#i know i sent this in an ask to scott but i need it separate

[buildheight]

genuinely the way rendog talks about martyn like he's the one who got away is actually harrowing to me. he has this wistful self-deprecating serious tone that's rare for him and it sounds like he's at the funeral of a man who he got close to in the war but they both came home and married women and martyn killed himself or something and died closeted and ren regrets never answering his letters and calls at fear of being outted and no one at the funeral knows him so hes standing awkwardly watching his wife and family cry. except theyre coworkers. and he can literally text him. they are both invited to the same irl mcyter hangouts with grian and such. do you think he lies awake at night alone in his bed and thinks about how martyn is in bed with his literal wife and thinks bitterly about how if they had met earlier that they couldve had something. do you think he knows he's bisexual or do you think he's too sad that he can't have that blonde that he has given up on the prospect. i personally think having gay sex wouldn't help but joining an improv troupe would

[literaryavenger]

Captain America: Civil War - 5

Summary: Team Cap gets taken to the Raft.

Pairing: Avengers x Reader, Bucky x Reader

Warnings: Descriptions of injuries. Language. Mentions of Y/N. A little angst if you squint. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 1.8K

A/N: Thank god it took me very little to finish this one! Hope you like it!

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

The Raft.

That’s where they sent you after they arrested you in Germany. The fucking Raft.

You haven’t even seen Wanda since you were handed your very unstylish new clothes and they made you change.

You got separated from her when they took you to your cell between Scott's and Sam's. You dread what they're going to do to her, but you're powerless to stop them.

You sit on the ground of your cell and don’t move from there, barely registering what happens around you until the sound of clapping snaps you out of your trance. 

“The Futurist, gentlemen!” Clint shouts but you still don’t move, just listening to the scene. “The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not.”

“Give me a break, Barton.” You hear Tony say and almost show some emotion, but stop yourself. “I had no idea they'd put you here. Come on.”

You hear Clint spit and then say “Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony.”

“Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for…”

“Criminals?” Clint interrupts him. “Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for. Right? That didn't used to mean me. Or Sam, or Y/N, or Wanda. But here we are.”

“Because you broke the law.” Tony says.

“Yeah.” Clint says back and starts chanting “La la la la la” while Tony talks, making you grin slightly.

“I didn't make you. You read it, you broke it.” Tony keeps talking. “Alright, you're all grown up, you got a wife and kids. I don't understand, why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side.” he says and your face falls again immediately, knowing Tony went too far.

“You gotta watch your back with this guy.” Clint says before slamming his hands on the bars angrily. “There's a chance he's gonna break it!”

“Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark.” You hear Scott say from the cell on your right.

“Who are you?” Tony says, his voice closer to you than before, and you can hear Scott mumbling “Come on, man.”

Tony gets to your cell and sees you sitting on the ground, hugging your knees tight to your chest, your head resting back on the wall while you look straight ahead.

Tony is nothing short of shocked when he sees your face all beat up and bruised, your arm bandaged with blood seeping through it showing just how big and deep the cut is, all courtesy of Ayo.

“I never wanted to see you like this...” Tony says softly but you don’t even react to his words.

He’s standing in front of you but it’s like he’s not even there, like you’re looking right through him to something more interesting behind him.

Tony sighs and shakes his head before moving to Sam’s cell.

“How's Rhodes?” Sam asks right away.

“They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So… fingers cross.” Tony answers and you close your eyes, grateful that he’s still alive at least. “What do you need? They feed you yet?”

“You're the good cop now?” Sam asks almost in disbelief.

“I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went.” Tony answers calmly.

“Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me.”

“Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'.” Tony says, much too playfully for your taste. “We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment.”

You furrow your eyebrows at his next sentence. “Just look. Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes. Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong.”

Your eyes snap open at his apology and, even though you can’t see either of them, you know Sam’s feeling the same way as you, which is confirmed by his next sentence. “That's a first.”

“Cap is definitely off the reservation but he's about to need all the help he can get. We don't know each other very well. You don't have to-”

“Hey, it's alright.” Sam interrupts him, then you hear him sigh and after a little pause he says “Look, I'll tell you… but you have to go alone and as a friend.”

“Easy.” Tony says and Sam proceeds to tell him all about the Hydra base in Siberia and the other supersoldiers.

When Tony leaves, Sam once again tries to make sure you’re okay even if he hasn’t had luck at getting an answer out of you since you got here.

He knocks twice on the wall between you two then pauses and then knocks three more times fast before talking, a thing you two started doing since you both moved into the Avengers Compound so you would know it was the other knocking right away. “Are you okay?”

You don’t answer him and can hear him sighing before continuing talking.

“Look, I’m sorry you got caught up in this and-”

“I don’t regret the choice I made, Sam.” You interrupt him before he can finish his sentence, speaking up for the first time since you got arrested at the airport. “As much as this sucks, it was the right thing to do. I know it was.”

You don’t say anything else. Sam can tell you mean it and he knows better than to push you.

“They’ll be okay.” He says after a moment of silence and then lets you be.

You know he means Steve, Bucky and Tony but you can’t help but think he’s trying to reassure you that Bucky’s gonna be fine.

And you can only hope that he’s right.

-

A couple of weeks after Tony’s visit there’s a commotion in the prison.

You haven’t so much as made a sound since that day, aside from your daily knock on the wall between you and Sam so he can make sure you’re okay, knowing you well enough to know you don’t want to talk but still wanting to check in.

But you can’t help but let out a loud gasp when you see Steve just standing in front of your cells.

You look around when the cell doors open and you hesitantly get up from the floor and walk towards Steve. He hugs Sam, then you, then Clint and then pats Scott on the back, but doesn’t linger long before he’s guiding you towards another level where Wanda is.

You get to her just as the door to her cell opens and you rush inside with Clint to take off her collar while he takes off her straightjacket. You hug her tightly and wrap your arm around her with Clint to help her move you since she looks a little worse for wear.

You manage to move through the prison without problems. You have to hand it to Steve, he’s a hell of a criminal.

When you get to the landing pad you see the Quinjet ready for take off and you all rush inside just to see Bucky at the commands and you smile brightly at the sight.

You have no time to comment, though, as Sam shouts “What are you waiting for?! Go!”

Bucky rolls his eyes but calmly says “We have one more coming.”

You frown. One more? You turn to Steve confusedly but before you can ask anything you can see blond hair darting into the Quinjet and then Natasha’s there.

Bucky instantly takes off and you all take seats and buckle up.

There’s a moment of silence while everyone processes what just happened, but you break it while looking at Natasha that’s sitting directly in front of you.

“Are we gonna talk about the hair?” You ask arching your eyebrow with a smirk.

She groans in annoyance and you can hear the others chuckling while she says “We are not.”

-

After a few hours you all get to a safehouse and Steve ushers you in before showing you around.

It’s not bad: a secluded cabin with three bedrooms, not too big but Steve assured you you wouldn’t be staying there long anyway. Which makes sense, you're on the run now so this is just temporary.

After the tour Bucky approaches you in the living room and only then you notice he’s missing his metal arm.

“You flew the jet with only one arm? That’s impressive…” You can’t help yourself as you reach to touch his left shoulder, your eyes fixated on it. But stop on your tracks when you feel his right hand carefully cupping your cheek.

Your eyes snap up to his and you can see him thoroughly inspecting the wounds in your face that are still healing a little. He grimaces when he looks down at your bandaged arm and whispers “I’m sorry…”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Sergeant.” You smile softly at him and put your hand over his still on your cheek, trying to reassure him that you’re fine.

“I bet you can, doll.” He chuckles.

You’re too busy staring at each other to notice everyone’s attention is on you until Steve clears his throat with an apologetic look on his face.

“We need to go, Buck.” He says and you look confusedly between the two men.

“I’m going back into cryo.” Bucky clarifies for you.

“Oh.” Is all you can say and your eyes widen for a second before you force yourself to put on a more neutral face.

“It’s okay.” He smiles at you, but you feel like he’s trying to convince himself as much as you. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, doll.”

You try your best to smile and not look too bummed out. “I bet you can, Sergeant.”

You hesitate for a moment before surprising him, the others and even yourself by giving him a hug. He hesitates too before delicately hugging you back and, after a moment, you pull away. 

He smiles at you with a faint blush and you smile back, watching him walk to the door.

Steve passes you on his way to the door and kisses your forehead, whispering “He’ll be okay” before saying goodbye to the rest of the team, assuring you that he’ll be back soon. Then he also goes through the door and soon both the supersoldiers are gone.

You turn around with a sigh and see Sam, Natasha and Clint standing there, grinning at you, Wanda and Scott looking more compassionate than teasing.

You narrow your eyes at the first three and say sternly “Not. A. Word.” punctuating every word by pointing threateningly at each of them.

They raise their hands in mock surrender while snickering but thankfully don’t say anything and everyone just scatters around the safehouse.

You see the Quinjet depart from the window and try your best to look at the bright side: This isn’t forever, you’ll see him again.

Right?

Requested taglist: @sapphirebarnes @aki-ham @mary-jinx @abbyyourlocalmilf @selcouthial @esposadomd @americaarse

[blueishspace]

Looped Sun 9

Loop #311

Grian had waited for a good Watchers'loop for a while now. He always liked those because he could cause so much mischief and pranks during those, now he just needed to slay the ender dragon and join them.

This loop was going to be amazing, he could feel it.

Loop #314

Scott really liked this loop what could he say? It was fun and getting rainbow laser really fit his whole brand. And getting to litterally paint the world was way more fun then he would have tought.

Loop #316

It had been a while since Pearl had a Saint Pearl loop where everything wasn't angsty for some reason, finally she could relax and bave fun with her Empires friends and eventually her Hermitcraft friends too. As much as she likes Scarlet Pearl it became grating after a while.

Loop #317

Scar loved this loop, create was always a fun mod especially with his friends but this wasn't just create, there were so many mods he could use to create the biggest theme park yet! And also a plane, and a train and maybe he could improve his supersonic wheelchair.

Loop #320

Mumbo... well he was definitely fascinated by this world's redstone. Well, it didn't look and It didn't work exactly like redstone but it was so similiar in every other way it was hard to not make the comparison. Mumbo had already begun to understand some of it's simpler machines and he found he liked experimenting with it almost as much as he did redstone, a fun challenge definitely.

Loop #323

Tommy: Hey! G! How's my favorite doing?

Grian: Huh?

Tommy: Wait, are you feeling loopy?

Grian: Of course I am, I sent back a ping, are you?

Tommy: I mean, yeah. Why are you looking at me like that?

Grian: I didn't know you were looping.

Tommy: That's a joke righ-

Other Grian: Tommy! Nice to see you- who is that?

Grian: Who are you!?

Other Grian: Grian, Hermitcraft looper. Now, you?

Grian: Grian, anchor of the life series branch.

Other Grian: The life series is part of the Hermitcraft branch mate.

Grian: No? Hermitcraft is part of the life series branch.

Calliope: You're both wrong.

Other Grian: Calliope?

Grian: Who?

Other Grian: The administrator?

Grian: Wait really? I'm so sorry!

Tommy: Ok what the fuck is going on?

Calliope: It's simple, when Secret Life started the life series branch became so separated from the Hermitcraft one that it itself started looping.

Other Grian: But I keep looping into the life series pretty often.

Grian: And like, most of my loops start in Hermitcraft.

Calliope: Yes, the loops aren't completely separate, think of it as two branches wrapped around eachother. It's a mess for is admin to deal with.

Grian: Has this ever happened before?

Calliope: We had loopers that looked identical to eachother because of their actors before but never two itirations of the same person.

Grian: Uh...we should probably start introducing ourselves to loops as Hermit Grian and Life Grian shouldn't we?

Hermit Grian: Yeah... I'll need to tell the other hermits.

(For the one person who asked, yes, Living in The Circular is canon to Looping sun.)

Loop #329

Grian: Ok, ok, idea my lord.

Ren: Yes me hand?

Grian: What of we stole Scar's Lama?

Ren: ... Why?

Grian: For insulting you my liege, he shouldn't be allowed to not be punished.

Ren: Hmmm...

Scar: Martyn, Martyn, Martyn.

Martyn: *sigh* yes Scar?

Scar: Can we steal Dogwart's enchanter?

Martyn: You know we don't need it.

Scar: But I do! I d- Ahhhhh!

Martyn: The ravine! Scar!?

Goodtimeswithscar fell from a high place

Grian: I can't believe you did a science bros fall again.

Scar: I was distracted by trying to annoy Martyn! I forgot about it!

Grian: At least you didn't die this time.

Scar: At least I didn't have to do the whole hand of the king bit.

Grian: Eh, it wasn't that bad.

Scar: ... You still prefer me, right?

Grian : Of course I do Scar.

Loop #334

Scott: I made a mistake.

Grian: What did you do?

Scott: I tried the resurrection spell from Witchcraft on Jimmy.

Scar: You didn't!

Grian: What? Are you crazy!?! You can't just-

Scott: That's not the problem... He became a zombie.

Grian: ... Are we stuck in a zombie apocalypse?

Scott: Yeah...

Grian: That's ugh... I need to punch a wall.

Loop #335

Scott: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer!

(Never really know who you can trust!)

Scott: If they wanna get the bag open-

Grian: Scott.

Scott:- What, I was just singing my part. What is wrong with yo

Grian: I'm tired because someone started a zombie apocalypse.

Scott: Oh It wasn't that bad.

Grian: It was.

Loop #337

Pearl: So Jimmy is Papyrus and Martyn is Undyne...

Grian: Asgore, Scar told me that he's taking Toriel's place.

Scott: I'm taking Mettaton's place, Ren is Alphys... It's so weird they don't even realize it since they aren't looping.

Grian: Wait, who are you Pearl?

Pearl: Isn't it obvious from the hoodie?

Grian: Oh. Is Mumbo not-

Mumbo: I am.

Grian: Mumbo? Were?

Mumbo: Look down.

Grian lowered his sight to find a golden flower wearing a familiar mustache.

Mumbo: You steal someone's soul ONE time.

Prev Next First

[aimfor-theheart]

kaeya figure skating au? :O

ANON........you are a genius for this.....need you to know this fr almost killed me. i took psychic damage reading this ask. its haunted me all night. i wanted to get to it last night but it sent me on an ice skating youtube binge watch. specifically watched tessa virtue and scott moire's 2018 olympic routine for the millionth time. then it sent me on a moulin rouge binge. you understand....

i swear i could probs turn this into a whole fic/series.

figure skating au

kaeya x reader

cw: none? sorta rivals to lovers.

∘₊✧───────────────────✧₊∘

this isn't working.

you slam to a halt on your skates, ice flaring and coating your partner's leg warmers with a layer of frost as you stop directly in front of him. just short of him.

the music, this passionate tango of baying strings, blares around the ice rink still.

"keep up," you snap over the music, "you're lagging behind me too much."

kaeya alberich, three time silver medalist, raises his brows. "perhaps you shouldn't rush through the routine."

"you're holding me back—i need momentum for these leaps and lifts."

"i'll guide you into them," he says breezily, "you don't trust me."

"how can i?!" you demand, arms flaring, "when you're always too far behind me!"

the music abruptly cuts off and jean, your coach, finally gets herself onto the ice to try and stop whatever argument has sparked this time. it's been like this since the beginning; since they announced the two of you would be paired together this season.

with your usual partner out on an injury and kaeya's desiring a season off for her wedding and honeymoon, you'd both nearly not skated this year. which, for you, would've been devastating. you'd do anything to stay out on the ice—even take kaeya alberich as your partner.

separately, the two of you are powerhouse skaters. the better half of each of your previous partners; you both can do the more impressive turns and tricks. but together? a volatile cocktail of arrogance and passion.

"what's the problem now?" jean asks, already tired.

"he's lagging behind me!"

"she's rushing the routine."

jean sighs, shaking her head. "you two need to get on the same page about this."

"tell him to speed up—"

kaeya huffs, "tell her to slow down. she's missing beats."

"as always, there's a middle ground here—" she says, then looking to you, "you are rushing a little, some moments you need to let breathe."

kaeya's smile is a satisfied curve, a cat that got it's canary. you feel an angry flush hit your face.

but then jean rounds on him, too, "and you do need to pick up the pace a little—you're peacocking too much on the ice. the piece needs passion, momentum."

"ha!"

"it needs you two to focus on each other." she says sternly, "there's a story here, between you, and you need to tell it. right now it's like you're skating separate routines, together."

after a moment of tense silence between the three of you, jean looks between you. "was that clear?" she demands.

"yes." you both respond, unwilling to look at each other still, though.

"try again. and focus on each other—listen to each other's bodies. skate together."

with that, she turns away from you both, grumbling something about the two of you being impossible. maybe something about divas. finally, you pick your eyes up to meet kaeya's.

"i need passion." you snip.

"i need breath." he replies back. but then he offers his hand to you, "come on."

you take hold of it, the feeling natural now to have his hand in yours, to find their places against one another. the two of you skate back to the center of the ice and resume your beginning positions across from each other.

you look at him, across the ice from you. he looks back. you take your poses.

"just focus on me this time." he calls out to you.

"you focus on me this time." you bark back.

he smiles, an amused curl and vows, "i won't take my eyes off you."

the music starts with low, plucking piano notes. you breathe deep. you keep your eyes on him. he lowers his chin, determined, eye lidded as he keeps his gaze on yours, too.

the first moment of contact is a leap into his arms, a burst of passion when the strings come in. he catches you easily, nimble and strong, as he lets you down onto your skates—then the two of you are moving, swirling, gaining speed.

as he guides you around the curve of the rink, taking position behind you, his hand on your middle, he says, "breathe here—take your time."

you arch into his hands, let him guide the moment as your arms flare in a bird's wing glide. he turns you to face him and you skate backwards.

"eyes on me." he says then, low and only for you, moving with you, gliding, and you—

you pick your head up to really look in his face now, to sway and move and see him. you move around each other, swirling, head whipping back around to keep your focus on him—only him.

the music swells.

your eyes on his. your heart races.

you move harder for speed. a lift sequence is coming up, followed by some quick-style turns.

"catch me if you can, alberich." you call to him, pushing for it.

and in an instant, he's picking up his pace, racing for you with speed and grace and determination. his hands come around you, one beneath your thigh, the other over the curve of your body.

in an instant, you're airborne, skates clear off the ice and flipping backward onto his shoulder. he's got you easy—he's got you fast—and when he sets you back onto the ice, he gives you a burst of speed and you launch from his arms like a bird taking to flight.

your turns are a sharp, brutal set. you keep tight, you keep fast and brilliant.

"come back to me—slow—slow." kayea calls and when his arms find you again, he says, "breathe again here."

and he takes you like that, gliding, guiding, showcasing the arch of your back, the extension of your leg and arms. you breathe with his hands on you here, body flaring.

you can almost feel his smile, turning around him like petals on the wind, like the swirling waves of the sea, or a fire licking around the tree, "that's it." he purrs, "now let me chase."

and he sends you reeling, sends you off with a burst.

for once, you both get through the entire routine. it isn't as clean as it could be but—

jean hollers when the music ends, coming back down onto the ice while the two of you are still breathing hard.

"finally!" she says, meeting the two of you, "a glimpse of hope!"

you laugh, breathless, as you skate over to her. kaeya's hand lingers on your lower back for a moment from the routine, before you feel it slip from you.

"did that feel better?" jean asks the two of you pointedly.

you look at kaeya. he looks back at you.

"a little." you admit sheepishly.

"it's a start." kaeya replies.

jean sighs, but she says, "now listen close—i have critiques—"

and you try to focus on her, but you can feel kaeya's gaze still on you. you can feel his attention burning straight through you, you can feel him at your side and behind you, all around you, like you're still out on the ice.

you can feel him, his voice still in your head, his hands guiding your body through every turn and lift and move.

i won't take my eyes off you.

[fandomworld9728]

Total Drama: Revenge of the Island x Reader - Chapter 5:

Walking with everyone to their challenge for the day, Zoey tried to strike up a conversation. “Bay of Dismay? Yikes. Sounds like one of those fight locations in Total Warriors 2.”

“You like action movies? If you’re into ultimate kickboxing, I may have to marry you.”

~

“Hey Dakota. Sorry about before. I was just so taken by your beautiful… nostrils.”

~

Sam: “Nostrils? Nostrils?!”

~

“Thanks. I like your… uh…” Trying to think of something that wouldn’t sound too rude, Dakota came up empty. “Can I get back to you on that?”

~

“I hope this isn’t another physical challenge. I’d prefer something a little more academic.”

“I bet you do, toothpick. I’m surprised your scrawny neck can even support that giant head.”

Tired of being talked down to, Cameron decided to try and stand up for himself for once. “My greatest skills are mental.”

“Well, you’re mental if you think you can win Total Drama without getting physical. Just stay out of my way.”

~

(Y/n): “Alright. I am so done with Jo. I thought the two of us could be friends. But not if she’s going to be a bully. Especially to someone I’m friends with.”

~

“You know Jo, there will come a day when you need Cameron’s help since you’re all brawn. I’ll laugh right in your face if- no. When. When he out lasts you. And I’ll throw a party if he manages to win.”

Rolling her eyes, she pretended not to care. “Whatever. Like that will ever happen.”

~

Jo: “Why is she defending him?! Me and her were going to be an amazing team and win it all! Ugh!”

~

(Y/n): “I’m going to call it the ‘Jo was wrong party’ and invite everyone that’s here.”

~

“Welcome to the getting to know you trivia game challenge! Everyone strapped in all nice and snug?”

Pulling at the straps, Scott couldn’t get them to give. “Too snug. It’s cutting into my shoulders.”

“Yeah. Children’s sized harnesses will do that.”

“I like how it feels.”

“You’re taking the fun out of this! Again!” Are you going to be like this the whole time?”

“Probably.”

Why did Sabrina allow her to be on this show again? There was a reason Chris kept his work life and personal life separate. But it seems it didn’t work this time.

“Great. Anyways! I’ll be asking our players embarrassing personal questions, and I mean majorly humiliating. If the player I’m talking about hits their poorly wired buzzer and owns their humiliation before the time runs out, their team gets a point. First team to five wins part one and a distinct advantage in part two.”

“Sounds simple enough. Can we start now?”

“You actually want to get humiliated?” Brick was starting to grow concerned for his teammate. She was reckless in every part of her life it seemed.

“Nothing embarrasses me.”

“Zip it you two! I’m not done! If no one owns up, this happens.” Pressing a button, Chris submerged that team in the water. After a few moments, he brought them back up while cackling.

“There’s some kind of tow-legged shark monster down there!”

“You mean Fang? Yeah. It turns out toxic waste can mess with stuff underwater too. Who knew?”

“Better them than us.”

“You aren’t that great at whispering farm boy. Watch yourself.”

“Hey! Stop picking fights while I’m trying to explain the challenge.”

“But he started-”

“Anywho! If a team gets dunked their opponents can steal by guessing which dunky is guilty. Guess right, and you get a point. Guess wrong, and this happens.”

This time, the host sent the other team into the water. He really loved his job. Bringing them up once thoroughly scared, he got back to the challenge.

“Now that we understand the rules, Let’s start the game! To the Rats, now listen carefully. Who did this on the one and only date they ever had?”

A sound clip of a loud, obnoxious fart played making the group of teens laugh.

“Where did you get that?” Red in the face, Sam bit the bullet and pressed the buzzer. Getting zapped and the point for his team.

“Who wet their pants on the first and last day of school?”

“Whoa! One of us is a pants wetter?”

Noticing Brick’s reaction, Jo was not about to let him chicken out and cost them the point. “He who sweats it, wets it. Team before pride, Maggot.”

“As much as I hate to agree with Jo-”

“Excuse me?!”

“You’re excused. As I was saying, we need the point. Besides, it can only embarrass you if you let it.”

“O-Okay.” Giving in, the cadet pressed the buzzer. “Yeow! Fine, it was me.”

"Rats. Who's first name is really Beverly?"

"That's not an embarrassing question. Who cares if a girl's real name is Beverly?"

"Obviously it isn't a girl's name. Proven by the fact that none of the girls on their team are answering or reacting."

Having been caught, B decided to bite the bullet and press the buzzer. Rasing his hand after as a form of answer.

"Correct! Beverly. Rats get the point! But I would have preferred a verbal response."

"But B never talks. Just look at his aura."

"Don't care. So, as a quick punishment..." Pressing the button, Chris sent that team underwater yet again.

As the other team came back up from their penalty dip, (Y/n) noticed a distinct lack of ginger. “Um… where is Scott?”

Narrowing his eyes at her, Chris wasn’t liking the sudden worry towards the troublemaking boy. “I thought you didn’t like him.”

“That doesn’t mean I want him dead!”

~

(Y/n): “I’m not that heartless. Plus, death is too good for some people.”

~

Scott: “Ow.” Pulling whatever sharp thing was stuck to his butt, he couldn’t believe what it ended up being. “What the- a shark tooth?”

~

Fang: Seeing that his tooth was now missing, he snapped the hand mirror he had been using in half.

~

Climbing back up into his seat, Scott was beyond pissed. “Thanks for leaving me down there, team. You can win this stupid challenge without me.”

“If he’s not playin’ then I’m not playin’ either!” Anne Maria yelled, struggling to get the harness off.

“Uh… since I’ve already been humiliated, can I go?”

“Okay, everyone just settle down!” This was getting out to hand and wasting the time they had for that part of the challenge.

Out of his harness, Mike quickly stood up, ready to end this challenge. “I agree with Anee Maria, we should stop! Not that I’ve got any secret to hide.”

“Yeah. Real convincing Mike.” (Y/n) teased her friend. At least everyone’s freak out was entertaining.

“Sit down pointy!” Smacking him in the back of the head and knocking him over in an odd position, Jo wasn’t about to let her team quit. “I’m not losing this game.”

“That’s no reason to hit him!”

“I agree with (Y/n)! Take it easy!”

“Hey, host talking here! I decide when the challenge is over!”

“Whatever. I’m out of here.”

Keeping Scott from leaving, Lightening wasn’t about to let his team forfeit either. “Not until we win.”

Pulling out a backup phone, Dakota called the paparazzi. “Hey. It’s me.”

Seeing his game dissolve into chaos that he hadn’t been the cause of Chris had had enough. Alright! Shut it! Thanks to that pathetic digression, now we don’t have enough time to finish this challenge! Happy?”

Ignoring the agreements of the campers, he kept going. “Well, you won’t be happy for long. Come back after the break for an all-new challenge from which there is no escape. And in the meantime…”

Submerging both teams, it made him feel a little better about not being able to finish the challenge.

<Previous Next>

[siriannatan]

Ice and Blood

After some thought I decided to start putting my dragon!Scott propaganda in one place, hope you enjoy :)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55694242

It would seem like ever since Xornoth has been sealed away, peace settled between the Empires. Old conflicts forgotten, old alliances drifted apart and mingled with their former enemies until they'd been formally dissolved over a cup of tea. Peace and quiet. Even Sausage and Jimmy stopped quarreling over their quite obvious border in the form of a massive hole.

Well, it was certainly peaceful for a time. Until fWhip got bored and became a menace. Arguing and threatening war at the slightest insult or joke. Even Gem couldn't control her twin’s temper. Leading to tensions being high whenever anyone even just heard his cane from a distance.

After a couple months of that Gem decided enough was enough and grabbed volunteers - Sausage, Jimmy and Scott - to represent everyone in trying to talk sense to him. An hour into the talks it didn't seem to be working too well.

“Come on fWhip, just cut the nonsense threats,” Jimmy signed and the count just laughed.

“Sorry, don't feel like it. And this ganking up certainly isn't helping convince me,” fWhip shrugged. Ever since they came he sat casually on his throne, crown askew on his head, mocking smirk on his lips. He didn't even get up to greet them. What a menace. He was lucky he was pretty or Scott would have frozen him to his stupid chair.

“Why won't we talk alone then? Just you and me?” Scott offered knowing none of his companions, especially Gem, would ever agree.

“Scott you can't be…” Gem started in a hushed whisper.

“Why not, that certainly sounds better than this,” fWhip nodded with a laugh. The pompous prick.

Gem and Jimmy tried to protest but Sausage was smart enough to practically drag them out. Much to fWhip's amusement.

“Finally some peace and quiet, won't you agree?” fWhip smirked, and finally got up from his stupid chair. The clicking of his cane on the hardwood floor had Scott's scales itching from nerves. Maybe being alone with fWhip was a bad idea considering their history.

“Why have you decided to be a nuisance as of late?” Scott asked, suppressing the urge to step back as fWhip circled him. He could not shake off the feeling of being looked up and down.

“Oh, that's very simple, I was waiting for you to come to me. Alone. And now I have you right where I want,” fWhip grinned, stopping in front of Scott, just inches separating the two of them.

“You could have sent a letter,” Scott huffed, holding fWhip's mischievous stare.

“But, darling, wouldn't that be terribly boring?” fWhip's head tilted as his smirk grew, exposing just a hint of his fangs. Since when did fWhip have those? “And I got you here anyway, didn't I?”

“What do you want with me?” Scott asked, lowering the room's temperature by a few degrees. He was not going to be intimidated by fWhip's antics.

“Well, you see, shortly after we dealt with your dear brother I had a little dream. A vision really. Haven't been the same since. You just seem like the kind of person to not be turned away by small things like… blood,” fWhip explained, leaning closer and closer until his face was practically in Scott's neck. He for sure didn't imagine the sharp fangs grazing free of scales skin.

fWhip was of course damn right. Him being a vampire wasn't in the slightest an issue for Scott. Anyone else might have gone looking for a solution not involving biting anyone or a cure. Scott? Scott could not deny how exciting he found the idea. “You might be right…”

Scott barely finished the sentence before he was pulled and pushed to sit in fWhip's throne. “Ouch, watch the wings,” Scott hissed as fWhip clambered into his lap.

“Can I take that as a permission?” fWhip seemed to be present enough to ask.

“What? You never bit anyone before?” Scott could not help but tease him. It was just the two of them there, he didn't need to behave like a proper ruler. fWhip shook his head as he trembled in Scott'sap. “Aww, you've been saving yourself for me? How cute,” teasing fWhip was never this fun.

“Sure, whatever you want to think. Can I bite you?” fWhip grumbled, clearly starving.

“Go ahead but I'll push you off if you drink too much,” Scott agreed but felt the need to have an out.

“You can stay the night if you feel too unwell after,” fWhip breathed out a very tempting offer before sinking his fangs into Scott's neck.

Scott instantly wasn't sure if he could ever push fWhip off. The feeling was simply too good. He could barely hear himself moan from behind the pleasant fog that settled around his mind. Was it fWhip's doing? Some vampire poison to keep pray from struggling? Not that Scott particularly cared at the moment.

After what felt like forever fWhip pulled back. And maybe seeing his lips red with Scott's own blood shouldn't be an attractive sight but Scott felt too loopy to care. “You said you'd push me off,” fWhip instantly jumped into fretting about the half-dragon.

“I'm fine, I cab take you drinking some of my blood,” Scott grinned, no doubt looking like an idiot.

fWhip scoffed at that. “Try standing up then,” he challenged, arms crossed over his chest. He looked awfullya lot like Gem when she gave out lectures on how proper rulers should behave.

Scott, never one to back away from a challenge, tried standing up. His legs held out for maybe total of five seconds before fWhip pushed him back into the chair as he was about to collapse. “Okay, maybe you're right, but it's still all your fault for not just sending out a letter to me,” Scott huffed, pulling fWhip into his lap as revenge.

fWhip glared at him but acot knew he didn't mean it. “You're staying the night, no arguing,” fWhip decided before freeing himself from Scott's hands. “I'll get the kitchen making you something to eat,” he informed and left Scott alone on Grimlands throne.

Scott grinned as he looked at fWhip's back… lower back… He didn't have his cane with him, he thought with a smirk. Maybe he'll point it out later. “Your cane?” He pointed out just as fWhip was about to open the door. Elven king just assumed no one knew fWhip didn't really need it anymore.

And he had to be right as fWhip marched back. Not a word said. Grabbed his cane and walked back. At least he seemed to be in a better mood now that he has eaten.

If on the next meeting anyone asked how Scott got fWhip's attitude fixed, he'd just say ‘charm’. If fWhip didn't want to tell anyone then Scott would play along. Especially if it meant fWhip would bite him again.

[nightraiderwrites]

Hello! 19, 41 and 77 for the ask game?

19. What is the most used tag on your ao3?

Angst.

41. Do you tend to reread first or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

Fics are, above all, written for me. So yes, I do go back and reread my fics. I read them in the car, on the bus, pretty much everywhere. Because they're written for me, something they're the only thing that hits the spot.

77. Do you have a favorite scene you've written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter?

You didn't specify a fic, so I'll do my favorite scene to write in All the World's a stage.

In chapter 9, right at the very end, BigB talks to both Pearl and Grian about each other.

It's a very emotional and necessary scene, where they confess to a man who knows them very well, that they feel like they should have done better. Both of them feel a disconnect to their sibling, as a result of the trauma and separation they went through as children.

All the World's a Stage is a fic that deals with big heavy topics that I wouldn't normally be able to talk about. Grief, obviously, is one of them, but self isolation and alienation is also there.

Pearl is a character that is very, very alone. Aside from BigB, she's not on fantastic terms with anyone in the town. She's estranged from her brother, and has had pretty strong disagreements with most of the people. As a child, she witnessed the death of her parents, and immediately after, was sent to complete the "Desert Wandering," a process where children who have the talent of illusion magic go out on their own to hone their skills.

As a result, she had to grow up very quickly, very independently. The closest relationship she had immediately after deserting the army was with Scott, and their first encounter was her trying to kill him (fic coming soon!!!!). After that, it was BigB, who took care of her after Scott blew her up.

Grian hasn't really seen his sister since she deserted the army. He's in this really weird place of "I should have done better" and "I was only six." It's fascinating to me how he barely has any memories of her, and yet he still loves her. He still understands.

They don't have a conventional sibling relationship. For the time they spent in the Vale, they both had a fear of reconnection. This stems from Pearl's fear of connection and tendencies to self isolate, and Grian’s fear that his sister had completely forgotten him.

This is why this scene is so, so important. It's a moment of indirect connection, through a man, acting as their bridge, who knows them well. It allows this moment of vulnerability in a place where they might die, so need this connection.

[grimaussiewitch]

Oh boy how do I start this…

I’m going to have to put this under readmore.

Okay so for mcc it’s due to people not wanting Sapnap in the event due him to joining kick which is very well known for being a racist and bigoted platform. Alright that’s understandable and valid feelings but don’t attack Scott or the noxcrew with hatred and death threats.

Next came was mcc 34 which was set in between rising and twitch rivals. The problem that arose was that mcc would be during a Holy Week for Jewish folks so some viewers couldn’t watch and yet again Sapnap was in the event and won. People got upset at Scott for putting that date, he said he couldn’t change it and it was the best day for the players. Someone then replied that they weren’t going to watch which he replied with something like “okay then”.

Twitter didn’t like that. Now I can’t speak for Jewish fans because I’m not Jewish myself, it’s not my place to say. Best to ask folks there. From my understanding there was ones that were upset and angry at Scott and others who didn’t mind/care and said they can watch vods later. My best guess to the date was because of rising and rivals noxcrew needed to find a date in between those events.

Next comes someone claiming that Scott spoke to them when they were 12 and he was 20. The text messages is just “scott” calling them immature. This then spired into people calling him a groomer. My best guess is due to a lack of reading comprehension. This tweet is now a popular misinformation thread towards Scott.

Then there was the ectoslab situation. A popular artist in the hermit and traffic scene, they drew sfw and nsfw art and Scott knew of that. He even commissioned them to draw a thumbnail for his last life movie. One day Ecto is claimed to be a pro shipper by people who dug into their twitter history. Now I don’t know what makes them a pro shipper or if they claim that title or not but the aftermath had the artist doxxed and sent death threats.

Scott not knowing what was happening asked how Ecto was doing and they then post that Scott was on their side. Twitter was furious. People then start claiming that Scott was defending a pro shipper, making him a groomer and just wild accusations. Turns out, he had no clue what a pro shipper meant. Scott then publicly announced on twitch about the situation and that he no longer follows the artist or wants NSFW art drawn of him.

Even though he clearly explains that no, he doesn’t support Ecto or pro shipping, people still claim that he does and therefore is a horrible person. Dude even hired a different artist for the original thumbnail but it’s too late, people still continue to spread information.

Now when it comes to anon’s confession and my original tags from above, people hate seeing certain CC’s but will still watch things they’re in and complain to the masses. My tags are talking about Scott in the life series.

He’s very good at the game and apart from third life Scott has made it to tm he final three three times. Turns out when you are good at the block game and have good alliances you will be in the finals.

Shocker.

Because of this even way before all of this drama a vocal minority of people in the traffic fandom have shown disrespect to Scott and wish for him to fail or get out first or sneer at the near sight of him in others videos.

This only got worse with twitter and the false accusations. That’s the story up to this point.

Also mods of the confession blog if you don’t want my rambling here I can make this into a separate post. It would be a very understandable request and I would follow through.

Anyway, if some block streamer or youtuber is in something you don’t like and you just can’t keep your thoughts in every time you see them interacting with their friends, touch grass and maybe don’t watch the series?

i feel like a lot of stans who dislike certain creators for various moral reasons are so hypocritical with their standards like how can you have an issue with someone to the point of having their fans in your dni and still watch their close friends and smps they’re part of? make it make sense

especially during dsmps peak i swear i was seeing it all the time where someone would have literally half the smp in their dni and complain every time they showed up in a stream like if you don’t want to see them dont watch anything they’re still associated with

[buckyownsmylife]

Follow you - Chris Evans smut

The one where Chris becomes your roomate and finds out he has a domesticity kink... and more

Warnings: Smut, breeding kink, domesticity kink, friends to lovers, rommates au, pandemic mention, hair-pulling kink, daddy kink, cockwarming, kind of allusion to an age gap, but can be read as reader being into teasing chris

Word count: 4.1k

A/N: Thanks to @mollygetssherlockcoffee​ for reading this over and helping me make it better! You’re the sweetest person ever!  this is for my own birthday celebration challenge! Like I explained here, I’m going to try to fill every single AU I listed with the characters I picked for the challenge, and since the deadline if May 27, these fics will be posted randomly, as I finish them. Hope you guys like it!

Chris’ P.O.V.

“C’mon, sweetheart,” I’d been trying to convince her to close her laptop for the last two hours, unfortunately without any luck. She just glanced at me before returning to her document, and I groaned as I left the living room in search of what I knew we needed.

“Close the laptop and I’ll give you a sip.” This time when she looked up, she found me holding a bottle of my most expensive whiskey, the one she’d been dying to try ever since she first got invited to my place.

It was a tense moment of evaluation while she took in my offer and her workload, her head turning from her computer to me and then back to the device again, and I found himself growing anxious because of how desperately I wanted her company that night.

“Please?” I tried to convince her, even going so far as to pout - which at least earned me a giggle. I considered it a win, especially with the way it made my chest warm up. “C’mon, we deserve it! After the week we had?”

She frowned when she thought back on the stresses we had confided in each other for the last couple of days, and I watched with glee when she slowly closed her laptop, prompting me to wave my arms around in victory. “We?” She teased, getting up to stand before me with her arms crossed in front of her body, making me laugh.

“Alright, so maybe just you.” I couldn’t really deny that my work “problems” paled in comparison to hers. “Listen, I’m only trying to help.” She narrowed her eyes at me, reaching out for the bottle and unscrewing it before taking the sip I’d promised.

“Shit, this really is good.” A smug smile took over my face as I wrapped my arms around her, walking us back to the couch before making us fall over it.

“Only the best for you, babe.” I watched her roll her eyes at the pet name, snickering at how it affected her. I knew it made her giddy and she hated it, it’s why I insisted on doing it - or so I told myself.

Something deep inside of me whispered differently, though. I tried to ignore it. She was my best friend and we were going to be living together for the foreseeable future. No one knew when this pandemic would let up.

And lord knows that nothing positive had ever come out of my investments in romantic relationships. So every rational thought in my mind was begging me not to overcomplicate this. I couldn’t stand to lose her friendship, anyway. That’s why I had invited her to spend lockdown with me - my need to know she was okay, and be able to have her around whenever I needed to vent.

She was the only one outside my family who got my anxiety well enough to help me work through it when I was feeling bad, and she had even been able to prevent me from having panic attacks more than once.

I just couldn’t imagine going through this with anyone other than her. I simply hadn’t anticipated how fucking horny this period of forced sexual privation would make me, and I never expected her to become a willing victim to my needs.

But boy, once the liquor hit and she ended up over my lap, shivering as she rode my thigh without a care in the world, was I glad that she did.

“Is this what you like?” I asked, looking up at her with my mouth hanging open, unbelieving of how fucking sexy she looked as she used my body for her pleasure. I didn’t even care that my cock was straining against my jeans, begging me to move her on top of it. As long as I could keep enjoying the show, being a part of it, I was satisfied.

“I wanna learn it,” I pressed, moving my hands to hold her ass, squeezing it the way I’d always wanted to do but never allowed myself to dream about. “I wanna learn how to please you.” She made me feel something I hadn’t felt before, in any of my past relationships. There was attraction, of course, but there was also this deep, familiar feeling that made me feel at home. It made me feel safe, and with the help of alcohol, I was desperate to explore it.

“Ugh,” she groaned, letting her head fall back, drawing my attention to her breasts, the way they bounced in front of my eyes, unfortunately still covered. My mouth watered at the sight of it, wanting nothing much than to strip her bare and wrap my lips around one of her nipples.

“Don’t say stuff like that, Evans.” The comment threw me off, making me frown as I took a hold of the hair on the back of her head and yanked her to me, devouring her lips. They were soft - so much softer than I’d ever allowed myself to imagine.

“Why not?” I panted against her mouth once I was forced to separate from her taste of whiskey to search for some oxygen. She kept moving, her eyes hazy and glossed over, and it sent a pang of lust straight down my body when I realized it wasn’t completely due to the drinks we shared. There was also desire in there.

“You want to learn?” She asked, hands bunching up my shirt as she used her hold to grind against me faster. “Then fuck me, Chris.” She molded her body to mine, engulfing my lips once more as I laid her down on the couch, excited to have her underneath me - excited to see her naked body, explore it, get to know every little thing that made her tick.

I knew it would be a moment I’d forever remember, regardless of the amount of bourbon in my blood. I just never expected it to become something I was so eager to relive over and over and over again.

It was supposed to be a one time thing. When I woke up in the morning, I was ready to go back to being roommates. We were good at that. She was a morning person, by the time I woke up every morning, she already had breakfast ready for me, and then we’d go out to the backyard to let Dodger out together.

We’d sit and talk and then I’d go for a run - she’d have done her yoga already, while I was still asleep - I’d answer some e-mails, she’d work on her laptop by my side and the silence was just as comfortable as all of our late night conversations.

She’d sneak out to the kitchen and come back with a few sandwiches for our lunch, and then the rest of the day would go by with us doing whatever mundane task we had in mind, together even if we were doing separate things, and I didn’t feel suffocated.

I didn’t even run out of things to say. By the time dinner rolled around and I followed her back to the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes while she fixed us dinner - I wasn’t allowed to cook in my own stove, mostly because she was terrified of my food but hid it under the excuse of that one time when I started a fire - then we’d eat together, watch a movie together, talk until we fell asleep - always together.

I was shocked. It’d never been this way in any of my previous relationships. In fact, I was certain it was the reason why they had never worked. I’d given up on any realistic expectation of settling down precisely because of this: I just never expected to find anyone with whom a day-to-day life wouldn’t eventually grow boring.

It’d been three months and I still loved to wake up to her coffee. We still fell asleep every night side by side, too tired to move into different beds because we had laughed our asses off after skyping Scott.

And now that sex came into play in our relationship? I just knew there was no way I’d ever go back to being nothing but friends - or living in a place where she wasn’t the first person I saw when I woke up.

It sucked that it took a pandemic and a night of alcohol to make me realize that, but damn, was I grateful that I decided to open a bottle of whiskey that evening.

I kept waiting for the catch, the moment it would all go to shit, but it never came. Our lives resumed to how they used to be, only now I had this ongoing inner battle to not just bend her over the nearest piece of furniture when we were busy, and the ability to do exactly that whenever there was nothing else to do.

And for a while it was bliss. There wasn’t a nagging voice inside my head questioning this arrangement because it was theoretically perfect. I had a best friend, a roommate and a fuck buddy, all wrapped into one single person that I adored.

Life couldn’t possibly get better - until I realized that I wanted more. Talks of lockdown being over started and she had plans of going back to her place, of course, but I couldn’t stand the thought of being away from her.

I wanted to see my family too, but I wanted to take her with me. Introduce her to my mom, see her get along with my sisters. Witness how she’d be with my nephews and nieces - I knew how much she loved kids. And that’s when it hit me.

I’d given my heart to her. Somewhere between the morning coffees and afternoon runs, the nights where I’d rant about all of my silly problems and she actually listened to them - really listened, never making me feel bad about what could only be described as rich people problems.

All the innocent little gestures, and the not so innocent ones - when I discovered she was exactly the nasty slut I’d always dreamed of, the way she would randomly drop to her knees and suck me off, even while I was on the phone. Most times she didn’t even let me repay the favor. She just genuinely liked to blow me.

She also liked to play with me randomly, like when we were watching a movie and she mindlessly reached for my crotch, rubbing me until I got hard. It almost always ended in sex, and I just loved it.

I loved it, and I loved her, and the idea of her ever sharing this idyllic lifestyle with anyone else made me irrationally jealous.

And that’s how I knew it. I didn’t want to mess it up. But how could I not fuck this up?

Xxx

“Chris…” Her sweet voice called out to me, reaching my ears while I was hiding in my office, trying to get my thoughts in order so I wouldn’t just randomly blurt out what I was feeling for my best friend to my best friend.

To her credit, she didn’t try to force me to keep her company - but that only made me fall even deeper for her, leaving me a complete and utter mess while she went about her day as if nothing was wrong in the world.

“Yes?” I looked up to see her by the threshold, clearly reticent about invading my privacy. It made me smile, thinking back on all of the times my exes hadn’t been as understanding, even after I let them clearly know what I was needing.

“I made cupcakes, do you want me to bring you one?” The thought of her in the kitchen, baking a sweet treat just for me had my cock twitching in my pants. Biting my lips, I pushed away from my desk to finally get up and stretch my legs, taking advantage of the monitor to hide my hard-on.

“No, I’ll come eat them downstairs with you.” She smiled before leaving, and I soon trailed after her, walking into the kitchen to find the most delicious-looking little treats, just waiting to be devoured.

Much like her, I supposed.

I was reaching for one of them, already licking my lips in anticipation when something caught my eye, prompting me to raise my gaze and look at her again, but really look at her this time.

She was wearing an apron.

There was nothing inherently sexual about the damn thing, but the way she looked with it, going about her business in my kitchen like she owned the place… It just felt right, seeing her there.

And suddenly I couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Y/N…” I started, leaving the cupcake back on the counter and brushing off the crumbs as I circled the kitchen island to go stand in front of her. She hummed before turning to meet me, smiling slightly to signal that she was listening to what I had to say.

But I didn’t know how to say it. So we just stood there, staring at each other until eventually her smile became a frown. “Chris, what’s going on?” I still couldn’t speak. Much to my absolute surprise though, she just sighed, wiping her hands on the apron while shaking her head, a knowing smile on her face.

“You’re stressed, aren’t you? You’ve been working so much, that’s why I thought the cupcakes would be a good idea,” she explained nodding towards the tray where her sweet treats laid. “They’re a reward and a break all wrapped in one delicious cake.”

The comment was like a punch to the stomach - or a scalding wave of desire rushing through my body, straight to my groin. The idea of her thinking about my needs and catering (quite literally) to them just did something to me, and I didn’t know how to explain it - I don’t think I understood it myself.

“But since they didn’t work…” she continued, blissfully unaware of the conundrum she had put me into. “I know something else that will definitely work.” And just like that, the woman dropped to her knees in front of me, reaching for my sweatpants before I could find a way to close the mouth that was hanging open.

“I guess I’ll grab a sweet treat for myself.” She looked so devious, small hand encircling my already pathetically engorged member, that all I could do was whisper an, “Oh, shit,” when she immediately wrapped her lips around it,  starting to suck me off without any preamble.

My fingers were white as I held onto the counter behind me to keep myself up. She looked so good, staring up at me with her lips wrapped around my dick, I felt like I was about to blow already.

Why did she have to be such a fucking tease?

“Oh, God,” I moaned when she managed to engulf the entirety of my member inside her throat, the choking noises getting to my head. My hand instinctively laced with her hair, first to hold her lips close to my navel, then to pry her completely off of my member.

“What’s wrong?” She questioned once she was able to speak, surprise written all over her features while I was still staring down at her slightly teary face and trying to find my voice.

“I-I have a problem.” There. I said it. I had finally made some progress in my goal to let her know what was going through my head. Only instead of curiosity, what I got was a confused expression from the woman still holding my dick, her eyes darting from my own to the member throbbing between her fingers.

“No, you don’t!” It would have been funny if I wasn’t so fucking frustrated. Yanking her by the hair, I complained, “Not that kind of problem!” pulling her to the living room so I could throw her on the couch, trying to ignore her moans of pleasure in the process.

I’d figured out pretty early on that she had a pretty serious hair-pulling kink, and if my plans of sitting down and having a level-headed conversation were ever in motion, they surely went out of the window the second she pulled my body down to cover hers and adjusted my cock so it would easily fill her.

“Son of a…” I groaned, letting my head fall down against her chest as the little vixen gleefully giggled underneath me, legs wrapped around my torso as she tried to thrust up and tempt me to move.

“Just wait a second,” I managed to reason, but she just shook her head.

“Fuck away your problem, Chris. Use me. I want you to.” Motherfucker. I really couldn’t catch a break with her. Just as she started to make me move again, my hand instinctively wrapped around her neck, lightly squeezing it just enough to get her to shut up.

“I wanna start a family with you,” I finally spilled, looking deep into her eyes as I tried to ignore that I was still balls deep inside of her. Her eyes widened, and now her mouth was the one hanging open.

I couldn’t really relish in it because she looked absolutely delicious and she felt stupidly heavenly to my throbbing dick.

A few seconds went by without as much of a reaction from her and I was about to pull out - despite still being achingly hard - but her legs held me tighter, stopping my plans of leaving her tight haven.

“You know…” She started to speak, a little out of breath, catching my attention as I finally gathered the courage to look her in the eye again. “When I first met you, I thought you were the epitome of a fuckboy.”

The unexpected sentence had me snorting, and then I just couldn’t stop laughing. Finally pulling away from her, she fixed her hair when she sat up and I did the same, shaking my head slightly as I rubbed my eyes.

Our own relative nakedness - well… mine, she was wearing her usual dress with no underwear under the damn apron - didn’t affect anything when I pondered over her words, until I decided to break the silence.

“I mean… I think I was?” She chewed on her bottom lip as she took in my response, analyzing it, weighing its validity in that gorgeous head of hers. I was nervous, but she hadn’t blew me off yet. And quite honestly? I’d do anything for that little hope that was growing inside of me.

“What changed?” Was her question, so unexpected I couldn’t help but question, “Huh?”

“What made you change?” It wasn’t an unwelcome inquiry, especially when the response became clear to me, lighting up my brain and warming my chest, spreading all over my body until I had no choice but to voice it.

“I realized I could have a future with you.” My smile was vulnerable but honest, and in her eyes, I could see that she knew that. When she threw one leg over my lap, straddling my hips, I allowed myself to breathe deeply again, leaning on the soft cushion while taking a hold of her ass.

“So, how are we gonna do this?” She non-nonchalantly asked, slowly rubbing herself against my still half-hard member. I groaned when I realized the implication of her words, knowing that the meaning paired with the feeling of her wet lips dragging along my cock would get it back up in no time at all. “You wanna do me right now?”

The brashness of the question made my eyes light up, as weird as it may sound. In that moment, it became clear just how perfect for me she really was, giving me what I needed exactly in the way I didn’t know how to ask for it.

“See? This is why I’m in love with you.” She rolled her eyes at that, making me laugh. I’d anticipated the gesture, I knew it’d take her longer to say it, but it was alright. The fact that she was willing me to give me a child was more than enough proof of her feelings for me, if her entire behavior ever since she moved in wasn’t already.

“Shut up and fuck me, Evans.” Throwing her back against the couch, she yelped in surprise when I took off my shirt and slapped the inside of her thigh, assuming my usual position of hovering over her smaller frame.

“Spread your fucking legs, darling. I’m gonna fuck you real good.” The way she bit her lip as I slowly penetrated her again showed me just how excited the prospect got her, and as I started to make good on my promise, her moans told me just as much.

“Holy fuck,” she commented as I pounded her ruthlessly, weeks of frustration and the rush of anticipation getting the best of me, and I was glad for the feeling of her nails biting into my skin because otherwise, I’d probably run over the edge of not even caring about her own pleasure as I chased mine.

“You gonna cum inside of me, honey? Make me a mom? Finally fulfill your dream of becoming a daddy?” Her words detracted me from my task of sucking bruises on the skin that was now mine to bruise, mine. I threw my head back, yelling a, “fuck yes,” as my hips sped up, desperate to fill her up, but I was determined to get her to cum before me.

“Say it,” she ordered, small hand circling my throat as best as she could, a throwback to what I’d done only moments prior. It wasn’t enough to choke me, but it did catch my attention. “I wanna hear you say it.”

Tears escaped the corners of my eyes as I blinked, the intensity of the moment overwhelming in the best of ways. “God, you are such a fucking tease…” She chuckled underneath me, giving my throat a squeeze before she raised up on her elbows to kiss my jaw.

“Better get used to it… daddy.” And just like that, I realized that I had yet another kink I hadn’t known about before her. Or maybe it was just her, and I was obsessed with the damn woman, painfully turned on by every little thing that she did.

“I’m gonna cum deep inside your little pussy, sweetheart,” I finally gathered myself enough to do as she asked me to. “You’re gonna belong to me forever now. Give me kids, make me happy. How do you like that?”

The mischievous grin she gave me told me everything. “I love it.” I knew this was her way of saying what she couldn’t yet voice, and I’d take it. I’d take anything she gave me, any chance I got to love this wonderful woman.

We came together, both riding our highs in deep ecstasy. I moaned when I felt myself empty all of my seed inside of her, incredibly excited about the prospect of starting our future together right then.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” I cradled her face in my hands as I struggled to catch my breath, but she turned it to the side and pressed a kiss to my palm and I was breathless all over again. It was such a simple action, why did it get to me so much?

“You’re not too bad yourself, Chris.” I didn’t want to part with her warmth, so I just adjusted us on the sofa in a way that kept me inside of her, sighing contently as I realized I’d never have to sleep away from her again.

“I’m gonna stay right here all night.” I adjusted myself so I was resting my face on her boobs, perfectly happy to do just so, but by the tone of her voice, I knew she had a teasing smile when she called me an, “Old man.”

“And here I was, thinking you’d be able to go again.” Warmth filled my chest at the realization of just how badly she wanted me - just as much as I wanted her too. I was so damn ecstatic. Not even her pokes at my age would be able to affect me.

“Oh, darling… better get ready,” I warned as I adjusted myself to hover over her again, taking notice of the excited glint in her eyes, the way she bit her lip as she stared back at me. “I’m never gonna get enough of you.”

The next morning, I added a new kink to the list of random bits of information that were driving me slowly insane as I felt the overwhelming need to bend the woman that I now got to call ‘mine’ over the nearest piece of furniture and rail her until I had cummed deep inside her pussy: seeing her in my shirt while cooking breakfast.

Yeah, I was going to live a happy life by her side.

[stansupremacy]

SURPRISE — CHRIS EVANS X READER ONE SHOT FLUFF

[NOTE] English is not my first language, sorry for the mistakes. Very excited to share this story with you, I originally posted it on wattpad, but it was really frustrating to note that it didn't seem to attract attention. Let's not focus on that, but on the now, new beginnings in Tumbrl (I still don't know how works lmao)

[COPYRIGHT] All rights reserved, copying or adaptation of the novel without prior notice to the author is PROHIBITED.

Traveling the world with a six-month-old was not an easy job, but you took the risk.

Chris was turning 40, you flatly refused to spend that special day away from him.

They were both actors, so their schedules were always very tight. Unfortunately, the idea of ​​the surprise party with the whole family in Boston had been completely scrapped because Chris was filming in France for his next project and you were in Canada giving a press conference promoting your new movie.

The chances of celebrating her birthday together had been reduced to zero, worse you being the stubborn woman you are, you did not give your arm to twist. So after several fights with your representative and several scolding from your personal assistant for having disorganized your entire schedule. You had managed to escape for seven days, so that you and your daughter could surprise her father on her birthday.

You knew there was no better gift than to take Luna to her father, it had been a few long weeks since they last saw each other. Separating from his daughter was something that destroyed Chris, it had been a very difficult decision, but being a sensitive one. Luna had to be with you, she was breastfeeding, she couldn't be away from you for long.

After two plans, more than 16 hours of travel and a lot of stress, they had reached their destination. Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The first part of the plan was complete, without wasting time, you settled Luna in her baby carrier on your chest, she cried in protest, she wanted to keep looking around her.

"I know, I know honey ... But you have to understand, mommy can't carry you in her arms, she has to carry the luggage" you murmured kissing her little head. You took the two suitcases and without wasting time you left the airport.

Luna had started to fidget, you understood her. The journey had been long, the two of them urgently needed rest. "Honey ... It was a short time, we just have to wait for Uncle Scott to come pick up us and we can go to sleep, preferably in Daddy's arms."

You took the phone from your backpack unlocking it to enter the chat with Scott, you sent the location and put it back in your pocket, without holding on any longer, you took off your chinstrap, a sigh of satisfaction left your lips when you felt the fresh air on your expensive. You removed little Evans from the carrier baby when you noticed that she kept complaining. Her small and expressive blue eyes looked around curiously.

"Do you need a ride?" A car pulled up on the street in front of you, the driver's window opened revealing Scott's face.

"Finally!" You exclaimed, he laugh getting out of the car, his arms wrapped around you affectively I returned the gesture for a few seconds.

Luna stretched her arms as she recognized her uncle waiting to be carried. Scott did not doubt it, and took her in his arms as he helped you store your bags in the trunk of the car.

You opened the back door, to throw your backpack there before entering and stretch your arms towards your daughter, who hesitating for a few seconds, accepted the change of arms.

"Sorry for the delay, your boyfriend is a pain in my ass. He asked me a thousand questions trying to figure out where I was going" Scott commented making sure the door is closed, he walked around the car and got back on as pilot, beginning to lead. "Tired?

"You have no idea" you sigh closing your eyes, a small smile adorns your lips knowing that they had achieved it, they would see Chris. "I swear that this is the only time that I cross half the world alone with a baby, next time I will bring someone to help me."

"Well, they are here, that's the important thing"

"Yeah, you're right." You answered, you look Luna who was beginning to close her eyes, it seemed that the dream was beginning to overcome her, you rock her lightly by kissing her plump cheek

[...]

Luna played entertainingly with the TV remote while you circled the hotel room, eager to see Chris.

You had to turn off your phone because he had not stopped calling and sending messages, your last message to him had been minutes before boarding, telling him that you were going to take a nap. More than 20 hours have already passed, so it was normal for him to worry, but you had decided not to answer him, it was not in your plans to ruin the surprise.

The clock said twelve o'clock at night, officially it was Chris's birthday, who should arrive at any moment.

Half an hour later, a message from Scott warning that he has already arrived at the hotel was what got you going. The suitcases were in Scott's room because if Chris came to see them he would instantly notice that they were there, you took your girl out of bed and ran to the bathroom but not before turning off all the lights.

Seconds after closing the door, the room door was heard opening. Chris's voice and Scott's laugh reached your ears.

"Don't laugh, idiot, this is serious. Y/N doesn't answer me, I think she's angry, but I don't know what I did." Scott made fun of his brother again, you smiled amused when you heard Chris's concern about the lack of messages. Luna, taking advantage of the fact that they were near the shower ledge, took a bottle of shampoo to drop it, making a great bang.

"Luna, you give away our position! You whispered indignantly, mini Evans babbling in amusement.

The door slammed open revealing a surprised Chris. Scott came in behind him, recording the reunion.

"Surprise!" You exclaimed, Luna shouted excitedly when she recognized her father. Chris wasting no time, drew them into a hug. "Luna and I decided that Daddy couldn't spend his 40th birthday away from us, right sweetheart?" The baby smiled stretching her hands to touch her father's face.

"Oh my girls, I missed you so much" Chris sighed still without letting go of the hug, he placed a kiss on Luna's forehead before turning her face and kissing you tenderly on the lips.

"Happy birthday darling, we love you very much, I hope you liked the surprise"

"I couldn't ask for a better thing" he smiled kissing your lips again.

"Don't say that, I have others that I'm sure you will love" you whispered with a mischievous glint in your eyes, Chris smirked. "We must put on day".

"For the love of God, you two are disgusting, talk about sex in front of the baby? Gross" Scott exclaimed in disgust.

Chris chuckled coming out of the bathroom with Luna on his right arm while his left was on your waist. He couldn't think of a better birthday start.

[nerdzzone]

-More Hearts Than Mine-

Summary: Raising a child is hard. Raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars is even harder. And raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars who you’re not actually in a relationship with is even harder still.

Especially when a global pandemic is sweeping the world.

With lockdowns and stay at home orders looming on the horizon, the uncertainty of their situation becomes almost too much for Whitney Taylor to handle. Chris suggests that they quarantine together to avoid any potential separations but, given what happened the last time they spent more than a few brief moments in each other’s company, that could cause more problems than it solves…

Chris Evans x OFC

Sequel to: Once Bitten - Twice Shy

Note: Again, just a reminder that all the information I have about covid restrictions in Massachusetts is from google, not first hand experience, so if something seems wrong please just go with it.

Part Three

______

Part Four

If avoiding difficult conversations was an Olympic sport then it's pretty safe to say that I would have earned myself a gold medal by the end of the following week. It wasn't all that hard to do though as the exhaustion from parenting during a pandemic was hitting us both. Especially because the weather for the first couple of weeks of April was abysmal. It was cold, stormy and raining almost every day and we were all getting quite stir crazy from being inside constantly - especially our lively and spirited child.

So, it was a massive relief when the sun finally came out.

It was also a relief that it lined up with Grayson's third birthday.

He was going to have a very different birthday than previous years - as most people would over the next few months - but we wanted him to have fun and he was quickly tiring of all the indoor activities that we could come up with.

We set the living room up the night before after he'd gone to bed, putting up a birthday banner with several clusters of balloons, and there was quite the mountain of presents in the corner as most of our family members had sent their gifts in advance. I had hoped to wake up before him, but when I woke up to excited cheers and Dodger barking from downstairs, I knew I was too late. A quick glance at my phone told me that it was only six thirty, but clearly the excitement had gotten him up earlier than normal.

"Whoa, Dodger, Grayson, shhhh," I heard Chris warn the pair of them, his voice still raspy from sleep. "You'll wake up the whole neighbourhood."

I smiled and quickly climbed out of bed. Chris wouldn't let him open any presents without me, I knew that, but I didn't want to keep him waiting for too long.

When I got downstairs, a very excited Grayson was bouncing on the couch as Chris sat next to him, watching him closely with a smile on his face.

"Happy birthday!" I cheered, catching his attention.

He sprang off the couch and bolted towards me.

"Thanks, Mama," He shouted, throwing his arms around my legs and looking up at me. "I'm three!"

"You are!" I smiled as I knelt down in front of him and pulled him into a hug. "You're such a big boy now."

He let me squeeze him for another moment or two before wiggling free.

"Can I open presents?"

Chris laughed at his clear priorities, shaking his head as I stood up.

"Let's just wait for Uncle Scott," he suggested before glancing up at me. "He's putting the coffee on."

"Very smart," I nodded. "I think we're all going to need plenty of that today."

Grayson proved my point by grabbing at his balloons and waving them frantically, setting Dodger off barking again.

"Dodge!" Chris scolded. "It's just a balloon, buddy. Chill."

The poor overwhelmed dog hung his head and came over to me for some sympathy. I happily obliged, cooing some comforting words and rubbing his back.

"Gray, leave the balloons, okay?" I requested. "I don't think Dodger likes them."

Grayson frowned, but instantly let go of the balloon in his hand.

"Sorry, Dodger."

"It sounds like we have quite the party in here already," Scott commented as he sauntered into the room. "Shall we see what's in some of these boxes?"

"Yes! Yes!" Grayson cheered, running over to the presents. "What first?"

"Whatever you want," I told him, smiling as I went to sit on the couch next to Chris. "Do you need some help?"

"No, I can do it!" He insisted, making a bee line for the biggest box and quickly ripping the paper off.

We watched as he opened gift after gift, an ear to ear grin on his face the whole time. Just as he was at Christmas, he was incredibly grateful for every present from the Paw Patrol Lookout Tower that was almost as tall as he was to the dinosaur books that were more educational than flashy and fun.

But there was one gift at the bottom of the pile that Chris wasn't particularly impressed by. The one that my brother had sent.

Grayson opened it, pulling out a t-shirt first.

"What does it say?" He asked, holding up the shirt towards us.

Chris' jaw dropped as I stifled my giggles and Scott burst out laughing.

"It says 'Team Iron Man'," I read. "Remember how Uncle Rob was in a movie with Daddy where they had a big fight? Iron Man was Uncle Rob's character and I think Uncle Jack wants you to be on that team."

"Oh," Grayson smiled. "Okay!"

"Okay?!" Chris protested. "You don't want to be on my team?"

Grayson shrugged as he pulled something else out of the box from my brother.

"Look!" He shouted, his excitement clear as he held up a very fancy electronic Iron Man helmet. "I love it!"

I wasn't even sure that he knew what it was as he hadn't seen any of the movies yet, but his enthusiasm compared to Chris' displeasure was killing Scott and I.

"Oh, it's such a shame that your brother wasted his money," Chris said, his words dripping with sarcasm as he had a forced look of pity on his face. "Those things are expensive and Grayson is never going to wear it."

"I'll wear it!"

Grayson's insistence was followed by him putting the helmet on his head and another howl of laughter came from Scott as a look of betrayal crossed Chris' face.

"Your brother is a jerk."

His words were quiet so Grayson wouldn't hear and I smiled.

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "We're an Iron Man family..."

Chris shot me a glare, but turned his attention back to Gray.

"Well, if you don't want to be on my team then I guess I'll just have to find someone else to have the last present that I got for you..."

Chris was teasing, but Grayson whipped off the helmet faster than we could blink. He looked around, a puzzled expression on his face when he couldn't see anymore boxes on the floor and I shared his confusion as I wasn't aware of anymore gifts either. But the Evans brothers exchanged a knowing glance and I knew they were up to something.

"Maybe Miles would like it," Scott suggested. "He loves Captain America."

"Me too!" Grayson insisted, tossing the helmet aside as if it hadn't been his new prized possession moments ago. "He's my favourite!"

"Oh, is he now?" Chris laughed. "Doesn't take much to make you change your mind, does it?"

Grayson shook his head, oblivious to the fact that he was being teased, but Chris didn't torture him for too long.

"Alright, do you want to see what it is?"

"Yes, I do!"

Grayson leapt up, bouncing up and down with excitement, making Chris laugh as he stood up from the couch.

"C'mon then," he told Grayson, nodding his head towards the door. "It's this way."

Grayson scurried after his dad and I followed, my own curiosity piqued as well.

"What is it?" I asked Scott, but he just shot me a smirk.

"You'll see in a second."

I narrowed my eyes at his secrets and paused at the front door where Chris was waiting for us, his hand on the door knob as Grayson practically vibrated with excitement.

"Okay, close your eyes," Chris instructed. "No peeking!"

"I won't, I won't!"

Grayson covered his eyes as an extra assurance and Chris' grin widened even more as he swung open the door. I put my hands on Grayson's shoulders and guided him through it, seeing a shiny blue bike with a big bow on the handlebars. I felt a flash of worry at all the potential ways for Grayson to get hurt riding it, but there was no time to dwell on that as Chris told him to open his eyes and he gasped with excitement.

"A bike!" He squealed with joy, leaping off the doorstep and running towards it.

He circled it for a moment as if he was really trying to take it all in while I looked up at Chris.

"There better be a helmet with this present," I warned him. "I'm already imagining broken bones and missing teeth."

"He'll be fine," Chris assured me with a chuckle. "It has training wheels, but of course I got him a helmet."

I opened my mouth, ready to share some more potential disasters that could come from this - because even with training wheels he could still fall off or lose control and crash into a tree - but Grayson cut me off.

"Help me, Daddy! Help me!"

He was trying to climb onto the seat, but as I took in the sight of him barefoot in his pyjamas standing in the driveway, I stopped Chris as he moved towards him.

"Wait, why don't we have breakfast first?" I suggested. "We have all day to play on your bike, but you're not dressed or even wearing shoes..."

Grayson's face fell and I felt bad being the mean parent, but Chris nodded in agreement.

"Your Ma's right, Gray," he told him. "Let's go get ready and then we can come right back outside, okay?"

Grayson looked sulky, but reluctantly agreed as he walked back over to us.

"Hey now," Scott said, catching his attention. "No pouting on your birthday! We've got some chocolate chip pancakes to make! Unless that sad face means you don't want them anymore?"

His previous smile slid instantly back onto his face at the promise of such a sugary breakfast and the pep returned to his step as he grabbed Scott's hand before dragging him into the house.

-

I had no evidence to prove my theory, but by the time breakfast was over, I was almost certain that it would have been more relaxing to be in the middle of a hurricane. There was pancake batter all over the room and we practically had to pin Grayson to his chair to stop him from sprinting around the room with food in his mouth. It was a miracle that he got through the meal without choking.

It was impossible to be mad though when he was having such a good time. He'd had so much to adjust to lately, seeing him happy on his birthday was all that I wanted and I was willing to put up with a little more chaos than normal if it made that happen. Within reason, of course. I did stop him when he suggested that we put the entire bag of chocolate chips in the pancake batter and I did make him help me clean them up when he dumped them on the floor in protest of my ridiculous restrictions.

Once the breakfast circus was over, Chris whisked him off to get him ready to play outside while I helped Scott clean up the kitchen before going upstairs to shower and get ready myself.

When I came back down almost an hour later, I felt considerably less frazzled, but the sound of excited squeals and giggles echoing from outside told me the energy levels hadn't died down much. It really was a relief that he was having such a nice day though so I braced myself for more chaos and headed out to find them.

The sight that greeted me melted my heart completely.

Chris was running backwards across the driveway as Grayson rode towards him. He shouted encouragement the entire time, reminding him to keep pedaling and to look where he was going and cheering as Grayson rode past him before turning around and circling back.

"Look, Mama!" He shouted to me as he spotted me by the door. "I'm doing it!"

"You are, baby!" I smiled. "Good job!"

I sat on the doorstep and watched him ride in circles, proud of how fast he'd figured it out, but after a few moments, my attention turned to Chris.

There were few times since I'd known him when I'd seen him look as happy as he did in that moment. When Grayson was born, when he took his first steps and when he first said 'Dada' were probably the only comparable moments I could think of. He looked absolutely gleeful as he chased after Grayson, laughing as he passed him before dodging a different way and waiting for Gray to catch up before bolting off again. The sound of their giggles and shouts filled my heart so much that it genuinely felt like it was about to burst out of my chest and a feeling of contentedness hit me so hard that it almost knocked over.

It was a feeling that told me that they were all I ever needed. Those two boys, making each other dizzy as they ran in circles. Their happiness and love was all I could ever hope to have and moments like these were all I ever wanted to see. I wanted us to spend every weekend soaking in this kind of joy. I didn't want to fight and argue and transport Grayson back and forth every other week. I wanted to give Grayson what he deserved, I wanted us to be a family.

But as fast as that clarity hit me, the knots in my stomach were there to remind me that it wasn't just about what I wanted. It wasn't about what would bring us the most moments of delight, it was about what would provide Grayson with the most stability and being a family might do more harm to that goal than good.

It was a constant battle between my heart and my head, but I was starting to realize that my head was losing. I was clinging to my resistance with all I had, but it was slipping away. I knew I needed to talk to Chris, to sort out the fog in my brain, but for the time being, I pushed it out of my mind. This was Grayson's day and we didn't have time for anymore heart-wrenching conversations.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as Scott appeared from the side of the house on roller blades and the unexpected sight pulled a laugh from my lips as he sailed past Chris and Grayson and headed down the driveway.

"Gray, follow me!"

Gray nodded, frantically pedaling to catch up with his uncle as they sped off down the long drive. Chris watched them for a minute before jogging over to me.

"He got it so fast," he puffed as he fought to catch his breath. "He's a natural."

"The training wheels help," I pointed out, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked up at him. "But it's fine because he'll be keeping those on until he's at least eighteen."

Chris barked out a laugh, shaking his head.

"No way," he smirked. "We'll have them off by next week."

"Not a chance. I need at least six months to get used to that idea."

"How about we meet in the middle and aim for three?"

"Hmm, maybe," I bit back a smile. "We'll have to see how many injuries he gets with the training wheels on first."

"He'll be fine. He's a champ," Chris grinned proudly. "We've got a pretty great kid."

"We do," I patted the step next to me as I made room for Chris to sit down. "I can't believe he's already three."

Chris accepted my silent invitation and sat down next to me.

"I know," he sighed. "It feels like just yesterday that he was born..."

"He was so tiny," I reminisced. "And you had those huge Captain America muscles."

Chris laughed as he nodded at the memory.

"I was so scared to hold him in case I accidentally crushed him."

"I was so scared of everything," I admitted. "It wasn't until he was actually born that it really hit me that we were completely responsible for his well-being and keeping him alive."

"We've done well with that though!"

"We have," I agreed with a smile. "He's alive and thriving."

"We make a good team."

He flashed me a warm smile that made my heart beat stutter and it almost stopped completely when he stretched out a hand and placed it on mine. His touch was gentle and the warmth of his skin flooded through me even more than the sun streaming down on us. It was a simple gesture, but it eased the heaviness that had been hovering between us lately and I was grateful. I carefully flipped my hand over so our palms pressed together and let our fingers interlace. His smile widened as he looked back out at the driveway, his eyes settling on Grayson in the distance who was laughing at something Scott said.

"Thank you," Chris sighed, his voice quiet and filled with genuine appreciation. "I don't think I've ever said it, but thank you for making me a dad."

His words almost brought tears to my eyes, but I shook my head.

"Chris, you don't need to than-"

"I do," he insisted, cutting me off. "He's the best thing that ever happened to me and he wouldn't be here without you."

"I could say the same," I pointed out, trying to ignore the way his thumb was stroking the back of my hand. "He gets most of his good traits from you too. His kind heart, his sensitive little soul, his loyalty."

"His infuriating stubbornness."

"He gets that from both of us," I smiled. "He didn't stand a chance with that one."

"Well, I hope he gets some of your selflessness," Chris informed me, glancing over and looking a tad sheepish. "Because, as much as I disagree with it and I wish you'd be a little selfish, I get that you're trying to look out for him."

I felt my palms start to sweat and I wondered if he could feel it. I resisted the urge to snatch my hand away from his, trying to play it cooler than I felt. He was watching me closely as I mulled over his words until I found the strength to speak.

"I'm not so sure that it's just him that I'm trying to look out for," I admitted, exhaling a breath that I didn't realize I was holding.  "I do think we have more to talk about, Chris, but I don't think this is the right time."

"You're right," he nodded. "I just felt like I owed you an apology after the other night. I let my feelings get the best of me and I came across a little harsh."

I was about to reassure him that he hadn't when the sound of honking interrupted our conversation. Our attention was pulled to the end of the driveway where two cars - belonging to Chris' mom and his sister - were pulling in as Scott moved Grayson and Dodger off to the side to let them past.

"Did you know they were coming?" I asked, surprised by the little motorcade.

"Nah, I had no idea," Chris shrugged. "We'll stay outside though, keep our distance."

I wasn't worried about that really, I knew all of Chris' family were staying very isolated and being smart about staying safe and we were technically allowed to have outdoor gatherings of up to ten people anyway with the current rules in place. I was surprised to see them though as we'd warned Grayson that he would only get to see most of his family over FaceTime. His excitement at that being untrue was clear as he frantically pedaled back up the driveway to greet his guests.

"Mama! Daddy! Look!"

I let Chris' hand fall away from mine as we stood, smiling at Grayson's excitement as everyone started getting out of their cars. They burst into a rousing chorus of 'Happy Birthday' making Gray's grin grow even more.

"Happy birthday, Grayson!" Lisa beamed as Grayson ran towards her full speed. He threw his arms around her legs before we could even remind him to keep his distance, but Lisa seemed unbothered by it. "Have you had a good day so far?"

"Yes!" Gray smiled up at her. "I got a bike!"

"I saw that!" Lisa matched his enthusiasm. "You're a lucky boy!"

Grayson shot her another smile before turning his attention to his cousins.

"Wanna try?"

His older cousins were probably too big, but Stella's hand shot up first and beat them to it anyway.

"That's really nice of you to share," I called over to Grayson. "But share your helmet too, okay?"

He nodded and struggled with the clip for a few minutes before Lisa helped him take it off and placed it on her granddaughter's head.

Once they were all happy, chasing Stella and Dodger around the drive way, the adults moved over towards us. Lisa was the first to speak, a guilty look on her face.

"I hope you don't mind us just showing up like this, but we couldn't stay away on his birthday..."

"It's great!" Chris assured her. "Don't worry about it."

"And Grayson seems thrilled," I added. "It's nice for him to have other kids to run around with for a bit."

We all turned to watch them as they played until Carly let out a laugh.

"Are Grayson's shoes on the wrong feet?"

I hadn't even noticed, but I laughed as well when I realized that she was right.

"Some days just getting him in shoes at all is a victory," Chris defended himself. "And today was one of those days."

"He's like the energizer bunny this morning," Scott joked. "I can't imagine what he'll be like after we get some cake into him."

"Just think how well he'll sleep tonight," Carly pointed out. "He has to crash eventually."

"I hope so," Chris smiled. "He had me up at six o'clock this morning, I need an early night."

That earned a laugh from the group as his siblings teased him about being such an old man, but I felt a pang of sympathy for him, knowing that he'd been up early with Grayson a lot lately. Maybe it was because we were at his house so it was what Gray was used to, but Chris was definitely the favourite for the early morning wake up call.

We stood in our little circle for a while, just catching up as we watched the kids, all of us enjoying conversation with someone other than the people we were locked up with twenty-four hours a day. It was nice for me to have some female company as well even though Lisa was very pleased to hear that her boys were pulling their weight around the house and not just treating me like some kind of live-in maid.

It didn't take long for the kids to get tired of sharing the bike, especially the older boys who were too big for it anyway, and soon they were swarming around us demanding that we all play a game. After being cooped up for so long, it didn't seem like a bad idea to get us all moving around a little so we agreed and set about the daunting task of finding something everyone was willing to play.

Eventually, we settled on capture the flag - girls against boys. Lisa decided she'd make a better referee than a player so the boys team had one extra member, but they had three children to our one so it hardly seemed like the extra person would cause any unbalance. 

The rules of the game were simple: each team had three flags in our 'end zone' at opposite ends of the large grassy part of Chris' yard and the other team had to try to steal those flags. We had to grab it and run it all the way back to our own end zone to score a point, but once it was safely 'captured' it couldn't be stolen back. If someone managed to snatch a flag, but was tagged on their way back to their end zone then they had to give the flag back.

Lisa was very firm in reminding her children that tackling was not allowed as the Evans siblings were fiercely competitive and it had apparently led to trouble over the years. Once the rules were all set, we took our places and started the game.

The teams were fairly evenly matched. The boys had more strength, but we had more agility and were much better at communicating and working together which led to us easily scoring the first point. While Stella distracted Scott, Carly snuck past him to snatch the flag and she tossed it to Shanna who faked a pass to Stella before throwing it to me to get it to the safe zone. It was a beautifully executed play that showed the boys we weren't messing around.

"Oh, it's on now," Chris called out as he sprinted past me.

Shanna bolted after him, but he managed to grab the flag and throw it to Ethan before she caught up. With all the other boys guarding him, he made it all the way back to their end zone without getting tagged.

"I think having a super soldier on your team is an unfair advantage ," Carly huffed, but Chris shook his head with a smirk.

"Nah, because we have Scott too so it balances out."

"Hey!" Scott protested. "I'll switch teams if you're going to be rude!"

Stella jumped for joy at that idea, pleading with him to come onto our side, but the rest of the boys voiced their protests and he decided that, as long as there was no more hurtful comments, he would stick to his team for now. I used their bickering as a distraction though as I snuck closer towards their unguarded flags. I managed to grab one before Scott noticed and called out a warning to the rest of his team, but when I took off running and Grayson charged towards me, I didn't have the heart to out run him on his special day. I slowed down enough that he wouldn't realize I was letting him win and groaned dramatically as he tagged me, making me give up the flag.

"I did it!" He cheered. "Daddy! Did you see? I did it!"

Stella had a disappointed scowl on her face, but everyone else was understanding as they watched Chris scoop him up onto his shoulders, chanting his name as if he'd just won the World Cup while he carried him back to replace the flag.

Their celebration was short-lived though as we managed to steal the flag again almost as soon as Chris and Grayson were far enough away from it. After another perfectly executed play, the score was sitting at 2-1 for us. The pressure was on after that as we only needed one more point to win, it ramped up the competitive spirit.

We were off to a great start in the next round. Shanna got the flag quickly, but Scott had her cornered almost immediately so she tossed it to me. I got about ten steps before Chris was on my heels and I was forced to throw it over to Carly. Chris turned and went to chase after her instead and without even thinking, I leapt on his back to stop him.

"Hey!" He protested, slowing to a stop despite how he was clearly unaffected by my weight. "Is anyone seeing this? This has got to be a foul! She tackled me!"

"I did not tackle you!" I insisted, clinging to his shoulders with my legs wrapped around his waist. "If it was a tackle, you'd be on the ground."

Chris wiggled around, trying to throw me off his back as Carly sauntered into our end zone with the flag.

"The only reason I'm not on the ground is because you're too weak," Chris argued before shouting to his mom. "That doesn't count!

"No, Mama," Grayson joined in, running over to us looking very disapproving. "No cheating!"

I laughed, but slid down from Chris' back.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" I held my hands up as I apologized. "I can't outrun Captain America, I had no choice!"

"Well, now you lost the point," Chris teased me, shoving me playfully and making me stumble a step away from him. "So, lets keep it fair and stop trying to cheat."

I swatted back at him as I stuck out my tongue while Lisa made the official call that the point didn't count and Scott took the recently captured flag back to the boy's end zone.

Chris had a new twinkle in his eye as the next round started. He hadn't let me get very far away from him and I quickly realized that I'd made a mistake by antagonizing him. I would be useless to my team if he was on my tail the whole time, but he was a tank and incredibly fast so getting away from him was next to impossible. I watched helplessly as Scott and Miles easily took our flag and dashed it back to their end zone to tie the score.

"Chris!" I whined as I tried to get around him like I was a cornered puppy, trying not to get caught. "Get away from me, you big oaf!"

"Oh, wow," Chris chuckled. "Let's not start calling names and being mean."

I tried to dart past him again, but groaned as he blocked my path.

"You're infuriating!"

"It's all part of the game."

The smirk on Chris' face had my competitive side firing up as I could see behind him that Miles had snatched our last flag. Stella was hot on his heels though, so he had no choice, but to pass to Grayson who was coming our way. Was I going to stop my three year old son from scoring the game winning point on his birthday? Probably not. But I had to at least make my attempt genuine so I came up with a plan.

"Is that..." I squinted off into the distance on the other side of the yard. "Is that Dodger chasing a cat?"

My Oscar worthy performance had Chris spinning around to check out what I saw and it gave me enough time to bolt away towards Grayson who wasn't far away from winning the game for his team. I made it an impressive five steps before Chris figured out what I'd done and came after me. Grayson saw what was happening and dodged to the left so I followed, but my change of direction gave Chris an opportunity. The next thing I knew, I felt a crash against my hips before I was lifted from the ground and found myself dangling over Chris' shoulder.

I let out a squeal of surprise as I kicked my legs, trying to get down, but Chris had a tight grip on me and there was no getting away. The ease with which he threw me around wasn't at all distracting and there wasn't a single part of me that was revelling in his strength. Not at all.

"This is absolutely a tackle!" I protested, focusing my mind back onto my predicament. "Put me down!"

"If this was a tackle, you'd be on the ground," he mocked me. "This is payback."

I had a nice view, my head only inches above 'America's ass' so, swept up in the moment of playfulness between us, I reached down and gave it a smack. He yelped and jumped, shaking me as he did.

"Chris! Put me down!"

My demands were weakened by the giggles that I couldn't hold back, but thankfully Scott stepped in to help me regain some dignity.

"Alright, you two," he called over. "Can we get back to the game now or would you like us all to give you some time alone?"

A blush covered my cheeks as I remembered that his entire family was around us and was relieved when he lowered me to the ground.

"Games over," Chris called back. "Grayson scored!"

Grayson jumped up and down happily, but Stella had a scowl on her face.

"Nuh uh! When Whitney tackled you, it didn't count!" She pointed out. "Grayson's point doesn't count too!"

The joy on Grayson's face fell into a look of anger as he stomped his foot at his cousin’s claim.

"It does!" He insisted. "I did it!"

"Now look what you've done," I playfully scolded Chris quietly before shouting to the rest of the group. "I think we're going to have to let them have the point, ladies. I wouldn't have been able to catch up to Grayson even if Chris didn't cheat..."

Stella's jaw dropped in clear shock that I hadn't supported her protests, but to stop the war before it could start, Chris chimed in.

"Grayson didn't need my help to score that point, I shouldn't have interfered," he started. "But why don't we call it a game and go have some cake?!"

The promise of sugar seemed to quash any animosity between the teams as all the kids let out a shriek of approval at that suggestion and took off running back to the house.

"Oh, yes," Carly sighed. "Because what my children clearly need right now is more energy..."

"It's Gray's birthday," Chris shrugged with a smile as we all followed the children at a much more reasonable pace. "We have to have cake!"

"And if it wasn't his birthday then I wouldn't have let you win."

My taunting earned a bark of laughter from Chris.

"Let us win? Yeah, sure, okay. You just keep telling yourself that you're faster and stronger than me," he teased. "Whatever makes you feel better."

I shoved him, but he was braced for it and I ended up more affected by the impact than him which proved his point, putting a smirk on his face.

"Asshole," I muttered as I shook my head, but I couldn't hold back a smile at how nice our affectionate teasing felt.

-

By the end of the day, we were all exhausted. It had been a fun and very special day for Grayson so we were thrilled for him, but exhausted nonetheless. Gray fought his bedtime with all the will power he had, eager for the day to go on just a little bit longer, but we won out in the end and he made it to bed on time. Scott had gone to his own room while we were fighting with him and Chris and I parted ways shortly after to get some much needed quiet time of our own.

I found myself distracted though, when I was finally alone, as the importance of the day had me feeling sentimental. Watching Grayson grow up and hit these milestones was a joy, but it left me feeling a bit reminiscent of the years gone by. Years when he was even smaller than he was now, just starting to figure out the world and how to speak, walk and be a part of it. The time was really flying by and as I began to scroll through old videos of his first year of life, the nostalgia was almost too much to bear.

Eventually, I stumbled on a video that had distinct parallels of today.

It was a video of Grayson's first birthday when we'd given him his own little cake and let him go to town on it. Of course, as many babies do, he'd stared at it for a moment before smashing his face directly into it. It was adorable and tugged on my heart strings considering how comparatively neat his cake consumption was earlier that day. He'd grown so much in such a short time and I felt compelled to share my discovery with Chris so I dragged myself out of bed and crept down to his room.

There was a fluttering of nerves in my stomach as I knocked on his bedroom door, the feeling only growing as he called out an invitation to come inside. I did as he'd asked and let myself in, finding him leaning back against the headboard of his bed - wearing nothing but his pajama pants - with his own phone in his hand.

"Hey," he smiled. "What's up?"

"I found a video," I told him, standing awkwardly near the foot of his bed. "I was feeling a little sad about how fast Gray is growing up so I was looking back, watching old videos and I found one that I thought you might like to see."

Chris’ smile widened and he eagerly patted the bed next to him, encouraging me to sit. I took him up on his offer and settled in as I unlocked my phone and started the video.

"He was so little..."

Chris' observation came as the camera settled on Gray where he sat in his high chair. Chris was right next to him, a grin on his face as he chatted happily to our son despite the nonsense babble that he got in response. I appeared on the screen after a few moments, carrying a tiny cake as everyone started to sing Happy Birthday. Grayson had a look of confusion on his face as he looked around at the crowd, but his eyes widened when the cake was placed in front of him.

"Go on, Gray," I prompted once the singing had stopped. "You can taste it."

He needed no more encouragement and simply face planted right into it, popping up a moment later with blue icing from the tops of his eyebrows to the bottom of his chin. He had a huge, cheeky grin on his face as he looked at us and, just as he did in the video, Chris laughed next to me.

"Oh, man, it kills you, doesn't it?" He questioned before clarifying. "How cute he is."

I hadn't realized that Chris' arm had found its way behind me when he leaned in to watch until I felt his breath on my hair as he spoke and I couldn't resist leaning back, tucking myself under his shoulder. The whole day, the knowledge that my baby was growing up, had me needing some comfort. It was exciting, to see him learn and shift from a baby to a little person, but at the same time, I felt the overwhelming urge for time to stop.

"It does," I agreed, letting my phone fall to the bed beside me. "I can't believe how much he's changed since then."

"In some ways," Chris agreed, looking down at me with a smirk. "In others, he's still that goofy, reckless baby."

"If he's anything like you, he'll probably never grow out of being goofy and reckless."

I felt Chris' shoulders shake as he chuckled at my teasing and I was reminded of the last time we'd been cuddled up, in a similar position to this, in his bed. I felt a flood of warmth run through my body at the memory as I was suddenly aware of how close we were, aware of how good he smelt and how strong his hard muscled arm felt as I leaned against it.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I meant it as one," I assured him. "I like that you're goofy. Your recklessness used to give me anxiety sometimes, when you'd always insist that you just had to do your own stunts on Captain America as if you really thought you were a super soldier, but I like that you're willing to take risks."

"Awe, gee, Whitney," he teased, squeezing me closer against him. "It was nice of you to worry about me."

"Of course I worried," I rolled my eyes. "Your muscles are bigger than your brain sometimes."

"Not anymore..." Chris held up the arm that wasn't currently around me and flexed his muscles, showing off a bicep that was still much larger than most even if it wasn't quite up to the Avengers standard. "I'm out of shape."

Against my own best interest, I turned slightly, letting my hand drift up towards his arm as my head fell against his chest. I traced over the bulging muscle and watched as tiny goosebumps rose up on his skin at the sensation. Skin that felt so soft under my touch and I felt his breath shift as he clearly felt the mood between us change the same way that I did. I felt emboldened by how amorous our emotional day had left me as I let my head tip back to find him looking down at me with the same intensity he had a few months ago.

My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't help myself. Despite every alarm bell going off inside my brain, I stretched up just enough to press my lips against his. For a moment, he relaxed. His shoulders dropped as my fingers curled around the arm they were just stroking, but then suddenly his entire body tensed as if he'd been shocked by a bolt of electricity. He jerked away, sliding out from under me and off the bed before I could even realize what was happening.

"No," he said firmly, pointing his finger at me the same way he did to Dodger when he was being naughty. "No, no, we're not doing this again. Not until we talk about it what's going on here."

I felt the sting of rejection so harshly that it almost brought tears to my eyes, but I knew he was right.

"I'm sorry," I squeaked out, my cheeks burning. "You're right. I shouldn't have done that."

My voice was shaking as I scrambled to stand up, the stunned look on Chris' face only adding to my embarrassment. We stood there, staring at each other with the bed between us, but he didn't speak and after a few moments of silence, my shame was overwhelming, kicking my flight instincts into gear.

"I'll go," I mumbled. "Sorry again."

I didn't wait for a response before darting towards the door, but Chris' voice stopped me before I could make my escape.

"Whitney, stop." He didn't shout, but his tone was firm and demanding enough that I froze on the spot. "We need to talk about this. We can't keep going on with it hanging above our heads."

I turned to face him, discovering that he'd moved closer and was standing by the foot of the bed. He was still a few feet away from me, but close enough that it felt almost suffocating and I bit my lip as I stared at his feet, unable to look him in the eye.

"I don't know what to say..."

"I can take it," he insisted, a hint of resignation in voice as he continued. "You've had plenty of time to think it over since our last conversation and you said earlier today that we needed to talk. If you're gonna turn me down, put whatever this is to bed, just do it now and get it over with."

I furrowed my brow in confusion at his words, my heart beating in my chest so fast that I could hear the blood pumping through my ears.

"Turn you down?" I questioned. "Why do you think I'm going to turn you down? I just kissed you."

"That didn't mean much at Christmas."

He had a very valid point and I felt another pang of guilt at how badly I was treating him. I was hot and cold, affectionate and withdrawn, unwavering in my decision one minute and unsteady the next. I hadn't spared much thought to how cruel that was and now that I'd realized, I couldn't hold back the frustrated groan that fell from my lips.

"I don't know what to do, Chris! I think I know what the right decision is. It's what always felt like the safer choice, but then there are times when that's just..." I paused, taking in a deep breath to work up a dash of courage. "It's not what I want."

Chris watched me closely as if choosing his next words very carefully.

"If the safer choice isn't what you want then it sounds like maybe you need to take a risk. You can't live your life making decisions out of fear."

My eyes narrowed. He was over simplifying the situation. That way of thinking might work if it was just the two of us, but with Gray in the middle, things were more complicated.

"It's not that straight forward."

I shook my head as I spoke, but Chris countered with a nod.

"Sure, it is," he shrugged before asking a question that almost stopped my heart. "Do you love me?"

I stared at him, opening my mouth to speak and then closing it again when the words didn't come. I stood there, gaping at him like some kind of ridiculous puffer fish, until I finally got a word out.

"What?"

A smirk slid onto Chris' face at my floundering as he repeated the question.

"Do you love me?" He asked. "And don't say it doesn't matter or it's not important. Just yes or no."

I stared at him for a moment longer as a war between my head and heart raged inside me. Deny, deny, deny was what my head was screaming, but in the end the quiet reminder of now or never from my heart was what won out.

"Yes, I do," I admitted, proud of my voice for not breaking. "I always have."

There was a grin on Chris' face now, but my stomach churned because it didn't mean anything. As I said, I'd loved him all along and yet here we were, no better off.

"That's all that matters then," he insisted. "We can figure out the rest."

"But what if we can't figure it out?" I protested, crossing my arms as if I could somehow fold into myself and disappear completely. "What if it's nice for a while and then it all comes crashing down around us? What about Gray?"

He shrugged again. His whole demeanour miles away from my own. He seemed confident, hopeful, almost excited while I felt nauseous, terrified and paralyzed by fear.

"But what if it doesn't? What if it all works out nicely? Why are you so convinced that we wouldn't last?"

"Because you're you," I reminded him, my tone flat as I stated the obvious. "Hollywood super star, Chris Evans. And I'm me, a boring nobody. You could have pretty much any famous actress you want, the only person who wants to be with me is the creepy maintenance worker in our apartment building."

Chris looked taken aback as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What? I've never heard about this guy."

"He's just some weird guy who does the repairs," I shrugged. "He comments on my outfits and looks at me in this way that makes my skin crawl, but he's harmless."

"Doesn't sound harmless to me," Chris argued, crossing his arms as a thunderous look settled on his face. "Does he have access to your place?"

"No!" I assured him, but after my quick answer I realized that I wasn't so sure. "Well, I don't know. He might have a spare key, I guess. If most maintenance people do? They have to give me notice before they enter the apartment anyway."

"Unless he's sneaking in to perv on you."

"Chris! That's gross!" I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Why would you put that thought in my head?!"

"I told you that you should have let me buy you a house," Chris huffed. "You're moving when all this covid shit is over."

"Oh my god," I groaned having flashbacks to our conversation a few weeks ago about him buying me a car. "All of this is so beside the point! We're talking about how you'd get bored of me and leave me heartbroken for some flashy Hollywood babe, remember?"

"Right," Chris nodded, letting his arms fall to his side. "But that's such a ridiculous idea that I thought it was hardly worth acknowledging."

His dismissal of one of my biggest fears sent a flash of anger through me.

"How is it ridiculous?" I snapped. "It's true!"

"You know me, Whitney," Chris sighed. "You know that my team had to practically force me into doing Captain America because I had one foot out the door of the whole acting gig and I hated the way Hollywood made me feel. Do you really think that I would give up a chance at a having family with you, someone who I really care about, for some wild, short-lived fling?"

His tone conveyed his disbelief, but he hadn't quite accurately interpreted what I meant.

"I think you'd regret it," I clarified. "I think that once the initial excitement wore off, you'd see that I'm nothing special and that I don't fit in your world."

Chris was looking at me as if I'd grown an extra head and I crossed my arms a little tighter around myself.

"We were friends long before Grayson came around and I've always thought that you were something special. Where is all this insecurity coming from, Whitney? Because I just don't get it."

I swallowed hard as I bit my lip. I felt incredibly vulnerable and the urge to run away and continue ignoring all my feelings seemed much preferable to standing here and analyzing them all, but I stayed strong. We were both adults and this was the only way to move forward. Whether it ended how Chris wanted or not, he deserved to know how I felt.

"I spent a long time convincing myself that you didn't care about me as anything more than a friend. I told myself that it was an insane idea because we're in two very different leagues so there was no point getting my hopes up. Then that night happened and I thought that maybe I'd been wrong, that it could be the start of a really good thing, but then you were gone by the time I woke up and you never called."

I barely choked out the last few words as I fought back the tears that were swimming in my eyes. An unmistakable look of guilt flashed onto Chris' face and he opened his mouth to comment, perhaps to defend himself, but I held up a hand to stop him. I needed to get it out or I never would.

"Then three weeks later, I found out I was pregnant," I continued. "I assumed from your silence that you didn't want to be with me and I knew that we were good together as friends so I kept my feelings to myself and spent the last three and a half years beating myself up for thinking for even one second that you would want to be with me."

"I did want to be with you..."

Chris was looking at me with those puppy dog eyes that he'd mastered and I sniffled as a tear slipped down my cheek.

"I know that now, but I can't just turn those thoughts off."

Chris sighed and rubbed his hands over his face before holding out his arms.

"C'mere."

I shook my head, wiping my tears as I worried that I'd fall apart completely if I stepped into his arms, but when he persisted and gestured me over again, I couldn't resist. I took the few steps needed to close the space between us and let my arms slide around his waist. He hugged me close to his body, burying his face in my hair as pressed mine into his muscled chest. We stayed like that for a few moments until Chris broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. I was an idiot," he apologized, his words muffled by my hair. "I should have fought for you. At the very least, I should have stayed until you woke up and I should have called, but I was scared too."

I felt more tears fill my eyes as I choked out a soft "I know".

Another silence fell between us before Chris spoke again, his words making my heart almost stop completely.

"I was going to propose." I pulled back at that confession, my eyes wide as I looked up at him unable to process his words fast enough to speak before he continued. "I called my mom up as soon as you told me you were pregnant. I wanted her to help me pick out a ring, but she talked me out of it. Said you'd think I was doing it for all the wrong reasons."

My heart fluttered back to life at the sincerity in his admission, but I nodded my head.

"Your mom is a smart lady," I told him. "I absolutely would have thought you were only doing it because you felt you had to."

"It wasn't out of obligation though," he insisted. "Maybe I was getting a bit ahead of myself leaping straight to marriage, but I cared about you. It was an opportunity to make it official, make that commitment and be a family. That's what I wanted."

I stayed quiet, resting my head back against his chest as I tried to take in all this new information. It was a lot to process especially when it directly contradicted the belief I had clung to for so long - that Chris and I would never work and for Grayson's sake we were better off apart. That assumption was so deeply embedded in my brain that it was hard to find the courage to take such a risk.

As if Chris could sense my lingering indecision, he continued.

"It's still what I want," he said softly. "Being here these last few weeks with you and Grayson as a family has been a dream come true. I wouldn't give it up for anything or do anything to jeopardize it if you'd just give me a shot."

The word 'okay' was so close to the tip of my tongue that it shocked me.

That was all I had to do, just open my mouth and agree and he would be mine.

My heart was pleading with me to do it, to take that leap and ignore any of the arguments against it that were running through my mind - especially now that those arguments seemed much less sound than they had a few short weeks ago. I was so conflicted that it almost physically pained me to have to make a decision and I couldn't help, but wonder how he could be so certain.

So, I leaned back and tilted my head so my eyes could meet his.

"How can you be so sure?" I questioned. "After how things have been these last few years, how can you be so confident in your feelings?"

"Because I love you," he told me plainly and with unwavering surety. "If you tell me right now that it's not what you want, then I'll accept your decision. But if there's a hint of a chance, then I'll wait as long as I need to. I've been waiting for years, thinking that I didn't even have a shot, I think I can wait a little longer now that I know that I might."

It was another heart wrenchingly honest explanation, another vulnerable admission, and something in the openness with which he spoke made me realize that over the last three years he had done nothing to earn any distrust from me. Even after the fallout from Christmas, he'd put his hurt feelings and pride aside to make things easier for me. He'd been sincere during every discussion we'd had since then and hadn't been cruel or impatient about my indecision. I had no reason at all, other than my own fear and insecurities, to assume that he was going to break my heart and tear apart our family.

He deserved a little bit of trust from me as well and a clarity washed over me as I finally knew what I had to do.

There were words I could have said, probably should have said, but I didn't feel like there was anything that would accurately portray how I was feeling. I settled for a more direct approach as I pressed up onto my toes and let my lips fall against his.

He tensed at first and for a brief, heart stopping moment, I thought he might push me away again, but he didn't. He relaxed, pulling me closer as my hands slid to cup his neck.

It was a soft kiss. A gentle, loving kiss, that I hoped conveyed what I couldn't figure out how to say. But when our lips parted and he leaned down to rest his forehead on mine, there was a concern in his eyes that told me I wasn't going to get away with it that easily.

"What does that mean?"

I bit my lip, staring up past his long eyelashes into his eyes. There was still a tiny voice in my head telling me to run, to stop being so foolish and leave now before I made a mistake, but my heart had found its footing now and wasn't going to back down. Listening to my head all this time hadn't made things any easier, so it was time to try something else.

"It means," I started, taking in a shaky breath. "I don't want to keep you waiting anymore."

Chris let out a breath of relief as a tentative smile slid onto his face.

"Really? You're sure?"

I swallowed hard and nodded my head.

"Yes," I breathed out, my voice thick with all the emotions swirling through me.

He dipped his head a touch lower until our lips were reconnected. It was a deeper kiss, more desperate than the first as his tongue slid against mine and his grip tightened on my waist, my nails scraping against the fuzz of his recently cut hair. I caved into him, clinging to him like he was a lifeboat in a storm until he pulled back to take a breath.

My chest heaved against his, the adrenaline of his touch and what this finally meant, almost too much to handle. I settled back down, flat on my feet and nuzzled my face back into his chest as I fought to calm my racing mind and just enjoy the moment.

"You really mean it?" Chris asked again, the shakiness of his voice filling me with another pang of guilt. "You really want to give this a try?"

"I mean it," I nodded against him. "Doesn't mean my concerns have all vanished in the last five minutes, but I...I think I need to trust you."

"I won't let you down," he murmured into my hair as he pulled me even closer. Another silence fell between us until I broke it with an embarrassingly large yawn and Chris' chest shook as he chuckled. "Do you wanna sleep down here tonight?"

As soon as he'd asked the question, it suddenly hit me how exhausted I was. Even just the thought of walking upstairs seemed like an impossible task when there was such an inviting, comfortable bed only steps away from where I stood. But a thought popped into my head that I couldn't ignore and I turned my head slightly so I wasn't speaking directly into Chris' muscles.

"What about Gray?" I asked. "He always comes to you in the morning..."

"Would it matter?"

His tone wasn't accusing or annoyed, but genuinely curious as sharing a child did add a strange new element to all this. I didn't really know what the best way to handle it was since Grayson didn't really understand our relationship or know how a typical family was set up anyway, but it didn't seem like the best way to introduce him to the idea.

"I think we should talk to him about it instead of just letting him stumble on us in bed together," I suggested. "But I think maybe we should wait a while?"

Chris' face fell as the look of worry returned.

"You want to keep this a secret?"

"I didn't mean it like that," I shook my head. "You can tell whoever you want, but I think we should figure things out, make sure things are stable between us before we try to explain it to Gray."

"Alright, that's fair," Chris agreed before leaning down to place another soft kiss on my lips. "I'll wake you up before he comes down."

"Okay," I nodded as I let my thumb stroke his cheek.

We reluctantly slipped out of each other's arms, but it was a brief separation as we climbed into opposite sides of the bed. Once we'd turned the lights off, we met in the middle and he pulled me back against his chest, letting me hook my leg over his hip as we settled against each other.

Chris ran a hand up and down my spine as he nuzzled in my hair.

"This feels nice..."

"It does," I hummed. With the darkness around us, the quiet that had settled in, I felt encouraged to say something that I'd felt I should have said long ago. "I'm sorry, Chris."

I felt him tense.

"For what?"

"For messing you around so much," I admitted. "Especially at Christmas...that wasn't cool."

"If I had expectations, I should have laid them out before anything happened." His answer sounded rehearsed, as if he'd spent a long time convincing himself of that fact. I wasn't entirely sure it was a fair statement, but he continued before I could question it. "I can understand where you were coming from, but I promise I won't hurt you."

I felt a pang of uncertainty because that wasn't always a promise that could be kept, but the sincerity in his voice gave me hope. I placed a soft kiss against his chest as his hands slid up under the loose shorts I was wearing to cup my bum.

"I love you," I mumbled against his skin.

"I love you too," he replied, making a feeling of warmth flood through me. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

I sighed happily as my exhaustion had my eyes fluttering shut. I wanted to stay awake, to keep this moment before the brightness of the morning could bring any doubts or second guesses, but I was powerless to resist as sleep overtook me.

-

Part Five

Tags:  @maggotzombie @moonlacebeam @mizzzpink @zaylaugh @flowery-mess @flowerjewels @njrronaldo7 @hockeychick10

[chrisevansjellybeans]

America’s Ass

Chris and Reader get into an argument. Enjoy! Probably some errors, sorry about that 

Word Count: 1270

The grip on your purse tightened as you sat quietly in the passenger seat of your boyfriend's Jeep Wrangler. Both of you too pissed off to say anything. You glanced over at him and saw that he was gripping the wheels just as tight as you were to your purse, if not tighter. You huffed and looked away, not caring that he was pissed. 

The music blared through the speakers of the club as you sat on your boyfriend’s delectable thighs and leaned back against his broad chest. Chris’s hands were resting gently on your thighs, absentmindedly rubbing random shapes onto them. You were so content in this moment. It was Scott’s birthday and you, Chris, Scott and a few other friends decided to make the most of a post pandemic world and have a proper party at a club. For the first two hours you and Chris barely left the dance floor, only to get refills for your drinks, and now you guys had gone back to your table and were listening to Scott rehash stories from their childhood. 

You laughed as Scott playfully punched Chris in the arm after talking about all the pranks Chris would pull on him. 

“Careful, man. I got precious cargo on me.” Chris wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer to him, as if you would be a shield from Scott’s assault. Scott rolled his eyes but stopped hitting Chris. You felt Chris smirk as he kissed your neck. 

“Y/n?” You turned from the group and looked over at whoever called your name. You squinted, the booze and the flashing lights making it hard to concentrate on any defining features. “Y/n!” 

“Oh my god, Max?” Recognizing that voice anywhere, you immediately stood up and ran over to your childhood best friend. When you reached him, he scooped you up into his arms and gave you a sweeping hug. “What are you doing here in Boston?” 

Max set you down and ran his hand through his curly brown hair. “I moved here recently for work. Your mom told my mom that you were here, I was going to reach out but looks like fate took over.” You got a better look at your childhood friend. He had obviously grown, he was now at least 6’3 and looked like he worked out regularly. When you guys were close growing up, Max had always been kind of on the smaller side, so this was a big change. 

“That’s so crazy, here hand me your phone. I’ll give you my number and we can make plans for lunch.” Max nodded excitedly and pulled out his phone handing it to you. Quickly you tapped in your number and then sent yourself a text so you would have his info as well. “Do you want to come up and meet my friends? My boyfriend is up there too.” 

“I would love to, but I’m actually here with some new coworkers so I should head back before I’m out of the loop on all the good inside jokes.” Quickly you both gave each other a hug and then you turned around and made your way back to the group. 

“Who was that?” Carly asked. 

“He was like my best friend growing up.” You smiled, sitting down next to Chris. You tried to intertwine your fingers with his but he moved them away reaching for his beer. Giving him a weird look you turned back to Carly. “He just moved here for work.” 

“Great.” Chris muttered under his breath. Once again you looked over at him, getting annoyed with his attitude. 

“Yeah it is great.” You snapped. You leaned in closer to him. “What is your problem? He’s just a friend.” 

“We’re not going to talk about it here, Y/N.” Chris said calmly. He looked at you for a brief moment, his eyes flaring. 

“Chris, please do not make this something bigger than it is.” You pleaded. 

“I said, we’re not going to talk about it.” Chris’s tone was final. You both glared at each other, your eyes narrowing. Chris let out a long breath before turning back to his siblings, leaving you sitting there and now officially out of the conversation. You could feel Scott’s eyes on you as you looked everywhere except at him. Your anger was only building with each passing minute and before you knew it, everyone was getting ready to leave and you and Chris still hadn’t spoken. 

“Text me when you guys get home?” Scott asked as he pulled you into a hug. You only nodded and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek before doing the same to the rest of the group. Everyone knew that there was a palpable tension between you and Chris but no one wanted to say anything, so you all exchanged pleasantries and went your separate ways. 

Now here you were. Still fifteen minutes away from the house and the tension continuing to rise. 

You could feel the tears starting to well in your eyes and you just wanted to scream into a pillow and then go to sleep. 

Finally pulling into the driveway you didn’t even wait till Chris was fully stopped to hop out and walk to the front door. 

“Excuse me, don’t do that.” Chris slammed the door shut. “You could get hurt.” 

“Whatever, Chris.” You opened the door, immediately greeted by a very excited Dodger. You smiled slightly and ruffled his fur for a moment before walking to the kitchen. You poured yourself a glass of water, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. You felt his presence before he even said anything, his cologne attacking your senses. “I can’t believe you acted like that.” 

You opened your eyes to meet his. “You embarrassed me in front of your friends and family. What the actual hell, Chris?” 

“Well maybe don’t throw yourself at another man in front of them then?” 

“You know you really are America’s Ass.” You bit out. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you he’s just a friend. If Max and I were ever going to date, we would have already!” 

Chris was quiet, but then a small smile formed on his lips. 

“Oh now you’re happy? I’m still pissed at you, dickhead.” You rolled your eyes, finishing your water and setting it in the sink. 

“What did you call me, sweetheart?” You tensed when you felt Chris come up behind you and wrap his arms around you. Slowly you turned around so you were facing each other. You looked up at your handsome boyfriend, who’s features had softened exponentially. 

“I said that you really are America’s Ass. And not in a good way.” 

Chris chuckled and kissed your nose. “I love that even in an argument you somehow make me laugh.” 

“Chris, I’m being serious.” You whined, leaning into him. You relaxed into his embrace and you rested your head on his chest. “I need you to believe me the first time when I tell you that it’s nothing. I can’t even imagine looking at or thinking of another guy the way I do with you.” 

Chris sighed and rested his chin on top of your head. “I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” He moved to give you a kiss on your forehead. “And I’m the same way, baby. There’s no one but you, and I think I just get in my head that this is all too good to be true and that you’ll move on to someone better than me.” 

“Someone better than America’s Ass? I don’t think so.”

[sunmoonandeddie]

feelings are fatal (20/24)

pairing: bucky barnes x reader, past steve rogers x reader

word count: 4,030

summary: After the events of Endgame, you struggle to come to terms with what you’ve lost, though you’re learning that you still have something to gain.

chapter warnings: swearing, violence, fluffiness

masterlist

a/n: I really hope

There was something to be said about how much Bucky Barnes cared for the people in his life that he considered his friends, his family.

Hell, he’d jumped out of many, many aircrafts for Sam, even though he wouldn’t admit it was for him.

He sent his therapist flowers and a gift for her birthday, despite the fact that more than half the time, they just annoyed the shit out of each other.

The amount of times he’d pulled you out of a funk was… Well, there was a lot.

However, there was also something to be said about how overboard Bucky Barnes could go when someone he loved had gotten hurt.

Or kidnapped by a Nazi terrorist organization and almost shot in front of him.

“Alright, you’re all tucked in,” he muttered under his breath, even as he went around the bed once again, his hands carefully tucking in your comforter all over again. “There we go… Are you comfortable? Too warm? Not warm enough?”

He’d been hovering the past four days since you’d gotten out of the medbay, and the five days before that when you’d been in and out of unconsciousness.

God, the feelings that had washed over you when you’d woken up again and found that he was back and your Soldat was gone. It was so bittersweet. You loved both of them, even if it was in different ways. Different shades, different tones of love.

You just kept telling yourself that the Soldat was right.

It was time for him to rest. Your time together was over.

But that in itself meant that it was time for something new to begin.

If only you could find a way to tell Bucky how you truly felt.

You watched him with your eyelids half closed, a drowsiness slurring your words as you laid there. “Jamie… Can you stop for a moment?” You don’t even think about how your words might make him feel, how they might sound.

“Oh… Right. Sorry if I’m annoying you,” he said, his voice dropping to where it was almost inaudible. He started to head for the door, having set down the water bottle in his hands.

“What?! No!” You said, quickly sitting up. You still felt like absolute shit, but you couldn’t let him leave. “I’m sorry. That’s not the words I wanted to come out. I… I just want you to relax for a moment. I’m okay.” Pulling your arm out of the warmth of your blankets, you patted the spot next to you. “Can we just… lay down and watch a movie for a bit?”

Bucky’s baby blues softened immediately, and he nodded, toeing off his sneakers. “Of course. I’m sorry… I’ve been…”

“Helicopter parenting?”

His cheeks flamed fire engine red as he slipped into the bed beside you, hesitating before pulling the blankets over him. “I don’t know if I like the parenting aspect of that,” he muttered, his arms wrapping around you and pulling you close. “FRI, can you turn on a movie?”

“Legally Blonde,” you added without a second thought, grinning at the confused look that painted his face. “Have you never seen Legally Blonde?”

“What? No? What the fuck is a Legally Blonde?” He asked. And, okay, yeah, he could gather from the context that it was a movie, most likely a girly one based on the title, but he loved the way you looked so aghast and the way you laughed at his old man tendencies.

“Only the greatest early 2000s chick flick of all time!” You squealed, playfully smacking his chest.

A wave of contentment, of happiness, washed over you as you laid half on his chest to watch the movie. His fingers were absentmindedly running up and down your spine, his breath tickling your forehead.

And it hit you that you could have this for the rest of your life. You could have this happiness, this peace, for the rest of your life with the man that was holding you.

Once again, you just needed to figure out how to tell him how you felt.

“Wait… So he broke up with her because she wasn’t… serious enough?” Bucky asked, his brows furrowed. “Or because she was too pretty and girly?”

“Both,” you said, glancing up at his face. “He sucks.”

“Yeah, he fucking does.”

When the movie ended, you sat up, risking a glance at Bucky’s face. “Well? What did you think?”

He couldn’t help but shake his head, groaning dramatically. “If Sam finds out that I’m a fan of early 2000s chick flicks, he’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

Oh, this was good. So, so good.

“Jamie, I’ve watched Legally Blonde and other chick flicks with Sam. He loves them,” you revealed, watching the way his eyes lit up.

“There’s more?!”

You took it upon yourself to show him the best of the late 90s and early 2000s, finding that when he was distracted with tales of cheesy romance and girl power triumphing, he wasn’t so worried about your health.

But he did have a few problems with Clueless. “Let me get this straight,” he said with a scowl as he held you close in between his legs. “She’s… still in high school. Sixteen, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“And he was her step-brother?”

“Yes.”

“And… he is still treated like her step-brother by her father?”

“Yeah.”

He blinked owlishly at the television that hung up on your wall, his mouth hanging open in an astonished ‘o.’ “And people just…”

“Decide to ignore that bit? Yup,” you supplied, turning your head to look up at him.

He frowned, tightening his hold around you. “I really don’t know how to feel about that. It’s a good movie. But…” His head then slightly cocked to the side. “Her step-brother looks like that one guy that helped us at the fight in Germany… You know, the one at the airport?”

“You don’t even remember Scott’s name?!” You asked, snorting. “You really are an old man.”

His fingers flew to your sides, tickling you mercilessly. “Yeah?! And what about it?! Huh? Huh?” When he finally stopped and your laughter had died out, he hid his face in the crook of your neck and took in a deep breath. “I missed you… when you were gone… Sometimes I forget just how integral you are to my life, but that… Being without you reminded me of how desolate my days were when we were separated before.”

Heart clenching, you squeezed his flesh arm with both of yours, resolving yourself to not move the rest of the day. You’d quickly come to the conclusion that cuddling with James Barnes could be considered one of the great pleasures in life. “Well, we’ll never have to be apart again,” you murmured, closing your eyes. “What if… What if we took some time away? And we went on a little… vacation or something?”

“A vacation?” He said, and you could feel his heart rate speed up underneath your head. A vibranium hand smoothed over your hair. “Where do you wanna go?”

“I don’t know…,” you admitted with a snort, shaking your head. “Just… away. Give us time to relax and really… I don’t know. Process?” Your eyes fluttered shut at his soothing touch. “Maybe we could go up to the cabin for a few days… maybe a week…”

“Yeah? You wanna stay a whole week with just me for company?” He asked playfully, even though he felt like his spirit was soaring.

Biting your lip, you pulled your knees up to your chest until your entire body was pressed against his chest. “Could spend my whole life with just you for company, Jamie.”

He’d understand, right? He’d understand that you meant ‘I love you.’ He’d understand the words that you were trying to say but were too nervous to get out, that your throat closed up and your eyes burned because the last person you said those words to in that way had demolished your heart, your soul?

But then again, he’d been the one to teach you what those words meant in the first place. Well, the Soldat had.

Bucky’s entire face was pink, all the way to the tips of his ears, and he leaned down and kissed your forehead. “Me, too, malen’kaya.”

You reached up to run your fingers through his hair. It had grown out since his last haircut, and it was getting to be about ear length. “You know who you look like right now kinda?” You asked, an impish smile on your lips.

“Who?” He was clearly already anticipating the worst, even though he was letting his head tip forward to let you continue playing with his hair.

“Prince Kit or whatever his name is.” You were preening as your foreheads pressed together, his breathing even as you massaged his scalp. “From the new live action Cinderella.”

You can hear the smile, even though you can’t see his face. “You think I look like a prince?”

“Don’t get cocky on me now,” you shot back. But, in truth… You liked this side of Bucky. You had caught little glimpses of it when you were on the run with Steve, Sam, and Natasha. But this felt like the real him, and you loved it.

And as far as you were concerned, he could be as cocky as he wanted to be.

“Let me check with your doctors and get their opinion on when they think you’ll be okay to travel,” he said, his lips pressing to your hair. “And then I’ll talk to Pepper about letting us steal the cabin for a bit…”

A huff escapes your lips as you tug on his hair in retaliation. “Do you really think Pepper isn’t gonna let us stay there for a bit?”

You missed the way his breathing had hitched and his heart had skipped a beat, and he nuzzled into your hair to hide himself even more. “No, but it’s still nice to ask, you heathen.”

“Soldat, where are we going?” You asked curiously as you were led out of your ballet class, your hair still pulled back into a tight bun. “What’s going on?”

“No time to talk. We have a mission,” he said sternly, his voice deep and gravelly.

A mission?

You’d never been on a mission.

“Wait, are we leaving the Red Room?” You asked, glancing at the handlers that flanked the both of you. “Where are we going?”

“Do you understand the phrase ‘no time to talk?’” The Soldat asked with a snort, shooting you a glare.

Something was off.

The Soldat and you had been training together for over two years now, almost three, and you’d never gone on a mission.

Also, he never spoke so harshly unless there was something wrong or there were others present, and the handlers around you weren’t important enough for him to put up the mean teacher facade. No, there was something else going on.

Two hulking doors were waiting at the end of the hallway, leading to the outside world. Snow was swirling outside, frost painting the windows.

And you were still in just your leotard and tights. Fuck.

Of course, they weren’t gonna give you time to change.

You hadn’t even been outside of the Red Room since you were a toddler. Hell, you didn’t even own any cold weather clothes.

The doors opened, and you let out a sharp gasp as the icy cold wind hit you. In your peripheral, you could see the Soldat look at you and immediately move to take off his jacket, before remembering who was around and stopping himself.

It was a nice thought, knowing that if he could, he’d warm you.

Maybe you could daydream about him scooping you up, holding you in his lap… He’d run his fingers over your hair, his other hand smoothing up and down your back. That deep, gravelly voice you loved so much would murmur sweet things to you, his lips tickling your ear…

God, your little crush was getting out of hand.

Snow covered your hair as you were led out to a van that was waiting for you, smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe as the headlights shone through the dense white landscape. One of the handlers shoved your head down as you were pushed into the back seat, the Soldat following right after. A thich, kevlar covered thigh pressed against yours as you settled in. Pretending to not be cold was becoming a lot harder than you thought it would be.

“So… What exactly are we doing?” You asked tentatively after about ten minutes of terse silence.

“You’re our bait,” one of the men said simply, cocking his gun.

Ice cold water ran down your spine as you blinked at him. “Bait? What… What do you mean?” You could feel the Soldat’s thigh tense beside you, and you realized that he had known.

That’s why he’d been so cold, even beyond the fact that there were others present.

“It means you’re going to be bait,” another man said with an eye roll.

“Well, I mean… When you say bait, do you mean like bait that can be reused so you keep it alive or bait like a worm that ends up dead on a hook?” You said, your arms crossed over your chest. Being sarcastic probably wasn’t the best thing you could do at the moment, but whatever. If you were gonna die, you might as well die with a few good one-liners.

Beside you, the Soldat’s chest jolted, his lips pressed together as though he was trying to stifle a laugh.

See, you knew he’d get your humor immediately.

“Guess we’ll just have to see how well you behave,” the first man snapped, his voice threatening.

When you finally arrived at your location, it was several hours later, and you’d passed out, your head lolling back against the seat. You jolted awake when the van stopped, realizing that the sun had set. “Where are we?”

No answer.

“Great talk.” One of the handlers yanks you out of the van, pulling you over the Soldat’s lap and almost dislocating your shoulder in the process. “Fuck! You didn’t have to manhandle me, you asshole!” You’re not shocked when his hand meets your cheek, though you do have to take a moment to take a breath. “Can you just tell me what I have to do so I can do it and we can leave?”

The mission is simple enough, at least on your end. Apparently, there were a few vigilantes running around that Hydra needed gone.

And what vigilante doesn’t love a young damsel in distress?

It’s over before you realize, and you’re hit with a deep realization.

You had wanted the vigilantes to win, just for a second or two. You had wanted them to win and maybe you’d get to go somewhere where you weren’t almost killed everyday, where you were handcuffed to your bed each night, and where most meals consisted of protein shakes.

But only if it meant the Soldat could be rescued with you.

“We’re not going back tonight?” You asked in surprise when the van pulled up to a seedy motel.

“No,” one of the men said with an eye roll. “Don’t feel like driving.”

You were left alone in the car with the Soldat as the men went to get a room, but you didn’t mind. “Are you okay?” You asked softly, eyes flickering up to meet his.

The man grunted, his lips pressed into a thin line as he kept his face forward, watching for the men to come back. But his hand slowly moved down his thigh until you felt cool metal, and his pinky linked around yours.

It stays there until the men come back, and he lets go at the right second, as the van door is starting to open.

“Come on,” one of the men grumbled, leading you two down the length of the motel. “This is where you two will be staying,” he said as he opened up a door.

Brows furrowing, you looked up at him. “What? Alone?” They trusted you like that? You were going to be staying the night with your crush in a room alone?

“Just don’t get her pregnant. She won’t go through graduation for another few months,” another one taunted, letting out a loud, obnoxious laugh. They all looked the same, and sounded the same. Like Hydra had created a bunch of clones. “And you know what to do if she tries to escape, Soldat.”

There was a rock in the pit of your stomach as you walked into the room.

The men had left you alone with the Soldat because they thought he’d have sex with you.

They thought he’d already had sex with you, despite the fact that you were just seventeen.

And your Soldat wasn’t like that. Despite the fact that you were (admittedly) in love with him, and despite the fact that you’d heard of the other Soldats having… pleasure women, you knew that he’d never touch you.

Not like that.

That was the only thing that relaxed you as you walked into the room and the door shut behind the hulking man, a dim yellow light casting shadows all around the room.

“I’m not—”

“I know,” you said as you turned to him, cutting him off. “I know you’re not going to… do that. I trust you.”

He slowly nodded, a weak smile spreading over his lips, and it occurred to you that it was possible that no one had ever told him that they trusted him.

At least there were two beds, because you didn’t think your little heart could handle sleeping so close to him. God forbid you wake up cuddling him. You’d be absolutely mortified.

“I’m gonna grab a shower,” you said, pointing to the bathroom. You didn’t wait for a response before speeding over and shutting and locking the door. Fuck. You were gonna have to sleep in your leotard since you didn’t have any other clothing with you.

The shampoo and conditioner the motel provided smelled like nothing, and the body wash and face wash were the same. Even so, you took your time lathering and scrubbing and washing, taking a shower that was longer than five minutes or so for the first time.

It had been over an hour by the time you got out, every inch of your body scrubbed and then scrubbed again. It probably wasn’t good for your hair, but you washed it twice, just because you could.

What you were most surprised by was the few suitcases that were on the bed closest to the inside wall when you got out, redressed in your leotard.

“What is this?” You asked the Soldat, who had stripped out of his leather and kevlar and was just wearing his cargo pants and a white shirt.

“You didn’t have clothes,” he said bluntly, glancing over at you as he sharpened his knife on the cheap chair.

“Where did you get these?”

“Lost and found. I just grabbed a few in case one didn’t have what you needed.”

Sometimes you forgot just how caring he could be in little ways.

“Thank you,” you said with a grateful smile as you moved to dig through them, eventually moving to the bathroom to change into a fresh pair of underwear and a huge t-shirt and shorts. “How do I look?” You asked as you came out, striking a dramatic pose.

The ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he looked up at you. “Radiant,” he said after a moment, having thought of the perfect word. “You always are.”

Why the hell did he have to say such things when you knew you couldn’t be with him? You were too young, and the likelihood of Madame B allowing you to be together was… zero.

He motioned for you to get in the bed farthest away from the window. “You need rest, malen’kaya. I will keep watch.” After watching you crawl under the blankets and cuddle up to your pillows, he moved to sit on the bed, caressing your cheek. “Sleep… I will be here when you wake…”

“Sometimes I forget just how fucking beautiful it is out here,” Bucky said with a breathy laugh as he pulled up the long drive to the Stark Cabin. The sun was glittering out on the lake, the leaves just beginning to turn shades of ruby and gold. He threw the car into park and rushed around to your side to open the door and help you out before you could even blink.

The look you gave him didn’t do much as you placed your hand in his. It had only been a few days since he’d even let you get out of bed on your own and walk around.

As much as you loved him carrying you around like a blushing bride, it became a bit much when he was carrying you to the bathroom because you had to pee.

“It feels like so long ago… last time we were here,” you said as you watched him grab your bags.

He barely let you walk, there was no way in hell he’d let you carry your own duffel bag.

“What are you feeling for dinner?” He asked as he led you inside, setting your bags on the couch for the time being. “I was thinking maybe I could whip up some of that creamy chive chicken I made the other week? You liked that, right?” Bucky seemed to have a nervous energy running through him as he moved to the kitchen and began to figure out what they had. “I’ll need to have some groceries delivered…”

“Anything’s good with me,” you said faintly as you watched him, leaning against the doorway. “I’m really glad we decided to do this… It feels nice… getting away from everything for a little bit…” Your cheeks flushed as you glanced at the ground, arms crossing over your chest. “I mean… I love our family. You know I do. But—”

“It can get loud and crowded,” he finished, a kind smile on his face. “I get it.”

There’s a light inside your chest as you move further into the kitchen, giggling as his hands immediately go to your waist and lift you up onto the counter. “I knew you would.”

Bucky glanced up from his phone, having put in the grocery order faster than you expected. His vibranium hand rested on your thigh, and he gave a gentle squeeze. “You in the mood for a drink while we wait on dinner supplies?”

“Depends, bartender. What are you making?” You asked, letting your legs kick back and forth. You had to do something to prevent yourself from wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him close.

Would he ravish you like in the dreams you sometimes occasionally but totally-not-often had?

“Baby doll, I can make whatever magic potion you want,” he said, winking. His lips found a place on your cheek, letting it linger before he left your side, his hand leaving behind a warm spot on your thigh that felt empty without it. The way he moved around the cabin, so confidently, was such a far cry from when you’d been spending a few days in the guest rooms after the final battle.

It was fucking hot.

You were barely paying attention as he listed off cocktails and various concoctions.

“Malen’kaya? You there?” He called out, though you didn’t really hear him as he said your name.

It wasn’t until a floorboard creaked under his weight that you focused back in on the present. “Huh? Just… whatever you think I’ll like. I trust you,” you said, rubbing your hands nervously on your thighs.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you said as your tongue wetted your lower lip.

“Okay, if you say so,” he said as he glanced back at you with a fond smile, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth. “And… I agree.”

Your head tilted to the side. “Agree about what?”

“I’m really glad we decided to do this.”

[skymaiden32]

Toxicity

Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @janetm74 @thundergeek59 (Please ask if you would like to be alerted when I update or write new stories)

Two chapters from separate stories in one day? From me? It's more likely than you think >:D

A look into the not-so-distant past.

Oh look a flashback :D

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

It was just supposed to be a normal earthquake rescue. Get in. Help as many people as they could. Assist in the case of an aftershock. Get out. But they were anything but a normal family. And this quickly became anything but a normal International Rescue callout…

Thunderbird 1 had, as usual, touched down first. Mobile Control was set up and Scott had already made a plan with the local authorities by the time Thunderbird 2 arrived, fully equipped with the Mole and any other equipment the International Rescue crew might need. As expected for a large rescue operation such as this, the transport carrier had a few crew. Not only were Gordon and Alan there, but Brains had also wanted to tag along.

Everything was going as planned. They had gotten as many people out as they could. And it may not have helped seeing the dead along with those lucky few that survived, but at least their families knew for sure what had happened to them. They could have closure. Who knew if the Tracys would know what really happened when Alan was poisoned and Scott disappeared? If they would have closure?

Regardless, when the rescue was finally over and IR was packing up, Alan had been fine one minute and was screaming out in pain the next. That scream, in addition to Gordon’s own wails of terror as he caught his passed out brother in his arms, is what caused Scott and Virgil to drop what they had been doing and rush over to help, older brother instincts going miles a minute. Brains had been close behind them and gave Alan a quick checkup. Brains found nothing immediately wrong but knew something was, so had recommended Alan be moved to the sickbay. While Virgil took on that task as the team medic, Gordon and Brains were sent to finish reloading Thunderbird 2, while Scott focussed on Mobile Control. 

When everyone had finished, Scott had offered to stay behind while Thunderbird 2 left for base. The Island wasn’t too far away, and it pained Scott not to be on board that ship with his family, but someone had to explain what was going on to the authorities and fly Thunderbird 1 back. And Scott was the Field Commander. This was his job.

Maybe it was just because he was standing mostly alone in an earthquake zone, or because his little brother had just collapsed for some unknown reason, but Scott felt like something was about to happen. His suspicions were confirmed when he approached the Chief of Police that had been helping so far, and the official had chuckled darkly when he explained what had just happened, pulling off the disguise he had taken on while he did so. 

“The Hood!” Scott recoiled in horror, backing up before he felt a gun pressed into his back. The other officers of the local police force were helping the criminal. Whether by choice or by force, he may never truly know. Glancing around and seeing no way out of this situation, Scott sighed, clenching his fists at his sides. “So, I take it you’re responsible for all of this? What do you want?”

The evil mastermind laughed malevolently. “I’m just going to get to the point. I want to make you an offer…”

Scott huffed. “What offer? Thunderbird 1 is only a few feet away. What’s stopping you?”

The Hood growled. “I’d watch what I’d say if I were you.” He smiled smugly. “After all, I do have guns trained on you from all angles.” He sighed. “I’ll admit, your ship is very tempting right now. But my purpose here today doesn’t allow for an impulse decision to steal a Thunderbird.” Scott raised an eyebrow. “I have the only antidote for the poison I’ve given your brother. Your scientist will fail to find it before it’s too late…”

Scott cleared his throat. Outwardly, he was very calm, a side effect of being in the armed forces as long as he had, but inwardly, he was a mess. “Let me guess, you want me to give myself up in return for my brother’s life? Well, hate to break it to you, but that’s not happening. I have faith that Brains will find that antidote in time.” 

The criminal hummed, before throwing a card at Scott’s feet. The younger man knew better than to pick it up right away. “We’ll see about that…” The Hood turned around, making a gesture to his men to put down their weapons and leave. The smug grin remained plastered on his face. “I’ll be waiting for your answer…”

And almost as soon as he had appeared, he was gone. Scott waited for a few moments before picking up the card, grateful beyond belief that no one else had seen what had just happened, the area had been fully evacuated hours ago. The card was almost business-like. Scott held back a scoff in case the Hood was still watching, heading back to Thunderbird 1. 

The silver rocket plane was waiting patiently for her pilot, and only when Scott was safely inside her cockpit, away from prying eyes, did his walls crumble as he sagged to the floor on his knees. 

Scott Tracy rarely broke, but now was certainly the time to do so. His little brother's days were numbered if he didn’t give himself up and Brains failed to find that antidote. But between knowing he could do something about it, and the possibility of his brother dying on his watch…

The Hood really hadn’t given him that much of a choice, had he?

A few minutes passed of Scott feeling sorry for his situation before he shook his head, pushing himself off the floor and into his pilot’s chair, and beginning pre-flight checks. Calling base to let them know he was on his way home. No doubt Virgil and the others were already back; Scott had a feeling his immediate younger brother would have pushed his lady to her limits to get Alan to the safety of the Island’s sickbay. 

To say he didn’t cry again multiple times on the way home would be a lie. He hadn’t even looked at the instructions on the Hood’s card yet, but that was for another time. Before anything else happened, he had a family to get back to.

But back home, Alan continued to get worse and worse by the day, with Brains at a complete loss as to how to construct the antidote. They were all out of time. 

So Scott had swallowed his pride and secretly prepared to leave the Island and his family behind. He’d left clues about why he had left behind; a book with a similar, but not exact, storyline to what was happening that had been a childhood favourite, and a handwritten note with a simple message on it. Who’s childhood favourite the book was, however, he wasn’t sure of, although a niggle at the back of his mind told him it was Gordon’s. He just knew what message it would send out. 

He only brought two things with him. The instructions he had been given by the Hood, and a locket pendant containing a photo of the family when their mother was still with them. Her calm smile beamed up at him, making him believe that once he did this, everything would be okay, even if he knew that wasn’t true. 

Shortly before he took off for good, he discreetly said his goodbyes, leaving a kiss on Alan’s forehead before departing. Once out on the runway, looking up to the sky, he sent his love John’s way as well, before focussing on the task at hand. 

As Tracy Island shrunk behind him, Scott couldn’t allow himself to feel any regrets. By leaving, and bargaining with their greatest enemy for Alan’s life, he was betraying International Rescue. But his loyalty to his family was burning brighter than ever.

[neverland-promises]

『  ib au   』

                           ━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Scott stared between Jimmy and Xornoth his mind racing as he watched the demon twirl the teal rose in his hand. The other hand hovering close to the petals. “Well, the choice is up to you. Really it all comes down to just how much you really want to save him. So tell me, do you really want to do this?” There was a soft chuckle from him and it sent chills down Scott’s back and he reached out to grab Jimmy’s arm. 

“Enough of this, he’s just bluffing. Let’s just leave alrea-agh!” 

“Scott!” Jimmy turned around quickly as soon as Scott’s hand dropped his hold on him. Scott felt his throat tighten up as his eyes quickly turned to Xornoth who was holding a petal between his fingers. He let it fall to the ground as he went to grab another. He gasped for air as soon as his throat relaxed, his eyes wide as he tried to wrap his head around it. 

“Really getting sick and tired of that stupid flower.” He gasped out as he was finally able to breathe at a normal rate again and he tossed a glare at the demon who only laughed at him. 

As much as he didn’t want to, he knew that he needed to get that stupid rose back. How he was going to do that, well, he was still working on that. Scott was racking his brain as he tried to come up with any idea that didn’t involve having to drag Jimmy into it. Maybe all he had to do was try to convince Xornoth to let it go or maybe he should just fight it. He really wanted to punch that stupid smirk off it’s stupid face. 

Lost in his thoughts, he was pulled out when he saw Jimmy stand in front of him, he was holding his own red rose close to his chest. Their eyes met briefly and Scott felt dread fill him as soon as the blonde took a few steps away from him. “Jimmy, wait. There’s gotta be another way. Don’t do this-” He reached over to try to pull him back to his side, but before he could even do that, large vines popped out of the ground and separated the two of them. Jimmy’s head glanced between Scott and Xornoth, before he gritted his teeth and faced the demon. 

“That was really unnecessary, I hope you know,” Of course the demon just ignored him and held out the teal rose in a teasing matter. “Don’t worry Petal, just trust me okay?” He smiled warmly at him and Scott could feel his throat tighten up again, but this time he wished it was because of the rose. Scott was desperately trying to break through the vines, but nothing worked. He cried out trying to get Jimmy to turn around but the other stood strong as he eased his way towards Xornoth. 

He watched him as Jimmy took a deep breath and held out his spare hand. “Scott’s rose first. I don’t trust you enough to hand mine over just yet.”

“Smart decision, I will do as you ask just this once,” Xornoth laughed as he placed the teal rose in Jimmy’s hand. Once he closed his fingers around the stem, he brought Scott’s rose close to his heart before he dropped his own red rose in the demon’s clawed hand. “how pitiful you are. I’ll see you both very soon.” With another cold laugh, he disappeared in an instant taking Jimmy’s life with him. The vines that were blocking the two retreated back underground and the floor was returned to his original state, but Scott didn’t have time to care about that as he ran and basically tackled Jimmy into a hug who only laughed, a sound that was memorizing and beautiful in Scott’s ears. 

He immediately punched in the shoulder once he pulled back a little to glare at him. “What’s the matter with you?! Why did you give him your rose? He literally has your life in his hands!” He berated him while Jimmy rubbed the now sore spot on his arm as he gave a nervous smile.

“Well, he had yours so I just had to get it back. He was going to hurt you.”

“Like he isn’t going to hurt you? It was my own fault that I lost it in the first place. Why did you have to do this, Jimmy...” His voice trailed off as his grip tightened around Jimmy who only smiled down at him. Scott felt fingers brush his hair from his eyes and tilt his face so he was looking at Jimmy. Scott could just melt into those warm brown eyes of his. He was pretty sure he already was. 

“I did it because I love you Scott. I just wanted to protect you for once like you’ve done for me. Besides, it seems that he just wanted to make things harder for us, he did say that he’d see us soon. Probably make us do something stupid or some ridiculous puzzle to get it back,” the blonde rambled as he placed the teal rose back in Scott’s hands, his own wrapped around the others. “once we get it back we can then try to find our way outta of this place. Which reminds me, next time you want to go to on a fancy date, instead of a creepy art exhibit, how about we just go out for dinner? I’ve quite had my fill of ladies coming out of the paintings and chasing us. Same with the sculptures.”

Scott couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him. He tightened his grip around the rose as he nodded his head and stood up, holding his other hand out to the other. “I agree. Maybe we’ll just eat in and order take out. Now let’s get out of here and find your rose.” Jimmy nodded his head with a wide grin as he stood up and locked his fingers in Scott’s. Everything was going to be okay. 

Jimmy kept telling himself that as he tried to keep his composure and ignore the tightness of his throat. His free hand gripped his chest as he tried to quell the pain. 

Everything was going to be fine. 

He didn’t miss the red petals that seemed to fall gracefully to the floor. He pulled Scott away before he could see them. 

Everything was going to be fine. 

[wtnrscap]

It never stops

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: A lead in the ruins of Sokovia brings a face from the past back.

Ask:

Warnings: Set post-Endgame, swearing, a lil angst.

A/N: I have a bad feeling I’ve butchered your ask @badasseddy​ but I hope you still like it. Feel free to complain if you hate it. Currently writing a request a day, so I will get to everyone’s.

I cannot for the life of me remember who made this divider, so if it’s yours or you know who’s it is, please tell me so I can credit them.

81 years had passed since Bucky had last gone dancing, and he felt as though his eardrums were going to burst. Adrenaline shot through his veins, the alcohol having no affects. Sam nodded his head with the beat and Bucky groaned. Is this really what music passed for nowadays?

It took several punches to the arm for Bucky to realize that Sam was trying to get his attention, and he whipped his head around so fast they almost knocked each other out. Sam yelled and smacked Bucky’s metal arm, before screaming in pain.

 ‘Serves his right for dragging me to this hell’, thought Bucky. He watched as Sam pulled out a photograph and waved it in front of his face, “We’re looking for this girl. She’s undercover. Locate her and contact me on coms.”

 Bucky yanked the photo out of the air and stared at, memorizing the girl’s face. He vaguely remembered her, but he didn’t know why. Her Y/H/C hair was tied in a lose ponytail, with striking Y/E/C eyes and a distinctive smile. Her arms were wrapped out Sam’s shoulder, while Steve’s arm rest on her shoulder. Bucky tried to ignore the youth of his friend and chose to focus on the fact that the girl was pretty. The natural kind of pretty that all the girls wanted but compensated with layers of makeup. Bucky tucked the photo into his jacket with slight reluctance. It was the type of photo where he would have cut the girl out and tucked it into his army uniform, reminding himself what he was fighting for.

 The pair separated, Sam heading towards the dancefloor and Bucky the bar. A beacon of escape, Bucky decided. Sam had said no drinking on the job, but fuck Sam, if he wanted to drink, then he would. Bucky was immune to the addictive buzz anyway.

 The bar was empty aside from a man in a suit at the end, but he seemed a little distracted, a girl on his lap, giggling at something that probably wasn’t very funny. The girls in this club knew how to make their living. Bottles were stacked almost floor high, dirty looking glasses and a few dripping taps. A girl stood at the end, scrubbing a smeared flute with a grubby cloth. Bucky tapped his fingers and she sauntered over, “What can I get ya, pal? Looking a bit lost there…”

 “Well, I don’t really fit in. You see a lot of faces here?”

 “As a bartender? More than I care to count. Need help with something?”

 Bucky pulled the photo out, folded out Sam and Steve, and slid it across the wet bar, “I’m looking for this girl. Have you seen her?”

 The girl lifted it up gingerly, letting it drip. As she analyzed it, Bucky gave himself a chance to look at her, weighing her up. Her hair was black with green highlights, ending on her shoulders. Her eyes were the same as the girl’s in the photo but the smile, it wasn’t the same. This wasn’t who they were looking for.

 The girl slid the photo back, “She’s pretty, but I’ve never seen her. I think I’d remember her if I did.”

Bucky tucked the photo back into his jacket. The girl straightened up, a crease forming across her brow, “Are you sure you don’t want anything? A dry martini?” the girl looked up at him almost expectantly, but Bucky shook his head, “I’m good. I’ll probably be here till closing time, so if you see her, pull me over.”

 -

 “We can sink no lower…” mumbled Bucky, the toilet creaking dangerously below him. Sam hushed him quickly, “The girl is here. We have to stay ’till we find her.”

 “And that means hiding in the toilets?” snapped Bucky, meriting another hush from Sam. Bucky frowned, “Hey, this is your fault! This was your idea! She never turned up, we could have come back another day, but no, we’re here, hiding in this hell hole.”

 A thump from outside silenced him. Carefully, Sam left his cubicle, closely followed by Bucky, and propped open the door, enough for them to see and hear what was happening.

 “Club’s closed boys. You need to leave…” the voice of the bartender echoed around the room. Several guffaws responded, “We weren’t satisfied with our service.”

 “Not my problem. I run the bar, not the brothel.”

 “I don’t think Batroc will be very happy with that. He employs you, does he not?”

 “Yes…” the bartender’s voice trailed off nervously, “What are you going to do to me?”

 “Show you what we do to unwilling workers. Grab her and strap to the table… That one, in the corner…”

 Without hesitation, Bucky grabbed onto Sam’s arm, mouthing, “I can’t listen to this. We have to help her!”

 Sam’s hand flew over Bucky’s mouth, “We’re not here for her… Stay put!”

 Bucky pushed against Sam, trying to free himself from the Falcon’s grip, but Sam held him fast. A brief squabble broke out, Bucky and Sam fighting against each other, until Bucky used his metal hand to break free, rushing through the door to shocking sight.

 The bartender wiped her lip, staring down at three men, “Touch me again, and I will fucking kill you.”

 “Fuck…” thought Bucky, ‘I should not be this turned on…’

 “Hey, pretty boy? Pretty boy? Pay attention to me!” the bartender’s voice snapped Bucky out of his daydream, “Meet me in the alley in 5 minutes. Bring Sam.”

 -

 The dingy alley smelt of piss and sick, but the bartender seemed unperturbed, flinging her arms around Sam’s neck, “Oh, I’ve missed you Birdie!”

 “I’ve missed you too! We’ve been looking for you all night! Where have you been?”

 “At the bar! Your friend approached me, I thought he would recognize me, but no, and when I said the words, he didn’t reply with the code!” the bartender shot Bucky an angry glance. Bucky snapped, “What words? I wasn’t told of any words. And why would I recognize you? I’ve never met you in my life! This is so stupid!��

 The bartender huffed and pulled on her hair until it come off in her hand, revealing Y/H/C underneath. The black hair was a wig. Next, she pulled out the photo from Sam’s pocket and pulled up to her face and copied the smile. Bucky saw the resemble immediately, “It’s you…”

 “My name’s Agent Y/N L/N, I’m undercover here. You probably don’t remember me, we didn’t really meet, but I helped Steve and Sam disappear in 2016. I saw you from a distance, but you were kinda wiped out, no metal arm and longer hair. As for the words, I was told to offer you a dry martini, and you should’ve responded with ‘I don’t like my martini’s dry’.”

 “I hate martini’s altogether! And I gave you a photo of yourself!”

 “I’ve had 4 people give me a photo of myself today alone! The people after you are on your case!” Y/N’s chest heaved with anger and frustration, “Baltroc will be in the old Sokovian church tomorrow at midday. He’s made several attempts to take over the Sokovian people after the country fell with Ultron. We’ve tried to enlist the help of Wanda Maximoff, but we’ve had no response.”

 “She’s gone MIA… No one knows where she is…” responded Sam slowly, “If what you say is true, not that I am doubting you, then we need to get moving now. You are relieved of your duty. Where will you head?”

 “To New York. I’ll go to the compound.”

 “Well, I’m looking forward to seeing you there…” Sam pulled Y/N into a tight hug before turning to Bucky, “We leave in 10.”

 Bucky nodded his head and looked down at Y/N, “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

 “Not your fault. I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

 “Not your fault…” Bucky shifted awkwardly. Y/N smiled slightly, “Do you miss him?”

 Bucky’s eyes widened almost comically. He hadn’t expected that from her, the mention of Steve. He noticed the way her shoulders slumped at the question, her eyes losing their sparkle slightly. He wondered how the snap had affected her, and, for the first time, wondered what an Agent like her was doing here, in the burned ruins of Sokoiva. He tried to match her smile, “Everyday… It’s hard… I know that he is still alive, but the whole world believes him dead, and I don’t actually see him very often now, so sometimes, it’s like he’s dead to me too. It just never stops, this life. It’s fast and hard.”

 “I understand…” Y/N nodded her head, and Bucky spied a tear, and felt a pang in his heart, “Did… Did you love him?”

 “Oh God no!” gasped Y/N with a chuckle, “Me and Steve were more like siblings or best friends. He helped me and I helped him… I wasn’t snapped away, so spent the last 5 years with him. I trained with Natasha, and when Scott came back, Steve sent me away. To protect me, he said. I don’t doubt him, but I wonder, if I stayed, would’ve I been able to stop him from leaving?”

 “No. He had his mind set on it…”

 “Why’d you ask if I love him?”

 Bucky cheeks reddened, “Well, after I messed this up so bad, I wondered if once I got back to New York, you’d like to go for drinks… or not?”

 “Sargent Barnes, are you asking me on a date?”

 Bucky shivered at the use of the title, but tried to cover it, “Would you be opposed to the idea?”

 “No…”

 Bucky smiled at her as Sam yelled at him to hurry up. There was another moment of awkwardness before Bucky turned on his heel. Y/N stood still for few seconds before gasping, “Bucky! Wait!”

 “What?”

 It was Y/N’s turn to blush as she pecked a kiss on his cheek, “Be safe. Baltroc has a rep for maximum of casualties.”

 “I promise, doll…” Bucky smiled at took her hand in his, “Never thought the night would end like this. And now, I must really go.”

 -

 Sam frowned as they stepped onto the Quinjet, “How do you do it, man? 5 minutes ago, you barely knew the girl, and now you’re going on a date with her?”

 “It’s called charm, Birdbrain, you should try it some time.”

 “I have charm! And a wingman.”

 “Redwing does not count.”

 Sam huffed and sat down in a seat, “He so does. Besides, when she realizes you have a cyber-brain, she’ll be gone.”

 “Nah, I’ll just charm her again.”

 “Not with that grouchy face. If the wind changes, your face will be stuck like that.”

“I hate you…” muttered Bucky. Sam burst out laughing, nudging Bucky’s shoulder, and the man let out a small snort, smiling gently. 

It might never stop, but Bucky couldn’t deny, when it did, it was nice. Steve was gone, but he had Sam and now, Y/N too. Yeah... All was good.