#i just love the fact that steve and peter said it

[innerempire]

The Avengers trying to raise funds for god-knows-what and Natasha comes with brilliant naughty idea of a pin-up calendar of their youngest Avenger. There's nothing like showing some skin, and it's obvious (be it in Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, or Reddit) that the public unanimously think that the newest addition to the team - Peter Parker - is pretty fucking hot.

Sure, they've not seen his face before, but that lithe body in that spandex? Peter's the only one comfortable with actually baring his ass for the calendar (Steve acknowledges that Captain America's ass is still one of the finest, but he's not fucking baring his ass cheeks for a goddamn calendar).

Thing is, Natasha has to run through the idea with Tony first because she thinks that Stark acts like a unhinged guard dog out for blood when his favorite protege is involved. She's not stupid to try and go behind Tony's back on this.

''I'm sorry, what-'' Tony swipes at his keyboard, interrupting Natasha from her tangent.

''Don't mind him.'' Peter pipes up from where he's tinkering with his latest project. ''He goes 'huh' a lot these days.''

Tony points a wrench in Peter's direction, ''Zip it.''

''Look, we want something that's going to sell. People love Peter in spandex, and what's hotter than hip keeping his mask on and, you know, executing a couple of suggestive positions with his ass showing. Pepper thinks putting him in a thong would make people go insane-''

''Are you-'' Tony rubs at his mouth. ''Did you even sleep after your coming back from your mission with Barton? Or am I the one hallucinating this conversation?'' He tries to mentally compute the last time he had slept.

''Peter said yes.''

Peter's neck is flushed, ''...I figured, since it's for charity...? I do have a pretty nice ass, especially when it's in spandex. So, you know, me in a thong would be-''

''Okay.'' Tony claps his hands together, startling both Natasha and Peter. ''I'm going to get a drink. Preferably something really strong, because I'm going to pretend that you didn't just waltz in here to tell me that you want the kid's bare ass on a pin-up calendar.''

''Prude.'' Natasha clicks her tongue disapprovingly at Tony.

After Natasha leaves, an amused Peter wheels his chair over towards Tony, ''So, which one bothered you more? The fact that people are going to own a calendar with like 12 months of Spiderman's bare ass, or the idea of me in a thong? Or panties, you know, the ones with the bows and frills that you have stashed deep in your wardrobe. I'm assuming they're for me, after you tell me that you've been fantasizing about this. But hey, if they're for you, that's pretty fucking hot too, Mr.Stark.''

A couple of months later, the idea does push through (under Tony's strict supervision). Because Peter's such a little shit, he signs the first printed copy and leaves it on Tony's desk with a note: Do me a favor and film yourself jerking off to the calendar, Mr. Stark. P.S: You'll love the month of May.

Of fucking course the month of May is Peter in the panties that Tony had so generously gifted to him - a gorgeous satiny piece that's gold and red.

The calendar is obviously a hit and during the next Avengers gathering, everyone's teasing Peter to sign their copies.

''So.'' Natasha sidles up to Peter. ''How bad did Tony give it to you for having your bare ass out in that calendar?''

''...they had to use two whole tubes of concealer and a shitload of powder and foundation even after a week after what Tony did to me.''

[haveihitanerve]

“Please tell me nobody kissed me.” Steve laughed, and Tony, for the first time since he had met the soldier, could see real, genuine relief and joy on his face. Tony's lips curved. He had made the soldier laugh. Made him look like that. Something lodged in Tony's throat. Steve was relieved he was alive. In less than a week, in more than a few conversations, or well, yelling matches, they had formed enough of a bond that Steve… was relieved he was alive. The super soldier smiled again, real and satisfied and complete. “We won.” Tony smiled. 

“Mr. Stark?” Tony couldn't feel his legs. He was grateful for it too, because his arm hurt just about enough. He didn't want to have to worry about his legs too. There was something digging into his side, maybe his rib, and it kinda hurt to breathe. Just a little. He spied Steve, out of the corner of his eye, something akin to devastation on his face. Heartbreak in his eyes. Tony would have moved. If he could've. Gone to his team. What he hoped was left of it. He could see Peter, and Rhodey, and Steve and Thor. But anyone else… He prayed to the gods he didn't believe in since he met what a real one was like that they were all okay. That Clint and Bruce and gods Pepper were alive. He wanted to hug Steve. Be hugged back. He wanted… he wanted to eat shawarma with his friends and drink crappy coffee at the park the way he and steve and thor always did on saturdays, and he wanted to go to art galleries with Nat and paint his nails with Clint. He wanted to sit in silence with Bruce and buy flowers for Pepper and play pool with Rhodey and test out equipment with Sam. He wanted to watch Morgan grow up and cheer for Peter when he got into his dream college. He wanted to… He wanted to see his team. Alive, happy, whole. And he wanted to hug them all. But that was really damned hard to do when one couldn't feel ones legs. Peter came into his periphery and Tony focused, shifting his head to look at the boy. Gods, he was going to miss him. Peter was bright in the same way Harvey had been, in the same way Tony liked to think he was. And he had this spark, this beautiful spark of life that made him so.. Joyous and happy and relieved to exist. Peter loved life, loved it whole heartedly and with open arms, even with everything it threw at him and took from him. Tony wanted him to keep that joy. That love. “Mr. Stark. We won Mr. Stark.” Peter whimpered. Tony smiled. 

[waitimcomingtoo]

Arms Race

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Synopsis: Peter picks up on the fact that you have a thing for his arms

Masterlist

“Which one of you blooming onions wants to arm wrestle a god and lose?” Thor asked as he cracked his knuckles before slamming his elbow down on the table. Everyone rolled their eyes with affection while and you Peter continued your game of cards.

“Oh come on. No one’s up for the challenge?” Thor asked and flexed his arm.

Peter noticed you flick your eyes up for just a second at Thors arms before smiling shyly to yourself. This sent an unexpected wave of jealousy down to Peters stomach. He knew nobody on the team was as big or as strong as Thor but seeing you look at him like that made Peter feel like he might have some competition for your attention. He knew it was probably silly to even think about, but part of him was worried Thor would win you over before Peter had a chance to tell you how he felt. Before he knew was he was doing, he was putting his hand of cards down.

“I’ll give it a go.” Peter said and went over to Thor.

“Really? You want to compete, spider boy?” Thor smirked and out his elbow back down on the table.

“Why not? You know, some spiders can lift up to 170 times their weight. And if you calibrate that for a human in accordance to my height and weight, I can lift up to 25,000 pounds. So I’m not as weak as I look.” Peter explained as he rolled up his sleeves.

“Kids right. I’ve seen him catch a bus.” Steve backed Peter up.

“Well I’ve seen him kick Buckys ass.” Sam added with a smirk.

“Shut up. I was having an off day.” Bucky grumbled.

“Have you ever had an on day?” Sam snorted.

“He was definitely on the night he killed my parents.” Tony said casually. Everyone fell into uncomfortable silence as Tony waited for someone to laugh at his joke.

“Anyways.” You said to break the silence. “Peters stronger than you guys give him credit for. I’d love to see him take on Thor.”

Peter smiled proudly to hear you back him up and gave Thor a look that said it was up to him.

“All right. Come here and grab the hand of the mighty Thor.” Thor said and held his hand out.

“Does he always talk like that?” Shang Chi whispered to Steve.

“It’s slowly been getting worse.” Steve whispered back.

Now that Peter knew he had your attention, he wasn’t gonna waste it. He rolled his sleeves back down and unzipped his sweatshirt.

“Oooo. Jackets coming off.” Tony clapped his hands. Underneath Peters sweatshirt was a flannel shirt, making Tony stop clapping.

“To reveal a slightly lighter jacket.” Tony continued. Peter then unbuttoned his flannel and threw it at you to catch. You caught it and held it to your chest as your face heated up.

“Ohhh. Now we’re talking.” Tony clapped his hands again now that Peter was just in a tight white T-shirt. You gulped at the sight of his arms, something you knew you’d never get used to no matter how many times you saw them. You watched with a hand over your mouth as Peter and Thor wrapped their opposite hands around each others and glared into each others eyes.

“You’re going down.” Peter warned.

“The only time I go down is on a-“ Thor was cut off by the sound of his hand hitting the table. Everyone was stunned to silence as they watched Peter win with ease. You raised your eyebrows in surprised and made eye contact with Peter, who winked at you.

“No fair. I wasn’t ready.” Thor scoffed.

“All right. Then let’s go again.” Peter shrugged and held his hand up again. They started to arm wrestle and it lasted longer this time as Thor was determined not to be shown up. Peter started to overpower Thor and was just about to win when Thor sent an electric wave through Peters body. Peters body went limp long enough for Thor to pin his hand and win.

As you watched this all unfold, you were sitting on the edge of your seat, jaw dropped and eyed glued to Peters bicep. Sam was the first to noticed your face and chuckled as he got the others attention to look at you. Once Thor won, you looked visibly disappointed that the gun show was over.

“As a surprise to no one, you lost.” Thor chuckled. “But you put up a good fight, my boy.”

“You too. Damn. What’s that smell?” Peter asked as he shook out his throbbing hand.

“Your burning flesh.” Thor said with a smile. “Anyone else want a go?”

“I think Y/n wants a turn.” Sam snickered, and everyone murmured in agreement.

“Oh yeah? You dare to wrestle the arm of a god, lady Y/n?” Thor asked and flexed his arm again.

“No, but she definitely wants to wrestle with Peter.” Sam said, making you finally tear your eyes away from Peters arms.

“Huh?” You and Peter asked at the same time.

“Yeah. I saw that too. She wants to wrestle Peter all right.” Tony added with a devious smile.

“Not an arm wrestle either.” Natasha added.

“Nope.” Sam agreed. “She wants to do the sweaty kind of wrestling.”

“Isn’t all wrestling the sweaty kind of wrestling?” Peter asked, still not sure what everyone was saying.

“Wow Y/n. I hope you’re proud of yourself for thinking such dirty thoughts about such an innocent boy.” Tony pretended to be offended as he wrapped an arm around Peters shoulders.

“What? I wasn’t.” You laughed nervously.

“What are you guys talking about?” Peter asked.

“We’re talking about how Y/n was just staring at your arms the way Bucky stares at spinach and artichoke dip.” Natasha said simply.

“Fucking love spinach and artichoke dip.” Bucky deadpanned.

“I was not staring at Peters arms.” You insisted and everyone rolled their eyes at you.

“Yes you were. The second that flannel came off, you were drooling.” Sam shrugged.

“It’s true. I saw drool.” Steve agree.

“You guys don’t know what you’re talking about. I was not drooling.” You scoffed and wiped the remaining drool off your chin.

“Then why is there drool on the floor?” Steve asked and pointed to the floor where you had been sitting. Sure enough, there was a little puddle of drool on the ground.

“That’s pee.” You scoffed, instantly regretting it.

“You peed?” Sam asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“I did pee, yes.” You nodded reluctantly.

“On the floor?”

“Uh, yep. On the floor.” You confirmed and wished you had come up with a better lie.

“Let me get this straight. You’d rather let us believe you peed on the floor than admit you were staring at Peters arms?” Steve asked you.

“I guess so, yeah.” You sighed, disappointed in yourself.

“Well alright then.”

“I’m gotta go.” You said and quickly left the room. Peter stared at you as you went, wondering how much of what they had been saying was true. If you really were into his arms, it might be his way to finally get your relationship to the next level.

You ran into Peter an hour later in the kitchen and wanted to run and hide but he had already spotted you. You gave him an embarrassed smile and went over to him.

“Sorry about before. Sam and Bucky are so annoying sometimes.” You said with a roll of your eyes.

“Trust me, I know. They’re always teasing me about something or another. I’ve learned to tune it out.”

“I’ll have to try that.” You smiled softly at him, glad he wasn’t making things weird. Peter returned the smile and you felt the always tension melt away. It didn’t hurt that his arms were covered up again so you could actually talk to him without making a fool of yourself.

“By the way, you totally would’ve won if Thor didn’t cheat.” You told him.

“I don’t know. I’m strong but he’s a God.”

“Yeah, well, you’re like a mini god. The spider god.” You said with a teasing smile.

“So a god that no one but Wilbur would worship?” Peter humored you.

“Who’s Wilbur?”

“From Charlottes Web. Duh.” Peter scoffed.

“Oh. Right.” You playfully rolled your eyes but felt relieved you could move past the arm incident. Just then, Peter rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands in the sink, giving you a view of his veins and-

“Forearms.” You whispered to yourself as you started to drool again.

“Did you say something?” Peter asked as he turned the water off.

“Hm? Oh, no. I didn’t say anything.” You quickly lied and wiped your bottom lip.

“Oh. Okay.” Peter chuckled and pushed his sleeves down. Peter noticed the way your eyes stayed glued to his arms and he started to wonder if there was any truth to what the team was saying before. He decided to test his theory and see if you really did like his arms.

“You know what I was just thinking about? You and I never got to arm wrestle.”

“You want to?” You raised your eyebrows.

“Only if you’re up for it.” Peter shrugged.

“Okay.” You said immediately and shoved everything off the kitchen table. Peter chuckled and sat across from you before taking off his flannel.

“You ready?” He asked and held out his hand.

“Uh huh.” You sighed dreamily and slipped your hand into his. You were so focused on his arms that you forgot you were arm wrestling.

“Come on. You didn’t even try.” Peter laughed once he pinned your hand to the table.

“Hubbity bubbity.” You mumbled as you stared at his bicep.

“What was that?”

“Humina humina humina.” You whispered.

“Are you using real words?” Peter chuckled. You snapped out of your trance and quickly stood up.

“I have to go.” You said and ran out of the kitchen. Peter smiled proudly to himself and looked down to flex his muscles. Now that he knew you had a thing for his arms, he decided to have a little fun with it.

A few days later, you were getting ready for one of Tony’s famous parties and decided to wear heels. You walked out of your room to meet up with Peter and found yourself tripping on every crease in the carpet. You knocked on his door and he soon opened up wearing a tight button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. You froze when you caught sight of his arms and quickly looked away before you lost focus.

“You look nice. You ready?” You asked him.

“Yep. Let’s go.” Peter put his hand on your back and started to lead you downstairs to the party.

“Jesus Christ. I’m gonna break a leg before we even get there.” You said as you tripped on the carpet once again.

“Here. Take my arm for support.” Peter offered and presented his arm.

“Take…your…arm?” You asked slowly as you stared at his arms.

“Why did you say it like that?” Peter chuckled but knew exactly why.

“No reason. Thanks.” You smiled and slipped a hand around Peters bicep to steady yourself. Even once you were downstairs at the party and didn’t need to hold onto Peter anymore, you didn’t let go of his arm. Peter smiled to himself and patted your hand, hoping you weren’t letting go anytime soon.

A couple days went by without any opportunities for Peter show off his arms in front of you. But when you padded into the kitchen while everyone else was watching a movie, he came up with something.

“Hey kiddo. We were just gonna watch a movie. Care or join us?” Tony asked from the couch.

“Sure.” You smiled and took a seat next to Peter. Peter looked over at you before clearing his throat to get your attention.

“Wanna share my blanket?” Peter offered and opened his blanket up.

“Thanks.” You smiled shyly and scooted closer to him so he could cover you with the blanket. He noticed you sitting up perfectly straight and nudged you a little.

“You can lean on me. I don’t mind.” He whispered to you.

“Are you sure?” You whispered back.

“Yeah. Go ahead.” He shrugged. As soon as you had his permission, you rested your face on his bicep and nuzzled against it.

“Are you comfortable?” He asked with a teasing smile.

“Extremely.” You sighed happily.

Riding off the high of the night before, Peter hit the training room for an early morning workout and sent you a text shortly after to inconspicuously lure you into the room.

“Do you know where Peter is? He texted me and asked for a bottle of water.” You asked Shang Chi as you grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator.

“I saw him in the training room a couple minutes ago.” He told you.

“K. Thanks.” You rolled the water bottle around in your hands and went to go find Peter.

“Hey, Pete. I brought your…” You trailed off and dropped the water bottle when you walked into the training room to see Peter shirtless, sweating, and doing pull-ups.

“Oh hey. Come on in.” He smiled at you without stopping his pull-ups.

“Heyyyyyyy Pete.” You smiled weakly and leaned against the door frame.

“-er. Peter.” You finished his name. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Just working out. It’s arms day.” He told you as he continued to pull himself up and down. Your eyes followed him as he pulled himself up and lowered himself back back.

“Is it?” You squeaked out.

“Yeah. I’m trying to grow my arms to look more like Thors.”

“Uh huh. That’s nice.” You nodded too many times without ever taking your eyes off his arms. Peter let go of the pull up bar and dropped to the floor so he could walk closer to you.

“I’ve been trying to gain muscle for a while now but I don’t think it’s working. Does it look like it’s working?” Peter asked as he flexed his arms for you to see. Your body stiffened and you felt your mouth starting to salivate.

“Oh this is definitely working.” You said in a low voice.

“What?” Peter played dumb.

“What?” You said and finally tore your eyes away from his arms long enough to look into his eyes.

“Is everything okay?” Peter asked innocently as he folded his arms, drawing more attention to them.

“Everything’s great. I gotta go. Thanks for the water.” You said and turned to leave.

“You’re the one who brought me water. And what’s the rush? I haven’t seen you all day. Come here.” Peter laughed as he caught your arm.

“Oh, that’s okay. You don’t want to hug me. I’m riddled with…riddles.” You struggled to come up with a lie and took a step away from him.

“Come on. Bring it in.” Peter said and opened his arms to you.

“If you insist.” You immediately folded and rushed into his arms. As soon as you felt his arms wrap around you, your knees felt weak and your heart beat out of your chest.

“Never let me go.” You sighed against his chest.

“What was that?”

“I said how did training go?” You quickly lied and pulled out of the hug.

“Pretty good. Soon enough, I’ll be able to beat Thor at our next arm wrestling match. But I’m definitely gaining strength. Watch this.” Peter smirked before picking up the water bottle before putting it between his bicep and squeezing it until the cap popped off. You jumped when the cap flew off and let out a little whimper.

“Cool huh?” Peter asked you.

“God I wish that was me.” You whispered.

“Did you say something?”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Oh, okay. I think my biceps are definitely getting bigger. What do you think?” He asked and turned slightly so you could feel his bicep. Your eyes flickered between his arm and his face several times to see if he was serious.

“You want me to touch it?”

“Yeah. Just to see if it’s gotten bigger or firmer.”

“Okay. Let me see.” You smiled weakly and put a hand on his bicep. You felt like the biggest cliche in the entire world but you didn’t care. You knew if you left your hand there for any longer you’d never be able to take it off.

“Feels good.” You said lowly. “Feels big and…firm.”

“Really?” Peter asked hopefully.

“Like a perfectly pumped up bicycle tire.” You whispered as shivered went down your spine.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.” You said and quickly withdrew your hand.

“Oh, weird. I thought I heard something. Anyway, I’m hoping to get them even bigger.” Peter said and flexed his arm again.

“Uh huh. Good plan. Gotta go. Bye!” You said and quickly ran out of the room.

“Oh. Okay. Bye!” Peter called after you.

You made it outside the training room but didn’t walk away. Instead. You took out your phone, pressured record, and slowly leaned into the doorway to film Peters workout.

“This is normal behavior.” You whispered to yourself as you watched him do push-ups through the recording.

“You’ve entered your Joe Goldberg era I see.” Shang Chi said from behind you, making you jump.

“Ah! What? I don’t even know who that is.” You said and quickly hide your phone.

“You haven’t seen You?”

“I looked in the mirror like ten minutes ago. Why? Do I have lipstick in my teeth?” You asked and rubbed your teeth.

“Not you you. The show You. It’s about a dude who stalks women and then kills them. But he’s also very likable and charming and I often root for him even though if he was real he’d probably hit me over the head with a rock and burry me behind a Starbucks.” Shang Chi explained.

“Huh?”

“Do I have to worry about you killing Peter?” He asked you with genuine concern.

“No. I’m just a normal teenage girl with a normal teenage crush.” You said simply.

“Aren’t you in your 20s?” He frowned.

“I have to go.” You said quickly and ran to your bedroom. You shut your door and sighed before pulling out your phone. You watched the video you had taken of Peter and grimaced.

“This was not very cool and mysterious romantic interest of me.” You sighed and deleted the video.

“Y/n? Can I come in?” Peter asked as he knocked on your door. You panicked as he started to open the door and stayed behind it instead of moving out of the way.

“Are you in here?” Peter called out, making you slid out from behind the door.

“Hey.” You said with an awkward smile.

“Hey. What were you doing back there?” Peter chuckled and shut your bedroom door. He had a shirt on this time, but it was a skin tight grey tank top that left little to the imagination.

“It’s a girl thing.” You said with a wave of your hand.

“Oh, okay.” He smiled. “Do you think we could talk about something?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“I feel like things have been a little….weird between us lately. Maybe not weird, but different? Have you felt that too?”

“Yeah. I know what you’re talking about. And I know what it is. It’s my fault.” You sighed and sat on your bed.

“What’s going on?” Peter asked and took a seat beside you. You picked at your nail polish to avoid making eye contact but were extremely aware of his arms brushing against yours.

“Ever since the arm wrestling match, I have made a personal self discover.” You said without looking at him.

“Which is?”

“That I wanna chew on your arms.”

“Come again?” Peter asked and leaned his ear towards you.

“Ugh. I’m such a freak.” You groaned and covered your face with your hands. “I have no right to objectify you like this. I just didn’t realize you were packing so much ammunition in your guns.”

“So this has been about my arms the whole time?” Peter played dumb.

“Yeah. I can’t stop staring at them no matter how hard I try. They’re like the most perfect pair of avocados. I just want to slice them open and eat the insides with a spoon.”

“You had me and then you lost me.”

“I’m sorry. I’m such a weirdo. I shouldn’t have been looking at you like that.” You said with a guilty frown. Peter felt bad for toying with you all this time and let out a sigh.

“It’s not your fault. I kinda figured you had a thing for my arms so I’ve been purposefully showing them off.” He admitted.

“You have? Why?”

“To get you to notice me.” He said without looking into your eyes.

“I always notice you.” You chuckled like it was obvious.

“You do?” He asked as a blushed spread across his face. You looked at Peter for a second before getting an idea.

“Do you want a rematch of our arm wrestle?” You asked and placed a pillow on your lap so you could balance your elbow on it.

“Now? I guess so.” Peter frowned in confusion but took your hand with his opposite one.

“You ready?”

“Ready.” Peter nodded. You started to press against each other hands and once Peter was fully distracted, you leaned across your hands and kissed him. Peters arm went limp as he kissed you back and brought his free hand to cup your face. When you pulled away, you pressed your forehead against his as you both laughed shyly.

“Hey. I won.” You realized once you saw your hand was on top of Peters pinned hand.

“Nah.” He smiled. “I did.”

Tag List 🏷️

@awesomebooklover17 @thebookwormlife @imanativeofswlondondahling @serendipitous-amor @tom-hollands-wifey

@whatareyouhidingpeter @takenbyheartstrings @ultrunning @imyourliquor-youremypoison @andreasworlsboring101

@letsloveimagines @peterparkoure @a-villain-vying-for-attention @justcallmehitgirl

@jackiehollanderr @maryjanee23 @geeksareunique @emmamarshmellow

@unbelievableholland @flixndchill @sovereignparker @every-marveler-ever

@undiadeestos @caelestii-e @eridanuswave​ ​ @fiantomartell @solarxmoonchild

@canyouevencauseicant @illwritetomorrow @thehappygrungelife @saysomethingspiderman

@smilexcaptainx @quaksonhehe @kelieah @seasidecrowbar @lovelessdagger

@electraheart-3174 @unbelievableholland @yourtypicalhotmess @horanxholland

@thesuitelifeofafangirl @marshxx @heyheycharlatte @nooneinvitedfascistbarbie

@maybemona @alexxcorona113 @lethal-wisdom @xo-spidey

[caws5749]

Useless in A Good Way

A/N: oh, another fic where she writes a pregnant reader… YES IM SORRY but I’ve dreamt of being pregnant since I was little and it’s my biggest dream so here we go again 😭I’m working on requests as well but this just popped into my head. I felt very... out of practice with the last few pieces but writing this... I feel good again.

You laughed lightly, shaking your head at some inappropriate joke Tony made after Clint won the round of whatever card game they were playing. Natasha’s hand rested on your thigh, squeezing accidentally while she laughed. The music played in the background, barely heard over the nearly hundred voices that filled the main room of the compound for the latest party Tony had deemed necessary.

You turned your head towards your wife to admire her for a moment. Nat caught your eye, sending you an admiring smile that she reserved only for you.

“You look radiant,” she murmured, leaning in closer to press a chaste kiss to your lips. You blushed, loving the red that still tainted your cheeks after four years of marriage.

"You look like home," you replied quietly, just barely loud enough for her- and Steve (curse that super soldier's hearing)- to hear.

She really did look like home. Her dress was long sleeve and snug, ending just below her knees and made of the softest cashmere. It was cozy and warm and loving, just like her, just like home.

The smile she let show threatened to overtake her lips, so she ducked her head as she always did. Perhaps even more so, considering the amount of alcohol she'd ingested.

You were the only one not drinking, which probably had something to do with the fact that you were seven months pregnant... with twins. You felt like you could hardly move and you the thought of two more months made you simultaneously groan and smile. Not to mention, you hadn't used your powers in a few months; the pregnancy hormones had affected your abilities in a questionable way, and the last time you had tried to let the familiar cool water flow from your hands, nothing had happened. It simply seemed that they had.. petered out. And you were warned by Dr. Cho to avoid trying to use them too much anyway.

"I should probably go check on the intelligence report," you said, sighing. Given that you were the only completely sober being present, it was your task to check on the latest intelligence report currently running after some curious and daunting messages of late.

Natasha nearly pouted, before standing and gripping your forearms with the gentle strength that only your wife could perfect. You groaned, all of your muscles giving maximum effort to stand from a seated position, your large abdomen giving you little room to move.

"God, I have two more months of that," you muttered.

"And it's only going to get harder," Clint chimed in, chuckling sympathetically. You sent him a mock glare.

"I'll go with you," Nat stated, a hand falling to your back. She hardly let you go anywhere alone, not that you minded. Living in the Avengers compound was one of the safest places there was, but it also was a target.

"Sit, I'll go," Steve said, "I've got to check on Bucky anyway."

"Finally, Natasha, it is your turn to lose so one money," Tony grinned, shuffling the deck of cards. Your wife retook her seat, rolling her eyes.

Steve met you next to the couch, offering an arm, which you took gladly. The team had been nothing but supportive after finding out about the pregnancy. They were all in agreement regarding your safety and protection. It was automatic at this point for them to watch over you, something that warmed your heart daily.

"How is Bucky?" you questioned.

"He misses being able to walk," Steve chuckled. "That's what he gets for fighting on a torn knee."

"It's been a week since surgery, right?"

He nodded. "And another week before he'll be able to get up and walk on it."

You hummed sympathetically. It was what all of you hated the most- feeling useless, being unable to be an Avenger. You had grown quite accustomed to the feeling.

Your friend, reached out with his other hand to open the door for you, following you inside the intelligence room, curious what the report would say too.

You studied the screen and briefly leafed through some papers, stopping at another odd message printed. Your brow furrowed.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"It's a date. Today," you answered, looking up to read his expression.

You'd seen the confusion and slight nervousness in his face before glass shattered in the not-so-far distance. Steve looked at you, panicked.

"We need to get you to the bunker."

"We don't even know what's-"

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted. Shouting then could be heard, growing closer in a split second. "Now."

You moved as quickly as you could, exiting only after Steve cleared the hallway. The two of you moved with expertise, albeit a bit slower than normal, towards the stairs. He helped you down the stairs, hurrying you along without rushing you. When you turned down the hallway that held the bunker, several beings masked in dark leather suits and glowing face shields awaited you.

"Stay back," Steve commanded, not even waiting for a response before running toward them at full speed. He pulled a knife from his pocket and set to work. You felt utterly useless, powerless, as you watched them swarm him. A few tried to sneak past to you, but he wouldn't let them come even close. You stood, anxious, barely breathing. Two swift hits to the stomach and knees had Steve knocked on the ground, stumbling for his footing. On instinct, you stepped forward, hands out in front of you.

You had no thoughts as you summoned the familiar tingle of your powers, forgetting completely that they may not even work for you. When coolness flowed through your fingertips, you only then realized you hadn't been able to do that for a while, and you probably shouldn't be doing it now.

But it didn't matter, there were enemies at hand, and you were an Avenger.

So you let a wave hit the men with everything you had. It was nowhere what you had attempted to do, but it worked nonetheless. It gave Steve the opportunity he needed to jump up and take them out quickly.

He took the remaining problems out with ease and then ran back to you.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, you?"

"You shouldn't have used your powers," he said aloud, more a fact and realization at what you had done rather than a scolding.

"I know."

"Bunker," he stated, gently pushing you towards the door. "Stay inside until you get the 'all clear."

You nodded, finding the hidden keypad and locking yourself inside.

++++++

When Steve returned back up to the party, he found several similar bodies strewn about and a few slightly out of breath Avengers.

"Y/N?" Natasha demanded.

"In the bunker, safe and unharmed."

She nodded, a thanks to her good friend.

"Anybody know what the hell is going on?" Clint asked, setting his bow and arrow down.

"Just today's date written down in a message, we just saw it in the report but couldn't piece anything together," Steve answered.

Natasha heard that and knew there was nothing to answer for now, so she started towards the hallway.

"Nat, she used her powers."

Your wife turned on her heel at that, whipping in the soldier's direction faster than lightning.

"Call Cho," was all she said.

++++++

"Natasha is entering," JARVIS announced, causing you to sit upright, eyes glued to the door.

"Oh, thank god," your wife muttered, seeing you sitting unscathed. "Are you alright?" She rushed over to you, kneeling in front of you, eyes scanning your form, hand coming to rest against your cheek after she found nothing.

"I'm fine. Are you?" You turned to plant a kiss to her palm.

"Fine. You used your powers."

"Well, somewhat. They didn't work exactly right," you responded, frowning.

"What happened?"

You told her how you had saved Steve, well only by giving him a slight edge.

"What's wrong?" Natasha asked gently, picking up on your rather displeased tone.

"I feel useless," you whispered, tears pooling in your eyes as you shifted your gaze downward. Gentle fingers tugged your chin upwards until you were forced to meet those familiar emerald eyes.

"You are growing two human beings. That is not useless. I know you aren't avenging right now, but you did just save Steve, even if your powers were limited. Just because you can't do what you normally used to doesn't mean you aren't doing other things that aren't just as amazing, baby."

The corners of your lips twitched upwards, your mood already lifting.

"That's my girl. Now let's go upstairs, Cho is going to check you out."

"Natasha, I'm-"

"I don't care if you're fine," she tutted. "I'm not taking any chances."

With that, she kissed you softly and helped you upright.

++++++

BONUS

"And you know what she said?" Steve asked, a hand placed over his heart as he sat next to Bucky in bed. "You look like home." He sighed softly, as he thought of his two friends who were so beyond perfect for one another.

"How is that supposed to make my knee better?"

[literaryavenger]

I love you and I hate it

Summary: Bucky's your best friend, but you're in love with him. Now that he has a girlfriend, will you be able to get a handle on your feelings?

Pairing: Best Friend!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Warnings: Bucky being a bit of an ass. Reader being dramatic. Angst. Language maybe. Minimal use of Y/N. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 2.7K

A/N: this is a two part because otherwise it was too long. Hope you like it! also, it's 4:30am and I can't help myself lol.

Masterlist

Loving your best friend is not something anyone ever plans.

Getting those kinds of feelings for the person closest to you changes the way you look at them, the way you interact and essentially your relationship with them, making everything unnecessarily complicated.

At least that’s how you see it.

You definitely didn't think something like that could ever happen to you. But to be fair, you also never thought Bucky Barnes would ever become your best friend at the compound.

When you first arrived as the newest avengers recruit the brooding supersoldier was not your biggest fan. Things didn’t start on the best note for you two.

- 2 years ago -

Steve was showing you around the compound and introducing you to people and team members as you met them. You arrived at the common room where Bucky and Sam were watching Tv.

"Hey guys. This is Y/N, the new recruit I told you about," Steve introduced you "this is Sam." he said to you as Sam got up from the couch putting out his hand.

"Nice to meet you." he said.

"You too," you said, shaking his hand "it’s so exciting to be here and meet all of you. You are all such remarkable people."

"Oh, complimenting me? I like you already." Sam said chuckling.

"Of course you do." Steve said, rolling his eyes with a smile, then turned to you "and this is Bucky" he said, pointing at the brunette still sitting on the couch.

"Hi Bucky, it’s nice to meet you too." you said, getting closer to him and holding out your hand for him to shake. Bucky, however, just looked at you for a moment before standing up, turning away from you and walking out of the room without saying a word.

"Uh... did I do something wrong?" you asked, very much confused, still looking at the door Bucky just ran out of.

"No, it’s always him." said Sam.

"Sam, don’t." Steve told him, then turned to you again "don’t mind Bucky, he’s not good with new people. It’s nothing personal, he’ll get used to it, don’t worry."

"Right. He’ll get used to me." you said as he gave you an apologetic look "yeah… anyway, let’s finish the tour."

"Sure, bye Sam. See you around, I guess." you told Sam with a smile.

"Yeah, see you guys at dinner." and with that you left to finish the tour of the compound that ultimately ended with your assigned room.

"So this is your room, Natasha has the room on the right and Sam has the one on the left." he pointed at them as he talked and then pointed at the room across from yours "that's Bucky, to his right is Peter and mine is to his left."

"A lot of neighbors, got it."  you said chuckling with Steve.

"Yeah. So I’ll let you get settled and I’ll see you at dinner with the team." he said.

"Yeah, see you later." 

If you were honest with yourself, you were a little disappointed at how meeting Bucky went, you were really looking forward to meeting the super soldier.

While all the other girls were busy crushin on Captain America, you always felt more attracted to Sergeant Barnes.

Something about him just made you curious, and, after all the Winter Soldier stuff came to light, you were one of the few people that saw right away that Bucky was a victim.

You never did understand how people could read all the details of what happened to him and still call him a monster, like it was his fault that he was captured, tortured and made to do things no decent human being would ever do.

In fact, you got in trouble more than one time for fighting when things escalated while you were defending the super soldier from agents that didn’t see it like you.

It’s really a shame that a lot of agents of Shield itself thought so ill of the Sergeant. Maybe that’s why he didn’t like you, maybe he thought you were one of them.

You had to make sure he knew you weren’t.

Having made up your mind, you decided there was no better time like the present. You crossed the hall and knocked on his door, and after a few moments he opened.

"I know, Steve, don-" he interrupted himself the second he laid eyes on you.

"Sorry, not Steve. Clearly. I’m sorry to bother you, Sergeant Barnes, I just wanted to let you know that I don’t have anything against you. I know some agents feel like you should be held accountable for the things you were forced to do, and they’re not really afraid to get vocal about it, but I’m not one of them. I don’t think any of it was your fault. It may not matter much to you, after all you don’t seem to like me very much, but it’s important to me that you know this. You’re kind of my  hero." you finished, a little embarrassed at admitting this to his face. He looked at you for a few moments and, just as you thought he was about to slam the door in your face, he grinned.

"I’m your hero, doll?" he asked, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed in a way that made his biceps look huge and a smirk on his face.

After that you and Bucky became quick friends, spending more and more time together. Missions, training, down time, you were practically attached at the hip.

You were always careful not to let any feelings grow other than friendship and, mostly, it was easy.

There were some times where you somehow ended up flirting, but they were fleeting moments that passed as quickly as they came, and you decided, for your own peace of mind, to not overthink them and let it go every time.

Now, back to the present, the reason why you’re lost in your thoughts and feelings for Bucky.

You’re watching from a distance as Bucky smiles and laughs, happier than you’ve ever seen him surrounded by his friends, more relaxed than he’s ever been during a party.

You smile at his happiness, glad that he’s finally comfortable around pretty much everybody, but your face falls pretty fast as you see him wrap his right arm around her.

You’ve known Sharon for a while now, she was one of the agents in the list for the spot in the Avengers before you got it. You always felt like she resented you for it, like she should’ve been the one to get it because she was already close with some of the members of the team.

She was never openly hostile with you, but you did notice her hanging around Bucky more and more in the last few months. You didn’t think anything of it, but you were proved wrong just half an hour ago when Bucky started to introduce her to the avengers she didn’t already know as his girlfriend.

As soon as that word came out of his mouth, so casually you’d think he'd been saying it his whole life,  you felt like you were gonna throw up.

It took all your skills to keep your face as neutral as possible, you felt like Sharon’s eyes were on you the whole time, trying to see every micro expression she could find to know what you were thinking.

But you were probably just imagining that, right?

You excused yourself as soon as you could and went straight to the bar to get the strongest drink Nat could make, which she handed to you with a knowing look while glancing behind you.

You barely had time to think before you felt his hand on your shoulder, feeling his body next to you but you didn't turn to look at him, taking a sip of your drink instead.

"Hey, doll, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Sharon before, it’s still pretty new."

You tried to keep your voice as cheery as you normally would around him. "Why would you? It’s your relationship, why are you apologizing?"

He gave you a weird look you'd never seen before, before saying "Because we’re best friends? We usually tell each other everything… right?" he sounded a bit uncertain.

"Yeah, right, duh." you said, trying to give a genuine laugh "Well, it’s alright anyway, now I know! Stop worrying, just go be with her."

He looked around your face for a few more moments, like he was looking for something, before he said "ok, then." and left.

You managed to keep the smile on your face until you were sure he was gone, but dropped it as soon as you looked back ahead of you.

Taking another sip of your drink and making a face at how much alcohol was actually in it, you looked at Nat and, nodding, you left before she could comment on the scene you’re sure she just watched in its entirety. 

So here you are now, in a corner watching people enjoy themselves, just like you used to do at parties with Bucky by your side, except you’re alone.

You try to look on the bright side, you really are, but you can find none.

You can't talk about it with anyone either since nobody knows about your feelings for the super soldier, except for Natasha who always seems to know everything, but  you aren't too close with her and neither of you ever actually spoke about it out loud.

Not that you would've, you aren't the most outgoing person, usually keeping your feelings and most of your thoughts to yourself, with the exception of Bucky.

With him talking seems like the easiest thing in the world, it doesn't matter about what. He knows almost everything that he could possibly know about you, the only thing that you could never bring yourself to talk about is your feelings for him.

You feel a hand in the low of your back and, just as you're bringing your fist up, you realize it's just Steve. "Easy there, tiger." he chuckled, lowering your arm for you. "You seem a little on edge. Everything okay?"

"Everything’s just fine, Captain. You can salute your way to someone else now." His laugh makes you smile against your will.

"Okay, rookie, you don’t wanna talk about it." you roll your eyes at the old nickname, but he keep going, "you know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at a party without your moping buddy."

You glance at Bucky, who's busy laughing it up with Clint and Laura, his arm still around Sharon. Your eyes find Steve’s again, and you simply shrug. "We’re allowed to do our own thing, aren’t we?"

"Of course you are... I was just wondering why you weren’t with him, that’s all."

You avoid his eyes while you quietly say, "he already has someone at his side tonight, doesn’t need me there."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" comes a voice from behind you.

Damn. The one moment you weren’t looking at him and he sneaks up on you.

You turn around and see him standing there, arms crossed in front of his chest, Sharon at his side with a smug look on her face that you convince yourself you’re just imagining.

"What’s what supposed to mean?"  You try playing dumb, but you know Bucky can see right through that.

He raises an eyebrow at you expectantly but when you just shrug and give him your best confused look, he sighs and looks at Sharon. "Hey babe, can you get me a scotch from the bar? I’ll meet you there."

You don't know if you're more hurt at him calling her that or relieved at the fact that he didn’t use the nickname that was usually reserved for you.

She just nods and, without taking her eyes off of you, gives him a kiss on the lips. Okay, you definitely didn’t imagine that. As soon as she’s far enough, Bucky turns back to you.

"What’s wrong with you tonight?" He asks sharply.

"Excuse me? Who said there was something wrong with me?" You say defensively.

"Oh come on doll, you’ve been weird ever since Sharon got here. What’s the matter, do you not like her or something?"

You don't know what to say. You certainly aren't about to tell your best friend that the reason you don’t like his new girlfriend is because you have feelings for him. That’s not gonna end well for anybody. So you decide to just keep on denying.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bucky, so why don’t you just go after you little girlfriend and enjoy your night with her."

"That, right there." he points at your face in a very accusatory manner. "What the fuck was that?"

"What was what?" you’re starting to raise your voice a little and swatting at his hand, getting annoyed at him for not letting this go.

"You’re being a jerk about Sharon, what is your problem with her?"

"I don’t have a problem with her!"

"Yes, you do!"

"Why are you trying to make this into a problem?!"

"Because I know you!" At this point you're both yelling.

"Well, clearly, you don’t know me as well as you think you do!" Lie.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?! Just tell me what the hell is your problem!"

"Why do you care so much? Even if I had a problem, it’s my business, it’s not like I’m your girlfriend!" Bucky just looks at you with a face you’d never seen on him before and you can't decipher.

The whole room seems to go quiet as you two just look at each other for a few moments, then Bucky finally speaks.

"You’re right." he says, in a much quieter voice than a second before "you’re not my girlfriend. I just thought you were my friend. Guess I was wrong. I’ll go after my little girlfriend now."

You can't find it in you to say anything and, when you just look at him, he scoffs and turns around to make his way to the bar.

Slowly it feels like everyone else starts to go back to what they were doing before your yelling match stopped the party in its tracks, but you feel like you can't breath, let alone move, as you watch the spot where Bucky was standing just moments ago, tears starting to form in your eyes.

You can’t believe that just happened. Did Bucky really just say you aren’t his friend?

A hand on your shoulder brings you back to reality and you hear Steve saying "are you okay?" from next to you.

In all honesty, you forgot he was even there.

All that comes out of you is a broken sob before you turn around and make a run for the elevator, as fast as you can run in heels and a floor-length cocktail dress.

Steve runs after you, but there are too many people around that slow him down, and by the time he gets to the elevator the doors had just closed.

He waits to see where you would stop, assuming your shared floor but you never know. His eyebrows furrow in confusion and he pushes the button of the elevator, glad that he waited a second more.

When he gets to the roof it's so dark outside that it takes a second before he find you, and once he does he slowly gets close to you.

What he was not expecting was to find you sitting on the ground, hugging your knees and crying.

Steve sits down next to you and puts his arm around your shoulders wordlessly while you cry.

After you calmed down a bit he says "He’s really worried about you, Y/N. If there’s something going on, you should just tell him. He’ll understand…"

You think about it for a few minutes while you find a way to tell Steve what's going on.

"How do you tell someone that the reason you’re sad is because you love them?" you say with tears starting to form again in your eyes.

Steve can only stare at you, at a loss for words. 

You hear something behind you and when you turn you see Bucky’s back, walking towards the elevator.

It doesn’t matter how long he was there for, he obviously heard you.

You look back at Steve that has an apologetic look on his face, confirming your fear. Damn super soldier hearing.

Well, it looks like your friendship with Bucky is officially dead.

Part 2

[lovewithmary]

(not) moving on — a max verstappen x stark!oc x charles leclerc series

★ fc: madison beer ☆ summary: evangeline "evie" stark is in love with her best friend, max verstappen, but he tries his best to keep her at arm's length. but what happens when she starts to get close to his fellow drivers in the paddock? ★ notes: early chapter bc I am too impatient so I’m taking the poll results as is and assuming charles is the winner. anyways, drama is happening!!!

previous next series masterlist

"Evie's baking,"

"We know,"

"My daughter is baking for two tiny villages or two super soldiers, and none of you thought to ask if there was something wrong?" Tony asked, watching as his fellow Avengers, his wife, and his youngest daughter were all eating the pastries that Evie had been baking since she got off the phone.

"Parker tried grabbing the spatula from her hand, but she threw a bowl at his head. But luckily his Peter Tingle saved him and he dodged," Bucky explained, mouthful with a slice of one of the cakes Evie made.

"I told you not to call it the Peter Tingle!" Peter complained.

"I think she had a fight with Max," Morgan's tiny voice piped up, oblivious to the heads that turned to her.

"Morg, why didn't you say that earlier?" Pepper asked.

Morgan blinked innocently and shrugged, then said, "You didn't ask,"

"Okay, who wants to be the one to ask her about Max?"

A tense air fell between some of the most powerful people in the world, only for them to touch their noses and say, "Not it!"

Unfortunately for him, Tony himself was the last one to do it, which made him curse. "I should've just stayed in my lab," he muttered but went to the kitchen to see that Evie was already starting another batch of cupcakes as if the pile of used cupcake liners between Steve and Bucky wasn't enough.

"Hello, tesoro," Tony greeted, concerned at the fact that Evie barely reacted at the sound of his voice.

"The dining room isn't that far from the kitchen, papa. I don't need to have powers or be a Super Soldier to hear you guys," Evie commented.

"So, will it be easier to ask what happened between you and Max that's made you spiral into a hurricane of frosting— is that macrons? When did you learn how to make macrons?" Tony asked, caught off-guard.

"Max and I had a little misunderstanding. And I didn't know how to make macrons until earlier," Evie responded.

"A little misunderstanding? You're taking over my kitchen with baked goods for a little misunderstanding?"

"I will find a way to bake you if you don't stop!" She threateningly responded, the aforementioned spatula Peter tried taking was in her hand menacingly pointed at Tony.

Tony raised his arms up in surrender, "I won't ask then. I will just be here, in the corner of the kitchen, giving you moral support," he said, taking a step away from his daughter and near the door just in case.

Silence fell between the father and daughter, Evie angrily making a bowl of frosting while Tony was thinking about whether or not he had to bring in Pepper for his own moral support.

That was until, "Do I insert myself into people's business too much? Is it something I do regularly?" Evie blurted out.

"I think you insert yourself into people's business when you think you need to. I don't think it's a lot, but then again, you help me with my business, so I can't say it's too much," Tony shrugged.

She groaned, not getting a clear answer. She should've known that her dad wasn't going to outright tell her when she was being too invasive. "I'm serious, dad," she told him.

"Did Max say something? Whatever he said, ignore it. He drives for a living, he's wrong no matter what,"

"I thought you liked Max. You've known him since he was a kid,"

"I don't like him if he makes my daughter upset,"

"Dad..."

"What did he say?" Tony asked once more.

Evie sighed before washing her hands and grabbing her phone from the pocket of her apron and then giving it to her dad, unlocked and the texts already on the screen. She watched as her dad's face turned angry.

"I'll shoot him out of the sky with one of my repulsors—"

"Dad, no,"

"He didn't have to talk to you like that! That little shit—"

"What do I do?" Evie interrupted him, knowing that if she let him rant, he'd end up wearing one of the Iron Man suits, already on the way to wherever the next race was.

"Do what Starks do best,"

"Which is?"

"To get under people's skin,"

[yelenaslyubov]

I Don’t Bite

main masterlist || requests || autumn fic list

requested by @belovasecho

a/n: two fics in one week? two fics back to back? who am i🫣this was so fun to write! you can probably tell by now, found family is one of my favorite things to write, hence why a lot of my fics have so many MCU characters in them. i hope you enjoy <3

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ pairing: yelena belova x reader

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ warnings: heavy flirting, language (but i honestly don’t remember), fluffyyy

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ description: on the day of the avengers annual fall family get together, you spend your time baking and watching football commence. during the usual bonfire, the cold leaves you seeking the warmth of another avenger you have a dirty little secret with.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ word count: 2k

When the leaves are at their peak orange glow and it’s just cold enough to stay outside, Steve named it our “Family Fall Festival” weekend. You, along with the rest of the Avengers never celebrated Thanksgiving. This was due to the foundational ideas of it along with the fact that the Avengers were a melting pot of different cultures and places. There was no point in celebrating.

Instead, the team had made their own holiday that consisted of baking, games, gossiping, a large feast, drinking, and a large bonfire to end the day. It was a way to create your very own fall holiday under different premises.

For the majority of the day, you spent time with Wanda in the kitchen baking. You baked everything from apple pie to shortbread cookies. People came and went all day, snatching up different delectables to eat on their way to their next destination.

Since the Avengers really were your family combined with your coworkers, it was nice to have a day with no chaos and only love.

The sun was going down now, signaling the near ending of a wonderful day. You were finishing up your last batch of chocolate chip cookies when you watched some of the guys play a rough game of football. Though they did it every year, you weren’t sure why they continued since it always ended in a fight.

This time was no different as you watched Peter get tackled to the ground by an angry Pietro. There was no way that one did not hurt. You may be Avengers, but you sure as hell still bleed.

You walked down to the field below the compound to see what was the matter. Peter was laying on the ground with a crowd around him.

“That was awesome!” You heard Rocket’s distinctive voice shout.

“Guys, it’s not funny, he’s hurt,” Carol said concerningly.

“I swear I did not mean to hit you that hard, it just… happened,” Pietro explained.

Peter groaned while laying stiff in pain. “Yeah, for sure. The guy with super speed didn’t mean to run full speed ahead into my body…”

“He’s got a point,” you said. Regardless of the situation, you tried to hide your laughter due to Peter’s attempt at being upset.

In the distance, you saw Yelena, Nat, Kate, and Valkyrie huddled next to each other. The thing that stood out most was Yelena’s laughter that resembled the honk of a goose. She was completely bent out of shape chuckling until she was red in the face.

This might do you in for good, and then you would be a terrible friend. You couldn’t stand there and laugh in Peter’s face, so you chose to walk away instead. You found yourself next to Drax, the worst person to be near if you’re trying to be serious. You hoped this time it might be different.

He had his hand buried in a bag of chips and was staring in the distance. You stood next to him and watched as Peter started to get back on his feet. Once he stood up, you noticed the large and noticeable patch of mud that was spread on the back of his pants.

Once Drax caught wind of Peter’s pants, his loud laughter soon followed. He abandoned his bag of chips and clapped his hands together as he lost all control of his body.

“His pants!” he yelled. “They have… they have poop on them! HAHA!” He tried to speak between his wheezing and screaming but it was no use.

“I’m going to take Peter inside, why don’t you guys start the fire,” Steve suggested while grabbing one of Peter’s shoulders and guiding him inside.

“Ooo, you guys are in trouble,” Kamala said.

“You can’t lie, it was a little funny,” you chuckled.

“Oh absolutely, it was hilarious!”

After the fun around Peter's accident had died down, everyone made their way over to the large fire pit that was reserved for the bonfire. Surrounding the pit were several wooden chairs and logs that had been strategically placed to feel the fire’s warmth.

The stars were starting to make their appearance in the sky which meant it was time to start up the fire. Bucky, Sam, and Clint started to work their magic starting the fire with the several dozen large logs that already resided in the pit. Some of the guys spent the morning chopping down a tree or two and splitting logs in preparation for tonight.

In a few minutes, there were sparks flying around the logs until each one was lit aflame. Soon, the fire’s heat was spreading around to everyone, except for you apparently.

You looked around at the faces circling the fire; Agatha and Rio sat far behind the group, Nat and Wanda were now sitting together, and some of the guys were huddling around in a group conversing and laughing.

Though the fire exerted much warmth, you still found yourself shivering underneath your coat. Just in time, Peter was walking towards you in the distance.

“You okay?” you asked him.

“As good as I can be.” He sat down on the log next to you with a groan. “At least it’s a nice night huh?”

“Yeah, for sure,” you said between shivers.

“Oh no, are you cold?”

“Uh, just a tad.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

You expected him to drape part of the blanket he had around him over you, but he did no such thing. Peter was your best friend, but most of the time he was clueless.

“Well, I’m gonna go sit with some of the guys. I’ll catch you later.” Peter awkwardly waved goodbye as you laughed to yourself at his oblivion.

You took this as an opportunity to get up and move to a chair closer. Since most people claimed the chairs before the logs, the only chair that was left was the wooden two-seater chair made for two people.

You sat down closer to the fire and tried to cozy up. You regretted not bringing a blanket down from your room and you were far too lazy to walk all the way back up to find one.

Deciding on just suffering the consequences, you stayed by the fire with only your coat for comfort. To your dismay, warmth still did not find you. You were starting to think you should go inside when the chair next to you creaked.

You looked to your left to find Yelena sitting down, one of the last people you had thought of.

“Cold?” she asked sarcastically. You knew Yelena well enough to know it was sarcasm from the get go.

You knew Yelena, but most everyone else would say otherwise. Based on a decision between the two of you, you opted to keep the relationship between you secret.

You and Yelena had been dating in private for around a year now. You both felt that it would be better to work under the circumstances that you weren’t forming a strong personal relationship. This became hard as time went on, especially now that certain people started to catch on. This was reinforced when you looked across the fire to see Kate, Valkyrie, and Carol staring between you and Yelena with a smirk.

“Uh, what are you doing over here?” you asked her nervously.

“So you’re not cold?”

“No, I’m very cold actually, but-”

“Then no more talking.” Immediately, she unwrapped the thick blanket from around her shoulders and tossed it over you and her own lap. The gesture made you smile and her blatentness made you laugh.

“You didn’t answer my question,” you said.

“And you did not answer mine… at first at least.”

“Exactly, which means you get to answer my question next,” you smiled devilishly.

“Can’t a woman just sit where she pleases? This is America after all.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Touché, Yelena.”

You usually spent your time staring at her from afar, or catching glimpses while you were paired on missions, but it wasn’t very often you saw her in her natural form.

Her cheeks were glowing bright and hot as the reflection of the fire casted shimmering shadow. Even though her hair was a mess most of the time, it was still perfectly laid and complimented the rest of her so perfectly. And even though she was wearing a sweatshirt that was clearly too big for her and sweatpants to match, she was still the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

Having Yelena close like this around everyone else was dangerous. Times like these, all you wanted to do was pull her close and take in everything about her.

You could feel Yelena scoot a little bit closer to you. She knew how easily you could be flustered, so it didn’t help when she slipped her hand under the blanket to find yours.

“What are you doing?” you whispered, as if anyone could hear you anyway.

“What, I can’t hold your hand now? I don’t bite, you know,” Yelena huffed, adding a playful smirk at the end. “Well… most of the time.”

You smacked her arm. “Yelena, not here!”

“I’m sorry! How can I not when you look like that?”

Her admiration made you blush. Even with the warmth from the fire, Yelena couldn’t mistake the red spreading all over your cheeks. She took your hand more firmly and squeezed it.

She leaned in towards your face and brought her lips to your ears. “I’ve missed you, detka.”

Her mother tongue never fails to make you shiver. It made it even worse when she decided to bring it out around others.

“I’ve missed you too,” you whispered.

You stole a long look into her hazel eyes. Her lashes hung low as the day dragged on, giving her a dazed look that you loved. Things felt so much more normal like this than in secret, though you both knew it was for the best.

You heard snickering and you looked across the fire to see Valkyrie, Carol, and Kate giggling to each other and staring at the two of you. Yelena gave them a nice middle finger to shut them up, but you couldn’t deny that you liked the attention of the two of you being seen together.

Once the three of them stopped their mocking, Yelena turned her attention back to you. She looked around and when she saw the coast was clear, she lifted your hand to her lips and gave it a quick kiss.

You couldn’t resist any longer and leaned against her body. She had the perfect balance of strength and comfort.

“Have I ever mentioned that you smell amazing?” you asked Yelena.

“Maybe like once or twice,” Yelena smirked.

Instead of holding your hand, Yelena moved her hand to rest on the skin of your back. She scratched up and down and drew small circles. At this rate, you would be asleep within the next few minutes.

Your assumption was correct, her affection making your eyes heavy. For once, you finally felt warm all throughout, a feeling you had been craving all day.

When you awoke again, your surroundings were dark, indicating the fire had gone out. Looking up, you saw Yelena looking up at the stars wide awake. Somehow, you had ended up with your head in her lap.

You slowly sat up and looked around. The party seemed to be over, as the two of you were the only ones left.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Yelena greeted you.

“How long was I asleep?”

“Long enough for everyone to stare at you while you slept with your head on me.”

You groaned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“Hey, why are you saying sorry?”

“I don’t know, I guess because of the whole secrecy thing.”

Yelena stared at you harder. “If I can love you in secret, I can love you just as loud for everyone to see.”

Your heart swelled at the sentiment. You took your chance and grabbed the side of her head and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Oh how you had missed the taste of her.

She left a kiss on your cheeks and your forehead to top it off. “Let’s go inside then, hmm? The party has just begun,” she smiled.

“You really know how to make every situation dirty, don’t you?”

“What can I say, it’s a gift.”

With the cold autumn chill and stars to guide you, Yelena led you back inside the compound after the end of the most perfect day.

.

.

.

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[negasonic9403]

Deaf!Peter in the kitchen making breakfast after a battle the day before. He doesn't have his hearing aids in because why would he at 6 in the morning when he doesn't think anyone else is going to be awake, especially since they had debriefed at 1 am, but he had stuck them into his hoodie pocket in case he needed them.

Lazily, he goes through the steps to make pancakes and he makes enough for everyone, which is a whole lot of pancakes. While he's cleaning up, Steve, the early riser he is, comes out of his bedroom with Bucky in tow because they had smelt breakfast. They hadn't expected the newest and youngest hero to be the one making the entire team breakfast, but Steve had to admit he was impressed and a little proud of Queens.

Steve walks into the kitchen and asked Peter from behind, "Peter, do you need any help with breakfast?"

Oblivious to the presence of the two super soldiers as he concentrated on making pancakes, Peter didn't respond since he couldn't hear him and hadn't seen him.

Steve was a bit surprised since the Peter he knew was always so polite, bent over backwards to call all of them by their official titles, was as respectful as possible, and seemed to constantly be talking with members of the team. Taking a step forward, Steve placed his hand on Peter's shoulder and Peter nearly jumped out of skin.

He whipped around to see Steve and Bucky staring at him before saying, "Geez! You can't sneak up on me like that!"

Steve looked at him confused before saying, "We walked in a few minutes ago and I just asked you if you needed help making breakfast. How is that sneaking?"

Peter sort of stares at Steve, trying to figure out what he was saying. His tired body and mind wasn't letting him lip read, which was never a great way to communicate but hey you do what you have to, to the fullest of his ability.

Rubbing his eyes, Peter just held up a hand to stop Steve from speaking anymore as he pulled his hearing aids out of his pocket. He put them in, allowed himself to adjust to the sudden massive influx of noise, and then lowered his hand before saying, "Okay, I'm ready. What did you say Mr. Rogers?"

Steve was a bit taken back because he hadn't known that Queens used hearing aids, but suddenly their interaction, and many others, made a lot more sense. "You're Deaf?"

Peter was confused by Steve's question before saying, "Yes? I have been since I was like five. Why do you—" and then he suddenly remembers that very few of the avengers actually knew he was Deaf since he was a pretty new addition to the regular team. Nodding a bit, he said, "And I'm assuming that never came up in conversation with you since you didn't know."

Up until now, Bucky had been quiet but he took now as an opportunity to interject himself. He waved a hand to get Peter's attention before signing, 'Do you know ASL?'

After the awkward moment of realizing he never told the leader of the avengers he was Deaf, Peter welcomed the distraction and grinned at Bucky's question. He loved talking in and about ASL. In response, he signed, 'Yes, I grew up using English and sign. You know ASL?'

Bucky nodded, 'I had to learn all of the major languages when I was the Winter Soldier. ASL is the 3rd most used language in America so it was one of the ones I learned.'

Steve watches Peter and Bucky talk. He knew some ASL but he was nowhere near fluent. He knew enough to have a conversation with Clint when he didn't want to wear his hearing aids, but that was about it. When Bucky and Peter's conversation came to an end, Steve waved a hand to get Peter's attention back. Slowly, and with awkward and shaking hands, Steve signed, 'If you don't want to wear your hearing aids, you don't have to. We want you to be comfortable.'

Peter was grinning from ear to ear as he took his aids out and put them away. He welcomed the silence as he tried to wrap his tired mind around the fact that two 100+ year old super soldiers just had a conversation with him in ASL as if it was the most normal thing in the world for superheros to do at 6 in the morning running on next to no sleep.

[sashaisready]

This Must Be The Place: Chapter 12 - I love the passing of time

Biker!Bucky x Femme Reader

Back at your beloved late grandmother's home to pack up her house, you have a run-in with the town's biker gang 'The Howling Commandos' and find yourself entangled with the metal armed President.

Series Masterlist

Warnings: None...I don't think

“Wow…so he just accused you in front of everybody?” Peter Quill asked you in disbelief, sipping his coffee as you caught him up on the mess that was your life.

You nodded and stiffly sipped your own drink, “Mmm…he tried to come by later and apologise, but I wasn’t exactly open to a discussion”.

Peter nodded sympathetically, giving you an understanding smile, “Yeah…I can see why”.

You smiled back, well, more of a grimace really, doing your best to keep your mind from wandering to Bucky.

“Sooo…you’re unemployed,” he offered in a slightly playful tone, but tentatively as if he was still feeling out your sensitivity levels around this subject.

You laughed into your coffee cup, grateful for the levity, “sure am…now I just watch daytime TV and hang out at the supermarket all day like a bum”.

The two of you chuckled and you asked him how work was going at the plant. As he told you an anecdote about one of his workmate’s antics, Drax or somebody? You found yourself comfortable���relaxed. Being with Peter didn’t really need you to be ‘on’, you didn’t need to try and suss out what he was thinking or where you stood like you did with Bucky, it was just nice.

The two of you had been texting for a week or so, ever since that night you’d first messaged him after you’d (figuratively and literally) closed the door on Bucky. You’d quickly found a fun rhythm with him over text, a balance of jokes and getting to know each other with the occasional meme thrown in. After losing your job and your ‘situationship’, you were grateful for the distraction. It was also a nice thing to break up your work with back at the house.

Eventually, he’d asked you to go for coffee in town, and it was so lovely to go on an actual date rather than just to each other’s houses under the cover of night. Coffee was a great choice, it was low stakes and informal, it meant you could have a conversation and get to know each other better without the pressures of a fancy dinner or sitting in silence at the movies. Fun and relaxed, just like Peter himself.

Bucky had blown up your phone for the first few days, asking you to hear him out…asking you to just let him talk…you’d ignored him entirely. He even set a bouquet of flowers to your door, which you’d rolled your eyes at and given to your elderly neighbour. You’d also pocketed the cash and thrown out the note he’d slid under the door. You didn’t need a reminder of him at the house, too. He’d wormed his way into your thoughts often enough already, despite your best efforts to forget him entirely.

You hated him for what he’d done, but the fact was you held strong feelings for him (the strongest!) right before that happened, and you couldn’t magically switch them all off even if he did hurt you. A dormant part of you still felt something, as frustrating as that was. You wished you could press a button that would erase it all and allow you to hate him in peace, but you couldn’t. So, next best thing - you were going to give him a wide berth, get on with the house jobs and hang out with Peter until it was time to leave.

You sent Bucky a brief text asking him to leave you be and respect your wishes, and he finally did – the bare minimum, but he did. You hadn’t heard anything from him since. Long may it continue.

Steve had also sent you a very no-nonsense text apologising for ‘how your employment ended’ and said that the position was always open if you changed your mind. You politely declined and he sent you back a thumbs up emoji, which was a big deal for Steve who famously didn’t do emojis – it might as well have been a heart.

Nat, Parker and a few of the others had also reached out, expressing regret for how things went down and that you left. They were a sweet bunch underneath all that leather and scowling. Your heart panged a little at their words, you really did like being there with them, it was a shame it blew up so spectacularly.

Wanda and Vis had been there for you, enthusiastically inviting you along to their date nights and stuff with their other friends, not wanting you to spend your evenings rattling around in a dead woman’s home by yourself. It was appreciated, but you didn’t love playing third wheel at a romantic dinner.

Now you weren’t banging your evenings away with Bucky - the house was taking shape. You’d dropped off the cash donation to the shelter, plus moved out a whole bunch more stuff. You had a steady stream of strangers coming to collect old furniture and junk (‘treasures’ as Granny called them, which just thinking about made you feel guilty) from the ads you’d posted on various Facebrook groups and Craigslist. And you’d kept anything truly sentimental, of course. You still hadn’t done the damn fence, but the room painting was almost done. You just needed to do that, or pay someone else to, plus fix the slightly leaky faucet in the bathroom you’d always moaned to Bucky about.

“…and that’s when we realised it was Monday, not Tuesday, that the shipment was delivered”, laughed Peter as the end of his story snapped you back into the room.

You chuckled good-naturedly and took the last sip of your drink before Peter pointed at your empty cup, “Another? I’ve got a real hankering for a muffin or something…”

You smiled and nodded as he went to the register to get you both another round. As you were left by yourself, you mindlessly picked up your phone and began scrolling when a voice behind you called your name.

You turned, horrified to come face to face with…Tom.

Tom, who stood in front of you, his head lowered like a wounded puppy.

Tom, who had screwed you over and lost you your job.

Tom…who was sporting a painful looking black eye…and bruising all over his cheek.

“Tom, what the-”, you bristled.

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted, his voice panicked and urgent, “I’m so sorry. I was just passing and saw you in the window and had to…just…Fuck. It was so shitty. I never should’ve done it. I just…I needed the cash for my buddy and Bucky had already given me a couple’a loans and-”

Your initial wave of anger was quelled. He was just so…meek and lost. You just pitied him in that moment.

“I did it without really thinking”, he sighed, a little calmer now. “I knew that security camera was out. If I’d known they would’ve gone after you I never would’ve done it. I promise. I thought they’d just think they messed up the count, or assume I fucked up some orders. I’m so sorry”.

You sighed sadly. “What’s going on, Tom? Why did you need it for your buddy?”

He looked away, the guilt evident in his eyes. “I…sorta…I have a few issues with gambling. Alright?” he looked ashamed.  “And I actually felt so bad after, I came back. After all they’d done for me…and for me to do that to them…so I drove back to the bar, ready to return it all – but you’d left and they’d already figured it out after I got there…and they were so mad…”

You nodded with quiet understanding. He didn’t need a lecture from you, there was nothing you could tell him he hadn’t already told himself. And it looked like Bucky and Steve had told him too…

“It’s okay, Tom”, you told him, “What you did was fucked up…but it’s not your fault Bucky accused me, and that stuff turned out the way it did. That’s on him and only him”.

He nodded meekly, repeating that he was sorry as he awkwardly fiddled with his hands.

“I’m sorry…about your face,” you grimaced.

He shrugged. “It’s cool. Really. It wasn’t that bad. I stole, I deserved what I got. I was a traitor. But after Bucky calmed down…he listened. He sat down with me and told me to tell him everything. And I did…I admitted it all. What I did. My…uh…problem. And he and Steve are gonna get me straight, pay to get me some real help. Help me with my debts and support me to beat this thing once and for all”, his face looked hopeful.

You nodded encouragingly. You were mad at Bucky and Steve for hurting him, even though you knew that’s how things were duked out in their world. He was just a dumb kid who made a dumber mistake, who had gotten himself into a deep hole. But you couldn’t deny your surprise about getting him professional help. That was…surprisingly decent of them.

“Well…best of luck,” you smiled as you gave his hand a squeeze, “I hope you find what you need. And no hard feelings between us, okay?”

Tom grinned and nodded. He was alright, really.

“Hey I got you a biscotti…oh hey, sorry, who are-” said Peter, eyeing Tom as he walked back to the table with the tray of drinks in his hands.

“This is Tom, I used to work with him at the bar. See you, Tom”.

Tom nodded at Peter and gave you a wave as he left. You shared a small smile as he walked out of the coffee shop.

“All good?” asked Peter as he unloaded the cups and plates from the tray.

“All good,” you grinned. “And thank-you…I love biscotti. It’s like a fancy cookie”.

You both laughed, and just like that, Tom and Bucky and the bar and everything else floated away.

*

Some time later, after most likely too much caffeine and sugar, you were giggling with Peter as you walked out of the coffee shop and down the street.

“That was a lot of fun, thank you,” you said.

He smiled, “Yeah, I had fun too. Can I walk you back to your car?”

You nodded – pointing towards the street where you’d parked up.

As the two of you walked together, Peter very smoothly took his hand in yours. It gave you a burst of butterflies, and a twinge of melancholy that Bucky had never acknowledged your relationship publicly by doing something like that.

As you reached Sally you turned to Peter, “This is me”.

He smiled and very gently pulled you towards him. Before you knew it, he gently cupped your chin in his hand and pulled your lips towards his. The kiss was chaste, sweet. You kissed him back, unable to hide the smile that was trying to break out.

He pulled away and smiled as he looked down at you, opening your driver’s door for you. “Dinner, next time?”

You beamed, “Absolutely”.

*

Across the street, unseen by anyone else, a tall and blond figure watched the two of you with interest as he leaned against a shopfront window.

“Hm…” he muttered, pulling out his phone.

[makeadealwithme]

Not Like This

Summary: Steve's surprised when you try to kiss him at a party, and he scrambles to tell you how he really feels.

Author's note: took some inspo from New Girl (iykyk), slightly angsty with a sweet ending. Can you tell I love friends-to-lovers?

Warnings: cursing, mentions of drinking/party, love confessions. use of y/n, she/her pronouns.

Word Count: ~6.1k Thank you all <3 ___________________________________________________

You and Steve are sitting outside on the curb, a little bit away from the noise and chatter of the party, splitting a cigarette between the two of you with knees pressed against each other. You lean your head onto his shoulder, it feeling too heavy to hold up any longer. "Shit Steve, I don't think this is helping me sober up," you complain, fully aware that you drank a little too much tonight and that it was going to take a lot more than a cigarette to clear your head.  

Steve chuckles, shoulder shaking underneath you while he tosses the butt to the side. “Just how many drinks have you had huh?” He pokes an elbow into your side in jest.  

“Not as many as you, Harrington.” You retort. You hear him scoff above you. 

“Yeah, but you’re a lightweight, so it’s like...double as bad or some shit.”  

It was your turn to scoff back. “Hey! You were the one who said a party would cheer me up.” You start doing a mock impression of Steve from earlier - “Come out with me y/n, blow off some steam, it’ll be fun I promise you.” 

“Hm, did I say that? Doesn’t sound like me,” he responds sarcastically before taking a breath. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a shit day," he said turning into you a little bit more, temple resting on the top of your head, voice going soft. "Ready to tell me about it?" He knows that now is the right time to ask, when your defenses are down and when your lips are a little loose.  

It practically spills out of you as you proceed to tell him about the shitty customers at work, how your coworkers were all out so it was understaffed, how Robin ditched your lunch plans and didn’t answer when you called her, quickly skating over the fact that when you called Steve too it also went to voicemail. You tell him that when you went home, your dinner was cold and half eaten on the counter with a note left by your brother that he was sorry but he was just so hungry and had no time to get his own food and he just couldn't save it for you. To top it off, Jackson Peters rejected you about two hours ago, and proceeded to make out with another girl over on the couch, even though he swore he wanted to take you out next week. You kept rambling, talking about how you felt alone, you felt pretty unloved, and now you were at a party full of people who barely acknowledged you so you decided to drink it away (per Steve’s suggestion, you remind him), which lead to you sitting on the curb outside with him (which you thank him for) and you tell him you'll be over it by tomorrow but if you could both just sit there a little longer that would be much appreciated. Steve stays silent for a moment, unsure if you were finished talking or planning to continue, but once he's sure he wraps his arm around your back, pulling and shifting your body into him, your legs half coming over his, and he just hugs you. You feel his hands glide over your back, warming you gently.  

"I'm sorry about today. I'm sorry the party didn't help. I'm sorry I didn't pick up when you called..." he trails off and you feel him take in a deep breath, you do the same, albeit yours a little shakier "I swear I'm always here for you, I want to be, I swear." 

 "It's ok Steve. You are. It was just a lot today, I’m fine, really," you breathe out, trying to add a little laugh to your voice. He nods and you feel his hands go to rest on your shoulders. 

“Ok but seriously, you’re upset about Jackson Peters? Haven’t we been over this before - you could do so much better; you know that right?” Steve’s voice sounds pitched but he follows it with a cheeky grin and laugh that causes your chest to swell.  

“Ugh Steve c’mon that’s not true,” you couldn’t stop it from coming out whiny, a small giggle escaping along with it.  

“It totally is true! The kid failed his driver's test three times y/n, did you know that?” 

“What! No way, Steve, you’re being mean” you tease him.  

“I’m just telling the truth y/n! I'm never letting you get you get in car with him.” 

“That would’ve been years ago!” 

“I don’t even know how you do that, even Max can drive better.”  

You turn to look him in the eye, an incredulous look on your face.  

“...Three times?”  

“Three times.” 

You think for a moment, Steve swears he can hear the cogs turning in your head. “Alright... I guess I’m not too upset about that then.”  

“That's my girl!” Steve beams. As he says it, he goes to tickle your sides, causing you to squeal and squirm in his arms. Both of you erupt into drunken laughter, so much so your eyes are watering. You mutter 'unbelievable’ to him, with an extra playful hit to Steve’s chest for good measure as you both settle back down. You’re closer than before, almost in his lap, with his head resting on top of yours and arms wrapping around you. The closeness, the warmth, the comfort, is going straight to your head and making it feel fuzzy. You know your inhibitions were lowered, judgement a little off, but you just couldn't help it as you turned your head upward, eyes on his neck. You press a gentle kiss to the bottom of his throat, pausing for a second. He doesn't turn away. It emboldens you as you move higher and press another one to his neck, this time a bit firmer, more noticeable. Feeling courageous, you let your lips trail up to his jaw and you tentatively place one there. You're surprised again when he still doesn't move. You two have never kissed before, not like this, nothing more than a kiss of the cheek goodbye as friends would. You don't dare open your eyes as you bring your hand to the other side of his face, lightly pushing his chin towards you as you kiss along his jaw, nearing so close to his lips. You never look at him but you swear you can hear him sigh a little in your ear, throat swallowing roughly, jaw opening slightly. You shift your body into him as you place a final kiss near the side of his chin before you feel him grip your hips and abruptly push you off him, firm but kind, and he quickly leaps up off the curb. You're struck by surprise, brain still working a little slow and your hands still held like they were on him. However, the realization hits you like a wave as your eyes widen in shock and words start tumbling out of your mouth "oh...fuck, shit, oh my god Steve... I - " 

 Steve looks just as panicked as you and starts spewing words out at the same time, reaching out to you. "No, no! Oh my god, shit it's fine I'm not upset or anything I just can't, I'm sorry... I just - " you stand up, the humiliation burning, all you want to do is run away from him.  

"Steve I'm so sorry I didn't mean to... I just... I just – shit! I'm sorry I'll go, I'll go," you say, pushing past him and walking back towards the house. Steve follows after you for a few steps, his long legs quickly catching up to you as he clutches your arm and turns you to look at him  

"No y/n you don't have to go, please. I didn't mean to push you off like that, I liked it – fuck! -I mean, I just meant..." 

 "No Steve stop. I swear I didn't mean to cross a line."  

"N- no you didn't, I want to, I do, just not like this - I won't let it - it can't happen like this." He's weaving around you trying to look you in the eye and make you hear him, but you’re already turned away and wrenching your arm from his grip, rushing to the house to disappear and be swallowed by people. You feel hot in the face as a dose of shame and embarrassment come over your body "god I'm so stupid oh my god" you chant to yourself in your head, how could you let your feelings come to the surface like that? Steve was your best friend, your best fucking friend, and now you've gone and screwed it all up.  

 As you make your way back into the party you head straight for the drinks, picking up whatever shooter was left over and downing it. You snag a can of beer in your hand too, thinking it might prolong a buzz to stave off the guilt. You quickly glance around the party, looking for Robin or Nancy or anyone else that you knew, but your eyes fixated on the tuft of long brown hair peeking through the crowd frantically making its way closer to you. "Shit" you mutter, you can't face him yet, and you quickly turn and make your way out the back door, through the garden, to the side gate and slipping through before anyone noticed. Your pace is fast as you make your way down the alley, out on to the street and you start in the direction towards your house, knowing you'll have to walk fast if you plan on making it home anytime soon. You're thankful the night wasn't chilly, you're thankful Hawkins was (generally) safe and quiet, and you stuck to the shadows of the main roads hoping that Steve wouldn’t pull up behind you. The entire walk home images flashed in your head of Steve, you felt his warm neck against your lips, his strong hands on your back, the coldness when he separated you. You shudder in shame. You couldn't help but feel some tears prick in your eyes, but you quickly blinked them away. It was frustrating, the way your thoughts seemed to drag through your mind. You settle for woefully drinking the stolen beer as you kept walking home, hoping it would put out the burn in your gut.   

It wasn't much later after you got to your house that Steve drove down your street, sober and stressed about you. He spent the whole drive home searching the sidewalks, hoping you weren't still walking, hoping you were safe. He felt so stupid for pushing you off - he admits to himself he almost didn't. Your lips felt like hot fire against his neck, he swore he could still feel the lingering heat. He never expected this from you, thinking you were content with your friendship. So, he never made a move even though he knew he wanted to - he certainly planned it out in his head all the time. He felt like a teenager daydreaming about his first crush. He thought about sweeping you off your feet, some simple but meaningful declaration of love on his lips, he thought about you saying it back too. It didn’t matter where to him - on his front porch, your backyard, the front seat of his car, or on your couch late at night after a movie – it just mattered that it was you and that it was a place you both shared. He certainly didn't envision it happening on curb, you a little too drunk and pissed off after a bad day, and him, not quite with it himself outside of a stranger's house, cigarette smoke on his breath and a waft of some other girl’s perfume on his clothes from earlier in the night. He never saw it like that, and it caught him off guard. The guilt bubbled in him, he never wanted to upset you.   

As he neared your house, he peered out his car window and saw the light in your bedroom and the singular shadow moving through the curtain. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, just glad that you made it home ok. He sits for a moment, debating if he should go up to the door. In the midst of his battle, he sees the light flicker off. His lips purse together, slightly cursing himself for being a coward as he starts to quietly roll down your street, time for him to go home as well. I'll talk to her tomorrow, he thinks to himself, he sees you every day anyways.  

The next morning.  

It's early. Maybe a little too early after last night when Steve rings your doorbell, nervously mussing with his hair. To be honest, he probably should've thought more about what he was going to say but it didn't matter, he just knew he had to see you. Maybe take you out for breakfast and help cure the hangover he was sure you had. He stands there expectantly but his face falls to a frown after about a minute passes, so he rings the doorbell again. He listens intently, not hearing any movement. Checking his watch, he silently curses to himself for being an early riser (he knew you weren't) and waits another minute. There’s a fleeting thought that you might be avoiding him, but he runs it off with the hope that you’re just sleeping. Debating whether to ring the bell one more time, his watch catches his eye again. Maybe he should wait an hour? His brain was having a hard time being logical, only driven by wanting to see you. He stood at your door and convinced himself that maybe breakfast after a night out probably wasn't such a good idea, and that he probably should let you sleep, and that you'll probably come visit him at work later (like you always do) and maybe you two can grab dinner after or something. Yeah, sounds like a plan, he thinks. So, he leaves, drives off, and tries to push out the gnawing feeling in his stomach that something feels off "probably just the hangover” he mutters.   

It's the afternoon as Steve and Robin putter about the video store, putting away movies and recounting the stories from last night. "Steve, where were you? I was totally making a fool of myself right in front of Vickie, I told you I couldn't be left alone at parties." Robin groans, sticking her head around one of the shelves she was stacking. 

"Uh yeah sorry, must've been outside with y/n, needed to sober up," his apology was flat, his mind still caught somewhere else. Robin stops for a minute, choosing her next words carefully. 

 "You two were alone?"  

“Mhm” Steve nods his head, eyes avoiding Robin’s.  

“And...did anything happen?” 

"What? No! ...No" 

 "You sure about that? You’re sounding pretty defensive Stevie" 

“Jesus Robs what’s with the interrogation huh?” He turns to fiddle with the stapler at the desk. 

“Steve cut it out. You’ve been acting on edge all day, there’s clearly something you’re not telling me.” 

Steve breaks. Honestly - he can't hide anything from Robin. He recounts the whole moment, albeit keeping some of the details a little loose, and how he drove around last night for you, and how he stopped by this morning to see you and there was no answer, and finished by pointing out the fact that you would’ve stopped in by this point in the day and you haven’t yet. “Don’t you think that’s weird? Like, she’s definitely avoiding me, right?”  

Robin takes a second to internally sort out her feelings. Part of her was exploding, because she’s been rooting for the two of you to get together for what felt like forever, and part of her was restraining herself from smacking Steve upside the head for fumbling so hard. She knew you as well, knew how sensitive you could be and knew that yes, you were definitely avoiding him right now.  

“You absolute idiot.” Robin would admit later that no, that probably wasn’t the right choice of words for this exact moment. The smack on the head that she couldn’t stop herself from delivering with it maybe wasn’t the best choice either. 

“Seriously?! What did I do to warrant that?” Steve exclaims. 

“Steve, she made a move on you. That takes a lot of guts alright? You could’ve at least tried to let her down easier.” Steve’s face contorts in confusion at her words but when he goes to speak Robin cuts him off again, “Plus you’ve literally been crushing on her for forever, I thought you wanted this. I don’t get it!” She doesn’t realize how loud her voice is getting.  

“I do Robin! I do! Just not like that, y’know? And I didn’t mean to let her down badly, ok? I didn’t mean to let her down at all. It’s just, well you know how bad I am with words Robin and I was caught off guard. I didn’t think it would happen like that. You get that right?”  

“‘Just not like that.’ Since when did you get so precious about how you kissed girls Steve? She was literally right there on top of you... Are you feeling alright?” Robin lurches forward to Steve, trying to feel his forehead in a half joking, half concerned way. He swats her hand down.  

Robin takes a step back, shit eating grin on her face. “Dude, you’re like...in deep huh?” Robin's eyebrows are practically in her hairline. Steve thinks she looks far too amused for her own good. He groans in frustration practically collapsing on the counter in front of him. Forehead against the cool surface, he grumbles, “what the hell am I going to do.”  

“I don’t know what you’re waiting for Steve. You gotta apologize, and tell her how you feel. In full sentences this time. Don’t let her get the wrong idea again,” Robin tries to soften her tone as best as she could but she’s not sure she achieved it. “Dingus” she mutters as she saunters off to help the customers that walked in. Steve wallows the rest of his shift.  

He drives home in a daze after work, his thoughts a jumbled mess and still reeling from his conversation with Robin. He decides not to stop by your house again, being careful not to bother you too much and make things even more awkward, and tried to call instead. He reaches for his phone in the kitchen, dials your number automatically and waits, leaning against his counter. He hears it ring over and over again. No answer. His frown deepens ever so slightly. Maybe he typed the number wrong? So he tries you again with no luck. He feels a slight ache in his chest, some small upset feeling that sure reminds him of being homesick. 

Pushing the thoughts aside he tries to keep himself busy for the rest of the night until he sleeps, repeating over and over to himself that you were probably just tired, didn’t want to leave the house today, were working late, hanging with some other friends, something, anything to explain your absence. Steve barely slept that night, hearing phantom phone rings in his sleep. This was weird; even in your worst arguments you would still talk to him, still pick up when he called. Any day you didn’t see each other you would both end up saying goodnight over the phone anyways, and he’s reluctant to admit how much he loved it. He loved hearing you wish him goodnight, soft and sweet; he swore he slept better those nights than any others. 

The second day was even worse. 

It's nearing the end of another shift at Family Video and you still haven't shown. Steve can't help but let a frown slowly settle into his face with each passing minute. He would feel that gnawing feeling in his stomach creep in, anxiety filling his mind, as he replays the scene over and over again. Steve was restless all shift and it pissed Robin off, watching him pace around the store, tap his foot while waiting behind the desk. He kept looking at the clock and snapping his head every time the door opened.  

“Steve cut it out, seriously,” Robin whined at him.  

“I can’t Robin, I won’t stop thinking about it. What if she’s really not ok? For Christ’s sake, she won’t even answer the phone.” He’s almost spitting the words at her, sick of having to explain himself over and over.  

“Why don’t you try calling her from here? She might pick up since she knows you're at work?” Robin has been trying to help all morning. First it was helping Steve write a speech (before he tore it all up), then it was running him around the store to burn off energy (he was still agitated afterwards), and now Robin seems to have found a suggestion that might actually stick. 

Steve mulls it over in his head, “why don’t you call? She might talk to you more than me.” Robin wordlessly picks up the phone and dials as Steve recites your phone number to her. There is a tense few moments, Steve pressed up close to Robin’s face listening for the rings of the phone. After about 4 times through he is about to pull away before he hears a faint ‘hello?’ come from the other end. 

“Y/N! Hey, it’s Robin...”    

“Hey Robs, what’s going on, thought you were at work?” Steve was practically suffocating Robin at this point to hear your voice. He couldn’t tell how you sounded through the phone. Robin shot him an annoyed glance and tried to take a step back.  

“Yeah, yeah I am. Just got bored, was wondering if you wanted to stop by? Haven’t seen you in a few days...” Robin keeps her voice light as she shares a look with Steve, he practically freezes in place, holding his breath so to not make a sound.  

“Oh... Right, yeah...” he hears you pause over the line, “listen I'm sorry but I don’t think I’ll be able to make it in... busy today.” You trail off for a second, guilt creeping up in your throat for brushing your friend off. But you knew that if you went to see Robin, you’d also see Steve, and that made your stomach turn with anxiety.  

It was at that point that Steve couldn’t contain himself any longer, snatching the phone out of Robin’s hand and turning away from her as she yelped out a short, “Hey! Give that back Steve!”  

He presses the phone to his ear, half expecting you to have hung up by now before he gives a breathy “Y/N, hey, it’s me, Steve, can we talk?” The question comes out awkward and he mentally curses at himself. It’s silent on the other end before the line clicks and goes dead. He stares at the phone in surprise. “She - She just hung up on me,” he turns to face Robin again, “didn’t even say a word she just hung up!” 

“Ok look,” she grabs Steve by the shoulders, “she’s definitely avoiding you but she didn’t sound too chipper on the phone with me either so like... She's just having a bad day?” Robin really is trying her best to convince him. 

“No no this isn’t like her Robin you know that! God, she’s probably so pissed at me. What if we’re not even friends anymore!” Steve is breaking into a full on panic, hands coming up to roughly drag over his face in agony.  

“Steve, it’s fine, she’s not just going to stop being friends with you. You just have to talk. She probably thinks that you don’t want to be friends with her anymore. Got it?” Robin starts nodding her head, hoping Steve will mirror her and do the same, making him believe it too. She releases his shoulders, turning to start sorting through the stack of videos piled up on the counter. Steve just stares off into space, mind racing about you.  

As soon as the clock hits the hour, he tore out the door, driving straight to your house. He walks a little too hastily to your doorstep, ringing the doorbell rapidly a few times and then knocking the door for good measure. He waited for a minute (ok, 30 seconds) before trying again. He saw the lights on in your house, he knew you were there.  

"Hey listen it's just me, are you in there? I really think we should talk, please?" he called out, desperate, nose buried against the door. No answer still. “I’m not leaving until you answer Y/N, please!” He pleads again, waiting. He paces outside for (actually) 5 minutes, before huffing to himself and starting to walk around the side of your house. He knows your house well, from games of hide and seek as kids to sneaking in and out of it when you were teenagers. He also knows that you’re terrible in remembering to lock the back door. He peeks through the front windows, checking for you before opening the side gate and passing through the backyard. With one last look through the back he goes to turn the back door handle, it giving way and popping open immediately. A gratified huff leaves his chest as he sticks his head in the door, eyes searching the kitchen. “Y/N? Are you here? I’m coming in the back door,” he warns, stepping over the threshold. At that moment he hears rapid footsteps over the top floor and descending the stairs.   

“Steve! What the hell, you can’t just break in to my house!” You yell at him, feet flying fast across the main floor. Your eyes meet and you stop abruptly, leaving your kitchen island between the two of you. He takes you in for the first time since the party, dressed in comfortable sweats and hair loose and messed from your bed’s pillow. He thought the skin around your eyes looked a little red and raw but he wasn’t sure. He didn’t expect his heart to skip a beat at the sight of you.  

“I know I know, but you weren’t answering the door!” He says defensively arms gesturing wildly, “And I’m sick of you avoiding me - and don’t say you aren’t because I know you are.” His voice is more raised than he intended, but he felt like he was bursting at the seams, overwhelmed from not seeing you for days.   

“That doesn’t give you a right to break in Steve! I wasn’t answering the door because I don’t want to see you. I thought I was making that pretty clear.” You didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but you still felt awkward around him, the shame causing you to lash out. You were both circling the island as if you were playing a game – him, taking a step closer to you and you taking a step back each time he did.  

“Listen, please, I’m sorry about the other night, I’m not mad at you or anything ok...you know I’m not mad right?” it all comes out more stuttered than Steve intended, but he figured if he didn’t start talking the words might never come out. You cut him off quickly, wanting to end whatever conversation he was trying to force.  

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, seriously. I’m the one who’s sorry ok, I’m so sorry,” you change your direction and start moving towards him, slowly herding him out the kitchen and towards the front door while you keep speaking. “I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what I was thinking, I think it was just the end of a bad day and you were there and so close and it was so shitty of me Steve.” He sees the tears welling in your eyes and tries to interrupt you but you carry on, “I had a few drinks in me and wasn’t thinking straight. It’s not an excuse it’s just what happened and my head got all confused. Really, I crossed a line and I’m so sorry Steve.” He noticed you reach around him towards the front doorhandle, he almost goes to stop you but couldn’t find the courage to do it. “I’m just not ready to talk about it ok? I need some space, just to sort my head out a bit, figure out if I can keep being friends with you.” It sounded more mournful than you intended, part of you already believing that your friendship has ended. He watches you take a shaky breath and open the door. He tries to fight you, put up some sort of protest, but the tears in your eyes made him weak. 

“I didn’t want to upset you,” he gets out as your shaking your head at him, crowding him out the doorway. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, you don’t, I- I just couldn’t, but I do -” 

 “Please just go, I’ll talk to you when I’m ready, I promise – just need time to think, please don’t call me anymore,” you cut him off, shutting the door on him and pressing your back against it. Steve stands dumbfounded on your porch, staring at your door as if he could burn holes through it. That could not have gone any worse. In defeat, he trudges back to his car, absentmindedly swinging his keys around his fingers. His drive home was quiet, his head in another world still reeling. The loss of his best friend, and a girl he really loved, it weighed heavier on him by the minute.  

The days passed and Steve didn’t call. He didn’t drive by your house. He would ask Robin about you at work, knowing that she had hung out with you the night before, asked if you said anything about him. Robin would just shake her head, tell him no and not to worry, you were fine. He hated how he felt. He was moody, off balance, like he was going through withdrawal from you. It agitated Robin too, having to see Steve that way.  

It was about a week later when Steve was sat alone at home one night. Rain starting to bucket down, making Hawkins far gloomier than usual. He was eating a poor dinner of cereal and a bag of chips, sitting on the couch and watching a late-night show. He saw the flash of car lights outside his front window before he heard the car pull in, setting his heartbeat a little faster. He makes out the sound of a car door slamming and jumps up from the couch, peeking through the window to see who the late-night visitor could be. He notes your signature yellow raincoat dashing for the cover of his front porch, his eyes going wide as he rushes to open the front door for you.  

It catches you off guard, the warm draft of air from his doorway hitting you while the cold drops of rain slide down your jacket hood and on your face. You turn your head up to him, planting yourself a few feet from the door, just far enough to turn around and run back if you decided you couldn’t be brave. You stare at each other for a second before Steve breaks the silence. “What are you doing here? Come inside it’s bucketing out there,” he moves to turn inside, open his doorway to you more but you stay put. He looks back, taking in your face, contorted with uncertainty. Hell, he thought you almost looked nervous. “Y/N? What’s going on?”  

You fiddle with your jacket sleeves, dropping your gaze to your feet for second before gaining the courage to look up at him again. “Not like this... that’s what you said,” it was practically a mumble. Steve looks at you in confusion, mouth poised to speak again but you repeat yourself, a little louder, little bit braver. “I remember it. You said, ‘it can’t happen like this’, when I tried kissing you...what did you mean by that?” You’re tense, unblinking, staring him down. It’s like you could see the memory play back in his head, a soft oh leaving his lips. He steps outside, slightly closing the gap between you two, hands in his pockets.  

It was his turn to look nervous, pausing to try to get his brain to catch up so he wouldn’t stumble his words again. “I guess I just meant...” he pauses again, taking a frustrated huff at himself, his eyes follow the toe of his sock, tracing in a half circle along the ground.  

You stay patient. You knew Steve only struggled with his words when they were important, when they meant something, when he wanted to get them right. In the past week you had been mulling over the night of the party incessantly, berating yourself for every move. But as you uncovered memories of the night you found one that you couldn’t let go, a picture of Steve, bending down to meet you at eye level, a spew of words coming from his mouth but your ears only catching “it can’t happen like this.” The words stayed ringing in your head for days, and you had enough of it. It drove you crazy enough to speed over to his house late at night, in the pouring rain, skipping the courteous welcome and jumping straight to the point – you had to know what he meant by it.  

Steve starts speaking again, slow at first, “Y/N, I wasn’t expecting it. We were outside a party, tipsy, on a curb, that rotten cigarette between us. Jesus I think I had just shot gunned two beers before taking you outside...” he looks up at you, sees you open your mouth to speak but he quickly cuts you off, “Would you just listen please? It’s not like those things matter that much, we were having have a fun night and I, I -,” you see him take a step closer to you, another huff of frustration and as he tries to get the words together. “I wanted to kiss you. I couldn’t believe that you were kissing me first. But if I was going to kiss you I sure as shit didn’t want it to be a drunken mess. So that’s what I meant. I couldn’t let our first kiss happen like that. I wanted it to be different, I wanted to tell you how I felt, well feel, first. I wanted that kiss to mean something.”  

You stand in shock, head tilted up a little now that Steve had gotten closer. He took in your face, the way your brows were knit in confusion, or was it frustration? Were you just thinking? He couldn’t quite read the expression. But he thought he saw a light click on behind your eyes when it seemed like you caught up to everything he said, a bit of warmth returning to your face as your features relaxed. When you spoke it was soft, gentle. 

 “So tell me how you feel Steve.”  

Steve had a new found confidence, something only you could give him, as he stepped forward, hands coming to yours, one of them going to your waist as he got close to you. “You’re my best friend y/n, and I think I’m love with you. Wait no, I know I’m in love with you,” he pulls you in close by the waist, looking deep into your eyes waiting for a response. You scan his face, looking for any sign of uncertainty but you can’t find it. “Can I kiss you?” he asks, face close, noses almost touching.  

You give a slight nod and a breathy “yes” before he crashes his lips on to you. He holds you tight, his wide hand pressing against the small of you back as the other cradles the back of your head. You bend backwards, almost collapsing under the weight of the kiss. Your body felt like hot fire, lips melting into each other. You hear a soft whine come from the back of Steve’s throat, or maybe it was yours, as he pulls you upright again. When you break apart for air, he doesn’t let you go, resting his forehead against yours, breathing in sync with you. 

“I meant it should happen something like that.”  

[hooked-on-elvis]

Elvis' perfectionism 📀

Author's note: Okay, I'm beyond excited with this post, so please take your time reading it. You won't regret a bit.

So, things just got more interesting for me.

If you read my content for a while now, you must be familiar with the fact that I'm a huge fan of "Elvis On Tour" documentary. There's this scene in the middle of the movie where they play instrumental of "Don't Be Cruel" while some 50s pictures of Elvis are "randomly" shown onscreen... well, not as random as one may think.

"Elvis On Tour" is mainly a live concert documentary but it tells Elvis' history as well. His history as a musician is delivered through his own accounts (Elvis talking about his music preferences, his love for gospel music, etc) and by family members' accounts too, such as an interview with Vernon Presley, his father, that is also featured on the film, when Mr. Presley talks about how Elvis' tours in the 50s were wild with all the fans going extremely hysterical over his son.

One of the pictures in particular, displayed during the "throwback scene" in the movie, is immensely significant to the story that documentary meant to tell the viewers. This one right here:

July 3, 1956: On The Train back to Memphis, Tennessee. Photograph by Alfred Wertheimer. Below, other pictures from the same moment. Note the little record player on Elvis' lap, it is important.

The day before those pictures on the train were taken, Elvis had cut some new songs, soon to be released, "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" are among them, but also "Any Way You Want Me".

Elvis during Studio Sessions for RCA July 2, 1956, at RCA Studios in New York. Photograph by Alfred Wertheimer.

About that recording session, on the precise moment EP was recording "Hound Dog", below is an excerpt from "Elvis Presley: A Life in Music" by Ernst Jorgensen and Peter Guralnick:

This was the session where Elvis’s perfectionist streak first became apparent. From [Steve] Sholes’s point of view several of the earlier takes would have been just fine, and he tried to get the singer to listen to the playbacks, but it was obvious that the singer was marching to his own beat; he wouldn’t rest until he had recorded the song to his own — not anyone else’s — satisfaction. Finally, with thirty-one, Elvis declared himself satisfied, and the room breathed a sigh of relief.

Side note: Before recording the song on studio, Elvis performed "Hound Dog" on the Steve Allen Show, on July 1, 1956. They were all worried about how to turn the live performance into a record, and Elvis was the one who was intensely dedicated to make it work. That's why he took 31 takes to finish working on particular track. It really paid off in the end.

Back to the train pictures on July 3, 1956, the photographer, Alfred Wertheimer, shared his accounts on the moment. He said:

"Elvis in on the train. He had just recorded these three songs but two of them became his third and fourth gold records: "(You Ain't Nothing But A) Hound Dog" was the third and "Don't Be Cruel" was the forth. Here he's listening to it over and over again on the way down to his home [Memphis, Tennessee], and he's listening it on this inexpensive little record player and here, I mean, while the other musicians are horsing around, while Colonel Parker is somewhere else, Elvis keeps listening and listening and listening. He's a serious guy! I asked him 'Why are you listening to it on this tiny little machine with a terrible speaker and you just heard it yesterday on a fourteen inch speaker in a studio, beautiful reproduction?' He says: 'Al...'

"'...This is the way my fans listen to my music. That's the way I wanna hear it.'"

— Elvis Presley, July 1956

On more train picture (Elvis going to Memphis, Tennessee on July 3, 1956):

On that photograph, Alfred Wertheimer said on 'Elvis '56' book:

"Listening to the previous day's work one more time before going to sleep, his teddy bear keeping him company. The record player is sitting on a ledge to the right of his berth."

ABOVE: "Elvis On Tour" (1972) snippet with "Throwback scene". Instrumental of "Don't Be Cruel" is playing on the background while pictures from Elvis' early tours are displayed onscreen. The first picture, that one from July 3, 1956, that Mr. Wertheimer shared his memories about.

The footage on that scene from the documentary is from September 9, 1956 on The Ed Sullivan Show. If you'd like to watch the full performance, here it is:

Well, I don't know about you but I will never see the throwback scene the same way.

I mean, if I'm being honest here, I used to often skip that scene just because I've seen the pictures over and over again and the footage from Ed Sullivan Show as well, so when I watch the film I used to be much more interested on the 1972 live performances, the backstage scenes and so on, but now I know the story of that picture, the scene is a lot more meaningful. That 1972 documentary, friends, is not only about Elvis' performances or the lasting love and adoration from his fans. It has a lot more to do with who Elvis Presley was, specially how he felt about music and how he gave all of him to please us. The film shows Elvis talking about how, in the 70s, after many, many years of experience onstage he still felt anxious before performing... and that picture from the 50s that is shown on the film tell us his dedication to his music was to the extent of listening his records on home record players just to make sure it would sound as flawless as it could be... all for us. After hearing the picture story from Mr. Wertheimer, I just fell in love with that 1972 documentary, and with El, even more. ♥

[babybatscreationsv2]

Baseballs and Pom Poms

Marvel | I don't even know guys - Peter/Tony/Bucky/Steve/Sam

Peter is a cheerleader. The only male cheerleader on the team, in fact. That means he's the only cheerleader in the boy's locker room after practice. The other boys aren't happy about sharing with a cheerleader. Or maybe they are…

Rating: Explicit

For @vaguekiwi

Warnings and tags below

Warnings/tags: object insertion, belly bulge, noncon, gangbang, forced feminization, held down, bondage, misogyny, feminine words for male genitals, breeding kink, crying, humiliation, dehumanization, nipple play

Peter stretched his aching arms over his head. He lumbered into the locker room and soaked up the cool air with gratitude. At least that was the last practice for the week. He couldn't wait to get home for a long hot bath. The girls weren't exactly heavy, but being the only guy on the squad meant he was the only one to do lifts and the permanent bottom of the pyramid. He loved it, but man did it mean he was always sore.

At least the locker room was pretty quiet. A few guys lingered, chatting by the lockers. Peter considered grabbing his bag and changing at home, but he was so sweaty. He couldn't stand the idea of riding all the way home like this. Not to mention, it was just common courtesy not to smell like sweaty ass on the subway. Though, he was probably the only one to respect that rule.

He unlocked his locker and stripped down to his boxers. He let the A/C cool his sticky skin. The showers were defunct these days, but he had a towel and some spray on deodorant and that would have to do until he got home.

"Peter," a voice drawled. Tony Stark leaned against the locker next to him. "How was cheerleading?"

"It was great. I think everyone's gonna be impressed."

"That's cute," he smirked. "Hey, Bucky! Are you impressed by cheerleaders?"

"I don't know , Tony. How big are their racks?" Bucky answered. He threw a leg over the bench and plopped down. His hair was shiny in the front from sweat and he was still in his football uniform.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. They're not impressed by you guys either."

"Aren't you a cheerleader, Petey? Do you think we're impressive?"

"An impressive bunch of assholes." Peter grabbed his shorts and tried to step into them, but Tony yanked them out of his hand. "Hey!"

"Where's your little skirt, cheerleader?" He asked.

Peter scowled. "Stop it."

"Why? Got your spanks in a knot?"

Bucky laughed. "You should try pigtails next week. It really works for the girls." He whistled.

"Girls? But Bucky, cheerleaders are girls," Tony teased.

"You're fucking idiots." Peter tried to yank the shorts back from Tony's hands, but he couldn't wrestle them away.

"Those are really rude words for such a sweet face. Somebody ought to wash your mouth out."

Peter leaned towards him. "Fuck you, Tony," he growled. Then he gasped, drawing back and grabbing at his ankles as someone came up behind him and pulled his boxers down. The room erupted with laughter.

Steve came around to stand beside Bucky and enjoy the show, the obvious perpetrator. "Looks like a girl to me," he teased.

"Yeah," Tony whistled. "Look at this little clit." In Peter's embarrassment he wasn't quick enough to stop him before Tony was holding his flaccid dick between two fingers. He reeled back and bent to pull up his boxers only to run into someone behind him.

"Going somewhere, pretty boy?" Sam looked down at him. He grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up. Tony grabbed the boxers around his ankles and tossed them away.

"I'm sure I saw a more appropriate uniform somewhere around here," Tony said, looking around the room.

"I'll get it," Bucky volunteered. He ran out of the locker room.

Peter struggled to get free, but Sam grabbed both of his arms and pulled them tightly behind his back. "Just hold still, baby. Don't squirm so much. Not yet anyway."

"You're crazy. Let me go!"

"You better shut him up before someone comes running," Steve said.

Tony balled up the boxers in his hand. Peter screamed, but Tony was quick to stuff the material into his mouth. He kept shoving it in until he mouth was stretched full around it.

"Don't let him spit that out," Tony ordered. He walked away and Peter immediately spat, trying to dislodge the fabric. Sam kicks the back of his knee.

Tony returned with a roll of packing tape. Peter screamed around the boxers in his mouth. Tony's grin was cruel as he wrapped the tape not only around his mouth, but all the way around his head, looping it twice and packing it tight. Peter couldn't move his mouth at all. Tony bit the side of the tape and ripped the end off. His hands smoothed over it to stick it down.

"There. Quiet as a mouse."

"Got it!" Bucky came running back holding red and gold fabric. Peter screamed under the gag, but the other boy only grinned. "Well if Peter doesn't have any complaints, I say we dress him up."

The four of them manhandled him, getting the skirt around his legs and up to his waist. He almost got free as they struggled to get his arms into the sleeves of the top. Then he was dressed and once again helplessly restrained.

"Isn't that cute," Tony commented.

"Wouldn't that be a fun surprise when you're looking up his skirt," Steve said as he flipped up the front of the skirt. Peter kicked at him.

"Careful, gorgeous, I wouldn't piss that one off," Bucky said. "He only looks calm on the outside."

"Why isn't he tied up yet?" Steve said. He looked around until he spotted something tucked in a corner. "Get him over the bench. I know what to do with him." He and Bucky walked away while Sam dragged him across the room. He pushed him down over the bench.

Peter struggled, but Sam pinned his legs pulling his ankles up to his hips and held him still. Tony grabbed his forearms and held him down. Peter glared up at him. He screamed behind the gag, but it was fruitless.

"Don't be so dramatic, Petey," Tony sighed. "We're just trying to help you. You're clearly a little bit confused. See, cheerleading is a girl sport. If you're gonna do it, do it right."

"If you're gonna act like a girl, then you gotta act like a girl," Sam added. He stared down at him like he was a piece of meat.

Fresh panic rushed through him. Peter wasn't sure what that meant, but he could guess and none of his guesses were anything good. Struggling continued to get him nowhere so he rested, hoping an opportunity would come along.

Steve and Bucky returned. Each of them held a couple of plastic jump ropes. "This should do it."

"Perfect," Tony said. He dragged Peter down the bench to get his wrist aligned with the leg of the bench. Bucky tied it tight. Then they tied the other. His ankles were tied together under the bench, then the rope was pulled up and around to circle his waist, forcing his knees to bend and leave his legs wide open. The skirt was hiked up, covering nothing now, it's only purpose to humiliate him. He couldn't do anything but cry.

"See, we're teaching you how to be a girl already." Tony brushed sweaty hair back from Peter's forehead.

"We're not done yet. Girls are good for something else, too," Bucky said. They all stared at him, eating him up, enjoying their little secret. Then Steve held up a hockey stick.

Peter thought at first they were going to hit him with it. Then Sam said, "Hang on. I have lube. It'll be way more fun if you can actually get it in there."

Peter fought against the jump ropes. Sam dug around in his locker for a second before returning with a half empty bottle of lube. Steve yanked it from his hand. "What, are you jacking off after practice?"

"Fuck you, Steve," he spat.

"Who wants to do the honors?" Steve asked the room.

Tony jumped up and grabbed the bottle. "I've been waiting for this." His friends laughed.

"Yeah, we know. You're fucking obsessed with the slut," Sam laughed.

"Fuck you," Tony said, but he was preoccupied with squeezing lube onto the edge of the hocky stick. He smeared it around with his hand and set the bottle aside. Peter stared up at him, pleading with his eyes. He struggled as Tony put a hand on his thigh and gripped the stick like a weapon. Bucky and Sam each grabbed one of his legs to stop his squirming. Then Tony was stuffing the object into his unprepared ass hole.

Peter sobbed and then screamed. It was more panic than pain, at least at first. The hockey stick was cold and hard. Harder than he thought possible. The odd shape of it felt like it was tearing him open. It felt so much bigger than it looked, as if he were shoving his fist inside him. Tony had no mercy for him, pushing the stick deeper and deeper, watching with fascination as it disappeared inside him. Peter pleaded, unsure what he was even saying, but he couldn't do anything but beg.

"Shut up," Steve growled. His palm struck the side of his face. Peter went silent, tears rolled down his cheeks. He took a deep breath through his nose only for him to break down into terrified whimpers.

"What a good girl," Tony praised. "Your pussy is just swallowing the stick right up. Bet that feels good doesn't it, sweetheart?"

Peter shook his head.

"You don't know how to treat a lady, Stark," Bucky accused. "They like it when you play with their tits." He hiked up Peter's stolen top until his nipples were exposed. Then he leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth. Peter whined. He squeezed his eyes shut. Bucky ran his tongue around it, flicking it, then finally released the little nub with an embarrassing pop.

"Damn," Tony mused. "He squeezes when you do that. Must feel good huh, Pete? You tryin to milk my hockey stick? It's not even a real cock. What a fucking whore." He drew the stick back and Peter let out a relieved breath only to scream again as he thrust it back in. He pushed in until he found resistance. Peter's stomach cramped in protest.

Tony laughed. "Think I found his colon."

Sam whistled. "That's a deep cunt."

"What else can we stuff in there? I always wanted to see how far you can stretch somebody." Tony looked around. "Someone grab me those baseballs."

Steve jumped up to grab what Tony asked for. He came back with a whole bag of them. Tony yanked the hockey stick out with two quick jerks. He grinned when Peter shrieked.

"He makes such a pretty pussy, doesn't he?"

"I'm just glad you thought to gag him," Bucky said. "Someone would have ruined our fun by now."

"I'm not sure there's anyone here. I saw the janitor head home when everyone else did. We're probably locked in," Sam said.

Bucky laughed. "Even better."

"At least we have something to entertain us," Tony said.

Steve picked up a baseball and held it up. "You think he's wet enough?"

"Let me check." Tony hooked a finger inside his abused hole and pulled it open. He spat inside him. "Looks wet to me."

They laughed while Steve pressed the ball against Peter's hole. It was rough and dry and way bigger than the hockey stick. Steve pushed relentlessly, forcing his hole to stretch around the ball. His legs trembled with the effort.

"I think he wants it. He's opening right up," Tony teased.

"I think he needs more lube," Steve said. Tony dutifully spat again on Tony's hole. Peter could feel the warm wetness as one of them smeared it around. Then the ball popped in. He thought it was just relief when that baseball filling up his ass made him moan. Then he realized it actually felt really good. He could feel tearing, an undeniable burning pain around his rim, but that ball was pressing up against something. And it felt really good.

"That's a good girl," Tony purred. "See, I told you he wanted it."

"Better give him some more then," Steve said as he offered Tony another baseball.

Tony spat on the ball and pressed it against Peter's hole. He stretched more easily this time, but the baseball already inside him didn't want to move. Tony pushed, forcing it deeper little by little. Peter struggled again to escape, but it was just as useless as before.

"Poor little thing," Bucky mocked. He looked down at him with pretend pity. "Does it hurt, sweetheart?"

Peter nodded his head, whimpering as the balls moved deeper.

"Good." Bucky grinned. Sam laughed. Peter shuttered as he realized Sam's dick was bulging out of his gym shorts. He couldn't see the others from where he laid. It was bad enough they were tormenting him like this. He squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to consider how much worse it could get. Then the second ball popped in. Peter moaned again. His cock jumped against his belly. Someone stroked it, just once and the touch was too dry but it made his soft cock start to thicken.

"Such a fucking slut, Peter. And here I was always defending you when Tony said it," Steve accused.

"I told you I can always tell," Tony said proudly. "Who wants the next one?"

Bucky was quick to take Steve's place next to Tony. He picked up a baseball and held it up for Peter to see. He tried to beg, to tell him it wouldn't fit, that he felt like he might die. Bucky just squeezed a gob of lube onto the ball and began to add it to the rest.

"What a gentleman," Tony teased.

"I always make sure my girls have a good time." Bucky rubbed Peter's thigh as he pushed the ball in. It was several minutes of straining before Peter felt his ass open up around the widest part. His stomach ached, starting to cramp once again. He cried fresh tears.

Bucky was strong and he wasn't taking no for an answer. The pain was awful as he slammed his palm against the ball until it finally went in. Peter thought he'd passed out because he felt as though he'd blinked and several minutes had passed. Or at least, he'd missed half of the conversation. Tony's hand was on his abdomen and he looked bewildered.

"Fucking feel it." He pressed his hand down and Peter groaned. It felt like there were rocks in his stomach. The other boys all gathered around, pushing and prodding at his belly.

"Holy shit," Sam laughed. "You fucking knocked him up."

Dizziness washed over him. Peter laid his head down against the bench and closed his eyes. This wasn't ending until they wanted it to. Fighting wasn't getting him anywhere and neither was begging. All he could do was breathe.

"What are you going into shock? That seems pretty dramatic, Pete." Someone slapped his face and Peter opened his eyes to see Bucky bending over his head. He grabbed a fist full of his hair and pulled his head up. "Watch. Sam's gonna stuff ball number four in you. Do you think it's gonna fit?"

"No!" Peter tried to scream. "Please don't!" He looked at Sam, eyes wet and pleading. There was no mercy in the face staring back at him. Peter felt the baseballs inside him shift around as they tried to make room in his already crowded guts. He couldn't help but scream. Yet it was no different from the others.

He'd gotten used to the ripped feeling. Now there was just full, stretched, and the tingling of the baseballs pressed snuggly against what he was sure was his prostate. He cock twitched every time the balls moved now. He gave in, letting himself enjoy whatever pleasure he could get. And when Sam managed to get that fourth ball into him, he came.

They were laughing, mocking him. Shame and humiliation burned throughout his whole body.

"What a good girl," Bucky cooed, stroking his hair.

"I think you'd better keep the skirt from now on, Pete," Tony teased. "It definitely suits you."

Sam had his hand in his shorts, openly rubbing his dick. The others were hard too, Peter could tell.

"Hey, I found another one!" Steve called. He returned to the group holding up another baseball.

"There's no way," Bucky said.

"Yeah there is! We just need to make room," Tony said. He picked up the hockey still from the floor and stood between Peter's open legs. Peter watched, enraptured with fear. Tony placed the end of the stick against Peter's hole. How he'd even managed to close around that last ball he didn't know, but once again his ass was forced open around the hard stick. Then it pushed inside.

Tony leaned his weight into, slowly pushing it in, allowing no resistance even as Peter's muscles spasmed in rejection. He expected his stomach to swell up like a balloon, yet the objects inside him weren't nearly as big as they felt.

"I can't believe there's more room in there," Sam said in genuine awe. They were all watching, eyes dark, humor forgotten. Steve was rubbing himself through his shorts now too.

"There we go. Plenty of room," Tony declared. Having shoved the baseballs as deep as they would go. He pulled the stick from Peter's ass, ignoring his whimpers, and picked up the fifth ball. Then he held Peter by the hip and pushed it in.

He felt delirious. His brain was cooked, melting out of his ears, eyes rolled back into his head. His wrists twisted around in the jump ropes searching desperately for a way out. When his senses returned, the first thing he noticed was the sound of skin against skin. He opened his eyes to see all four of them, jerking themselves now, looking at what they'd done.

"Look at that bulge," Tony moaned. He pressed his fingers against Peter's belly again. He squealed with pain. It was visible now. His lower stomach had an obvious hump where the baseballs were down in his gut.

"Fuck," Sam swore. He stopped and held the base of his cock. "We shouldn't let a good hole go to waste, but it's all stretched out."

"No way, it's perfect," Tony mused.

"Not once he pushes out all those balls."

"Who said anything about taking them out?" Tony argued. "No one wants loose pussy. Just use it like it is. It's not like he can't take it."

"Let's just make a little room." Bucky reached between Peter's legs. At first, his hole didn't want to let the baseball go. He forced the opening to stretch around his finger and coaxed the ball free. "Shouldn't let this go to waste either."

"What are you going to do with it?"

Bucky grinned. He walked along the bench to stand by Peter's head. "Somebody help me with this tape."

Tony came running. He eagerly ripped the tape off and unwrapped it from Peter's head. It pulled out hair and a layer of his skin as it went. He pulled the boxers from Peter's mouth.

Peter relaxed his jaw and swallowed. He choked at the dryness in his mouth.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. This will help," Bucky said. Then he stuffed the baseball into his mouth. It butted against his teeth, but Tony grabbed his jaw and stopped him from closing his mouth. Peter had no choice but to open as wide as he could and let Bucky stuff the ball behind his teeth. Peter gagged and shook his head. Only for Tony to stick the tape back in place, wrapping it around again. Even without the same stickiness, there was no dislodging the ball without his hands. Peter sobbed pitifully. Already his jaw ached. But Bucky right, his mouth wasn't dry anymore. Not with how he was all but drowning in drool.

Distracted by what was happening with his mouth. He didn't realize what was happening between his legs.

Sam knelt at the end of the bench, holding his hip with one hand and his cock in the other. Peter whimpered as he rubbed it against his hole.

"Are you making love to him or what? We all want a turn, Wilson," Steve complained.

"Yeah yeah. Shut the fuck up," Sam grumbled. Then he started to push in. Peter's noises were muffled behind the baseball in his mouth, but his body still trembled. Not that any of them cared about his protests.

Sam pushed in until his hips were flush with Peter's ass. Then he fucked him. The baseballs moved with his cock, rolling back and forth. It felt like being fucked with a telephone pole and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to survive. All he could do was hold on and try not to pass out. Then Sam came inside. It felt warm and sticky and disgusting. Somehow it made him feel more full.

Sam pulled out with a satisfied moan. "I can't say it feels good in there, but it does feel like nothing else."

Tony shoved him aside. "We'll see about that." He yanked the ropes around Peter's ankles until they came loose so he could lift up his hips. The angle brought fresh pain and cramping. Then Tony stuffed his cock inside, fucking into him like he was trying to get deeper than even the baseballs could.

Peter whimpered with every thrust of his hips as the balls rattled around and Tony's dick stretched him out. Then he came, too. Adding to the sticky mess.

Steve took his place, holding his weight in his arms to fuck him even harder as if they were in competition to see who could break him in half. Peter's teeth dug into the baseball. His body slid up and down the bench. Then Steve came too.

"Don't spill that," he said as he passed him to Bucky like the communal cum sock.

Bucky smirked down at him as he slowly pushed his way in, watching him shake as the slow friction forced him to feel every inch. "You should see yourself, sweetheart. You barely look human."

Peter whimpered as he moved his hips slowly, purposefully, humiliating him all over again as he held his gaze. With less pain and more friction, his cock took an interest again. Peter whined and turned his face away. Someone slapped him. Then Steve was there holding his head in place, forcing him to look up at Bucky as he fucked him. Tony wrapped his hand around his cock, grinning viciously as he stroked him. Sam knelt beside the bench. His hand ran over Peter's chest only to find a nipple to tease. It was hell and there was no escape, but his orgasm was building. He tried to close his eyes, but Steve slapped him again. He thought maybe he would be saved when Bucky's control started to slip, fucking into him faster, less methodically, but Tony picked up the pace, too. Sam pinched and plucked his nipples. And screaming around the baseball gag, Peter came and he thought it might never stop. He felt his own cum splatter on his face. Most of it landed on the gag, but he felt a heavy glob land right in his hair. The pleasure only receded as Bucky was pulling his cock out, dripping with lube and a mix of everyone's cum.

They all stood around him, admiring the mess they'd made.

"Well," Steve started. "Practice is over, guys."

They all chuckled at his joke. Sam picked up Peter's shorts from the floor and cleaned himself off with them before offering them to Bucky.

"Wait. One last touch." Tony went to Peter's still open locker and returned with his red and gold pom poms. "So you think about us at practice." He stuffed one into his abused hole, handle first, pushing as deep as it would go. Peter felt the rough edges of the fringe as they were shoved inside. The handle tapped against the baseballs inside him. Peter groaned miserably as Tony tried to force it in deeper. When he was sure it wasn't going any further, he stuck the next one beside it and pushed that in just as deep.

"Look at that. A cheerleader with a pom pom tail. That'll be something for the next pep rally," Steve said.

"We're just full of creative ideas," Bucky agreed. "The whole team should be sticking those things up their asses instead. It'll make the same old routines a lot more bearable."

"We should get going. It's getting late," Sam suggested.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Steve agreed.

"We can't leave him like that all night," Bucky pointed out.

"Eh, untie his hands. He'll figure out the rest," Tony said. He walked over to the bench and bent down. As he worked the jump ropes loose around his wrists, he bent and kissed Peter's forehead.

"It's cool if I tell all the guys who popped your cherry right?" he said, mockingly. "You're gonna love it when they're passing you around the whole school. But I'll be here when you want to recreate your first time."

Bucky huffed. "Don't leave us out.”

[sgiandubh]

This is not a political post

One more time, in caps and bold: THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL POST. But if I can, as a diplomat and a historian, bring some extra context and try and understand what happened today in S's world, so be it. Enough said about me.

I am fumbling with a ton of thoughts since this morning, when this link was shared with me by one of the closest people in my platoon:

In a nutshell: S signed that (in)famous letter, an initiative of APUK (Artists for Palestine UK), a network that's been operating since 2015. You can read it in full if you open the link and I suggest you do. You will soon find out that the letter, while correctly pointing out the atrocious gesture of bombing a civilian hospital in Gaza, asked the world's governments to 'end their military and political support for Israel’s actions'. Nowhere in that letter did the word Hamas appear, which would immediately point out as supporting what is a terrorist movement that is, alas, also part and parcel of the Palestinian government, under Mahmoud Abbas's weak, irrelevant aegis. The man is an old PLO/Fatah crone: fishy, ineffective and fairly corrupted. His position on the Holocaust is, to be elegant, a study in ambiguity. Enough said.

It is pointless and absurd to try and explain the whole situation in detail. I would have to go back at least to the Balfour Declaration (1919) or the no less infamous end of the British/LoN/UN Palestine Mandate (1948), if I wanted to simply scratch the surface of a subject that is everywhere these days. With an intensity of absolutely legitimate emotions that can simply not be measured by any counter on this planet, as we speak.

But the facts are here, and naïve S had no damn idea: 500 civilians were killed, Tuesday night, in the bombing of the al-Ahli Baptist/Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Hullaballoo ensued on a cataclysmic scale: first, Hananya Naftali, a digital aide to Benjamin Netanyahu recklessly wrote on X that the "Israeli army [Tsahal] bombed a Hamas terrorist base inside a hospital in Gaza". Then erased the tweet. Several video collages released by the Tsahal, the first of which was heavily contested by a NYT journalist (and former Bellingcat researcher) Aric Toler, point out towards the PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad)'s forces being responsible for the strike.

These quotes from an Al Jazeera paper sum up the ensuing scandal better than I ever could - selected by me, but you can and probably should read it all (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/18/what-is-israels-narrative-on-the-gaza-hospital-explosion):

No craters mean no airstrike and most probably a rocket failure. The uneasiness remained, that being said, at the highest level. And the planned US-Egypt-Jordan- Palestine talks hosted by Amman were abruptly called off hours before Biden landed in Tel Aviv.

To cut the story short: the letter is right to point out that you just don't bomb hospitals when you are at war, as per the terms of the Fourth 1949 Geneva Convention, dealing with the protection of civilians in times of war. Both Israel (signed in 1949/ratified in 1951) and Palestine (2014) are, as parties and signatories, legally bound by it, in the eyes of International Law. The only problem with it is that it purposefully omits to put things into context (whodunnit) and forgets the cynical truth: Hamas keeps hundreds of innocent Israelis and two millions of innocent Gaza civilians as its hostages.

Article 18 is at the core of the matter:

The last thing S should have done is to sign that fucking treacherous letter, without getting a second (third, fourth...) opinion.

S is a good man, we all know and love this about him. He is also one of the most naïve people I have ever seen in this lifetime. This is why his final reaction really, really moved this cynic, here:

I am taking this home and keep it. It deeply moved me (yes, me):

" I don't know nearly enough and trying to educate myself on the conflicts in the Middle East. I feel helpless and wish I could help in some way.'

I am sure 'someone nice' called and 'nicely asked", maybe even offered some scarce and biased details, to prompt an impulse signature. I am also sure S didn't read the letter himself. There is no harm saying you were wrong. He did it with dignity and grace - no, it was not easy.

This is a man of worth speaking. Bravo!

But for the love of all that's holy, Sir: don't you ever step into this kind of shit again. These things are far more complex than you could ever fathom and it's a very cynical world out there. Leave it to us, we are handsomely paid for it by our governments. I hear you and I am completely supporting this more than welcome withdrawal. It's not worth much, for sure. But it is an honest POV.

Also, John 8:7:

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Kindly refrain from politics in your comments. Let's not drag trash where it should not be, ever. Thank you all.

[waitimcomingtoo]

Kept Me Like a Secret When I Kept You Like An Oath

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Synopsis: Tony has a strict rule against you dating, so when he finds out you and Peter have been dating behind his back, he comes up with a lie to keep you apart

Masterlist

“Hey love bug, do you know the Hulu password?” Tony asked you once you opened your door for him.

“Oh, yeah. It’s flower power boo boo foot. No spaces.” You quickly answered and tried to shut the door on your dad.

“I thought so too. But I tried that and it didn’t work.” Tony sighed and pushed your door right back open.

“Did you capitalize every first letter?”

“Yep. No dice.”

“Try “smithereens”. I think that’s the new one.” You told him and tried to shut the door again.

“I tried that too. That’s the Netflix password.” Tony shook his head, oblivious to the fact you were trying to get rid of him.

“Oh darn. I guess I don’t know it then.” You faked a laugh and tried to close your door.

“Didn’t we change it at some point to America’s ass? No spaces?” Tony asked and pushed your door back open.

“We did. But then Steve got mad so we made it “Steve’s a Virgin” for a couple weeks. Then he got more mad so we made it “smithereens”. If it’s not that anymore, then I don’t know it.”

“Huh. Then I’ll just change it to “buckysucks” and write it down.” Tony decided.

“Good plan.” You nodded quickly and prayed he’d leave.

“All right. Thanks, kiddo.”

“Bye, daddy.” You smiled sweetly and shut your door with your free hand.

Your other hand, which had been out of sight that whole conversation, was covering Peters mouth as he hid from Tony. His back was pressed against the wall beside your door and he was holding his breath to be as quiet as possible. He placed his hand over yours to keep quiet, his hand that was still covered by his Spiderman suit.

“That was a close one.” You said as you took your hand off his mouth.

“I know. But how exciting was it?” Peter grinned as he scooped you up. You shrieked in excitement before pulling Peter into a kiss. He never broke the kiss as he walked you over to your bed and laid you down on it. Just when you were getting into a groove, you heard a knock at the door. Peter flew to the ceiling and stuck to it as you sat up and smoothed your hair.

“Honey, one more thing.” Tony said as he opened your door.

“Yes daddy?” You smiled sweetly and tried to discreetly catch your breath.

“Can you send me that chicken recipe again? I want to make it for dinner tonight.”

“You mean you want our chef to make it for dinner tonight?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Precisely.”

“I’ll send it to you.” You told him and immediately sent it to get rid of him quicker.

“Are you feeling okay, pumpkin? You look a little sweaty.” Tony asked, making you gulp. Your eyes flicked to your ceiling, where Peter was hanging upside down and holding his breath.

“I’m good. Probably just coming down with something.” You laughed nervously and wiped your forehead.

“Oh no. I’ll make you some tea.”

“Thanks daddy.” You blew him a kiss as he shut the door. Once he was gone, Peter dropped down from the ceiling and landed on your bed.

“You really need to get a lock on your door.” Peter chuckled and leaned in again.

“Where’s the fun in that?” You scoffed and cupped his face to kiss him. As much as you hated hiding your relationship from your dad, the thrill of having a secret made it all that much more exciting. It had been three months of you and Peter sneaking around now and you were starting to get less careful.

A couple days later, Tony went into Peters room to talk to him about upgrading his suit. He wandered around and looked at the various things on Peters desk as he spoke until something caught his eye.

“Now this is interesting.” Tony said as he leaned over Peters desk.

“Tell me about it. That’s not even the first flock of birds to drop out of the sky this year.” Peter answered, thinking Tony was looking at the science magazine he had open on his desk.

“Actually, I meant these.” Tony said and held up a lavender pair of your underwear.

“Oh my God.” Peter gasped as all the color drained from his face.

“You know, Parker, I had you pegged for more of a boxer briefs kinda guy.” Tony chuckled and dropped the underwear back onto the desk.

“Those aren’t mine.” Peter quickly explained.

“Really? I thought Victoria Secret No Show panties would be perfect for you in your skin tight suit.” Tony teased.

“Sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”

“Well don’t stop doing what you’re doing on account of me. I am many things but I am not one to blicken anyones chicken.”

“Blicken - oh. Cock block. I get it.” Peter sighed in disappointment.

“So who’s the lucky lady?” Tony asked and took a seat on Peters bed.

“Oh, uh, we don’t have to talk about this. Don’t worry. May already had “the talk” with me.” Peter laughed nervously and hoped Tony would get the hint to drop it.

“I don’t mind it. You’re the closest thing I have to a son and I always thought I’d be really good at giving the sex talk.”

“You’ve always thought that?” Peter scrunched his nose.

“Let’s just talk basics so I can get out of your hair. Are you guys being safe?”

“Yes. Totally safe.” Peter assured him.

“Good. Because we don’t know how radioactive your web fluid is, if you catch my drift.”

“I wish I didn’t but I do.” Peter grimaced.

“So is it just one girl or are you running some kind of brothel in here?” Tony questioned.

“Just one girl. My girlfriend.” Peter said with a shy smile.

“Well I’ll be. You’ve taken a lover.” Tony smiled proudly and patted Peters knee.

“Yeah, I guess I have.” Peter laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh, I get it. I recognize the blush of a smitten man. I get the same blush every time I catch my reflection in a building when I pass by it. How long have you been seeing this girl?”

“Three months. But the…other stuff only started recently.”

“Good for you for waiting. I’ll have you know that Pepper and I waited. I’ll also have you know that Pepper couldn’t stand me for the first few years she knew me.”

“Yeah. She’s mentioned that.” Peter chuckled.

“Do you love her? And follow up, have you told her if you have?”

“I haven’t told her yet. But I do. I love her with all my heart.”

“Then why haven’t you told her?”

“I’m scared too. I’m scared she doesn’t love me back yet.” Peter admitted for the first time out loud.

“Peter, she’s been dating you for three months and is willing to sneak into the highly secluded Avengers tower just to bust it open for you. I think it’s safe to assume she loves you.”

“Maybe.” Peter laughed shyly and started to feel a twinge of guilt for lying to Tony about who he was dating.

“How does she get in here anyway? I’ve never seen a girl around here.” Tony realized, making Peter gulp.

“I swing her up to my window.” Peter quickly lied.

“Aw. Like Rapunzel.”

“Yeah. Exactly like Rapunzel.” Peter nodded in agreement.

“Well I’m happy for you, kid. I really am. Any girl would be lucky to be dating a man like you. And I know if my daughter ever brought home a guy like you, I’d be damn proud of her for picking a good one.” Tony said and patted Peters shoulder. Peter looked at Tony’s hand on his shoulder and felt like he could cry. It was one of the most sincere and heartfelt things Tony had ever said to Peter and it killed Peter that it happened because of a lie.

“Do you really mean that?” Peter asked quietly.

“I do. I saw greatness in you the day I met you, kiddo. And I’ve seen in everyday since.” Tony said with a fond smile.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark. That means a lot to me.” Peter answered and put his hand over Tony’s. Inside, it was absolutely killing Peter to lie to Tony’s face in that moment. His guilt doubled and he knew he had to come clean as soon as possible.

“Well now I’ve made myself uncomfortable by expressing my feelings. I’m gonna leave now before an awkward silence settles in. See you at dinner?” Tony cleared his throat awkwardly and stood up from Peter’s bed.

“See you at dinner.” Peter nodded and felt relived that Tony was leaving.

“K. Love you.” Tony said as he walked towards the door.

“I love you too.” Peter said sincerely.

“Gross.” Tony grimaced. He then winked at Peter before leaving his room. Once he was gone, Peter felt himself get emotional as tears slipped down his face. He couldn’t believe he just lied to a man who had given him so much. Peter quickly wiped his face and went to your room to settle this before it went any further.

“Hey.” You smiled when you opened your door and saw him.

“Hey. Can we talk?” Peter asked as he came in and shut the door behind him.

“Oh. Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?”

“No, it’s not okay. I just talked to your dad.”

“Did you tell him about us?” You worried and sat on your bed.

“No. But he found your underwear in my room.” Peter sighed as sat beside you.

“Oh no. What did you tell him?” You laughed, still not understanding the gravity of the situation.

“That I have a girlfriend.”

“Okay. Maybe this will work in our favor. It’ll be easier to sneak around if he knows you’re dating someone.” You shrugged. Peter kept his eyes on his lap and you noticed that his leg was bouncing nervously.

“What’s wrong?” You asked and placed your hand on his knee to calm him down. Peter sucked in a sharp breath before getting emotional again.

“I don’t want to sneak around anymore. I can’t keep lying to your dad like this. I can’t do it.” Peter said with watery eyes.

“Peter, we talked about this. He can’t know about us. He made it very clear that I’m not allowed to date until I’m 21.” You sighed and withdrew your hand.

“I know we talked about it. But he and I had a great conversation and I really think things will be different. He just told me he’d be proud of you if you brought home a guy like me.”

“Peter, he says that now as a hypothetical but if he knew we were actually dating, he would feel differently.”

“I cannot keep breaking his trust like this. It’s killing me to lie to him. And I don’t know what’s gonna be worse. When he finds out I’m dating you or when he finds out I lied to his face about it.” Peter got off your bed and started to pace your room in a panic.

“If he finds out about us, he’s just gonna flip out and tell us we’re too young and too dumb to date. He’ll never be okay with this.” You reminded Peter as you got off your bed. You put your hands on his shoulders to calm him down and he stopped pacing.

“I know. But what’s he gonna do? It’s not like he can force us to break up.”

“Maybe not. But he can take your suit away and kick you out of the tower. Or make FRIDAY lock you out of my room permanently. Or make sure we are never alone together. He’s Tony Stark. He had infinite resources and time on his hands. If he wants us to break up, he will find a way.”

“Then we will just find a way to be together. No matter what he does.” Peter promised as he took your hands.

“But it will never be the same. Isn’t it better to lie to him so we can be together like this for as long as possible?”

“I’m not a liar. And he knows that.” Peter shook his head decidedly and let go of your hands. You folded your arms and stared at Peter for a minute, knowing he had already made up his mind. You hated lying to your dad just as much as Peter did, but you knew it was the only way for you to remain together.

“Can you just give me a little more time? Just in case he forces us apart?” You asked quietly and took Peter’s hands again. He looked at your hands and sighed before nodding his head.

“Okay. We’ll keep it a secret for a little longer.”

“Thank you.” You smiled and cupped his face to kiss him. When you pulled away, Peter got a look on his face that you didn’t recognize.

“Was there something else?” You asked him.

“Yeah. I…” Peter began but trailed off when he lost his nerve. He wanted to tell you he loved you, but his fear stopped him once again.

“Never mind. I’ll tell you later.” Peter faked a smile.

“Okay. Tell me later.”

The next day, you left to go on a recon mission with some of the other Avengers. Peter stayed back at the tower since his powers wouldn’t be useful and spent the week listlessly lounging around as he waited for you to come back. Finally, he got an alert that the quintet had landed on the rooftop. Peter excitedly jumped off his bed and ran into the foyer to see you. When he got there, he saw Tony and some other Avengers, but no you.

“Hey. Did the mission go okay?” Peter asked as he scanned the room for you.

“For the most part. Until Y/n got hit with a missile.” Tony said causally.

“What?!” Peter shrieked. “How did that happen?”

“She stood right in front of a middle launch pad.” Steve answered like it was the most simple thing in the world.

“Yeah. It was 100% her fault.” Tony chuckled. “She’ll be okay though. She’s recovering in the medical wing.”

“I have to see her.” Peter said and tried to push past Tony.

“Slow your roll there, Parker.” Tony stopped him. “She’s got open wounds so the doctor doesn’t want any outside germs in the room with her. You can see her when she’s out in a couple days.”

“No, no, no. I need to be in there with her.” Peter started to panic and tried to go towards your room again.

“No, you do not. You can see her after.” Tony pushed Peter back again with an annoyed laugh.

“You don’t understand. I need to see her now.” Peters eyes teared up as he tried one last time to get around Tony. By this point, Tony was more than suspicious and had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“What don’t I understand? Why exactly do you need to see her so badly?” Tony questioned as he folded his arms. From the desperation in Peters voice, Tony had figured out what was going on. And from the tone in Tony’s voice, Peter figured he knew exactly what Peter was about to say. Peter stared at Tony for a minute as he went over his options in his head. He knew you didn’t want your dad to know about your relationship yet, but it might be his only chance of getting to see you while you were hurt. With the knowledge of you being hurt clouding his judgment, he made a snap decision.

“Because I love her.” Peter said quietly. Tony’s jaw locked as his suspicions were confirmed.

“Excuse me?” Tony asked in a low voice.

“Mr. Stark, I am in love with your daughter. And I need be with her. Please.” Peter pleaded in a shaking voice.

“I thought you had a girlfriend?” Tony asked as he folded his arms.

“I do. It’s her.”

“You’ve been dating my daughter behind my back for three months?”

“Yes. I have. And I know you’re going to yell and scream and throw things at me but before you do, please understand that I never wanted to lie to you. She asked me to keep our relationship a secret so I did. Because I would do anything for her. Absolutely anything.”

Tony stared at him for a long time but said nothing. Peter didn’t know this, but Tony was tallying up in his head all the times you and Peter had lied to him to keep your relationship a secret.

“Okay. You can yell at me now.” Peter said and braced himself.

“I’m not going to yell at you.”

“You’re not?”

“You didn’t tell me for three months?” Tony asked again, sadness in his voice this time.

“No. I didn’t.” Peter admitted, making Tony nod his head.

“I expected more from you.” Tony said without looking into Peters eyes.

“I know, and I’m sorry, but-“

“You will move all your stuff out by tonight.” Tony cut him off. “You will go back to living with May. Happy will call you if -and that’s a big if- I need you for a mission. Other than that, you are not affiliated with the Avengers. You are not welcome in this tower. And you are never, ever, to speak to my daughter again. Do you understand?”

“Mr. Stark, I know you’re mad but-“

“Do you understand?” Tony cut him off again by yelling. Peter felt tears come to his eyes but he nodded his head.

“Yes sir.” Peter said quietly.

“Good. Now go.” Tony said and pointed to the door. Peter noticed Tony’s finger was shaking but said nothing. He reluctantly walked towards the door and before he could open it, he heard Tony’s voice again.

“I am so disappointed in you.” Tony said, delivering the final blow. Peter quickly left the room before Tony could see him cry.

By the time you woke up, Peter was long gone. You struggled to sit up and winced when you felt the wound on your side.

“Daddy? What happened?” You asked as you rubbed your eyes.

“Hey sweetheart. Welcome back. You got absolutely wasted by a missile.” Tony said in a soft voice.

“Typical.” You sighed. “Are there any major injuries?”

“Your ear is shot but the doctor said it’s only temporary.”

“Good thing Clint taught us all ASL.” You signed to Tony.

“Yeah. Good thing.” Tony signed back. You smiled and squeezed his hand before looking around the room.

“Has anyone come by to see me?” You asked, but meant someone in particular.

“Everybody has. This is the first time your room has been empty since you got here.”

“Aw. I can’t wait to see them all.” You smiled softly when you noticed the cards and flowers in your room that the team had left.

“They can’t wait to see you.”

“Did Peter come by?” You asked, making Tony’s smile drop.

“No. He hasn’t.” Tony said quietly.

“He hasn’t?” You frowned. “Does he know what happened?”

“Well he’s been a little busy so I’m not sure he heard the news.” Tony lied to you without even thinking about it.

“Busy? With what?” You laughed skeptically and looked around for your phone to text Peter.

“Well you know how he has a girlfriend?”

“Yeah. I heard about that.” You replied without looking your dad in his eyes.

“Well the security cameras caught Peter sneaking her into the tower while we were gone. I found that a little disrespectful so I told him that if he wanted overnight guests, he’d have to bring them to his own home. He agreed and said he’d be sleeping back at his apartment with May from now on.” Tony lied to you as he said the first thing that popped into his head.

“Wait, what? You saw Peter with a girl?”

“With his girlfriend, yes.” Tony continued to lie. He knew you were Peters girlfriend, but you didn’t know he knew, so he was taking advantage.

“That isn’t possible.” You laughed uncomfortably.

“Why not?” Tony played dumb.

“Because…” You began then trailed off. You didn’t know Tony already knew about you and Peter so you were still determined to keep the secret. So as much as you wanted to tell your dad that what he was saying meant Peter was cheating on you, you had to keep quiet.

“Nothing. No reason. I’m just surprised he brought a girl here. And now he’s moving out?”

“Yep. He moved all his stuff out already. He was being weird about the whole thing. He seemed super freaked out when I told him that I knew about the girl. He even begged me not to tell you. Isn’t that strange? I don’t know why he thought you would care.” Tony shrugged as he fed you more of the lie. He watched your face crumple and knew he was hurting you but decided it was for the best.

“Yeah. Me either.” You said quietly as you fought back tears.

“Well I’ll let you get some rest, kiddo. See you in the morning.” Tony kissed your forehead before leaving your room. As soon as he was gone, you pulled your comforter over your head and cried yourself to sleep.

Tony’s plan worked and you ended up blocking Peters number before he had a chance to reach out to you. And while kicking Peter out kept the two of you apart while you recovered from your injury, Tony didn’t account for the fact that you and Peter went to the same college. Peter finally saw you again on your first day back at school and pushed people out of the way to get to you.

“There you are. I’ve been texting and calling you like crazy for the past two weeks. Why haven’t you answered me?”

You ignored Peter and continued putting your books away in your locker. Peter blinked a few times in confusion before trying again.

“Are you okay? I never even got to see you after your accident. Is everything all right with you? I was so worried.” Peter asked and rubbed your arm. You pushed his hand away and slammed your locker before walking away. Peter shook his head in confusion before running after you.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” He asked and stepped in front of you.

“What do you want Peter?” You sighed.

“What do I want? To talk to my girlfriend, maybe. I’d like to start there.” He said sarcastically.

“Oh, your girlfriend? Which one?” You asked and folded your arms.

“Huh?”

“My dad told me about the other girl. I know that’s why you moved out. Did you really think you could cheat on me in my own house and I wouldn’t find out?” You asked before walking away again. Peter looked up at the ceiling to ask the sky what the hell you were talking about before running after you. He caught up to you and placed his hands on your shoulders to stop you.

“What the hell are you even talking about? Cheat on you? With who?” Peter exclaimed.

“I don’t know her name.” You rolled your eyes. “All I know is my dad said he saw you with another girl when I was gone on the mission.”

“What?!” Peter shrieked. “That never happened. All I did when you were gone was wait for you to come back.”

“Then why did you move out?”

“Because your dad kicked me out!” Peter exclaimed before looking around for who might be listening.

“Because your dad kicked me out.” He whispered, making you roll your eyes again.

“Why would he do that?”

“Because found out about us. Or, I told him about us. But only because you were hurt and I was scared so I panicked and blurted that I…”

“That you…” You urged him to finish his sentence once he trailed off. Peter looked at you for a minute and decided that the only way to get you to understand what happened was to tell you the whole truth.

“That I love you. I told him that I loved you. That’s how he found out.” Peter admitted. Your angry expression immediately melted to one of confusion as you dropped your guard.

“You told my dad you loved me before you told me?”

“It wasn’t exactly planned.” Peter said quietly. Your face lit up in a fond smile as peters face burned bright red.

“You love me?” You asked and took peters hands.

“A whole lot, unfortunately.”

“Peter.” You gushed and wrapped your arms around his neck. He immediately hugged your back and melted into your touch after weeks of silence from you.

“Wait, I’m mad at you.” You remembered and let go of him.

“Baby girl, do you think it’s possible that your dad lied about me cheating to get you to hate me?” Peter asked slowly.

“Why would he want me to hate you?”

“Because if you hate me, you’re not gonna beg him to let us be together. It was kind of a genius move if you think about it. You didn’t know that he knew about us so he made up a story to get you to hate me. That way, he didn’t have to break us up or hear about why we should be together.”

“Damn it. He is a genius.” You whispered when you realized Peter was probably right. Peter stepped forward and cupped your face in his hands so you’d look at him.

“I didn’t cheat on you, honey. I swear. I think we both know I’m not organized or coordinated enough to pull that off.”

“You’re right. I don’t know why I believed him so easily. Maybe because he told me while I was still high on morphine.” You sighed and wrapped your arms around Peter again.

“So we’re okay?” He asked hopefully. You broke into a smile and kissed him before pulling away.

“I love you too.” You told him before kissing him again.

“Now let’s go kill my dad.” You said sweetly once you pulled away.

“Aw.” Peter smiled. “Wait, what?”

~

“I don’t think this is a good idea. He’s gonna kill me.” Peter whispered to you as you walked hand in hand to the main room of the tower.

“Probably.” You whispered back, making Peter stop in his tracks.

“What?! So why are we doing this?”

“Because it’s what’s right. He can’t get mad at us for lying to him and then turn around and do the same thing to me by lying to my face. We are in love and there is no reason we shouldn’t be together. And that’s exactly what I’m gonna tell him.” You said as you grabbed his hand to continue pulling him. When you got to the main room, you saw most of the team sitting around.

“Oh good. Everybody’s here.” You said, getting everyone’s attention. Tony’s eyes went from Peters face to your intertwined hands before he stood up.

“What’s he doing here?” Tony asked angrily and pointed to Peter. Peter looked at you in fear but you squeezed his hand to let him know it was going to be okay.

“Everyone, Peter and I have something to tell you. We are in love and in a relationship.” You announced and waited for reactions. Everyone looked at each other but no one seemed particularly interested.

“Um, congrats? Is that really something that needed to be announced?” Natasha laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah, no offense guys, but I don’t think anyone cares that you two are together.” Steve said and everyone nodded in agreement.

“Oh. Damn. Anticlimactic.” You mumbled under your breath. Tony, on the other hand, was not as nonchalant.

“Like hell you are.” Tony scoffed. “This is not happening. Not under my roof or anywhere else that I own. Which is a lot of property, by the way.”

“Dad, you can’t keep Peter and I apart. Especially not by lying to me and saying he cheated on me.”

“Yeah, I kinda can’t believe you bought that. I came up with it on the spot.” Tony dropped his anger for a second to snort.

“Oh my God.” You face palmed.

“It wasn’t fair to me. I’ve been nothing but loyal, helpful, and respectful towards you. You had no reason to kick me out and lie about me.” Peter spoke up, getting everyone’s attention.

“Uh, here’s a reason.” Tony scoffed and held up a finger. “You had sexual intercourse with my off spring. I freaking found her panties in your room next to your Lego police station!”

“Your “off spring” is my girlfriend, okay? It’s not like Y/n and I are just hooking up. We are dating and in love and it is none of your business. So I’m sorry if you don’t like that we’re together, but I’m also not sorry. Because you need to get over it. She’s an adult and she can date whoever she wants. So you can kick me out of the tower and try to keep us apart, but you’ll never be able to break us up. We love each other and we don’t care how that makes you feel.”

“Yeah.” You chimed in. “If you kick him out, I’ll just go with him. And I don’t care if you emancipate me because of it. I’d rather be poor with him than rich without him.”

“Did you just stand up to me?” Tony asked with tight eyes.

“Did you just call me poor?” Peter asked you.

“Yes?” You answered both their questions with a question.

“Wow. Things are becoming clearer. Words are being processed. Previously held opinions are being changed. Gasp! I realizing that I was…wrong?” Tony gasped and sat back down on the couch with a dumbfounded expression.

“He is unbearable sometimes.” Steve groaned and rubbed his eyes.

“Yeah, wait a minute. Tony, did you really do that? Did you really kick Peter out and lie to your kid?” Natasha asked.

“I will admit that I lied to my beloved daughter about the loyalty of her boyfriend to split them up. And that I may have slightly overreacted when I heard Peter and Y/n were an item.” Tony confessed, making everyone groan.

“Is that it? You’re just admitting to something we already know you did?” You asked and folded your arms. Peter put an arm around you to show that he supported you and judging by the looks of everyone else’s faces, they supported you too. Tony looked around the room before letting out a sigh.

“I ran so hot when I was young. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to settle down and start a family. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t think anyone would want to with me. So when your mother got pregnant, I swore I would be the most devoted and loving father I possible could be. And once your mom and I split up, I worried that I’d be your father but I wouldn’t be your dad, you know? I was so excited that you chose to live with me. I thought it would always be the two of us. Plus the 10 adults who also live with us.”

“I think we’re up to 12 now.” Sam mumbled.

“I wasn’t expecting a boyfriend.” Tony continued. “You’re still 6 in my head. You’re still my little girl. And I just didn’t know how to handle finding my little girls drawers in Peters bedroom.”

“Little girls grow up eventually.” You told him.

“I know.” Tony sighed. “But eventually is a lot different from actually.”

“Well just because you didn’t want me to grow up doesn’t excuse what you did.” You stood your ground.

“I see that now. I’m sorry that I lied to you. I did it without thinking it through and it was wrong of me.” Tony apologized and you nodded in satisfaction.

“Okay. Now Peter.” You said and pushed Peter forward.

“Excuse me?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that now?” Peter turned to you to ask.

“Apologize to Peter.” You told him. “I wasn’t the only one you wronged.”

“She’s right. How could you kick Peter out? He’s the only one who knows the HBO Max password.” Natasha pointed out.

“It’s “fuckyfarnes”.” Peter said quietly.

“Yeah. That wasn’t cool Tony. You better apologize to him.” Steve agreed. Tony rolled his eyes to the ceiling and swung his arms like a little kid before looking at Peter.

“I’m sorry, kid. I shouldn’t have kicked you out like that. It didn’t bother me as much that Y/n lied. Daughters lie to their dads. It’s human nature. But when I realized you’d been lying to me…I don’t know. I felt betrayed. You weren’t my kid lying to me. You were my friend.”

“Well I’m sorry I lied. But we wouldn’t have had to lie to you if you didn’t have a crazy rule have against Y/n dating anybody until she’s 21.” Peter defended.

“Wait, you seriously made that a rule? Did you lock her in a tower too and tell her not to let her hair down for anybody?” Sam snorted.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time, okay?” Tony defended. “I didn’t want her to end up like Taylor Swift. Taylor’s heart was broken way too many times as a teenager and then again on her 21st birthday. I didn’t want the same fate for my daughter.”

“How do you know how many times Taylor Swift’s heart was broken?” Steve asked in confusion.

“Clearly you’ve never listened to her discography because she is very specific about the ages to weary of.” Tony said with a roll of his eyes.

“It’s true. She is. 7, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19.” You listed off.

“22.” Tony added.

“I thought 22 is the good age?” Steve asked.

“Not according to “Nothing New” it’s not.” Tony scoffed and you nodded in agreement.

“Can we circle back to the topic anytime soon?” Peter asked but everyone ignored him.

“Why are the years from 17 to 21 so perilous?” Bucky raised his hand to ask.

“Because at 17 you don’t know anyhting and nobody understands. 18 is actually good because you know everything but 19 is bad because you dance with the devil while you’re too young to be messed with. 20 is a year of neutral good but 21 is when Jake Gyllenhaal takes your virginity and your scarf and then doesn’t show up to your birthday party.” Tony explained.

“I gotta start listening to this girls music because what the actual fuck?” Steve blew out a breath of exhaustion.

“Who is Jake Gyllenhaal and does he take everyone’s virginity at 21 or does he pick and choose?” Bucky raised his hand to ask. Tony started to answer but Peter cut him off.

“SHUT UP ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT.” Peter shouted and everyone went silent.

“Never.” Tony whispered after a beat of silence and then looked around as if to find who said that.

“Sorry Peter.” You said. “Daddy, you may proceed with your apology.”

“Look Peter, I’ll admit that what I did was wrong and an overreaction. But I’m also not totally comfortable with you living here knowing you and my daughter are fadoodling.”

“But dad.” You whined and stamped your foot a little.

“She makes a good point there.” Sam said and pointed to you.

“Nope. Absolutely not. You are way too young to be living with your boyfriend.”

“But Mr. Stark.” Peter whined. “May already turned my room into her crafting center.”

“I don’t care. That’s my compromise. You can date my daughter but you cannot live under my roof.”

“What if I don’t date your daughter and continue living under your roof?” Peter asked, making everyone go silent.

“Okay. That was a hilarious joke but fine. Don’t laugh. I don’t even care.” Peter mumbled under his breath.

“Final offer. Take it or leave it, kid.” Tony said and held out his hand.

“What if Peter moves back in but we set a curfew for when we can be in each others room until?” You suggested.

“What if I move out because living here is constant drama and I find you all unbearable?” Sam asked with a smile.

“Fine.” Tony reluctantly agreed. “Peter can move back in but there will be a strict curfew enforced. And I better never find my daughters underwear in your Legos ever again.”

“I can promise you that.” Peter said and eagerly shook Tonys hand.

“So we’re good? Everybody forgives everybody?” You asked hopefully.

“I think so.” Tony said and patted Peters shoulder.

“Me too. And hey, maybe this curfew will prevent us from having another pregnancy scare. Remember how scary that was?” Peter joked to lighten the mood. Tony’s smile immediately crumbled as his grip on Peters shoulder tightened. The rest of the team cringed and braced themselves for Tony’s reaction.

“What did you just say?” Tony asked through clenched teeth.

“Oh my God.” You whispered. “Peter, run. Run fast before he kills you.”

Tag List 🏷️

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[thislovintime]

Photos by Gene Trindl (?) and Ros O’Gorman.

“The Weavers and the Almanac Singers were [Peter’s] big musical influences, ‘but what really influenced me as a performer were things like Steve Allen’s and Danny Kaye’s comedy insanity.’” - Peter Tork, Oakland Tribune, July 11, 1989 Q: “Is there a comedy that left an indelible impression on you as a youngster?” Peter Tork: “The Court Jester [1956], a musical comedy starring Danny Kaye, was one I loved as a kid. It certainly stands up today. It’s just one of the greatest film comedies. My wife Pam saw that and said, ‘Ah, I see where you get all your stuff’ [laughs]. She thinks all my comedic, goofy characters are all contained in that movie.” - Medium, 2017 “[Peter] has had a great effect on the way I perform. The way he used to move, the way he used his accent, his whole attitude toward the theater, the entire theater, gave him a great basis from which to work. He never looks past the fact that he’s supposed to be up there: to entertain the people. And every time he got up there he would perform and do his whole number, exuding all the personality he could and he did some marvelous comedy routines. It was mostly by watching him that I picked up some of those things.” - Stephen Stills, Tiger Beat, June 1967

[literaryavenger]

So I read somewhere that if the word ‘Sputnik’ is said to Bucky it knocks him out. Like it was a way for HYDRA to temporarily incapacitate him until they could control him better if he got out of hand. I’d love to see if you could write about how the reader and the team would deal with this situation. Maybe incorporate the satellite, as we know how much Bucky loves space. 💙✨ Maybe an established relationship? Again don’t need to do this, but I thought you’d appreciate a little help to get out of this writers block :)

Sputnik

Summary: Bucky's fascinacion with Space gives the team an interesting, emotional week.

Pairing: Boyfriend!Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend!BlackWidow!Reader, Platonic!Bucky Barnes x Various!Avengers

Warnings: Language. Established relationship. Mentions of Bucky's past and trauma. So much angst, but tons of fluff too. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 6.4K. This one got away from me, lol.

A/N: Okay, so I heard about this too and did some research and found out it is a thing that the Red Skull uses against Bucky in one of the many universes of the comics, but it can only be used once. What I couldn’t find is how to wake him up, so that part is made up by me lol. Anyway, I hope this satisfies you, Anon, and to everyone that’s sent me requests already, I promise I plan on working on all of them, even if it takes me a little time. But keep ‘em coming! Also, I put a lot of MCU references and lines, so have fun finding them all, lol.

Masterlist

Life isn’t always fair.

That’s something most people can agree on. But it’s especially never been fair for one Bucky Barnes.

Bucky has been an Avenger for years now, and sometimes he still feels like he’s made little to no progress. Other times even he can’t deny how far he’s come.

Like right now, he’s sitting on the couch with you, his girlfriend, sitting next to him with your legs over his as he strokes your thigh absentmindedly while he’s engrossed in a conversation with Peter about astrology.

That’s something that Bucky has always found interesting, and the young genius has been filling Bucky in on everything he’s missed on the subject since the 40s.

Most of the Avengers are away on missions and the rest of the team that’s at the Compound (Tony, Steve, Peter, Wanda, Sam, Natasha, Bucky and you) are all hanging out in the common room, the fading colors of the sundown coming through the window making for a nice setting.

Tony, Steve and Sam are talking about Formula One, Peter and Bucky are in their own little nerd world and you are talking with Natasha and Wanda about the latest tv show you’ve all been binging together.

Your attention is brought on Bucky when he taps on your leg gently to signal you to get them off of him so he can get up, never breaking his conversation with Peter.

“What’s a satellite?” Bucky asks with furrowed eyebrows as he gets up from the couch.

“It’s an artificial body placed in orbit around the earth, or moon or another planet, in order to collect information or for communication.” Peter explains like the cute little geek he is while Bucky goes to the kitchen to get another beer, still concentrating on their conversation.

“You know,” Tony interjects, the whole team’s attention now on their exchange. “The first artificial Earth satellite launched in 1957, it was called Sputnik and it was-”

“Bucky?” You interrupt Tony in the middle of his fun fact when you see your boyfriend freezing as he’s about to sit on the couch where he was a minute ago.

He doesn’t say anything but you can see his eyes rolling back into his head and then he falls to the ground unconscious.

“Bucky!” You yell as you kneel beside him, everyone else rushing to his side, just as worried as you.

You grab him by his shoulders and shake him a little, but the man doesn’t move a muscle. You look around at the team, but everyone is equally as clueless about what’s happening as you are.

“Should we try slapping him?” Sam offers, earning a glare from both you and Steve and a slap on the back of his head by Natasha.

You look back at Bucky, but you can’t think of anything to do to help him, your mind completely blank. You feel a hand on your shoulder but you pay it no mind, your eyes focused on Bucky.

“We could try the book…” Steve’s voice is quiet but to your ears those words feel like a scream and your eyes snap up to his just to find him already looking at you.

You know what book he’s talking about, of course you know. The Winter Soldier’s red book, the one Bucky gave you to keep safe because he trusts you with his life.

You’re the only one that has access to it, but you’ve never even opened it because Bucky trusted you not to unless it was necessary. He chose not to destroy it for this exact reason, in case something inexplicable happened to him. 

He himself has never opened the book, so it stands to reason that there are a lot of things he doesn’t know about the Winter Soldier’s programming.

You promised him you’d keep it safe and that’s what you’ve done so far, but you also promised yourself you’d never open it and see the horrors even Bucky doesn’t know they did to him. You certainly never thought it would be necessary, that’s why you agreed to it.

But right now, as much as you hate to admit it, it’s your best option. 

You leave Bucky in Steve’s care and go to your and Bucky’s room. You go into the closet and remove the hardwood plank in the far corner and reach into it to take out a small safe.

It’s Stark Technology, even Bucky wouldn’t be able to get into it, if he even knew it was there. But he doesn’t, he was very insistent on you being the only person that knew the book’s hiding place.

You scan your thumbprint, then your retina and lastly say the voice command ‘Jamie’ and the light turns green. The safe opens and you reach into it, moving away the files about yourself you recovered from the Red Room after you and Natasha escaped, then the Hydra file Natasha found on Bucky and some other documents you have there before spotting the red leather at the bottom of the safe. You pull it out and hesitate before sighing. 

This is necessary. 

That’s what you keep telling yourself over and over as you open it and start looking through the pages for anything about Bucky passing out.

Thankfully it doesn’t take long for you to find it, and you’re careful to put everything away the way it was before going back to Bucky.

While you were looking for an explanation, Steve and Sam moved Bucky to the medbay where Tony hooked up some machines to him to make sure he was still healthy, even if he’s unconscious.

You enter the room and hesitate before walking up to the bed. You can tell everyone’s worried, most likely because even the shuffle of bringing him here didn’t wake him up.

“Please tell me nobody slapped him.” you say quietly, half joking and half actually worried someone tried to slap him awake. When Steve shakes his head no, you let out a relieved breath and cross your arms in front of your chest. “I think I know what happened.”

“You do? What is it?” Steve asks hopefully, although the tone in your voice doesn’t prompt anything good.

“Apparently, Hydra planted a failsafe in Bucky’s subconscious.” Everyone’s attention is on you, and you look at everything but Bucky. “It was made in case the Winter Soldier rebelled and they needed a quick way to shut him down.”

“I don’t get it, why didn’t Shuri take it out with his trigger words?” Sam asks with a frown.

“She didn’t know about it.” You answer simply. “Bucky didn’t even know about it…”

“If she didn’t know it existed, she didn’t know to look for it…” Tony elaborates and Sam nods.

“Does it say what the word is?” Steve asks you.

“The word is ‘Sputnik’.” You say while looking at Tony with a tight-lipped smile. You know it’s not his fault, he obviously didn’t do it on purpose and you know he understands you don’t blame him, and neither would Bucky. “Good news is, the failsafe can only be used once.” Everyone relaxes a little, at least there’s the bright side that this won’t ever happen again.

“And the bad news is…?” Natasha prompts while raising her eyebrow, making everyone tense again. You sigh, damn her for knowing you so well.

“Since it’s never been used, there’s no saying what will happen to him, how long it’ll last or how to wake him up…” You trail off, looking down at your feet while biting your lip before finishing your sentence. “If he even wakes up.”

You hear Wanda gasp at your words and the room goes silent. You don’t have the courage of looking anybody in the eye at the moment, so you just keep looking down.

“What do you mean, if he even wakes up?” Peter is the one that asks the question, his voice quiet and a little unsteady.

“It’s Hydra we’re talking about, I doubt they cared about the consequences their actions would bring on Bucky’s psyche…” You say bitterly, wishing you had any Hydra agent at hand so you could snap their neck. “That trigger word could’ve done anything to him.”

“T-there has to be something else, maybe you missed something.” Steve mutters and it takes everything in you not to roll your eyes. You know this is coming from a good place, he’s worried for his best friend, but it’s still annoying that he’s doubting you.

“All it says in the book is that it’s supposed to knock him out long enough to provide an opportunity to move him somewhere where he can’t do any damage or even put him back into Cryo if necessary.” You recall word for word what you read in the book, making it clear that there’s nothing else to be done. “All we can do is wait it out…”

You glance at Bucky and something inside you snaps. You know you can’t look at his still, angelic face any longer or you’ll lose it, so you turn around and walk out of the room, leaving everybody perplexed at the wake of your actions.

“Wait!” Steve says from behind you, but you don’t turn around until you’re at the elevators.

“We can keep watch on him one at a time until he wakes up.” That’s all you say while entering the elevator, giving him no chance to say anything back.

He understands this is a lot for you, so he decides not to push it. Instead he sighs and turns around, walking back to the rest of the team to tell them your, admittedly simple, plan.

Day 1

Steve volunteers to be the first one to watch over Bucky, hoping that he’ll wake up within a day and then everything will go back to normal.

“Hey, Buck.”  He says quietly as he sits down on the chair next to Bucky’s bed. 

“This is weird…” He says more to himself while studying Bucky’s face. “Should I talk to you? What should I even say to you? I don’t know, man…”

Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “You’ve known me my whole life. My entire, overextended life… Is there really anything you don’t know about me yet? Well, maybe…” 

Steve knows there’s something he hasn’t told Bucky. It’s something he hasn’t told anyone, really. But he needs to get it off his chest, so he takes a deep breath and decides to go for it.

“It’s hard, Buck… This whole hero thing.” He says quietly while looking at his lap. “I got into this life to help people, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, but… I never thought it’d be this hard.”

Steve plays with his fingers as he talks. He knows Bucky probably can’t hear him, he can’t even see him at the moment, but he still feels guilty about what he’s saying. 

“Remember during the war, how we used to think about going home after it was all over and find a nice gal, settle down, have a family…” Steve can’t help but smile at the memory of all the times they spent in bars between fights with the Howling Commandos, just fantasizing about what their lives would be like after the war was over. “I know what I have with Natasha is real, and I love her, and you got pretty lucky too.” He smirks at Bucky while thinking about his relationship with you. 

“But this isn’t really the life we imagined, is it?” His smile falls. He can’t help but feel like saying these things out loud make him look selfish. But who better to understand him than his best friend, who went through something very similar? So he keeps going.

“This job, man… People depend on us to keep them safe, and that’s a lot of responsibility on its own, but being Captain America…” Steve scoffs, just the title he was given all those years ago now carries a weight he can’t escape. “It’s exhausting.” 

Steve finally looks up at Bucky, half expecting him to be looking at him with an irritated expression, but Bucky’s still unconscious, his face still and peaceful, almost as if he’s merely sleeping.

“I try to be perfect all the time, but, outside this team, no one wants me to be myself… They want me to be the version of myself that they like. The version that serves them better.” Steve leans in, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes focused on Bucky’s face. “But I’ve always known I could be myself with you. ‘That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight’, right?” 

Steve laughs. That’s how Bucky described him. Even after the serum, that’s how Bucky always saw him.

“That’s me… You’ve always seen me for who I was, not who you needed me to be…” He takes Bucky’s hand in his. “Even when I had nothing, I had you… And I know what you’d tell me if you were awake,” 

Steve chuckles, knowing his stubborn best friend would insist Steve would be fine even without him. “I have the Avengers, I found myself a family, I’ll be okay…” He pauses thinking about the team, but then he gets to you and his smile falls again. “But her.” 

He knows he doesn’t have to say anything more. If Bucky were awake, he would immediately understand Steve’s talking about you. “For her it’s different.” Steve says quietly. Everybody knows how much Bucky means to you. “You’re everything to her, Bucky.”

Day 2

Bucky still hasn’t woken up, but you can’t bring yourself to watch over him and Natasha can see it on your face when Steve suggested you’d be the next one on Bucky watch, so she offers to go instead of you like the good big sister she is.

“Hi, Barnes.” She says when she sits down on the same chair Steve spent the day on yesterday. “I think we both know I’m only here for your little doll.” Natasha teases with a small smirk before she gets more serious.

“She can’t face this yet…” Natasha says quietly, thinking about your face just moments ago. “She doesn’t believe she’s as strong as we both know she is.”

Natasha knows you haven’t slept much, the darkening circles under your eyes give you away.

“But I get it,” she sighs “you mean so much to her.” She’s never seen you as happy as you are since you started dating Bucky, and she knows you’d do anything to protect that. Hell, Natasha herself would do anything to protect something as pure as your relationship with Bucky.

“Our whole lives, all she wanted was what she has with you now.” Natasha smiles sadly at Bucky. “And now that she’s found it, it’s hard for her to face reality and admit to herself that she might lose it…” 

Natasha sighs and shakes her head, thinking about everything organizations like Hydra and the Red Room took from all of them, and how they’re still managing to hurt them even after all these years.

“You know,” She says after a moment of silence “I’ve never been homesick. Because there was no place I belonged to.”

She knows Bucky felt the same way for the longest time, and she wants to give him the same hope she had. “And then I got this, this job… This family. And you’re part of that family too, Bucky.”

She leans in and scans Bucky’s face, looking for any signs that he might be conscious, but she finds nothing. 

“None of us are ready to lose that. To lose you.” She tries to drive home the point by taking his hand. “You have a family again, a family that cares for you.” 

“And you can’t do this to her… You know you can’t.” She adds after another moment of silence. “All our lives, she’s been looking for a home… You are her home, Bucky.”

Day 3

“Hey, man.” Sam sits down on the chair next to Bucky’s bed. 

“I know, I know, I’m probably the last person you want here…” Sam chuckles. “But that’s too damn bad for you, because I’m gonna be here anyway.”

Sam looks at Bucky, it feels kind of weird for him to see him without the scowl that’s usually directed at him. “Oh, how I wish I could know what’s going on in that big cyborg brain of yours…” Sam says with a small grin. 

“If you were awake you’d be glaring at me. Is it weird that I kind of miss it?” He wonders out loud. “Two days without your annoying staring problem is two days too long…” 

Sam chuckles again. He knows Bucky would be threatening his life at this point if he were awake. Not that he’d ever follow through with his threats, though. Sam sighs.

“I know you don’t want me getting all sappy on you, but… I never did tell you why I tease you so much, did I?” Sam says quietly as he sits back on his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. “You’ve asked me repeatedly why, but you don’t really expect an answer when you do…”

A lot of the conversations between them end with Bucky asking Sam why he’s such a pain in his ass while Sam, and anyone else witnessing the exchange for that matter, just laugh. Even you.

“But here I am, giving you one anyway.” Sam says with a grin. At this point he’s almost hoping that if he annoys Bucky enough, he’ll wake up just to kick his ass. 

“You know how they say ‘we accept the love we think we deserve’? Well, I know how little love you truly believe you deserve.” Sam has never said these things out loud, especially not to Bucky because he knows that wouldn’t end up well for anybody. But now he feels like he has to.

“Thing is…” Sam says quietly, taking the rare moment where Bucky is not rolling his eyes or glaring at him to be honest. “You deserve so much more than you care to admit, Bucky.” 

He looks out the window for a moment before looking back at Bucky.

“And I’m gonna mess with you, and make fun of you, and tease you like friends do.” He says defiantly, almost challenging Bucky to stop him. “Because, whether you like it or not, I am your friend.”

Sam grins at Bucky, wishing he was awake just so Sam could see Bucky’s face as he annoys him. “You have people that care about you, Bucky. You have a whole team that does.” 

Sam says sincerely with an easy smile, but then he sighs. He knows, if Bucky could reply, he wouldn’t want to believe what Sam’s saying. Ever the stubborn one, that man.

“Look Bucky, I know you believe you’re hard to love…” Sam says quietly, thinking about his next words carefully with you in mind. “But she loves you like it’s breathing, man.”

Day 4 

“Good morning, Bucky.” Wanda says as she enters Bucky’s room in the medbay. “How are you feeling?”

She sits down and sighs. “Yeah, I know, I could easily just look into your mind and see for myself, like Tony has been bugging me to do since all this started, but…” She pauses and smiles softly at Bucky. “I made you a promise.”

Bucky didn’t trust Wanda when he first met her. He knew she had ties to Hydra, he knew she could control his mind and he had enough of that for a lifetime.

“I’ve never entered one of our friend’s minds on principle, but I know how important it was to you that I willingly promised you outright.” She says softly while remembering the look on his face when she seeked him out to relieve his worries. “It didn’t take a mind reader to see the weight being lifted off your shoulders when I actually said the words…” 

After that Bucky seemed less guarded around her, they even had some conversations about their experiences with Hydra, and Bucky came to understand where Wanda was coming from.

“And I get it, you’ve had no control over your own mind for the longest time, you don’t want anyone else in there.” Wanda says quietly “You trust me not to, and I’d never betray that trust.” 

She’s proud that she was able to gain Bucky’s trust, and she’d never do anything to lose that.

“You and I both know what it’s like to have nothing,” She sits back on her chair, her eyes on the window. “and we both value trust above all else, having had no one to trust for the longest time.” 

“After I got these… These powers…” She looked at the red energy coming out her fingers while they played with it. “I knew people saw me differently. I knew they feared me…”

Her Sokovian accent comes out more as she gets emotional, her eyes leaving her hand as she looks back at Bucky. “And Hydra conditioned you to expect people to fear you, too.” She says sadly. “But we can’t control other people’s fears. Only our own.”

That’s a lesson that took her a while to learn, but it’s an important one for both of them.

“We’re not monsters.” She says with conviction, like she’s trying to convince him more than just remind him, before adding. “We are all born so beautiful… The greatest tragedy is being convinced we’re not.”

Wanda smiles, that’s another lesson that was hard to learn, but luckily for them they had someone to help them believe it.

“You know who taught us that, who helped us really believe it…” Wanda chuckles softly, thinking about how you went above and beyond for both her and Bucky. Even before you started dating him, you wanted to make him see himself the way you saw, and still see him. 

“She believes wholeheartedly that you’re beautiful. I don’t need to use my powers to see the way her eyes, her face, her whole soul lights up when she looks at you…” Wanda feels like he needs to remind Bucky what he has. If he’s fighting, he needs to know what he’s fighting for. “You’re her hope, and her peace… You’re her whole world, Bucky.”

Day 5 

“Hello, Mr. Barnes, sir.” Peter says shyly as he hesitantly sits down on the chair, almost expecting Bucky to look at him and tell him not to do that because Bucky always insists Peter call him by his nickname like everybody, but Peter never does.

“I’m sorry, I know you hate it when I do that.” Peter scratches the back of his neck nervously. “You always say ‘just because I have a few decades on you, it doesn’t mean you have to call me sir’.”

Peter chuckles. “I know that, but I can’t help it… It’s not because you’re older,” Peter quickly reassures him. “It’s because I respect you. I admire you, really…” Peter blushes a little at the admission, but after all Bucky is a war hero and a role model.

“Everything you went through, even before Hydra…” He trails off, glancing at Bucky with a pained expression before continuing. “It made you stronger. You’ve always been able to help people, even without being a supersoldier.” 

Peter remembers the conversations he had with Bucky, after the man got used to the 16-year-old’s enthusiasm and energy, where Peter’s curiosity and genuine interest of what he had to say brought them hours of Bucky recalling what it was like to live in the 40s and through a war.

“You had a duty back then… To protect your country, your family and your friends… It was a responsibility, albeit a terrible one at that.” Peter says admiringly, recalling how shocked he had been when Bucky told him he got drafted and didn’t enlist like it says in his exhibit at the Smithsonian. “But you know what it’s like, to do what you have to do because it’s the right thing…” 

“I know you look at me and see a younger version of Mr. Rogers… Young and small and in need of help…” Peter says after a moment of silence, chuckling at the similarities he felt he shared with the pre-serum version of Steve before Peter got his powers. “And I get it, I spent my whole life like that… And then I got this opportunity.”

Peter looks at his hands, knowing what he can do with them alone is extraordinary. But he didn’t feel like he deserved it when it first happened.

“It was an accident. A fluke, a mistake…” He said quietly, words he’d never said out loud but he’s said to himself countless times. “But it gave me a chance to help people.” He says, now very proud of the opportunity he’s been given.

“When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t… And then the bad things happen, they happen because of you.” He says while smiling at the memory of telling Tony that when he first recruited him. “And I know fighting is the right thing to do, but it’s also a lot for me to take on…” His voice gets quieter.

“And it took me a while to get the hang of it. I still struggle with it sometimes…” He admits sheepishly. 

“But, ‘just because you took longer than others, doesn't mean you failed.’” He says before smiling at Bucky. “Remember that, kid.’” he says imitating Bucky’s deep voice with a chuckle.

“You told me that, sir. And I always remember that.” He says, proud of himself. “I’m doing my best, and that’s what matters…” His smile falters when he then sees you pass Bucky’s medbay room, like you do a few times a day even if you still can’t bring yourself to enter it.

“She’s doing her best too, Mr. Barnes.” Peter says quietly, looking worriedly at you. “To keep herself together, to not break down… To not lose hope.” 

Peter looks back at Bucky and leans in, like he’s telling him a secret. “But I can tell it’s getting harder. She can’t sleep, or eat, she can’t stop thinking about you but she can’t bear to see you like this…” 

Peter almost hoped that telling him this would be enough to make Bucky wake up, but he understands that it’s more complicated than just willpower. Peter sighs and leans back in his chair, his eyebrows furrowed with worry as he looks at Bucky. “You have to come back to her, Bucky.”

Day 6 

You almost shove Tony into Bucky’s room. Everybody else is busy, most of the team being out on missions, and you still can’t bring yourself to see him.

“Hey, Terminator, how’s the coma going?” You groan loudly enough for him to hear while yelling ‘Tony!’ from outside and he chuckles. “Kidding, kidding…” 

Tony reluctantly sits down on the chair next to Bucky’s bed. It’s not like he hates him, they have slowly developed a relationship. It’s not quite enough to call it a true friendship, but it’s enough for them to get along when they’re in a group setting, they just don’t spend any time just the two of them. 

“Fine, let’s level, Barnes.” Tony says with a sigh after several minutes of silence. “I know we’ve had a rocky relationship from the start, but you have to see where I’m coming from.” 

Tony thinks back at what happened in Siberia. He feels guilty about it now, but in the moment he was in the eye of the tornado. He couldn’t see a way out.

“Seeing you do those things on camera… It did something to me. And then that’s all I could see, your hand around my mom’s throat…” He trails off, swallowing hard as the memory comes rushing back. “But that wasn’t your fault.” He concedes after another moment of silence. 

“You know how they say that villains deserve to have their stories told from their own point of view?” He asks rhetorically, knowing Bucky can’t answer. “I never believed that. I thought it was just an excuse for bad people to justify their actions… A ‘you don’t know what drove me here, so you can’t judge my actions, as bad as they may seem to you’ type of thing.”

He glances down before looking back at Bucky with a small smile. “And then I met you. And I tried to kill you…” He chuckles awkwardly, then sighs. “But I’m glad I didn’t succeed. I’d never been able to get to know you, to understand your side of things… You’re a pretty badass dude.”

Tony smiles at Bucky. Even he has to admit that Bucky has made so much progress. He’s opened up more than anyone would’ve expected, he cares about the team, he laughs and jokes around with everybody. He’s not as guarded as he used to be, he’s truly a part of their evergrowing, eccentric family.

“I know I should’ve told you this a long time ago. It’s always been kind of implied, but…” He takes a deep breath. “I don’t blame you for what happened to my parents. Not anymore.” 

He pauses, he’s never actually said the words out loud, but right now he needs to.

“But I will blame you if you leave her like this…” He says playfully before adding more seriously. “She needs you, Bucky. More than you know, maybe even more than you need her.”

He’s never actually called him by his name, but he knows this is important and doesn’t find it in himself to come up with some funny nickname.

“Everybody wants a happy ending, and you’re hers.” He adds after another second. “And I know, part of the journey is the end, but… It’s not time for your end yet. Don’t leave her like this.” 

Day 7 

You can’t put it off any longer.

The team is out on various missions, you’re the only one in the compound along with a still unconscious Bucky. You take a deep, shaky breath and enter his room.

For a moment you stand in the doorway, tempted to run out as far and fast as you can. But you need to do this.

You walk to his bedside and bite your lip as you look at his peaceful face. Steve was right, he looks like he’s just sleeping. But you know better.

“Hi, baby…” You say quietly as you run your fingers through his hair softly. “I know, I’m sorry I haven’t… I haven’t been here.”

You feel guilty that you haven’t been taking care of him like you should. “But seeing you like this… It just hurts so bad.” You know it’s selfish. He’s the one that you should be caring for, but all you can preoccupy yourself with is your own feelings. “I want to be strong for you and I’m sorry I can’t…” 

You sit down on the chair next to his bed, gently taking his flesh hand in yours, and it’s as warm as it’s always been. For a few moments you do nothing more than just look at him, the beeping of the machines becoming background noise. You almost hope he’ll wake up out of sheer willpower, but you know it won’t happen.

“I need you to wake up, Bucky. Please…” You say quietly, almost pleading with him as tears start to come to your eyes, but you try your best to hold them back. “I need to see your smile, and your beautiful blue eyes, even if they are rolling in annoyance at some stupid pun I made.” 

You chuckle at the thought of all those times that he rolled his eyes at you when you made bad puns and dad jokes, only to laugh a second later. 

Not even because he found them funny, but because of the look you’d give him. Like you were doing everything you could not to laugh, because to you those silly jokes were the funniest thing ever, and he loved how much joy they brought you. 

And that was nothing compared to the way your eyes would light up when he’d laugh, like your greatest accomplishment in life was bringing him joy, even when both of you were entirely aware that it’s not the jokes that he enjoys. 

It’s you.

“I need to hear your voice and feel your touch… You’re everything to me, baby… Everything I need, everything I love…” You pause and bite your lip.

Love. That’s a word you two haven’t said yet. You feel it, you show it, you both know it. But you don’t say it.

Is this the best moment to say it for the first time? Probably not, but, with some hesitation, you say it anyway.

“You are love. When I think of love, when I hear it, when I say it… It’s you, just you, filling my head.” You reach out to caress his cheek. “It’s just you. I love you, Bucky. I’m sorry I’m telling you like this, and I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner… But I need you to wake up  so I can tell you. I need you to hear it, I… I need you, Bucky.” Your tears start to fall without you even noticing. 

“I can’t lose you… I’m not ready… No one ever is, but I can’t…” Your voice breaks and you try to stifle a sob but fail miserably. “I can’t do this without you, Jamie... Just please wake up...” 

You wrap your arm around Bucky's, your other hand holding onto his like it's the only thing keeping him, and you, alive. Like you almost expect to hear the monitors flatlining if you were to let go. 

So you don't, you lay your head on his arm and allow yourself to break for the first time all week and your voice becomes a whisper. “Please…”

Day 8 

Somehow you managed to fall asleep, the first time you’ve slept in a week, still holding onto Bucky’s arm. 

When you wake up the next morning there’s a few moments where you forget everything that happened. You try to get up from the bed, but feel a weight on your stomach and when you look down you see Bucky’s arm holding onto you. 

Suddenly everything that happened in the past week comes rushing back and, at the same time, you realize you’re no longer in the medbay but instead you’re laying on the bed of yours and Bucky’s shared bedroom.

Confused as to how you ended up here and still a little sleepy, you look up with a frown to see Bucky already looking down at you with a goofy grin.

“Bucky!” You all but yell while throwing yourself at him, pushing him onto his back and straddling him. You hug him tightly as he chuckles at your more than enthusiastic reaction.

You feel his arms wrapping around you as he hugs you back. You want to look at him, but part of you is terrified that if you were to let go he'd disappear. You'd wake up and realize this was just a dream and Bucky is still unconscious.

“Doll,” That simple word, his deep voice was all you needed to confirm this is indeed real and he's awake “you're kind of crushing me here, sweetheart.” Bucky teases you playfully, but he doesn't mean it and you both know it. 

Even though you are clinging to him like a koala bear, it doesn't bother him in the slightest. He just wants you to look at him.

You reluctantly pull away from Bucky’s neck just enough to look into his eyes. He brings his hand up to stroke your cheek softly and you instinctively lean into his touch. 

You close your eyes for a second before they snap open again as you realize there’s something you need to tell him.

“I love you.” You take his face in your hands. “I love you so fucking much. And I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I ju-”

Bucky interrupts what he’s sure it’s gonna be a long rant that ends with you unnecessarily apologizing a bunch of times by placing his hands on yours on his face and squeezing them softly, bringing you back to the present.

“I know, doll.” he says simply and you frown a little.

Sure, you’ve both always known you had deep feelings for each other, but he seems pretty sure when you have never actually said the words.

Bucky can see the wheels turning in your head and, chuckling, he decides to solve the mystery for you. “I heard you. I could hear everything while I was unconscious.” 

“You could?” you ask, blushing a little now that you know he heard you breaking down. You’re glad he now knows the depth of your feelings for him, but it’s still a little embarrassing.

“I could,” he says with a smirk. “It's gonna make for a lot of interesting conversations with the team.”

You can’t help but laugh, you’re not sure what the rest of the team talked to him about, but if they were all as emotional as you then Bucky’s gonna have a field day discussing all of that with equally embarrassed Avengers.

Suddenly, Bucky brings your face down to his and kisses you. You make no attempt to resist and actually whine a little when he pulls away, which makes him chuckle at your antics.

“I love you too, baby.” He says softly while stroking your cheeks with his thumbs. “You’re everything to me. My best friend, the love of my life, my very reason to live.”

You feel your tears starting to gather again but, even if this time they’re of joy, you still don’t let them fall.

Before you can say anything though, the door of our room slams open and you can barely understand what’s happening before Steve, Wanda, Peter, Natasha, Sam and Tony throw themselves on the bed, crushing you while they all yell at the same time, the chorus of joy being along the lines of ‘Bucky’s alive’.

Bucky’s arms around you tighten while he tries to protect you from the team’s attack as best as he can while the two of you laugh at your friend’s antics.

You may have had the worst week of your life, but it’s over now. And while you’re looking forward to having some time alone with Bucky, right now you’re happy to be squished under a pile of shouting Avengers.

This just feels right. As weird as your life, and your family is, you wouldn’t want it any other way.