#loki grammar lesson

[harlequin-hangout]

A note, to everyone who feels the need to correct fan fiction authors on tenses and point of view . . .

Loki clicked his tongue, appearing out of thin air.

“Now, that’s not very nice, is it?” You spin around, completely shocked. How did this man get into your room?? Not that it mattered. There was no getting him out. 

“What-” 

“No. Don’t even start.” Loki held up his hand, cutting you off. “My little army puts out content that can take days, weeks, if not months to create, and you felt the need to correct one of them on something that was done correctly.” The god’s eyes are dangerous, and you decide to stay quiet. “Allow me to educate you, as your mortal system seems to have failed to provide you with the basics of your own language's grammar.If you want to write in the first person, you use words like I and me. The character is talking to themselves about their own thoughts and opinions. The second person is written with words like you, yours, and yourself, as it is written about the character without actually being in their head. Like a narrator telling a story about you to you. Are you keeping up? Lastly, third person. Third Person uses  he, she, they, it, so on and so forth. Like a narrator telling a story to people who aren’t involved. NONE of these are indicative of point of view. To write from someone’s point of view, you use one of the above perspectives to explain what a specific character is thinking and experiencing.” Loki turns, readying himself to leave. Before he does, he looks back over his shoulder and flashes you a dangerous look. “All of that aside, it is perhaps the rudest and most disrespectful thing I’ve seen to insult and correct my little army about content that they put out for free. If you want to correct people so badly, perhaps you should first learn the intricacies of your own language.” And with that, he vanished, leaving no trace that he’d ever been there.

Honestly though, just don't do it. This was inspired by this anon ask that @vbecker10 received. Take Loki's grammar lesson well, it's going to save some of the anonymous warriors from sticking their heads in their asses.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Like a Stone 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, power dynamic, age gap, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Loki, Tony Stark (Professor AU)

Summary: your work as a TA is complicated by more than your advisor. (tall reader)

Part of the Bad Professors AU

Note: Please leave some feedback and reblog <3 As always, I love to chat with you all. 

‘Acceptable’. Not exceptional, acceptable. That word needles at you. 

You knew if from your first meeting, from the fact that the professor would not even look at you, that this would be difficult. Nothing worth doing is easy. But why can’t it be? 

You take a deep breath and let it out little by little. You make the suggested changes, although you would argue that some are unnecessary. Yet, you applied to be a TA as much for the learning experience as the extra money. 

“You okay?” Olive asks as she looks up from a paper streaked with eraser marks. 

“Fine,” you insist. “It’s early in the semester. I'm still getting back in the habit.” 

“I know what you mean,” she says and cradles her chin again. She furrows her nose at the textbook. 

“Need help?” You shift your laptop to the side. 

“Prim, don’t tell me you can do physics too,” she sighs. 

“My dad is a physicist,” she says. “I dabble.” 

“Wow, but... what about you?” 

“What about me? He told me to choose my major and I did.” You explain. 

“Right, sorry. I only...” 

“He wasn’t happy with my choice,” you shrug and reach for her textbook. 

“Oh, whew, I got it,” Cerise interrupts as she drops into her chair, scraping it loudly as she does. “Cider for Primmy and a white hot choccy for my Oli!” 

“Can you yell a bit louder?” You ask as you look around.  

“Sorry, sorry,” Cerise says and lowers her volume. “I just got a bit lost and I left my phone so...” 

“Thank you,” you accept the cup, “it’s appreciated. I’ll help you with that Norse once me and Olive get through this formula.” 

“Oh, Prim, I can figure it out,” Olive insists. 

You look at her. You don’t want to push. She probably can do it herself. It must be your new gig. You taught your first lesson and now you think you know it all. 

“Here,” you set down the physics book and gesture to Cerise. 

She digs around in her bag and pulls out the bright orange Norse grammar book. You look it over. It’s brand new but the same edition you used. 

“Cerise, do you still have the receipt?” You ask. 

“I just bought it today, yeah,” she answers. 

“Take it back. You can use mine. I’ll have father Fedex it overnight.” 

“Oh, but... okay, thanks.” 

“Not at all,” you flip through the pages, “you have your notes?” 

You take out your first-year binder and spread it out on the table. Compared to Cerise’ notes, it’s immaculate. You want to help her but you also can’t do everything for her. She’s smart in her own right, people just underestimate her. 

You remember the first lesson pretty well. As you go through the week’s vocabulary list, it gets easier. Cerise nods along and rewrites her note. You notice how closely she bends over the table though. She seems a little less stressed at the end. 

You sit up and rub your neck as you tilt your head one way then the other. You have a horrible habit of hunching at these tables. You push your fingertips into your muscles and hold back a yawn. 

“How about you, Olive? Did you figure it out?” You ask. 

“I think...” she answers but you don’t hear her full response. 

A tingle ripple flows over you as your eyes are caught by another pair. It’s strange. You were sure that hovering sensation was nothing. You ignored it for the Norse translation but now you’re assured of that smattering paranoia. 

It’s that man. The one you’d run in your first day. With his gross leer and his grosser words. You don’t hide your derision as you frown. He seems amused as he smirks and winks. Does he recognise you or is he just a sleaze to every woman on campus? 

“Can you check my work?” Olive nudges you with corner of her notebook, jarring you back to the table. 

“Yes,” you answer abruptly and take the book. 

You bend your head and look over the numbers. Hm. She had it but then she missed one step. 

“Right here,” you put the book down flat and point with your sharp nail. 

She reads it over and clucks, “I knew it...” 

You slide the book over and she takes it. You peek back to where that man stood. He’s gone. You roll your eyes and go back to your revisions. 

A new email pops into the corner of your screen. It’s one of those dozen emails the college sends every week about a new conference or event. You can check it after. 

Nope. Another email. This one alerts you. Doctor Laufeyson. You tap the notification. It’s a forward of the last campus email. 

‘To attend.’ 

That’s it. The only message. For a man with a doctorate, he does not expand very much on his points. Well, you guess you understood exactly what he means. You’ll mark your calendar and RSVP-- $150 attendance fee? And it’s out of town. 

You rub the side of your nose and respond to his email to confirm that you understand. 

“Prim?” Olive utters. 

“Headache,” you tear your hand away from your face. It isn’t a lie. There’s a pinch right above your eyebrow. Usually that waits until midterms to come around. 

“Sorry, guys, I gotta go,” Olive checks her phone. “I have a group assignment in my photography class.” 

“Group work. Lovely,” you remark. 

“Oh, you know, I have to grab something to eat before I head back to my dorm,” Cerise says. “I still haven’t gone shopping.” 

“Right, guess I’ll stay and finish. Have a good night, you two,” you drag your fingertips around the mousepad. 

“Well, I can stay,” Cerise offers. 

“No, I gotta focus,” you insist. “Really, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Sounds good,” Olive says. 

They leave together and you’re thankful for the solace. You work best alone and yet, those two keep you from going completely over the edge. Before them, you would’ve locked yourself in your room and not come out. 

“Is that the prickly one they call Primrose?” The voice crawls up your neck as a body slides into Cerise’ empty seat. 

You glance up at the man with the silver temples and dark brown eyes. Your brows arch in disappointment and agitation. He’s a bit old to be bothering you. Wait, how did he know your name? 

“You are Laufeyson’s new pet,” he says. “Good luck with that. Shoulda guessed what put that stick up your ass.” 

“Excuse me?” You blink. 

“Ah, trust me. I get it. He’s a fucking treat but if you need to take the edge off, I got a few tricks,” he leans forward and smirks. 

“I don’t know who you are and I prefer that,” you say crisply. 

“Professor Stark,” he answers as if you asked. “Your dream man.” 

You purse your lips and lower your eyes back to your laptop. You start typing as you do your best to ignore his silhouette on the other side of the screen. He chuckles and hums. 

“Oh, baby, this will be fun,” he slaps his hands on the table and stands. “Took me nothing to get your name, I can figure out the rest.” 

[anki-of-beleriand]

Bad Liar Ch. 9

Summary: Life is about lessons, and Wanda has been learning some harsh facts that had define her life and taken her to a place in which she was given a second chance. Then, all of a sudden, she meets you, and she realizes why it's easier to lie to yourself than to accpet what's right in front of her.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff/ Female!reader - America/Kate - Mentions of past Vision/Wanda - past Natasha/Reader - Some Female!Reader/Carol Danvers

Warnings: Slow burn - slightly Enemies to friends to lovers - Mentions of abusive relationships - Toxic relationships - angst - drama - mentions of abuse - idiots in love - homophobia - more tags as the story progress.

Author's note: Reader and Wanda are confronted by others in regards to their growing feelings, an accident shakes Reader's world, and America and Kate are just two idiots in love.

As always, English is no my mother tongue, so please forgive the grammar, spelling and funny mistakes!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18

Chapter 9

The vulnerability of love

The soccer field was completely drenched, the field completely unkempt after the soccer team training session every single one of them getting ready for the final match on Saturday.

Even in the midst of such a cold mid-morning, everyone was still filling out the soccer field with some of the team members practicing with the ball and others simply warming up. It had been a small morning, and America hated to be just a spectator to what had been happening from more than twenty minutes. They were supposed to enjoy lunch time out in the open, Kate had been quite insistent to just go over the field and America didn’t understand why until they met with a very sweaty and drenched Riri Williams waiting for them.

America rolled her eyes clenching the thermos flask Kate had left to her care just so she could go down the stands and joined Rori in her training session. America clenched her jaw watching as her best friend giggled while allowing Williams to put her hands on her waist, Williams leaned in whispering something in Kate’s ear and the young woman flushed shaking her head while wriggling her hands nervously. America didn’t know when Kate had taken interested in soccer, she had always been a sports fan but this particular sport was never something she paid closed attention to. Not until now.

Not until she found out Riri Williams was the Captain of the team and they had started talking almost every day ever since Riri helped them out with Wanda’s file.

“You either are going to throw that to Williams, or you're going to break it.” Loki stated leaning back on his elbows, he tilted his head smirking at America. “Personally, I'm bored so I wouldn't say no to you starting something up with Williams.”

Yelena snorted, slapping Loki on his head, Kamala huffed, pressing her lips together. From that distance they couldn’t hear what Riri and Kate had been talking about, but it was something that had made Kate nervous, she would glance up towards her friend every once in a while before shaking her head and pressing Williams into teaching her some moves.

“I don't think America stands a chance…” Kamala said all of a sudden, America turned sharply towards her glaring at her friend who smiled apologetically. 

“What the hell is that supposed to be, Kamala?” America exclaimed as she pointed a finger to the field, eyes narrowing. “I could take Williams with my eyes closed if I wanted to!”

Kamala winced looking for some support but finding herself alone in her argument, she opened her mouth to speak but Yelena beat her to it. 

“Look at those legs, that abdomen, that skin…” Yelena leaned back patting Kamala on her back. “I'm with Khan on this one, Williams could take you in a fight, and Kate would finish the job if you mess with her girl.”

America was building a counterargument passing around the edges of the stands when Yelena’s words hit her brain. She faltered in her footsteps, and that was all it took for she too lose her footing and slipped down the group of stairs, America could hear the screams from Loki and Yelena, but her world soon became a mixture of colours and blurry images as pain filled her senses. She hit the ground with a heavy thud, the air leaving her lungs as her mouth opened in a silent scream, America clenched her eyes for a moment, her lips parting to let out a whimper filled with pain.

“America!” 

The young woman heard her name being called but her mind was still trapped in the piercing pain she felt on her back, arms and legs. A warm sweaty hand placed itself on her forehead, she fluttered her eyes open to see Kate's worried frown and her lips pulled into a thin line. 

“I didn't spill the chocolate.” America said, offering a pained smile. 

“You're an idiot.” Kate said affectionately, she lifted her face to see Riri coming over with the coach and the assistant. “Stay here, Riri is bringing help.”

America winced, rolling her eyes, “woah, the hero to save the day, fantastic.”

Kate frowned at the sarcasm dripping from America's tone. She was about to say something but soon the coach put her away to see how bad the young woman on the ground had hit herself. 

Kate turned around to see Kamala, Yelena and Loki leaning forward torn between being worried and amused. She placed her hands on her waist glaring at them. 

“What did you guys do?” The question came accompanied by a hiss, Loki and Yelena looked at one another then at Kamala. “Guys…”

“We did nothing, Kate Bishop.” Yelena shrugged. “She was just a little worked up because you were too distracted with your girl over there.”

“And we kind of point out that she could take America in a fight and that you wouldn't take it lightly if America were to mess with your girl, that’s when she fell.”

Kate opened her mouth to retort until she frowned cocking her head to the side. 

“My girl?” She blinked away a couple of times, then her eyes turned into a fierce glare as she finally caught up with her friend's game. “You guys…”

“Hey, Kate, we have to take her to the infirmary.” Riri came from behind her, placing a hand on Kate's shoulder. 

“What? Why? Is she okay?” Kate forgot all about her friends and focused her attention on America who was being put on a stretcher, Riri tried to offer a comforting smile but Kate could see there was something else bothering the other girl.

“She is going to be okay, but she may need some medical attention, an X-ray and perhaps painkillers and a good massage. She bruised her back, and ass, so perhaps you could help her out with that massage.” Riri winked playfully at a now blushing Kate who was torn between being completely worried and slightly embarrassed by the comment.

“You can go with her; they’re taking her to the infirmary.” Riri placed a hand on Kate’s arm, her lips curling in a comforting smile. “Go on, I bet you're dying to do just that, play the nurse and everything…”

“Shut up, Williams.” Kate hesitated for a moment before mumbling. “Thank you.”

Without wasting any more time, she sent her friends one last glare before joining the coach and his assistant that were carrying America on the stretcher.

“Don't you guys think you're taking this too far?” Riri asked, turning to the group. 

“No.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Kamal shrugged sitting down on the bench, she pointed a finger to Loki and Yelena. 

“I think we should stop before this end in a tragedy.” Kamala made a gesture with her hand pointing to the ground and Riri. “It is fun and games at first, but you know this could end in a heartbreak.”

“Oh, Kam, don't be overly dramatic.” Loki exclaimed, his elbows on his knees. “Everything has gone according to plan, and Williams here has had her fun as well.”

“Besides, I think this is the best way to make those idiots finally give in.” Yelena kicked the grass tilting her head. “Though, I have to admit the probability of this ending badly is high.”

Kamala set her eyes on Riri who lifted her arms and shook her head. 

“Don't look at me, I'm here for the ride.” She smirked, putting her hands on her hips. “And it has been fun and all, but I think one of these days Chavez is gonna break my nose or something.”

Kamala rested her chin on the palm of her hand, she couldn't shake the feeling this was a bad idea, but she had to admit the plan was solid. She lifted her dark eyes to Riri who was now engaged in a conversation with Loki and Yelena.

The day was growing older, Kamala huffed thinking about her conversation with Kate and the confusion growing inside Bishop. They all had one year left in school before they would need to part ways and start college. They had all been friends since kindergarten, and while at first everyone thought of going to the same University and be together forever, they each had started taking measures to ensure their future. Kate and America had been so reluctant to grow in that aspect of their life's, and while America had been protected by her sister taking over the family business, Kate was not so lucky. 

“You look thoughtful, is there something you're not telling us?” Loki sat beside Kamala watching as Riri taught Yelena how to kick the ball. 

“Next year we are all gonna be so busy trying to enter into a university and decide what to do…” Kamala broke into a nostalgic smile. “I think America and Kate are thinking about that responsibility, you know?”

“I thought you shipped them together.” Loki stated, Kamala rolled her eyes at the term. 

“I do! They are so good together.”

“Then, why are you so worried? This plan is going to work.”

“Loki, what if they have to end everything after having gotten just a year of relationship?” Now Kamala grabbed Loki by his forearm, glistening eyes showing the deep emotion she was experiencing and Loki could do nothing more than to roll his eyes. 

“You know that's ridiculous, right? They had been in love with one another since America gave her lunch to Kate after she dropped hers by tangling on her feet.”

Kamala giggled remembering the first time they had met America in school. At least, the first time they had talked to one another. Loki hesitated, pressing his lips for an instant before letting out a suffering sigh, his right arm wrapped comfortingly around Kamala's back. 

“Everything is going to be fine, Kam, this is just a push in the right direction, but in reality this is something that will happen sooner than later.”

And Kamala had to believe that. 

She knew Kate was still afraid to tell everyone about her decision, and America had never made it a secret of what she wanted in life. Sooner or later they would need to part ways, so why not let love find a way? 

______________________

Wanda Maximoff strolled down the hallway, her hands busy texting you as she approached the infirmary. She chewed on her lower lip seeing as her messages went through but left unread. 

It had been a couple of days since she had last seen you, and just a couple of hours since she last spoke with you. Wanda found herself once more in a turmoil of emotions with you at the centrefold. It certainly had been too long since she had so much fun and found herself relaxing and enjoying her time with the twins and anybody else for that matter. A small smile played on her lips, her chat with you filled with nonsense and meaningful conversations that made Wanda's heart flutter with longing. 

Not for a single moment had Wanda stopped to think about the consequences of the game she had been playing with you. She had tricked herself into believing that whatever she was experimenting was normal, that it was something she could control but that little by little had sneaked inside her heart whenever she talked to you, whenever you smiled at her, whenever she was closed to you.

“Professor!” Kate Bishop stood up rather quickly, her eyes wide and filled with a spark of concern that translated into a terse smile. Wanda broke from her thoughts seeing Kate coming her way with a frown attached to her features.

“Hey, Kate, are you alright?” Wanda placed a soothing hand on Kate's shoulder, and the young woman nodded curtly. 

“She hurt herself pretty badly, such an idiot!” Kate turned around lifting her hands in the air while pacing around the small waiting room. 

Wanda dropped her shoulders, her thumb caressing the carcass of her phone. She followed Kate while the young woman ranted half exasperated and half concerned. It was not a secret that Kate and America had been best friends since forever, and for Wanda it had been quite evident both girls seemed to be at the edges of something else. 

The woman stopped her trail of thoughts when you came into her mind. The similarities were there as well, but Wanda knew without a hint of a doubt that you and her were friends. Just good friends. Nothing else. It couldn't be, it was not possible. Wanda was no gay and you… Well, you were, but Wanda wasn't. And even if Wanda was, or entertained the idea, you were taken. Not that… 

“Professor?” Wanda jerked awake from her internal rant, she turned to see Kate watching her with curiosity and some exasperation at being ignored. 

“Sorry, Kate I…” Wanda made a gesture with her hand to cover up her lack of attention. 

Kate huffed, pursing her lips to the side. 

“Your phone was ringing, and Doctor Sue wants to see you.”

“Right, let me see what they need.”

Wanda covered her flustered face entertaining herself with the phone. There was a new message and this time around the fluttering in her heart intensified, and her stomach dropped deliciously. 

I know, Tasha just called, I just left my office and I’m making my way over there, Wands. I’ll be there in 30 minutes, thank you for telling me. See you in a few.

“Wanda?” Sue Storm stretched her hand towards the newcomer, she smiled nodding backwards. “She is in there, I have to give her a sedative because she was in pain.”

“Thank you, Sue, is it too bad?” Wanda tried to get a glimpse of the bed in which America was now fast asleep. 

“Well, not too bad.” Sue made a face signalling a chair, Wanda sat down with Sue who fixed her hair while chuckling. “At this time of the year, when they are not careful, these kinds of accidents do happen. And America is…”

“Prone to them?” Wanda contributed; Sue made a face nodding. 

“Yes, I guess it's only normal, Y/N was the same when we were in school.” Sue chuckled, lifting her eyes to the ceiling before turning to Wanda. “She will need some x-rays just to make sure everything is alright, and probably won't be able to come to school for a while, her back and legs are all bruised up.”

Wanda winced chewing on her lower lip, she dropped her eyes to her mobile and her fingers flickered with her unconscious desire to text you. 

“Have you talked to her?” Sue asked softly, Wanda lifted her head frowning. 

“America?”

Sue held back her amusement, “no, Y/N. I know you two are like friends, right?”

Wanda hated the warmth she felt on her cheeks, and the knowing glance the doctor was sending her way was somewhat unnerving. It was the same stare she received from Natasha, or from Hope whenever Wanda decided to talk about you. Or rant against you, depending on her mood. 

“Oh, I…Yeah, we are, I just talked to her…” Wanda hesitated for a moment, bouncing her left leg and she opened her phone but you had not written anything yet. 

“She said she will be here in 30 minutes.”

“Perfect, I guess that covers it.” Sue stood up pointing to the bed in which America was asleep. “I guess we can let Kate come in before she opens a hole in my waiting room.”

Wanda chuckled, nodding in agreement. 

“She is worried.”

“That she is, you want to see her or are going to wait for Y/N?” 

There it was once more, the tone of voice and the glance that told Wanda everyone knew something she didn't. It was slightly unnerving, and Wanda couldn't shake the feeling that it was as if she had been discovered. As if her attraction for you was so evident everyone was amused by it. But it wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Right? 

“America is my student so I will wait for her sister to make sure she can…I mean, so…”

“So she can take America to the doctor?” Sue helped the other woman when Wanda seemed a little lost for words. 

“Yeah, that. Yes.”

Sue shook her head, now she understood why Natasha and Hope had been torn between being amused and concerned about this newfound friendship. Wanda looked a little lost, while you usually were so easily smitten. Sue observed as Wanda allowed Kate inside the room while talking softly to her, America completely asleep for the time being. 

Then Kate went to America and Wanda left. Sue put her phone away dialling a well-known number. 

“Hey, Stephen, how are you?”

The parking lot was almost empty, you sighed getting out of the car with your earphones still on. 

You think you can be here in an hour? 

“Yeah, Stephen, don't worry, I'll be there with America, I just got to school so…” You strolled down the sidewalk towards the main building. 

Good, Sue told me it was probably nothing but wants to make sure so let me know and I send for the both of you. And make sure you take her out on a wheelchair. 

Your heart dropped at those words, your hands were sweaty at the thought of America being hurt. The moment Natasha called you to inform you about the accident your world stood still. She had assured you it was nothing bad, and soon after Wanda had made the same comment trying to ease out your worries. But this was your little sister, and hearing the word accident brought forth unwelcome memories. 

“Hey, you're here.” You faltered in your steps turning to see Wanda coming towards you. 

In a moment of sudden vulnerability you hugged her tightly, your whole body relaxing as soon as she allowed her arms around you. Her warmth and body comforting your aching heart. 

“Y/N, are you alright?” She whispered, her hand caressing your hair. 

“Yeah, I just…thank you.” You stepped back, your body going rigid and whatever flickered of weakness disappeared almost instantly. 

“It's okay, she is fine. It was a simple fall but…”

“It was an accident.” You stated bitterly, Wanda frowned but you waved away her confusion. 

“Come I need to see her and then I'm taking her to see Stephen.”

Before you could resume your walk a single hand wrapped around yours. Your air caught in your throat, and your heart stopped beating as Wanda came closer to you, her free hand cupping your cheek. For a moment you thought she was going to kiss you, and Wanda entertained such an idea by letting her eyes drop to your lips then to your eyes. She leaned in placing a single kiss on your cheek. 

You let out a single gasp, her hand tightening around yours and while she stepped back the distance between the both of you was almost non-existent. 

“America is going to be fine, for what I heard she is as tough as her sister, also prone to such troublesome outcomes.” Wanda offered a comforting smile that you couldn't help but return. 

“Thank you.”

Wanda smiled shyly at you, looking away before she did something that could destroy the friendship she was forging with you. You hesitated and then leaned in placing a kiss on her forehead, your arms sneaking around her waist pulling her closer to you. 

“I mean it, Wands. Thank you.”

Wanda was left in the hall, her heart almost coming out of her chest and her skin imprinting the memory of your lips on her forehead, your body so close to hers. She tried to regulate her heartbeat, and then with a longing she had never felt before followed you into the infirmary. 

_______________________

America couldn’t help the grin adorning her features at the sight of Kate and you fuzzing around her fixing everything in her room to make these days more passable. You brought some more pillows, and Kate went right on to fix them around America smiling at her friend while letting the flicker of concern shadow her stare.

“Are you sure you don't need anything else?” You checked the pillows and the blankets, making sure America had the two bottles of water and the medication for the pain. 

“I can make sure to bring something else, if you need anything at all.” Continued Kate wriggling her hands in front of her.

“Shouldn’t you be home? Today is a school night, Katie Kate.”

“Ugh, you know I hate that nickname.” Kate rolled her eyes pressing her lips together while making her way to the chair near the window. “And I brought my bag, and mom will send for me later on, so I’m going to do my homework with you and keep you company, so suck it up, Chavez, you’re stuck with me until I said so.”

America softened her features; she followed Kate with her eyes missing your expression of amusement. You stood there for a brief moment, the medication and the water on the bedside table, as well as everything America could need if the night became too much for her. The fact that Kate had come over to help you out had been a great plus, and it had given you the chance to take a deep breath and be there for your sister.

Once Kate had started babbling about homework and facetime with Loki, Kamala and Yelena, America could turn her attention to you. You had been standing in complete silence on the side, the young woman knew she had been quite an idiot for falling down the stands at school. The doctors had been optimistic, and while she had not broken anything, it was quite obvious she hurt her back pretty dumbly. A part of her was embarrassed by the accident while another part was sorry for the fact she was making you overreact with the care and attention she was giving you. America tried to calm you down, perhaps providing you with some jokes or easy words. But at the moment she was just tired and in pain, the only thing she wanted was to be sedated. 

“You know there is a new TV show you may like, and I already talked to Tasha and sent her over the medical records for your sick leave notes.” You broke your silence all of a sudden, America nodded pressing her lips together.

“So no chance of missing out on school?” She asked, you snorted and Kate huffed in disbelief.

“Of course not! And you need to be on top form because the festival is two weeks away.” Kate commented, America made a face shrugging.

“I don’t think I wanna go…”

“You have to!” You and Kate stated at the same time, Kate looked almost horrified by the idea and you looked hopefully at your sister.

“I am the one organizing this, and if I’m going to be a chaperone you better be there, kiddo.” Then, as if you were trying to convince yourself nothing was wrong, that you were fine, you started talking about all the things you and Wanda had planned so far.

You were almost babbling by then, after having you completely silent during the afternoon, America was slightly concerned at your sudden talkative persona. You busied yourself by arranging America's clothes, and some books, for a moment everything seemed okay until you just stopped what you were doing and stood watching to her bookshelf where a picture of her and yourself was resting. 

“You know? This is nothing, I just didn't calculate my steps and the bleachers were slippery.” America gauged your expression trying to see your face waiting to know what you were thinking exactly, Kate let her eyes wander from you then back to America trying to understand the sudden change of topic coming from America.

“And you heard uncle Stephen, I'm gonna be fine.”

“I know.” You turned to her making your way to where she was resting comfortably. “That’s why you need to get better, Kiddo, so you can go to the dance with us…so, everything will be fine.”

You leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead, America opened her mouth to say something but she knew at the moment you were just trying to pretend everything was fine. She sighed glancing at Kate out of the corner of her eyes. 

“I love you.” America screamed out before you left the room, your eyebrows shot upwards and your lips finally curved into a tiny smile. 

“Love you too, kiddo. Do your homework and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Both Kate and America blushed as you left chuckling closing the door behind you.

You finally sat down on your sofa with the sound of a random TV show filling up the empty living room. You closed your eyes, resting your head on the back of the sofa letting the sounds washed away your concerns and the fears that had erupted inside you that day. You could smell the sweet aroma of the whisky you had pour for yourself, but you didn’t dare to drink; it wasn’t so much that you need it, but it was a comfort to busy yourself with just about anything you could.

Your life has taken on quite a turn as of late.

Your weekend had been filled with magic and discoveries, the time you spent with Wanda and the kids had filled you out with a longing you were not familiar with. You had laughed, and you had relaxed, you had shared and you had never before had so much fun or felt so safe by being around someone such as Wanda. Your heart fluttered at the memory, and your mind was a whirlpool of possibilities of what would happen if you were just to take a leap of faith with the other woman. Would it be worthy? Would she want it? Would she want you in the same way you wanted her?

Sometimes you thought you saw the signs there, in the way she looked at you with such a warmth glint and that tender smile. In the way she let her touches linger, or how she always seemed to be closer to you, to lean into your touch and just let the tension built up to the point you and her waited for something to give in. For something to happen.

Then, there were times in which you remembered she was married, that her husband was still out there and that she probably was not even interested in women. Perhaps that was Wanda’s way to be a friend, and you coming onto her would be just wrong. Unnecessary. Perhaps, even unwelcome.

As if that wasn’t enough, you had been under a lot of pressure ever since you signed the contract with Jarvis. The man was unbelievable, and he certainly thought highly of himself; not only had he come to the office as if he owned the place, but he had also been trying to get into your good graces by disrupting your meetings and your office whenever he wanted it. It had only been one day, but you were about ready to call Fury and tell him you would no longer keep up the façade. Maria had been the one talking you out of it, reminding you this was for the greater good and that it wouldn’t take too long before they got the man. Still, your had life had complicated just a little bit more when, in one of those rants Jarvis threw your way that day, Monica Rambeau decided to barge in and demand answers about your break-up with Carol.

Carol Danvers would always be your biggest what-if, and your biggest regret. She had always been your friend, and as such, you loved her very much. When you two decided to start a relationship, you had done so ignorant of her feelings for you, and while this didn’t excuse you for using her, you always thought it was a game for her as much as it was for you. You sighed remembering just as Monica said Carol had left that day, no good-bye and no announcements. She just left.

And while you would always be there for Crol, you couldn’t help but thing of what you could not give her, the love that she so deserved and that now seemed to pour out of you in waves towards a single individual you thought impossible.

Wanda Maximoff. 

The woman was a complete mystery to you. Her mannerism, her wit and her contradictory personality were some of the things that had enchanted you from the first moment. Getting to know her had been a plus you never thought would happen, and now that you were seeing a part of her you didn't even suspect you knew you were in deep trouble. Wanda had spent most of her time in your mind, and you were still trying to decipher why and how. 

“God, I'm a mess.” You shook your head glancing at the stairs and wondering how America and Kate were doing. 

You felt the tears prickling your eyes, the suffocating weigh in your chest wanting nothing more than to explode. You clenched your eyes close, the warm sensation of tears rolling down your cheeks brought a grimace to your face. You hated crying. 

The sound of a single bell called your attention, you dropped your eyes stopping the overwhelming emotions you were experimenting at the moment. 

Your heart leaped contentedly when you noticed the name on the screen.

Can you open the door? 

You straightened up, eyes wide opened glancing at the screen then at the door. For a brief moment you just tried to process what was happening until you heard a shy knock on the door. You sprang into action going straight to the door, the sight that greeted you brought a grin to your lips. 

Wanda was standing right there, her hands full and the twins standing before her. They were hesitant at first, glancing from you then to Wanda before Tommy stepped forward hugging you tightly. 

“Hi, Y/N.” Tommy leaned back showing a toothy grin. “Mummy thought you may need us to be happy, and to make America feel better.”

Wanda opened her eyes blushing profusely at Tommy's words. You arched a single brow ruffling the kid's hair. 

“Well, Mommy knows best, right?” You winked at Wanda who was now mortified, Billy frowned stepping closer stretching his hand to you. 

“Is America fine? Can we see her?” 

“Well, I think she is doing her homework with Kate at the moment.” You could see the disappointment in the kid's face, it took you but a minute before you moved from the door. “But you know what? I bet she would love to have you two coming over to say hi, perhaps help her and Kate a little?”

“Can we?” Billy perked up following you inside the house with Tommy closed behind. 

“Sure, but you guys need to make sure Kate and America behaved themselves, deal?”

“Deal!” They exclaimed at the same time.

America and Kate were completely surprised by the twins entering the room running to America and making sure the young woman knew she was missed. Kate chuckled when they tried to go into bed, until America winced in pain and they jumped out of bed scare of having hurt America even worse.

The room was soon filled with excited chatter, and while you stood by the door with Wanda, Kate made sure to look at you and her Professor with care. Wanda was far too close to you to be normal, Wanda’s hand was twitching by her side almost brushing against your own hand, and while your eyes were on the twins and America, Wanda had hers on you.  

You watched from afar, smiling at the sight. Out of the corner of your eye you could see Wanda smiling as well. The packages she had been carrying were left in the hall downstairs. You stepped back, your hand resting on Wanda's shoulder. The young woman turned to you following you downstairs. 

“This was quite unexpected, Wands.” You commented glancing at the bags with curiosity. 

“I thought you may appreciate this.” Wanda lifted one of the bags, handing it over to you. 

You snorted, lifting your stare to her, inside the first bag she handled you there was a big bowl of poke. You glanced at the other two, finding more food, your heart shivering at the gesture. 

“You didn't have to…” You started but Wanda ignored you grabbing the bags making her way to the kitchen. 

“I'm pretty sure you have not eaten at all, and America must be the same. So I thought we could eat together, I didn’t count on Kate being here but I know I brought enough food for everyone.” The confidence Wanda felt when she made the decision of buying for left her as soon as she found herself standing far too close to you. 

You were looking at her blankly, not a single expression on your face while your eyes pierced her soul. Wanda fidgeted, her eyes flickering around your face, then she parted her lips and you knew all you had to do was close the distance and you would know how sweet those lips were. 

Wanda from her part was completely frozen, her mind blank and deep into an ocean of possibilities. Each one of them was scarier than the previous one. She just had to lean in, to give in and she would cross a line she had never crossed before. If Wanda were to give in, she could end up in a heartbreak. 

The moment was broken by Wanda, she dropped her gaze stepping forward to give you a friendly hug. You closed your eyes, your lips pressed together while your heart sank. It was a mistake, and you almost crossed a line that should never be crossed with a friend. 

“I know today was not ideal, Y/N, I just thought food and some friendly company could help some.” Wanda sealed the hug with words that pierced deep inside your soul. 

It hurt. 

And you hated the fact that it hurt so much. 

“Thank you, I just… She is my little sister, you know?”

You both parted leaving a great distance in between, Wanda nodded in understanding dancing around the kitchen to grab some plates and get the food ready. 

“I know, let me help you with this, perhaps we can work some on the festival while we eat.”

“Yeah, sure that sounds good.”

The tension never left, and the casual touches and the brush of hands became a constant during your time serving dinner. You had to remind yourself that for Wanda you were a friend and that the young woman was straight as an arrow, probably in a disagreement with her husband that could end up with the redhead back in his arms. And while you fought yourself with conflicting emotions, Wanda had to remind herself that you were already engaged with someone else, and that she had never even considered dating a woman. The fact that she felt attracted to you was not as bothersome as she might have thought initially. 

Both women kept gravitating around one another, unbeknownst to them the twins, Kate and America were paying close attention to their interaction, their closeness… The unsaid emotions that were quite evident, if seen as innocent, by the most important people in their lives. 

America scowled deeply at your smile, the flush in your cheeks, hearing laughter of pure delight, the flirtatious conversation. She then glanced at Wanda observing how the other woman leaned closer. The tension was palpable from a distance. 

It was right there and then, America knew you needed to know everything about Wanda Maximoff before it was far too late. 

The question was, how should she tell you such news? 

_____________________

Hope shivered lightly on her chair, her eyes following the restless form of Wanda that was ranting about her week so far. The session had started like any other, just small talk about the tasks Hope left Wanda for the week and how the young woman had made progress with them. 

There was a moment in between that conversation that Y/N had popped up in the conversation making Wanda change completely. Hope found it quite interesting, placing questions here and there until Wanda was babbling terrified about you and how wonderful it was to be with you. How her children love you and America, and how Wanda was left in an ocean of confusion every time she was around you. 

Hope never thought whatever relationship the both of you share would become in this. Sure, she considered a friendship, perhaps even a crush but Wanda was certainly affected by you, she was completely shaken by her feelings for you. 

“And we just… We ended up having dinner with her and America again, and she was…” Wanda passed her hand through her hair, her eyes glistening with unshed tears she remembered your smile, the warm of your caressed, your words as the both of you pretend to be working on the festival. 

“Y/N is a sweet soul, you know?” Hope leaned back, interlocking her fingers. “She can be tough and decisive, but deep down she really is a softie and she always loves without measure, she gives herself to family and friends even if that costs her own soul.”

Wanda stopped harshly in front of the windows, she didn't need to hear such a description to know it to be true. She had seen it, how you would do the impossible to make everyone happy. To perhaps, make things easier for them. 

“I…I think…” Wanda turned around with the words at the tip of her tongue, her eyes finding the knowing stare in Hope's eyes. 

“Have you ever felt this way before?” Hope didn't need to add anything else to the question, doing so might lead to Wanda trying to hide her emotions, and besides the revelation must come from her. 

Wanda wrapped her arms around herself looking away. No. Yes. She was never allowed to feel, to experiment, to decide. But, she had felt things when younger, and once she was old she had tried to see the possibilities, but many of them had been beating out of her. 

“I haven't.” She whispered, leaning back against the window.

“And, what do you think about this?” Hope inquired softly, Wanda pressed her lips looking away from Hope. 

“I think it's wrong.” She stated after a while. 

Hope leaned forward furrowing her brows, Wanda carried with her a heavy weight that was putting her down and filling her with guilt and uncertainty. Hope could see the conflicting emotions running through those green eyes, the way she was holding onto her convictions but also how she was letting herself be the person she was supposed to be. 

“Really? Why?”

Wanda opened her mouth then closed it again, she leaned back lifting her head and her eyes stared at the ceiling. 

“I'm not supposed to.” Every word seemed to take a toll on her, it was like a painful reminder of everything she was starting to change in her life. 

“I have two children, and I have a husband.”

“You're divorcing him, though.”

Wanda smiled bitterly, dropping her arms to her sides. 

“I like men.” She said with finality, Hope hummed tilting her head. 

“Do you?”

The question caught Wanda by surprise, she liked men, right?

“How many men did you date before going out with Vision?”

Wanda readied her answer but soon stopped herself when no words came out. She looked away slightly annoyed by this, she didn't understand why she had to give explanations. 

“I don't remember.” She said flatly.

“You don't? That's pretty curious…”

“No, it is not. It was a long time ago, and I really don't remember.” Wanda defended herself, her passing around the room resuming all of a sudden. 

“I just know I like men. She can't… I mean, I can't…”

Hope sighed knowing Wanda's stubborn nature was coming into play and that the younger woman was not ready to admit anything at all. The room fell into a tense silence, and Hope had to wonder how affected were you by the same situation. Were you as confused or you were already hooked up with these newfound emotions? The last time she spoke with you Hope could hear the affection in your voice, she could tell Wanda was becoming someone important to you. 

Wanda sat down once more she rested her face on her hands, her voice carried through the room shaking Hope to the core. 

“You don't understand, Hope.” Wanda was trembling and the other woman was pretty sure that she was crying. “I can't let myself feel anything for her, I am far too damaged, far too lost and she… She has someone else, and I couldn't be…what she wants. I just… I don't know how to stop feeling like this.”

Hope softened her stare, and by the time Wanda locked her eyes with hers Hope could see the rampage emotions going through Wanda. 

“What are you feeling Wanda?”

But Wanda didn't answer, she just sobbed and clenched her eyes closed feeling foolish for being weak. Hope wished the other woman wasn't so hard on herself, she knew whatever Wanda was experimenting would pass but she certainly needed for Y/N to do something to clarify the situation or this would end up in a heartbreak. 

The question in here was, were you ready to give the first step? 

Only time would tell. 

______________________

“Hey, Kiddo, how are you feeling?” You stood up rather quickly making your way towards America who was wincing with each footstep she took. 

“I feel horrible, but better than yesterday.” She gritted her teeth holding onto you. “I think I'm still sore and I hate that I can’t recover faster.”

“You should be resting.”

“Ugh, please I'm tired of being in bed, let me help you around or something.” America leaned forward pouting and making eyes at you.

You snorted pointing towards the counter where there were tomatoes ready to be cut. America smirked in triumph setting to work and help you with dinner, she grabbed the knife until her eyes fell on your mobile and the name of Wanda popped up all of a sudden. The music you usually put on while making dinner filling out the kitchen, and the sweet aroma of pasta filled the air.  America observed as you waltzed around the kitchen, a smile playing on your lips in ways she had not seen in a very long time.

Not even with Carol.

The young woman furrowed her brows, her eyes coming back to the mobile then to the task at hand. She had not read the messages that you and Wanda had exchanged when talking over the phone, but America had seen enough of your interaction with the other woman to know that there was something there. That you had started developing feelings for her; America hesitated almost grabbing your phone but she decided against it.

“You’re awfully quiet, Kid, what is it?” You cleaned your hands on the washcloth on the stove, your eyes gleaming contentedly at America. “Are feeling okay?”

“Are you?” America asked back, she focused on the tomatoes making sure they were cut correctly before passing them over to you.

You felt your shoulders put backwards, your lips forming a thin line before letting out a heavy sigh.

“I was a little out of it when I heard you hurt yourself, America.” You grabbed the tomatoes putting them together in the blender with the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. “I was really worried, but I’m better now.”

America hesitated for a moment before speaking again, “that’s not what I meant, Y/N.”

You raised an eyebrow at her, America huffed tapping the table.

“Lately, you have been different.” She stated as subtle as she could, you nodded tentatively at her but didn’t interrupt her.

America tilted her head, wincing lightly while looking for the closest chair. You observed as the younger woman stall the conversation, as if she was afraid to say or ask what was so obvious bothering her as of late. You waited patiently trying to think of a reason for America to be this restless towards you.

“How are things with Carol?” The question caught you by surprised, you thought by now America knew what had happened but you realised that the time you had spent with your sister as of late was minimal and whenever the both of you were together Wanda and the twins were in the middle of it.

America scowled noticing how shocked you seemed by the question, you opened your mouth and then closed it your cheeks changing colour while your eyes looked away from her.

“What is it?” This time around America’s tone was demanding. “What happened?”

“I broke things up with her, last Monday.” You stated simply, shrugging while returning your attention back to the dinner.

This time around America was the shocked one, not a friend of you having casual sex with a woman that so obviously was in love with you, America had come to like the blond-haired woman and was hopping that she would be the one to put you out of the dark hole you had fallen into after the break-up with Shuri. The fact you decided to break things up even after you had decided to give the other woman a chance was all America needed to know to talk to you about her recent discoveries and concerns.

“Why? I thought you were going to give the relationship a chance?” America could see this was a topic you were not overly excited to talk about.

“I just thought it was not fair to continue something that wouldn’t go anywhere, Carol got the opportunity of her life to move to the other side of the world and I just…I couldn’t.” You let everything stirring on the stove while facing your younger sister.

The younger woman was glancing at you with a knowing stare you hated and loved. It was so easy to forget you were the older of the two, and you were supposed to be the responsible one. You remembered the time in which America had been crying, asking for your forgiveness after Shuri had left you broken-hearted. She blamed herself, perhaps if America hadn’t been there and you didn’t have to take up the responsibility you two would be together still.

Family comes first, America, and you are my family, if she can’t understand that then she doesn’t deserve me.

That was the moment you had decided to move on, for yourself and for America. Now, standing before you were a more mature woman that knew you better than you knew yourself sometimes, and you knew she was always in the lookout for you to be happy.

“Y/N, this has nothing to do with Professor Maximoff, is it?” America asked tentatively, you almost fell down at such suggestion your eyes opening wide as if you had been caught doing something you were not supposed be doing.

America rolled her eyes when you opened and closed your mouth, the babbling started with half-formed explanations and sputtering words that America stopped lifting a single hand.

“I knew it! You ended things with Carol because of Wanda?! Why?!” America was now pointing a finger at you. “Y/N what the hell is going in on?”

You were trying to talk to her, but America kept on pressuring you into talking, and you were trying to get half-witted explanations that had nothing to do with what you knew was happening inside your heart.

“I swear to God, you hate her a few months ago!”

“I may like her a lot!”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

America and you were breathing hard, both of you looking at one another while the sound of boiling sauce echoed through your ears. America lowered her hand on the table, she grabbed your phone shaking her head with conflicting emotions crossing her face. You frowned not really understanding where this sudden change towards Wanda came from.

“You had been talking to her, haven’t you? She is the one that has been putting that stupid smile in your face, and the one that has made you so…annoying as of late.” America locked her eyes with yours waiting for an answer.

“I just…I…” You hesitated and America lowered the phone.

“You really like her.” America mumbled, you walked around the counter placing hand on your sister’s shoulder.

“What is it? I mean, I thought you would be happy or something, you’re always telling me I should settle down, or look for love or something.”  You gauged your sister’s face trying to see where her discomfort came from.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” America shrugged. “And, Professor Maximoff has two children, and she may not be who you think she is.”

You broke into an easy smile, “hey, Kiddo, I like her, yes. But I also know she may not like me back, I know that.”

“It didn’t stop you from being an idiot and liking her.” America retorted knowing you were not ready to hear the deepness of your own emotions.

You offered a bitter smile shrugging, “we cannot help who we like, America. But I’m gonna be okay, I promise you, is that what had you so worried?  That she may hurt me?”

America winced nodding, she flushed turning away from you when you ruffled her hair and wrapped her into a tight hug.

“Oh, lil’ sister, I’m gonna be fine, don’t worry so much.” You chuckled, your heart tugging inside your chest at the small gesture of sisterly love from America.

America went to say something else but your next words stopped her completely.

“I know she is married, and I know that I don’t stand a chance, so…don’t worry. She is a friend, and I will make sure to not cross that line with her.”

“You know she is married?” America blinked her confusion; you nodded a flash of sadness crossing your eyes. “But, Y/N, her husband…”

But whatever America was about to say about the marriage was cut suddenly by the ring of the door. You perked up wiggling your eyebrows, America was slightly confused glancing around the table to see five spots on.

“Are we waiting on someone?” She asked, and you chuckled.

“I invited someone over, I know you would like the surprise.”

You ran over to the door and right there stood Hope with Scott and Caisie. America’s face lit up and she had to stopped herself from running when Hope came right at her engulfing her in a tight embrace.

“HOPE!”

“America!”

You smiled closing the door behind them, Scott grinned goofily wrapping his own arms around you.

“Damn, Y/N, is so good to see you again!”

“You too, Scott, I missed you guys so much.” Scott nodded watching as the rest of the women went right away to the kitchen hearing America babbled about her accident.

“We missed you too, you know? Hope was driving us crazy with her constant worry and indecision to just suck it up and come talk to you.”

You offered a tired smile to the man in front of you.

“She wasn’t the only one, I think we both were fools.”

“That’s right, but now we’re back together so let’s make the most of it. Now, tell me, what has been going on in your life?”

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the friends you hadn’t seen in a while. Everything felt right into place, the old jokes and the new ones, the adventures and the struggles, everything was so familiar that you felt at ease knowing in the midst of separation and internal struggles whenever you had a real friend distance and time didn’t matter at all. They would always be there for you, the same way you would be for them.

Scott, Cassie and America went straight to the basement, Scott carrying America while the older woman blushed unable to struggle for far too long due to the pain on her back. Everyone knew it was that time of the night in which you and Hope would need to have that long await conversation. You served more wine grabbing your glass and Hope’s carrying it with you towards the living room.

“So, how’s work?” You asked settling comfortably on the sofa.

“Same old, same old, it has been good and quite interesting.” Hope offered a cryptic smile, and your heart dropped at what could be hidden there.

“Interesting… How?”

“You know I can’t talk about my patients, right?” Hope asked lightly resting her cheek against the palm of her hand.

“I know.” You hesitated before speaking again. “That’s why I haven’t asked you about her.”

Hope clicked her tongue, her eyes piercing right through yours.

“What’s going on with Wanda, Y/N? As far as I know you were with Carol and now…” hope could certainly not tell you anything at all of the appointment she had that day with Wanda, she could not talk about the other woman’s feelings for you, but she could talk about yours.

You played with the glass in your hand, your eyes watching the red liquid danced around with your heart pounding blood into your ears. You could pretend before America, it was easier to make sur ethe young woman would not be worried about you or your emotions, but Hope had always been there. She had always known. Even if, at some point, she had been gone.

“I think I’m…god, I don’t know.” You mumbled passing your hand through your hair. “Carol was amazing, you know? But I couldn’t feel the way I’m feeling right now for Wanda.”

Hope pressed her lips together, waiting for you to continue.

“I don’t know when it happened, you know? I just though she was beautiful and then, I though she was funny, interesting, smart and I just…” You closed your eyes, opening them again to glance at the screen of your mobile. “I get to meet her even more and all of a sudden I’m just experimenting all these emotions for her, and I know it’s not possible because she…”

“She what, Y/N?” Hope asked when your silence went for far too long, you rolled your eyes taking a long sip from the wine.

“I’m not one of your patients, Hope.”

“No, you are my friend.” Hope stated. “I don’t want you to get hurt, but I also don’t want Wanda to get hurt in the process.”

This last part perked up your curiosity but Hope offered a half smile shaking her head.

“I wouldn’t be able to hurt her, Hope.” You mumbled looking away miserable as ever. “God, why do I always fall for the complicated it ones? What couldn’t I fall for Carol? It would have been perfect!”

Hope raised her brows at the sudden declaration, though she was pretty sure you didn’t even notice your own confession. Two confessions in one single day, that must be a record for Hope who was watching everything developed from afar; she wished things were easier for you and even for Wanda, but she also knew she could not force things to happen, she would need to be patient or else everything could end up in a heart break.

“I think you need to give yourself time, Y/N and you should also be honest with yourself, and her.”

You snorted shaking your head, “look, you must know this already but, she has a husband, she has two kids, it’s a matter of time she may go back to him or perhaps find another man that…I mean, she is straight as an arrow and I’m just always reding the signals incorrectly, I know I have to keep my distance so this is what I’m going to do.”

Hope was really grateful to the fact you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself to notice the hint of panic in her eyes when you mentioned Wanda’s husband. You didn’t know much, for the comment you just made, and Hope was not the right person to provide you with that story. But what stroke Hope the most was the fact you felt miserable at the mere thought that Wanda might found her heart’s love in a man. Which confirmed your assessment of a moment ago: you didn’t know how to read the signs.

“I just don’t know, I should focus on the business and America.” You emptied the glass of wine shaking it in front of Hope’s eyes. “Want some more?”

“No, thank you.” Hope smiled leaning forward and placing a hand on yours, you lifted your stared and waited patiently for Hope to talk.

“Let me give you some advice.”

“Please.” You mumbled, and Hope could see you were just as confused and terrified as Wanda.

“You need to decide what you want, what you really desire. Once you had defined this you should give yourself and others a chance to get there with you.” Hope offered a kind smile as she continued. “I cannot tell you about Wanda, Y/N, but I can tell you really feel so much that you’re still afraid to get hurt. Allow yourself to take a leap of faith and find out what can be possible.”

“What if…” You started trailing off when Hope rolled her eyes.

“Then, you took a risk and whatever the end result you came out of that moment wiser, and with the certainty that you did everything that needed to be done for you to be happy.” Hope then wrapped her arms around you. “You and Wanda deserve that much, at least, and even if it doesn’t end the way you want it, you and her would had gained a friendship that may help you face the hardships of life, so it’s a win-win situation.”

You had a lot to think about by the time you went to bed.

You glanced out of the window to see Wanda’s home had the lights off, she was probably sleeping already with the twins in their room. You grabbed your phone reading the last message she had left in the chat; it had been a simple question about the final arrangements that ended up with her inviting you and America over for lunch the next day.

As the night grew older, you kept your stare to the darkened sky right above your head. The next day would be a new day, and you had made up your mind. Tomorrow would be a new day, and hopefully, it would be the beginning of a new chapter in your life.

************************************************************************Next Chater: The tension between Wanda and Reader grows, the twins play matchmakers, Kate and America shared a kiss, the dance is almost there and someone that shouldn't be there gets a sight of the twins.

[alohajun]

HIIIII i'm coming back again to request bcos i really REALLY missed reading treasure fics hehe (your blog is one of my faves btw! ♡)

anyways, i just had this idea for a scenario when i saw 0104's pics on han river recently!! can i request a haruto scenario wherein you are hanging out with the 0104 guys (OR MAYBE EVEN T5) and bf!haruto just kinda got a little jealous when you give him no attention because jeongwoo/junghwan just entertains you so much and you give them all the attention becayse they're like dongsaengs to you??? TT

their bond really makes me cry they truly are the cutest <3 ANYWAY no pressure on this!! stay safe!!!!!!

♡ I’M NOT JEALOUS! — WATANABE HARUTO

bf!haruto x fem!reader | wc : 0.7k words | content : possible grammar and spelling mistakes, lowercase intended, established relationship, fluff, mild angst, playful teasing, jealousy | loki's lines : this one was long overdue, i'm sorry 😭

“jealous? me? pfft. never. what would i be jealous about?”

watanabe haruto shook his head as you raised your brows, challenging him to confess his true feelings.

while you were at the han river, you tried teaching jeongwoo how to ride a bike, since the younger had confided in you, letting you know he didn’t know how.

but your biking lessons seemed to be disturbed by your boyfriend, haruto.

the raven-haired male was stuck to your side like glue, making it impossible to teach his best friend.

“ruto, seriously. get it together.” you smiled, amused by his behavior. “i was just teaching him how to ride a bike. why are you being jealous?”

“shut up, i’m not jealous!”

“oh, you’re so jealous.”

haruto frowned. “am not!” he shook his head. “i’m not jealous; i’m being absolutely reasonable,” he explained, making you burst into a fit of giggles.

“no, you are not!” you laughed, shaking your head. “this isn't reasonable at all.”

“stop laughing!” haruto whined, brows furrowed in annoyance. “so what if i'm jealous? what then, huh?!”

you smiled. “really, ruto? are you jealous? of jeongwoo? seriously?” you asked, your voice was quiet as you spoke.

“maybe i am a little jealous, okay? honestly, though, who wouldn’t be?”

“jealousy doesn’t suit you, my love. don't fret your pretty head over all this.”

haruto sighed, covering his face in embarrassment as he thought over the situation he got himself into.

he never meant to get jealous like this. he knew you were just helping jeongwoo, but he couldn't help the way he felt.

haruto trusted you both, but when you took this much care of jeongwoo, haruto couldn't help but feel jealous of the attention his best friend received from you.

“gosh, i never would have thought i’d ever be jealous about things like this,” he grumbled under his breath, shaking his head. “you must think i’m stupid, huh?”

you nodded, giggling at the way your boyfriend’s face fell. “you are stupid. stupid, because i can’t believe you don’t know how much i love you.” you smiled widely.

“really? you mean that?” he asked, confused.

“hey, look at me.” you held his face in your hands. “i’m yours, and no one can change that, okay? i love you, not anyone else. you.”

“i love you, y/n.” haruto smiled, leaning closer as he placed his lips against yours. “thank you for making me feel better.”

before you could respond, jeongwoo’s voice grabbed the attention of you two, and you turned towards him as you watched him ride his bicycle around in circles.

“look, y/n! ruto!” he yelled, excited. “i’m riding a bike!”

the two of you exchanged proud looks, excitedly cheering in unison as you watched the younger male do his first solo bike ride.

jaehyuk and asahi watched you all from the sides, glad you two talked it out and everything was back to normal.

they were worried when you dragged haruto to the side, having noted the male’s odd behavior, but seeing you two in big smiles assured them everything was fine.

“i never knew haruto was the jealous type,” jaehyuk admitted, amused. “that too, jealous of jeongwoo.”

asahi shrugged. “eh, there are days where you crave more affection than the rest. today was one of those days for haruto,” he explained.

“i’m glad they sorted it out, though.”

“yeah, me too.”

jeongwoo biked towards the couple, beaming as he looked at you. “y/n, you wanna race? i think i can beat you,” he challenged, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“oh, like heck you can! i literally taught you how to ride a bike.” you scoffed, grabbing your bike and sitting on it. “you think you can outdo the master?!”

“i don’t think i can beat you. i know i can!”

“you are so on, park jeongwoo!”

haruto stared between the two of you, shaking his head with a smile. “now, what happened to the conversation we were just having?” he asked, pretending to be upset.

you bit back a smile. “woo is like my brother, ruto. you are my boyfriend.” you shrugged. “bros before hoes, dude!” you announced, pedaling away with jeongwoo as fast as you could.

watanabe haruto stood in his spot, shell-shocked, as he watched his girlfriend and best friend laugh at his expressions. he placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head as he looked at them.

“this is outrageous, y/n! i demand more attention! you said you love me!”

taglist : @kflixnet @gyutendo @twntycm @heejojo @jaesvelvet @fightmegirl @koishua @lovethyfandoms2 @kpoprhia @woooooooosh8 @milkybonya @enhacolor @yunho-leeknow @candililac @willdieforbeidou @luvbrie @mui890mew @one16core @soobin-chois @odetoyeonjun @wonluvrbot @acciomylove @idkwatodoanymore @kyufilms @ily-cuz-i @acaiasahi @bobariki @teuranghae @changmin-wrlds (to be added, please send an ask or dm!)

MASTERLISTS | TAGLIST FORM

© 2023 ALOHAJUN | PLEASE REFRAIN FROM COPYING OR REPOSTING MY WORK WITHIN OR OUTSIDE THIS SITE

[harlequin-hangout]

I mean . . . I already posted it elsewhere, but it'll go here to. Loki grammar lesson time.

Loki clicked his tongue, appearing out of thin air.

“Now, that’s not very nice, is it?” You spin around, completely shocked. How did this man get into your room?? Not that it mattered. There was no getting him out. 

“What-” 

“No. Don’t even start.” Loki held up his hand, cutting you off. “My little army puts out content that can take days, weeks, if not months to create, and you felt the need to correct one of them on something that was done correctly.” The god’s eyes are dangerous, and you decide to stay quiet. “Allow me to educate you, as your mortal system seems to have failed to provide you with the basics of your own language's grammar.If you want to write in the first person, you use words like I and me. The character is talking to themselves about their own thoughts and opinions. The second person is written with words like you, yours, and yourself, as it is written about the character without actually being in their head. Like a narrator telling a story about you to you. Are you keeping up? Lastly, third person. Third Person uses  he, she, they, it, so on and so forth. Like a narrator telling a story to people who aren’t involved. NONE of these are indicative of point of view. To write from someone’s point of view, you use one of the above perspectives to explain what a specific character is thinking and experiencing.” Loki turns, readying himself to leave. Before he does, he looks back over his shoulder and flashes you a dangerous look. “All of that aside, it is perhaps the rudest and most disrespectful thing I’ve seen to insult and correct my little army about content that they put out for free. If you want to correct people so badly, perhaps you should first learn the intricacies of your own language.” And with that, he vanished, leaving no trace that he’d ever been there.

Hey! I just read Loki's Little Secret and it was good!

I just wanted to tell you however that you've gotten POV a little mixed up. I'm sure you know it means 'Point Of View' which means that when writing it, you would say "I picked up my phone" (for example) rather than "You picked up your phone" as you've been writing.

I just wanted to clear that up for you because other than that, I quite enjoyed the mini series and would like to read your future works as well. You've got a lot of writing potential and assuming English isn't your first language, a really good grasp of it.

Ok, this is the second time someone has sent me an anon suggesting that I don't know what POV mean and that I write decently for someone who doesn't speak English. I'm gonna tackle these separately...

First off... I only speak English so ouch. I'm assuming you didn't mean in a hurtful way but I spend a lot of time trying to grammar and spell check my stuff so not I'm just going to be more paranoid about it then before.

Secondly... POV is point of view, correct but you're thinking it means first or second person. I'm using it to show that this portion of a chapter is going to be written from a certain character's perspective, or their view.

Unless I'm totally wrong (but I don't think I am) and shouldn't use the phrase pov?

Thoughts @michelleleewise @lokiandbuckysdoll @lokisgoodgirl @mochie85 @muddyorbs @harlequin-hangout @gigglingtigger @high-functioning-lokipath @soubi001

[leos-regression-cove]

All The Lessons I Never Learned

22. A Proper Playdate

Synopsis: Thor and Sylvie get the option to have a redo playdate after what happened last weekend. And, Thor gets a car seat.

Word count: 5,685

Stand Alone?: sure!

Warnings: diapers/nappy changes, nightmares,

Notes: They can't all be narrative winners, but I'm still pretty proud of the one-off gags and individual scenes that this one has to offer. The plot is kind of loose and just there to thread them all together. Update! I made some changes to this chapter on AO3 and they are no longer exactly the same! That version is updated for grammar and plot changes.

Read it on AO3!

“No, I’m serious! You should come over!-- Sylvie’s excited to see you, too!”

Loki raised his eyebrows as if Mobius was lying. 

“You have no idea the way she perks up when I talk about you.” Mobius casually added as if he had just said something that was entirely normal and understandable.

Loki found this incredibly hard to believe, mostly since Sylvie had either outright ignored him or insulted him to his face. But then he considered another part of the statement, “...You talk about me?” he smiled, finally swiveling his chair to give Mobius his full attention.

“Well, yeah, of course I do. Just like she talks about Thor. -- But that’s besides the point! They’ve gotta have a real playdate sometime, right? Pack a bag and after playgroup, you guys can come over. We’ll have naptime and lunch. It’ll be great!” 

“I’ll text you about it, how’s that?” 

“Hey, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sylvie already asked him and he already said ‘yes’. But you two should talk it out because we’d love to have you.” 

Loki gave his boss another closed smile, glancing up at him as Mobius took a sip off his coffee and looked around the other desks and cubicles before deciding he needed to be a little more on-task with his work, too. 

“Alright, well get on those reports for tomorrow and prepare for your meeting, right? Read up. Study their company. I wanna see you shine like the star you are.” He gave Loki two firm pats on the shoulder before moving on to mentor the rest of the sales department. Although, Loki noticed, no one else seemed to get quite as much attention as him. Which, as much as he hated to admit it, did fill him with a feeling of validation he hadn’t felt so strongly since he was a teenager. 

“The toys at my house are so much better than this,” Sylvie offhandedly commented in regards to the basket of blocks she was sorting through. 

Thor agreed as he examined a chip in the side of one. 

“I have like so many Hot Wheels tracks an’ like… way cooler stuff.” She trailed off trying to think of things that Thor would find cool. “Um… I even got Legos! The real ones!” 

That was enough to make Thor pause. “Real? The small ones?” 

“Yup! I’ve got like a bunch of sets. You should come over so we can build them.”

“Can I?” 

“I dunno, I'll have to check with papa… but probably.”

During Sunday morning play time, the little ones screamed as they chased each other around. There was no concept of “indoor voices” to speak of while Mobius and Loki sipped on their coffees while the little balls of energy tried to climb on everything they were allowed to, regardless if other littles wanted a turn first or were already there. Unfortunately for Thor, it seemed that an indoor cafe playground, was not meant for a preschooler of his size and energy level. But regardless, he made due, jumping on the suspension bridge and climbing up the slides.

Mobius checked his watch. “Can you watch this for a minute?” he asked Loki, handing him his coffee cup. 

“What’re you doing?”

“My second job,” Mobius laughed as he stood up and took off his shoes before entering the playroom. 

Loki watched him intently, more completely than he paid attention to the littles he was really supposed to be supervising, as Mobius took a small wooden puzzle off the wire rack and dumped the pieces onto the floor. 

If it wasn’t for his dad-ish attire, Mobius would’ve been indistinguishable from the littles playing around him as he squatted down by the floor, pretending to be baffled by the jumbled wooden alphabet around him. 

“Hey, Sylvie! Thor! You guys wanna come help me with something?” 

Sylvie and Thor ran to a screeching halt and sat down to help him. 

“This puzzle’s just really got me stumped!” he told them.

“Why didn’t Loki help?” Sylvie thought to ask. 

“He didn’t know either, but you two are really smart, right? Think you could just help me put it together?”

Thor picked up the letter “O” and prepared to set it into place when Mobius asked him about it. 

“Which one’s that? I don’t think I’ve seen it before.” 

“I’s a ‘O’! Like my las’ name!” 

“Like your last name?”

“Oh-dinson!”

“That does start with an ‘O’, doesn’t it?”

Thor nodded as he set the piece into place. 

“Papa! Papa! This one’s an ‘S’ like Ssssylvie!” the little girl informed him, still a bit energetically. 

“Wow, thanks I would’ve missed that one. Now how about this one? This one’s a real head scratcher…”

“That’s a ‘Q’!” Sylvie said confidently as she took the letter from his hand to place in the wooden spot.

“Huh… What words start with ‘Q’ do you know any?” 

“Cupcake!” Thor suggested.

“Sylvie, do you know any words that start with a ‘Q’?” 

“Pfft. Yeah.” 

She did not elaborate. 

Loki watched for a few more minutes while Mobius asked the littles about each letter they picked up, but with a whole twenty-six to go through, it took quite a while, eventually convincing Loki to take his shoes off, stowing them in the cubbies, and coming to help by letting Thor sit in his lap and occasionally whispering answers in his ears, only to have the little light up with the worst poker face imaginable and to relay the answer to Mobius. 

“He’s cheating!” Sylvie complained. 

“Well if you had asked nicely, I would’ve helped you, too,” Loki told her. 

Sylvie, now that she had been personally addressed, stared at him with wide eyes and then squinted them angrily, as if he had just tried to play a mean trick on her. 

“Loki, since you’re so smart, do you wanna help me with this funky little thing?” Mobius asked, still playing dumb for the littles. 

Thor turned back around and whispered in Loki’s ear, “it’s a H.” 

“Thank you,” Loki whispered back. “It’s an H,” he answered confidently. 

“Wow, you guys are good at this,” Mobius commented, setting the last letter into place. “Look at that, we did the whole thing!” 

“We should do it again cuz’ Loki cheated,” Sylvie told her papa severely. 

“Well we have one at home. You guys wanna do that after nap time?”

“Ew! No!” she answered, almost aghast that he had proposed such an activity. 

“Are you ready to go home?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Loki and Thor are coming with us.”

Sylvie looked like she had intended to answer a firm “no” but after receiving the second piece of information, she didn’t look so sure. “... Okay,” she said, even though she kept a huffy, sour, expression as Mobius took her hand. 

“Alright, say ‘bye-bye’ to the playground.”

“Bye-bye playground!” Thor chirped as he waved at the structure and other littles. 

“Bye-bye,” Sylvie said sulkily. 

“By--” Loki almost repeated, stopping himself halfway through. 

Mobius’ car was an orange Kia Soul. An old person car, in Loki’s opinion, nothing fancy that he’d expect a manager to drive. Although, it was rather surprising that Mobius had opted to drive at all.  

Mobius noticed his confusion. While buckling Sylvie into her seat, he told Loki that he sometimes needs to take it out every once in a while, just to keep it running and make sure the battery doesn’t die.

When the car started to drive, Sylvie made a note: “Why doesn’t Thor have a car seat?” she asked. 

“I haven’t gotten one for him yet,” Loki told her honestly. 

“Oh. Then I don’t need one?”

“You absolutely need one-- Sylvie! Keep your seatbelt on!” Mobius admonished her while looking at her in the rear view mirror after he heard the click of a metal seatbelt leaving its sleeve.

Hesitantly, and perhaps with a slight defiance still tugging at her, she clicked it back into place. 

Mobius and Sylvie’s apartment was probably around the same size as Loki and Thor’s, but it was very different. It was obvious that the building had been designed in the 1960’s and although it hadn’t been modernized, it had been well kept and perhaps even restored. It was obviously decorated by a thoughtful hand to be as cozy and relaxing as possible, with deep browns and burnt umber touches, with wooden accents and geometric shapes. 

Loki's eyes were ripped from the beautiful decor by the amount of strange colorful substances that had been melted or stained into the carpet and the leftover scribblings which couldn’t have been scrubbed off the walls because they were either in permanent marker or in just weird spots that were hard to clean. He suddenly felt a massive sense of thankfulness and relief for having Thor as a little. 

“Sorry about the toys and stuff. We tried to clean up but… it’s tough when she's three.” 

There was an abandoned doll on the couch that made Loki slightly uncomfortable. Not because it was especially creepy, it wasn’t some antique porcelain monster with blank eyes, but a plastic Disney princess doll. Loki wasn’t sure which one exactly, but it definitely had been through some things with Sylvie, covered in strange marker drawings with no clothes, a stained up body, and shortened hair that had been unevenly cut with safety scissors and looked like the little girl had attempted to dye it from a platinum blonde to a dark brown, almost to mimic her own hair. 

Thor also noticed the doll. “You have a dolly?!” he asked.

Sylvie ran to snatch it off the couch before Thor had the chance to pick it up. “No!” she let him know. “She is not a ‘dolly’!”

“Sylvie, why don’t we show our guests your room and you can put Rapunzel away, okay?”

“Okay! Come on.” She beckoned Thor and Loki behind her.

Her room wasn’t messy, but it did look like it had been cleaned hastily. The preschooler sort of cleaning where random objects were just sort of thrown into spots that weren’t on the floor. The room was a good size, and included a twin sized bed with detachable crib-like rails, a dresser facing it, and a wooden cubby sorter with fabric bins which wasn’t really sorting anything, a small nightstand table, and a large rocking chair. There was of course also a built-in closet, and floating shelves that housed books, and finally a large, babyish rug of a big teddy-bear on the open piece of floor that remained. It may have looked fine if it wasn’t for the bright blue walls, paired with oatmeal carpet and dated furniture that made it feel… off. The cluttered and unorganized nature didn’t help that, either. 

Sylvie pulled out one of the fabric bins and showed it to Thor and Loki. “Here’s my Legos!” she told them before proudly dumping the bin onto the floor and inviting Thor to sit with her. When Loki didn’t, she also looked up at him until he did.

It was a few seconds of watching and some occasional questioning before Loki actually began to pick up Lego bricks and make his own vague creation of a non-descript thing while Sylvie made something like a dragon and Thor built a colorful, boxy, house. 

“Hey kiddos, we’re gonna get ready for naptime soon,” Mobius reminded the group. “If you wanna sleep in here you’re gonna have to put those away for a while.”

“But my dragon!” Sylvie whined. 

“We’ll just set him up here.” Mobius said, tapping on a nearby shelf that hadn’t been filled with things. 

“Um, is there a spot where I can change Thor?” Loki asked, looking up from his abstract sculpture building, and looking awfully like the littles he was sitting with. 

“Not on my dresser,” Sylvie responded before Mobius had even opened his mouth to speak. 

“I think he’s a bit too tall for that spot,” Mobius let her know. “You can either do it in the bathroom or I can give you a mat to just do it on the floor here… Sorry, our place wasn’t really built with littles in mind.” 

“Mine wasn’t either,” Loki told him sympathetically. “Thor? What do you think?” 

“Bathroom,” the little said, in a way that suggested he didn’t really care. 

Loki gave him a nod, thanked Mobius, and then took his brother and the bag into the bathroom to change him while Sylvie picked up her Legos and Mobius created a comfortable place for the preschoolers to sleep. 

The bathroom was small and wasn’t quite big enough to let the little lie down, so Loki had to change him standing up. When they came back into Sylvie’s nursery room, they found Sylvie sitting on the bed, the side rails put away, while Mobius pumped up an air mattress on the floor. 

“I’m not sure if that’s necessary,” Loki said. 

“Sure it is! Thor deserves a nice place to rest, too.” He took the pump out, gave the mattress a pat, and then asked Thor to lay down and see what he thought. 

Thor agreed that it was comfortable. 

“Papa’s gotta put the bankets on, so get up!” Sylvie told him before he got too comfortable. 

“And I gotta read you both a story, too, huh?” 

“No, Loki reads,” Thor said.

“Thor!” Loki nearly scolded. 

“Loki reads,” Sylvie agreed. “You can read an extra story to me tonight,” she told Mobius. 

“What story do you want to hear?” Loki asked, almost caught off guard as Mobius put on the sheets and gave Thor some blankets. 

“Um…” Sylvie got up and inspected her bookshelf with him. “This one!” she finally said, handing it to Loki. 

He took a story book out of her hand and flipped through it. “Which story?” 

“That one!” she said, pointing to Puss in Boots. 

Loki nodded as Mobius got her to lie down, sitting at the foot of her bed while he sat on the floor between the air mattress and bed to read, so he could show off the pictures to the preschoolers easier. 

Loki began, but was stopped after reaching the first line of dialogue. 

“Do the voices!” Thor demanded.

“Put your pacifier in,” Loki teased. “Maybe Puss and I just sound similar,” 

Mobius chuckled and scooted closer to look at the pictures. 

“Ew! Papa, your butt’s in my face!” Sylvie squealed in exaggerated mock disgust. 

He picked her up just a little and set her head in his lap, which was slightly better, even though she needed to curl up a little bit to fit in her tiny bed at that angle. 

“I can do the voices with you,” Mobius offered. 

“Yeah!” Sylvie giggled. “Papa do the voices!” 

Mobius smiled as Loki put his finger under the first line of dialogue, letting the other caregiver narrate the voice of Puss while Loki did the rest, which of course made Thor and Sylvie giggle. 

They were so engrossed with their caregivers doing the voices that they weren’t even asleep or even really getting droopy eyelids by the time Loki closed the story book.

“Another!” Thor whined. 

“No, that’s all you get,” Loki said in a near teasing voice as he ruffled the little one’s hair. 

Mobius was tucking Sylvie in as well, making sure she was all comfy. “We’re going to be right outside this door,” he said. “So don’t you try anything funny,” he poked her nose gravely as he said it, making her giggle and wiggle into her blankets.

Mobius stood up and motioned for Loki to come with him, turning on a nightlight before putting up two fingers to give Sylvie a suspicious little “I’m watching you” sort of gesture, which only served to make her laugh more. 

They kept the door cracked just a little, letting some light come through from the hall as they left.

Mobius used the time to pick up some of the scattered toys in the living room and move them into various toy boxes and corners that would make the living room a temporarily usable space while Loki awkwardly stood off to the side, near their shoe rack and wondered if he had been impolite for not taking his shoes off, looking down at the stained, and possibly sticky carpet and debating if it was a risk he should take. 

Mobius started making lunch in his old timey kitchen as Loki slowly and roundabout-ly asked to join him. 

“You want to help me?” Mobius asked when he noticed Loki awkwardly sitting at the breakfast bar.

Loki opened his mouth but didn’t have anything to say.

“Do you cook?” Mobius asked once his fellow caregiver decided to stand up and join him in his half-open retro kitchen. 

“Not really,” Loki admitted. 

“Not… really…” Mobius repeated while chopping celery as if he were writing it down. “Do you know how to make a tuna sandwich?” 

“I do… but how are you making it?”

Mobius smiled slightly under his mustache. “Well, we’re going to open up a couple cans of tuna,” he began, “and then I’m just gonna ask you to mix this into it,” he added, handing Loki a jar of mayonnaise from the fridge, and then his cutting board of celery. 

Loki nodded and looked for a spatula or something to stir it with before Mobius handed him a large, but not remarkably so, spoon while he got out a loaf of bread and various other items of sandwich making importance. 

As Loki plated the tuna on each sandwich and added some cheese and lettuce to each one, Mobius peeked his head into the darkened bedroom to check on Sylvie and Thor. 

He stood outside the door, trying not to obscure the crack of light flowing in through the room as he listened outside. 

Loki looked at him curiously for a moment, to which Mobius responded with a finger to his lips. 

“Thor? Thor!” Sylvie whispered while sitting up in bed. She leaned over to rub the other little’s shoulder, trying to wake him up. 

Quietly, she moved down onto the floor and kneeled down next to him. 

Thor kicked and almost kneed her while making a little noise. 

Then she said it a little louder, “Thor!” 

He scrunched up his face and curled up. He mumbled something, but Sylvie was unsure what he had said. 

“M... M--umma,” he said, slightly more coherently, squishing his stuffed snake into his face and biting down hard on his pacifier with a sniffle. 

Sylvie sat down, getting more comfortable by his side slowly after a lot of internal debate and anxious glances at the door. 

“Your mumma’s not here,” she told him quietly, petting his hair. 

He made another noise. 

“It’s just me. Are you having a nightmare? It’s okay. I have them too sometimes,” she said reassuringly, petting his back. 

Mobius smiled as he debated opening the door more. 

After giving them a few more moments, he finally did, making Sylvie scramble back as fast as she could into her little bed and pretend to be just waking up as he flicked on the light. However, she immediately gave herself away when she told Mobius about the nightmare. 

Although Thor looked a little sweaty and had definitely moved around quite a bit, it wouldn’t have been obvious how extreme the nightmare was if Mobius hadn’t seen it himself or if Sylvie hadn’t mentioned it. 

“Poor lil guy,” Mobius said pitifully. “Should I go get Loki?” he asked, slightly rhetorically. 

Sylvie shrugged as her papa bent down to inspect the boy, make sure he was okay and whatnot before he scooped Sylvie up off the bed, making her give a little scream before planting her upright onto the floor. 

“You’re gonna wake up Thor!” Mobius playfully whisper-shouted to her.

A few minutes later, Loki was called into the bedroom to wake up his brother for lunch, and more than that, to hold his brother and comfort him as he slightly squashed Loki. 

“You’re fine. It was just a bad dream little one,” Loki reassured him, petting his back. “The scariest thing here is your wet nappy,” he hummed. “Mr. Mobius made us lunch and then you and Sylvie can play with some toys,” he tried, encouraging the tot to get up.  

Thor nodded. 

“Is he coming to eat?!” Sylvie yelled at them from the kitchen. 

“Sylvie,” Mobius admonished her. 

“I want seconds!” 

“It’s delicious,” Loki tried hopefully. “I know you like fish.” 

Thor silently nodded before standing up, still clinging to Loki anxiously. 

Sylvie pretended not to see them when they came out and got their sandwiches, obviously slightly bothered that she hadn’t gotten that beloved second sandwich she had requested, but of course, once Thor began to eat, she began to talk and munch on some chips Mobius let her have instead. 

“Um. We should play a game,” Sylvie suggested. 

“What’re you gonna play?” Mobius asked as he took their empty plates. “Is it something me and Loki can play, too?”

“No,” she told them as if that request was entirely ridiculous, “you’re too old!” 

“Well then papa and Loki are gonna have to find something else to do, then, huh?”

Sylvie paused uncomfortably. “You can watch,” she said with a shrug.

“I need to know it’ll be interesting before I commit,” Loki deadpanned boredly.

“It won’t be boring!” she defensively added. “We’re gonna play cars,” she informed him.

And play cars the littles did. Sylvie pulled a massive tub of bright orange track pieces out from under her bed, and together, the children covered the living room with intricate roads, trick shots, and obstacles of whatever other toys they could find. 

Mobius and Loki sat in the kitchen together, at the same table that they had been at during lunch, as a bedroom would’ve felt much too personal, and the couch was currently occupied by a few stacks of books, orange track, and about a dozen toppled cars. 

 The two men clutched coffee mugs and talked as parents do while watching the littles.

After roughly fifteen, maybe twenty minutes of chatter from the children accompanied by the sound of plastic wheels on the track periodically every thirty seconds or so, sometimes followed by a light thump on the carpet, they finally stood up and ran to the table. 

“Papa! Papa lookit!” Sylvie called.

“Loki! Come see! Come see!” Thor squealed, pulling his brother up from the dining chair. 

Sylvie led them to a spot standing in front of the television, claiming that they’d be able to view everything from there. Then, she slotted in a car at the top, sending it through an intricate, roller coaster-like track with loops and impressive drops that both of the preschoolers were rather proud of. 

Then, on one extra sharp turn, the track simply ended and fell onto the floor from an impressive six inches above the ground. 

“An’ it esploded and everybody died!” she giggled. 

“Oh-no!” Mobius said as if he were very concerned for the drivers of the tiny plastic cars. 

Loki, on the other hand, politely smiled and clapped after the demonstration, much to Thor’s delight, as he quickly took Loki’s hand and showed his brother the parts he did. 

Sylvie soon introduced some small figurine animals to the road, and a city of toys grew around it. Many of said toys, especially the buildings, were hand made out of shoeboxes and plastic containers that she had fashioned herself with marker windows and doors. 

“Isn’t she crafty? Look at all those!” Mobius pointed out, proudly. “She made them all by herself.”

Loki hummed an acknowledgement.

“She looked it up on YouTube and taught herself how, I guess,” he added with a smile.

“You let her use YouTube?”

Mobius shrugged. “I’ve got the parental controls on it; I check her history.”

 “So she has a phone?”

“Nah, just a tablet. --Don’t act so judgy, about it, it’s not like she’s always under five. When you have a bored tween it’s sometimes nice to give ‘em a little controlled freedom, y’know?” 

Loki did not know. 

Sylvie had obviously overheard this and ran up to Mobius’ side to ask if she could show Thor her games. 

He thought for a minute, “how about later? We’ll save it for a rainy day, that way you’ll have tactical entertainment advantage,” he joked. 

Sylvie seemed unable to understand this. “But I wanna show him!” 

“And you’ll get to, just not right now. Y’know, if you’re bored we can always take Thor and Loki back home,” he hinted to her. 

That scared Sylvie enough to make her wander back off to show Thor a new game she wanted to play. 

The adults had a shocking amount to discuss, but they didn’t actually talk much, simply observed their little ones, listening to them and watching the game, occasionally adding their own commentaries and jokes, or giving a word of approval every now and again. 

“Well, hey, what do you kids say we get out of the house?” Mobius asked as they played with the television, surfing through channels while the caregivers supervised. 

Sylvie paused and looked over at him without setting down the remote. “Where?” she asked. 

“Well, Loki needs to get Thor a car seat, and since we gotta drive them home, I was thinking maybe we could help him with that. You have any thoughts on that?”

Sylvie shook her head. 

Loki felt as though her lack of outright rage at the concept probably meant a green light, Mobius seemed to agree. 

So, Loki packed up Thor’s backpack as Mobius asked the little ones to pick up and start thinking about getting ready for a short adventure before they took Thor home. 

“Daddy likes this music,” Thor commented, once Mobius started to drive. A classic rock station was on, playing various tunes from the 70’s and 80’s. 

“He does?” Mobius asked back. “Well he’s got good taste.” 

Sylvie begged to differ on this matter and ask they play something different. 

Loki breathed a sigh of relief slightly harder than he meant to as Mobius changed the station over to a vague “happy hits” channel. The type that has a music library consisting of mostly early-2010s family friendly pop-- the typical Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars, maybe with a sprinkle of Frankie Valli or Sinatra to support their “hits of yesterday and today” claim. 

This was obviously no one’s favorite, but also the type of channel no one really wanted to argue about. It was the easy stuff. 

Loki and Mobius made sure their littles didn’t wander off by holding their hands, after finding a parking place near the specialty littles store.

Neither of the tots were particularly excited about being there, especially because they weren’t allowed to wander off, not realizing that their caregivers were essentially taking them to the toy aisle. They stood in place for a minute as the adults pulled out car seats and examined them, occasionally asking Thor about color or fit, often turning the box over and inspecting age ranges, weight requirements, and height limits, all of which were important when considering the boy. 

Sylvie did venture off, but not entirely out of her papa’s sight, just far enough away to begin grabbing toys off endcaps a few feet away and sitting down on the floor to press the “try me” buttons in the packaging with her free hand’s thumb planted in her mouth. 

Loki picked up a red car seat that had been tucked into the back. A rather large, heavy one with the age bracket listed as “2.5-6 headspace years.” This one seemed appropriate. Thor tipped the box up as Mobius pointed out the features for him.

“That one looks really nice,” the older man said. “And check that out, the back comes off,” he commented. 

Thor nodded in agreement. 

“How much is it?” Mobius asked.

Loki frowned looking for a bar code. “250.”

Mobius raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?” 

Loki pursed his lips and nodded conflictedly. 

“That’s a really good deal! Check the safety information first. I don’t think that could even be functional.”

“How much was Sylvie’s?” 

“The one we have in the car”-- which was notably smaller than this one in order to fit the shorter girl-- “ran us about 370, and her baby one was…” he whistled “700?” 

“On you salary? You must be joking.” 

“Nah, little car-seats run high. You’d be surprised. So grab that one because I’m not letting you leave here without it,” he patted Loki on the back before helping him stand up and rounding up the littles. “Sylvie, can you say ‘bye-bye’ to the toys?”

Sylvie seemed reluctant to put down a robotic cheetah that purred and drank from a baby bottle, looking down at the large plastic box in her hands sadly, before shifting from foot to foot and deciding to have a fit over it. 

“No! I want it!” 

“We’re not buying it today. Put it back,” Mobius absently replied, picking up the car seat box with a heft. 

Sylvie dropped the box and kicked it before folding her arms. 

“Brother,” Loki whispered, “Let’s go pay for this, hm? C’mon,” he took Thor’s hand and offered to take the car seat from Mobius. 

The second Thor and Loki rounded the corner Sylvie quieted down. 

Mobius assured the little girl she could get a toy once she completed her chore chart, or she’d maybe get it for her birthday. 

“What is up with you?” he asked in a friendly way as he took her hand to lead her up to where Thor and Loki were checking out. 

She didn’t answer, instead pursing her lips and watching ahead. 

“Having a fit over a toy in a store isn’t winning you any points,” he added. “Neither is being mean. If you want approval you’re gonna have to try and be nice.” 

Sylvie furrowed her brow and stared at Mobius. 

“Mobius, Sylvie, do you want a candy bar?” Loki called when he saw them approaching. Two were already set down next to the large box and Loki was reaching for a third while Thor ran up to his friends, excited to spend just a little bit more time with the little and caregiver he was slowly getting closer to. 

In the parking lot, while the kiddos pretended to drive the little car with no keys in the ignition, Mobius helped Loki open up the massive box and slide together the pieces, soon calling Thor over to make sure everything was adjusted properly for him. 

The head of his seat nearly scraped the car ceiling, but all the same he looked and felt more comfortable than he had previously. He looked over at Sylvie who was being helped by Mobius into her seat, as he fastened her five-pointed buckle that she insisted she was too old for and absolutely did not need. 

Thor didn’t mind so much, although he was slightly impatient with Loki, who was still figuring out how each latch connected to the five-point buckle by his navel, a task which looks easy to the untrained eye, but once a fussy preschooler who was bigger than you was involved, it became a rather daunting task. 

Sylvie, after Loki had gotten the first two buckles in, decided she would help make it easier, by getting her hands in the way. 

“You’re doing it wrong,”  she commented, even though Loki had been doing it right. 

Loki stopped, looked up at her for a second, waiting for her to show him otherwise, but she didn’t, instead simply grabbing at the seatbelt straps and making sure they were straight.

Loki furrowed his brows as unnoticeably as he could before clicking the final pieces into place and shutting the door. 

Thor shifted and pulled lightly on the straps and played with his armrests and cup holders happily while talking to Sylvie as Mobius drove them around the western barrier of central park to return Loki and his little to their small apartment as Loki gave him directions that were quite difficult to follow. The littles of course, also got a chance to eat their candy bars, too, which ended in the way you’d expect: with Sylvie leaning forward to wipe her chocolatey fingers on her papa’s sleeve and Thor finding it funny, attempting to copy by wiping chocolate on Sylvie, and her crying about it. 

“Alrighty, here we are,” Mobius commented as he parked on the curb in front of Loki’s apartment. He got out of the car with Loki and let Sylvie out of her car seat, giving her a chance to, hopefully, in his mind, say a pleasant “bye-bye!” and give Thor a hug. 

Although she had the chance, Sylvie wasn’t much of a hugger, and instead let Thor speak for that one as he picked her up off the ground and crushed her just a bit. 

Loki worked hard to unanchor the seat and get it out of Mobius’ car, only to take an uncomfortably long amount of time doing so and making two impatient preschoolers wait. 

Luckily though, Mobius knew how to handle this. Continuing to talk with the little ones and talk with Thor about the building. “This one’s old, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah. Um bubba said is kinda new.”

“It’s been remodeled,” Loki agreed, finally getting the lock behind the headrest undone and taking the seat out. 

“I like that it’s close to the park,” Sylvie said softly, almost as if she were afraid to speak. 

“Yeah, being by the park’s always nice, isn’t it?” Mobius asked.

She nodded softly.

“Well,” Loki said, as he finally got the seat out, setting it by his feet on the curb, “it’s been wonderful seeing you both again. We had a lovely time, didn’t we, Thor?” 

Thor nodded although somewhat sadly. 

“We’ll see you tomorrow, champ,” Mobius reminded the little as he also pulled Sylvie away. 

“See you tomorrow!” Loki yelled back, distractedly lugging the seat up the stairs into his building. 

“Bye Thor!” Sylvie shouted as she watched him follow his brother through the front door. 

[bangbaby]

##TRIVIA !

fun facts about lucy kang . . .

LU: sees all. seriously, i've got a third eye.

she has her driver’s license.

she is left handed and her hand size is 19cm.

her accent is a little more british than australian, but she says some words with an american intonation because of how/where she was raised.

she has her own room (ensuite) in the dorm.

she curses a lot— but tries her best not to get caught on camera for the kids’ sake (though she could give less of a shit when she’s covering songs).

she tends to stumble/stutter on finding the right words to say when she’s not rapping; similarly, she can be very scatterbrained and forgetful.

she is a frequent cleaner/neat freak and cannot stand the mess the boys make (but will definitely lock herself away to avoid it).

living with her brothers and living with the members is not that different in her eyes.

more of her “naughty” side shows when she’s around people she’s comfortable with.

she is awkward (not shy) towards people she doesn’t see as friends, but is otherwise known in the industry to be extremely kind (she has never run into any problems with anyone, but personally thinks it’s hard to keep up with knowing a lot of people).

she lived in singapore for six years and melbourne for eight years before moving to korea in 2012.

when she was eight years old, she was diagnosed with atopy (a genetic condition that makes a person’s immune system more sensitive to common allergic triggers; lucy is not allergic to any foods, rather she has sensitive skin and her symptoms are a lot more severe when she’s sick).

she attended kampong-ubi kindergarten for two years, caulfield primary school for six and caulfield grammar school for two. at fifteen, she transferred to cheongdam high school and graduated after four years.

she therefore went to the same high school as bang chan and kim seungmin.

she says she was a pretty bad student— not that she was malicious or a troublemaker, but rather that she always rushed to finish her work/tests at a passable standard (even if she knew she could do better) and avoided study like the plague because it was just too boring for her.

she performed taeyang’s wedding dress for her vocal audition (rapping a self-written verse in english) and jessi’s ssenunni for her dance audition.

she was ranked poorly in her first year as a trainee, but became the company’s “secret weapon” by her debut year.

she prefers working smart and getting things done efficiently— this does make her impatient and her standards lower than they should be, but only when she’s passionate will she work extremely (maybe almost too) hard.

her hobbies involve reading, writing songs, watching anime, playing games as well as her guitar and (electronic) drums.

she is currently learning how to play the piano.

lucy can’t whistle.

her favourite colour is yellow and black (yes, she adores bees).

she has a brown toy poodle named bibi (short for jollibee) and a black toy poodle named loki that currently live with her aunt.

she loves to eat and is not a picky eater. her favourite food is pasta (jollibee).

she is a fan of all animals and insects, but has a fear of large spiders.

she is not a very strong swimmer.

she was a passionate softball player in primary and high school. she is an extremely good pitcher.

she also took taekwondo lessons during her trainee days and is good at wrestling (ssireum) as well as boxing.

despite her love for outdoor sports and group dance (as cardio is her main means of keeping fit), she considers herself more of a homebody now.

though, she does love going out to eat with friends during vacation and dislikes being completely alone.

she likes rainy days more than sunny days.

her favourite season is autumn (if not spring).

she is very close with her jyp family: twice as well as itzy (sana, jihyo, dahyun, ryujin, chaeryeong especially) are like sisters to her.

her motto: "what matters isn't if people are good or bad. what matters is if they're trying to be better today than they were yesterday".

if she wasn’t in stray kids, she says she would be in a girl group. if she wasn’t an idol, she’d be a music and/or sports teacher.

her role models are CL, IU and all of SNSD.

her “celebrity” crushes are often fictional characters, but if she had to pick someone real— it’d be elizabeth olsen or ryan reynolds.

her ideal types are either zoro or robin from one piece (even though the members would argue she’s more of a luffy or nami girl).

more to be added in the following tags:

just lucy things

lucy reacts

ask lucy

[ nav ] [ masterlist ] [ skz ] [ itzy ] ©bangbaby

[platoniclokiimagines]

Okay so imagine that reader and Loki haven’t been friends for that long but they’d still die for each other you know? And they seem like a softie who could never hurt a fly let alone a person right? So there’s an attack on the city while Loki and reader are out and he’s all concerned for them but suddenly they bust out these killer moves and he’s just ???? And the reader actually turns out to be a badass mutant who can control the elements but they just like to stay peaceful unless provoked

WC: 931

TW: none

A/N: This is kind of short because I forgot until 10pm that today is an upload day. Also, it’s roughly, at best, proofread, so if there’s any grammar or spelling errors…. *gestures vaguely* Please enjoy, regardless~

In the short time that you had both known each other, youand Loki had become fast friends.

It had just so happened that the both of you showed uparound the same time at the compound, and so both of you had sort of had to learnthe ropes at the same time, so while everyone else was already ahead of thegame and knew what they were doing, the two of you got to work together and goto “Avenger classes,” as Thor lovingly called them.

Which basically just meant that the two of you had to getlectures from each of the Avengers about what to do and what not to do on the job.

It was good information to have, and you did try to take notes at the beginning,but you couldn’t not get distractedby the magic Loki would use out of sheer boredom to entertain themself, and bythe end of the first day, you were thick as thieves, and the rest was history.

Once you were a couple months out of lessons, you were declaredon official probationary duty. Glorified Steve speak for being given a trialrun, should anything ever happen in your near vicinity when you were out andabout.

It just so happened that one afternoon, while the two of youwere having lunch on the sidewalk of a small café, the sudden sounds ofscreaming and terror filled the air, and you turned around to see peoplerunning away from the direction of a nearby street corner and, after a sharedglance with Loki, the both of you stood, food forgotten as you ran against thecurrent of everyone trying to get out of the way.

It didn’t take long for you to spot what, or rather who, wasthe cause. Someone flying by on some kind of hovering board looked to bethrowing bombs of some sort into the windows of the buildings along the street,causing pure chaos and havoc.

“That looks…”

“Terrible?”

“…in a word.” Loki didn’t turn to look at you as they spoke,instead trying to gauge what direction the person on the board was going to flynext. “We need to get that board out of the air.”

You couldn’t help but to grin. This would be easy for you.

“I got it. Just make sure people got out of here safely.”

Before Loki could answer, you took off after the figure onthe hoverboard, and after a moment, you heard Loki directing the people aroundthem to keep running away from you. With a loud crash, you realized thatanother bomb had been thrown, and you ducked and covered your head amidst theraining debris, grateful that most of what hit you wasn’t large enough to doany damage or be a deterrent.

With a quiet huff, you pushed yourself back up to your feet,and looked back up at the sky, watching the hoverboard dart back and forthacross the sky, the person aboard it yelling something you couldn’t quite makeout from where you were.

Taking a deep breath to ground yourself, you shifted so youwere braced better, hands held out from you as you closed your eyes and focusedall of your energy, until you felt the wind pick up around you and heard theforce of it whipping your hair around.

When you opened your eyes again, there a small tornadobefore you, and with little more effort than it took to flex your hands, theygrew in size, and you waved a hand, sending it toward the hoverboard and smilingto yourself when you heard a panicked yelp as they desperately tried to steeraway from you,

But there was no escape, and within seconds, you had caughtthe board up in the vortex you had produced, and you jerked both hands towardyou, sending the hoverboard, and whoever was on it, crashing down a few feet infront of you.

You worked fast, you knew you had to, and ran toward the hooded figure, ready for a fight, andthat was just what you got. While you’d never really showcased it during training, you were quite adept when it came tohand-to-hand combat, and while the offender put up quite the fight, they wereno match for you, and it took very little time for you to have them knockedout.

“…that’s new.”

You looked over to see Loki watching you, eyebrows raised asthey regarded you.

“When were you going to tell me you could do…” They paused,and gestured their hands vaguely in front of them. “…all that?”

You huffed out a laugh, and swiped your sleeve across yourforehead to soak up some sweat. “First of all, that wasn’t new. I’ve always been able to do that.”

Loki continued to regard you skeptically. “…I’ve never seenyou do it before.”

You shrugged. “I prefer not to, unless I really, really haveto.”

Loki narrowed their eyes a bit, trying to read you like theyusually did with everyone else on the team. “…smart. An ace up your sleeve. That’sa smart move.”

You grinned. “I know it is.” You looked back down at themotionless heap on the ground. “You wanna be useful and help me get this guy tothe compound.”

“Useful?! What doyou call getting everyone to safety?” Loki’s voice was comically shrill in sheer offense, and it made you laugh.

“A job well done. Now, come on.”

Loki didn’t stop grumbling the entire trip back to thecompound.

[thesanguinepaladin]

1. Are you named after anyone?

A: Yeah, the only girl in the Bible with an i name. She's basically a footnote, but she's there.

2. When was that last time you cried?

A: Right now (0100 on the morning of the 26th, if you must know) because I messed up a work-thing.

3. Do you have kids?

A: Only if 4 cats and a teenage lesbian who decided I'm her 4th mom count.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

A: Not unless I'm really upset about something, and not to the face whoever/whatever upset me; I find that saying things I don't mean can poison the times that I *do* mean what I say.

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

A: I used to play football in elementary for a little while, and then I played a season of American football in middle school. I was bad at it. Hoping to get into HEMA when I can get myself to do it.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

A: Probably how queer/queer-accepting they're likely to be, along with how they speak. The noises people make matter to me a lot.

7. What is your eye colour?

A: I've seen blues, hints of green, stormy darkened greys, and most recently my gf called them "steel blue", if that answers the question.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

A: Happy endings, in part because I cannot handle hopeless endings where there's no path for redemption; the world as I see it is dark enough, and futile struggling to a gruesome end or, worse, an identity death and/or complete loss of autonomy? Hellish. Horrifying. There is no greater evil.

9. Any special talents?

A: I've got proficiency in simple and martial weapons, I know how to pick a lock, and I apparently have a soothing aura. Oh, and I can learn new skills rather well and quickly.

10. Where were you born?

A: In a hospital on a Wednesday

11. What are your hobbies?

A: I like gaming and reading books, be they about dragons, yuri, or the horrors. I also dabble in artwork, singing, swordplay, carpentry, smithing, and generally anything adventurous. Also kissing pretty girl.

12. Do you have any pets?

A: Yes, 4 cats by the names Twilight Sparkle, Loki, Scout, and St. Ragnarok Danger (Ranger for short).

13. How tall are you?

A: 5'6" now, though I used to be 5'9" before HRT.

14. Favourite subject in school?

A: Maths were fun enough but easy, history was rarely taught in a meaningful way that taught the lessons learned but was good when that did happen, shop classes were extremely satisfying though rarely held much challenge, theology was intriguing but I kept getting the answer "ask a priest" when I'd have questions, English was too easy in grammar and literature's timelines hurt me, foreign language was awesome but felt slow, and sciences always had such beautiful vaults of information and teachers happy to help me connect what I learned with what I knew.

15. Dream job?

A: I would love to be an adventurer of some sort, like a paladin, if it were possible in this reality. Perhaps a teacher of some sort, otherwise, or a fun lesbian aunt, were that a job.

I offer a torch unto @panek-at-the-disco, @regulusmasamune, @handsomejackrussell, and @holosuite, should they wish.

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

I was tagged by @oh-goodness-loki - TYSM dear!!!

1. Are you named after anyone? No... my Mom liked the name. (I hate it btw, and have taken on another in day-to-day life.)

2. When was the last time you cried? The other day, watching "For all mankind" (which is better than I had thought it would be?!)

3. Do you have kids? A daughter.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? MEEEEEE???? ^^

5. What sports do you play/have played? I used to ride. Stopped when I got pregnant.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people? Whether they hold eye-contact, maybe?

7. What's your eye color? Dark brown.

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Depends. I don't like torture movies, but I do not like overly saccharine stuff either. Aliens as a prime example for both?! :)

9. Any special talents? Errr.... I used to have a lyrical soprano... wanted to be an opera singer once upon a time.

10. Where were you born? Skipping, sorry.

11. What are your hobbies? Reading, video games, music, vampires. I also read a lot.

12. Do you have pets? I have a cat, Mo.

13. How tall are you? 5'4"

14. Favorite subject in school? Biology and philosophy

15. Dream job? Not sure. I used to love my job a lot, but now it's more and more meetings and... well.

Tagging:

@prigorie @isabellehemlock @lynnenne, @thefairylights @slutaciouslestat @inkyblotposts @burstingbone @blackgirlasis @alcassin @shashiatnight @anannua @dreamofme9 @danissa10 @redversaillesrose @onlymywishfulthinking ... and whoever wants to!

(Feel free to ignore this if you don't want to, obviously^^)

[toloveawarlord]

Ch. 2

Pairing: Clari Bright x Loki Genetta

Taggging: @thetwinkims​ @youreawizardharr​ @starry-starry-night24​ @chaosangel767​ @stardust-dreamer13​

A/N: Clari has such an interesting story to me. She’s like a little nancy drew.

Focusing on school was increasingly difficult. Listening to the teachers drone on about numbers or grammar was mind numbingly boring. All that was on the youngest Bright’s mind was the letter sent to her over a week ago. Since then, she’d heard nothing from the sender.

The open notebook in front of her held no notes on the current history lesson, instead filled with all her theories and known information. She hadn’t fulfilled her end of the dare. Edgar hadn’t returned or written, which wasn’t unusual. Besides, Clari was well aware that he was trying to placate her interest in the case by only pretending to let her help.

He’d divulged no useful information. She’d irritated Jonah far too much for him to spill anything, and he’d likely not let her anywhere near King Lancelot. Zero was too close to her brother, and the other chosen thirteen wouldn’t disobey their superior officer. All except for the resident drunk doctor, who might be willing to speak with her after a long night of drinking.

Whoever was behind the game, they must be keeping tabs on her. She’d been given no instructions on how to contact and relay what she obtained from the army. It made her confident that the group was watching her. Her current theory was that there was a group. It’d be much too difficult for a single person to pull off this grand scale of an operation.

Trust absolutely no one.

Teachers and students. Both were equally suspect.

“Miss Bright, if you weren’t my number one student, I’d be forced to reprimand you for daydreaming during my lecture,” Professor Dean said, having tired of watching the girl stare at her notebook for the last ten minutes. He’d dismissed the class over fifteen minutes ago.

“It’s not a new topic for me. No one else in your classes lived with you for four years, except me.” Clari flipped the notebook closed, tucking it away in her bag. Although she didn’t always like his methods, Clari enjoyed learning from him. Dean took time out of his busy schedule to teach her, care for her.

Dean was like the father she never had.

“I’ll assume you’re involved somehow with the student disappearances. I don’t approve of you putting yourself in unnecessary danger.” On more than one occasion had the young Bright gotten tangled up in a mystery, and the professor had treated many wounds incurred. Whip smart, but ever too incautious. When Edgar asked for his assistance on that stormy night, he’d no idea how much worry she’d cause him.

Her sour expression confirmed her involvement.

There wasn’t anyone off her list of suspects, except him. But Clari knew that she couldn’t risk confiding him, because he wouldn’t aid her in keeping secrets from her brother. “Edgar only asked me to ask around. I’m taking a simple, passive role.”

“Yes. I’m sure that’s all you are doing.” Dean folded his arms across his chest, looking much a father scolding his daughter. The temptation to solve it on her own was too strong for her. It always was.

Clari pushed her chair under the desk, avoiding his gaze. “I’ll stay out of trouble. I promise.” She didn’t wait for him to reply, but she felt his eyes following her all the way out of the classroom. Thankfully, he hadn’t confiscated her notebook. It would be easy to recreate but if Edgar got a hold of it, then he’d be aware of her invitation to the game.

“Clari! Did you hear?”

Ah, her three favorite words.

A fake surprised expression was plastered across her features. “I won’t know unless you tell me.” Gossip spread through the school quicker than the common cold. It all reached her ears within time.

“Natalie told Dylan who told Grace that Marco Delanie received one of the black envelopes. He immediately turned it over to that Red Army officer who was posted here. Do you know what the dare was? No one’s seen him since lunch.”

Jade irises flickered out the window, settling on the officer at the front gates. It’d be impossible to see the contents. Clari was sure that Edgar had ordered no contact with her. He’ll deal with her directly, keeping the flow of information under his control.

Likely the army took the boy into custody as well.

“Not yet,” Clari answered. Sometimes, she lied about knowing things before actually finding the information, but this wasn’t that kind of situation. The underclassman could be testing her, or would spread lies about her, tarnishing her reputation.

However, there was one source that she could coerce into giving her what she wanted. All she need do was wait.

                                                      << << <<

Dorm curfew had long passed, but the young Bright had memorized all the best escape routes. No monitor had ever caught her, nor any professor working late hours. She had her brother to thank for teaching her how to be stealthy. He probably regretted it.

“You could use the front door, little princess. I don’t need unsavory rumors of a minor so close to my alcohol,” Dum chastised, counting the coins left from the patron stumbling toward the door. He couldn’t say he’d ever seen her come in the proper way, and yet he hadn’t fixed the faulty latch on the window in the backroom, either.

Clari slipped around him with a cheeky grin. “You know I don’t drink. It makes everything hazy, and I can’t afford to be impaired while working a case.” She spied her target across the room, already incredibly intoxicated, in perfect condition for her to manipulate him.

Patrons tended to pay notice to who walked through the door, loose lips gossiping with ease. Her whereabouts couldn’t be broadcast across Cradle. All it took was one person muttering about her for Edgar to hear.

There were pros and cons to being from a prominent Red Territory family.

“I’m not s’posed to talk to you,” Kyle said as the teenager sat on the stool across from him. His mind wasn’t clear, but nothing could erase the scary smile on his superior’s features when he was ordered to avoid her.

“Since when do you listen to him? Besides, I haven’t even said what I want.”

Kyle gulped down the remainder of his pint, wiping away the foam mustache with the back of his hand. “I can’t, Clari-berry. And there’s nothing you can say-” His words caught in his throat when she produced an exorbitant sack of coins.

“All the drinks you want tonight in exchange for the dare written in Marco’s letter.” Bribing him was almost too easy. Drunk Kyle only desired to have more drinks, and it was about the hour that he was forced to leave due to lack of funds. He was a simple man.

And it clearly tempted him.

“Where did you get that much money?” A distraction question.

“I’m a Bright. I have money.”

Kyle waggled his finger at her. “Noo, Edgar has money. You don’t get access to the family funds until you’re an adult. It’s a Red tradition.” Although born into wealth, they were limited in how much they could use until adulthood. Kyle couldn’t comprehend where Clari had gotten more than his monthly pay from the army.

“I’m supposed to be helping with this case, you know. I only need the dare to compare the linguistics. Professor Dean agreed to help me search for speech patterns. Maybe it’ll help figure out if the sender is a student.”

Sometimes, Clari even surprised herself with her ability to think quickly on the spot.

She didn’t have Dean assisting her, but it would be advantageous to compare the wording of the letters. Clari even had a key to Dean’s office in the boarding school, courtesy of her stealing it and having a copy made when she’d first started living with him. At the time, she’d only done it to see if she was capable.

Kyle hummed in response. “Just what the dare was?”

“That’s all, I swear.”

He conceded, finding no reason to not tell her since Professor Dean was involved. He’d surely keep her out of trouble. “We dare you to sacrifice a friend to the flames.” His features scrunched with confusion. “We aren’t sure what it means, exactly. I can’t fathom the kid setting a friend on fire.”

Obviously, the dare wasn’t meant to be taken literally.

But the meaning was likely personal to Marco.

“You should ask him what flames mean to him. Maybe he knows why they dared that.” If he asked, her brother would find out and prompt him to seek her out. Possibly only to scold her for manipulating Kyle, but at least he’d come to her. They could have a proper conversation.

“That would be possible if we knew his whereabouts. After turning over the letter, Marco disappeared.”

Huh?

The statement took a moment to register. The Red Army didn’t have custody of Marco? Clari plucked a fry off the pile that had long turned cold on the plate, plopping it into her mouth to keep the grin off her lips. Marco was up for grabs. Whoever found him first would be ahead in the game.

And Clari hated to lose.

[melodysunwritten]

get to know me <3

infp :)

taurus 

they/them pronouns but you can use he/him if your more comfortable with that

3 characters that make up my personality: loki(mcu) , reggie(jatp) , kai parker(tvd) 

hufflepuff? but i show a lot of Slytherin traits 

grammar= horrible stopped paying attention to grammar lessons in second grade/year so grammar correct sites save my life

theater kid ofc 

i don’t really know what to add so enjoy this

[iamanartichoke]

six sentence sunday

In which I always post more than six sentences, but whatever. From my untitled, still kind of half-developed, one-shot thing: 

The corners of Loki’s mouth quirk upward a bit. “You do realize,” he says, as he begins to rummage through the card pile between them, slender fingers skimming along the smooth backs of the cards, “that this is a ridiculous game, don’t you?” 

“It’s funner when you’re drunk, I think,” Thor says with a grin as he reaches for the bottle of whiskey. 

Loki rolls his eyes. “Funner?” 

“More fun.” Thor makes a face. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was several centuries ago and you’re correcting me in our daily lessons.” 

“It’s not my fault you can’t grasp a concept as simple as grammar.” Loki coolly flips through his cards. “Queen of hearts?”

For the record, they are playing Go Fish. 

[anki-of-beleriand]

Bad Liar ch.8

Summary: Life is about lessons, and Wanda has been learning some harsh facts that had define her life and taken her to a place in which she was given a second chance. Then, all of a sudden, she meets you, and she realizes why it's easier to lie to yourself than to accpet what's right in front of her.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff/ Female!reader - America/Kate - Mentions of past Vision/Wanda - past Natasha/Reader - Some Female!Reader/Carol Danvers

Warnings: Slow burn - slightly Enemies to friends to lovers - Mentions of abusive relationships - Toxic relationships - angst - drama - mentions of abuse - idiots in love - homophobia - more tags as the story progress.

Author's note: Here is a new chapter and Reader and Wanda are getting closer, Reader puts an end to her confusion and the past is at Rader's doorstep.

As always, English is no my mother tongue, so please forgive the grammar, spelling and funny mistakes!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18

Chapter 8

Breaking the past

The sun had a way to sneak inside her room, the light rays of light projecting hues of colour with a welcoming warmth that soothed her to sleep again. The memories of childhood days spent in bed, trying to sleep in before being taken away from the comfort of her bed and made to be an avid participant in the house chores. Wanda fluttered her eyes open to see the time gleaming from the digital clock in her bedside table. 

9 am. 

She smiled knowing the twins must be asleep as well, Saturdays had become one her favourite days of the week. It was a time in which she could spend time with her children, she was able to read and to paint, to do all the things she had denied herself for too long. But that particular morning, her smile was brighter, and the fluttering butterflies at the pit of her stomach were a memory of your words the night before. 

I was hoping you would come to my place and we could have lunch together. 

Wanda felt a tug on her heart, she closed her eyes for a brief moment only to see your smile from the night before. She never imagined that spending time with you would result in her having so much time, or in you being a complete child while taking the kids with you to form a team during the game. She had seen a part of you that had melted away her heart and her resolution. Wanda turned to her back glancing at the ceiling with her heart speeding at the memory of the kiss you placed on her cheek. 

But before she could delve even more in the memory, before she allowed the sweet, tortuous tingling in her body to travel down to her crotch, there was a knock on her door. Wanda sat almost right away, her eyes going big with anticipation, she spoke before she could stop herself with a voice heavy with sleep and confusion. 

“Who is it?” Wanda winced, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity. She tried to stand up before the door was opened but it was late. 

There standing by the door were the twins, they were holding one white rose in their hands and some superhero mugs with big smiles, behind them you were carrying a tray filled with eggs, bread, coffee and orange juice. 

The world came to a halt. 

Wanda observed the scene trembling like a leaf. Her breath caught on her throat, her eyes going from her children to you then back to them. She opened her mouth and closed it again, but there was nothing she could say without breaking up and giving into panic and tears. 

“Hey, sorry, they called America, but she stayed over at Loki’s place and America called me and… Well, you were asleep, and they were hungry, and I thought that you may need the sleep and…”

The twins snickered entering the room slowly, the both of them offered the white rose to Wanda who took them with trembling hands. The look in her eyes cut off you babbling, and you regretted doing what you just did. You had overstepped quite foolishly, assuming whatever had happened last night was an open invitation to… to be a freaking stalker or something equally awful. 

“Mommy, Y/N made pancakes like dinosaurs!”

“And we played, and helped her, and she let us pick the flowers!”

“Mommy, Y/N told us that we could watch the whole Jurassic Park movie on her TV, can we go?”

“You like the pretty flowers, Mommy?”

Wanda was bombarded by two hyperactive twins waiting patiently to Wanda 

You kicked yourself for just barging in the other woman's home without even asking, for thinking that perhaps this was okay. You and Wanda were not friends. Or, were you? 

Your trail of thoughts was cut short by a warm hand on yours. Wanda offered a trembling smile, she opened her mouth and then closed it again. 

“I… I…”Wanda snorted, shaking her head. “You didn't have to do this.”

You tilted your head holding onto the tray, it was true you didn't have to do it. You did it because you wanted to, because you hadn't stopped thinking about Wanda. Because you woke up thinking you could have kissed her the night before. 

“I just… I'm shocked, I've never had breakfast in bed.” She said, trying to ease out the uncomfortable silence in the room. 

“Never?” You asked incredulously, Wanda shook her head and just as you were to say something else Billy came forward speaking loudly. 

“Daddy said mommies didn't deserve breakfast and they should be serving us.” Billy made up a face sulking a little. “But Balder told us that his dad serves breakfast to his mommy… Because he loves her…”

Tommy placed his hand on his chin, pursing his lips while glancing up at where you were standing frozen in place after such a revelation. 

“Do you love mommy?” Tommy finally asked, and it was his question what broke the uncomfortable tension in the room.

Your face turned in a mask of reds and disbelief, while Wanda was just as mortified as you. The twins, blissfully ignorant of what they had just done, went back to crawl inside Wanda's bed and turned the TV on. 

Wanda was afraid to lift her gaze and discover disgust in your face, perhaps to find you looking at her as if Vision had been right all along. You don't deserve to eat, dear, last night I wasn't satisfied as I should be and you have to make it up to me today. 

You cleared your throat stepping closer with a grin in place. Your eyes gleamed warmly, tilting your head to catch those green irises in yours. 

“Well, boys, mommies deserve breakfast in bed every single day of the week.” You declared casually. “You guys love your mommy, right?”

Wanda's heart shrank with emotion when the twins exclaimed a loud yes, you were now dangerously close to her. 

“Then, it is obvious that she needs her breakfast.” You cleared your throat once more and this time around Wanda did look up to see you before her. “Let me make sure you have your first warm breakfast in bed, Wands.”

For a brief moment, you and Wanda stared into one another's eyes without any need to break into explanations. You were not asking for them, and Wanda was too afraid to say something and scared you away. The young woman fixed her position in bed, and you soon placed the trail on her lap. You offered a quick smile nodding to the twins and the tray. 

“Now, Wands, you go ahead and eat while you watch some cartoons with the children.”

“Cartoons?” Wanda asked amusedly, whatever nervousness she was experimenting with was diminished by your comment. The twins nodded watching as you surf the channels looking for some good cartoons. 

“Yes, Saturday mornings are mornings of cartoons and sleeping in until you can't take bed anymore.” You winked at her, and Wanda melted at the sight. 

She was foolish not to think that this was nothing more than a friendly gesture, and Wanda knew later on she would need to provide explanations about the comments made by Billy. But at the moment she could give in the moment, enjoyed the warm meal and the familiarity of the scene. 

Soon you found something Billy and Tommy asked for and the room filled with the sound of paw patrol. You smirked at Wanda who winced lightly while Tommy and Billy were hooked from the start. 

“And, what are you supposed to do now?” Wanda asked teasingly, you stood there for a moment putting the rose you had in your back pocket out and placing it on the tray. “Are you going to stay with us?”

Wanda tried to make it sound casual, as if she was just teasing you. But the air left her lungs when you leaned in, your eyes locked on hers, twinkling with an emotion that made Wanda's heart jump in her throat and her core tremble with longing. 

“Now you enjoy and later on I will wait for you at my place for lunch.”

“Stay.” Wanda said before she could stop herself, she opened her eyes, lowering her gaze. “I mean… You're here now, so you could have breakfast and…”

You chuckled winking at her, “perhaps at another time. Right now I have to run some errands and I want to make sure Billy and Tommy are okay before you wake up.”

“Thank you.” Wanda mumbled, you waved away her words walking backwards with a grin adorning your features. 

“Don't mention it, it was my pleasure. See you later, Wands.”

You almost crashed against the threshold, cursing lowly while hearing the snort of amusement from Wanda. Blushing lightly you shook your head and exited the room before you could do or say something that would put you in the spotlight. 

Wanda was left with her children, the food was warm and her stomach grumbled reminding her that she had been angry when waking up. 

“Okay, guys, I need you to tell me why you call America again.” Wanda finally asked, turning to Billy first then to Tommy. 

The twins took their attention away from the TV looking at Wanda. 

“She is cool, Mommy.” Billy said as if that was the best argument in the world. 

“I know she is, Billy, but she probably was asleep at home and she has things to do.” Wanda tried to reason with them, it was not the first time they had done this and Wanda was starting to think this could be bothering you and America at some point. 

“I like America and Y/N.” Tommy said, leaning closer to Wanda. “They make mommy smile.”

Billy nodded in agreement, “mommy, you like them too?”

Wanda flushed at the question, she pressed her lips together and decided to stuff her mouth with pancakes instead of answering that particular question. She let her thoughts run rampant, her body tingling with anticipation for the lunch time to be there already. 

__________________

Laughter filled the room, reverberating deep inside her soul at the sight before her.

Billy and Tommy were on the floor, holding onto their stomachs while laughter erupted from them with a young woman poking at them while a grown adult kept on making noises while the voice on the phone demanded seriousness. Wanda sat on the dark blue chair in the corner, she was closer to the fireplace and the window, the rain falling freely right outside the house. If anyone had asked her a couple of months ago the changes she had experimented in her life, she would have thought them crazy. Wanda had never considered herself strong, or even extraordinary, and quite frankly she never thought she would make it out of Vision’s grasp; when the time came for her to make decisions, it came as a surprised just how strong she really was. How ready she was to start fighting for who she was, and what she wanted.

Leaning back against the cushioned back of the chair, Wanda chuckled at the sight of Billy and Tommy enjoying themselves without a care in the world. Her green eyes flickered briefly from Billy and Tommy to America, the young woman was grinning like mad while putting the mobile away before turning the TV on, her soothing voice and clear wording made it impossible for the twins to ignore her. Wanda had seen the growing affection between her children and their babysitter, how that young woman had come over their lives and help the twins out of their scary shell.

For a moment, Wanda kept her eyes on a single spot between the twins and America. She was fighting over with her thoughts, the fluttering in her heart made her tingled until fluttering butterflies awoke at the pit of her stomach. Without any excuses to keep her eyes away from you, she let her green stare to fall upon your relaxed form on the floor.

You were resting your back against the sofa, one leg on the floor and the other bend slightly towards your chest. Your face was a mask of pure relaxation, there was a soft trace of flush on your cheeks and those eyes were completely soft and warmth as they focused on the children. Not for a single moment had you shown any disgust or exasperation against the twins, you were not even bored after answer a million questions and then telling them stories about yours and America’s younger days. 

Wanda held her hands closer to her chest, her heart twisted inside her chest making her experiment a spark of longing. Wanda longed for this to be her life, and just for that brief moment, Wanda could pretend this was her life. With Billy, Tommy, with America and with…with you.

But just as this thought sneaked inside her mind, she shook it away with panic rising inside her mind. It was impossible! She was not attracted to women, and she most certainly was not attracted to you! She couldn’t! She shouldn’t! And thus, she would bury those emotions and forget all about them. With time, Wanda knew she would realize this was just her way of developing friendships. Right? 

“Woah, earth to Wanda? Earth to Wanda!!” 

You were waving your hand in front of her face, the young woman shook her head blushing profusely with you just a few inches away from her grinning amusedly. Wanda could tell everyone had her attention on her, and she just hoped she had not been staring at you in an obvious way.

“I thought you want to either hit me or kiss me for the way you were looking at me.” You teased shaking your head in triumph when Wanda winced mortified.

“I wanted to hit you…” She stated through gritted teeth, you chuckled leaning back.

“Keep telling yourself that, Princess.” You winked at the young woman, before tilting your head back. 

Billy, Tommy, and America were now seated on the sofa watching a movie, and while the rain was still falling right outside your windows, it was no late than four in the afternoon. 

“I was asking you, if you want to start working on the preparations for the festival.” You lowered your gaze furrowing your brows. “We can use the studio and leave them here watching a movie.”

Still shaken by your early comment, Wanda tried to regain her wits before facing you again.

“Yes, I think we could go and work a little, there are a lot of things I would like to ask you about, and perhaps get to know a little better.” Wanda was about to stand up when you stretched out your hand, offering a support for her to take and stand up.

It took her a moment of hesitation before she came into contact with your hand. It felt warm against hers, and your fingertips were soft under her calloused palm. You offered a half smile, Wanda tried to smile back but it came as a grimace making her wince at her lack of decor to actually return such a simple gesture. Wanda thought you would let go as soon as she had stood up, but instead you took her hand in yours guiding her through the living room down the dinning room to the hall leading a to a single white door.

“My dad built his mancave in the basement.” You started explaining while going down the stairs with Wanda following close behind. “It became the studio for everyone in the house since he was incapable of being alone for far too long. He started bringing my toys and my things as well as some of America’s or even mom’s stuff.”

“This place is huge.” Wanda couldn’t help but admire the room, it had been well-adapted and there was no humidity or coldness sneaking inside the place. 

It had a single desk in the far corner, with a lamp and a laptop. There were a couple of inflatable chairs, a sofa bed, and a couple of futons; on the wall there was a TV and Wanda could see three different gamer consoles with the respective controls. This really had become more than a studio and more like a game room inside the house, and whenever America and her friends were up for a sleepover this was the place they stayed in

You were standing at the bottom of the stairs, scratching the back of your neck waiting for Wanda to say something. The young woman walked around the place, her eyes following the different patterns, the furniture, and then to the pictures decorating one of the walls. In there she could see the pictures of your younger self with your parents, some of you and your friends, and then America and her friends. Wanda softened slightly, her eyes falling into one picture that had a baby America clinging to you, behind the both of you were your parents smiling happily at the picture. For all your bravado, and rudeness, these were the glimpses of the real you that Wanda found endearing; she turned around to see you fidgeting near the stairs, as if you had been waiting her approval. 

There was a single moment in which she found herself looking directly into your eyes. You were trying to hold yourself in a casual manner, trying always to look as compose and in control as you presented yourself most of the time. But right now, you were just nervous and Wanda couldn’t help but think you were looking cute, and apart of her was hoping perhaps, this sudden nervous trait of yours was because of her.

“This is a game room, you know that, right?” Wanda finally exclaimed, her lips curling slightly. “And it looks like the playground of a 15-year-old teen.”

You crunched up your nose lifting your finger, “now look here, this is a pretty decent game room, and it fits the needs of a couple of orphans that wanted to make this a good place to play.”

Wanda chuckled making her way to the laptop, you followed her soon after sitting down on your favourite chair while putting your mobile out. 

“We haven’t changed anything, you know?” You finally revealed, Wanda took a seat right beside you tilting her head with curiosity. “I mean, this is how dad decorated it. Sure, we added some things, and some pictures and games but…dad decorated it himself. He…he was a 15-year-old at heart.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—” Wanda started but you stopped her waving your hand away.

“Oh, no, no, don’t worry, I just…you made me remember that discussion with mom.” You shrugged then. “I think, America and I never thought of changing this one room, the rest of the house has to go through some renewals, but this place…our last movie night was in this room. I think we never thought this place needs changing.”

It was the first time Wanda saw the vulnerability in you, the way your words tinged with sorrow and nostalgia, how your eyes held onto the glistening tears while your lips quirked upwards. You turned to Wanda, and in there she could see a strong woman that had been dealing with more chaos that she let on. Wanda hesitated for a moment before placing her warm hand on top of yours, her own features softening to offer you a single smile.

“It looks incredible, you know? I think that it really suits you and America.” 

You snorted nodding before looking away, “so, let’s get to work then, I have a couple of ideas that may work for this occasion.”

Wanda accepted the sudden change of topic with a short nod, but she didn’t miss the smile playing on your lips or the closeness you two were sharing at the moment. The young woman turned to the laptop to a word document you just opened, ready to start working. 

“So, what shall we do?”

Wanda chuckled with her cheeks warming up, she too turned to the laptop opening her mouth to start sharing the ideas that had been in her mind for a couple of days. Your fingers moving fast on the keyboard, your own ideas being brought upfront until you and her engaged in a conversation you would replay in your mind for days to come.

___________________

Time passed by so quickly, by the time you decided to look at your watch it read 9 p.m.

Rain had stopped a long time ago, and the noise from upstairs came muffled by the close door of the basement. You were laughing at some silly story Wanda had told you about her twin, and the young woman was just grinning at the sight of your own smile. While you had never doubt Wanda was smart, this was the very first time you shared a conversation with the woman; her quick wit, alongside her opinions and her own ideas let her shine with a light of her own. She was not only smart, but also funny and soon you found yourself wanting to continue with the conversation, to not let go of the fuzzy shivering of your heart just as Wanda gestured with her hands, speaking excitedly about the arrangements in the main hall of Stark’s compound.

And while you seemed completely hooked by the woman sitting in front of you, Wanda was not in a better position.

It had been far too long since she allowed herself to get closer to anyone that was not pre-approved by Vision. She had almost forgotten what it was to give her opinion and to actually share her thoughts and her knowledge in a conversation. You were not only smart but funny, and while you and her thought differently on many topics, you were always up for a negotiation and a well-thought argument that Wanda loved to retort only to see your eyebrow twitched, and then the glint of disbelief in your eyes. It had been so long since Wanda allowed herself to be this close to anyone, to actually leaned in just to get closer to another person without breaking the distance to steal a kiss.

Wanda found herself relaxing into the banter, and as the night progressed she found herself longing. What for? She was scared to even go behind the answer to such a question. And still, she hoped for you to just do something and ended with her misery and her uncertainty. Of course, as soon as these thoughts flourish in her mind, another darker one came in, and soon she found the face of Carol Danvers sneaking in just to remind Wanda you were already taken.

Her eyes flickered down to her feet, her heart tugging painfully in her chest. She felt tears pricking at her eyes, while her stomach dropped at the memory of you kissing the blond-haired woman, of that woman holding onto you in the Stark event. 

“Hey, you okay?” Your hand rested tentatively on top of hers, Wanda let her green eyes focused on the hands before she nodded curtly.

“Yes, sorry I just…” She tried to explain herself, the tears just rolling slowly making her felt like an idiot. She was about to speak when your fingertips wipe the tears away.

You were frowning deeply, Wanda found herself lost in your eyes and the honest concern she saw written in them. 

“Wands…” You started but Wanda just shook her head standing up, she put on her best smile stretching her right hand to grab yours.

“Come, I think we need a tea or something, and the kids have been far to silent for my taste…” 

Your frown deepened, but you decided to not make a comment about it. You grabbed Wanda’s hand in yours and soon you were following her close behind, her hand was warm against yours, your heart beating painfully in your chest. The first floor was in complete darkness, the only light coming from the living room that had the TV on, a movie was playing there, and on the sofa were Billy, Tommy and America, all snuggled up covered by a blanket and pillows to make it comfortable.

Wanda stopped on her tracks, her face softening at the sight.

She let go of you, stepping closer to the sofa and brushing Tommy’s hair away. The boy sighed turning slightly to snuggle closer to America, Billy was sprawled on the free space, and America had her hand wrapped protectively around to child’s knee. The whole scene was overwhelming to Wanda, the peace in her children’s face, the fact she could just let go of her worries knowing they were safe, that she was safe…

It was overwhelming.

Wanda never thought she would get to where she was at the moment, she never thought the day she met you that she would allow you to engulf her in a hug letting her sob for a moment. You stood there, making soothing circles on the young woman’s back not really knowing what to say, but making sure Wanda was following into the kitchen.

You sat Wanda down on the chair, turning towards the stove to start heating the water for the tea. The room was in complete silence, Wanda let her hand covered her face for what seemed an eternity until she gathered enough courage to start talking.

“You must think I’m weird, that I’m just this crazy person that doesn’t know how to keep her emotions in check.” Wanda blurted out glancing at the counter while wriggling her hands. “We were just having a good time, and I come and mess it up by crying and acting like an idiot.”

You stopped what you were doing, for a brief moment your back was still turned towards Wanda until you turned around facing the other woman.  Wanda never looked up, but you didn’t need her too, not yet anyway.

“I think you are amazing, Wands.” You leaned back against the sink, your hands resting on the table. “But I guess, your life has not been easy.”

Wanda snorted bitterly, her arms wrapping around herself, she had not forgotten about Billy’s comment early that morning, Wanda knew you had listened to it as if that wasn’t enough, you had also seen the scars in Tommy’s back. You had seen her at her most vulnerable, after the party thrown for the school; Wanda was afraid to look into your eyes and discover disgust in your eyes. She was afraid to actually find in those eyes understanding, and sympathy…

The world around her froze in time, a pair of fingers placed tenderly under her chin. Wanda felt the air on her lungs tangled in her throat, she trembled to her very core when her eyes found yours in a single stare. Whatever she expected to find in your glance, it was certainly not the warmth emotion filled with affection and something she could not name. You smiled at her, your hand brushing lightly on her skin before putting a strand of hair behind her ear.

“We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.” Your voice was soft, Wanda shivered shaking her head afraid to break the moment.

“I left my husband a couple of months ago.” She whispered placing her hand on your wrist. “He was not good to me or my children, and I just knew I have to leave before anything bad happen.”

It was not the whole truth, and Wanda felt bad at not being completely honest with you but in reality she was not ready to tell you the full story. How her life and that of the twins had been in danger, that the last time he had hit Wanda she was left to dead and taken to the hospital after Vision realized she could actually die. That he had used a cord from the television to hit Tommy on his back, and then had broken Billy’s arm. That he had threatened to kill the twins and then used Wanda like a breeding stock to keep her by his side.

Wanda was not ready to tell you, of all people, these things. 

You opened your mouth wanting to ask something, anything, but you decided there was nothing else you needed to know. It is not my story to tell. 

Natasha had said to you once, and now that you were looking into Wanda’s face, you realized, it was a story that the other woman needed to be ready to tell. You pressed your lips together, taking your hand away while stepping back a little.

“I’m sorry, Wanda.” You said the first thing that came to mind. 

Wanda broke into a bitter smile, her mirthless laughter sending shivers down your back.

“People don’t usually know what to say when I tell the story, so it’s fine.” Wanda shrugged turning her back to you. “I’m still getting use to…everything, that’s why I’ve been going to Doctor Hope, and why I ended up here.”

You didn’t need to ask anything else, it was not secret that Natasha was part of a secret group that helped people victims of violence. You had even contributed at some point with money and contacts, but it had never been your forte, your stepmother was the one involved with the group. Knowing that Wanda ended up at your doorstep because of this, because she was running and hiding stirred something deep inside your heart.

You felt the need to protect her and the twins.

“I guess it doesn’t help that I’m an asshole to you most of the time, eh?”

Your commented caught her off guard, and soon Wanda was actually laughing. You joined her sitting on the counter while leaning against your hand. Wanda put her hair away shrugging.

“You were the only one actually being you around me.” She replied. “So, I kind of appreciated you being an asshole, it helped me focus my anger against someone different than me.”

You snorted, bowing mockingly at her.

“I’m always glad to be of service, Princess.” Then, in a moment of inspiration you winked at her and added. “I can always be of some use, and continue being an ass to you, so you have someone to fight with.”

Wanda shook her head, this time around her face transformed into an expression you were far too afraid to decipher. Her eyes gleamed, and her lips broke into an easy smile.

“Even though your proposal is very tempting, I think I like you more now.” Wanda opened her eyes really big she waved her hands stuttering with a full blush on her face; you arched your brows looking at her amusedly.

“Oh, you like me now? Really?” You teased, and she stood up rather fast stepping back making her way to the kettle. 

“Oh, shut it, you know what I mean.” She tumbled over her words, with her back to you to hide away her embarrassment.

“Yes, you mean you like me, woah, Princess I didn’t know you swing that way…” Your laughter died off when the dishcloth she was using hit you in the face. “Hey!”

Wanda rolled her eyes trying to control her flustered cheeks, she mocked glare at you before spreading her arms rather exasperated.

“Can you help me with the tea, please?” She huffed when you chuckled jumping to the floor.

“Sure, Princess, anything you want.” You said winking at her, “after all, this is why you like me…”

“God, you’re impossible.” She mumbled trying to ignore her beating heart, or the grin threatening to break upon her lips.

You chuckled grinning smugly at her, nothing much was said about the topic, you didn’t press for more information and Wanda was just glad to share her story at her own pace. The silence that followed your teasing was one of pure familiarity, with you working alongside Wanda while making sure the tea was served with honey and milk. 

“Have you ever been to Kamar Taj?” Your question came out of the blue, Wanda made a face blinking a couple of times while shrugging.

“Not really…” She answered tentatively not really knowing where this question came from.

“Well, let me show you…” You fumbled with your mobile, the tip of your tongue poking through your lips as you search for the images. “And, let me tell you the story of how America and I got therapy after our parents accident.”

Wanda found herself admiring you from afar, your words held just a tinge of sadness in them, but your eyes gleamed with peace and affection as you located the pictures and started showing them to Wanda. You opened up to her, telling Wanda about Stephen and Cristine, about Tony and Pepper, and how everyone came together for you and your sister.  You were talking excitedly, your hands expanding the sights you had seen in Asia, but Wanda’s eyes had never left your face, or your expressions…She had never stopped looking at you, and if you had been paying attention, you would have noticed the deep affection gleaming in those green eyes.

__________________________________

Monday morning came with more troubles than solutions.

You hit your head on the desk, your assistant huffing in disapproval while she continued with your schedule for the rest of the morning and the afternoon. You had just come to the office after an accident in the production floor, some of the computers had malfunction, and half of the operation had stopped until IT and the facilities team to fix everything up.

The only thing holding you up, was the memory of your weekend. 

Saturday ended with Wanda staying at your home, the twins were fast asleep and it would have been rather dangerous to just carry them in the middle of a cold night to their house. They were warm, and the chilly night could make them sick, or so you reasoned with Wanda; you won the argument, and she slept with the twins on the basement, while America kept on shooting you knowing glances you didn’t even bother to acknowledge.

Then, Sunday came in and Wanda decided to repay your generosity with breakfast. 

Everything had been too damn domestic, and you had woken up on Monday morning panicking. What the hell were you doing? What were you thinking? Wanda was straight as an arrow! She had children! She was married! Sure, her husband was an asshole and no longer in the picture but she was way beyond your league!

She probably didn’t even like women or was curious about being with one! She was probably…

“Really, Y/N, if you’re not going to pay attention to me I’m not going to be here to pass you notes or messages to know what you’re supposed to be talking about.” Maria Hill crossed her arms glaring at you with such intensity you sometimes doubt who was the boss in here.

“Sorry, Maria, I’m…I’m just distracted.”

“No shit, boss.” Maria sighed stepping forward before sitting down. “Spill, I cannot do my job and you certainly can’t do yours if you keep this up, what happened?”

You sighed leaning back on your chair while glancing at the ceiling, you had been an emotional mess all weekend but it only worsened as soon as you woke up that morning and you realized you missed Wanda. Which was completely ridiculous since you had just spent the weekend with her, and it wasn’t even that extraordinary! You both had worked on the preparations for the festival, you had just spent the weekend with a friend and her children. Nothing more.

“I just had the strangest weekend ever.” You mumbled knowing Maria had her brown eyes fixed on you, more than an assistant, Maria had become in your confident whenever you felt the world on your shoulders.

It was a relief, and the woman always had the right words and the right advice for you. She was a good person, and her willingness to usually put up with you was enough to make you trust in her.

“Strangest…how?” She inquired placing her tablet on the table.

You chuckled crowing your hands on your abdomen, tilting your head you locked eyes with her.

“My neighbour, America’s teacher, we…Natasha selected us to organise the Winter Festival for the school,” you shrugged looking away, you missed the flash of recognition in Maria’s stare. “She came home and we just…I don’t know, we just talk and kinda bond…you know?”

Maria cocked a brow not missing for one second your wishful stare, or the inflections on your voice. She had heard from Natasha the strange hate/friendship relationship you had developed with your neighbour. But this was the first time she saw it in action; now Maria understood why Natasha had decided to meddle in it.

“And you bond…physically?” She asked half amused and half exasperated at your reaction.

You jumped startled, your cheeks burning red just as you started stuttering an answer.

“N-no! Of course not!” You shook your head standing up and passing left and right, “I was just…we were just…it was a friendly bond! You know? We talked about ourselves, and our lives and shit like that.”

“Charming.” Maria rolled her eyes once more, she then grabbed her tablet again clearing her throat. “Look, Y/N, I think that you have to wonder why this non-physical bonding with a neighbour you found infuriating is affecting you so much.”

You stopped your passing turning to the window, the sight before you were that of a busy city filled with people coming in and out of the streets. You could feel Maria’s eyes on you, she was waiting for your answer and you knew you needed to concentrate on the oncoming meetings; besides, she was right. Why were you so worked up about the weekend? Why were you so affected?

“I just…I’m not sure.” You dropped your shoulders turning slightly. “What else do I have for today?”

Maria pressed her lips together, she was very tempted to pressing the matter and get more answers out of you. But she had been by your side long enough to know, it would be pointless you were far too confused to actually get into a serious talk. By the time you turned to face her, Maria knew you were in full business mode and whatever had been distracting you was pushed deep inside your mind, avoiding your emotions was something you were very adept at. 

“You have lunch with Carol Danvers.” Maria smirked at your reaction; you winced placing a hand at the nape of your neck. “She actually made it official; we still had some contracting with the government and since she is the new liaison for Camp Davis you couldn’t say no.”

You nodded curtly, knowing the meeting was Carol’s way to get your attention on a topic you had been avoiding for more than a week. When did you relationship with Carol changed so much? Why did it change so much?

“And then, after that you have a business meeting with Edwin Jarvis, you know? The CEO from Vision Enterprise.” Maria furrowed her brows putting up some files. “He is looking to get some investment in AI technology and has some interesting ideas.”

You nodded absentmindedly, your mind still on Carol and Wanda.

“I think I’ve heard of him, Tony mentioned him at some point.” Maria clicked her tongue and this time around you did pay attention to her. “What is it?”

“This individual, he is also being investigated.” She replied softly, your eyes open slightly taking a seat on your chair you leaned forward.

“Go on, what is it? Should I cancel the meeting?” 

Maria pursed her lips before shaking her head.

“He is being investigate for some fraud and industrial espionage.” Maria put the file in front of you, you turned to your screen reading the file she just sent to you. “It seems this is an ongoing matter, but there is also a sealed file about his wife and his children.”

“He sounds like the kind of individual I don’t want to be relate to, Maria.” You pursed your lips reading over the investigation for tax evasion and industrial espionage, the one on his wife and children was left blank and had a seal from the federal government on top of it.

“I know; however, Tony wants you to meet with him.” 

This time around you couldn’t hide your surprised, you cocked your head to the side and then your eyes opened wide in understanding.

“Very well, what do I have to do?”

“I’m so glad that you always catch up once you have your mind out of the gutter.” Maria smirked leaning in while ignoring your sputtering protests.

_______________

The restaurant was packed.

Carol had chosen the restaurant right around the corner of your building, it was an old place filled with golden lights, and white tables with a darkened interior and sweet classical music dancing around the place. It was the home for old and new members of society, and it was the preferred place for the high ranking officers of the military when they wanted to make a good deal.

Your eyes swept the interior trying to locate the woman that was waiting for you, Carol waved at you from the far corner of the restaurant the table for two located it near the window right beside a beautiful fountain made of coloured water. The young woman wore her uniform, the signs that she had been in a formal meeting moments before meeting with you.

“Hey.” You greeted leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek, Carol smiled sweetly at you indicating the chair while calling over the waitress.

“Hey, thank you for coming.” She stated lowering her gaze for a moment before facing you again, you winced grabbing the menu and asking for something light and some water before focusing your attention on Carol.

“Why wouldn’t I?” 

“You had been avoiding me.” Carol didn’t beat around the bush, she grabbed her glass of water and took a long sip with her eyes pinning you to your spot.

You shifted your weight leaning forward, your mouth opened ready to deny her words but unable to do so. In reality, she was right, you had been avoiding her; ever since she proposed to you the trip to Eastern Europe you knew the relationship should stop but you didn’t dare to do so, and this inability to get your relationship clear with Carol had been the downfall of you affair with her.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.” You replied lamely, Carol sighed dropping her face her voice marked with the vulnerability she felt at the moment.

“I think you know I’m in love with you.” Carol took a deep breath, her lips trembling as she spoke. “I’ve been trying so hard to make you fall for me, I…I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to this relationship, but I always thought…I really want you to come with me, Y/N, let me…let me be the one for you, just as you have become the one for me.”

The room filled with heavy air, and deafening silence.

Your heart shrank at her confession, and your hand stirred at your side wanting to reach out and grab Carol’s hand. The blond-haired woman offered a single smile, but it was quite evident to you that tears were threatening to leave her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” You mumbled passing your hand through your hair. “I was not fair to you, Carol.”

Carol snorted looking out of the window, the waitress chose that moment to bring the food and, as soon as he was gone you continued.

“I do love you, you know? I never thought of this to be jus an affair, and I…” You trailed off not knowing how to explain to Carol that you tired, you really did.

She had always been special, a friend that you could always turn to whenever things went bad or good, she had been there for you when your parents died and when Shuri broke your heart. At first you hadn’t understood why she was so unconditional until, one day while you were hating on yourself and the world she kissed you and the affair was born. It was supposed to be with not attachments, and yet Carol couldn’t help herself once she got to see a side of you she had never seen before. You wished it had been the same for you, but you always thought this relationship was nothing more than two good friends helping one another.

You had been unfair. And Carol didn’t deserve it.

“I wished I had fallen in love with you, Carol. I really do.” You finally confessed, this time around you did stretch your hand and grabbed hers in yours.

Carol lowered her stare to your hand, tempted to just pull away but giving into the comforting touch. She swallowed down her tears, her lips breaking into a bittersweet smile.

“I thought this meeting would be different, you know?” Carol let out a breath, pressing her lips tightly. “I thought perhaps…”

You lifted her hand, leaning in placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. 

“I’m still here, you know?”

Carol nodded hesitating before speaking, “so, will you go with me? Will you…give us a chance?”

You dropped your eyes, your mouth opened then close again.

“Would you stay? Would you try to give me a chance?” You asked back, and just for that brief moment Carol was tempted to say ‘yes’, but the truth was she could not stay.

Carol had worked from an early age on her dream to be part of the Airforce, to get on top of her game and surpass that boy’s club that had dominated the Airforce for far too long. She and Maria had been working hard on this, and when she was offered the position, Carol knew what she had to do. Her love for you was there, and you had been the only one that made her doubt her career choices; Carol had been ready to say no, until she talked to Maria again and was faced with her dream and her goals.

I know you love her, Carol, but are you ready to leave your dreams behind for someone, anyone? Are sure this won’t come back later on as a reproach for missed chances?

“I’ve been waiting so long for this.” Carol mumbled; you smiled nodding.

“I know, and you don’t know how proud I am. You deserve this, Carol, and you will always count with me to be there for you.” You hesitated before standing up and putting your chair closer to the blond-haired woman, Carol opened her eyes letting out a chuckled when you finally put your chair closer to her.

“What are you doing?” Carol laughed when you fixed everything so you would be closer to her, without letting go of the hand you had been holding for comfort.

“Just moving closer to you, you have always been my friend, Carol, regardless of what happened I do love you, and you are my friend, I hope you know that.”

Carol melted under your words, she returned her attention to her food before speaking again. 

“You are my friend as well, Y/N.” Carol looked back at you, “and that’s why I have to ask, are you…do you…what’s going on with Wanda, Y/N?”

“What? Why?” You leaned back, eyes opening at the sudden question. 

Carol rolled her eyes, this time around she did look rather upset.

“Well, it is quite obvious something is happening, I’m mean the last couple of times you couldn’t stop talking about her, and then when we met at the supermarket you were…weird.”

You sputtered shaking your head looking away from Carol, “no, no, nothing, I just…she is…she is the mother of the children America babysits for, nothing else.”

Carol didn’t seem convince by your words, she took a sip from her water pursing her lips.

“Are you sure? I mean you look…” Carol could see this topic was not something you were ready for, you squirmed on your chair emptying the glass of water while playing with your food. “Y/N…”

“Nothing, there is nothing, she is just a neighbour… nothing else.”

The conversation changed afterwards.

For Carol it was quite evident you didn’t want to talk about the topic, and if she was going to be honest, she didn’t want to know. Those two different times she had seen you interact with the redhead; she had seen a glint in your eyes Carol was not familiar with; it was a glance she yearned to obtain from you, but it seemed to just be for a single individual. You hadn’t even look Shuri in such a way, and this was what made Carol hesitated about the situation.  

But the time lunch was over, you and Carol had found peace in the conversation. You two found a common topic, and soon business was on the table while she asked for your opinion on the subjects that would soon dominate her life, while you asked about the oncoming meetings.

“I will miss you.” Carol said hugging you tightly, you hugged her back smiling softly while enjoying the woman in your arms.

“I’m going to miss you too, Carol.” She stepped back, but she was still close enough you could feel her warm breath on your face. “Carol…”

Your words were cut off by a pair of lips against yours, the kiss was slow tentative touch of the lips teasing you. Carol was flustered once she stepped back, she offered a smile that you returned with a shake of your head.

“Just a good-bye kiss.” She winked at you turning around and walking towards the parking lot. 

You watched her leave, a heavy heart inside your chest wondering if you made the right decision by letting go of a woman that had shown you so much love in the last couple of months. You put your hands in your pockets turning round to walk towards your building, you couldn’t keep her by your side waiting to fall in love with her, that wouldn’t be fair with her, or with you.

With a last glance to the sidewalk, you stepped back and went back to your office, a weight you didn’t know you were carrying on your back finally lifting up and leaving you lighter and open to the world of possibilities you had been trying to bury deep inside your mind, a world of possibilities that had a name of its own: Wanda Maximoff.

________________

“Oh, I didn’t know you were a woman.” The man smiled charmingly at you, his hand stretched out while he glanced around the room as if waiting for someone else to come forth into the meeting. “Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you are a beautiful woman, but for some reason I have always thought of Y/L/N instead of your first name.”

You forced a smile at the absurdity of his comment, he merely laughed and went to take a seat to the left side of the table. You crossed stares with Maria who shot you a cold glare as a warning to keep your cool and not to do or say anything incorrectly. 

“Right, I bet it is a common mistake.” You sat down as well leaning back on your chair while pointing with your hand the file on the table. “I’m glad I get to know you as well, Mr. Jarvis, I’ve been reading to your proposal and me and my team had a counteroffer for you.”

“Oh, a counteroffer?” Jarvis grabbed the file in his hands, he started reading while ignoring the rest of the room.

You had chosen the conference room of tenth floor for the meeting, the place was packed with only a couple of offices and some storage rooms that were the home of the material used on the production floor and the operations room. It was the most neutral ground you could find, more so after finding out how the man operated. The room was almost empty, no decorations on the walls, with a single window that was left facing the city. You let your eyes wandered to Maria who was sitting at the other end of the table, her hands busy with her tablet and her phone while she too made sure to watch the man closely.

“Everything seems to be in order but, I don’t get it.” He stated pointing to a section in the contract. “It says in here that you would only provide with money if I worked here, is that correct?”

“Yes, I prefer this kind of deals to be in a controlled environment.” You shrugged putting your hands together. “Our contracts go directly under the government, and we cannot risk losing any data because of unknown facilities.”

“My business is very secure, Mrs. Y/L/N.” Jarvis straightened up hardening his stare. 

“I don’t have any doubts about that, but you have to understand this is part of the non-negotiables, this is the most secure red in the world and what you intended to do will require such facilities to prevent espionage. I think this is a pretty sweet deal for the both of us.”

Jarvis clenched her jaw close, his cheek burning up with embarrassment at being played at like a child. His eyes drifted to the contract, not only was he being ordered to work in some unknown facilities, he would also be made to sign a non-disclosure clausule and the rights for his technology. 

“You are asking for far too much, Mrs. Y/L/N, and I'm afraid I'm not seeing the benefits such a deal will bring to me.” Jarvis leaned forward placing his arm on the table, his hand playing with the pen. “You are not the only company interested in buying this idea, and I have to say their proposals are more seductive…”

“And yet, here you are.” You leaned back against your chair, your eyes examining the man sitting in front of you.

Maria had done a good research of him, a married man he started his business thanks to a small inheritance on his father's part and then to the money left by his father in law. He had built a solid company in the industry of technology and entertainment, nothing too extravagant but enough to make him a notorious and well-adjusted member of society in Westview and Jersey. He had tried to jump into major leagues with a risky inversion that ended up with him almost in bankruptcy. Then, all of a sudden, his business got better and now he was someone selling away his ideas to the best buyer. It was then the investigation started leading Homeland and some federal authorities to be not only after him but also after some red of business people that had dedicated their lives to steal ideas of millions of dollars from others. 

You knew you were not risking much in this deal, and quite honestly you would be more than happy if the man decided to go after another buyer, but right now your company was being targeted mainly because you were the number one in the business. Maria had assured you he would bite the bait, people thought your company while one of the most powerful in the world had lost its edge after your dad's death. They were looking for the weakest link to just get their hands in a portion of the business you dealt with. No one could imagine you had been dealing with one crisis after another with an iron fist and good advisors. 

Jarvis seemed to think that this was the opportunity he had been waiting for, he didn't seem to like the fact it was you the one he had to deal with. When he first acceded to this he was told he would deal with the old man in charge of Alchemax. He never thought he would need to deal with a young woman, but he could always start the deal before charming his way into her pants and getting something good out of this. 

“You are right, here I am.” His whole demanour changed in a second, he opened up his arms, tilting his head he sent a flirty smile your way with his eyes twinkling at you. “I never thought I will be bested at negotiations by such a beautiful and young woman such as yourself, Mrs. Y/L/N, but I can tell you I feel confident of the business we are making today.”

Jarvis grabbed the pen signing the contract with a flourish, you smiled back lifting a single eyebrow to the man who was now trying to be charming and flirty towards you. 

“This is the beginning of a great relationship between Alchemax and Vision Enterprise.” You replied standing up while offering your hand to the older man, he stood up as well taking your hand in his and placing a kiss on your knuckles. 

You never left the smile off of your face, Jarvis stood dangerously close to you towering above you while pressing you back. Maria was about to stand up but a single gesture from you stopped her. You lifted your head, your eyes going from those eyes to his lips and the smirk in the man's face was all you needed to know at the moment. 

“I recognize when I have been bested by someone as beautiful as yourself, what o you say if we go out for dinner and celebrate this new deal?” Jarvis let his thumb brushed the skin of your backhand, he winked at you before continuing. “I know just the place you may like, and perhaps…Who knows? This could be the beginning of something else.”

You giggled, shifting your weight from one foot to the other, the man holding back the victorious smile that was threatening to break on his lips. 

“Something like what, Mr. Jarvis?” You asked, lowering your voice, Jarvis this time around straightened up. 

“Something more pleasurable for the both of us…”

“Oh, but what about your wife and your children? Are they coming as well, Mr. Jarvis?”

Up until that moment, Jarvis had all but forgotten about Maria sitting at the far end of the table. His shoulders put back, the tension around his eyes heightening the wrinkles in his face, his eyes lost all flirtatious glint while he glared at the other woman. The subject of her wife was a sore one for him, and while he knew these people didn't know the truth it still made his blood boil whenever that fucking bitch was mentioned. 

The embarrassment she had made him experiment was something he would never forgive her for, and he had most of his resources dedicated to find Wanda and the twins and make sure they were brought to him before he made sure they would never leave his side. 

“Wife and children?” You clicked your tongue stepping back while taking the contract in your hands. “I would love to take your offer, Mr. Jarvis, but I do not mess with married men and, most importantly, with business partners. The facilities are ready for you and your team, and the security access has been approved, so you are free to start tomorrow if you want.”

“Now, wait a moment,” Jarvis stepped in trying to salvage the situation, his face once more red with embarrassment. “My wife and children are away with their grandmother, and I just wanted to make it clear my marriage is more a formality to a poor woman who thought getting pregnant would trap me into her delusions of love…”

You turned to the man, your face à mask of disbelief that soon changed into a blank stare. Jarvis smiled weakly at you, lowering his gaze while putting a hand on his pocket. 

“I stayed for the children.”

You were not asking for explanations, but the fact this man was ready to give them told you what type of person he was. Maria had made her way to where you were standing her brows out together while ignoring the heated glare Jarvis sent her way. 

“Please, Mr. Jarvis, no need to explain yourself.” You replied, shaking your head offering the same innocent and shy smile you had presented him a moment ago. “it is not my business, but either way, I will ask for a rain check since I already had a commitment this afternoon and was not able to accept your invitation.”

Jarvis sighed in relief putting on his charming smile once more. If he got to score something with you, perhaps he wouldn't need Wanda or the brats to get money out of them.

“Then, let me see what can be arranged for you and I to celebrate at a later date.”

“It's a date, now if you excuse me I have a meeting with the board in five minutes.”

You dropped your smile once the lift doors closed in front of you. 

“God, I will need a fucking shower after this.” You shivered in disgust, Mary snorted writing something on her tablet. 

“At least Fury is going to be happy.” She replied, shrugging. “It's a win-win situation.”

“Next time we're going to let him kiss your hand and try that creepy smile with you, okay?” You retorted crossing your arms. “The nerve of the man! To think I am straight at all!”

Maria laughed at your comment, she held onto her abdomen shaking her head before leaning back against the walls of the lift. You smiled at her lifting a single accusing finger to her. 

“Next time, I would let everyone think you are straight and that Natasha is just a really good friend.” That silenced Maria who blushed profusely, turning away from you. 

“That's not funny.” She grumbled. 

“Oh, it is if you remember how you and Natasha came to be a couple.” 

Maria winced trying to bury the memories in her mind, it wasn't so much she didn't treasure the moment she and Natasha found one another. It was just that it was also the most embarrassing time in her life and remembering That moment made her cringe from time to time. 

“Anyway, I found the man disgusting, and I considered his wife.” You commented lightly. “He really is quite the character, you could find something else about his family?”

“No, it is a closed file, so I will need special clearance to see it.” Maria waited for a moment but you shook your head. 

“No, it doesn't matter anyway, Fury is after the man for tax evasion and espionage. We don't even know what really happened with his wife.” 

“Very well.” Maria exited the lift after you, afternoon was already falling and the lights of yellow and orange decorated the sky giving way to the darkness of the night. “Miguel just finished putting the security measures on the red we gave them, and everyone is already aware of what to do.”

“Good then, let's get this one last meeting over so I can go home to my sister…”

“... And your neighbour.” Maria smirked mischievously at you, her amusement growing when your feet falter at the mention of Wanda. “Are you going to tell her you and Carol are no longer together?”. 

“Why would I do that?” You replied sharply trying to hide the blush on your face. 

“Oh you know? Because you two are friends and there may be a possibility she wants to jump your bones?”

“God you and Natasha are going to be the death of me someday!”

Maria laughed following you inside the main hall towards the conference room. Maria found it amusing how Natasha picked up on this kind of things, now that she and Hope had talked about the topic and that Maria had seen your reactions and the way you talked about Wanda she had to agree that there was something there. Whatever it was, it brought a silly smile to your lips, it made you more relax and open. Maria was certaines you were not ready to admit these changes, or even the implications of your emotions, but there was time and perhaps these moments you were sharing with Maximoff while planning the Winter Festival were the push you needed. 

There was only one thing that was worrying Maria and that was  the truth behind Jarvis and Wanda. She hated lying to you, and even more so when someone as important as Wanda was for you was involved. But Natasha had assured her this was the best way to trap the man, and to make sure Wanda and her children were protected while Jarvis faced justice for a long time. 

Y/N cannot know anything, Maria, please, she is already involved with Wanda as it is and knowing this could make her act harshly and we need to do this with care to trap the bastard. 

“Anyway, I don't even think she… Likes me that way,” there is a hint of regret in your tone, your hand hovering above the knob of the door, you licked your lips frowning deeply before turning to Maria. “Not that it matters at all or anything just… WeWe're good friends, you know? And she is straight as an arrow… So,yeah…”

There was a moment of silence, Maria narrowed her eyes at you but you put on your best smile before opening the door and entering the conference room, whatever you were thinking or even experimenting at the moment completely forgotten as you took the reins of the meeting. Maria storing away this moment, she knew she would need to have a serious talk with Natasha once she got home.

------------------------------------------------------

Next chapter: Reader and Wanda are trying to deny what had become evident to everyone, Riri played her cards well and America is at a crossroads. The twins are getting far too comfortable, and the Winter Festival preparations create a tension between you and Wanda that you didn't dare to break.

[alohajun]

♡ DEAR TOO MUCH — XU MINGHAO

slytherin!minghao x hufflepuff!reader | wc : 1.1k words | content : possible grammar and spelling mistakes, lowercase intended, fluff, mild angst, strangers to friends, hogwarts / harry potter au | loki's lines — this is the one (of a couple) entries for the exchange event by @kflixnet. this one's for @sodafy <3 this was my first time writing for hao and i really hope i did it justice! dsgdfhg hope you like this, have a great day <33

“hey, there! you must be minghao!”

the raven-haired male turned at the cheerful voice, brows furrowed amusingly as he saw you in front of him, enthusiastic as ever.

“yep.” he curtly nodded, scooting to the side to make space on your lab table. “you are y/n, i’m assuming?”

“the one and only!”

“good to know.”

as an overenthusiastic hufflepuff, you were always told to take it down a notch as your attitude could be overbearing to people — especially slytherins. 

and seeing minghao’s slight smile and brief replies, you figured you were going a little overboard with your energy.

“uh, if you ever feel like i’m too much, please don’t hesitate to tell me,” you quietly stated, a small smile on your face. “i’m trying to work on it.”

xu minghao didn’t know why, but hearing you say that made him frown, realizing you must’ve been told on multiple occasions to calm down. 

on any other day, the raven-haired male would’ve made some sort of snarky remark, but seeing the way you nervously smiled at him, all he could do was shrug off your comment.

“i’m not much and you are too much; i think we balance out each other well.”

as the days passed by, you and minghao only got closer — or at least, that’s what you thought. you were constantly rambling, and he kept listening to whatever you had to say, never complaining.

“there were these pretty rings at this stall on knockturn alley. they were so beautiful with these butterflies and little flower engravings!” you gushed, pouting as you looked at your empty fingers. “i couldn’t buy them, though. gyu was in a hurry, and we didn’t have time to go shopping.”

minghao only hummed in response, like he always did, signaling that he was listening to you. he walked around the table as he followed the recipe for the potion you were making in class today, not really bothered by your lack of help.

“ah, and there was this bracelet with a little golden snitch charm, which was the cutest thing ever!” you cooed, remembering the accessory you wanted. “but they sold them in pairs, and i don’t really have anyone to wear them with, so i didn’t buy those either.”

the raven-haired male hummed again in response, frowning at the book in his hands. “the letters are smudged on this book. i’ll go get another one,” he stated, moving to the back of the class as you stayed in your place.

you never really minded minghao not replying to your talks. just the fact that he listened meant a lot to you. 

but in the back of your head, you always wondered if he truly listened or just nodded to make you stop talking.

“the idiot ran away because you were talking his ears off.” your brows furrowed as you saw your gryffindor friend, mingyu, frowning. “he’s a slytherin, for merlin’s sake.”

“what’s that supposed to mean?”

seokmin sighed. “he’s not listening to what you are saying,” he confessed. “i know you are trying to make friends, but this guy is probably not it.” he gave a sympathetic smile.

“oh.”

“don’t get your heart broken, okay?” mingyu walked by, ruffling your hair affectionately. “i don’t want to have any points taken off gryffindor for teaching a slytherin a lesson.”

you stayed silent after the exchange, taking this time to think about everything. maybe they are right. maybe that’s why he hasn’t been responding to me properly. you sighed, going back to taking notes on your work.

xu minghao returned with another book, going back to his work — expecting you to continue your ramblings about your day. however, when you barely spoke to him, he raised his brows in concern, looking over at you.

“everything okay, y/n?”

“yeah, the potion seems to be brewing fine. no explosions so far.”

the raven-haired male frowned, knowing very well that you knew he wasn’t talking about the potion. his gaze darted to the table behind you, noticing mingyu and seokmin glancing over at you worriedly from time to time.

were you told to calm yourself down again? but why?

minghao shouldn’t have felt anything when he saw you with a blank face — in fact, he shouldn’t have been dying to see you smile and ramble again, like you always did.

he only left you for two minutes, and you changed so drastically that he couldn’t help but think that he had something to do with it.

was it because he never replied properly? was it because he didn’t seem like he cared?

whatever it was, xu minghao didn’t like it — mostly because he didn’t like seeing you down.

the great hall was crowded, as always; the chattering and giggling of children filling the entire room. you sat with your friends, picking at your breakfast, completely oblivious to their looks of worry.

“hey, y/n.” seokmin broke the silence, getting your attention. “are you still down about yesterday? because–”

“i’m fine.”

“we just don’t want you to be hurt, okay? we could be wrong and–”

you dropped the fork in your hands, clattering it against your plate. “i get it, okay? i’m just kinda sad because i really thought of him as a friend,” you muttered, looking down.

seokmin half-heartedly smiled. “hey, maybe we can–” the screeching of an owl cut him off, followed by it swooping low by their table and dropping a little package.

right in front of you.

brows furrowed, you gently took the package in your hands, slowly removing the wrapping before opening the little box. 

a confused smile took over your face as you saw the very accessories you had been eyeing at knockturn alley. all the way from the rings with the butterflies and little flower engravings to the bracelet with a little golden snitch charm; it was all in the box. 

did mingyu feel bad and buy those as an apology? 

you noticed a note at the bottom of the box, realizing it was definitely not mingyu as you read it. 

dear too much, i suck at this whole friendship thing, so i’m sorry if i ever make you feel like you are annoying me. i promise you are not, and i promise i am listening to you. sincerely, not much.

it didn’t take seokmin long to figure out who the package was from, seeing the way you smiled as you read the note. plus, the way the slytherin kept trying to see your reaction from the other table wasn’t exactly slick either.

“from minghao?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“i guess he was actually listening to my stupid ramblings, after all.”

© 2023 ALOHAJUN | PLEASE REFRAIN FROM COPYING OR REPOSTING MY WORK WITHIN OR OUTSIDE THIS SITE

[27dragons]

For @captn-sara-holmes​. Happy birthday, and happy end of school!

Do the Math

Clint was chugging down a mug of burnt coffee in the teachers’ lounge when Principal Fury found him. “Just got word from the WSC,” Fury said without preamble. “They’re sending in an inspector today.”

The Working Schools Council was a bunch of meddling asshats who wouldn’t know good teaching if it bit them on the ass. Fury didn’t look impressed when Clint relayed that fact to him.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re a bunch of nanny goats wearing party hats,” Fury said. “They have the power to suspend teachers and even shut down the whole school, so for once, I need you to keep your kids under control and at least pretend to be teaching something of value when the inspector arrives.”

“I teach my kids plenty!” Clint protested, which Fury damn well knew, because that was why Fury kept giving him all the problem children.

“Just try not to stage a revolution again,” Fury growled, and stomped back toward his office.

Once upon a time, Fury had been a brilliant teacher, Clint mused, but administration had made him sour and grumpy.

Clint shrugged and poured himself another mug of horrid coffee. It sounded like he was going to need it.

[There is a readmore! Read more!]

“Okay, everyone, take out your math workbooks and turn to page 78,” Clint instructed the class. “Work on those problems, and I’ll be coming around to help anyone who needs it. Raise your hands if--”

The door to the classroom opened to reveal the most beautiful man Clint had ever seen. Tall and broad-shouldered, with longish hair tucked back into a tail, and piercing blue-gray eyes. He smiled as he met Clint’s gaze and said, “Mr. Barton?”

“I certainly hope so,” said Clint before he could put a rein on his mouth. “I mean. Yes, that’s me.”

“Great,” the guy said. He came all the way in and extended a hand. “Mr. Barnes,” he introduced himself. “I’m the inspector.”

Clint’s world came crashing down around him. “You’re the inspector?” he repeated. “Uh. I mean, of course you are. You’re here to... inspect.”

“That’s the job,” Barnes agreed, still smiling. “Don’t mind me, I’m just going to observe quietly for a little while. You carry on.”

Right. Carry on... teaching. Because that was what Clint was supposed to be doing right now. “Right. Uh.”

A hand shot up in the back of the class, and Clint dragged his attention away from the inspector. “What is it, Tony?”

“I already finished that page!”

“Well, then do the next one,” Clint suggested.

“I did that one, too! I finished the whole workbook last week!”

Clint resisted the urge to put his head down and grown. Tony was one of the smartest kids he’d ever encountered, and was a holy terror when bored. “Okay, why... Why don’t you help me out, then? You can explain it to Steve if he has problems.”

Steve was bright enough, but he’d missed almost a month of class due to illness and was still struggling to catch up.

“I don’t need no help!” Steve protested.

“You’ve already done the first one wrong,” Tony told him, leaning over to look at Steve’s workbook.

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yuh-huh!”

“Boys,” Clint said sharply. “Inside voices. Steve, it’s okay to be wrong sometimes. Let Tony help.”

“Tony is a stupidhead showoff,” Steve grumbled.

“If I was stupid, I wouldn’t have anything to show off,” Tony pointed out with relentless logic.

“Do you two need to spend some time out in the hall?”

Steve glowered at his workbook and slumped down in his seat, crossing skinny arms across an even skinnier chest. “Fine,” he huffed.

Clint sighed and turned to the rest of the class. “Okay, now--”

“Mr. Barton?”

“Yes, Jane?”

“Loki is copying from Thor.”

Personally, Clint thought that was Loki’s problem, since Thor was at best an indifferent student. “Loki, do your own work.”

“I don’t mind!” Thor said cheerfully.

“It’s against the rules whether you mind or not,” Clint said, and hoped it didn’t come out as tired as he felt. “If you need help, raise your hand and I’ll come help. Otherwise, please just do the work quietly.”

A whole two minutes passed in silence broken only by the scratching of pencils and Tony and Steve’s whispering in the back corner. Clint used the time to watch Barnes wandering slowly around the room, checking on the supply cabinets and the small bank of computers.

The inspector was still smiling, albeit faintly. It made him unfairly good-looking.

“Mr. Barton! I hafta go to the bathroom!”

“Sit down, Wade. We all know you don’t really have to go,” Clint said, trying for his most reasonable tone. “You just want to wander the halls.”

“Nuh-uh, I really hafta, hafta!” Wade clutched at his crotch and danced from one foot to the other. “Please, Mr. Barton! You’ll be my favorite teacher forever!”

“Imagine my disappointment,” Clint said drily, then coughed as he remembered that the inspector probably wouldn’t appreciate him being sarcastic at the children. “Have a seat, Wade. We’ll have a break in half an hour. You can hold it that long.”

“Mr. Barton!” demanded Natasha, waving her arm wildly. “Mr. Barton!”

“What is it, Natasha?” Natasha was usually quite good at math and she hated asking for help, so she must be really stuck.

“Loki says I hafta marry Bruce ‘cause I’m sitting next to him and he won’t take it back!”

Or not. Clint suppressed another sigh. “You know Loki’s wrong,” he pointed out. “No one has to marry anyone if they don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to marry me?” Bruce asked, pouting.

“Gross,” Natasha pronounced.

“I am not gross!” Bruce shouted, because of course that flashfire temper of his would flare up with the inspector in the room.

“Hey, Bruce, come on, she didn’t say you were gross,” Clint tried, putting himself between Bruce and Natasha. “She probably just meant--”

“All boys are gross,” Natasha clarified, at increasing volume. “I’m going to marry a girl.”

Clint rubbed at his face and snuck a look at the inspector, who was -- ohgod -- jotting a note on his clipboard. “And that’s fine,” he said, “but no one is marrying anyone until we get our math done. So if we could just focus, please, for a little while?”

“I’m not gross!” Bruce yelled.

“Bruce, c’mon, let’s just do the math. You like math, right?” Clint tapped Bruce’s workbook. “I know you don’t want to have to go back to the principal’s office again this week, so let’s just... calm down, okay?”

“I’m going to marry Steve,” Tony announced, draping his arms across Steve’s shoulders.

Steve pushed Tony away. “You hafta ask first, stupidhead,” he grumbled.

“Guys,” Clint begged. “Stop pushing and stick to the lesson, please.”

“Who’re you gonna marry, Mr. Barton?” Pepper asked.

Clint covered his face with both hands. “I’m not marrying anyone,” he groaned. Not least because he was probably going to get fired for being unable to keep his kids on task. “Can we please just save it for recess? Okay?”

Another hand went up and Clint resisted the urge to groan. “Yes, Sam? Please tell me this isn’t another thing about who’s marrying who. Whom,” he corrected hastily, even though they hadn’t gotten to that in their grammar lessons yet.

“No,” Sam assured him.

Cling let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, what is it, Sam?”

“Wade made a mess.”

The half-pot of coffee in the teacher’s lounge was even more burnt than it had been this morning, but Clint didn’t care. If he wasn’t allowed to drink alcohol at work, then he was for damn sure going to have more coffee. He sloshed it irritably into a mug and took a gulp.

“So that happened.”

Clint nearly did a spit-take, then swallowed the coffee quickly to avoid the spit-take. It burned his throat and he whimper-screamed and fumbled the mug.

The inspector lunged forward and caught the mug before it could shatter on the floor. “Wow, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you like that.”

“Holy shhhhamrocks,” Clint gasped. He rubbed at the outside of his scalded throat. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I wasn’t sneaking, really,” the inspector said. Barnes. Clint was good with names, honest. “And there’s no kids here; I won’t tell if you curse. Are you okay?”

Clint huffed and picked his coffee mug back up. “You were there,” he said. “What do you think?”

“I think you need something stronger than day-old coffee,” Barnes admitted. “Fury told me you had all the troublemakers in your class.”

“Buddy, that was a good day,” Clint snorted. “They didn’t even try to organize a coup to take over the school.”

Barnes laughed. He had a nice laugh. It made his eyes shine. He probably thought Clint was exaggerating.

“So give it to me straight -- am I out on the street?”

“Nah,” Barnes said. “I’ve seen so much worse, you wouldn’t believe.”

“I probably would,” Clint said. “When I was a student teacher I got paired with this old bat who I swear was still disappointed that we’re not allowed to smack kids around anymore.”

“Yeah?” Barnes tore the corner off the sheet on his clipboard and scrawled something on it. “I’ve got to get back to the WSC office to write up my report, but you should give me a call. We’ll grab a few beers and trade stories.” He tucked the scrap of paper into Clint’s shirt pocket, then grinned and walked away.

Clint fished the paper out of his pocket. It read, “Bucky Barnes” and was followed by a phone number.

Clint scrambled for the door, catching up just before Barnes reached the end of the hall. “Did you just ask me on a date?”

Barnes glanced back, those eyes sparkling. “You do the math.”

~fin.

[justanothermarvelteen-blog]

grammar lesson real quick

they’re: they are

their: somebody owns it

there: a place

you’re: you are

your: you own it

then: next

than: comparing

loki is: not dead

you guys: are dumb