little more selfish. Not in the sense of abandoning ideals, just in the sense of valuing his own life a little bit more than I think he does for much of canon.
Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
Lord, I don't know what the kids are doing with this ship these days. I don't even know if people are still writing for it! I hope so. I'm trying to think if there were things that I felt strongly about that felt like unpopular opinions.
Legitimately cannot think of anything, which almost certainly means I'm forgetting something obvious.
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loving-all-for-loki · 4 years ago
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Your writing is so wonderful! Could I maybe request something comforting? I’m currently recovering from a surgery to repair my foot with bone anchors and I’ll be bed ridden for 6 weeks. Maybe something with Loki being very supportive and caring for the reader 24/7, moving into her room etc. and the team are just surprised at how helpful he’s being to her. 🤗.
A/N: I’m sorry if I posted this at a weird time, but I have the next chapter to my series Voiceless Love coming out and I wanted to give this fic some time to be seen before that got posted. It’s also a little short, but I felt like this was perfect as a short and sweet fic, instead of a 2k+ story, haha. Also, I know it isn’t 100% exactly what you wanted, but I get stuck with one idea and run with it, oops. I hope you are getting better with your foot. That stinks so much and I’ve been there with my own ankle injuries. If you have any requests for some fics while you recover, send them my way! I always need some inspo and if I can give you some entertainment during your recovery, that would be great. Now, read this, get some sleep, and drink some water. I hope you heal nicely <3
Lucky
Loki x reader
Word count: 1533
Warnings: Pure fluff, just fluff, fluffiness, maybe a bit of sexualizing Loki (I couldn’t help myself)
Seeing your friends carrying big heavy boxes for you swells your heart. It’s also hilarious to see Thor actually struggling to carry something. Tony finds it amusing too given that he’s not doing any of the work but it’s sipping mimosas next to you. Thor grumbles about getting all the heavy boxes, but you also know Sam and Bucky purposely avoid the big ones.
If someone were to tell you ten years ago that you’d be saved from getting tortured by Hydra and become an Avenger, you’d tell them they’re delusional, but this is your life. Even after years of torture and pain, you considered yourself lucky. You could have been the new Soldat, ruined over and over again to be a war machine, but now you’re a trained assassin like Bucky and Nat with a broken leg.
You lean yourself against a wall in your room with your crutches beside you (along with Tony, of course, that lazy bum). Steve, Bucky, and Thor are carrying in boxes while Sam, Nat, and Peter help unpack some things. Today is the day you officially move into the tower with the rest of your teammates and due to your current disability, the other avengers offered to help you. Another reason why you consider yourself lucky.
Peter is by far the most adorable on the team. He’s fully unpacking for you, even arranging the frames on your shelves and the organizers on your desk. He at point made your bed when Steve brought in your blankets and sheets. Bucky has been super sweet, too, giving you funny looks every time he passes by and asking where the best spot for the box he is carrying to go.
But the one “avenger” you didn’t expect to be as helpful as he is, is Loki. The others told him to move out of the way, not wanting his condescending attitude to ruin the fun day, but Loki started to carry boxes in as well. The first time, the avengers were stunned by him, but then they were gracious because he used his magic to transport them, making the job go by quicker. Loki just stands at the bottom of the truck outside and wipes his hand over each cardboard box, sending it to your room.
You really are lucky.
-
Two days pass by and you decide to ignore your laziness and finally unpack the rest of your boxes. You attempt to push some photo boxes on the top of your shelves, but you find yourself stretching so hard to reach the top. Your foot injury really is stupid and you just want to be able to normal walk, or jump, or even go on your tip toes.
Then you hear a sly chuckle coming from behind you. You let out a frustrated sign knowing exactly who it is.
“Loki, if you’re going to stand there and laugh at me, could you least help me and laugh at me?”
“Of course, darling.” He jokes.
He comes up behind you and takes the box from your struggling fingertips and carefully paces it on top of the shelf.
“Is there anything else you helpless being needs help with?”
“I could use help with hanging my window curtains.”
You point to the box in the corner with your large sheer curtains folded in them. He chuckles and goes over the box, carefully picking them up and hanging them on the frame. You can’t help but notice his figure as he hangs them. He is a marvelous being and who are you to deny your eyes of such a sight?
The sight in front of you proved that you are lucky
-
Tony gathers the group for a game night and it results in everyone becoming drunk and children. At some point, it becomes a truth or drink game night and everyone has their poison. You have your legs laid over Loki’s lap, who was really hard to convince to join the game, and a bottle of Smirnoff Ice in your hand, only because Tony didn’t have anything else. Loki’s slowly running his fingers over your legs, but higher than your cast.
“Okay, Steve,” Natasha coos, “your turn. Have you ever done drugs?”
“I did marijuana in high school once.”
The whole team gasps and whistles at his answer.
“Captain ain’t so wholesome, now, is he?” Sam cackles.
“I remember that night,” Bucky laughs, “You were so high.”
Steve chuckles and nods his head before looking to see you cuddled up next to Loki and gets a wicked idea.
“Loki, you’ve been quiet. Your turn.”
“Please no, I’m beyond your little games.”
“Aw come on, brother! One question won’t hurt you,” Thor laughs.
“Who in this room would ever kiss?”
Tony whistles and takes a sip of his drink as everyone else laughs. You can feel the ice giant get slightly warm out of embarrassment. His face is flushed with a rose pink color as you get nervous, lightly chuckling to himself.
“I uh…”
“Answer it. Answer it. Answer it.” Sam chants.
Everyone chuckles at the clear uncomfortableness of the god, not seeing him like this often.
“Y/N.” He whispers, almost too quiet for you to even hear.
“Louder, brother. I couldn’t hear you,” Thor says innocently.
“Y/N.”
You smile up at Loki in shock. He won’t look down to meet your eyes but stares straight out the window past Tony. The entire team cheers and chuckles.
“Oh, we’re never letting that one down.”
“How lucky am I?” You laugh.
-
You attempt to cook yourself some lunch but your stupid cast is getting in the way of moving around. It’s getting tiring to pick up your crutches every time you need a tool two feet away from you. Letting out a frustrated sigh, you hit the edge of the counter with the spatula in your hand.
“What is wrong, dearest?”
You turn your head to see Loki standing behind you with a concerned look on his face, this time not here to make fun of you.
“I’m tired of my stupid foot getting in the way of doing normal activities.”
“Darling, sit down. I’ll make lunch for you.”
“Loki, you really-”
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to.”
Loki picks you up and sets you down on the couch while also handing you the remote. He goes to the kitchen and attempts to resume your lunch.
“Sweetest, what are you cooking?”
You laugh really hard at his confusion.
“Fajitas.”
“What are those?”
“See Loki, it’s fine! You really don’t have to.”
“And I’m not going to. I’ll make Stark do it.”
Loki orders JARVIS to get Tony and finish making lunch for you. You laugh and shake your head at Loki as he sits down beside you on the couch. He starts to run his fingers through your hair but keeps getting caught in the tangles.
“Why is your hair like this?”
“It’s hard to do anything while standing up. I can barely brush my teeth without falling over.”
“Well, it looks like I’ll do that for you, too.”
“Loki, I swear if you-”
“No point in arguing. I’m going to assist you.”
You rolls your eyes at the cocky god as he smiles at you. Nuzzling your head into his neck, Loki holds you tightly in an embrace. Tony comes in to see you two cuddling and shakes his head.
“You are so lucky we love you.”
-
You wake up the next day to see Loki sleeping beside you on your bed. You try to remember anything that happened last night, but you were so tired, nothing comes to mind. If you didn’t have a broken foot, you would be concerned about waking up next to a god, but you also know he wouldn’t have done anything with your injury. He’s too kind (much to some disbelief).
“Good morning, darling.”
Loki leans over to you and kisses you on the forehead. He wasn’t as asleep as you thought he was, but you’re not complaining. Waking up beside this adonis isn’t the worst way to spend a morning.
“Good morning.”
“I don’t care what you say,” Loki smiles, brushing a piece of your hair behind your ear, “you’re staying in bed and I’m waiting on you.”
“That’s very sweet. Thank you.”
“I’m glad someone learned something last night.”
“Actually, I don’t remember a lot from last night. I was tired.”
“We bickered about me waiting on you, hand and foot.”
“Hmm, that sounds about right.”
“So, today I’m treating you like a proper princess.”
“Does that mean we’re together?”
Loki looks at you confused, but his face lights up when he realizes what you’re implying.
“I suppose so. In that case, my princess, I will wait on you.”
You watched as the god all day served you lunch and dinner. He brushed your hair and teeth. Helped you change clothes. Played your music to cheer you up. Even carried you to the bathroom when you had to go.
Thinking about all the things your friends have done for you and all of the things that Loki, your prince, has done, all you can say is how lucky you are.
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starlight-loki · 4 years ago
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Headcanon of the day: Loki x Mystic!Reader
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This sort of acts as context for a fic I have coming out in the next day or two. I thought I'd release this first as a kind of shittily-written backstory for it, so that the relationship dynamics make sense :) Enjoy!
UPDATE: the fic is all done! you can read it here
(this is quite long and the Keep Reading option won't work, dammit. my apologies 😅)
You know something's wrong as soon as Stephen bursts into your room, a troubled look in his eyes
"They're here."
Stephen had been talking about this for a while -- it was just a matter of time before Thor and Loki arrived in New York looking for their father
He told you from the start that they were going to need help; your help
At first you protested because you were still in the midst of learning everything there was to know about the mystic arts.
you weren't a beginner by any means, but you definitely didn't feel you were at a level where you could just... fight the goddess of death
Now, you realized as Stephen rushed out of your room as quickly as he came, you were out of time to prepare: you had to use what you knew and hope it was enough
You stepped down the stairs into the main entrance of the Sanctum just as Stephen brought Loki back from the void with a thud
"Right, I'm sending Y/N with you. The two of you are going to need help with this whole... situation."
"We don't need help, especially not from a mortal, you second-rate-"
Stephen sends all three of you through a portal before Loki can even finish pulling out his knives
at first, you really can't stand either of them
Thor is... too much muscle, not enough brain
while Loki on the other hand is half part brain, half part whining weasel
You honestly feel like you got stuck babysitting the two of them, and there's a part of you that hopes this mission Stephen sent you on won't be so bad after all
Of course, everything sort of went to shit when you found yourself on Sakaar
You were the first to arrive, and were admittedly terrified when you came face to face with the Grandmaster
you had powers and were strong enough to defend yourself, sure, but this seemed like a whole other ball of wax entirely
You chucked a few illusions here, as well as a couple fancy tricks you learned from Stephen there, and soon enough you became the Grandmaster's... magic show.
It was disappointing really, to know that your powers were being used to amaze three headed ogres and other folks who looked like they walked straight out of the Capitol from The Hunger Games, but at least you weren't fighting in the arena
or worse... dead.
to your surprise, Loki showed up a week later -- escorted to your room by none other than the Grandmaster himself
"Y/N, I've got another wizard for you!"
(you swear you can see Loki's jaw clench at the Grandmaster's term, and it takes all you can not to laugh)
"He can do illusions too. Maybe you two can, y'know, think up a big show for us tonight."
Loki's surprised to see you (and also relieved to see a familiar face, finally), but he quickly disguises his relief as disgust before you can think anything more of it
"I'm not sharing my bed." You say tightly, and Loki shoots you a glare before settling down on the couch in the corner of the room
At first, the two of you barely talk to each other despite sharing a room
You really just throw some illusions together during your show, and then head back to the room to sulk in silence
It honestly starts to feel like you're living the same day over and over, that is until you wake up to the sound of screaming
You rush over to Loki, to find he was having a violent nightmare
When he finally wakes up, terror in his eyes and not fully registering his surroundings, you place a hand over his forehead gently
You remembered an incantation you read once while at the Sanctum, one that could calm even the most restless mind, and you mumbled the words to the best of your ability
To your relief, Loki's breathing slowed as the last of his nightmare faded away
"You okay?"
You don't know why, but you find yourself reaching to hold Loki's hand in both of your own
His fear, his memories... you could almost feel them physically reverberate in you
maybe your initial conceptions about Loki were wrong, after all. Maybe he wasn't nearly as bad as you thought
you go out of your way to try and be a little nicer to him, sneaking in drinks and other treats you managed to grab on your way out of the Grandmaster's parties for him to try
sometimes, the two of you would even stay up until the early hours of morning, sharing stories and laughing together and actually feeling happy
for a garbage planet, maybe things weren't quite so bad.
until the night you had a nightmare. you could've sworn it was real, the way everyone in your dream seemed to dissolve into ash right in front of your eyes
you didn't realize you were crying out in your sleep until Loki woke you up, the entire situation reminiscent of when you first caught him having a nightmare of his own
you see the worry in his eyes, and you can't stop yourself from crying as the events from your dream played through your mind
"It's alright. It's not real. You're safe, Y/N. You're safe."
Loki repeats those words quietly like a lullaby until your breathing calms, and you grab his wrist before he can retreat back over to the couch
"Please stay."
the two of you don't realize just how touchstarved you are until you're both lying together, holding each other as if the world were about to end
(i'm getting Pompeii-esque visuals, am i crying??? maybe)
as your relationship progresses into purgatory-type territory -- somewhere between friendship and romance -- you realize the connection between the two of you grows stronger
specifically, the telepathic connection
before you know it, you can hear Loki's thoughts, and he can hear yours
you suspect it has something to do with the incantation you used to heal him after his nightmare
(you never did read the warnings on that one. oops.)
after a while, the two of you managed to control your telepathic abilities, to the point where you didn't hear the other's each and every thought
there was only a soft buzzing noise in the background of your mind, as if Loki's energy was gently reminding you he was there
Loki found your thoughts incredibly irritating at first
especially how you never seemed to shut up when you were nervous
there was a certain comfort in knowing you were only a thought away, though. especially when the day finally comes when you have to battle Hela
there's a moment when you're convinced Loki had died -- when he ran back into the palace to summon Surtur -- and your breath stops all together in your throat
for a few seconds, you couldn't hear his thoughts anymore. the constant white noise in the back of your mind was gone
when it suddenly resumes out of nowhere as you flew away from the remains of Asgard with Thor and everyone else, you couldn't help but make a run for Loki
you found him in one of the sleeping quarters on the ship, and before you could think twice, you kissed him. hard.
"You idiot! You could've died!"
You can't stop the tears of relief and the smile that lights up your face as you take him in
"I didn't die, however. I'm still here."
All you can do is laugh, and to your utmost delight, Loki pulls you in for another kiss
except this time, you freeze.
"Do you have the Tesseract?"
the way Loki's hands tense around your waist tells you everything
"...why would you think that?"
"I'm a mystic, you idiot! I practically pick up on energy for a living!"
Realizing he really can't hide anything from you, Loki materializes the Tesseract and holds it out to you carefully
"What were you hoping to achieve with this?" You ask, your voice nothing more than a horrified whisper
the lost look in his eyes tells you everything: he wasn't really sure, himself.
you conjure a portal and send the Tesseract far, far away from the two of you, and you can almost see the relief visibly fill Loki's eyes as that temptation disappeared
You realized as you landed back on Earth that the two of you were finally safe. You were home, and you had Loki now, too.
Things were going to be okay.
Until of course, the day your visions started.
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anagentinwriting · 4 years ago
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Lifeline - Part 12
Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?
Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader
Word Count: 8700+ (whoops!)
Warnings: Angst, language, fluff, jumper/suicidal, snakes
Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist
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AN: Flashbacks in italics
You yawned at your reflection in the mirror, bringing tears to the corner of your eyes. Today was the softball tournament, and Steve was picking you up at 6:30 in the morning. Unlucky for you, when you agreed to go with him as his date, you didn’t think it started this early. Station 107 was playing in one of the first two games of the day. It wasn’t a huge bracket with only twelve teams competing from different fire stations, dispatch call centers, paramedic units, and police departments. Nat and Clint’s West LA Police Department won last year, and they were hoping for another win.
You sighed, splashing your face with cold water, hoping it would shock your body awake, but it only made your face cold. You grabbed a towel, dabbing your face as you stared at your reflection. Your eyes shined back at you, and you couldn’t help the small approving smile spread across your lips. You shake your head, reverting your eyes back to the counter. Only an insane person smiles at themselves in the mirror, but you couldn’t help but look at yourself. Really look at yourself. You looked different, but it was a good different; no dark shadows under your eyes, a calm, relaxed expression, and a smile that came so much easier.
You were happy. It was a weird feeling, waking up refreshed without fear coursing through your veins. You were never going to be the person you were before you met him or even the person you were when you were with him; a weak, abused, and frightened woman. No, this was a whole new you. A stronger you that was finally letting old wounds heal and allowing yourself to move on and start over. You let out a deep breath as your phone vibrated on the bathroom counter. 
Steve: Good morning. I’m outside ;)
YN: Be out in a second
You sighed, slipping on the baseball cap Thor gave you to wear with LAFD (Los Angeles Fire Department) stitched on the front with their station number on the back. You let out a breath and smiled at yourself. It was a new exciting feeling, a feeling of improvement, and a fresh start.
________
You sat on the bleachers watching the game between Station 107 and Station 93. The whole team wore the same dark blue station shirt, grey sweatpants, and the same cap you had on. Your eyes scanned the field, finding Steve covering first base. The car ride over didn’t do any justice to his uniform. His shirt was stretched tight across his chest with his biceps bulging out from his tight sleeves, and his joggers hugged tight to his quads. He caught you staring, giving you a little wave before hitting his hand into his glove. 
The game was slow to watch, with the lead changing almost every inning.  Every time the batter hit the ball, your breath caught in your throat, waiting to see how it would play out. You were caught up in the game when out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a familiar redhead. 
“Hey, YN. Guess what? We won!” She nudged you on the arm.  “How are Val and the boys doing?” 
“Winning, but not by much. Carol needs to get her ass here. I think they’re feeling lost without their Captain,” you smiled, and she nodded in agreement. “Her shift ended about 10 minutes ago, so she should be on her way, and then she’ll set them straight.”
“Yeah, I noticed that. Like, why is Thor catcher?” she pointed at him. “And Bucky at second base? I mean, he can run, put him in the outfield.”
“I was wondering the same thing, but then I realized he already got to second base with you, so...”
“Oh shut up,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “He hit a home run, but I could say the same about you and Steve.”
“And you’d be wrong; we haven’t even got to first base yet.”
“Wait, what!” She slapped your arm. “But, I thought you two have been hanging out for like two weeks. I figured you two would be doing a little somethin-somethin,” she teased, nudging you in the side. 
You chuckled, shaking your head. “I get why you’d think that, but we’re in no rush,” you insisted with a half shrug, earning a nod from her.
You heard a car door slam and glanced over your shoulder to see Carol charging over to the dugout with her cap and aviators on. 
“The boss lady has arrived,” Nat announced loud enough for Carol to shoot you two a smirk. 
Everyone huddled around her in the dugout. She used all kinds of hand gestures, some a little inappropriate, but her team stood together, nodding their heads and hanging onto every word like they do when they are on call. With it being a single-elimination tournament, they couldn’t afford to lose. It might have been a charity event, but some teams still came wanting to have bragging rights until next year. When she stood up, they broke apart, and it seemed like everyone's energy changed from defeated to conquering. It was like they finally suited up and wanted to win with two innings left.
Carol was a competitive person and always felt like she needed to take an extra step to prove herself. Growing up, she never got along with her parents; they always insisted she couldn’t do something because she was a girl. No matter how many times she got knocked down, she would always get back up and try again. When she got the job as Captain of the 107th, many men under her didn’t want to follow her orders or be controlled by a woman. Many of those ignorant men left her station, even though she proved herself time and time again. She earned the respect of a few firefighters who stuck around, and to those, she felt earned her respect as well. With everything she has gone through to get this far, you couldn’t help but admire her. 
A slight chill ran up your spine, sending a tingling sensation coursing through your body. It forced the hair on your arms to stand up straight and make your hands shake. You rubbed them together, glancing over your shoulder, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. You gulped, sitting up straighter, getting the feeling of someone’s eyes on you. You bite your lip, scanning the faces one by one until they landed on Nat.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” you replied, seeing Clint take off running to a van. “But it looks like your cheering section has arrived.” 
“On that note, I will be back--” she patted your leg “--I have to go hug my favorite niece and nephews.”
She stepped down the bleachers with a huge grin on her face and ran towards the van. Clint’s daughter met her halfway and pulled her into a hug. She hopped on Nat’s back, and Nat gave her a piggyback ride back over to her parents. You smiled at their interaction. It was such a simple gesture, but it meant so much to both of them. 
Family has always been important to you; even when you didn’t think they would be there for you, they still showed up. You always thought you were the glue that held Thor and Loki together, but now, you were almost positive they were the ones holding you together. 
Your eyes focused back on the game to see Station 107 heading back out to the field. They were up 3 points, heading into the top of the 7th inning. You couldn’t help but notice that Carol changed their field positions; Bucky and Thor moved to the outfield, but Steve stayed put at first. It’s surprising how moving a few players around made it look like a brand new team, and the game quickly ended with three straight outs, advancing them to the next round. They shook hands with the other team before huddling together in the dugout. 
Thor was the first to leave the huddle, making his way over to you with a closed mouth smile plastered on his face. He hit the bill of your hat and continued to walk past you. 
“Hey! What was that for,” you shouted at him over your shoulder. 
“Felt like it,” he grinned with a shrug, walking backwards. 
“Jerk,” you said under your breath, readjusting your hat as Steve approached you. 
“Hope you weren’t too bored.” 
“No, it was entertaining, watching you all fall over your feet until Danvers showed up and helped you pull off a win.”
“It wasn’t that bad. We kept a good pace with them all the way to the end. Just needed an extra push from Danvers,” he chuckled, putting his hands on his hips. “Did you want to get breakfast?” He offered, pointing to the line of food trucks behind you.
“What....no Wade’s Chimichangas?”
“I don’t think I have the stomach for that this early in the morning.” He rubbed his stomach before offering his hand to you. You took it with a chuckle, walking over to one of the most famous breakfast trucks in LA, Stan Lee Scrambles.
Thor had mentioned to you once before how Stan and his old firefighter crew decided to open up a food truck after they gained popularity. It started out small but soon became very successful, and they had to get a second truck. Everyone loved them, the food, and how they gave back to their community. They didn’t have a huge array of options, but it revolved heavily around breakfast items, including their award-winning breakfast sandwich, The Egg-celsior, a sausage bacon egg english muffin sandwich.
“What can I get you, Big Guy,” the old man, wearing tinted glasses and an old fire station hat, asked Thor.  
“Well, Stan...I will take two Egg-celsiors with a side of hash browns and a parfait,” Thor replied, squinting his eyes at the menu. “I think that will do for now, my good man.”
“Coming up, Big Guy.” You smirked at Stan’s nickname for your brother and moved up in line with Steve.  “Hiya, Steve. How’s your dog...Cosmo, right?” Stan asked, putting his elbows on the truck's small counter ledge. 
“Yeah, he’s doing much better. He’s gotten a lot more friendly and isn’t as skittish. I’ve been teaching him a few commands and lovin’ up on him.” 
“That’s terrific to hear. Remember, every relationship starts off a little shaky, but before you know it, the two of you will be inseparable.” Steve nodded with a smirk, as did you, reading into the double meaning. “Now, let’s get you two something to eat; what will it be?” 
You and Steve placed your order, and before you could beat him to it, Steve had his wallet out, paying. You shook your head, taking a few steps back to wait for your order to be called. You didn’t miss the subtle wink Stan shot Steve, making your eyes drift to the ground, hoping your hat would hide the bashful smile appearing on your face. 
Steve’s feet came into view, and you looked up at him. “Thanks for breakfast.”
“No problem,” he smiled. 
“So, what are the chances of you winning the next game? Any big competitors you're worried about?”
“I don’t know.” He lifted up his hat, scratching his head as he leaned in close to you, and whispered. “We’re not that good. We might make it to the next round, but I think the final four is as far as we’ll get.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Observation.” You narrowed your eyes at him as he tilted his head to the fields. “For one, one of the games behind us is already up 5 to 0, and they're still in the first inning. Second, Nat and Clint’s department dominated because Clint hits a home run every time he is up to bat. And three, I think we just want to start drinking.”
You chuckled, shaking your head. “You seem so sure of yourself.”
“I know a thing or two about baseball, and the odds are stacked against us.” Steve shrugged.
“Maybe, I should’ve joined your team. I’m pretty good with a bat,” you smirked, earning a breathy chuckle out of him.
“Maybe next year, you and Bruce can put together a group of individuals…”
“Let me stop you right there. No and no. I’d rather eat, drink, and watch,” you giggled, making Steve nod in understanding.
Your order was called, and you both went to the counter to pick it up. Steve followed behind you, taking a seat at one of the picnic tables with Bucky, Sam, and Thor. You took the spot beside Sam, and Steve sat across from you next to Thor. 
“You did not do that, Sam. I don’t believe you. I bet you made that up,” Thor said, waving his hand around with his Egg-celsior in it.
“I’m not, it’s 100% true.” 
“Lies. All lies this guy.” Thor shook his head, sliding over to give Steve a little more room on the end. 
“What is he lying about?” Steve asked, unwrapping his breakfast sandwich.
“Thor doesn’t believe I ran five miles in thirty minutes.”
“It’s true; we ran it together once,” Steve confirmed, nodding his head. 
Thor rolled his eyes, doing a double-take at someone behind you. “WHAT? Bruce is here! I didn’t know he was coming. YN, did you know he was coming?” Thor pointed at him, talking with Happy by the silent auction tables. 
“He told me he was going to try and make it.” You shrugged, glancing over your shoulder. 
“BRUCE, BRUCE,” Thor called, standing up in a half-sitting half-standing position at the picnic table. “BANNER, BRUCE BANNER.” Bruce noticed him and waved at him, not wanting any attention. “BANNER, IT’S ME, THOR. YOU POPPED MY CHERRY.”
All eyes in the surrounding area stopped what they were doing and looked between Bruce and Thor. You swore you saw Bruce roll his eyes from more than a few hundred feet away and let out an annoyed sigh before he headed over with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slouched.  “Hey, Thor. Fellas, YN, Carol, Val. How was your first game?”
“We won,” Carol answered from the table next to theirs, where she was sitting with Val.  “It was a tight game before I showed up.”
“We just didn’t want to win without you, Ace,” Bucky smiled at her, forcing her to shake her head.
“Steve, did I ever tell you how I lost my dispatcher cherry to Bruce?” Thor asked as everyone stood up from your table and the table next to yours, besides you and Steve. “Wait, where is everyone going?”
“To watch the next game starting, but tell Steve the story, we have heard it one too many times,” Val stated, stepping out of the picnic table. 
“Yeah, he hasn’t heard it yet; he deserves to hear it at least once,” Sam replied with wide eyes before walking to the bleachers with Bucky, Carol, and Val. 
Thor did love telling the story. Maybe a little too much because each time he told it, you swore he added something new to it or remembered something he forgot the other 15 times he mentioned it. It was a story that only needed to be told once, but Thor liked talking about his first time. 
You shake your head, sneaking a peek at Steve through your eyelashes as a small smirk tugged at your lips. He caught you staring, widening eyes as if he was asking if they should've made a quick getaway, but it was too late for them. 
“That’s right, I did tell those guys,” Thor nodded with an amused smile. “Anyways, Bruce, take a seat. We will tell it together.” 
“No, that’s okay,” Bruce assured, holding his hands up “I got to go and...”
“Nonsense. Take a seat, Banner.” Thor tapped on the spot next to him.
“Okay,” Bruce mumbled with a shrug. “Since when do I ever get what I want.” Bruce sits beside him, knowing the faster he got this over with, the faster he could leave. He shot a quick glance in your direction, almost asking for help to make a quick getaway. 
“That’s right.” Thor patted Bruce on the shoulder. “Now, it all started when I was working at my first station in LA. I was a young greenhorn, learning the ropes many years ago...
“Thor and Sif,” Captain Heimdall spoke into the walkie on their jacket. “There is an EMT emergency at the Los Angeles Zoo. We are the closest unit, and I need you two to head there now. The team and I will finish putting this blaze out.”
Thor and Sif got into the ambulance as instructed, blasting the sirens, and drove to the access point the dispatcher routed them to. A few zookeepers were waiting as they lead them through the zoo, stopping directly in front of the reptile building. Sif ran to the back of the ambulance and threw a paramedic bag at Thor as she grabbed another bag before running into the building behind the other zookeeper.
“Now, at this point, I never had to deal with the whole paramedic, injured people side of things, so it was an intense situation. Luckily, I was able to stay calm and collected through this whole situation, and I had Sif to thank for that. She remained so focused in these emergencies, I always thought she took Xanax, but it was just her personality.” Thor shrugged, taking a sip out of his water bottle in front of him. “Back to the call...
“Did the dispatcher mention what is happening to either of you?” Zookeeper Carina asked while weaving them through the halls of the building. 
“Not much,” Sif answered. “The victim called in mentioning a snake. A few guests must have seen it happen through the viewing windows and called it in, too. I’m hoping you cleared the viewing area for now.”
“Yes, of course, we did,” Carina nodded as they continued down the hall.
“Wait, this involves a snake. I love snakes. My parents got me one when I was younger, thinking it would give me more responsibility, but then my brother let him out of his cage, and he was never found again. I like to think he found a mate, and they are living happily ever after.”
“Great story, Thor, but let’s get to the matters at hand right now,” Sif commanded, earning a serious understanding nod from him. “What’s the current situation?”
“Miek, our 16 foot long 237-pound Burmese python snake from the Asian exhibit, latched onto my fellow zookeeper, Taneleer Tivan, leg, and she started coiling her body around Taneleer’s leg, cutting off his circulation. Taneleer collects snakes, so I don’t know if he read the situation wrong or did something to provoke her.” She shook her head. “It’s protocol to have two zookeepers present during feeding to avoid these types of situations, but his co-worker was running late, so he started the feedings by himself.” 
Carina stopped at a door. “He is behind this door.” She opened it, and they both stepped in to see Taneleer holding a phone to his ear, mumbling and grunting. His eyes and head traveled to the door with a faint smile on his lips before he went unconscious. 
“OH MY GOD, that snake is huge?” Thor shouted in surprise, seeing the snake wrapped around Taneleer’s leg. 
“Taneleer, you still there? Taneleer?” The caller on the speakerphone asked. 
Sif went over to pick up the phone and tossed it to Thor. “I’m Fireman Thor Odinson. Who am I speaking with?” Thor questioned, keeping a watchful eye on Sif. 
She slowly moved into position to check his vitals while keeping an eye on the snake. Her eyes traveled over his body, further assessing the situation. She noticed multiple bite marks across his stomach that were bleeding profusely, and Miek’s jaw was still latched on tight to his stomach. Sif tried her best to put pressure on the wounds, trying not to disturb the snake while Mieks body seemed to coil tighter around Taneleers leg. 
“Dispatcher Bruce Banner here, how is Taneleer doing?”
“He’s unconscious.”
“Okay, how are his vitals?” Bruce asked, but Thor ignored him.
“Carina, do you have any protocol when this happens? Like what is the best way to get the snake off them without harming them?” Sif asked, trying to keep pressure on the wounds.
Her eyes went wide, and she shrugged. “This isn’t usually my area, I fill in where I’m needed, and…and…” her voice drifted off, staring down at Taneleer. 
Sif nodded, looking at Thor. “Thor, can you try uncoiling the snake off of his leg.”
Thor nodded, starting at the tail end, but as much strength Thor had, he couldn’t unwrap the snake. “I think Miek is getting pissed. She is making herself tighter and heavier,” Thor grunted through clenched teeth.
“STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING, THOR?” Bruce shouted from the breast pocket on Thor’s shirt. 
Thor slowly set down the snake’s body and pulled the phone from his pocket. “Then, what do you suggest we do, Banner?“
“Find some alcohol and put it in their mouth, but make sure the head is pointed downward and make sure it goes into his mouth. The alcohol won’t work if you put it on their face or body.” Carina disappeared as if she remembered something and returned with a small bottle of vodka and a syringe. 
“It needs to be the mouth, okay. I got it, but we don’t want to get this snake drunk, Bruce.”
“It will work, trust me. The snake will become disoriented and unlatch herself from Taneleer. Then you will need to slowly unwrap her from his leg. Go slow because you don’t want to make the snake uncomfortable.”
“Got it. You sure she likes vodka,” Thor winked at a blushing Carina, filling the small amount of vodka in the syringe. 
“Thor,” Sif shouted at him. “Focus.”
“If she bites me, this is on you Sif, and this Bruce Banner guy.” Thor pointed his fingers at her and then to the phone.
Thor held the syringe just enough to place a few drops into the python's mouth. In an instant, the snake disengaged its teeth and retracted them away from the bite zone. Sif stepped into action and put pressure on the wound while Thor grabbed a hold of his jaw and head, gaining full control of the snake. With his other hand, he pointed to Carina to start unwrapping the snake slowly at the tail end.  
“And just like that, another person saved.” Thor smacked the table with a big grin on his face. “If I remember right, you Banner had quite the temper in that situation.”
“Well, when a person needs help, you have to think of the best way to help.”
“How did you know the alcohol trick would work?” Steve asked, looking at Bruce.
Bruce opened his mouth when Thor spoke up for him. “This guy, right here--” he grabbed both Bruce's shoulder and shook him “--took some fancy snake class and learned how to disarm them.”
“It wasn’t for that reason per se, but it was a class at the local herpetology society to better understand situations involving reptiles and amphibians.”
“Exactly, fancy snake class,” Thor smirked, patting him on the back while Bruce nodded his head, rubbing his lips together. You couldn’t help but shake your head at them. These two had nothing in common but that one call they experienced together. “I want you to remember, Bruce, you will always be my first.”
“Okay,” Bruce nodded with a fake tight-lipped smile. 
“It was good to see you, Bruce, but I am going to go see if Stan has any more Egg-celsiors left.” He patted him on the shoulder, crawling out of the table and walking back to the truck. 
“Good to see you, too.”
“And here I thought my first time was good.” Steve winked at you, forcing you to roll your eyes.
“I will say one thing,” Bruce mentioned, peeking over you to make sure Thor was out of earshot. “He wasn’t that calm. If you ever want to hear the real version, we have it in the archives, it's in my favorites.”
“And here I thought my brother loved snakes,” you added, making both men chuckle. 
________
Steve went to warm up for his next game while you made your way over to the bleachers to watch the rest of Nat and Clint’s game.
“YN, come sit with us,” a woman with brown hair called, waving at you with a huge grin on her face. A little boy sat next to her, focused on the game in front of him. You recognized her as the woman Nat hugged earlier. “I don’t think we have been properly introduced, but I’m Laura, Clint’s wife, and this is my youngest, Nathaniel. The little lady in the purple shirt by the fence watching the game is Lila, and the young man next to her is my other son, Cooper.”
You nodded as she pointed at them. “I’m YN, but you seem to already know that,” you smiled, shaking her hand. 
“I did, I’ve heard so much about you, and it’s nice to finally put a face to the name. Here join us on the blanket.”
“Thanks.” You plopped down on the blanket, getting comfortable. “Nat’s told me so much about her niece and nephews, too, and they do seem pretty adorable.”
“Do they? Because if I’m being honest, they can be little terrors sometimes, and the sibling rivalry, well don’t get me started,” she huffed, shaking her head. 
“Oh, don’t I know it. I’ve experienced plenty of it growing up with two brothers.”
“I can imagine, but I didn’t know you had another brother.”
“Yeah, Loki. He’s adopted.” You shrugged, watching Nathaniel look through one of the books in front of him.
“Was it like sporting event after sporting event growing up? Because let me tell you something, once you have kids and they want to play sports, then that's all you're going to be focusing on until the season's finished. Bye-bye social life.”
“I’ll take that into consideration,” you let out a soft chuckle, “but for me, it wasn’t like that growing up. Loki and Thor are two very different people. Loki was more into drama theater, but Thor did play a lot of sports. And their personalities, well, they couldn’t be more opposite. Loki is great to talk to when you need someone to tell you how it is or how something is going to be, but Thor always takes your feelings into account by telling you what you want to hear before telling you what you should hear. Each brother has good and bad traits, but I still loved them and would do anything for them.”
“Do you miss Loki?” She reached over and patted your hand. “I’m assuming he doesn’t live around here because Nat mentioned you’re from New York, right?”
“Ahh, yeah. I miss talking to him and seeing him. We were close growing up and up until I moved at the last minute, but it’s just tough, right now.” You shrugged, biting your lip as your eyes drifted to the field. 
You hated not being able to talk to Loki. He helped you through so much, and you hoped he knew that. As dramatic and theatrical as he could be, you missed him. He was often hard to read, but once you cracked his hard shell, he showed a different side of himself, some never get the chance to see. You wished you could tell him what you have been doing lately, but you didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to another cell phone besides your brothers in California, in case Billy was keeping an eye on them.
“I’m sorry--” she gave your hand a reassuring squeeze, and your head snapped to hers “--I didn’t mean to pry or anything. I’m just a stay-at-home mom that hasn’t had any adult communication since last week.”
“No, you’re good, Laura,” you smiled at her. “Don’t you have Clint to talk to?”
“He’s like my fourth child. He is the oldest but acts like the youngest,” she whispered the last part, making you let out a loud laugh. “So, tell me...” She nudged your side, tilting her head at something behind you. You turned to see who she was referring to only to spot Steve. “What’s going on with you and Steve?”
“Depends on what has Nat told you?”
“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be! Wow!” She pushed you, and you laughed, falling onto your side. 
“MOM, Dad's up to bat,” Cooper shouted, sprinting over to inform her before going back to the fence.
“Is he? Oh yes, look at that,” she smirked, seeing Clint square up in the batter’s box with the bases loaded.
With the first pitch, Clint swung the bat, sending the ball flying over the fence on the opposite side of the field. He hit a grand slam, earning cheers from his teammates as he jogged around the bases with a fist up in the air. 
"Showoff," Laura snorted, shaking her head. “I’ll cue you in on a little unknown fact about Clint. He only hits those over the fence because he doesn’t want to run around the bases.”
“Really?” 
“Yeah, he’s the worst, but I love him,” she smiled with a half shrug. 
You may have just met Laura, but you already adored her. She was so easy to get along with, and seemed like the type of friend you could share all your secrets with and she wouldn’t tell a soul.  
"How long have you and Clint been together?"
“It’s been seventeen long years, but he’s been worth it,” Laura smiled, running her hand through Nathaniel’s mop of hair. “How about you and Steve?”
“Okay, back to me, then.” You shake your head, finding it hard not to smile. You glanced over at Steve to see him talking with Sam, flipping his baseball glove around in his hands. “We’ve been hanging out, but I wouldn’t call it serious.” 
“Steve’s a great guy from what I’ve come to understand. I’m pretty perceptive, and let me tell you, not many people can finagle themselves into their little group, but he fit right in. And from what my perceptive powers are telling me, he likes you,” she grinned, tilting her head at him. 
You took a deep breath and looked over your shoulder to catch Steve and Sam staring at you. Steve bit his bottom lip, a smirk forming on his lips. You stuck out your tongue at them, making them both laugh as they leaned down to grab their gear for the next game. Steve headed towards the dugout, but you didn’t miss the ever so subtle double-take Steve shot your way. You shot him a cheesy grin, and you could’ve sworn his ears couldn’t get any redder. You chuckled, your eyes drifting back to the game in front of you. 
“And that Nathaniel, my little man, is called the double-take. It means Steve is into YN.”
You scoffed. “May I ask what you’re teaching him?” You bit your lip, looking at the smiling boy. 
“My perceptive powers, of course,” she said, reaching over and tickling him. 
“No, mommy,” he screeched in a burst of high-pitched laughter. 
“He’s got the trait. Cooper and Lila are screwed.” She confessed, and you mouthed ‘wow’ with a half-smile on your lips. “Regardless, you two are cute together.” 
“Thanks,” you mumbled under your breath, feeling a rush of heat to your cheeks. 
_________
The West LA Police Department took the win and were moving onto the final four. Nat and Clint were walking over together, and Lila took off running towards them. Clint leaned down with open arms, but she ran right to Nat and wrapped her arms around her waist. You didn’t miss Clint let out a sigh of defeat as he stood back up and smirked at them.
“Did you watch us kick the other teams butt?” Nat asked, smiling down at her, patting her back. 
“Yeah, you were so awesome, Nat. I want to grow up and be just like you,” Lila grinned, looking up at her.
Clint shook his head at them, giving Lila a knowing look. “Yeah, no, that’s not gonna happen. You wanna give your old man a heart attack or something because I’m not ready for that," Clint sighed, walking over and laying down next to Nathaniel and Laura. He rested his head on his wife’s thigh with a huff. “I’m getting too old for this sh...stuff,” he groaned, closing his eyes and was out like a light. 
“Man, I wish I could fall asleep that fast,” Nat admitted, staring down at sleeping Clint.
“Don’t we all,” Laura chuckled. “At least I know where Nathaniel gets it.”
“How’s your team doing?” Nat asked, standing with her hands on her hips. 
“I haven’t checked up on them. Been too busy talking with Laura.”
“Happens to most of us. She’s so easy to talk to.”
“She is,” you nodded at Laura, and she shot you a soft smile. 
Station 107 won their game, moving them onto the final four, which started after lunch. To your surprise, Happy’s Hydrant was catering the event, and all the food looked delicious. All you had to do was pay for the plate, and all the money collected would be donated to the winning team's charity.  Everyone from the team agreed, this last game wasn’t important and that it was time to finally start partying.
_________
It was the bottom of the 7th inning of their final four game with Station 107 down by one point with one out. Val was up to bat, and the current count was one strike and two balls. She stepped back, taking a few quick practice swings before returning to the plate. The pitcher threw the ball straight across the plate, and Val swung with a miss. She stepped back out, shaking her head as her teammates cheered her on from the dugout. 
Steve gulped, seeing her set herself back up in the batter's box, doing one more quick practice swing. Steve never really had a one on one conversation with her, but he had a ton of respect for her. He was always impressed with how determined and focused she could be in a high-pressure situation. Those calls were a walk in the park for her, and he knew with the current situation at hand, she would knock that ball out of the park.
The pitcher tossed the ball, and in an instant, it landed in the catcher's glove slightly out of the strike zone. 
“Strike 3, you’re out,” the umpire called, making a fist with his hand. Val stood there with a questioning glare at the ump before she turned around and walked away. 
“What the fuck?” Steve commented under his breath, pushing his way out of the dugout and passed Val. “What kind of fucking call was that, ump?” 
“If you don’t like the call, you can get out of here.” The ump stood tall in front of him, but it didn’t do much since he was shorter than Steve. 
“The ball was nowhere near the damn strike zone, and she didn’t even swing at it. She’s not out.” 
The umpire tore off his mask. “Listen here, buddy, I’m in charge here--” He stepped closer to Steve and poked him on the chest with his mask “--from my view, she swung the bat but didn’t commit to it. Get over it or get out.”
“You know what I think…” Steve started, but Bucky showed up, forcing himself between them. Sam stepped in and grabbed a hold of Steve’s arm, pulling him back to the dugout.
“All good, Rumlow, all good. It’s just a friendly annual charity grill-out game. Can’t we all just get along,” Bucky added with a slight smirk, walking backwards to the dugout.
“Keep your new recruit under control, and we won’t have a problem.” Rumlow shook his head and pulled his mask back on with Thor up to bat next.  
“Who is that guy?” Steve asked Sam, taking a seat on the bench in the dugout.
“Brock Rumlow. You kind of took his job.”
“What do you mean, I took his job?”
“We were going to hire him, but then, Bucky told you to apply, and you got it.” Sam patted his back. “He is not very fond of our station anymore, but you were the more qualified candidate.” Sam squirted his water bottle into his mouth. “It’s probably why Val didn’t say anything to him about the call because she saw who it was and knew it wasn’t worth the fight.”
“I see,” Steve nodded, taking a drink from his water bottle. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing you watching him. Nat was saying something to you, but your attention was on him. He held up his hand with a slight smirk to show you he was fine, and you nodded at him.
“Why am I always cleaning up your messes,” Bucky inquired, plopping down in the seat next to him.
“Bad timing,” Steve smiled, forcing Sam and Bucky to shake their heads. 
You and Nat stepped down from the bleachers when the game ended, with Station 107 losing by 2 points. Nat nodded at you, leaving to prepare for the championship game. Once you realized the umpire was Rumlow, you and Nat knew it was inevitable that they were going to lose. Rumlow knew how to hold a grudge, and he was still holding onto it. You shot Steve a side smirk as he walked over to you. 
“And here, I thought you guys didn’t care about the game, and who knew you were so competitive?”
“What can I say, I got into it a little bit. We all did.” He shrugged with a tight smile.
“You did,” you chuckled, patting him on the bicep. “The ump was making some terrible calls anyways, and it doesn’t help he’s an asshole.”  
________
You sat down in the same spot at the picnic table from earlier, and Bucky and Steve joined you, still talking about their loss. 
Bucky took a bite of his BBQ ribs and grabbed his napkin, wiping the sauce from his lips. “It’s a good thing you’re not in charge of the grill, Steve? You remember what happened that one time.”
“What are you talking about? I’m great on the grill.”
“Yeah, but there was that one time, Peggy threw you that Fourth of July Birthday bash at your new house. You were on the grill and had the gas turned on too high and when you lit the match, a fire blaze shot up in the air. Hell, I thought you were going to lose your eyebrows, but Peggy was more worried about the house,” he chuckled with a crinkled-eyed smile, shaking his head.  
“In my defense, it was a new grill,” Steve snickered. “I didn’t know what it was capable of yet.”
“Who’s Peggy?” You asked, glancing between Steve and Bucky, who seemed to be in their own little world. They fell silent as Steve bit his lip, shooting Bucky a hard glare. Bucky looked away from him, shoving more mashed potatoes in his mouth. 
“Story for another time.” Steve peeked over at you, letting out a breath. He moved his potatoes around on his plate as a few different expressions crossed his face. 
“I understand,” you nodded, taking a sip of your drink. 
You knew better than anyone that there was a time and place for certain things to be shared, and this was not one of those times; it was too public. You took a bite of your sandwich, trying to remember if Steve mentioned Peggy before, but you don’t think he ever did. You peeked up at him across the table to see him laughing with Bucky, but it seemed forced. It wasn’t the hand clutching to the chest kind of laugh or the adorable chuckle that made the butterflies erupt in your stomach. It was almost like it didn’t have a sound, but the emotion hiding behind it was there, like a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He was physically here, but his mind was somewhere else. Whoever this Peggy was, she was special to him. 
“Clint and Nat’s team is fucking dominating; 12 to 2 in the bottom of the 4th. They should just call it at this point. It’s tough to watch,” Sam stated, sitting down next to you.
Everyone’s head at the table nodded in agreement. Your eyes started to wander around the park, noticing the whole Barton clan invested in this game. The line to Happy’s Hydrant was still long but moving swiftly. Thor, Val, and Carol were talking with a group of people by the beer wagon, paying no attention to the game. Your focus returned to the table, hearing Bucky comment on Nat’s uniform, forcing Sam to roll his eyes and bring his sandwich to his mouth.
“I’m gonna head back for seconds; do you want anything else? I can grab it for you,” Steve asked, catching your wandering eyes. 
“I’m fine, thanks, though.” You smiled up at him, and he nodded, stepping out of the picnic table.  
Steve stood back in Happy’s line, which was much longer than it was the first time he went through. Drunk munchies, he assumed. He glanced over at you and couldn’t help but smile. Sam must have made a comment about you and him because you smacked Sam on the arm as your gaze landed on his. You waved at him with a playful smile while giving Sam a stern look. 
He couldn’t help but smirk at your interactions with the guys. They were a rowdy bunch, but you could always hold your own against them and put them in their place, even him. Every joke you made, every laugh that escaped you, and every smile you shot his way made his heart leap in his chest. It was a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time, a feeling he hasn’t felt since Peggy. 
"Is this the line for Happy's?" A guy behind him asked, interrupting his daydream.
“It is, yes,” he nodded, turning around to look at the guy, wearing a Northeast LA police department t-shirt and cap.
“Was your department playing today?” Steve questioned, pointing at his shirt.
“Oh no,” the bearded man chuckled. “We prefer being spectators and drinking.” He pointed behind him to a group sitting by the game with lawn chairs and coolers.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Steve smirked, shaking his head.
“What’s it like being a firefighter at the 107th?” He gestured to Steve’s shirt. “Doesn’t Thor work at that station, too?”
“Yeah, he does. Good guy.” The brunet nodded in agreement. “I like it. It’s both a physically and mentally demanding job, but I enjoy it.” Steve shrugged, grabbing a few extra napkins from the table.
“Same with me, but we aren’t fighting fires or rescuing kittens from trees.”
“If only it was that easy,” Steve nodded, narrowing his brows. “How do you know, Thor?”
“He helped me with a call a few months ago….it was a jumper,” he gulped, putting some vegetables on his plate as they made their way down the line. “I was the first officer on the scene. I was working on talking him down, and then this big intimidating guy from the 107th showed up, had a heart to heart with the guy, and he got down off the ledge. It was amazing to watch.”
“Did Thor tell the guy his wife left him and that he found himself in a similar situation?”
“Yeah.” 
“Thor made that up on the spot.” The guy furrowed his brows at him, not really understanding. “You see, sometimes to calm people down in these stressful situations, we try to find some common ground. In this case, Thor made up the story about his wife leaving him, and it ended up saving the guy’s life.”
“Wait, so Thor was never married.”
“Nope,” Steve smirked, taking a couple more BBQ ribs for his plate. “We do what we have to do to save lives, even if it means making up an emotional story for the victim to know they are not alone, and people still care.”
You glanced over at the food buffet to see Steve talking to someone in a dark blue cap that you didn’t recognize. Steve always seemed to be able to start up a conversation with anyone, even though he seemed like a quiet guy. Bucky snapped his fingers in front of your face, pulling you away from them. 
“Eyes on me, darling, eyes on me.” He pointed his middle and forefinger at his eyes than to yours.  “Stop giving Steve all the attention. He’s the real troublemaker.” Bucky shook his head. “Has he told you about all the stupid things he did when he was younger and how I had to rescue his ass?”
“A little,” you snickered, pinching your thumb and forefinger together.  “And here, I always thought you were the troublemaker.”
“Nope, all Steve. You’d be surprised how often I got into trouble for shit he did. He’s such a punk.”  You couldn’t help but grin at Steve’s back, shuffling down the buffet line. 
Steve hesitated before scooping one more serving of potatoes on his plate. He deserved a few more carbs after playing softball all day and consuming copious amounts of water. “Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name?”
“Oh, my friends call me Jig.”
“Jig?” Steve mumbled, cocking his head to the side. “I bet there is a story behind that one, but I’m Steve.”He held out his hand, and Jig shook it. “I better get back to my squad, but it was nice talking to you.”
“You too. I’ll see you around, Steve.” 
________
“Do you think Cosmo is staring at the door waiting for you to come home? I miss that pretty boy,” You suggested, standing next to Steve watching the final game between West LA Police Department and Fire Station 113. 
“Maybe,” he smirked. “I know he misses you. Won’t stop talking about it.” He shook his head, making you bite back a smile. “He wanted me to ask if you wanted to come over after this?” He shrugged, acting all innocent.  “I told him I would ask, but I wasn’t promising him anything.”
“What...like a play date?”
He chuckled under his breath, eyeing you with his blue orbs. “I guess you could say that.”
You turned your head to the ground, biting your lip. “Yeah, I'd love to, but only if it's okay with his Dad. I know he has a strict bedtime.”
“I think he will let this one slide this time,” Steve murmured next to your ear, wrapping his arm around your back and putting his hand on your hip. You leaned closer to him and wrapped your hand across his waist, pulling him closer to you.
“Where is Cosmo anyway?”
“My neighbor is watching him, and let me tell you, he is not a fan of her. I think if he sees you, he will be much happier, and then he’ll forgive me for leaving him with her.  
“I’m sure he will. If not, I’ll talk to him and put in a good word for you.” You squeezed his side and shot him a promising smile, forcing him to shake his head at you. 
“Thank you.”
To no surprise, the West LA Police Department won with the scoreboard shining 18 to 7. They decided to forfeit after the 6th inning, knowing they weren’t going to be able to catch them. It was a boring game to watch, but you were in good company. 
________
The car ride to Steve’s house sent a chill up your spine and a warm rush to your face. It was a sensation you couldn’t explain. The butterflies in your stomach erupted, and every nerve in your body made your skin tingle with anticipation. You hung out at his apartment a few times before, but tonight something felt different. You sighed, leaning back in the passenger seat, staring out the windows and watching the sky change colors. It was a beautiful sight. You glanced over at Steve, watching him bob his head along to Marvin Gaye. He tapped his hand on the steering wheel as his gaze caught yours and cracked a coy smile, causing your heart to race.
You walked up the steps behind Steve to his apartment on the second floor. He opened the door to let you in, so he could retrieve Cosmo from his neighbor. You stood next to the island by the front door with your hands on the counter, listening to the quick chit-chat Steve was having with his neighbor. You heard paws charging down the hallway followed by footsteps not much later. Under the door, you could see the shadows dancing and hear Steve giving Cosmo a little pep talk. 
“Okay, Cosmo. Someone decided to come visit you, but you have to promise me you won’t embarrass me.” Cosmo whined, and you couldn’t help but think how cute it was. “You’re gonna embarrass me, aren’t you?” Cosmo barked in response, and Steve let out a loud sigh. 
The front door creaked open, and Cosmo charged in, his head looking around the room until his eyes landed on you. He ran over to you with his front paws landing on you.
“Hello to you too, Cosmo,” you grinned, scratching the top of his head. “I heard you missed me.” His tail continued to wag, and it hit the kitchen cabinet, but he didn’t seem to have a care in the world. 
“See, I wasn’t kidding when I told you he missed you.”
“I see that now. Did you miss me, Cosmo?” You crouched down, rubbing his ears, and he licked your face. “Yuck, Cosmo, no kissing.” You shake your head and wipe the drool off your face.
“Did you want anything to drink?” Steve offered, opening a cabinet with glasses. “I was thinking about opening a bottle of wine?”
“Yeah, I’ll have a glass.” You nodded, standing up straight at the end of the bar with Cosmo sitting right beside you, waiting for another scratch. 
Steve grabbed two glasses, setting them on the counter. “See, all he wants is your attention; he could care less that I am here.” 
“I’m sure he still loves his Dad.”
“He kind of has to; I feed him,” he breathed a small smirk, shrugging his shoulder. He grabbed a wine bottle at random from the small rack on the counter. He opened the bottle, pouring it into the glasses, and handed you one. “What’s the movie going to be tonight?”
“Have to check the list.”
You turned to follow Steve to the living room when you tripped over Cosmo, and the wine glass fell from your grasp. It crashed on the hardwood floor, shattering into tiny little pieces. Your hand covered your mouth, feeling a chill run up your spine. As you stared down at the floor, your heart sped up, causing tears to peek at the corner of your eyes. A lump formed in your throat, making it harder to breathe, and your hands started to tremble. You felt him reach out and touch your shoulder, forcing you to jump back and stare at him with wide eyes. In a glimpse, you saw Billy standing where Steve used to be. A sob escaped your mouth as you squeezed your eyes shut, shaking your head. When you opened your eyes, Steve was holding his hands up, his mouth was moving, but his words weren’t reaching your ears.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” you whimpered, backing away from him.
“It’s okay, YN, we’ll clean it up. It was an accident. These things happen.”
“No, no, I should go. I forgot I had...um...I’m sorry. I should go.” You grabbed your jacket and took off out the door with tears streaming down your face. 
The door closed with a loud bang, causing Cosmo to whine at the door. Steve let out a deep sigh, looking at the door and then at his dog. “What am I going to do, Cosmo?” He ran a hand down his face, walking over to grab his broom.
______
AN: Thanks for reading Part 12! Soooo much happened in this part, so where do I start. I originally thought about breaking this part into two, but got lazy, and was like nahhh! Haha! But what a way to end it, am I right?! Everything was going so well until it wasn't. 😬 What is Steve gonna do now? Do you think Cosmo feels bad about it? Poor pup! Did you like the Stan Lee cameo? Whenever I write a story, I try to add him in since he is the one who started it all! And what did you think about the story of Thor losing his dispatcher cherry? I don’t know anything about snakes, I just googled and this is what came up, so it could be inaccurate, but regardless, I hope you at least got a little laugh out of it! Anyways, thanks for reading, comments are always welcome!
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stressisakiller · 4 years ago
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As You Wish
Steve Rogers x Reader Soulmate AU
(As you wish Part 2)
Summary: What happens when after moving into Stark Tower you run into a certain Captain
Warnings: None really, fluff, like one cussword a little bit of spice
Word Count: 2.4k
A/N: Fluffy chapter yay!  Let me know what you think and if you have any requests for future chapters! Thank yall for reading!’
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Life working side by side with Tony was dangerous. When Killian attacked Tony it was you not Pepper who was taken and subjected to the Extremis serum. This caused you to heal crazy fast and gave you super strength, which was pretty cool but not very useful for someone who spent most of their time in a robotics lab trying not to crush something when it wasn't working.
You later discovered that Killian mistakenly believed that you were in fact Tony's soulmate, while you had always thought that it was Pepper. She quickly refuted your claim when you told her, pulling the back of her jeans down enough to show the smiley face that graced her butt cheek. Turns out that her soulmate was none other than Happy the head of security.
 About six months after the battle of new york, after Tony and the whole Killian/Mandarin situation, Tony asked very nicely if you would move into the Avengers tower with him. He needed to get the Avengers tower going, and after everything that happened and his panic attacks, he really didn't want to live there alone. He was also hoping that if you lived in the tower that the avengers would be more willing to as well. By this point you had met and become friends with most of them save for Captain America, he hasn’t been around much. He was trying to find his place in this new world and taking as many missions as Shield will give him in order to feel needed 
The tower was much different this time than the last time you had been there. There was less plastic film and dust everywhere and all of the construction work was done. Most notably, the wall on Stark's living room floor was no longer a gaping hole.
The top eight levels of the tower were for the avengers. The penthouse was where Tony stayed, no surprise there. The level directly below was his lab space which was restricted access for the most part and then there was the common level under that. The common level was composed of a large kitchen and dining area, as well as a massive living room with the biggest tv you had ever seen. This floor also houses a theater, and an arcade room equipped with pool tables and any other game you could think of. Tony is such a child sometimes, not that you were complaining you loved to play pool. The next three floors are where you and the rest of the Avengers would live. You would each get your own suite that you could arrange and decorate however you saw fit. Each suite includes a kitchenette, and small living room that was separate from the bedroom, and a massive ensuite bath. The lowest two levels were dedicated to the training room and medical ward, as well as a giant pool and sauna area, these floors allowed for outside access as long as they were vetted.
Six months later, life in the tower was going well. You, Tony and Bruce, were the main people living there. You could understand that though, Nat and Clint were constantly out on missions for shield and mainly stayed on base in DC. Tony told you that Steve was currently living in an apartment in DC. He didn't want to live on base but he was running missions for Shield on and off. Thor was off-world with Loki so life was pretty quiet. 
 Then there was a mission that the Captain went on that didn’t go the way he thought. He was wounded and brought back a captive. You were in the common area when the door was thrown open and a bloody Steve Rogers burst through carrying a soaking wet girl over his shoulder.
“The Medical wing, where is it?” He questioned voice hard from pain or fatigue or both. 
“This way.” you hurried off, not looking behind you, you knew that he would follow. 
When you arrived, you called for Dr. Cho and Steve told her what was going on and placed the girl on a stretcher. The nurses pushed her to a room to monitor her until she woke up. He was then shown to a separate room to be looked over and have the bullet removed. 
 That night Tony pulled you into the living room to watch your favorite movie, the princess bride. It was about halfway through when an exhausted Steve came through the door and flopped down on the couch beside the one that you and Tony were currently lounging on. It was coming to your favorite part, Buttercup was currently yelling at the Dread Pirate Roberts and about to push him down the hill.
“Oooh,” you said hitting Tony’s shoulder, “I love this part,” you spoke along with Wesley as he rolled down the hill, “As you Wiiiisssshhhh.” you clapped your hands together, “that will forever be the best reveal ever.” 
You didn’t notice Steve’s stare as you said those words. Holy Shit he thought his tattoo finally made sense, and yet the girl that fate said was perfect for him had her legs thrown over Tony’s lap and was leaning against him while watching the movie. He stood quickly and stomped out of the room, today was just not his day. 
 You look over at Tony confused when Steve left.
“What the hell do you think that was about?” you asked, growing more confused as you noticed the smirk on Tony’s lips.
“Why are you smiling like that?” You had to stop yourself from slapping him when he started to laugh.
“What the hell, Stark, tell me what's going on?”
“I think that Capsicle just realized that you're his soulmate.” He said through chuckles.
“What the fuck do you mean he realized that I’m his soulmate?” you asked your whole body going still as you waited for him to elaborate.
“I thought you had realized this earlier,” he said looked genuinely confused, “The captain is your soulmate, I’ve known since we had that movie night after finding him in the ice. Your tattoo is his dog tags with the flower of his birth month and a phrase that I’ve heard him say multiple times while next to him in a fight.”
You just sat there frozen trying to comprehend what exactly the man sitting in front of you was saying. 
“You know, he may be a little jealous that his soulmate was cuddling someone else since he probably doesn’t realize that you're like a sister to me. You should probably go after him.”  His words seemed to break you from your trance as you threw yourself very clumsily from the couch to follow after him.
“Jarvis, where did Rogers go?” 
“He is in the training room miss.”
“Thanks, J”
You ran all the way down, opening the door you were met by the scene of Steve hitting a punching bag so hard that it broke and flew off of its chain.
“You know, I’m not sure that those are made to withstand the punch of a super soldier, maybe I should design one that can,” you said leaning against the wall and trying not to show the fact that your heart was beating a million miles a minute.
“And why would you feel the need to do that, I’m sure Stark has plenty of things that he needs you to design that are more important than a Steve-proof punching bag.” You could tell that he was gritting his teeth as he spoke, reaching for another bag. You step towards him slowly, making sure not to walk too quickly from fear of him leaving.
“Well I’m sure that the great Tony Stark can take care of himself, and anyways, I think creating something to make my soulmate's life easier is more important.”
He slowly pulled his eyes from the punching bag that he was hanging onto the hook to look at you, pain obvious in his eyes.
“Really? Cause you seemed pretty comfortable with him.” you could see the vulnerability in his eyes as he spoke, he had gone through so much already.
“Yes really, Tony is more like an annoying older brother than anything. I’ve been working around him for the past five or so years, trust me when I say that I have no desire to date him. You on the other hand.” You made sure that your voice turned teasing on the last words, you wanted to make him smile, you hadn’t gotten to see that yet.
“Well good, cause I think I may have to kick his ass if you did.” You could hear the teasing lilt in his voice and the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. But as quickly as it came it was gone.
“How long have you known?” his voice cracked a little as he spoke. You let out a small huff of a laugh.
“Would you believe me if I told you that Tony had to tell me when I was confused as to why you left the room?” His eyes snapped to yours.
“Really? You didn’t know?”
“After not meeting my soulmate by the time I turned 25 I just pushed it to the back of my mind, I stopped trying to figure out what my tattoo meant and I focused on my work. Plus there were a couple of life-threatening instances that distracted me." You joked. You weren't 100% sure how to handle this situation, your main friend group consisted of a playboy philanthropist and a science nerd that turned into a giant green guy when angry, not really the best people to show you how to be vulnerable.
“I understand that," he said pausing before continuing, "part of my problem was that my tattoo didn’t show up until after I came out of the ice.” he looked down at his hands and you noticed that they were fidgeting, he must be just as nervous as you.
“I didn’t know that,” you murmured, deciding to ask the question that was begging to be asked.
“What is your tattoo, if you don’t mind me asking?”
He shook his head, “Not at all.” he stepped towards you and pulled up his sleeve, and turned out his arm so you could see the flesh just under his armpit. As soon as you saw the tattoo you burst out laughing.
“Of course that’s what my mark is, man I’m such a nerd.” You clutched your stomach as you laughed, tears coming to your eyes from the range of emotions that you are currently going through.
“Can I ask why I have this tattooed on me?” He questioned, clearly curious to the reasoning as to why he had a movie quote on his arm forever. You were finally able to pull yourself together and sober up from the surprise of his tattoo.
“That movie came out the year after I was born and it was my mom’s favorite movie to watch with me, we watched it at least 4 times a year. But we always made sure to watch it on my birthday as a family, it became an integral part of my life, plus it’s just sooo quotable.” you said with a smile, “Do you want to look at my tattoo?” you asked motioning at your arm with your head. He slowly nodded, not able to find the words.
You slowly pulled your sleeve up, showing him the inside of your forearm and the dog tags that graced your skin. He stepped forward gently taking your arm in his hand so that he could study the markings on your skin. Tracing the outline and the words that he could see before smiling.
“What does it mean?” you asked softly looking at him through your lashes.
“It’s um,” he cleared his throat, “it’s my dog tags or at least the lower one is, it says my name, then Captain America and the city I was born in, Brooklyn. The top one however is something that I always seem to say when I’m getting beat up in a fight in order to remind myself that I could do it. And the flower… I think it’s the flower from my birth month? I was born in July so I think it’s a reference to that.” You nodded at his explanation, his fingers still gently tracing over your skin, causing goosebumps to pop up from the feeling.
“So, would you like to watch the movie with me? We can start it over so that you won’t be lost. I know that you struggle with pop culture, old man.” You smirked at him as you spoke, he just rolled his eyes.
“Be careful, this old man could still show you a thing or two.”
You laughed out loud at that, your laugh changed to a squeal when you felt him wrap his arms around your legs and throw you over his shoulder. 
“Ahh, let me down!!” you beat at his shoulders trying to get him to release you but he wouldn’t budge, he just continued to carry you until you ended back in the living room and he threw you down onto the couch. He wasn’t even breathing hard after carrying you up 2 flights of stairs, jerk. 
Tony was nowhere to been seen as you restarted the movie. You ran and grabbed some more popcorn to share, pouring in some M&Ms before plopping back down next to Steve and pulling on your couch blanket. It didn't take long for you to cuddle into his side and for your eyes to droop. 
Steve smiled at you when he realized that you had passed out before you even got to the part he had walked in on earlier. He didn't mind though, he just got comfortable and pulled you in closer before allowing himself to relax and fall asleep. 
Tagged Users: @writerwrites
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honestlyfrance · 4 years ago
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Hi, for the prompts, I haven't seen Loki, but I heard something about the Sacred timeline, so I propose something with Aleatory, please 💚
Aleatory
pairing: sam/bucky
warnings: cursing
a/n: i haven’t seen loki too but thank you to @pianistwriter80 ​ for telling me what’s the sacred timeline <3 i also mixed this with another ask: “Sam and bucky meet before cw and help each other and fall in love throughout the movies and in the end instead of Steve leaving, sam and bucky leave and start a new life?”  hope you don’t mind, anon!
pre-cacw, post-catws!
masterlist / ask me prompts! / AO3
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Sam Wilson’s voice was quite appealing, like a waterfall of vocabulary and poems, it’s smooth like wine down your throat, desperate to hear it like a drunkard for liquor. It’s so appealing that you’d find yourself starting an argument just to hear that voice boom, bounce against each wall, then go into a honeyed “sorrys” and “I forgive yous” in just a minute because his heart was just as golden as that tone.
That’s what Bucky Barnes wanted. For this man to scream at him, commit all his sins larger than God to his body. Mark all the insults and daggers into his bones like tattoos, never removed, faded only through the times. Like the criminal he was, make him beg for his life as if he wasn’t the assassin, as if he wasn’t the Winter Soldier.
Instead, what he got was Sam Wilson and a tea date in Amsterdam. In the middle of their game of cat-and-mouse, it was almost Sam’s birthday it seems, and all he wanted was peace, to let Bucky find himself before he comes home. And the way he says it, with that pleasant voice, it sends shivers down Bucky’s spine. Bucky wanted to hear what more words the man would say to him in that voice. Hopefully, pleasant ones.
“You know a lot about tragic people, huh?” Bucky asks one day, in the midst of Sam’s rendezvous to Steve. In St. Petersburg in some hotel room, Bucky’s sitting on the bed as Sam exits the shower, towel slung precariously around those holy hips. “How do you know so much about me?”
Sam didn’t even flinch, this just became a way of life. “I’m good, thank you,” he says, slipping on boxers he set on the bed under his towel. “Wait, no, sorry… long night looking for you. Didn’t hesitate to come here, I see?”
“No,” Bucky took his time letting Sam’s words sink into his body, like a second skin if you will. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Sam sighed, removing his towel and sitting on the edge of the bed across from Bucky. “I’m tragic. Kinda like you, but not to the extent. Steve doesn't understand people like us, but… I hope he does.”
Steve never did, but that wasn’t the point of the conversation. They had a silent agreement from then on, brought by the unexpected meetings and hushed conversations in hotel rooms: I’ll love and take care of you for you. We’ll heal each other. Sam gives Bucky the space he needs and distracts Steve away, while Bucky gives Sam reason to run around and find that purpose and adrenaline he needs. It’s symbiotic, and crazy, from an outsider’s point of view, but it does the job. Kinda parasitic, but Sam assures Bucky they’re benefiting each other.
It continues like this, never a final meeting in the dark, sneaking into windows and staying over for fries. Burger wrappers on the floor and accidentally sleeping on the couch or bed, scooting over to the side so the other could find a spot to sleep in, waking up alone the next day. It’s always like that for Sam. Hunting for the Winter Soldier was always like this, not that anyone else knew. No one should know he felt like flying instead of running whenever Bucky brings another board game for them to play.
Not that Sam ever knew, but Bucky stayed for the mornings. One time, in a motel in Romania, Bucky’s arm was slung over Sam’s waist, watching the pretty man snore quietly. The windows were shut and the blinds were closed, Bucky didn’t want anyone to see what’s inside the room. It’s foolish to think anything more could happen, but he liked to think that this was real. That Sam would wake up in his arms and say in his honey-dew voice, “Goodmorning, Baby” and maybe then Bucky would be whole, never having to hide away and could finally come back. Maybe his timeline would wound up to here, in some bed in Europe, saying that he adores Sam Wilson. Maybe that will always be.
He adores him. Love, even. Bucky Barnes fell in love with Sam Wilson in one and a half years, and to hear him think that, it’s not even surprising. All that he wants now is to hear that silvery voice tell him those perfect words.
Then Sam wakes up in Bucky’s arms. Bucky doesn’t know what to do.
They lie still, Sam facing Bucky with wide eyes in the dim light, looking like a model in those magazines in every fucking motel room, like a masterpiece, like night that always leaves you awake for some reason. Bucky still stares, but his lips quirk into a smile, a smirk if you will. It’s cute, Sam thinks, Bucky didn’t leave like everytime.
“In any case that you needed a reminder, every morning you leave,” Sam whispers under his breath, a grin of his own creeping up on him. “What made you stay this time?”
Bucky’s eyes trailed Sam’s lips. They looked quite kissable every morning, even more so this time. “You, I think,” he spoke. “I didn’t want to leave you.”
“Good,” Sam says, and Bucky raises an eyebrow. “I think that means you’re ready to come home now. You know, your definition of home, that is. You found something to love.”
Bucky wasn’t ready, but the idea of coming home to Sam didn’t deter him. He had a few things to settle still, and he told Sam. And they both promised each other that they’d come home to each other, no matter the consequences or situation, they’ll find each other again.
Another half a year later, they met on the battlefield. Another year, on another battlefield, then they died for five years and came back together on the field. It was as if they were always on the field, and Bucky’s heart warmed, because they didn’t find each other, the universe found them instead. It’s wonderful to think about.
When Steve decides to leave, Bucky made his way to Sam immediately, saying, “Come home with me.”
“What?” Sam asked, laughing. “Where to?” He says it as if he’s ready to give everything up for the man, and maybe he was.
Bucky smiled. “That shithead’s leaving, but I wanna leave with you before he does, so let’s get a car, go to Cali, then Thailand, then India, then wherever the fuck we land in Europe.”
“You thought this through, huh…”
“Nope,” Bucky’s smile is brighter now, and he grabs Sam’s hand. “Marry me in Amsterdam.” He kissed Sam’s knuckles with a fervent shake, as if he’s giving adoration to a deity. “I wanna come home to you.”
They went and left, to a better life for them without the tragedy and battlefields. Just their cute little home at a field in the outskirts of Amsterdam, that is.
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marvelsimp · 4 years ago
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The New Kid: Friend or Foe
The New Kid Masterlist
Ch. 5
Genre: Fluff? Pairing: Peter & Lesbian!reader, Avengers & Reader, (eventual Wanda x Reader it’s a slow burn) Warnings: violence(training), blood, stabbed, strong language Description: Y/n is getting used to living in the tower and makes an unlikely friend Reader’s Powers: Healer, telepath, and empath. Word Count: 2278
“You can’t pull your punches, Y/n/n.  In a real fight, you’re gonna have to fight for your life.”
“You know my whole power set is pacifist.”
“That’s why I have to train you,” said the slightly annoyed red-haired woman. “Now get your head in the game and let’s go again.”
You scoffed; you were frustrated that you had to do this.  That you had to learn how to hurt people.  You took a moment to stretch and you both went back into your fighting stances to start again.
You went to punch her face, but she dodged, she then raised her leg and tried to kick but you caught her foot.  She quickly got her foot free before you could do anything with it.  This went on for a while, you both got some good punches and kicks.  You did land on your ass a few times, but you got up each time and went back to it.
“Time out”
Thank god.
Steve walked in. Oh god no. You knew what was coming, you were gonna have to fight Steve.  You very dramatically fell on the floor and spread out. “Come on, Nat. This is creeping up on child abuse,” you laugh.
You earned a chuckle out of both of them.  Steve stood above you and offered you his hand to which you accepted. Nat went onto showing you some simple moves to help you fight someone bigger than you after about an hour you finally got to go and get a shower and really start your day.
The last week and a half passed by quickly.  Peter stayed at the tower for the first few nights but went back home once school started.  But he would come after patrol and he still video called during homework, like usual.  
Most of your time was spent in one of the labs.  You have been helping Tony with one of his suits as a way for him to familiarize you with the machines and programs.  Bruce did less hands-on work he worked on calculations for his own projects and did some work for SHEILD.  You went down to the Med Lab a few times to give Dr. Cho some blood samples or some information about your powers.  She took a small sample of skin, fat, and muscle from your thigh, but it healed within a minute like nothing ever happened.  
You also spent some time in the gym, which you hated but the others made it a little more fun.  You were really only doing it to get ready for training with Nat.  When you first went in you had no clue what you were doing.  Sam, Bucky, and Steve were doing some training exercise when you entered but Sam quickly saw your very clueless face and walked over to help.
“Hey, kid.”
“Hi.”
“I’m assuming you have no clue what you’re doing?  You look as clueless as I would if I went up to the Tech Lab.”
“That obvious?”
He let out a chuckle.  Sam gave you some stretches to warm up and then showed you how to use some of the machines.  He gave you advice on how long to use each machine and told you that if you needed anything just yell.  The rest of your time in the gym you watched the three men do whatever they were doing.  Sam and Bucky’s bickering was very entertaining and so was Steve yelling at them to focus. You were there for around an hour every day until Nat started to train you.  You very quickly learned that you grew muscle faster than the average person and you weren’t sore for very long.  
When you weren’t in the lab or the gym you were probably in your room playing a game or you were talking to Wanda while she was making a meal. “So, are you the assigned cook?” you joked.  You’d only ever seen Wanda prepare meals since you got here.
Wanda just shook her head, “Not really.  I just enjoy it, so I usually am the one to cook.  But Bruce sometimes cooks and so do Steve and Bucky. When I first joined I helped Steve add a bit of flavor to his meals.  Thank god I didn’t live in the 40s.” She laughed a little, you love her laugh and smile, they seem to make the room a little brighter.
You weren’t a cook yourself so you didn’t help too much, but you would talk to her and get her something if she needed it but usually, she’d just use her powers.  
That’s really the only time that you see Wanda, most of her day is spent training.  She’s Strange’s apprentice.  You still haven’t met him, for someone who can make portals you’d think he’d pop in at some point.  You asked Wanda about seeing him, but she told you that you need to be invited or it needs to be something important.  She warned against pissing him off because it takes a while to get back on his good side.  But she told you she’d mention it to him.
You got into a rhythm of training, breakfast, tech lab, lunch, med lab, tech lab, supper, and Video games, the library, or more time in the tech lab.  It was rarely thrown off.  Every few days someone would go out for a mission or return from one.  Nat only missed two training sessions, so Bucky stood in.  You enjoyed training with Nat, but Bucky made sure to put some fun into it.   At first, he seemed so cold but after some warming up, he really was just a big Teddy Bear.  He can still be an ass though.
Your days stayed on this loop for another week until Thor returned with Loki.  No one fully trusted Loki so Stark ended up putting a tracker on him that Wanda enchanted so that Loki couldn’t remove or deactivate it… he was not impressed.  Well, he was, just not pleased.
“You must be Lady Y/n,” Loki smirked.
Thor whacked the back of Loki’s head. “Be good,” he whispered.
Loki just let out a mischievous laugh, “Don’t worry brother.”  Loki turned back to you, “So you’re the one who discovered me? I wouldn’t expect a mere mortal would be able to find me out... not even THE Scarlet Witch did.”
“You’re impressed?” you scoffed. “Or maybe a little jealous.” You knew that he’s the god of mischief and you aren’t gonna deal with any of his shit, you’ve got enough going on.
“No,” he defended, “Just interested.”
“I’m a telepath and empath,” you explained, “and a healer.”
“Oh! So, you cheated!”
“What do you mean cheat? Your thoughts were so loud you were giving me a headache!”
“I will get my revenge.”
He’s going to so annoying, isn’t he?
Loki was surprisingly quiet over the next week until you went to the tower’s library.  
The library itself is a whole floor, it has a copy of every book you could think of.  It even has a librarian who is almost constantly putting up new releases.  It’s a bookworm’s dream.  
You wanted to find a physics book or two and you weren’t against finding a new queer fantasy book.  You returned your books and asked Mx. Anderson where you could find what you were looking for and they quickly gave you directions and suggestions.
You found and picked out a few physics books and then made your way to the young adult section. The queer books have a rainbow sticker on the spine.  You picked out a few then headed to leave, you walked into the “classics” section and there was Loki on a couch reading with a pile of books next to him.
“Hey,” you smiled.
“Hello,” said the Asgardian who didn’t even look up from his book.
You bent down a little to sew the cover of the surprisingly thin book. “Oh, you’re reading Shakespeare!” He was reading Hamlet.  “My favorite is Romeo and Juliet. Have you read it yet?” He finally looked up from his book.  “No,” he seemed a little confused, “But I did read a few others of his work and I think that is in my stack.” He turned to find it. “It has such odd language compared to the rest of you.”
“They were written like four hundred years ago,” you explained, sitting next to him.
“Ah, language does change quite quickly.”
You nodded in agreement.
“What are you reading?” he said pointing at your stack of books.
“Oh, uh um. These big books are physics books, and these smaller ones are fantasy romance.”
“Hmm, you don’t seem to be one who reads romance.”
“Well, I’m really more into it for the fantasy elements but I do enjoy a good romance.”
He gave you a smirk,” Besides Romeo and Juliet and any of Shakespeare’s works. Do you have any recommendations for me?”
You went on to recommend some classics and some more recent books.  He listened to every word and asked a few questions.  You didn’t stay long; you were tired and just wanted to dive into one of your books.  You would usually be in the lab at this time, but it was nice to have a few hours to yourself before dinner.  
“Knock, knock,” said a voice at your door.
“Hm?” you looked up. “Peter!” you set down your book and ran to him for a hug.  It had been a while since Peter had come to the tower.  He hadn’t even been introduced to Loki, formally that is.  ‘How’s my favorite bug!”
Peter let out a laugh, “Good! You’re acting like we don’t talk every day.”
“Video calls and in-person are completely different things! Anyways what are you doing here?”
“It’s Thursday aka movie night.”
“Oh, yeah!”
You and Peter walked out of your room and went to the common space to eat dinner.
“Lady Y/n,” said a booming voice.
“Yes, Thor!”
“Would you and the Man of Spiders like to sit next to me and my brother?”
“Yes, we’d love that,” you laughed.
“So, you’re telling me that you’ve never had ice cream!” you practically yelled at Loki.
Everyone was surprised with how comfortable you and the trickster were with each other, especially Peter.  
“What’s with you and him?” Peter whispered.
“We bonded over books,” you whispered back. “Your girlfriend would like him.”
Peter smiled, he’s pleased that you’re getting along with everyone and most of all that you’re happy.  
The rest of the night was nice, it was just like the last two movie nights.  Dinner, talking, movie, and then Peter had to leave to finish his homework or go on patrol.  
The next week was just like you had gotten there but Loki had decided that it was a perfect time to really embrace his title.  He started to pull little pranks, nothing too bad or really anything that went beyond a little annoyance.  Or at least he didn’t until today.  
It was Saturday so you slept in because you thankfully did not have to go to training.  You were about to leave when you noticed a box on your desk.  It was about the size of a backpack.  So, you decided to open it and when you looked inside there was a black cat with emerald eyes.  Who got you a cat? You like cats and like…thanks?  But still, who would get you a cat out of nowhere? You picked up the cat and as soon as you did it started to transform, and you felt a sharp pain in your side.  The cat continued to transform into of course… Loki.  The raven hair man quickly sprinted out of your room to the common area.
You looked down and there was a fucking kitchen knife in your side.
“You bitch! I like this shirt!” you yelled while running out of your room.
When you entered the common room, Loki was nowhere to be seen.  But Nat, Bucky, and Steve were there.  “Where did he go?”
“Who?” Nat turned around and saw the knife in your side.  Her eyes widened, then she looked fucking pissed.  “What the fuck! Are you okay?”  The men's emotions followed the same track.
“Oh yeah,” you said nonchalantly.  You pulled the bloody knife out of your side.  Some blood soaked into your shirt’s fabric, but you weren’t worried.  But you do like this shirt… that bitch is gonna pay.
“Do you want me to kill him?” said the brunette man bluntly.
“Don’t worry, I got this.” You rushed into the elevator and told Friday to take you to Loki.
The elevator lowered to the Library. Of course.
“Sorry, Mx. Anderson!” you yelled while running by their desk. “There will be yelling and possibly blood shed!”  You already know where he is.  He’s in the classics.  
There he was sitting on the couch, nonchalantly reading the Iliad.
“You’re a fucking bitch you know?  I really like this shirt!” you waved the knife in your hand around.
“Oh please.  You’re a healer, you’ll be fine.”
You crossed your arms, “LOKI. My fucking shirt.”
He raised his arms in defense. “It just a blood and a slight rip.”
You walked up to Loki and took off your shirt, thankfully you were wearing an undershirt that you didn’t care about.  You handed the shirt to him.  “Fix it then.”
He accepted the shirt and scoffed. “Fine.” He waved his hand over the shirt and it was now good as new.
“See, that was easy.” You grabbed the shirt and started to walk away.  “And don’t stab me again! I think two assassins would very happily kill you!”
NEXT CHAPTER 
Ice Cream or Blood
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wrenhyperfixates · 4 years ago
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Unconditional
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Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: You deal with conflicting emotions as you try to understand why you deserve Loki’s love. When he finds out about your turmoil, he helps you heal. Warnings: angst, toxic/emotionally abusive parents, a couple curse words, fluff  A/N: Here you go, nonny! I’ve been very fortunate that this isn’t a topic I’ve had experience with in my life, but I did some research, so I hope that I portrayed it ok. Thanks for reading :) 
Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiantfavs​ @lunarmoon8​ @twhiddlestonsstuff​
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Disclaimer: Gif not mine
You were currently sitting back on the couch with your feet propped up on the table, waiting for Loki to come in with your movie snack. He’d brought the tradition of Friday movie night with him when he moved out of the Tower and in with you. As he came over holding the bowl of popcorn, you moved the blanket a bit so he had room to sit. Loki rested the bowl of popcorn in your lap, freeing his arm to put around your shoulders. He placed a kiss to your temple as he hit play on the remote.
“What was that for?” you asked with a happy, but bewildered smile.
“Just because you look so adorable sitting there all bundled up, my sweet.”
Loki had been living with you for about a month now, and you’d been dating for almost a year. Still, you weren’t used to the little, unprompted signs of affection he was so keen on giving. The smallest things caused you so much stress. For instance, Loki had casually brought up an inside joke one of the lines in the movie had reminded him of. The joke was funny, sure, but the way he’d grabbed your hand as he said it made your heart beat faster than should be humanly possible. It was so different from what you grew up with, but you didn’t want to worry Loki with your problems. He’d either say you were being stupid like so many other people in your life had, or he’d want to murder anyone who’d ever hurt you. You weren’t sure which was better. That was why you brushed it off anytime he asked why you were so confused.
Sharing a bed with Loki was simultaneously the best and worst part of your day. It was the best because you were completely head over heels for the handsome god, and you loved to see him peacefully asleep in the moonlight. But when he’d subconsciously reach out to hold you, you felt the most overwhelming mix of confusion and joy. So many times you lay there with a racing heart, trying to figure out what you did to deserve this.
“Hey, Loki,” you whispered one night, gently brushing hair out of his face.
He hummed in response, dancing on the edge of sleep and consciousness. You hesitated a moment before continuing, but decided he was so tired that there was a good chance he wouldn’t even remember in the morning.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, trying to open his tired eyes to look at you.
“I don’t know. For everything, I guess.”
You hesitantly reached out and brushed a strand of raven black hair away from his face. His hand came up to rest on yours, stilling your nervous movement. His piercing blue-green eyes were now staring right at you.
“You have nothing to thank me for. I do this because I love you, and I would like to have a word with whoever made you think must thank someone for loving you.”
You fidgeted under his gaze. “It’s just me being silly. Don’t worry about it.”
“It is silly indeed, my sweet. But know that I am here for you if there ever is anything you would like to talk about,” he said in a knowing tone. “Now, perhaps we would both benefit from some sleep.”
You agreed by cuddling into his side, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrap around you. That’s when you realized that you were getting too close to Loki, too used to his touch. You’d learned long ago how to get on without contact from others. You couldn’t let yourself be pulled down by hope again. This would have to be remedied before you got hurt again. It could wait until morning, though, because right now Loki’s inviting touch was gently lulling you into a deep slumber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Yes, Mr. Stark, I’m sure that the creeping phlox would be the best choice,” you reassured the billionaire.
“What kind of name is that for a flower, anyway?”
“A very good one, if you look into it. And I need you to sign off on the violet centerpieces, too.”
You were Tony’s go-to florist, which meant you were at the Tower more often than not with all the events he was constantly hosting. It was during a meeting, much like the one you were in right now, that you’d first met Loki. The first time you’d made contact was when he offered you a handshake. Even that simple act caused your skin to jump in excitement. At the time, you’d had no idea just how far your relationship would go.
“There you are, my sweet,” Loki said, wrapping his arms around you from behind.
“Loki!” you screamed in delight as he kissed your neck. “You scared me.”
You relaxed against him for a second before remembering you were supposed to be detaching yourself from him. It was a preemptive strike, but a necessary one since you were certain this relationship would end the same way all your others had. Loki would slowly pull away until, one day, he’d stop touching you altogether. Then you’d go back to that empty, lonely feeling that you tried to tell yourself was okay. You wriggled out of his grasp, pretending like you needed to get to your clipboard. Your boyfriend dropped his arms in dismay, your increased disinterest in his touch not going unnoticed.
“My apologies. Perhaps you would like to step outside for a minute a talk?” he suggested with quirked eyebrows.
“Sorry, Reindeer Games,” Tony interrupted. “I need them to finish preparations. And you’re supposed to be in training. You two lovebirds can talk at home.”
“Very well. Promise?” he said, looking over his shoulder at you as he exited.
“Promise.”
With one last sad glance back at you, he exited. You did your best to put on a bright smile for Tony as you finished up business. On the inside, however, you were a mess. Half of your brain kept saying that you’d ruined things with Loki by pulling away, but the other half was convinced that this was inevitable, and it was good you’d already started getting used to the lack of touch again. By the time you drove home, you felt ready to cry. You rested your head on the steering wheel for a minute, blinking away the tears, only to be startled by a loud honk. You looked up to see a car parked on the street in front of your house. Your heart started racing, but not because it was unfamiliar or threatening. Rather, you knew it all too well. And maybe the people inside did pose a bit of a threat to your mental health.
“Took you long enough,” your mother said unkindly, approaching you as you stepped out of the car.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were coming,” you mumbled, kicking a rock on the ground.
“Well you’re always disagreeable when we try to schedule, so whose fault is that?” your father berated.
“Mine. Sorry.”
“I swear, I don’t know where we went wrong with you. All your siblings are normal. Now let us in.”
“No.”
You wished you could say that you’d found the strength to say that to your parents, but it was actually Loki. His arrival had gone unnoticed up until this point, but it was obvious that he’d heard everything.
“Excuse me,” your mother gasped. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“I’m their boyfriend, but you may know me as Loki, God of Mischief, Brother of Thor, and rightful heir of Jotunheim. Not to mention an Avenger. And I’ve had quite enough of you speaking to my beloved this way,” he finished, protectively wrapping his arms around you.
“How’d you score this one?” your mother continued, not missing a beat. “He’s far too good looking for you. If only he knew your brothers or sister, he wouldn’t waste his time on the likes of you.”
“Enough!” Loki roared. “You will leave our property at once, unless you’d like me to forcibly eject you.”
“Are you going to let him speak to us like that?” your father fumed, angrily pointing at you.
“I really do think it’s best you leave,” you said in a barely audible voice.
Your parents finally went back to their car and drove off, muttering about you and Loki the whole way. When they went past you, your mother flipped you off.
“It’s ok, my sweet,” Loki shushed you, folding you into a hug. “They’re gone now and I am here. I will never let them hurt you again.”
You hadn’t even realized you were crying until Loki brushed the tears off your cheek. To save you some embarrassment, he ushered you inside and escorted you to the couch. He wrapped you in a soft blanket and conjured a cup of tea for you. Then he sat beside you, his hands never leaving your body.
“Shit. Loki, I’m so sorry,” you finally said. “You wanted to talk, right?”
“There is not a single thing you should be apologizing to me for. Yes, I did want to talk, but I believe I understand now. Those wretched excuses for parents have made you feel undeserving of my love, my touch. Trust me when I tell you that they are wrong, and there is no one more deserving of it than you.”
He slowly leaned in, testing the waters, before crashing his lips onto yours. You kissed him back and held onto him as if you were sinking in the ocean and he was your lifeline. When you had to break for air, Loki kissed away your tears, then he kissed your closed eyelids. Next he moved to your jaw and down your neck, working his way toward your hands. He kissed each of your fingers, putting more love into each one he gave you. It was so overwhelming, and yet so perfect. When he stopped, he looked into your eyes, awaiting a reply.
“Okay,” you whispered, squeezing his hand. “Okay.”
Loki knew you were far from healed, and quite possibly just didn’t argue because you didn’t have the strength to. He would take the win for now, though. You were so tired that you began to fall asleep listening to the steady sound of Loki’s heartbeat as he held your head to his chest. Just as you were about to succumb to unconsciousness, you heard him whisper something so low you had to strain to make it out.
“You deserve this and so much more. I truly do love with you every fiber of my being, my sweet.”
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cozy-the-overlord · 4 years ago
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Dances and Daggers
Summary:   The Summer Festival is upon Asgard, as is the tradition of the dagger ceremony, where each unmarried gentleman chooses a lady to bestow with the honor of carrying his dagger for the night. As Prince Thor’s betrothed, Teki’s only goal is to accept his dagger with grace and hope that her violent stepfather doesn’t find fault with her in the process. But Prince Thor is unpredictable, and when he ignores his engagement on a whim Teki finds herself in a desperate situation. Luckily, Thor isn’t the only prince in Asgard…
Pairing: Loki x Original Female Character
Chapter 16: The Unveiling
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Word Count: 3,253
Chapter Summary: Loki’s back!
Thanks for reading!
TW: Mentions of violence, child abuse
Tags: @lucywrites02 @gaitwae @moumouton4 @berriemalfoy @whatafuckingdumbass @sophlubbwriting
if you want to be tagged, feel free to just send me an ask/message! :)
Read it on Ao3!
Teki groped blindly in the moonlit shadows. It had to be a dream. Frigga had told her he was gone, that he wouldn’t be coming back for years, but when her fingers found his he squeezed her hand too tightly to be anything but real.
Her eyes flooded with relief.
“Loki—” she rasped.
He hushed her softly. “Don’t hurt your voice.” He cupped her cheek with his free hand, his quivering fingers ghosting down the side of her face, leaving chills in their wake. He stopped abruptly at the metal brace around her neck, voice trembling when he spoke.
“Norns,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, Teki.”
She squirmed, trying to get a better look at him without hurting her neck. “You—how—” Teki cursed inwardly at her broken voice. She had so many questions. How are you back? How are you here?
Luckily, Loki seemed to understand. “There’s—pathways, between the realms. Tunnels. I had read about them before, but I had never attempted to follow them. When I heard what happened—I had to come back, so I gave it a try.” Tunnels between the realms. That sounded vaguely familiar. Where had she heard about those before?
I put them on my map!
Of course.
Loki hesitated. When he continued, it sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. “Teki, they said—they said you were attacked—” he gulped, “It was him, wasn’t it?”
Teki took a shaky breath, giving the smallest of nods. Even that tiny confirmation seemed to break him. Loki exhaled, leaning forward to support his head against his arm on the cot.
“You have to tell someone, Teki,” he begged. “My parents will believe you, I swear it. They’ll stop—no, don’t shake your head!” He looked at her pleadingly. “He’s hurting you!”
She kept shaking her head. He doesn’t know the half of it. “Loki,” she gasped, even as her voice seared. “Loki, they killed him.”
He frowned. “What?”
“My father. They killed him. Both of them.” For a second, her father’s body crashed through her vision once more, and the strangled sob that ripped from her throat didn’t sound human.
She didn’t know how long they sat in the dark together, Loki rubbing her shoulder in gentle comfort as she fought to choke out the details he had missed: the letter in the journal, Asta’s vials, Heimdall’s vision, horrible images that Teki wished to purge from her mind for the rest of her life, but that she knew would follow her to her grave. The prince’s eyes grew wider and wider even as her voice grew weaker. By the end, she was hacking uncontrollably, that faint metallic taste poisoning the back of her tongue.
Loki helped to pull her into a sitting position, rushing off for a glass of water and helping her shivering hands hold it steady as she drank. Teki collapsed against his chest once she finished. Perhaps it was unrefined, but she was well past caring about refinement at this point. His leather vest smelled of the woods and the wild; wide, open fields where you could run for miles and never see even a glimpse of another person. It was soothing in a way that nothing else was, made even more so when Loki wrapped an arm around her torso and held her closer.
For a moment, they just stayed like that, listening to the sound of the other’s breathing.
It was Loki who spoke first. “We need to expose them.”
Teki looked up at his face, firm and decisive in the moonlight. Not for the first time, she envied his steadfast determination.
“How?” she whispered hoarsely. “It would be my word against theirs. No one would believe me.” Why should they? What was she to the court but a little girl who thought she could play queen, so sickly that she rarely showed up for dinner and so horribly dull that her own fiancé had no interest in interacting with her? What reason had they to trust her?
“It wouldn’t be just your word, though,” he said. “Didn’t you say Asta knew about it too?”
“She just sold it to her,” Teki hiccupped. “The—the poison. My mother didn’t tell her what—what she was planning.” Besides, would she even want to come forward with testimony? The old apothecary woman didn’t strike her as one to get involved with the law, especially if she was in the practice of selling poison.
Still, Loki mused. “But it could be something.”
Across the room, something creaked. It was nothing, and Teki knew it, but still she whipped around with her heart in her throat, expecting to see her stepfather leering in the corner with his glittering blue eyes.
Loki rubbed her arm reassuringly. “It’s all right,” he murmured. “We’re the only ones in here.”
Teki gulped. The darkness seemed to press around her cot, whispering cruel promises only she could hear.
She griped Loki tighter. “Can—can you stay? With me?” Her face burned—such a childish plea. She felt like Brant, sneaking into her room when he couldn’t sleep. Still, she had a horrible feeling that if she let him leave, he’d be gone again. “I don’t—I don’t like being alone.”
Loki only nodded. “Of course. Let me just—” He moved away for a split second, leaving her in the darkness while he dragged a chair across the room to her bedside. She lay back down against the sheets as he situated himself, resting his head besides her pillow so that he faced hers.
She closed her eyes. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered.
“We’ll figure it out,” he promised. “Just sleep now.”
“How are you feeling, my lady?” the healer asked as she unlatched the brace from around Teki’s neck.
She rubbed the base of her throat. The healers had returned to finish her treatment just as the pinpricks of dawn were beginning to sneak their way into the room, Loki having slipped out only moments prior.
He had woken her up before he went, a gentle tap on her shoulder pulling her from the darkness of her dreams.
“It’s almost sunrise,” he had whispered. “They’ll be back soon. I should go.”
In the early morning haze, Teki had misunderstood. “You mean—you’re not going back to Vanaheim, are you?” she croaked. Panicked tears welled in the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t lose him. Not again. Not when so much was going wrong.
But Loki shook his head quickly. “No, no. I’m staying on Asgard. But there’s something I have to check.” He rose with a deliberate stretch before dragging his chair back to wherever he found it. “I’ll come back later today,” he promised before he slipped into the shadows.
Teki had barely been alone fifteen minutes before the women in blue were back with their magic at the ready. The healing process was quick, albeit exhausting, and once they were through Teki was half inclined to crawl back into the bed and sleep through the next week. Still, at least it didn’t hurt to talk anymore.
The Queen popped in just at Teki was finishing buttoning the front of her dress. She had been expecting her mother to saunter in with her hollow words and painted smiles, and so she jumped at Frigga’s warm greeting.
“Tekla!” she beamed. “I’m so relieved to see you up and about.” She sat down on the foot of the bed, and Teki was a bit shocked to notice the worry barely hidden under her kind smile. “How are you feeling today, darling?” she asked, studying her with the same maternal concern Teki had seen in her eyes when she was watching Loki in the Games.
Teki’s response was so instinctual it almost felt rehearsed. “Much better, Your Majesty,” she said, returning the smile.
Frigga shook her head somberly. “Such a horrifying experience. I can’t imagine how scared you must have been.” She reached out to hold Teki’s hand, in reassurance. “We have some of our best warriors looking for the man who attacked you and your brother. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”
Teki couldn’t meet her gaze. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t allow her mother’s lies to continue any longer, but she didn’t know how to explain to the Queen that everything she thought she knew wasn’t true. Teki only could manage a nod.
Frigga, unaware of her inner turmoil, patted her hand delicately. “If you ever need anything,” she promised, “Please don’t hesitate to ask me.”
Again, Teki found that she could only nod.
If the Queen had noticed her discomfort, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she shifted the conversation. “Oh, I wanted to ask you, darling,” she said. “Have you spoken to Loki at all?”
Teki stiffened. “Loki, Your Majesty?”
“Yes.” Frigga was still smiling, but there was a wilder sort of apprehension beneath her tone. “His teachers said he vanished at some point during the night. I thought he might have contacted you—he considers you a close friend, I know—”
Guilt smoldered in her chest, but something told Teki to keep Loki’s midnight visit to herself.
“I haven’t heard from him, Your Majesty,” she lied.
Frigga nodded distractedly. “Well, I’m sure it isn’t anything to worry about. Just—if he does get into contact with you, would you please let me know?”
She hummed in agreement, eyes on the on the floor.
“Teki!” Both of their heads snapped to the doorway just in time to see Brant barreling through the room, past the healers and lines of cots. He crashed against Teki’s stomach in a snug embrace, ignoring her surprised “oof!”
Frigga laughed. She excused herself, leaving Teki’s bedside to chat with another healer. Meanwhile, Brant’s grip hadn’t loosened around her.
“Hey,” she whispered, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Are you all right?” He nodded, rubbing his cheek against her dress like a cat.
“Was scared,” he muttered. His voice was so low, Teki barely heard it. The pained cry that had spilled from his lips when Osvald turned his fists on him echoed through her mind, and she held him tighter. He pressed something into her stomach, shielding it with his torso.
Teki frowned. “What—”
“Mama said to burn it,” he whispered.
It was her father’s journal, familiar and worn and newly singed along the edge, as if it had just barely been scooped out from the flames. There was a lump in Teki’s throat as she tucked it under her sash. Brant had witness first-hand how Osvald felt about this journal, seen what he was willing to do to her for refusing to give it up, and still risked everything to rescue it from the flames for her. She squeezed him tighter.
“Are you ready to go?”
She glanced up to find her mother standing over her expectantly, arms crossed elegantly over her perfectly pressed gown. Something about her face, looking at those same lips that had curled so sadistically as her father sat hunched over the dinner table gasping for his life, sent bile rising to her throat. Her mother raised her eyebrows. She was waiting, Teki realized, waiting for her daughter to straighten up and follow her out of the room with her head down like the obedient little mouse she had raised her to be, never to speak of this incident again.
Teki didn’t move.
Her mother sighed. “Tekla, we don’t have all da—”
“I’m not going with you.” The words cut through the air like the dagger under her mattress. Teki glared into her mother’s eyes, challenging her to look away first.
“Tekla,” she spoke through gritted teeth. “I swear, I don’t have time for you to be difficult—”
“I know what you did,” Teki said, relishing the way her mother blanched, then rushed to cover it. “I’m not going with you.”
“We’re not doing this here,” she snapped, grabbing at her arm. Teki avoided her grasp, still clinging to Brant.
“You killed my father.” Her brother looked up at her in shock, but Teki kept her gaze trained on her mother.
Deny it. Go ahead, lie right to my face again. I dare you.
“What are you talking about?” she retorted. Her eyes shifted across the room, to where the Queen was still locked deep in conversation with one of the healers. Teki followed her gaze, followed her line of thinking to a T.
Don’t make a scene.
We wouldn’t want to embarrass ourselves.
Teki only raised her voice.
“You poisoned his cup,” she said, more adamant with every word. “You made him write that letter.”
“Enough of this!” Her mother grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward. “We’re going home. Now.”
Teki wriggled free. “I’m not going with you—”
Their struggle had caught the attention of the Queen. She walked over, frowning. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” her mother said quickly. “I was just taking my daughter home.” She grabbed at Teki’s hand again, as if to emphasize her point, but Teki squirmed away before she even had a hold on her.
Frigga’s frown deepened. “Tekla, is something wrong?”
Teki swallowed. That familiar fear had returned, the horrible feeling that should she ever stand up and speak her truth her audience would only stare back at her with vacant eyes. That they’d defer judgment to her mother, to her stepfather, to the extorted letter written in a dying man’s shaking hand.
But she thought also of her father, pleading for her wellbeing as he choked on his own breath. She thought of Brant’s body limp on the floor, her stepfather glowering over him, her family’s judge, jury, and executioner. She pressed her hand against the journal hidden in her sash.
My parents will believe you, I swear it.
“There wasn’t an intruder,” she said, heart pounding. “It was Osvald.” She gulped. “It’s always Osvald.”
The Queen’s eyes widened.
Her mother gasped theatrically. “Tekla! How could you say such a thing?”
“That’s not all!” Teki’s breath was coming faster now, along with the frenzied need to keep Frigga’s attention for as long as possible. “She and him killed my father. My real father. They made it look like he left so they could sign off on my marriage proposal. She poisoned him.” The tears burned hot and harsh in her eyes; she tried to blink them away.
Áslaug was shaking her head wildly. “Your Majesty, I am so sorry,” she rushed. “I have no idea what she’s talking about. Perhaps her injuries—”
“No!” Brant had come out of hiding against her abdomen, trembling like a leaf. Everyone’s gaze snapped to him, and she fully expected him to wither at the attention, but instead he pulled at Frigga’s skirt, eyes wide. “Daddy hurts Teki. He gets mad and he hits her.”
“Brant!” Her mother’s carefully constructed control was unraveling at the scenes. She whipped back to the Queen. “He’s just copying Tekla. He always follows her lead. And I don’t know what could possibly have gotten into her—”
“Oh, don’t you?” It was as if someone had lit a fire in Teki’s chest. For years, her feelings had been muzzled, held back the tyrannical fear that ruled every other aspect of her life. She had bent to the will of her guardians because she had no other choice. But the emotions had always been there. Always. And now, one of those emotions seared brightly enough to burn through everything else: fury.
“I’ll tell you what’s gotten into me!” she snapped. “You took my father away from me and expected me to accept it. You let your husband hurt me and told me it was my fault that he did. You used my existence as a tool so you could climb to the top, without ever sparing a thought to what it did to me.” She heaved a sob, fully aware that all eyes were on her and not giving a damn. “I’m not lying for you anymore!”
“And neither am I.”
All four of them whipped to the entrance. For a moment, Teki thought she was hallucinating.
Old Asta the Apothecary limped down the hallway, her ragged clothing a stark contrast to the crisp sheets of the cots she walked by. Somehow she looked even more shriveled here without her cart trailing behind her.
Teki’s mother went so pale it looked as though she might pass out.
“How did she get in here?” she demanded in a tone that sounded akin to a screeching bird. “Who let her in?”
“The young prince. He came to speak with me today, about what happened here.” Teki perked up at Loki’s name. I have something I have to check, he had whispered in the morning darkness. He had gone to Asta?
She stopped just before the Queen, sinking into a respectful bow. “Your Majesty. For centuries, I’ve prided myself on the loyalty of my confidence, but I’ve realized as of late that I’ve held some things to my chest that never should have been kept secret.” She glanced at Teki, almost as if in regret. Teki frowned. When they had spoken, Asta certainly hadn’t shown any signs of guilt for what she had done.
What did Loki say to change her mind?
“Don’t listen to her!” her mother was shrieking wildly. “She’s not to be trusted—”
“Enough!” snapped Frigga. The Queen had seemed to occupy a shellshocked silence for most of the conversation, but now she turned to the apothecary with a firm conviction. “Asta. What have you to tell us?”
The old woman sighed deeply. “Several years ago, the Lady Áslaug sought me out. She was looking for a poison, fast-acting and tasteless, something to eliminate her husband quickly and quietly.”
“No!” screamed her mother.
“She wasn’t certain what it was she wanted,” Asta continued. “I sold her two vials—one of embers of frost, and one of hellion, so she could choose which to use—”
“No, no, you’re lying!” Áslaug shrieked, motioning at Frigga desperately as she pointed at the apothecary. “She’s lying! I never bought the hellion. I never touched it!”
“No,” agreed the apothecary with a wicked smirk. “No, you didn’t.”
It was a moment before it dawned on Teki’s mother what she had just admitted to.
“No,” she whispered. “No, no, I meant—I didn’t—I—” she glanced around in a frenzy, searching for a receptive face. She found nothing. With a pained sob, she collapsed into tears.
Teki looked away.  
Frigga whistled, short and piercing. In less than a heartbeat, two of her Queensguard rushed to her side, from where they had been standing at attention just outside the door.
“Guards,” she said, her voice even and emotionless. “Please, escort Lady Áslaug into custody. Have Lord Osvald taken in as well.” As the guards pulled her mother to her feet, the Queen turned to her. “Tekla, if you and your brother would come with me.”
Teki nodded in a haze, watching as her mother was removed from the room. Brant was gripping her hand so tightly she could barely feel it anymore. She turned back to Asta, hoping to thank her for her support, but the old woman was disintegrating, fading out of existence in a shimmering mass. Her bewilderment was quickly replaced by smile so wide it hurt her cheeks.
In the apothecary’s place, her dark-haired prince grinned right back at her.
34 notes · View notes
gingerwritess · 5 years ago
Note
In response to your pre-dating idiots call!!!! PLEASE expand on what Loki said in "so there's this girl" about pretending to hate reader!!! I'm in a very angsty mood!!! Also good luck with ur studying
here’s a long ol fic for some predating idiots developments! lots of foreshadowing and implications, oooo…
part 14, masterlist (Loki’s happy ending) in bio :)
―   ―   ―   ―
There’s really nothing left to like about Loki.
He’s mean, he’s cold, he’s vindictive, manipulative, calculating, blackmailing you for your generousity.
Luckily, he’s leaving you alone.
Sometimes you’ll wonder if Loki thinks he has your memories of him, that he successfully ripped himself out of your mind—you find yourself checking, every once in a while.
Eyes closed, you’ll lean back. Focus.
Jagged cuts, barely scabbed lashings, pale skin stained red…Loki flinching away from your touch with such a wince of pain you may as well have sliced him open again.
The memory is definitely still yours. 
It’s stayed on through the weeks, in your new office and devoid of any fake-boyfriends and blackmail threats—which makes for a fairly quiet work life.
Since the discovery of Loki’s double, security in Stark towers has tripled. Now you can’t go anywhere without an escort, you’ve been gifted a new taser, and you can call yourself personally aquatinted with the Avengers—though that might be your least favourite parts of the day.
They’re nice, you guess, but trying to keep up your story when Tony Stark and the Black Widow are grilling you with questions only gets harder by the minute.
To make matters worse, they’ve been asking about your little faux-boyfriend, too. You had to settle on a backstory, how you met, what he did before Stark Industries (which you vaguely remember him mentioning shield), all without speaking a word to the god in question for the past three weeks.
As far as you’re concerned, you fake-broke up. But like, for real.
You don’t want to see him. You don’t want to talk about Laing, or Loki, or anything that’s ever happened between the two of you, but they bring up the day you met and almost killed him, they ask you if he threatened revenge, if he hinted a second attack, and you say no.
Over and over, you say no.
At this point, though, you are pretty certain that revenge isn’t Loki’s motive. You’re not quite sure what could be taking its place, but bloodlust or pure “evilness” aren’t options anymore. If they were, he wouldn’t still be treating his patients as Dr. Laing, and he certainly wouldn’t have just stopped and knelt next to the thin woman sitting in front of the Tower, hugging a small boy to her chest.
Yourself on your way to work, too, you immediately duck back around the building on the corner, not wanting him to know you’re watching. Whatever he’s doing, this is all Loki…well, Laing. Not trying to keep up another cover or impress anybody, right?
He speaks too quietly for you to hear from your distance, but the mother, you guess, has tears in her eyes as she cradles the coughing boy and pleads with Dr. Laing.
Loki stands, and your heart twists. Of course he’s leaving her there, her and her child all alone. You curse yourself for being surprised.
You’re about to march out there yourself and demand that Loki take them in, threaten to rat him out if he doesn’t, but before you can, Loki’s back by her side, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.
Your jaw drops.
Loki—Laing, or whoever the hell possessed him—carefully takes the little boy from her arms, laying a hand over his forehead and saying something to the mother with a soft smile.
A smile you’ve never seen on either of his faces.
Still quietly talking to the mother, he takes them to the elevator, casting a wary eye around the fairly empty lobby as you hurry to keep up with them. With a split second to make your decision, you run through the doors after them.
Loki gives you a tired, incredulous look. 
“What floor?”
“Same as you,” you reply with an all-too-cheery smile.
He doesn’t seem too happy to have gained your company.
The elevator ride goes by in an uncomfortable silence, the wanted criminal holding a sick child and offering his mother a few strained smiles while you watch on, trying to comprehend what the hell is going on. 
Luckily it’s over soon, and you quickly turn the opposite way from the strange little trio, pretending to go the other way before turning around and sneaking after them to Laing’s office. 
If you’re not careful, your assigned guards are going to come looking for you. Technically they were supposed to meet up with you the moment you arrived on premise, but today, you’d rather see what Loki’s up to on your own.
The strange little trio is already in the room, the little boy laying on the examination table while Laing looks over him. That’s strange, but the strangest part is the fact that he’s still smiling—at the mother.
She’s slowly breaking down, you can tell. 
You can’t look away, peeking through the window to the exam room as Loki sits the boy up, trying to console the mother as she drops her head to her hands, shoulders shaking.
Loki steps away from her and looks right at you.
“Come in here.”
Startled, you jump away from the window and hurry to the door. “Need any help, uh, Doctor?”
He just grabs you around the arm and drags you outside.
“Let go of me—”
 “I need you to distract her,” he whispers, and surprisingly lets go. “The boy is sick, I can’t help him without a bit of my own help, but she can’t see.”
“O-okay.” You blink at him in shock. “That’s it? No scheming, you’re just helping them?”
Loki sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “They can’t pay. I’m not going to let her child die when all it would take it a wave of the hand. Will you help me?”
You try not to let the shock—and blatant disbelief—show on your face. 
“Sure…”
“Just comfort her,” he tells you, ushering you back to the room. “Keep her distracted and please, please stop her crying.”
The woman looks up when you enter the room, her eyes bloodshot and tear-brimmed. 
“Thank you,” she whispers, and Loki quickly returns to the boy’s bedside.
You plaster on a friendly smile and sit down next to her, drawing her attention towards yourself. 
“Is this your son? Lo-Laing will help him, don’t worry.” 
She nods, and you see Loki moving out of the corner of your eye to cover what he’s doing. “He’s been getting worse and worse, and no one will see us,” she explains quietly. “Dr. Laing is the first person to help us, y-you’re very lucky to be with him.”
“Oh, no, no,” you laugh, wishing Loki would hurry up. “No, we’re not together, I just work with him.”
“Still.” She smiles, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “I can’t thank you enough.”
You’re quite sure what to say to that. Of course, she has no clue who she’s really dealing with, and for a split second, you nearly forget, too.
No murderous sociopath would be handing a freshly-healed little kid a lollipop, right?
He certainly looks the part, smiling and ruffling a hand through the kid’s hair, standing there in his lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck, lifting the little boy off the table to run back to his mother.
“Get him something to eat,” he tells her with a smile, a fake, phony little smile, and you can’t help but stare when he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of bills. “Here. He needs food and rest, as do you, and if anything else seems off, you know where to find me.”
By the time Loki has escorted them back down to the lobby, you’re left alone in the exam room, trying to make sense of what just happened and trying to decide what on earth to do with this information.
That was…helpful.
That was unlike Loki, that’s for sure.
When he eventually returns to the room, you’re still sitting there, waiting.
“Did you want a candy, too?”
You don’t respond, staring as he trudges around the room, prepping it for the next patient. 
“I assume you haven’t forgiven me.” He casts a quick glance over to you, getting nothing in return. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t forgive something that went into my mind to play games, either.”
“You didn’t do anything to me,” you remind him stiffly. “I still remember everything I saw. Someone hurt you, you have scars to prove it, and I still know that.”
“You compromised my cover.”
Shaking your head, you can’t help but laugh. “I didn’t compromise you, you blew your own cover. You’re weak, aren’t you?”
“What does that matter to you?”
“I’m trying to understand what’s going on, because as far as I can tell, you’re not who you’re pretending to be. Can’t you just explain what happened to Thor? He’s your brother, I’m sure he—”
“I am not hiding from your little heroes,” Loki snaps, slamming the cabinet he was rifling through shut. “They are the least of my concerns, and I’d much appreciate if you would leave them out of our interactions completely.”
You give a small huff of annoyance, crossing your arms with a pointed glare. “I don’t believe it, sorry. If you were really some crazy serial killer, you wouldn’t have just helped that lady and her kid.”
“Maybe,” Loki/Laing sneers, “I was luring them into my trap. Maybe that’s what I’m doing to you, hm? You certainly can’t seem to get enough of me.”
“No, I think you’re scared of something.”
“I think it’s time for you to leave,” Laing smiles back, holding the door open with a sweep of his arm.
“You’re running from something, you’re hiding from something,” you continue, a small smile of your own playing at your lips. “Aren’t you?”
Backed into the hallway but trying to stay one step ahead of him, you stare at him expectantly as he furrows his brow, no doubt annoyed beyond belief that you keep pressing the subject.
Maybe he was about to answer you, but now you’ll never know—one of your guards comes running to your side.
“You’re supposed to tell us when you’re coming in early,” he huffs, hastily pushing back the visor on his helmet. “I can’t read your mind, okay? You’ve gotta work with me here.”
Loki straightens up, an unamused glaze passing over his visage.
“Sorry,” you tell your guard, eyes never leaving Laing’s. “I sure wish I didn’t have to be escorted everywhere, thanks to some emotionally constipated god.”
He quirks an eyebrow. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
“Maybe he should go to therapy,” you reply smoothly. “Let someone help him for once, tell someone the truth.”
“Maybe you should stay away from him,” Laing growls—your guard, Marcus, steps a little closer as Laing advances towards you, voice dropping. “Maybe he’s unstable, and maybe he has a target on his back that could level your planet, and maybe he’s nothing more than a monster that needs to be disposed of before anything worse happens.”
You blink.
That came out of nowhere.
Laing sighs, slipping back into his office. “Stay with your, ah, guards. Don’t ask anymore questions.”
“You can’t tell me—mmf!”
Laing just smiles, and you catch a glimpse of Loki in his sad eyes as you involuntarily spin on your heel and hurry away, leaving Marcus scrambling to catch up.
This isn’t the first time that he’s had to watch you walk away; it’s a sight all too familiar to him.
Even from the distance now between the two of you, he catches a glimpse of the taser hanging from your belt, the gun strapped to your guards back, the one in his hands, and when you reach the elevator, unable to stop walking, two more guards join the group.
Good, he reminds himself, good, good.
You glare back at him in the doorway, mouth stopped and feet moving by Loki’s hand, and a wave of relief crashes over him.
You look annoyed.
Disgusted with him.
Angry.
―   ―   ―   ―
“Tell me a bit about your father.”
“Which one?”
Loki rolls over on the crisp, white bed, a grin on his gaunt face. 
“Whichever you feel more connected to,” the therapist replies. 
A pen clicks and clicks again, and Loki sighs.
“He’s a horrid man. He hates me, I hate him. It’s simple enough, doctor, he never loved me.”
Thor points at the screen. “I believed that.”
I might, too, you decide.
“Do you blame your father for some things that have gone wrong in your life?”
“Yes.”
It’s a quick, short answer that needed no thought.
“Can you elaborate?”
Loki crosses his ankles, stretching to lay his hands behind his head with a content little hum. “Well, if he had paid more attention to me, I wouldn’t have attacked this poor town, that’s for certain.”
The therapist seems stunned by the sudden confession.
“Wasn’t it obvious?” Loki continues, eyes fluttering closed. “I did this for him. I want him to see that I am the worthy son, I can conquer worlds and be a greater king than he, and he will hold nothing in his heart but respect for who I am.”
“I believed that one, too,” Thor says again. “That one made sense, but only if I assumed the worst.”
“Do you think anything from these sessions is true? Anything that his clone said?” Mind spinning, you stop the video player and remove the hard drive, unsure if watching Loki’s therapy tapes had helped in any way or not.
Currently, the scales are tipping towards not.
“It is unlikely,” Thor sighs. “My brother is a skilled liar, he twists your words and manipulates the truth to bend to his will…most of the time, you never know if you are even truly speaking to him, or just another illusion. Just as this now shows us”
“Do you believe any of that?” 
“I want to,” he answers truthfully. “It is simple. It makes it easier to take him back to the Allfather for punishment, if we could only find the serpent.”
“I don’t,” you mumble under your breath, then stop, unsure if you should really let those words actually leave your mouth. 
Thor gives you a sideways glance and you curse yourself for saying anything.
“Do you find him attractive?”
You drop the hard drive to the floor with a loud clatter. 
“What?! No! No,” you laugh, quickly stooping to pick it back up. “Of course not, why would you say that?”
“You seem to have faith in him,” Thor carefully replies, still eyeing you suspiciously. “Or at least an acute interest. Why do you want to help him?”
“I’m…” you pause, needing to think for a moment.
To an extent, you suppose he’s right - you want to have faith in him. You made a judgement call when you first met him and tried to kill him, only to accidentally find yourself tangled further in his webbed plan than you’d care to be. 
Some days, Loki makes you think you made the wrong judgement, that maybe it wasn’t him, that maybe he’s suffering in a different way than most assume, that maybe he’s more than he lets on.
That maybe he’s been forced into playing the villain in his brother’s story. 
“Curious,” you finally answer. “I’m curious. He’s weird, a-and gods are still kinda new to our world, so…I’m curious if he’s really who he lets on to be.”
Thor nods, brow furrowed and deep in thought. 
“Though it’s pretty tough to find anything out about him when he’s missing,” you quickly add, remembering that you really shouldn’t have as much access to the god as you do.
“I understand.” Thor gives you a small smile, a mild comfort. “Be wary of him, won’t you? I fear he uses people to his advantage, mistakes their kindness for strategy.”  
A flood of memories to support that cloud your mind, and the rest of your walk back to your office finishes in silence.
You are curious. There’s something off about this Loki character. Just from the small bits of him you’ve seen, the way he pushes you away, the clear evidence he keeps hiding, something about him screams out to anyone who will listen.
Screaming for help, you’re nearly certain.
“He is dangerous,” Thor says once you’ve reached your office again. “He is powerful. And I fear we’ve hurt him past the point of repair.”
“I doubt it,” you smile, giving the god a reassuring squeeze on the arm. “He’ll come back. He’s your family, right?”
Thor just smiles, wishes you a good day, and walks away.
―   ―   ―   ―
fuel the writer?
feel free to send me ideas!!
~ masterlist link in my bio ~
loki tags: @bluediamond007 @himitoshi @drakesfiance @destiel1597 @dangertoozmanykids101 @archy3001 @jcalpha1 @yzssie @skullvieplu @forthesnakeofdragons @skulliebythesea @wegingerangelica @storiesfrommirkwood @agarwaeneth @adaliamalfoy @laurfangirl424 @paradisaicsam @fitzsimmons-is-forever @ladylokimischief @katelinwrites @tarynkauai @polaristrange @loavesofmeat @canadian-ravenpuff-multishipper @lou-makes-me-strong @holyn0vak @chocolatealmondmillk @swtnrholland @kenzieam @jessiejunebug  @catticas @the-republic-and-face-of-texas @doralupin01 @whitewitchdown @atomiccharmer @falconfeather23435 @babygirlicecream @avengrcs @vethrvolnir2 @bookgirlunicorn @wabisabigrl @myhealingstar @khaleesi-marvel @ei77777 @spacecrumbs @scarlettghost13 @rocks-are-pretty-odd @confessionsofastrugglingteen @easilydistractedwriter @arttasticgreatnessoftheawesome77 @fluffyllamaswearinghats @milktearose @lcyouinhell @h0tshotholland @dontmesswithmemundane @southsidesarcasticwriter @helnik-s @lilith-akemi @fire-in-her-veinz @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @mischievousbellerina @kcd15 @mellowgirl01 @lokislilcaribbeanprincess @allthingzhiddleston @scorpionchild81 @lokixme @blue-automne @galaxycharmed @devilbat @kangaroobunny @end-up-well @planetariumx @sarcsep @mrfandomtastic @amaru163 @im-way-too-many-fandoms @caswinchester2000 @kybaeza @wester-than-west @vintagesunshinebitch @adefectivedetective @poetic-nikolai @moonduhsted @kerri-masson @iamverity @innaminitus @spnbarnes @narcissxblack @woohoney @anxiousamandapanda @padmeisgay @authordreaming13 @lokisironthrone @theunknowinglys @highfuncti0ningfangirl @epicfallenismine @stubby-toe-589331 @fandomnerdsarecool @retrofantasyland @arch-venus25 @forever-trapped-in-my-dreams @littleredstarfish @marshyrebelcloud @okie–loki @atterodominatus @stfxlou @pandacookieowo @tonakings @shinisenko @tinchentitri @nildespirandum @thefallenbibliophilequote @vodka-and-some-sass @highfunctioningfangirl19 @sadwaywardkid @lokioneshot @brooksaza @wild-honey-piy @ellaenchanted91 @lwwy19 
683 notes · View notes
sserpente · 5 years ago
Text
24 little kinks | Doors 3, 4, 5 🎄
“You remember that chocolate advent calendar I got you for December?”
“I do,” he chuckled and pressed a tender kiss to your temple. “You made me display it in the kitchen so I would not eat it all at once.”
Your smile widened. “How about we get another one?”
Loki raised an eyebrow, only now paying proper attention to the sex toy ad. Then, he frowned. It was an odd mixture of disgust, genuine curiosity and even a hint of arousal flashing in his blue eyes.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
NSFW warnings: use of handcuffs and blindfolds
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The God of Mischief blinked at you, both unbelieving and indignant.
“You will not dare stop now, will you?”
“Loki…” You knew how quickly you could make him cum to give him some quick relief from all your teasing but that would not satisfy him. Loki wanted to ravish you, he wanted to fuck you until you were unable to walk… but your sense of responsibility rang in your ears strongly.
“We are not done.” He did not need to nod down to his aching erection but his point was clear. His gaze was piercing, threatening, his nostrils flaring. Loki would be angry if you interrupted your lovemaking now but what other choice did you have? People’s lives might be in danger… and there you thought December would be a time of peace.
When he realised you were indeed not coming back to bed, he growled. Irritated, he stood himself, flicking his wrists to get dressed. His full amour wrapped around his handsome body, covering him wholly… and yet failed to hide the giant bulge in his black leather trousers.
He offered you his hand which you took, earning you a sigh and teleported you both to the compound.
Only the fraction of a second later and a funny tingling on your skin as Loki’s magic faded away, you found yourself standing in knee-deep snow, the falling flakes almost as beautiful as Loki when he slept next to you. Oh, cheesy… but it was the horror unfolding in front of you that made you gasp.
A large hole had been torn into one of the thick walls, foreign creatures snarling as they poured inside like crabs being washed away from shore—how many? One dozen, two dozen maybe? You could swear you had seen them before. From afar, they looked a little like…
Loki pushed you behind you protectively the moment he realised. Those were Chitauri. His still aching erection forgotten and arousal now quickly fading, his instincts took over. Two sharp daggers materialised in his hands, his jaw clenching.
“Are those… h-how? Where do they come from?”
“We will find out.”
He tossed you one dagger which you caught skilfully. Loki had taught you how to use just a small dagger to your advantage. You fought your way through to the Avengers rapidly, taking only a few bruises and a cut on your calf. Nothing Loki would be unable to heal for you later.
“What took you so long?!” Tony bellowed, his voice mechanic due to his Iron Man suit. Steve flung Thor’s hammer at one of the Chitauri, killing it instantly before he darted forward to give him cover.
“Where the hell are those things coming from, Reindeer Games?” Loki’s dislike for the nickname he had chosen for him showed when he slid a passing Chitauri’s throat. But what irritated him even more was that he did not know. Most of them had died along with their abomination of a planet back when Stark destroyed it and Thanos was dead.
There were only a handful of them left, with the heroes all flying and jumping around to end them quickly and Loki destroying most of them. The dreadful silence spreading in the compound when the last disgusting body dropped dead to the ground rang in your ears like the screeching of a bat.
“What on Earth happened here?” You said breathlessly, leaning against Loki for support. Natasha pursed her lips when she saw.
-
They had attacked out of nowhere, remembering whom they had dealt with back in New York, so you learned when you sat at the huge glass table in the conference room, clutching a hot cup of coffee. It would explain the explosions you had heard on the phone.
“Do you have any idea where they came from?” You asked Loki quietly. You were pretty much the only one speaking to him like you would to any other civilised person. The God of Mischief lifted his chin, leaning back as his blue eyes briefly locked with Thor’s.
“They might not be the only ones who survived. More of them could be hiding here on Midgard.”
“Where?” Tony probed.
“They prefer dark places, preferably underground.”
“The sewers.” Natasha concluded.
“That could be an opportunity.”
“I’ll contact the local sanitary district. They can give us instant access to copies of the ground plans of the sewers. FRIDAY will have them within the next hour.”
-
“(Y/N), you are coming to our Christmas dinner, right?” Tony asked. While FRIDAY was doing all the work and searching for any alien abnormalities in the country over the last couple of weeks, the Avengers took the time to finally take a breath again.
Fighting creatures from outer space had long become a routine—and none of them were willing to let the jolly Christmas spirit escape through that giant hole in the wall.
“Of course… if I can bring Loki.”
“If he behaves,” he retorted grumpily. The God of Mischief rolled his eyes in response in an annoyed manner, resulting in Thor patting his back fiercely.
“Well, that’ll be fun, brother. We’ll stuff ourselves with turkey, open those Christmas crackers (Y/N) brings every year, play some games and drink mulled wine and chocolate fruit… you will love this Midgardian holiday.”
Loki said nothing. He had been quiet ever since the attack, only speaking a few words if necessary. His bad mood infected you. A particularly hard blow from one of the Chitauri had caused you a growing headache, a slight concussion maybe.
“Let’s go home.” You whispered, wrapping your arms around his body. “Call me if there’s any news. We’ll be here in a heartbeat.”
“Dr Cho should treat your wounds.” You shook your head quickly.
“Loki can do that.”
“Alright then... Anyhow, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can enjoy some mulled wine and fucking celebrate Christmas like we should.”
“Language…” Steve muttered. You nodded. Mulled wine sounded like a great idea, a Christmas market even better. You’d have to come up with something to comfort Loki after your prompt departure this morning after all.
-
His magic made it worse, the pain rippling through your head when he teleported you back into your bedroom nearly forcing you to your knees. Loki scooped you up like a bride when he noticed your growing weakness, making you lie down on your bed. His piercing blue eyes scanned your body so fast you shifted uncomfortably, hoping he would not find any major injuries.
“I took a hit on the head, should be fine in a few hours…” His gaze was strict, palm coming up to touch your forehead and ease your headache before he tended to your calf.
“Loki… are you okay? You’re being unusually quiet.”
“I am bursting.” You glanced down. He was still hard.
“How were you able to hide that from the Avengers?”
“You should be familiar with my illusions by now.” His voice changed. It became hoarse, demanding and darker, luring you right into doing his bidding—especially if that included you naked.
Both of you could tell you were in no condition to bring him release now. Besides, despite his erection, the moment was gone. There was a problem at hand—with aliens Loki would have preferred never having to see again.
A sigh escaped his lips as he joined you on the bed, pressing you against his strong body.
“Sorry…” Your eyes fell shut. “That’s not how I imagined our December to go.”
“Shh… never apologise, my sweet.” A small smile tugged on your lips when you fell back asleep to let your body recover.
 -
The following days were no better. You woke to countless messages from Tony, busied yourself with meetings and first searches down in the sewers. You only hoped that their suspicions were right and the Chitauri were indeed hiding underground—not to mention the tube in New York. As long as you were unsure every last one of them had been maimed, people’s lives were in danger—and that was hardly ideal at this time of the year.
Steve had roped Loki and you in so much you even forgot about opening your advent calendar. Well—Loki did not forget about it. Every morning, after your coffee had woken you up properly from the lack of sleep and time for yourselves, you noticed one box missing. You did not know where they had gone but surely, Loki was up to something. If he knew what he unpacked every morning, that was.
The fifth of December was a Thursday. None of you had had luck thus far in tracking down any remaining Chitauri—if there were any—but slowly, the government started to panic, wanting this issue to be resolved when all you wanted was a break from the humid air underground, all the dirt, vomit-up, rat shit and other emetic smells, not to mention the darkness.
This was not how you had imagined your pre-Christmas time to be. Furthermore… well, not every couple had sex every night and morning. But the advent calendar you had bought was inspiring and it tore your nerves apart that even in sleep, you were unable to rest properly.
Loki’s unease infected you. The Chitauri reminded him of his time with Thanos and whenever he suffered, then so did you. That was what tired you both.
You flinched when your phone rang, forcefully ripping you from slumber. Loki growled. With a flick of his hand, he switched it off and rolled over, preventing you from stirring.
That night he had healed your concussion and that bleeding cut on your calf, he had relieved himself under the shower after you had fallen asleep. He needed you today—and he knew how much you needed him too. Both of you had to relieve some stress and that advent calendar you had suggested to buy would help you do just that.
Yesterday’s door contained a blindfold. The day before it was lust-enhancing lube which could also be used as massage oil. This morning… Loki had removed the box last night already and hid it under your bed. Handcuffs… this morning he would make sure you both relaxed.
You were still half asleep by the time Loki gently took your wrists and held them down above your head. In this state, you were too tired to question him—right until you suddenly felt something soft around them, locking you to the bedpost.
“Loki?” Your eyes flew open. You glanced up to spot a pair of plush handcuffs immobilising your hands all the while Loki already busied himself with your sleepwear, slowly pulling it off your body.
“Lights out, sweet one…” He mused hoarsely. You gasped when he slipped the blindfold on you, leaving you completely at his mercy.
“S-so that’s where the boxes went.”
Loki chuckled. “You are not surprised, are you?”
“Never, Trickster.” You shivered when he removed the covers, exposing your now naked skin to his greedy eyes. You could tell he was licking his lips without even seeing him.
He had to admit, the surprises the advent calendar had revealed in the last three days had played right into his cards. Robbing you of some of your senses was the perfect way to take your minds off things and make you relax for him—and if anything, Loki wanted you to feel as good as you made him feel.
The massage oil smelled like fresh coconuts, like that shampoo you had used at the beginning of the year. It warmed quickly in his hands when he poured it into his palms, then spread it all over your abdomen.
Your breathing was shaky already. He grinned.
Loki shushed you when you squirmed and bucked your hips up to meet his touch. “Patience, my sweet…”
“W-what is that?”
“Massage oil,” he explained briefly. “Now close your eyes and let me pamper that beautiful body of yours.” Let me prepare your wanton quim for my aching length… he added silently.
In any other universe, Loki could have been a massage therapist. Magical big and soft hands explored your curves and found your knots, focusing on the muscles which needed his attention the most. Not a single body part was left out. He massaged your thighs and calves, your feet and your arms, your hips, your hands… his own breathing growing heavier the closer he inched between your legs.
You were dripping by the time he paid proper attention to your clit, circling it lazily and applying just enough pressure to make you bucked your hips again, a scream escaping your lips when he slipped two fingers inside your warmth to test your wetness. You were so close… the knot tightening in your stomach warming your whole body from head to toe, making you ready for waves of pleasure cursing through your limbs…
You moaned his name when you fell from the cliff, your tight walls clenching around his fingers as he fucked you through your orgasm, kneading your clit firmly. He chuckled once more. With him, lust-enhancing lube was redundant.
“Loki, please…”
Your voice sounded like music in his ears. Freeing his pulsing erection from his trousers, he positioned himself between your legs, his tip, leaking pre-cum already, pressing against your wet and awaiting entrance. Power surged through him as he watched your blindfolded form awaiting his next move.
He sheathed himself inside you with but one firm thrust, his hands grabbing your hips for support. You moaned again, your cunt welcoming him as he retreated and rutted back into you, quickly finding a pace that made you both lose your minds.
The fact you could neither see nor touch him aroused you both even more. Never before had you felt such intense pleasure. Your wrists were getting sore from pulling at the handcuffs so much but you couldn’t care less. Knowing Loki was in charge and could do to you whatever he pleased felt so exciting by the time he was about to cum your body had already recovered for another orgasm.
You reached your high together, Loki groaning as he spilled himself inside you and his cock twitching against your walls as he filled you with your seed. You contracted around him, milking him for all he was worth until he collapsed on top of you completely spent, quickly waving his hand to free you from those handcuffs—even if he wished he could keep you like this for a while longer. Well… there would be a lot more time until Christmas.
“Thank you.” You murmured when he removed the blindfold for you and had you snuggle up against him. You didn’t thank him for the sex. You didn’t thank him for the orgasms… Loki and you were like two magnets, unable to resist one another. The closeness and body contact meant so much more than sex… and so did taking your minds off things before you returned to the exhausting life as an Avenger.
You had ended up as one of them by coincidence. You had no superpowers, no magical hammer that only you could lift and you did not turn into a green monster. You were merely a young woman with martial arts experience, pride and a sense for doing the right thing without being as self-righteous as Steve or as selfish as Tony had once been—you were somewhere in between, neither hero nor villain—which was one of the many reasons, so Loki had admitted to you once, why he had fallen in love with you.
-
A/N: Door 6 will be opened tomorrow, on December 6th!
Check out my blog to find more Imagines and take a glimpse at my first (to be) published novel! Also, if you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate so much if you supported me on Kofi! ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥
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lailannajacobs · 5 years ago
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A Poor Attempt and a Successful Hit | Counterfeit Criminals pt. 4
Pairing: loki x fem!reader
Chapter Summary: Things get a little heated when you’re fixing your ship 
Warnings: Angst & sexual tension 
Word Count: 2k 
A/N: So I got the inspiration for this scene watching Ragnarok with my nephew a while back and although it’s short it was one of my favourites to write! ope you guys enjoy it as well! <3 
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Counterfeit Criminals | Part Four
With what you kept on your ship in case of emergencies, and with the few missing materials the Prince had managed to conjure up for you, you were confident that you’d be up and running within the next day or so.
You were pretty sure you’d go crazy if you had to stay here in any longer.
The last two days had been excruciating. If you’d thought the Prince had been annoying when you’d crash landed, it was nothing compared to the way he seemed to be doing every little thing possible to annoy you. Your exhaustion had nothing to do with the fact that you’d fixed the bigger of the two holes in your ship and made sure the heat was running so that he could sleep on the floor but more with the fact that you were trying your hardest not to let him see how much him being here was killing you inside.
He was there no matter where you turned, being a nuisance as if his life mission depended on it. Half the time he didn’t do anything other than stand in the corner of your ship, arms crossed over his chest with that infuriating smirk on his lips. Even that was enough. If there was any chance of you forgetting everything that happened between the two of you, it was impossible with him hovering the way he did. Somehow - you didn’t know how - you were going to make it through these last few stays stranded on the planet without stabbing him or confessing your feelings.
You were inside the back end of your ship, welding the hole shut to keep the rain from coming in. Normally you would have finished the work on your larger hole, but you were tired of mopping up water. The bucket you’d placed beside you had needed to be emptied more than once in this morning already. During the day, the planet’s warm weather meant that you got rain rather than snow, and if you didn’t do anything about the hole now, you’d spend twice as long here just trying to mop the excess water from your ship. You weren’t going to spend a second longer here than necessary.
You felt more than saw the Prince arrive. He said nothing, but you knew he was somewhere, lurking in the background as you worked. You wanted to tell him to find something else to do, but you knew engaging only made things worse. If you could, you’d ignore him until you kicked him off your ship.
“I don’t think you’re doing that right,” He piped up.
You ignored him, focusing on the sub-atomic regeneration of your ship’s siding. All you had to do was finish this part and then you could take a break and cool off outside, in peace, alone. You didn’t care that it was raining, you needed to step away so you could finally breath. Being trapped in the ship with him felt like you were being suffocated by emotions you couldn’t name.
Yesterday, you had started ignoring him, and once he’d realized what was going on, he’d barely spoken to you. Until now. You kept working, hoping he’d leave, but you felt his presence like an electric hum.
You were only missing a couple square inches of surface area when a large crash scared you to the point you almost dropped the tool. Water soaking through your pants let you know exactly what had happened without you having to turn around. But you did, slowly, breathing in an attempt to stop yourself from losing it completely. The Prince stood before the toppled bucket, the pool of water now spanning most of this section of your ship. Clenching and unclenching your fists, you tried to convince yourself that it was fine. All you had to do was mop it up. Maybe kill him afterwards.
You were about to turn to finish the job when he spoke up.
“Clumsy me. I don’t know how that happened.”
You couldn’t even calm yourself down, your body reacted on instinct, whirling to face him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” You demanded, your voice echoing off the ship’s walls, “You can’t really think that I believe that you of all people tripped over that bucket. Do you want me to kill you? Because I’m seconds away from going through with it, Wolf.”
You unsheathed you dagger and whipped it up so that the tip poked into the skin under his chin, but not hard enough to draw blood. Yet. The Prince didn’t flinch; there was nothing but that cold, emotionless void in his eyes that you hated so much.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t go through with this right now,” You snarled, “I can’t see any good reason not to.”
“You’re not going to do it,” He stated calmly, voice filled with easy confidence.
You pressed the dagger even further, “Don’t be so sure, Prince.”
“I am,” He dipped his chin, a drop of blood sliding down the silver blade as he whispered, “You’re not a killer. I know what one looks like.”
The sincerity in his words took you by surprise, but you tried not to let it shake you, “There’s always time to start.”
He chuckled, “Even if you were, you’d need the skill to do so. I know for a fact that you don’t have that either.”
You shoved the dagger upward, but he moved out of the way faster than humanly possible. Little did he know that you were expecting it. You were already at him with a right hook and he barely moved fast enough that your hit glanced off his shoulder instead of his jaw. The miss put you off balance and you managed to block his side hit at the last second. You slashed at him again, this time coming at him with a few hits in quick succession. He blocked and parried them all, a fast-paced dance that sent you stumbling back. He took a predatory step forward, so you did the first thing you thought of and punched him in the nose.
His head whipped back, and you grinned, the adrenaline making a dangerous mix of your anger. He let out a huff and daggers materialized in each hand in response. You tightened your grip on your own dagger and backed into a fighting stance. He slashed across your stomach with blinding speed, but you knocked his hand away, falling back onto your heels. Taking advantage of your stumble, he advanced with a side hit that you barely blocked, the hit resonating in your bones. When the third hit came, you lifted the arm aimed at your chest and threw him back, slashing with your blade, twirling forward with the momentum. He stepped to the side to avoid your slashing blade and cross jabbed. The distance gave you just enough time to latch onto his arm, gritting with the force of keeping the sharp blade away from your skin.
He dropped the dagger into his other hand, and you kneed him in the leg, causing him to stumble. Recovering quickly, he flicked your blade out of your hand and came at you with a hit of his own. You bent backward under the singing blade and on your way back up, in desperation and anger, you slashed blindly and somehow nicked him in the face. He stumbled back in surprise, giving you enough time to kick him square in the chest. He fell back against the wall of your ship and slid down it.
“Is that all you’ve got, Midgardian?” He taunted, moments before you slammed into him, pinning him to the wall with your lower leg.
“No,” You growled, “I’m about to finish the job. Any last words, Wolf?”
He blew a strand of hair from his face, “I’m terribly sorry, Midgardian, but I don’t intend on dying today.”
Before you had any idea what was happening, you were flat on your back, the cold water from the ground soaking into your shirt. Loki hovered inches above you, keeping you pinned down with the weight of his body. You were panting hard, but the only evidence that Loki had just been in a fight was his messy hair and the cut on his face that was almost healed already. Nothing else was out of place, his breathing even. What was worse was this his eyes were bright, the corner of his mouth pulled into the roguish grin.
You tried to head-but him, but he flinched back fast enough to avoid the hit.
“You’ve been practicing,” He remarked, almost as if he was impressed.
You grit your teeth, “There’s not much else to do when you’re stranded in your ship, waiting for half of Asgard to stop chasing you.”
His eyes searched your face, the look almost too intense to hold, “It’s nice to see you made good use of your time.”
“I was going to let you screw me over twice,” You scoffed.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever screwed you,” He paused with a smirk, keeping you pinned down even as you tried to shove him off, “Over. I’m sensing some frustration, Midgardian. You know, I’ve heard that it’s better to let it out.”
You stopped struggling to glare at him, “I tried to kill you and it didn’t pan out. What’s the point of letting it out if it gets me nowhere?”
His face broke out into a devilish grin, “Maybe you weren’t letting it out the right way. You don’t actually want to kill me, Midgardian.”
“No, Prince,” You squirmed but he was too heavy, “I really do. Now, get off me.”
He searched your face, eyes flickering with a kaleidoscope of emotions you couldn’t make sense of. He leaned in close to that his lips almost brushed your ear when he drawled, “I’m sure we could find other, less deadly ways to let it out.”
Your whole body tensed, but you didn’t say anything, knowing better than to rise to his taunts; that was all they were anyways. He was playing a game to keep himself entertained and you’d had it. Two could play his game.
“Loki,” You whimpered, feeling his body go rigid at the sound of your voice, almost as if he was waiting for you to say more.
You stayed silent until he pulled back, lifting onto his elbows. His brows were knit together, with a wary look in his eyes.
“Get. Off. Me.”  
He smirked, looking far more at ease, “On one condition.”
“What?” You groaned, “Can’t you just get off me?”
“Let me help with the ship,” He continued.
“That’s what this was about?” You demanded incredulously, “All you had to do was ask, Wolf.”
He raised a brow, “And what would you have told me if I had?”
“I would have given you a job,” You retorted.
He laughed but the sound was void of humour, “That’s a lie.”
“No, it isn’t,” You said through gritted teeth.
“You can’t lie to me, Midgardian,” He murmured, “I know you.”
“Like hell you do,” You spat.
He shook his head and released you, moving away to stand at the far end of your ship. You didn’t fool yourself into thinking that he’d backed that far off because he was afraid of what you’d do to him. Despite trying his hardest to annoy you to death, he was giving you your space now for whatever twisted reason.
“What do you need me to do?” He asked.
You smoothed down your shirt, still pissed that you’d been pinned to the floor for that long, “Anxious to get back to Asgard?”
He grinned, “I’ve got plans.”
“Of course you do,” You muttered, “Mop up your mess. After that, come find me.”
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hellyeahheroes · 5 years ago
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Building America Chavez in D&D 5e
Sorry I’ve been mostly quiet, but certain recent events made me wish to take a break from posting. I do feel bad I didn’t do more for a Pride Month, however so I thought of doing something that will let me combine both trying to lift my spirits up (especially since I haven’t done one of those in a while) and doing little fun thing for LGBTQ followers - letting them play a game that is known as a good escapist fantasy as one of our favorite characters. We’re building America Chavez today.
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First of all, let’s define Goals for this build. First of all, we need to kick and punch hard and be able to take a hit as well and be super fast. Second, we need to kick so hard to open portals to other dimensions. Finally, we need to be able to fly and shine bright light.
Regarding Ability Scores America is one of those characters who should have 20 in everything, but we cannot really do that so I’m gonna prioritize what we need for the build. As always I’m taking basic template from Tulok the Barbarian so we’ll be unig Standard Point Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8). If you want to roll or use point-buy, go ahead and use these as guidelines, just remember you’ll need 13 inWisdom and Dexterity for multiclassing.
Strength: 14, You can throw tanks at the moon
Dexterity: 13, we need it for multiclassing purpose. Also, I doubt any medium or heavy armor goes with short shorts, America’s outfits are light armor at best.
Constitution: 15, you can take hits from the likes of She-Hulk, Vision and Thanos
Intelligence: 10, you don’t need it but America did go to college to expand her knowledge of cosmic stuff.
Wisdom: 12, living on your own since being a child means picking up some survival skills.
Charisma: 8, low but we will bumb it with rracial ability scores.
Speaking of Race, America is from another planet, descendant of a race created by two celestial beings, who can fly and shine her star marks. and if that doesn’t speak Protector Aasimar, I do not know what does. You gain +2 to Charisma and +1 to Wisdom, resistance to necrotic and radiant damage and know Common and Celestial languages. Your Darkvision lets you see  60 feet in dim light as in normal light and in darkness as in dim light, but without abilitty to discern colors. Once per long rest you can heal a person (or yourself) for number of hit points equal your level. Finally, you get a Light Cantrip, which lets you make one object no larger in any dimension than 10 feet and make it shine bright light in a 20 feet radius and dim light in next 20 feet. Use it for your own stars.
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Background: You are from another planet in another dimension so Far Traveller is closest to that. You gain proficiency in any language of your choice, pick something campaign relevant. You get proficiency in Insight and Perception and a single musical instrument or gaming set of your choice. You have an All Eyes On You feature, which makes you a center of attention and opens you doors of curious nobles and scholars.
Class Features:
Level 1: We will kick things off as a Ranger.  You gain proficiency in Dexterity and Strength saving throws, light and medium armor, simple and martial weapons, shields and two skills, choose Athletics and Investigation. 
We will be using Ranger options from Class Variants Unearthed Arcana, which is free. Deft Explorer lets you pick one of 3 options - Tireless lets you a number of times equal your Wisdom modifier per long rest gain 1d10+ Your Wisdom modifier temporary hit points as an action. If you are suffering from Exhaustion and take a short rest, you lose a level of it.
Favored Fore lets you cast Hunter’s Mark on a target without expending a spell slot a number of times equal your Wisdom modifier and don’t need concentration to maintain it. Hunter’s Mark let’s you pick one target and for its duration (up to an hour) you deal 1d6 extra damage whenever you hit it with an attack and gain advanate on Survival and Perception checks to find it. And if the target drops to zero hit points before spell ends you can move it to another as a bonus action. So if you are chasing after Loki again, this will come in handy.
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Level 2: 2nd Level Ranger gets to pick a Fighting Style. Unarmed Fighting lets your unarmed attacks deal 1d6+your Strength modifier damage, 1d8 if you hit with two hands at once (or do a dropkick, I guess) and when you start a grapple and whenever you hit a grappled creature you can deal it extra 1d4 bludgeoning of damage. As with Tulok, we pick this one a lot because a lot of superheroes just use fists. If you feel YOUR America should be swinging a waraxe, go for it and pick something else.
On this level Rangers get spellcasting. you know a number of spells and cannot know spells of higher level than you have spell slots for, whenever you cast a spell you spend spell slot of appriopriate level or higher. If a spell requires a saving throw it is against difficulty of 8 + Your Proficiency Modifier + Your Wisdom modifier and the latter two you also sum up to add to a Spell Attack roll if a spell requires one. You start with two spells.
Cure Wounds lets you touch a creature or yourself and heal for 1d8+ Your Wisdom modifier of hit points.
Zephyr Strike lasts for a 1 minute on concentration and for this time you don’t provoke opportunitty attacks and when you deal your first attack you get to make it with an advantage and your speed increases by 30 feet for this turn.
Level 3: Once you reach this level Protector Aasimar gains Radiant Soul, letting you once per long rest radiate with positive energy, even spouting mings made of light from your back. If your DM allows you can probably gain the benefits without that visual add-on. This form lasts for one minute and gives you flying speed equal your regular speed and once on each of your turns you can deal extra radiant damage equal your level to a creature you hit with an attack or a spell.
3rd Level Ranger gets to choose a Ranger Conclave. Horizon Walker specializes in dimensional travel and interdimensional threats. You can as an action sense location of a nearest interdimensional portal once per short or long rest. You also become a Planar Warrior, which means you can use your bonus action to select one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. During this turn when you attack that creature you not only deal extra 1d8 damage but also all damage from that attack gets converted to force damage. Force is the least protected against type of damage in the game, there is literally a single creature immune to it and zero creatures with resistance to it in entire Monster Manual.
At this level Ranger also gains Primeval Awareness, letting you spend a spell slot to be able to sense all aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead within one mile from you for duration of 1 minute per spell slot’s level, but does not tell you their exact location or number. It is horribly situational, costs your valuable resource and is basically a shittier version of Divine Sense, an abilitty Paladin gets on first level. It’s actually a core Ranger abilitty and it does have a replacement in Unearthed Arcana.... buuut that replacement gives you a bunch of extra spells that aren’t really America’s style. At least I am far more likely to beleive she is able to pick subtle hints of presence of various creatures due to her years of experience fighting everything the Multiverse threw at her, than I am that she can detect and talk to animals and plants or be able to see through an animal’s eyes. If you want to sacrifice some thematic coherence for more powerful build, be my guest.
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Hunter’s Mark is now added to your spells’ known as a bonus from Favored Foe and Horizon Walker gives you another additional spell - Protection From Evil and Good, letting you make  aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead  have disadvantage on attacks against yourself or another creature. The target of the spell cannot be charmed, frightened or posessed by these creatures  and if that already happend before you cast the spell, it rolls saving throws to shake it off with an advantage. A lot of lovecraftian horrors try to eat your teammate and future god for his future god powers, this will help against that.
Our regular spell for this level will be Absorb Elements. You can cast it as a reaction whenever you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage and it grants you resistance to that and next time you hit a target on your next turn, it takes extra 1d6 of that type of damage. This second feature is less impressive at higher levels where a lot of creatures dealing that type of damage are resitant or outright immune to it. Every dragon is immune to the damage dealt by its breath for example. EXCEPT that as a Palanar Warrior you convert that to force damage. Their offense just makes you hit harder.
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4th Level: Sticking with Ranger for an Abilitty Score Improvement or a Feat. Resilent lets you add 1 to your Constitution and makes you proficient with Constitution saving throw. a large number of your spells is depending on Concentration so this is a good way to keep going even after you take a hit.
5th Level: Ranger gains an extra attack, letting you attack twice in a single attack action. Remember, those attacks are all affected by your Planar Warrior power.
You also gain access to 2nd level spells 
Lesser Restoration, letting you cure one disease or a  blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned condition from one creature. America heals fast.
Horizon Walker gives us Misty Step, which lets you teleport 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.
6th Level: You can pick second Deft Explorer feature. I will go with Roving to increase your speed by 5 feet and give you climbing and swimming speed equal to your walking speed. America is fast and with that you can move to your foes no matter where they are.
7th Level: Horizon Walker gives you Etheral Step. You can now once per short or long rest cast, as a bonus action, Etherealnesss on yourself without expending a spell slot but it only lasts one turn. It lets you step into Ethereal Plane where you can move without being affected by enemies or walls or magic effects on material plane. You can use this to move aout of the harm’s way or (more likely) behind enemy lines to punch that one guy who keeps hiding behind the tank.
You also get one more spell but I’m not feeling these 2nd level spells so we will pick Longstrider, which increases your movement speed by 10 feet for 1 hour, no concentration required. This means you can now walk, climb, swim or fly up to 45 feet per turn. And you cannot tell me America isn’t super fast, considering in her debut book she did this
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8th Level: We will now jump to Cleric. America has multitude of things she could worship, be it Demiurge or Spirits Beracca and Sanar who created your home planet or even your moms and their messianic-like sacrifice. Or not, Clerics don’t need to worship a diety, they can draw the power from just believing this strongly in something the universe registers it as faith. Lou Wilson on The Unsleeping City plays a Cleric who is a doctor that draws power from caring about his patients so much, you don’t need to limit yourself just because you may dislike certain parts of character history.
Whatever your reasons, you get to pick a Divine Domain. Since America can travel between dimensions, she basically is a Planeswalker. Meaning she can jump to Magic: the Gathering setting Amonketh from one of Planeshift supplements and grab the Strength Domain. You gain proficiency in one extra skill, pick Survival, and heavy armor.
You also get Cleric spellcasting, which works as Ranger’s except you know all your Cleric spells and you prepare which spells you have ready each day. You also get cantrips, which you can cast as many times as you want. Your number of spell slots is determined by multiclassing table -  check out a level equal your Cleric level + half your Ranger level rounded down to consult how many spell slots you have for use.
You get 3 Cantrips, two spells and two extra spells and an extra cantrip from Strength domain so we have some work to do.
Guidance and Resistance each lets you add a d4 to a single ability check or a saving throw respectively. This shit is life saving. No, I did not spend my last game lamenting guidance is not on Bard Spell list after my bard failed an important skill check by 1, why are you asking?
Thunderclap lets you clap your hands so hard every creature 5 feet from you needs to make a Constitution saving throw or be dealt 1d6 thunder damage. It is a staple for powerhouses, Hulk basically patented it.
Bless lets you pick up to 3 creatures, including yourself. For the duration they add 1d4 to attack rolls and saving throws
Detect Magic lets you sense or see influence of magic within 30 feet from you unless it’s hiding behind a thick enough barrier. Again, America been around, she can recognize a lot of tricks.
Divine Favor lets you add 1d4 of Radiant damage to your attacks. America’s punches are that strong.
Shield of Faith meanwhile grants you +2 bonus to your AC. Again, short shorts can barelly pass for light armor, less alone medium or heavy so you need all help you can get.
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9th Level: 2nd Level Cleric gets to use their Channel Divinity.once per short or long rest
The standard use is Turn Undead, which forces all undead who see you to make a Wisdom saving throw or be turned for 1 minute or until they take damage, making them unable to do anything but spend their turn dashing away from you. You may say it is not in character but America travelled across the Multiverse a lot. Do you know what you can find in Marvel Multiverse a lot? Zombies. Especially Marvel Zombies. And even then, regular zombies in D&D are also know as “PAIN IN THE BUTT TO FIGHT WITH” so whichever kind of undead is bothering you, this will help.
Strength Domain grants you another use of this, Feat of Strength. You can choose to spend your use of Channel Divinity to add +10 to an attack roll, abilitty check or saving throw using Strength.
Finally, Unearthed Arcana lets you spend your use of this feature to regain a 1st level spell slot. It’s situational, but could be useful in a pinch.
Our spell for the level will be Sanctuary - cast it on one creature of your choice to make enemies have to roll a Wisdom saving throw whenever they want to target it with an attack or a harmful spell or have to choose another target. You can play this one as goading enemies to fight her to distract them from civilians or your mroe squishy teammates like Billy or Loki. Warning, don’t waste it on either Kate or Quentin Quire, they are likely to just go and shoot someone and the spell ends if target attacks someone, casts a harmful spell or causes damage from an already active spell. So no, Quentin, you cannot cast Spirit Guardians and then have America Sanctuary you, stop asking and read an errata already!
10th Level: 3rd Level Cleric gets 2 2nd Level spell slots
Aid lasts for an hour and lets you increase hit point maximum and current hit points of up to 3 party members by fve, always useful as a form of a battle plan to keep everyone safe.
Warding Bond lets you for an hour create a bond between you and another creature for 1 hour with no concentration. As long as the target is within 60 feet of you it gets +1 to AC and resistance to all damage but whenever it takes damage, you take as much damage and if you get further than 60 feet away from one another or you drop to 0 hit points, the spell ends. So cast this on Kate, Monica or Billy who are squishy but know to stay in the back. Don’t cast it on Ramone, Eddie, Adam, Teddy, Carol, T’Challa, Noh-Varr, Gwen, David, Eli or Galactus who are likely to be with you in the front line. And don’t cast it on Quentin, he is squishy and should stay in the back but he cannot be trusted, this kid has no self-perservation instinc whatsoever. Same goes for Loki, who is supposed to be smarter but still keeps poking everything around for one scheme or another.
Strength Domain gives us Enchance Abilitty, which grants you an advantage on abilitty chekcs of chosen Ability score and some minor bonuses if you pick Strength, Dexterity or Constitution. As I’ve said, America is good at everything as if she was an anime character, this will help you emulate that.
Protection from Poison for an hour, no concentration, gives the target advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage and when cast removes one poison already affecting the target.
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11th Level: 4th Level Cleric gets an Abilitty Score Improvement, invest in your Strength. Spoiler, this will be where all your remaining Abilitty Score improvements will go.
You get one more cantrip and one more spell
Virtue grants the target 1d4+your spellcasting abilitty modifier of temporary hit points for one round
Branding Smite, which was added in Unearthed Arcana, lets you deal extra 2d6 Radiant damage and if the target was invisible it now becomes visible and cannot becopme invisible for the duration of the spell as it shines bright light in 5-feet radius. America punching someone out of their invisiblity so hard they now glitter? Sounds about right.
12th Level: 5th Level Cleric can destroy all undead of challenge rating 1/2 or less who failed saving throw against turn undead. 
You get even more spells, gaining access to third level ones.
Remove Curse lets you remove effects of a curse from a person or break attunment to cursed item. Use it on yourself to simply shrug off the enemy curses
Tongues lets you understand any language and be understood by all other creatures for an hour. You ever noticed how all realities America goes to seem to speak English? This may be why.
Protection From Energy lets you get resistance to  acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. for the duration, on concentration of course.
Haste also lasts on concentration. it doubles your speed, grants +2 to AC, an advantage on Dexterity saving throws and an extra attaction you can use to take Dash, Disengage, Hide or use object action or make a single extra attack. Once it ends you cannot take actions for a turn, 
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13th Level: 6th Level Cleric can use Channel Divinity twice per short or long rest, gains a new use from Strength domain, letting you as a reaction grant +10 to another creature’s attack roll, ability check or saving throw using Strength. Sometimes you jsut want to cheer up on your girlfriend to punch someone harder, you know?
You also get to pick one more spell - magic Circle lets you ward an area of 10 feet radius and 20 feet height from celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead, whichever you choose. You can either protect creatures inside from that type of enemies or trap them inside the circle. Either way the selected creature type cannot willingly cross the border of the circle, had disadvantage against targets on the other side cannot charm, frighter or possess and if it tries to circumvent this by using teleportation of any sort it needs to first succeed a Charisma saving throw.
14th Level: 7th Level Cleric gets 4th level spells
Freedom of Movement lets you for one hour, no concentration required, make yourself unaffected by difficult terrain and magic cannot in any way reduce your speed, restrain or paralyze you, you can spend 5 feet from your movement to escape nonmagical restraints and being underwater doesn’t impose any penalty on your movement.
Dominate Beast isn’t really in character so I will focus on second bonus spell Strength Domain gives you - Stoneskin grants you resistance to nonmagical Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing damage
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Stoneskin is not an excuse to wear this awful outfit from Vengenace, tho.
15th Level: 8th Level Cleric gains Divine Strike, letting you once on each of your turns add extra 1d8 of that damage type. You also get to pick another Abilitty Score improvement and your Destroy Undead abilitty upgrades to undeads of CR 1 or less.
Your spell for this level will be Banishment, forcing a Charisma Saving throw on the target and sending it to another dimension if it fails. If the target is native to this plane, it is send to a harmless dimension and comes back once spell ends. But if it is not, it is send to its home plane and if you maintain concentration for one minute, it does not return. As with Magic Circle this is less something we hase SEEN America do but sounds like something she should be able to do. Open a portal under something and let it fall.
16th Level: 9th Level Cleric gets one spell of 4th level and one of 5th level.
Greater Restoration lets you remove from atarget a single level of exhaustion, one curse, one reduction of an abilitty score or hit point maximum, one effect that charmed or petrified the target. Use this on yourself to shrug off everything. Except perficication, kinda hard to use this while petrified.
Strength Domain gives you two extra spells, but Insect Plague isn’t very in character. Destructive Wave, however, lets you strike the ground, making every creature of your choice within 30-feet range take 5d6 thunder and 5d6 radiant or necrotic damage and be knocked prone, half damage on a succesful Constitution saving throw. You stomp the ground that hard.
Death Ward lasts for 8 hours with no concentration, first time a target would be dropped to zero hit points, they’re dropped to 1 hit points instead. If an effect would kill target instantly without dealing damage (say POWER WORD: KILL) it is negated. Either way the spell ends after a single activation. Sounds useful considering one of people on America’s shit list is COSMIC TITAN CHAMPION OF DEATH 
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17th Level: 10th Level Cleric gains Divine Intervention, which lets you call upon the power of whoever you picked as your patron diety. You describe what you want to happen and roll a percentage dice - if your result is lower than your Cleric level, diety intervenes in a way choosen by the DM. If you succed on this, you cannot use this feature for a week, if you fail you cannto do it until after a long rest.
You get one new Cantrip and one new 5th Level Spell
Word of Radiance forces all creatures of your choice to suceed a Constitution saving throw or take 4d6 radiant damage. You shine so bright you literally hurt your enemies.
Legend Lore lets you gain knowledge about a legendary object, person or location, up to mysterious secrets. Again, America has been travelling through the Multiverse, she likely has seen everything and recalls things that seem to be happenning again.Information may be a bit cyrptic, tho.
18th Level: 11th Level Cleric’s Destroy Undead improves to undeads of CR 2 or lower. You also get an access to 6th Level Spell - otherwordly Form was added to Cleric Spell List in Unearthed Arcana. It lets you for the duration (up to 1 minute on concentration) grant yourself flying speed of 40 feet, use of your Wisdom in place of Strength for attack rolls, an additional attack that doesn’t stack with your extra attack and immunity to either fire and poison damage and poisoned condition or radiant and necrotic damage and charmed comdition. This will help if you out of your Radiant Soul and need to fly again, but it is sadly not as good on this particular build because we already have an extra attack and rely more on Strength than Wisdom. But Clerics don’t get Fly.
19th Level: Speaking of Strength, 12th Level fo Cleric and our Final Abilitty Score Improvement lets us finally cap it.
20th Level: Our captsone is 13th Level of Cleric for a 7th Level spell - Plane Shift lets you become your party’s ticked to the Multiverse, letting you transport yourself and up to 8 willing creatures to another plane of existence or to banish an unwilling creature to a random location on a plane you choose if you hit it with a meele spell attack you make as a part of this spell and it fails Charisma Saving throw.
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Overview: So this is my take on America Chavez - Protector Aasimar Horizon Walker Ranger 7/Strength Domain Cleric 13. Now let us see how valiable this build is:
Pros: First of all, you are really tough, with around 165 hit points, a number of spells you can set up to buff yourself  and/or others you will be very hard to hurt. Second, you have a large number of ways to hurt your enemies and even combine them to deal some impressive damage. Finally, you have a ton of mobility options, letting you chase all most important targets all across the battlefield.
Cons: A lot of your spells require concentration and we didn’t cap this one, so it is mediocre. A lot of your offensive options compete for bonus action and your buffs require some prep time and forward thinking to set up or wasting your time during the combat. A number of offensive spells relies on your Wisdom modifier, which is weak.
However, you are pretty good at what you do best - punching and taking on yourself major threats. You are a reliable tank who can outlast her enemies in combat. Punch people and protect your friends, jsut remember you cannot do it all alone and your teammates are much more squishy - protect them and they’ll have your back
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Alternatives:
There is a number of ways in which you could upgrade this build but sacrifice some of loyalty to America’s potrayal.
* Ranger 6/Cleric 14 lets you increase your Divine Strike Damage to 2d8, meaning you can deal 4d8 damage when combined with Planar Warrior.
* Ranger 12/Cleric 8 lets you increase your Planat Warrior Damage and gains extra attack from Horizon Walker’s 11th level feature, making you much more offensive but also with more hp.
* Change stats to STR 12 DEX 13 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 15  CHA 8. Pick Druidic Warrior as your fighting style, grab a club or a staff and pick shillelagh as your cantrip, letting you use your Wisdom for attacks made with said club or staff, then go Ranger 8/Cleric 12 or vice-versa, using your Abilitty Score Improvements to round up first Wisdom and then Constitution. This take on America will have much better offense AND defense but it strays so much from her as a character (no plane shift, no punching with your hands, less actual Strength and more trickery) it didn’t feel right. Sometimes you need to sacrifice power to stay loyal to the character. Then again, this build would sure be true to a certain aspect of America we know and love.
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- Admin
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philliamwrites · 4 years ago
Text
i could make you need me all the time (pt.2)
Fandom: Persona 5
Pairing: Akira/Akechi
Tags: #justice rank 8 spoilers, #slight angst, #persona 5 royal spoilers, #new semester spoilers
Words: 3.4k
Summary: Akechi is counting numbered days, preparing himself for the end. Akira being himself doesn't help.
Note: Part 2 | Inspired by ‘Make it Holy’ by The Staves.
i could make you need me all the time
    Lavenza is not what Akechi has expected. Not that he’s expected anything specific in the first place, but a little child with golden eyes, staring at him with such an intense gaze that he is the one looking away first, is new. Akira being too prying for his own good is nothing new though. He stays after everyone leaves the nurse’s room, leaning against a white wall between two areca palms while watching Akechi on his quest to find band-aids he doesn’t even need.
    Nothing and everything changed after Christmas Eve.
    They aren’t fooling around in Save Rooms anymore. No one buys their ‘Forgot something and have to go back’-trick because no one leaves Akira and him alone for even a second. Akira thinks it’s rude. Akechi doesn’t really care. If possible, he doesn’t want to see him at all.
    “My sports uniform looks good on you,” Akira says. There’s a slight tilt to his voice Akechi’s heart always responds to with a little jolt—the eradicated-the-enemy-fashionably-tilt, the-I’m-your-rival-don’t-get-too-cocky-tilt, the post-orgasm-satisfied-tilt. Where once adrenaline shot through his body, only electricity remains that paralyses him.
    It’s the first time his body simply shuts down instead of running or fighting, effectively betraying him.
    Avoiding Akira is like trying to run away from a bee while wearing cologne that smells of pansies. It isn’t too evident in Maruki’s palace. Any slip-up means potentionally risking all their lives, so Akira approaches him for obligations only. Healing, consultation, strategy. Akechi lets him, always catching him staring at his ass though.
    Everything gets trickier when they’re in the real world. There’s only so long Akechi can hide in his cold one-room apartment, emptied by Shido’s henchmen at some point during his disappearance in December, before a phone call or message summons him to meet with the rest. He does want to defeat Maruki. He does not want to achieve it by pretending to be friends.
    “If you have time to simply stand there, why not use it to plan our next infiltration?” Akechi asks without looking back, pretending that rummaging through the cupboards requires his whole attention. He’s a man on a mission, adamant that if he only ignores Akira long enough, he’ll just lose interest like a child growing bored with their toys.
    He underestimates him.
    Again.
    “Morgana and the rest have that covered.” Footsteps draw closer. Akechi’s body tenses into one hard, solid muscle. “I’m here because there’s something we need to talk about.”
    “Is that so?” Akechi closes a cabinet door with a loud bang, marching to the other side of the room. “Because I have nothing to say to you.”
    There are million things he wants, maybe needs to say, but simply thinking about them closes Akechi’s throat off, choking him with this bitter taste of rotten glory and ruined dreams. He’d rather die than allow this weakness to take hold of him.
    “Akechi.”
    He ignores him, rummaging through a drawer that’s crammed full of snacks. No band-aids. He hates this place.
    “Akechi.”
    Dull pain throbs at the back of his head. He tells Robin Hood to make Loki stop, but silence in return reminds him that since the boiler room, Robin has been gone. It’s easy to forget that sometimes. It isn’t as easy falling asleep again after waking from a nightmare where he hears Robin’s atrocious screams still ringing in his head.
    He tears through the next drawer, refusing to think about anything else except band-aids, band-aids, band-aids, what shitty nurse room doesn’t have band-aids—
    “Goro.”
    Akira is so close; he feels his warm breath on the back of his neck.
    Fight, flight or stay to be devoured. Akechi barely turns his head, eyes creeping up slowly to Akira’s face. Being this close was never a problem before—Akechi has had enough time to count every single lash, black as spilt ink, cursing them curling like crescent moons and throwing long shadows over high, winged cheekbones he can draw with closed eyes on paper. This face is as familiar as his own. He’s seen it angry, laughing, frowning; wearing a wicked, cruel smile, contort in hot, all-consuming pleasure: slightly open mouth with pink, swollen lips, blushing, hot cheeks. Dead, empty eyes. Red, thick blood between slanted eyebrows.
    In his nightmares, Akechi hears Robin’s scared screams in the boiler room, and sees Akira’s slack face slam on the prosecutor’s desk.
    No. There really is nothing to say.
    “Goro?” Akira’s voice is barely a whisper. “You’re shaking.”
    If there is a time for his body to betray him, it isn’t now. Akechi turns away, his mission forgotten. Right now, he needs to get as far away from here as possible. Akechi never feared his mistakes to catch up to him some day, but Akira, alive and kicking Akira, proves him wrong over and over again. “If there’s nothing else, it’s time for me to go,” he says.
    He shoves Akira out of his way, quickly pulling his hand back as if burnt by this simple touch. He manages to cross the room halfway before Akira’s voice makes him stop.
    “Were you looking for this?”
    He turns around. Akira is holding a partially opened package of band-aids, presenting them like bait to prey that doesn’t know any better. Akechi wants to bare his teeth.
    “I’m not here to play games,” he hisses, stomping towards Akira who beelines towards him as well, approaching Akechi too fast. Two feet until they crash like stars and swallow everything. One foot until they collide like cars and explode into tiny, burning pieces. Before they set the room in flames, Akira halts.
    “Good,” he says and takes Akechi’s wrist—far gentler than he’d expected or liked, and leads him to the sitting area near the door where he can see the exit so close and yet so far. “Because I’m not playing.”
    Akechi clicks his tongue.
    He drops begrudgingly into an armchair, folding one leg over the other and crossing his arms. Akira knees down in front of him, just a few inches away from his legs. It reminds Akechi of a similar image several months ago, only he was still acting for an audience that never cared about him in the first place, and Akira was wearing a tight, black latex cop uniform.
    Only one of those things makes him want to go back to that time.
    “Let me,” Akira says, holding out one hand to Akechi like a knight asking for allowance to kiss his maiden’s fair hand.
    “I’m not a little kid,” Akechi hisses but it lacks its usual venom. Akira doesn’t pressure. Wordlessly, he waits, the inside of his palm lying open, vulnerable.
    Akechi stares daggers at it, hoping it will simply disappear. When the result disappoints, he takes the easy route and slaps his hand in Akira’s. “Just hurry up.”
    Akira hums. He’s inspecting Akechi’s hand, searching for the injury like a scientist looking for the answer of the afterlife. His hold is light like a feather, careful and hesitant, as if the universe granted him the honour to look after a priceless treasure that builds kingdoms and burns countries.
    “Where do you need it?”
    “I can do it on my own.”
    “Oh, I don’t doubt your abilities.” Fumbling with the bandage, Akira pulls his eyebrows together in concentration, a little smile flirting with his lips. Akechi knows it, the everything-is-a-game-to-me-smile but this time stakes are too high for him to join. “But humour me. Now, where do I put it on?”
    He glares at him. Seeing no way to win, he turns his hand, his palm fitting perfectly against Akira’s, showing the little, shallow cut on one finger.
    Akira stares at it, very unimpressed. “Are you an actual child?”
    Akechi pulls his hand away—too slow. Akira’s fingers latch around his wrist, holding him in place. “Wait, wait, I’m joking.”
    “You’re not funny,” Akechi replies drily. He watches Akira put a bandage around his finger, smoothing it out with his thumb.
    “This…” He digs his thumb slightly where the wound is, making it burn but Akechi doesn’t flinch. “… looks like a ring, doesn’t it?”
    Akechi raises one eyebrow. “It doesn’t.”
    “Like a wedding ring,” Akira continues as if he didn’t say anything. Akechi looks down at the band-aid around his ring finger. He feels too awake all of a sudden, yet extremely tired. Everything buzzes, from his head to his toes, and he can’t tell if it’s Maruki’s Actualized Happy World or Akira touching him or the fact that he should not be. He remains very still, like a corpse, and stares over Akira’s curly mop of hair at the mirror hanging at the opposite end of the room. Brown eyes stare back at him—unflinching, lifeless like the glassy eyes of a dead fish until he blinks and it’s just his normal, usual face.
    “Don’t tell me you’re entertaining the absurd idea of marriage,” he mocks, a crooked smile cutting his mouth into two red lines. “What are you, a lonely housewife in her thirties?”
    “What can I say, I’m a romantic at heart,” Akira answers. He isn’t smiling.
    Akechi’s grin dies. “If you have time to think about something this foolish, then there will be no problem in securing the path to the treasure tomorrow, right?” His voice sounds weird to his own ears. He feels sick.
    Finally, his hand is set free as Akira places it carefully on Akechi’s knee.
    “You’re smart enough to figure out where I’m going with this conversation,” Akira says, rising to his feet. He seems a little absent minded, his eyes unfocused and thoughts far away from this room. “Think about my proposal.”
    “Propo—” Akechi jumps to his feet, his ears buzzing with a swarm of angry bees. He’s so close to Akira, their chest almost touch. He smells it again: coffee, washing powder, sweat. No blood this time. It feels wrong. “I have no interest in entertaining this stupid idea.”
    “Do you hate it because it’s a social construct and divorce is way too expensive,” Akira asks, his eyes snapping back to Akechi and focusing with too much determination in them on him. “Or is it the thought of living with someone that allows you to be vulnerable that scares you.”
I’m not scared of anything, Akechi wants to say. What comes out instead is, “Why did you ask if you know the answer already?”
“Because I want to hear it from you. I want to know what you want.”
    What does Goro Akechi want? No one has asked him this before, so he’s taken aback a second, speechless. A lump grows in his throat, burning every time he swallows.
    “I don’t want someone else to decide how I live my life,” he says eventually. Slowly, word for word so Akira understands that what makes Goro Akechi the person he is, is something he was never allowed to have in the first place and the crave for it now is like craving air underwater. “I don’t want to be someone’s puppet.”
    Akira’s voice grows louder. “Then what do you want?”
    Akechi’s body shudders with rage. I want to live.
    He turns around, blinking furiously against the burning in his eyes. “We’re done talking. You can contact me if there are important things we need to discuss. That’s what I want.”
    There is no answer, but he knows he’s got his point across. Some people take Akira’s silence for what it is, when sometimes it speaks louder than his words. Right now, he feels it like a solid pressure against his skin, leaving dents and reshaping his body and he’s afraid to turn around and look in the mirror again.
    Marriage.
    Marriage with Akira Kurusu of all people.
    What an absolutely stupid, horrendous idea. What a horrifying dream and scary hope to plant into someone whose soil is home to maggots and vermin that only know the taste of blood. Akechi takes that seed and hides it somewhere deep, deep inside his chest where the dirt hasn’t reached; an almost forgotten place that still loves toy guns and collects Phoenix Ranger Featherman stickers to put them on his bento lunch box.
    That is the only part of himself he wishes Akira could get to know before the end as well.
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