#peter had been de-aged and he does not like it

[wolfypup65676]

Had to come back to this because I just couldn't stop thinking about this idea... -- Peter shivered, pulling his ratty hoodie tighter around him. He took a quick glimpse at his phone's map and looked up at the awfully tall gate.

Gotham Cemetary

He shoved his phone in his pocket and rubbed his hands together, trying to heat them up a bit. He was starting to regret coming out here, it was dark and cold, and Peter was dead broke and couldn't thermoregulate properly--

But he had to see him. Peter had to see Uncle Ben for himself, had to see his grave. Even if he wasn't Benjamin Parker anymore, even if he was a whole lot younger than Peter had ever known him, even if Jason Todd wasn't really his uncle, Peter had never been able to deny himself of his biggest regret, had never been able to wash his hands clean of the man who raised him for a whopping 10 years.

Peter had to see it, had to see him, because he had nothing else.

He grabs onto the gate, shuddering at the coldness of the iron bars, and he climbs. Carefully, he climbed down the other side.

The cemetery was full of graves and spindly trees, leaves gone in preparation of the upcoming harsh winter. Peter's teeth chattered, winter, right, he forgot about that.

Why did he have to come here during winter? Why could've he have dropped in during, oh, he doesn't know, spring?!

Focus, Peter. He takes a deep breath. We're here to see Uncle Ben, and nothing else. Worry about how to survive later.

The graves and trees surrounding him were imposing, staring at him, as if knowing he wasn't meant to be here. Peter hunched in on himself more, guilt gnawing at his heart.

You don't belong here, they seemed to say, why are you here?

His walk came to a stop as he finally spotted what, or rather, who, he was looking for.

Here lies Jason Todd

Peter crouched in front of the grave, hand hovering over the words. His face crumbled and he could feel the weight of everything crashing into him like a bullet train.

"Hey, Uncle Ben." He said, voice cracking. "How have you been?"

He could almost imagine it, could see Benjamin Parker staring at him with worry in his eyes, mouth forming soundless words.

"Peter?" He would say, hovering over Peter like if he moved too suddenly, he would break. "Why are you at my grave, kid? What's wrong?"

"I know you don't know me, but I'm your nephew."

Uncle Ben would take him into his arms and offer to talk, or to read one of the classics sitting on the bookshelf if he didn't feel like talking.

Peter wondered if Jason Todd would hug him the same way. Would he look at Peter with the same, overwhelming love in his eyes?

"I'm Peter Parker, it's nice to meet you, this you." Peter settles in the dirt. "I guess I should call you Uncle Jason, shouldn't I?"

Or maybe, this Jason would look at him like he's a monster. Eyes wrack full of disappointment to the person that Peter's become.

"I really hope you like me, but it's okay if you don't." Peter stares at his hands, "I just... I didn't know where else to go."

The grave remains silent. But if Peter focuses hard enough, he could pretend Uncle Ben was there, tugging him into his side, reassuring him that he could come visit him whenever he wanted.

"I'm homeless, dead broke, I have no idea where I am or anything about this place, and did I mention I'm like, five?" Peter laughs at his own misery "You'd think life would give me a break! Stupid Parker Luck."

Peter got up and brushed the dirt off his jeans, but he couldn't bring himself to leave, because leaving meant leaving Uncle Ben and the little bubble of comfort he always provided. Leaving meant going back into Gotham, cold, alone, and starving.

He knows he should leave. He knows it's a horrible idea to stay here, where anyone could find him out in the open. He'd be exposing himself to the elements and he should really be finding a place to stay. But he couldn't help but feel like a little kid again, crawling into Uncle Ben and Aunt May's bed as he sobbed about his parent's death, afraid to be left alone.

"Hey... Uncle Jason?" He murmurs, "Do you think I could stay with you? Just for tonight? It doesn't have to be long! I'll leave before the sun rises, I promise."

It's a horrible idea, he keeps telling himself. Yet he can't stop himself from curling up next to Uncle Ben's, Uncle Jason's grave.

"Just... let me sleep for a little while." He says, vision starting to blur and darken.

"Go to sleep, Peter." He could imagine Uncle Ben saying, "I'll keep you safe from the monsters, promise."

And Peter goes to sleep.

DC/Marvel Peter Parker in Gotham AU where Dick Grayson is Peter's bio dad, and Jason is Uncle Ben.

Peter finds himself in another world where Ben exists only for him to be dead here too. Peter is lost, alone in a world he knows nothing about and has no one to talk to. Even if he starts making friends he can't tell them the truth about being from another universe. And yeah his bio parents exist here, but what is he supposed to tell them? He would just sound crazy, better to avoid them.

But he needs to talk to someone, so Jason's grave becomes a place where he can vent and reminisce.

[ifyoucandaniel]

exactly one person asked and i’ve been DYING to make this, so here are all of my favorite long batman fanfics in general and for new readers @twisted-tales-told :)

cards on the table by @wesslan ! 69k, completed. this is one of my all time favorite fanfictions, it’s so funny and tim is a mastermind genius and a little liar <3 he basically pretends to be a fortune teller and gives scarily good predictions and advice by stalking the upper class and eventually gets involved with the batfam and has to maintain his lies while dealing with his issues :) 10/10, very found family, good angst, so much lying

Dark Matter by @mysterycyclone , 221k, ongoing. this is a batman fanfic rec, of course my bbg dark matter is going to be here <3 this is a MCUxDCU crossover where after infinity war (spoilers for that if you haven’t seen it!) peter parker gets sent to the DCU dimension with part of the soul stone and basically is haunted by the ghosts of the avengers while trying to survive in gotham and get back to his dimension. this is so well written i’ve read it at least three times, it’s still ongoing but trust me it is SO GOOD. i can’t properly describe it, but if you like spider-man and you are interested in batman, you’ll love.

Red is the Color of Sinners by @bluelotuswrites , series, 120k, ongoing, M. i want you to look me in my eyes when i tell you this is my favorite series on ao3. it is set after under the red hood and daredevil 3 where jason and matt meet in a church after jason loses his ability to speak following the events of UTRH. they keep running into each other both as matt and daredevil and eventually jason begins helping matt out with injuries and tech. it’s not finished yet, but there is something so compelling about their dynamic in this series as well as jason’s overall character and how he is portrayed. i’m a sucker for mute jason after UTRH and this series does so well giving him a fresh start and a place away from gotham to heal and build relationships. i cannot recommend enough.

buy back the secrets by @vinelark , 71k, ongoing, T. THIS!!! oh my god, so this is a timkon fic where kon still doesn’t know tim’s civilian identity, but whenever he’s in trouble tim calls for superboy which leads to them meeting without kon knowing. shenanigans ensure when kon starts spending more time with tim! it’s still ongoing but the author is currently working on the next part and it is so so worth the wait. chapter 4 ends on a cliffhanger though so be warned :))

Sales People Know (listening is the most important part) by Mayhem10, 77k, completed, T. this has the coolest urban magical realism ever. tim basically runs this magic shop that shows up places and people who need something find it in his shop :) it’s kinda a slow burn found family fic with magic themes and a smidge of angst!

Retrograde Motion by Lysical, 112k, completed, T. this is best de-aged kid fic ever. jason gets turned into a 7 year old and basically the outlaws, artemis and biz, join forces with the batfam to take care of him. but trust me when i say this is worth your time, it might sound tropey but in the best way possible!! and jason’s relationship with artemis is sooo important to me in this!

Hand in Unloveable Hand (a chokehold) by britishparty, 54k, completed, M. this is one of the best psychological torture/grooming fics i’ve ever read. pretty much what if while our taking photos of batman and robin, little tim gets kidnapped and black mask gets his hands on him and decides he’s the perfect size for a protege. years of psychological abuse and insane mind games ensue. also tim is a Badass™️

If He Had Come by bronwe_iris, 45k, completed, T. so i’m a little freak and i love the angst of arkham knight jason, but more specifically the aus where bruce saves jason before he becomes the arkham knight! this is an au where bruce finds jason and saves him from the joker after 9 months of torture and brings him home. focuses on his healing mentally and physically and rebuilding his relationship with his family

Banshee in a Well by liverobinreaction (bugbee), 43k, completed, T. veeeery good angst. basically what if tim couldn’t die? 43k of tim drake whump where he just dies a bajillion times and eventually his family notices <3

The Birds: Hatching a Family by Oceanera12, 81k, completed, T. this is like “what if the batkids weren’t adopted by bruce, but instead they were all foster siblings who can’t seem to stay out of gotham at night and batman happens to find them and decides obviously he can’t leave these kids to their own business, he has to stick his nose in it” and there’s some angst and heaps of found family

The Hellblazer’s Apprentice by @bluelotuswrites, 29k, ongoing, M. what can i say, im a simple woman, i love to see jason with literally any older male mentor :) basically in UTRH what if he took up an apprenticeship under constantine to learn magic to piss off batman! so good, i really love constantine so seeing him and jason interact in a long fic is so good. also ALL BLADES JASON TODD SAVE ME… ALL BLADES JASON TODD-

something in the static by bonerot19, 101k, ongoing series with three main completed works, T. this is a jason centric series where jason still lives in crime alley with his mom and dad and never stole the batmobile tires. it follows his life in crime alley with an addict mom and an abusive dad and one night when his dad is whaling on him nightwing finds him and the bats just can’t seem to leave him alone after that. steph is his neighbor and best friend also and their relationship is so good. this is a “what if jason took a different way home to the wayne’s” fic series and i love it so much <3

catch the asteroids that come your way by ThePackWantsTheD, 54k, completed, T. i don’t read a lot of ships in the batman fandom i’m sorry, but this kyle/jason one is sooo lovely. basically the two of them growing up together and falling in love and then dealing with the aftermath of A Death in the Family and finding each other again :) really sweet and nice!

hope you find something you like! i realized the majority of these are tim or jason centric, and i love them all dearly, but if anyone has any recs for long fics focusing on any of the other batkids lmk! and any other recs in general, i am a fiend for new fics

[buckybarnesss]

Bro, the noise I just made. I literally cannot stand the fanon for Stiles or Derek. It is so so soooo bad, I think these people literally have only seen the 2 hour sterek compilation. Every day I am like "who fucking told you people that Derek never smiles and has no sense of humor?"

Stiles gets turned into this big eyed, kitten twink who wouldn't dare to misbehave because he's the sheriff's son (the kid who gets drunk in the WOODS, and gets his dad drunk so he can steal casefiles!!)

Derek like... He is either completely useless and cannot dress himself for a date without fanon!Laura (do not get me started) telling him what to do, or he is so emotionally repressed and damage that he can barely handle someone kissing him without him falling to pieces.

LIKE. Derek smiles. Derek makes jokes!! Derek laughed at Stiles right before the pool scene. Derek knows how to use a cellphone and a laptop. Derek is a goddamn millenial, he knows what grumpy cat is. He knows he's hot, he has a mirror!!

Also... the man lived in New York fucking City. He's not afraid of crowds or talking to people or making out, he uses sex to get his way (Erica and the deputy at the front desk!!)

i know.

like, there's a period of fics that are usually from the s1-2 period that lean pretty hard on derek's dark, brooding and grumpiness from season 1 but of course he was like that. he was going through The Horrors during season 1. he was grieving laura, he was being retraumatized by kate and dealing with scott, stiles and fucking jackson.

he wasn't one dimensional though. his anger was a mask for all the fear, confusion and trying to be in control.

do you know how many fics i've read where people have stiles think about all the apparent physical violence derek has done to stiles as if he's always slamming him into surfaces? way too many to count and it's incorrect. off the top of my head i can count 3 times derek did something like that to stiles. the shove into the wall and slam into the steering wheel in wolf's bane both of which had a point to them. whether or not it was a good emotional response doesn't matter. what matters is that they were not random or part of derek's personality. he didn't just shove stiles into things every time he saw him. the wall shove in s4 with de-aged derek was a deliberate call back to that very instance in wolf's bane. it was literally coupled with the whole cousin miguel bit.

fandom doesn't like to acknowledge that derek hale isn't particularly violent over the course of the show. he hardly even wins the fights he engages in and he is often forced into fights knowing he cannot win.

our boy mostly ends up on the fucking floor.

derek also does make jokes. dry ones usually he thinks they are hilarious too. he thinks he's a funny guy. his dad joke game must've been off the charts, sorry eli.

he and stiles trade barbs a lot and he thinks stiles is funny. stiles amuses him and he indulges it a few times. he shows off to stiles too like a loser.

he likes to fuck with scott and stiles and enjoys taking the piss out of peter. he genuinely enjoyed fucking with liam in s4.

he's not a luddite either. he has a cellphone and we see him use it. i bet he plays games on it. i bet he plays candy crush and words with friends.

and fanon evolved to strip away that stiles is an asshole. he a violent little freak. he threatens people, he expresses regularly his desire to kill people or have them die, he cares about a very small selection of people in his life and if you're not in that circle than god be with your ass because stiles most definitely won't.

he loves and respects his father but this doesn't mean stiles respects the law which is why i don't know why the law enforcement route was chosen for him. stiles hates rules and boundaries. he chafes at them.

stiles casually helps kira and scott break into evidence to get her cell phone. he tells scott's fbi agent father to fuck himself. he got his dad drunk to get access to case files. he copies people's keys. he's a nosy shit.

the whole show started because stiles was a nosy punk kid who wanted to see a dead body.

but i digress.

fanon stiles had a lot of scott's characteristics projected onto him so they could bash scott. i know there's a lot of people who don't like scott which is fine or whatever but there are so many that do it so they can make a pinata out of a character they've extracted all the good points from and give to their favorite little white boy fav.

stiles "i will beat you with a bat" stilinski is a freaky little shit who will bite you.

do you know how hard i laughed when in s3 stiles and isaac genuinely just like could not stand each other? they couldn't be in the same room with out insulting one another and it was the complete opposite of stiles being oh so sensitive to isaac's past and history than straight up in 3b stiles the epitome of insensitive says to isaac something about still milking it (his abuse). stiles is a dick.

i also genuinely have umbrage with the pack mom trope that stiles gets saddled with. the way fandom has oft feminized stiles leaves a bad taste in my mouth too.

derek and stiles are both assholes and i love them very much.

[sofoulandfairaday]

I actually do tend to put most of the Order we see in the photos around the same years, but my headcanon is that there were other older members but they all died by the time that photo was taken because they were trying to protect the younger kids. I like to imagine that Moody is the only surviving older Order member and he had to watch his peers die one by one and then had to watch as so many of those kids they died trying to protect were killed themselves

Soooo. I can see this working if well justified. There is a line that does justify it in canon, actually- "[...] look, I can’t promise no one’s going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we’re much better off than we were last time, you weren’t in the Order then, you don’t understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one...”

Voldemort would most likely send his Death Eaters after the best and strongest Order members first, even though they were more likely to take down many of his followers- it's not like he didn't have the numbers. BUT I'm afraid it's a little unrealistic. The weakest fighters in a fight to the death are those who get killed first even with protection.

Just for funsies, though, I'll give you my personal headcanon of the Order members' rough ages. I'm usually flexible if they're changed by a couple of years, but the generations should be kept.

This is the list of confirmed Order of the Phoenix members in the First Wizarding War:

Albus Dumbledore

Aberforth Dumbledore

Alastor Moody

Arabella Figg

Dedalus Diggle

Elphias Doge

Emmeline Vance

Mundungus Fletcher

Rubeus Hagrid

Sturgis Podmore

Severus Snape

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

Peter Pettigrew (who turns spy for the Death Eaters in 1980)

All these people survive the war. Then we also have:

James Potter

Lily Evans Potter

Fabian Prewett

Gideon Prewett

Frank Longbottom

Alice Longbottom

Edgar Bones

Benji Fenwick

Caradoc Dearborn

Dorcas Meadowes

Marlene McKinnon

Now. The only girl confirmed to be one of Lily's classmates is Mary McDonald and she's not part of the Order (and I choose to believe that she wasn't; she sympathised, maybe, but I like the headcanon that she's so scarred by Mulciber and Avery's bullying - and that the event that Lily references to Severus is not the only time they use Dark Magic on her - that she wants nothing to do with the fight). I am maybe one of the two (2) people with a mild appreciation for BlackKinnon, and I don't mind Marlene as someone in the same age bracket as them (but I can also see her being older). She is murdered along her entire family, though, and it's unclear whether she was a mother, a sister, or a daughter. I will say that some of their Hogwarts years overlapped.

Dorcas I find way less likely. She was killed by Voldemort himself - the man wouldn't have bothered if she wasn't an Amelia Bones-level witch at least, which means she was mighty, which means she most likely wasn't twenty-one. I like to think that she was an Auror, or a Ministry high-ranking employee with sound principles that just would not bend to the infiltration of the DEs in the Ministry or to Barty Crouch Snr's ruthlessness.

Frank and Alice Longbottom are the same, to me. They're older than the Marauders, I would make them (just like Dorcas) around Bellatrix's age, maybe even older. That makes them around 30yrs old in 1981. Which means they would have had a full decade or more to become the most respected Aurors in the Wizarding World, so well known that what happened to them sparked major outrage, the kind that led to a manhunt for their torturers, and the sentencing of a pleading nineteen-year-old boy. (Of course, Barty jr was guilty, but they didn't know that, didn't know just how loyal to Voldemort he truly was. The Lestranges sentencing - an old wizarding family, a Lestrange had even been Minister for Magic - was clearly one sparked by public outrage. People were crying out for their blood.)

The Prewetts were Molly's older brothers, so they were way older than the Marauders. They were also killed by a group of Death Eaters led by Antonin Dolohov after what appears to have been a truly brutal fight, so nope. They weren't the Fred and George types of the Marauders Era (also. the Marauders were that!)

Edgar Bones had a wife and children and was considered to be one of the best of the era, so I doubt he was as young as the Fantastic Four. We really don't know enough about Caradoc Dearborn or Benji Fenwick to say, but I somehow doubt it.

Of those who survived.

We know that Albus, Aberforth, Moody, Elphias Doge, Mundungus, and Arabella Figg are all way older than the Marauders, and I've always pictured Dedalus Diggle as a middle aged man (but we only know he's tiny and excitable, so it could go either way). Sturgis Podmore's description fits someone that could have been in the Marauder's year or maybe slightly older, but still one of their peers.

So, really, the green-faced youths that fought with the Order were: the four Marauders, Lily, maybe Marlene and Emmeline Vance (who isn't even listed as fighting with them in the First War, only the second), and maybe Sturgis Podmore. On the side of the Death Eaters: Avery, Mulciber, Barty Crouch jr (who was two/three years younger than the Marauders!!!), Regulus Black and of course Severus Snape.

And, no. Evan Rosier's age is never disclosed, and since he brutally maims fucking Alastor Moody - possibly the greatest Auror ever - I'm inclined to believe that he was at least Bellatrix's age (so 8-9 years older than the Marauders). In my personal headcanon he's even a tad older - but no less cuntier for it. My boy serves as much cunt at 27 as he did at 17 (<3).

[ghostly-runes]

Deaf/Hard of hearing Black family (And a bit of the Tonks/Rosier/Malfoy/Lupin/Riddle family (Pretty much everyone in the family tree I could think of))

Note: I am not deaf but I am disabled so I am somewhat pulling from my experiences so, if I get anything wrong or am insensitive in anyway please please let me know

- Sirius was born hard of hearing but never got the support he needed in childhood

- He didn’t know and wasn’t taught sign language until he was older and could learn it by himself

- Regulus and Andromeda were the only ones to learn BSL (British sign language) with him (More so Reg than Andy because he lived with Sirius)

- Deafness runs in the Black family but most of them learn to live with it so they don’t seem “crippled” (Narcissa and Orion are the only ones that aren’t hard of hearing or deaf in the family)

- Regulus grew up hearing but midway though his years at hogwarts he started losing his hearing (Pandora pointed it out)

- This is one of the few times during their years at Hogwarts and after Sirius runs away, that Regulus comes to Sirius because “How can he be the perfect heir if he’s ‘defected’. ”

- They had a long conversation about how that didn’t determine his worth and he wasn’t ‘defected’ or anything of that sort

- In a They all live!AU Regulus would have been completely deaf by 30

- Luckily though, at the age of 15 Regulus has a close knit friend group and they’re all willing to learn sign language for him (He sucks at lip reading)

- Sirius also has incredibly close friend group and they all start to learn sign language for Sirius, even if it’s just common signs

- Sirius actually doesn’t tell his friends that he’s hard of hearing, James just picks it up 2nd yr and when asked Sirius tries to deny it but he sucks at lying to James

- After a bit they tell Peter and then Remus

- After Remus, Sirius finds it gets easier and easier to tell his friends and soon most (if not his whole) friend group knows

- Regulus on the other hand doesn’t tell anyone but Dorcas, Barty, Evan, Pandora and Sirius for a while. (James and Lily have to learn about it from Sirius)

- Andromeda is born completely deaf and it scares her mother half to death because it’s not often that the Black children are born that way

- Because of this she isn’t able to talk very clearly and struggles quite a lot

- Bellatrix, like Sirius is Born hard of hearing but her mother is a little more accepting of it and makes sure her daughters learn sign language

- So the girls grow up learning and knowing LSF (Langue des signes française/French sign language)

- They teach the brothers bits and pieces when they get the chance but Orion refuses to let them use it in the house

- Orion and Cyprus both don’t start becoming hard of hearing until they are teenagers and even then they never go completely deaf

- Walburga was born hard of hearing like Sirius and was considered a failure by her mother for this (she continued the cycle of this to Sirius)

- Alphard was not born completely deaf but is by the time he is a small child he is (His parents are reallyyy not happy about this)

- Because he went deaf after he began to talk he can talk mostly clearly, he does struggle a bit at times but it’s not normally noticeable

- However, he cannot speak English as he didn’t learn any before going deaf (French is his first language) and he only knows bsl after he moves out

- Tonks (Nymphadora) is born hard of hearing and grows up in a house that uses sign language

- Draco, like his mother is one of the few family members that are born hearing but he starts losing his hearing a bit earlier than most folks

- Teddy is also born hearing but grows up with Andromeda so they learn sign language as one of their first languages

- Scorpius was surprisingly born hard of hearing considering his mother, father and grandparents are not deaf or hard of hearing

- But not to worry, the family trauma is being healed and he grows up with a good support system and people who know sign language and use it with him

- Delphi and born hearing and doesn’t usually have any problems with her hearing until she’s a preteen

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

Threenager by happyaspie

Part 76 of Tony Stark is a Good Mentor

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Chapters 1/? || De-aged Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Summary: While on patrol, Peter is struck by a spell that turns him into a toddler. Or mostly into a toddler. His memories, intellect, and experiences are still intact. Unfortunately, that makes being trapped in a toddler's body, with a toddler's motor skills that much harder. His legs are too short, and his fingers are too uncooperative. He can’t ride in the car without a super claustrophobic car seat. He can’t even wash his hands without help and it's frustrating. Between the teasing, Tony does his absolute best to help.

[except below the cut]

It was after ten in the evening and Tony was in his bed for once. He wasn’t sleeping. He was leaning up against the headboard, glasses perched on the end of his nose, thumbing through a magazine. They’d done an interview and photoshoot with him several months prior and it had finally been published. He didn’t like the photo they’d picked for the cover. His smile was off and a few errant strands of hair had fallen limply against his forehead. He hoped the article would make up for it.

He was about halfway through the two-page spread when his phone began to ring. Blindly, he reached over to the bedside table and wrapped his fingers around the device. He didn’t bother checking the caller ID as he brought it up to his ear. There was no reason to. It was his personal phone and only a handful of friends and colleagues had the number. 

“This is Stark,” he mindlessly greeted, the phone tucked neatly under his chin.

“Oh Thank God you actually answered!” a high-pitched voice rang out from the other end of the line.

Tony sighed, wondering which one of his imbecile contacts had allowed their toddler to play with their phone. “Hey there, Little Buddy. Does your mommy or daddy know you have their phone?” he asked, bringing the chipmunk-like chatter to a halt.

“Come on, Mr. Stark! This is serious!” the voice squealed. Though, all of the R’s and L’s were either missing or slurred into W’s. “I’m kind of in a bind here and I could really use your assistance.”

The first thing to pop into Tony’s head was how the vocabulary didn’t quite match up to the voice. Before he could stop himself the words, “Wait. How old are you?” slipped out of his mouth. 

The tiny voice growled. Vaguely, Tony wondered why he’d not already hung up. 

“It doesn’t matter! I really need you to hear me out here, Mr. Stark!”

“Yeah, okay,” Tony interjected. “That’s enough phone time for you today, Kiddie. Mr. Stark is going to say ‘bye-bye’ now.” Before he could press the end call button, the voice on the other end of the line grew increasingly frantic.

“No, Mr. Stark! Wait! Please! It’s me, Peter! Peter Parker! I need your help!”

As the voice pleaded, Tony pulled the phone away from his ear to verify who he was speaking to. Sure enough, the name Peter Parker was displayed across the screen, along with the cheesy photo he’d set to go with the contact information.

“Peter?” he questioned, still not quite believing. ”Why the hell do you sound like a nineties cartoon character?”

His inquiry was met with silence. He was right on the verge of probing for more when he heard Peter gather a deep breath.  

“Well, I was on patrol, right?” Peter said. “You know, just swinging around minding my own business. Then some weird guy with a big floaty book popped up out of nowhere! I tried to get away from him but then he threw this yellowish-orange glowy light ball thing at me, and he shrunk me! He shrunk me, Mr. Stark! And I- I don’t have any other clothes.” 

When the rambling finally came to an end, Tony reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t have any other clothes,” he blandly repeated. “You just told me some random guy shot you with an unknown substance and you’re going your biggest concern is, ‘I don’t have any other clothes?’”

“I’m pretty sure being naked in the middle of New York City is actually a very big concern, Mr. Stark!”

Seeing as that hadn’t even crossed his mind, Tony sighed and pulled up the Spider-Suit's last known coordinates. Thankfully they weren’t far. “Alright. You win. I’ll be there in twenty.”

[continue reading on AO3]

[silently-waiting-for-you]

Marvel

Trope: de-aged peter parker

a gift of time

Holy shit, mini-Peter was adorable. Tony seriously wanted to just cuddle the kid, maybe kiss his cheeks, definitely spoil him.

or

In which Peter gets de-aged for two weeks, and Tony gets to be a dad.

. . . . .

a little hiccup

While Peter was out patrolling as Spiderman, an incident occurs and something happens to him. Now he has to go to Tony for help, and their relationship will never be the same.

Shameless Irondad and Spiderson.

. . . .

age regression was impossible... right?

He didn't see anything at first, and had been getting ready to turn around and examine the area behind him when he saw it.

Tony had to do a double take when he saw it. Wait, not it, a child. There was a child sitting in the far end of the alleyway, his small frame visible in the shadows. He couldn't be more than two years old, the small body curled up on its side in Tony's direction.

Or, in which, Peter is de-aged and Tony bares the responsibility of looking after him.

. . . .

close to my heart, never to part

During patrol one night, Peter comes across something that leaves him and Ned dumbfounded. The next morning, Ned is dropping off a now two-year-old Peter at Tony’s. Not only does he have to figure out how to turn him back, but he must watch him. Tony wonders what he’s supposed to do with the now toddler-Peter for the next two weeks…until he slowly starts to wonder what he will do without this boy after the two weeks are over.

. . . . .

like a boat out on the ocean (i'm rocking you to sleep)

"Hey there, Roo." Tony whispered to the little child, slowly kneeling in front of him and giving him a small smile as he wiped away a few stray tears from rosy cheeks. "Whats'a matter, huh? You have a nightmare?"

Peter nodded, his chin wobbling and tears welling up in his doe eyes once again. He made little grabby hands towards Tony and the man instantly scooped him up, holding him gently to his chest with one arm and cradling the back of his head with the other.

Or

Peter is accidentally de-aged, and Tony and Morgan come to his rescue when he has a nightmare.

. . . . .

no take backs

Peter, Tony, and the Avengers fight a strange alien wizard with disastrous (and cute) consequences for Peter. Now Tony has to deal with a five-year-old Spider-Man, and the Rogues, who don’t think he’s capable of taking care of his favorite intern. Set a few weeks after the events of Spider-Man’s Pizza Delivery Service.

OR

Peter gets de-aged, and there is a lot of domestic fluff and crack that follows for him and Tony.

. . . . .

parent for a weekend

“Kid?” He approached the pile of clothes. What he saw, almost made his eyes bug out of his head. There was a small child, no older than two, in the middle of the pile of clothes, as if they were swimming in the clothes. When the child looked up at him, Tony gasped. He’d know those brown eyes anywhere.

“Mis’er S’ar?”

----

Or Peter somehow gets de-aged and it's up to Tony to fix it and also take care of him.

Iron Man Bingo #12- "Did you just call me dad?"

. . . . .

spider-baby (literally)

“Oh my God, oh my God!”

“Dammit Stark! You had one job!”

“Language! Peter! Peter, come down please.”

“Hold on guys, I have an idea,” Sam said and ran off.

Peter looked down at the adults talking over each other and let out delighted laugh at the sight. Tony was taken aback, looking offended. “Did the little crap just laughed at us?”

Or when Peter gets accidentally turned into a baby, chaos and fluff ensures.

. . . . .

spider-baby of mine

Tony never considered himself a father to anyone, but when Peter is hit with an alien weapon and de-aged, that's exactly what he needs to be.

[themculibrary]

Crying Masterlist

A Different Kind of Mask (ao3) - aloneintherain N/R, 1k

Summary: “So, you remember the plan, right?” Matt whispered. The sirens in the distance picked up, the sounds of the police officers on foot growing louder.

“You’re blind and I’m just a scared teenager,” Peter said back, nodding. “Got it.”

Age Regression was Impossible... Right? (ao3) - chvotic G, 120k

Summary: He didn't see anything at first, and had been getting ready to turn around and examine the area behind him when he saw it.

Tony had to do a double take when he saw it. Wait, not it, a child. There was a child sitting in the far end of the alleyway, his small frame visible in the shadows. He couldn't be more than two years old, the small body curled up on its side in Tony's direction.

Or, in which, Peter is de-aged and Tony bares the responsibility of looking after him.

All The Stars Align (ao3) - Ashleyparker2815 N/R, 899k

Summary: Peter Parker wakes up in the middle of the night to a call from the hospital saying that his aunt had been in an accident. Peter thinks that he has nothing left in this world but he will always have Tony.

almeno tu nell'universo (ao3) - silkspectred steve/tony E, 114k

Summary: Tony drives off.

Well, he wants to.

But he can’t.

Because.

Steve Rogers is in front of his car.

Steve fucking Rogers. Is in front of Tony’s fucking car.

Big (ao3) - Crockzilla peter/wade E, 14k

Summary: Peter can't stop looking at and thinking about Wade's great big arms and shoulders and hands and back. He's fine. (He's not fine.)

blood-tinted hands (ao3) - DarkKitty1208 G, 1k

Summary: Blood tints his horrifying hands in red and it doesn't matter how many times he tries to wash it away–it's a permanent part of him now.

OR

Post-EG fic exploring Stephen's thoughts, ft. survivor's guilt.

From You I Cannot Hide (ao3) - SailorChibi steve/tony, bucky/natasha M, 66k

Summary: Being a sub isn’t the worst thing in the world. Being a sub who doesn’t like pain, well. That’s just weird. A sub’s sole responsibility in life is to be anything and everything a dom wants, an open canvas for a dom’s brush, malleable and sweet. Obie taught him that, and that fear ultimately tears him and Pepper apart. So Tony hides his dirty secret and doesn’t sub for anyone now. But that doesn’t stop him from wanting.

"I feel safe with you, and only you." (ao3) - gabenabe wanda/natasha N/R, 1k

Summary: After the fight in Budapest, Natasha is still struggling a lot with memories of what Dreykov did to her. She can't escape the horrid flashbacks of the pain she endured because of that monster, she thought she was finally somewhat letting those memories fade away to the back of her mind, but they're back and they hurt a lot. But thankfully, somebody comes to her rescue.

OR; Natasha Romanov is traumatized and lets her vulnerable side be shown in front of Wanda, which leads to a ton of fluff.

If You Want It, Take It (ao3) - Latishiante1001 sam/bucky E, 5k

Summary: Just ‘cause Bucky’s a virgin and is still nervous about being with anyone does not mean that he’s not well educated on being an absolute tease.

"I hate myself, but at least I have you." (ao3) - gabenabe N/R, 1k

Summary: Peter Parker lives a life full of flashbacks, constantly reliving his worst nightmares on a day to day basis. Everyday is getting harder for him to put up with the trauma, the bullying, being belittled from the avengers for being "too young." He seeks for an escape. But that comes with an unexpected comfort and realization.

OR; Peter Parker is depressed and tries to kill himself, but is stopped before he could. He finds out something shocking that he wished he knew months ago.

I Swear That Everything Will Be Just Fine (ao3) - truleedevastating steve/bucky M, 6k

Summary: It's one thing to fuck with the mobster, but it's another thing to fuck with the mobsters' husband.

like it's the only thing i'll ever do (ao3) - howdoyousleep steve/bucky E, 39k

Summary: When Steve opens the door, Bucky feels like he’s been living in clouds for the past few days, maybe even his entire life. Steve is life, Steve is happiness, Steve is the sun. He has such a visceral reaction to seeing the Alpha that he feels his knees go weak, feels his body draw tight towards the other man, pulled in.

Or big Alpha Steve moves into sweet little Omega Bucky's apartment building and a roller-coaster build of a romance ensues.

Nightlight (ao3) - SomeRandomAssGuy G, 1k

Summary: Tony cradled his son to his chest. Adjusting Peter’s position so his ear lay right over his fathers’ heart. To listen to the steady, comforting throb. It was an old, old routine they had fallen into when Peter was still just a baby. So tiny that Tony was afraid of crushing him with one calloused hand.

Proprietary Information (ao3) - notlucy steve/bucky E, 85k

Summary: Okay, so Bucky Barnes has a crush on Steve Rogers. The guy's gorgeous, talented and, oh yeah, the Chief Design Officer of the biggest tech company in the world. In other words: he's so far out of Bucky's league that he might as well be in a different stratosphere.

Quadrant (ao3) - AvaKelly clint/steve/bucky/sam T, 7k

Summary: In a world where loving someone causes their unique soulmark tattoo to appear on his skin, Clint has been falling for too many people, but never has been loved back. So when he sees his mark on Bucky's shoulder, he can't really believe it.

Return Me Home (ao3) - Alia_JuneBug E, 88k

Summary: Aunt May is dead. One drunk driver and Peter Parker is officially alone in life.

He's too numb to be anything other than resigned when he's placed in a Catholic Home for Boys. And he's not Catholic, but he's pretty sure the Fathers aren't supposed to be as cruel as the ones that run this home.

It's in this hell that Peter befriends the other boys in the care, including one Harley Keener, a sarcastic southener who shares an affinity for science. And so it's not even Peter's fault that he starts to teach the other boys how to code. They asked him to. And so what if the first thing they do is hack into Tony Stark's website. They aren't going to change anything.

Tony Stark is not a father. He never will be a father, and the sooner Pepper admits that the better they all will be.

However on a search for a new design to highlight at one of his charity galas, he stumbles across this random kid's old science project. Some dorky teen named Peter Parker. So naturally he just wants to talk to the kid. That's it. Nothing more.

The Best Revenge (ao3) - SailorChibi T, 24k

Summary: Stephen Strange saves Tony from freezing to death in Siberia. That one action changes everything, much to the horror of one Steve Rogers.

took my love, took it down (ao3) - LaughsAtThunder steve/bucky E, 31k

Summary: The problem, Bucky thinks now that he has most of his memories back, is that his whole entire world has always revolved around Steve Rogers. Steve has been always been half of Bucky’s identity. Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers’ best friend. Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers’ wingman. Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers’ teammate. And now, well, now Steve had other people to fill those positions. And of course, of course he’d always been a little bit in love with Steve. So when he overhears Steve telling Natasha that he’s finally found someone he’d like to date, someone with similar life experience, Bucky clings blindly to the hope that maybe, just maybe, Steve is talking about him.

[seaphoam-writes]

A Father's Duty (21/?)

A Father's Duty on AO3

Summary: An encounter with a quantum fissure leaves Picard with more responsibility than he asked for, but he'll do what he always does—his duty.

Chapter 21

After they climb they clean themselves up, eat lunch, then have a nap.

It feels good to lie on his own bed again, and afterwards Picard feels much less sore and much more awake than he’s felt in days. He finds Louis already up, sitting at the dining table with a book and another plate of apple slices. Picard wonders if he’s accustomed to a certain degree of independence where food’s concerned, or if he’s concluded that if he doesn’t fend for himself, he’ll starve.

Again, Picard feels a stab of guilt—alongside the realization of a glaring fact: he doesn’t take very good care of himself. Or perhaps it’s just that he hasn’t been doing so in recent months. He remembers having healthier habits, once upon a time. Before Gul Madred. Maybe even as long ago as before the Borg.

Sighing internally, Picard replicates himself a bowl of fromage blanc speckled with blackberries and a dollop of bitter orange jam. It’s le goûter he ate during the summers as a child; his grandfather would come in from the fields, gather Picard from wherever he was playing, and they would eat a snack together in the kitchen, which was always the coolest part of the house in the late afternoon, as long as his mother hadn’t started cooking dinner yet.

When Picard was Louis’s age, he wasn’t allowed to prepare his own food, and eating was for meals and le goûter—a small snack between lunch and dinner—only. That’s typical for French culture, but Picard doesn’t think restricting Louis in such a way is necessary, though they should probably discuss some basic ground rules so the boy’s snacks don’t spoil his appetite for meals.

Louis smiles at him when he sits and offers him an apple slice. Picard accepts it, and in trade spoons a hearty amount of fromage blanc and jam onto Louis’s plate.

“Would you like a blackberry?” Picard asks.

Louis shakes his head, not taking his eyes off the fromage blanc he’s scraping onto one apple slice with the aid of a second apple slice, fingers carefully pinching the edges of the fruit, where it’s clean. After a few minutes of eating in companionable silence, Picard jerks his chin in the direction of the book Louis has open on his knee.

“What are you reading?”

“Peter and Wendy.”

“Have you read it before?”

“Non. I found it in the ship’s library. Have you read it?”

“Yes. A long time ago.”

“When you were my age?”

“Yes, when I was your age.”

Picard’s never had occasion to peruse the children’s section of the computer’s catalog of books but the thought of it now—the possibility of reliving some of his childhood favorites with Louis—is thrilling.

“What else did you find in the ship’s library?”

While Louis rambles off titles, Picard makes a mental list of books not included, notably Le Petit Nicolas and Les Aventures de Tintin, which Picard thinks Louis would enjoy immensely given that they’re comics.

They finish eating, recycle their plates, and retreat to their respective pursuits. Louis takes his book to the couch and sprawls on it with the book propped on his chest, and Picard goes to his desk. He returns to duty tomorrow, and he needs to make arrangements for Louis’s supervision.

Time passes easily, and it’s nearing 0500 hours when movement catches his attention and Picard looks up from his PADD to see Louis upright on the couch, gripping the edge of the cushions with trembling hands and a stricken, wide-eyed expression on his pale face.

It startles him into instant motion.

“Louis,” Picard says, perching next to the boy and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Louis, what’s wrong?”

Louis shakes his head and swallows. “I’m fine.”

“You are not fine.”

The wide grey eyes fix on Picard. Is Louis sick? Is he having another panic attack? His breathing seems more rapid than normal. Not bothering to be subtle about it, Picard splays his free hand against Louis’s chest.

The boy’s heart is pounding.

Panic attack, then.

Can Picard avert it? Or is it like an avalanche, unstoppable once it starts, the only option to wait it out?

“Talk to me,” Picard coaxes. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

Louis swallows again, whispers. “Maman.”

He raises his hand to the one Picard still has pressed to his chest and grips it, as if he needs an anchor. Then he turns his head, gaze on the floor somewhere between where they’re sitting and Picard’s bedroom.

“Uncle Will found me and maman but maman was already dead. You…you were on the Borg ship.” Louis drags in a breath and his whole body shudders with the effort. “I heard uncle Will telling maman you weren’t ever coming back. I wasn’t supposed to be listening but I listened anyway. I didn’t understand. You weren’t dead, so why—” His brows draw together, and his next words hiss through his clenched teeth. “Why couldn’t you come back? Why did you—”

He goes rigid and he doesn’t finish his sentence, but Picard can guess at its conclusion nonetheless.

Why did his father attack the Enterprise? Why did he kill Louis’s mother?

Picard moves his hand from Louis’s shoulder to his back and rubs circles there.

“I’m here now,” he says. “I’m here now, and you’re here with me.”

He rubs Louis’s back until Louis’s shoulders loosen and he’s leaning so hard into the hand Picard has on his chest that Picard’s afraid Louis will fall forward if he removes it. Louis’s heartbeat has finally slowed beneath Picard’s palm when Louis murmurs once more, “Why couldn’t you come back?”

Picard’s hand stills. Perhaps Data never explained. Perhaps Data couldn’t explain. Should Picard explain? This is not the time nor the place he imagined this happening—he had envisioned having Deanna present as both guide and support—but he senses there’s no burying what’s been unearthed.

They’re doing this now, just the two of them.

“When the Borg assimilated me,” Picard says, “I—"

The speed with which Louis’s head whips around and the incredulous look on his face speak volumes: clearly, he hadn’t imagined that Picard had been assimilated like his own father.

“Oh yes,” Picard confirms softly. “I was assimilated by the Borg, just like your father was.”

Likewise, it hadn’t occurred to him that Louis might not be aware of it, but he supposes it makes sense: if Louis’s father was never rescued, he must believe rescue wasn’t possible, and therefor this version of his father—Picard himself—must somehow never have been assimilated. There are other dissimilarities between Louis’s reality and this one, so why not that?

Louis’s brows contract and his eyes flick back and forth between Picard’s, which Picard interprets as a question.

“I was rescued,” he explains.

“How?” Louis croaks.

Why couldn’t you come back? It strikes Picard that Louis wasn’t speaking to him here and now, he was speaking to his father—he was speaking to the past. Why couldn’t you come back?

Picard contemplates that. What’s different about this reality? Is it one decision or event that makes the difference? Or a multitude of them? Picard knows Guinan gave Will quite a lecture, and there was no Guinan in Louis’s reality; additionally, he knows Beverly was rather insistent that Picard could be saved, and there was no Beverly in Louis’s reality either.

Are they the key? Does Locutus exist in every reality where there were no Guinan and no Beverly to influence the course of events?

He doesn’t know, so he focuses on facts alone.

“The Enterprise was not part of the battle at Wolf 359. They arrived too late; all the other ships had been destroyed, and the Borg were gone.”

Picard has to detach from himself, tell the tale as if it was a historical event, some long ago happening he was completely uninvolved in.

“The Enterprise tracked the Borg down,” he continues. “They attacked, and their attack distracted the Borg, so that Data and Worf were able to pilot a shuttlecraft past their defenses and retrieve me from within the Borg cube. Then, Data, Dr. Crusher, and Deanna…brought me back.”

Louis wriggles his shoulders and Picard removes his hands. He’s afraid Louis is going to walk away but instead Louis rotates to face him.

“Do you remember being Borg?” Louis asks quietly.

Will the truth comfort him? Or is the boy so tangled up inside that the truth will only make it worse?

You’re broken, Picard tells himself, but Louis doesn’t have to be.

“I do,” Picard says. “I remember.”

His gaze drifts sideways as his mind performs a sidestep, into a part of himself that he keeps safely locked away, hidden in the shadows. Words pour from his mouth but he’s barely aware of what he’s saying, his voice distant and remote.

“I remember being aware the entire time of what was happening but being unable to stop it. I was no longer in control, and…as time went on, I began to feel less and less aware, as if I was slowly drifting off to sleep. I imagine that—if I had stayed—I would have lost myself entirely. In fact, if I had not been rescued when I was, there may not have been anything left of me to save.”

“So, my papa…”

Louis’s voice snaps Picard back to himself. “Your papa is gone. The being known as Locutus may wear Jean-Luc Picard’s face, but it was not your father that fired upon the Enterprise.”

It’s not your father that destroyed the galaxy. Your father…

Before he can stop himself, before he can think better of it, Picard says, “Your father died a long time ago.”

Louis flinches, and Picard sees some sort of emotion welling rapidly inside of him before it recedes just as swiftly and he slumps against the back of the couch as if drained, his gaze cast downward, face slack save for the crease between his brows.

Picard’s frozen, terrified he just applied the pressure that finally shattered the cracked-beyond-repair pieces of Louis Picard.

A long moment passes, and Louis says, “I’m glad.”

He raises his eyes to Picard’s, and though they’re overbright with unshed tears, they’re also fierce and determined.

“I’m glad he’s gone. He wouldn’t have wanted to hurt maman. He wouldn’t want to hurt anyone. And he wouldn’t want to be trapped.”

Picard feels a knot loosen inside of him. “You’re right,” he agrees in a whisper. “You’re absolutely right.”

How many times has he had that nightmare? How many times has he dreamed that he’s gone but the Borg are still using his body? And nobody knows it’s not him, because how could they know?

Louis bares his teeth. “I hate the Borg.”

“Louis,” Picard says gently, opening his arms. “Come here.”

Confusion flashes in his eyes, but Louis obeys. He burrows against Picard’s chest. Picard holds him tightly, rests his cheek on Louis’s hair.

“It’s okay to hate the Borg for what they’ve done, but you can’t let that anger consume you.”

“Consume me?”

“Yes. If you let it, that anger will grow bigger and stronger until it’s the only thing left inside of you. That’s all you’ll be for the rest of your life: angry.  Your maman and papa wouldn’t want that. They would want you to be happy. I want you to be happy.”

“Aren’t you mad at the Borg too?”

“Of course I am,” Picard admits, and then he decides to lie. “But only sometimes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The truth is the anger is always there, usually a mere simmer, deep down, but always there.

He thinks of Gul Madred, how much he wants to do unto Gul Madred what was done to him. He knows it’s not right, and yet he’s not able—not willing—to let go of his anger.

“Papa?”

“Oui, Louis?”

“I don’t think I want to be angry all the time either.”

His voice is small, defeated.

Picard strokes his thumb along Louis’s cheekbone. “I’m here, Louis. I’ll help you.”

Even if it means I have to help myself first.

The door chimes, and Picard nearly jumps out of his skin. He and Louis break apart and look at each other.

Will.

Picard forgot, lost track of time.

“If you’re not ready—” he starts.

But Louis sets his jaw. “I’m ready.”

Picard is holding him by the shoulders. His color is back up, he’s no longer trembling, and he’s breathing normally again; Picard doesn’t know if they avoided a panic attack, or if they rode it out together.

“How do you feel?” he asks.

“I’m okay, papa. I don’t feel sick.”

Picard takes a deep breath and nods, then he gives Louis’s shoulders a squeeze before standing. To his surprise, Louis stands with him, slipping his hand into Picard’s. They go to the door together, and Picard opens it to reveal both Will and Deanna. Deanna doesn’t acknowledge Picard but instead peers intently at Louis.

Louis stares back—Picard wonders from how far off Deanna was able to sense his emotions—then offers her a smile. “I’m okay.”

Her expression immediately softens, and she leans forward to cup both of his cheeks and kiss his hair, an action delightfully reminiscent of Beverly’s earlier performance of the same acts.

Louis’s smile is twice the size when Deanna pulls away and neatly steps past him into their quarters.

“Captain, with your permission I’d like to make us some drinks.”

Picard’s a bit caught off guard, but he gives her a mild, “Of course, Counselor.”

And then it’s just Will, and Will’s beaming down at Louis.

“Hello,” he says, with what passes for a quiet voice with him.

“Hello,” Louis returns.

“I probably don’t have to introduce myself to you, do I?”

Louis shakes his head. “Non, I know who you are.”

Will glances over Louis’s head, towards the living area. “Can I come in?”

Someone—probably Deanna—must have informed him that his height is intimidating—or at the very least that it causes neck pain, for he goes straight to one of the armchairs and sits down. Deanna may also have informed him that he should adopt open body language so as to appear nonthreatening, though Picard thinks that’s just how Will naturally sits: knees spread wide, hands resting on his thighs.

Picard closes the door and follows Louis towards the couch—but Louis halts directly in front of Will.

“You…” Louis pauses, gathers himself. “The other you—my…my uncle Will—saved me. I never got to tell him thank you.”

“Well,” Will says slowly, “I’m not your Will Riker, but if it would help, you can thank me instead.”

Surprising Picard once again, Louis steps forward and throws his arms around Will’s neck. Will doesn’t hesitate to return the hug, wearing that expression of shocked bemusement that’s quite unique to him.

The hug lasts long enough for Picard to realize he doesn’t know if Will wants children of his own someday. Will certainly has an ease with them that Picard could never manage, and Louis calls his Will Riker ‘uncle’, implying a close relationship.

Picard’s always…isolated himself, kept his crew at arm’s length. But he doesn’t want Louis to feel alone; he wants the boy to feel he has family here, a network of love and support he can rely on beyond Picard.

It may be time for Picard to end his self-imposed seclusion, for Louis’s sake.

(A daunting proposition.)

Deanna joins them then. She presses a mug of earl grey into Picard’s hands and sets two additional mugs on the coffee table before claiming the remaining armchair.

Louis steps back from Will but keeps his hands on Will’s shoulders.

“Do you play the trombone?” he asks seriously.

Will grins. “I do. Data told us your mother was a musician. Do you play an instrument?”

Grey eyes flick to Picard and then back. “I play piano.”

Play, Picard notes. Present tense, not past. He didn’t mention practicing piano as part of his daily routine, but given his response when Data handed him the rolled up piano, Picard wouldn’t be surprised if Louis purposely left it out.

“Piano!” Will gushes. “That’s wonderful.”

Louis’s cheeks turn a delicate shade of pink.

“Maybe you and I could play together sometime,” Will suggests. “Do you like jazz?”

Louis shrugs. “Sometimes.”

Will quirks an eyebrow, eyes wide. “Only sometimes?”

Unabashedly, Louis nods, though there’s a mischievous twist to his mouth.

“You know, Captain,” Deanna says, in a tone that causes every muscle in Picard’s back to seize instantly. “You could invite Will to play with you sometime. You could perform a duet.”

Will looks at Picard. “You play an instrument, sir?”

“He plays the flute,” Deanna supplies, before Picard can deflect.

There must be a conspiracy to tease him in front of his son, as Beverly, Guinan, and Deanna all seem to delight in doing just that.

Whatever it takes, Picard thinks. Whatever it takes to keep Louis forging connections, becoming more comfortable, becoming himself, growing into the person he was meant to be.

-/-

There’s a medical emergency in sick bay and Beverly can’t join them for dinner. Picard feels her absence like a piece of him is missing and left behind, but focusing on the conversation between Louis and Guinan helps take his mind off of it.

Louis is as inquisitive as ever, with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of questions for Guinan, all of which she answers both good-humoredly and with humor. As Picard expected, Guinan doesn’t treat Louis any differently than before she knew his story.

When they return to their quarters, Louis turns to Picard expectantly, and Picard knows there’s no hope of getting away with not playing the flute.

Not that he doesn’t want to play. He’s just nervous.

Picard retrieves the Ressikan flute from its case and carries it reverently to one of the armchairs. He feels Louis’s attention on him, an excruciating weight. He doesn’t know why performing fills him with such dread. It always has. It’s why he gave up the piano as a child. But he dearly hopes to hear Louis play for him someday, so he knows he must power through it, share his music—share himself—so that Louis might feel comfortable doing the same.

Just as Picard sits, the door chimes. The sound freezes his blood.

No.

Louis was on his way to examine the flute, but he pivots and trots to answer the door.

It’s Beverly. Of course it’s Beverly.

She’s out of uniform, wearing an oversized blue sweater with a wide neck that reveals her collarbones and most of her shoulders.

“I’m sorry I missed dinner,” she says—breathlessly, as if she rushed here. “I thought I could join you for dessert? I brought a clootie dumpling. I hope that’s okay.”

For a moment, he’s so distracted by the glimpse of skin that he forgets to be terrified, he doesn’t see the smirk, the raised brow, or the glint in her eye.

“Am I…interrupting something?”

He meets her gaze. This feels worse than her catching him in the bath. He’d rather that than this. The Ressikan flute, his music…it’s far more revealing of him than his naked body.

Louis, naturally, is completely unaware of his discomfort. He grins and takes Beverly’s hand, pulling her into their quarters.

“Papa is going to play the flute. Come listen.”

This, Picard thinks, may very well be what kills him.

[impcrios]

( harris dickinson | cis-man | he/him ) — was that peter pettigrew passing through diagon alley? those close to them say they remind them of never quite fitting in one place, always the fourth best and never the first, underestimated for most of your life but won’t be anymore, healing hands that will be soon covered in blood of his friends, which i supposes seems to fit that gryffindor alumnus. they’re actually pretty shrewd, underestimated, and quick-handed for a twenty-four year old, but i wonder if it serves them well when working as a mediwix for the st. mungos. rumor has it that the halfblood is aligning with the order of the phoenix now… for now. i wouldn’t have guessed… but this is a conversation we should be having somewhere else.

full name — peter pettigrew nickname(s) — pete, petey, wormtail name meaning — peter: stone. pettigrew: unusually small age — twenty-four date of birth — september 13th place of birth — kent, england star sign — virgo sun, taurus moon, scorpio rising current location — london, england  gender — cis-man pronouns — he/him sexual orientation — homosexual religion — none  occupation — mediwix education level — hogwarts, mediwix training  family — pureblood dickhead ( father ), evelyn pettigrew ( mother ) finances — not great !  spoken languages — english  boggart — voldemort  patronus — hyena, having a hyena as your patronus means that you find comfort in nonconformity. you are not someone who does something just because “that’s how it’s always been.” no one tells you what you should or shouldn’t do, and if anyone tries, well, their griping will fall on deaf ears. you are both strong and weak – gentle and ruthless – cool as a cucumber and hot as a tamale. should you ever find yourself cornered and shut away, forced to hide yourself from the world, your guardian will burst from your wand with a large barking laugh, for it is completely unafraid of fences or wagging fingers. it's laughter will course through your veins, making your heart bubble up with strength, and soon you’ll be laughing too as you take down your enemies with a flick of your wand. anigamus — rat wand — a wand made from beech wood with a phoenix feather core, measuring 13 inches long and having a "reasonably supple flexibility" would likely be considered a well-balanced wand, offering a good mix of power and control, with a potential for adaptability and responsiveness due to the phoenix feather core; ideal for a wizard who desires both precision and the ability to perform complex spells with some flexibility in their wand's movement.

tw: father abandonment, father is also a de / voldemort sympathiser.

there was a reason he was a hatstall. “interesting…. very interesting…brave but only to a certain point, a good sense of self preservation, but rash thinking skills…while you seek knowledge it doesn’t come easy to you but your determination makes you ambitious. you want to prove your worth if only to yourself… so where should i put you? you would do well in slytherin where you’ll make your real friends…but it’s been a while since i’ve seen this before, gryffindor may be your true north.” 

the moment should have told you everything you needed to know about peter pettigrew. arguing with the hat for five minutes while mcgonagall had already placed judgment that he would be nothing but trouble, but he was a marauder wasn’t he? maybe not the most important one, or even the most thought of one, but he still must have belonged in some way. 

growing up would always feel this way, a boy built on contradictions of trying to find his place in the world but never quite fitting in. his father was a pureblood wizard that had a steamy love affair with a muggleborn, their relationship didn’t last long. his dad stayed for the first year before he ended up betrothed to another. it was just his mother and peter. he never did take his fathers last name. they were scrubbed of that relationship and if they were both honest it was for the better. 

peter had grew up above a fish and chip shop, his first real bit of magic was due to falling off a swing and scraping his knees, the wound wasn’t deep but it was enough to make him cry, his mom had come running over and he had laid his hand over the wound and just a bit of the wound had sealed. 

peter never had many friends growing up, he wasn’t connected to the pureblood world because he had no contact with his father, his mothers family was very small, but she was a healer, so most of peter's life was st. mungos and the constant smell of lavender filling his nostrils and green robes. 

by the time it was time for him to go to hogwarts he was a bit scared or what it would be like especially since his half siblings would be around the same year. he didn’t know their names though, he didn’t care enough. 

this is the part of the story you do know : peter makes friends with three boys on the train and the rest is history. 

except it isn’t. most of the marauders do not know how much peter struggled in school just to keep up, being belittled by people around them including professors shoots your self confidence, he’s brave but he’s cautious always the mediator of the marauders group that held self preservation, maybe even a bit crueler than the three of them outside of the group. he loved his friends, he loved them so much but sometimes it felt like he was the spare, always the one walking just slightly behind the rest. but when it came down to it peter would always protect them, healing wounds, gentle magic in his hands always for his friends. 

the last year of school is probably the most strained he had been from his friends, figuring that by the end of the year they wouldn’t want to keep in touch with peter, so he decided despite mcgonagall’s disbelief of him and his abilities, he was going to study his arse off and become a mediwix for st. mungos. the year is mostly a blur but out of spite and determination he was going to do it, and by the time he gets his diploma he doesn’t acknowledge mcgonagall. his training robes come in the next day. 

with the war fully starting he doesn’t know what to do — he’s scared, but he wants to fight with his friends, while also thinking what happens when they start dying? where will peter stand?

his father, if you could call him that, comes back into his life and it’s mostly on accident. he had been admitted to st. mungos, and while this man looks familiar it’s not that his father was unavoidable he just hasn’t spoken to him, only seen him in glances from the daily prophet and as his duty peter was going to treat him as he would any patient until his father says his name. he would then tell him how despite never being sent back anything, his mother throughout the years would write and send photos of peter. peter finds it curious on how he ended up in st. mungos nothing was technically wrong with him until he learns that despite everything, he wants a reconnection with peter. a man that he can’t even remember because he left before any attachment could be made.

he would later have a fight with his mother about all the unwarranted information she’d given over the years but at the very back of his mind, the thoughts that he would never say out loud : he’s curious. his father never had an heir. only blessed with girls. he was coming to collect his rightful heir. he would also come to find that his father leaned in favour of the dark lord. as of late, his father never mentioned him, but he could put two and two together. what peter doesn’t understand is why now? peter hasn’t cut contact thus far but owls go unsent. he wants to love the man but he also resents him. the one time they met it wasn’t in wixen public. 

peter is at a crossroads. he can’t remember where his true north lies anymore.

[t-jfh]

Hear no evil? Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(Photo: Sputnik, Kremlin Pool via AP)

The ruins of Putin’s war in Ukraine. (Photo: AP)

Put this cruel tyrant on trial. Let humanity be the judge

As Vladimir Putin’s war enters its third year, it is time to count the bodies. Ukraine admits to 31,000 deaths suffered by its troops. The actual toll is probably much higher, not to mention all the serious injuries. Tens of thousands of its civilians have lost their lives, including hundreds of children, while 21,000 young people have been kidnapped and taken by force to Russia.

Damage to infrastructure and housing and the environment has been huge. Russia has not dared to admit to the number of its military casualties, estimated at more than four times that of Ukraine. It is thought that by the end of this year, half a million people will be dead or disfigured.

What does international law say about all this?

It says, very clearly, that Putin is guilty of invading another country for no good reason and, as one of the founders of international law, Emmerich de Vattel, said centuries ago, the Russian leader bears legal responsibility for “all the evils, all the horrors of war; all the effusion of blood, the desolation of families, the rapine, the ravages are his works and his crimes”.

Opinion by Geoffrey Robertson

Human rights barrister and author

The Age - March 4, 2024

•

•

Illustration: Dionne Gain

Late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny embraces his wife Yulia in 2013. (Photo: AP)

One murder too many, Mr Putin? It could be Ukraine’s lifeline

Russia’s dystopia deepened on the weekend when Vladimir Putin murdered his leading political critic, Alexei Navalny. We are supposed to believe that the cause of death was “taking a walk” in a Russian prison.

But while Putin’s rule by terror is dismaying for Russians who yearn for change, it could backfire against Putin on the Ukraine battlefield, according to a leading analyst.

“There is a bleakness in Russia now,” says the doyen of British strategic experts, Sir Lawrence Freedman. “It’s very hard to see sources of vulnerability for Putin with Navalny dead, [Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny] Prigozhin dead. He has more control of Russia now than he’s ever had.”

Opinion by Peter Hartcher

Political and international editor

The Age & Sydney Morning Herald - February 20, 2024

•

•

Vladimir Putin delivers his state-of-the-nation address in Moscow. (Photo: AP)

During his state-of-the-nation address, Putin warned the West against deeper involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. (Photo: AP)

Putin warns that sending Western troops to Ukraine risks a global nuclear conflict

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to fulfil Moscow’s goals in Ukraine and sternly warned the West against deeper involvement in the fighting, saying that such a move is fraught with the risk of a global nuclear conflict.

Putin’s warning on Thursday (Russia time) came in a state-of-the-nation address ahead of next month’s election which he’s all but certain to win through fraudulent manipulation.

By Vladimir Isachenkov

The Age & Sydney Morning Herald - February 29, 2024

•

[studestael]

Hello, this is your Santa, hoping that I will make your December at least a bit more joyful!

So, I would have a few questions to you to narrow what I should do or find to leave a surprise ask probably every day, but you know, plans are plans and life does its own things.

I've noticed you like Stu a lot, tell me, what do you love about him? What makes him charming for you? Are there any other favorite artists you like on the same level as him or is he your priority? There was also a lot of George so tell me, is he your second favorite Beatle? What about the others, what's your opinion about them?

And are there any other bands that you consider your favorites?

All of that would help me a lot. I also hope that getting a curious ask will be read by you as a beginning of a good month!

Sincerely, a bit awkward at first, your Santa <3

hello santa! nice to meet you :^)

well this is an interesting question, i do love stu a lot. i think what i like about him is the mystery around him, the fact that we obviously don't know very much about him despite every statement or letter or anything, like obviously he died at a very young age and we know him because the beatles were successful and carried his memory with them. let's be real, without the beatles he probably and unfortunately would have been forgotten. also, i absolutely love his paintings and his style is an inspiration when i draw or paint (which is not so often). another artist whose artworks i really like is henri de toulouse-lautrec, he's a french painter and sometimes his drawings are a bit "cartoonish", i think it's awesome and it depicts very well the parisian life of his days. i like to say i'm a bit stu myself :-) when i was in high school a friend of mine asked me if i had a bass guitar, i said "yeah my brother has one", he asked me to join him and be in his band, i said "i don't know how to play it", he said "it's ok nvm" and that was it, i played rock music with him and his friends. and fun fact, one of the member of the band got married this october and asked us to reunite for the wedding, 7 years later, that was fun!!

i don't know if george is my favorite beatle or second favorite beatle, i don't like to rank but... yeah i like him a lot and i think he's the most likeable one if that makes sense? idk he looked peaceful and calm and i like his musical taste and what he managed to compose from this (with the lapsteel guitars and indian inspirations for example). i obviously love them all but i think george is the most touching one?

yes! it's been a while since i listened to them but i love the monkees, mostly musically. when i was younger like 10 years ago maybe, i watched the tv show (my english was not as good as it is today so i sometimes watched without even understanding what was happening in the episode haha) and tbf i'd like to watch it again but i know it's a bit "childish" and outdated so idk if it'd make me laugh as much as it could have before. but yeah as i said, musically i love them very much. i think michael nesmith is a terrific songwriter and peter tork a fabulous musician ; thanks to him i started the banjo (i stoped practicing a long time ago but still, i'd love to get back to it)

sorry for being so talkative, those were very interesting questions, thank you santa!! have a nice day and i'm looking forward to hear from you again soon :-)))

[themeepyfreak]

I hate how this question is never answered in canon, along with the question of how August even knew Neal was Baelfire in the first place.

I know that most of fanon blames the Blue Fairy since August mentioned “a little fairy” told him about Gold and the dagger in “The Return”, but that just brings up a bunch of new questions. Does that mean the Blue Fairy is not cursed and just acting like a submissive nun (because she seems too prideful for that)? How did she track down August, find out he was Pinnochio, and communicate with him when he was outside Storybrooke? How did she find out Neal Cassidy was Baelfire because from Neal’s reaction to the typewriter, I don’t think he used the name Baelfire at all when he came to this world the second time. How did she even know that Emma and Neal would find each other and be together? Could she see the future too?

There were also some theories (before the latter seasons came and screwed everything over) about the Author or Merlin or someone all-knowing contacting August. That’s my favorite because it would have been a cool thing to explore or discover in a later season. Though that dream died when they decided to de-age August and thereby close all of the potential future stories and confrontations with him.

Peter Pan could have been behind it since we know he already somehow has contact with the Land Without Magic through whatever means he is contacting Tamara. In that case, Emma having to be alone because of the curse would just be a cover story to get August to do his bidding. The real reason would be because he wants to screw Baelfire over for escaping or thwarting him for centuries. It would explain why Neal specifically couldn’t stay with Emma while August, Snow, and David were free to. It would also explain how he knew Neal was Baelfire and that Baelfire was with Emma since he probably had a shadow or something following Baelfire since he escaped from Neverland.

All we know definitively from Twitter (if you count that as a source) is that (1) August was the one who called the cops (meaning he was extremely convinced that Neal would screw over Emma’s destiny) and (2) terrible things would have happened if Neal did stay with Emma (so August and Neal weren’t even wrong). But I think that part of the answer has less to do with Emma needing to be alone to destroy the curse and more to do with Neal not being in vicinity of the curse before it is broken. Neal/Baelfire is the reason for the curse in the first place; he’s the reason Rumplestilkin created the curse and the reason why everyone is in the Land Without Magic in the first place. I think the “terrible things” would be due to the curse acting weird to Neal stepping into Storybrooke or interacting with the curse before it is broken which he 100% would have done if he was with Emma during that time.

I wonder why August was so sure that Neal couldn't be with Emma while Emma have to deal with her destiny.

Or why David and Snow didn't go with Emma when they woke up in the middle of the curse.

Emma didn't have to be alone at first. The magic wardrobe was for two people, so at first, David and Snow could go together, and even after Emma was born before it was planned, if Geppetto didn't insist, one of her parents could have to go with her.

August himself is supposed to be with her.

[dyns33]

Little Devil

I said I wouldn’t do a De-aged Matt story. 

I lied to myself. 

Matt had always refused to work with a team.

He was a lone wolf, he didn't need anyone.

Besides, with his enhanced senses, it made things complicated if he had to focus on both enemies and allies at the same time.

He also didn't want to have to explain to them why he didn't really know what they looked like, or why he couldn't read, or understand the signs they were making with their hands.

No, working alone was fine.

So, no Avengers, ever.

The Defenders ? It was just once in a while, when he knew he could need some back-up.

And Spiderman ? He wasn't teaming up with Spiderman, Matt just wanted to make sure the kid didn't get hurt.

But the rest of the time, Matt is on his own. He didn't need anyone. He had said it very often to Peter, Danny, Luke and Jessica. Karen and Foggy. Y/N too.

They were all going to fucking annoy him with all this when this story was over, if this story was over one day.

For, during a mission against the Hand, a mission he had chosen, and for which Danny and Peter had insisted on following him against his consent, he had been touched by some magic, and he had been de-aged.

A child of about ten years old. Already blind. Not really knowing how to fight, being totally lost in the middle of the combat zone. Looking for his father, before remembering his father was dead. Then searching for Stick.

As Danny fended off the enemies, Spiderman managed to grab him and lead him to safety. Then they called Doctor Strange.

The wizard didn't know what to do. The spell they had put on Matt was weird.

Because Matt, even though he was a kid again, remembered some things.

He knew he was a lawyer. He knew he could trust Peter and Danny.

When they called him, he recognized Foggy's voice.

But all this does not completely help to calm him down. He was screaming, and crying, and hitting, didn't liking those grown-ups who were talking about him and touching him, and telling him things he didn't understand.

Then a voice came to his mind. A smell. A name. And without having to think, he knew he needed to see this person and only this person.

           "I want Y/N !" he cried, curling up on Danny's couch, refusing to move.

           "Matt..." Foggy sighed. "I don't know if..."

           "I want Y/N ! Y/N !"

Foggy sighed again, but agreed to text Y/N.

Then he took the others aside, quickly writing a few things on a piece of paper, since he knew that if he spoke, Matt would hear him.

Matt remembered Y/N, who was a good, nice person, whom he loved more than anything, with whom he had a relationship. Matt did not remember that it was no longer really the case. For the relationship part.

Y/N and him had broke up. For many months now. They didn't speak to each other at all. Foggy didn't know the details. He didn't know if she would come and he was afraid of little Matt's reaction when he found out.

But Y/N was really nice and she came.

           "Thank you, really thank you for helping him." Foggy repeated, greeting her in the hallway of Matt's apartment. They had managed to convince the kid to go these, to see if he would remember anything else while being in a familiar place.

           "Please, I'm not a monster Foggy, give me some credit. Of course I'll help him."

It was obvious that Y/N wasn't totally thrilled to be there. She had left for a good reason, and she had no desire to fall under Matt's charm again. Even though she still loved him and cared about him, worrying a lot. Lots of worries. That was partly why she left.

But when the little boy heard her come in and started crying as he ran towards her, throwing himself into her arms, repeating her name like a prayer and begging her not to leave him, it was difficult to resist.

She promised anyway, because she wasn't going to abandon a child in distress. Much less a blind child who had almost no one else.

Matt's smile didn't help. He was a real little angel. Shy, touch starved. He didn't want to show that he was scared or needed help, but at the same time he clung to her, panicking whenever she pulled away.

So it was decided that she would stay with him until they found a way to restore Matt to his true age.

Foggy called Y/N's work, explaining that she had a family concern, and Danny promised to take care of any financial worries she might have because of all this mess.

It wasn't a money issue. It wasn't a problem of time either, although Strange didn't seem ready to find the solution to the problem. For several days, he had searched through all the books, asked Wong, tried spells, potions, everything.

He had even proposed true love kiss. Matt grimaced, not wanting everyone to kiss him.

They had tried anyway, and it hadn't worked. With nobody. Not even with Y/N.

Strange had sighed, because he had kind of offered this as a joke, but still hoping it would work.

Matt felt hurt, and unloved. But immediately Y/N reassured him, telling him that it didn't work because it wasn't the solution, not because they didn't love it. Of course they loved him.

The boy smiled again, snuggling up to her. Because she wasn't lying.

There was at least one good news, it was that the more time Matt spent with Y/N, the more he seemed to remember certain things. He wasn't aging, no one really knew if it was because Y/N was there, but it seemed like good news.

           "I dreamed that we went to eat an ice cream together, in a park. Vanilla. You also smelled of vanilla. It was a bit cold for an ice cream, but that was okay, we were just happy to be together."

           "Our second date, yes." smiled Y/N remembering this moment.

A magical, sweet moment. It was really the beginning of their relationship. When everything was going perfectly well. Before she knew about Daredevil, and all that came with it.

Y/N had really tried to accept that part of Matt's life.

He had at least made the effort to tell her about it, before she found out by finding him half dead on the floor like Foggy, or letting her imagine the worst because he was out late without telling her where he was, coming back covered in scars.

He didn't want to make the same mistakes again, he didn't want to hurt her or worry her. At the same time, he didn't want her to be in danger because of him, so he begged her not to ask questions about what he was doing.

It was not easy. As it was not easy not to worry, and not to feel hurt by seeing him bleeding on the couch. Knowing that he wouldn't stop, even if she asked him to.

She understood why. So she didn't ask. But after two years together, she left. It was no longer possible.

Matt didn't fight it. They didn't really talk about it, there was no argument. A few tears, she cried a bit, but he didn't react, as if he knew that this moment was going to come one day or another, that he had resigned himself to it and that he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

Maybe he was right.

Since then they had not spoken. Y/N sometimes had news from Foggy and Karen. She heard about him in the newspapers. She continued to sleep poorly, praying that he would come home alive.

And now she was taking care of little Matt. Who didn't remember all this, who was just happy to be with her and who made her melt with his smiles, his hugs and his constant need for attention.

Their life was really great...

Each new day, Matt remembered something wonderful they had experienced together. Until he remembered the breakup.

Y/N was startled awake when she heard him crying in his sleep. Thinking he was having a simple nightmare, she carefully woke him up, whispering reassuring words, hoping it would calm him down.

But when Matt was fully conscious and heard her voice, he stirred even more.

           "You... You left."

           "What are you talking about Matty ? I haven't moved."

           "You're left !" he cried jumping out of bed to run into the bathroom, where he locked himself.

It didn't take long for her to realize what he was talking about.

With great patience and gentleness, Y/N tried to get him to open the door, but Matt wasn't listening, crying and screaming. It would probably wake up the neighbours, but it didn't matter right now. Y/N wouldn't answer if someone knocked.

She had promised not to leave Matt. She then sat down in front of the door, continuing to talk, hoping that he would eventually calm down.

           "Matt... I'm sorry. I should have told you. The others were afraid of your reaction. We didn't want to hurt you."

           "You left me." he sobbed miserably, and Y/N could feel his desperation.

           "I didn't want to leave. But I couldn't stay. Matt, you have to understand... It wasn't easy for me. But I love you. I love you more than anything and I always will.  I'm so sorry. That sounds stupid, I know it was selfish and that I hurt you, but I was too scared. I'm so scared, Matt."

Slowly, the door opened behind her and the boy's small head appeared. His eyes were filled with tears, but he wasn't crying anymore. He knew she wasn't lying to him. Y/N had never lied to him.

           "... I don't understand." he muttered. "If you love me... Why did you leave ?"

           "Come and sit down."

Taking her hand, he followed her onto the sofa, letting her pull him into her lap and stroke his hair, then his cheeks, wiping the tears away.

           "You remember you're Daredevil right ?"

           "Yes."

           "Good. First I want you to know that I'm not judging you. I know why you're doing all this. And I know it would have been pointless to ask you to stop. That it would be pointless. And awful of me. Because you hear the whole town screaming and crying, all the time, and you'd feel guilty if you didn't do anything. I can't ask you to act like everything is perfectly fine, or to act as if you didn't hear them. You never asked to hear all this. What you're doing... It's admirable. But dangerous. Terribly dangerous. I've lost count of the number of times you've come home half-dead. And you always said everything was fine. You were smiling, joking, you were trying to make me think of something else, but Matt, don't take this the wrong way, I'm not blind. I saw your body covered in wounds, your face, and I was so scared. That one day it will not be fine at all. To see you die in my arms. Or to receive a phone call, without having been able to be there for you at the end. And I felt so useless, having to call Claire, or Foggy. I couldn't stay like this anymore. And I couldn't ask you to choose between me and the mask. I think... I was afraid you would choose. And I know what you would have chosen. So I made the decision for you. And you let me go. But of course I kept worrying, all the time. Foggy told me it was worse since we broke up. He worries too, you know ? A lot of people care about you, we don't want to lose you. But it's hard, Matt. It's hard to watch you destroying yourself and feel like we're not enough."

Taking a deep breath, Y/N suddenly felt lighter, and without really knowing why she started to cry. Just like that.

Little Matt, who had been listening to her very carefully, while certainly checking her heartbeat, immediately snuggled into her, his face in her neck, his arms around her shoulders, letting her cry shamelessly, repeating that she was sorry.

Then the kid suddenly seemed heavier on her legs. His arms were bigger. His face rubbing against her skin was... itching ?

           "Matt ?"

When he looked up at her, Y/N thought two things.

First, what had made him an adult again ? Did they do anything in particular ? Or the spell had simply disappeared on its own after several weeks ?

And, second, that she had forgotten how handsome Matt was. His dishevelled hair, his slightly red mouth and his eyes. Oh, his eyes. He couldn't see her, yet he was staring at her.

           "I love you." he said after a long silence.

           "Matt..."

           "No. It's my turn to speak. I'm sorry too. I knew you were scared, which is completely normal, but I was hoping I could save you from all of this. I didn't think you were in so much pain. That you felt useless. I imagined that you just left me because I couldn't provide you with a stable life. But I don't want you to think that you aren't my priority. I... I'll stop if you ask me. I love you. You're right, it wouldn't be easy but I can try. On the other hand, you have to know one thing. You're not useless at all, because... You give me a reason to be careful. I know you're waiting for me at home, and that I have to go back. I promise you... to always be very careful, and not to die, neither on the sofa, nor in a trash. I'll always come back for you. Always."

Fucking lawyer. He was really good at making beautiful speeches. And his pretty face, with that sad puppy look, it really wasn't fair play.

           "... You promise ?" she asked cautiously.

Matt just smiled, crossing his heart with his finger. Cute fucker.

           "Well... Since I also promised not to leave you..."

           "You promised a child. Which was really nice of you. But I'll understand if you..."

           "Murdock, shut up and kiss me."

Of course, Foggy had to arrive at that moment, finding them on the couch.

At first he grimaced, because he absolutely didn't want to see this. Then he squealed with delight, finally noticing that Matt had become an adult again.

He was even happier realizing that it wasn't just a meaningless kiss. He looked like a teenager fangirling about them. With a big stupid grin, and a wink, he left them alone.

The next morning, Y/N woke up next to Matt. He had his eyes open, staring up at the ceiling and a big smile almost as stupid as their friend's, but terribly adorable.

           "You seem happy."

           "You're here." he said, his eyes twinkling and his voice shaking slightly.

           "And you're here."

They stayed all day in bed, never wanting this moment to end.

Matt groaned when they were again disturbed by the Defenders, Peter, but also Karen and Foggy, even though he had asked them to let the love birds alone. But they all wanted to check that Matt was okay, and also to remind him that he was an idiot who needed them.

Pouting, refusing to respond to their teasing and small remarks, Matt simply kissed Y/N on the forehead. Because yes, maybe he had a great team and he needed them at the end.

[babyjakes]

forever and a day | 23. his best girl.

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summary | a story in which america’s favorite captain gives a new life and family to a five-year-old girl who has suffered well beyond her years at the hands of hydra.

characters | dad!steve rogers, girl/willa rogers (original character)

warnings | AU similar enough to OU to include spoilers to many Marvel movies (Age of Ultron and beyond). action and fight scenes with violence and killing. injuries/mild gore. mature themes related to and semi-graphic depictions of the aftermath of child abuse/neglect (emaciation, wounds, scarring, etc). mentions/descriptions of past CSA and CSM. medical abuse and experimentation. ptsd/trauma symptoms in a child (developmental discrepancies, de-humanized behavior, detachment, extreme fears). medical treatment of CSM and other aftermath of abuse.somewhat evil!Tony Stark (eventually).

[Bruce]

“How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Bruce can bump up your pain meds; Bruce-” Tony turns to me mid-sentence, a look of sheer panic flashing across his face. Girl’s slumped against the bed, big tears rolling down her cheeks. I, however, am not totally convinced that they’re due to physical pain. Once Steve left the room, the child’s heart rate evened out almost immediately. I think more than anything, she’s just tired and afraid. Her life has been nothing but pure chaos for the past twelve hours or so.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, speaking as steadily as possible, in stark contrast to Tony. Girl looks down at her bandaged side, sucking in a breath. “The line of painkillers I have you on is pretty strong. Is it working?” The child nods. Tony sighs in relief, though he quite frankly seems no more relaxed at learning this.

“What happened, Girl? They shot you, at the safe-house?” Tony rushes into questioning. The little girl nods again, her head hanging low. Tony huffs, running a hand through his hair. “And you didn’t tell anyone?” When he only receives a head shake as a response, his voice turns darker as he spits, “Jesus christ- why the hell not?”

“Tony,” I interject, glaring at the man as his eyes dart up to meet mine. As I scan his face, stiff with tension, his demeanor and behavior only become more concerning to me. “Go easy on her,” I reason. “She was put in a terrible situation. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No, no, I reject that,” Tony retorts, his usual stubbornness shining through at the worst time possible. “She hid it when it happened, fine. But she had plenty of opportunity after to tell someone. If not Steve, then Clint. Or Sam, or Peter. She made the whole thing a million times worse for herself, worse for everyone. I mean, come on, Bruce. She could���ve gotten herself killed-”

“Tony, enough,” I cut him off, earning a glare from the man’s dark eyes. Girl shrinks back from both of us, her cheeks paling at Tony’s reckless words. Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose. How does he think what he’s doing is helpful right now? He’s completely terrifying the poor kid; she’s too afraid to even apologize for what he’s upset about. “Hallway. Now,” I finally demand, making my way to the door. Tony grunts, but thankfully obliges, rising to his feet and following me out.

Once I’ve made sure the door is completely closed behind us, I let out a long breath of hot air, leaning up against the door-frame. Tony crosses his arms and turns away from me, shaking his head.

“You’re being totally unfair,” I tell him. He chuckles darkly, scraping his shoe against the floor.

“And you’re being a total softie, so what’s new?” the dark-haired man retorts, turning back to face me. “Look, I know you’re probably worried about making her cry or something trivial like that, but the stunt she pulled was stupid and reckless. She could have bled out on her bathroom floor. And you don’t think we should say anything about it?” At this point, Tony is seething, and more than anything it’s just astonishing to me how off-course his line of thinking is.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk with her about it,” I correct him. “But you’re going about it completely wrong. She did what she did because she was afraid. Getting angry at her and cussing her out isn’t going to help her feel any less scared.” He purses his lips into a thin line, shaking his head once again.

“We could’ve lost her, Bruce. She needs to know that she can’t hide things like that from us. It’s not my job to keep her happy all the time. It’s my job to keep her alive.”

“The more you treat her like this, the less likely it is that she’ll let you do that,” I argue quietly. Tony’s eyes darken at my words, and he takes a step towards me.

“I don’t remember asking your input on how to be a parent,” he warns through his teeth.

“You’re not being a parent, Tony,” I say with a shake of my head, sadness sinking into my chest. “You’re being a bully. And even though that usually works out for you, I can guarantee that the more you try to beat Girl down, the less likely it is that she’ll ever accept you as a parent.” My words appear to cut deep as Tony takes a step back, his gaze finally breaking from mine. He swallows hard, not saying anything. “I know that you’re coming from a place of good intentions. But you need to start learning how to soften up,” I tell him. “Otherwise, Steve might as well be raising her alone.”

For a moment, he looks like he’s going to say something, but it quickly passes, and before I know it, he’s turned back around and walked away. Heart pounding heavily in my throat, I watch him as he disappears down the hallway. I wish I could’ve found a gentler way to tell him. But sometimes the truth is hard to hear.

Turning back to the door, I rest my hand on the handle. I could go back in and try to patch up the damage that Tony caused myself, but I’m not sure that’s what needs to happen right now. Looking back all the way down the hallway, I see a single shoe sticking out from the wall that cuts off the hall from the waiting room. Just as I thought, Steve is waiting down there. And I know that Steve can provide a kind of comfort to Girl that no one else can.

[Steve]

The sound of footsteps approaching from down the hall cause me to look up from the spot I’ve been mindlessly staring at on the floor. Turning slightly, I’m expecting Bruce, but instead, it’s Tony. He walks swiftly past me, not even stopping to acknowledge my presence. Something must’ve happened. His body language gives it away. Beginning to grow worried, I rise to my feet, wondering if I should go back down the hall and see what’s going on.

Before I can move, though, I hear more footsteps heading in my direction. Before long, Bruce appears, a solemn look on his face. “Hey Cap,” he greets. I nod at him. “I think it might be time for you to head in there.”

“What’s up with Tony?” I ask.

“Well, I said some things to him that he didn’t want to hear. After you left, he-… he got angry with Girl for not telling anybody she was wounded. And while I understand where he’s coming from- I mean, kinda- he was totally out of line in how he treated Girl. At this point, I’m pretty sure he only made things worse.”

“He got angry with her?” I ask, confused.

Bruce nods. “He was upset that she put herself in more danger. I don’t think he understands how fearful she is, or how really even trauma works.”

“God, Tony,” I sigh, doing my best not to roll my eyes at the man’s insensitive behavior. “She hid it from us, out of fear that we would hurt her more, and his response was to get mad?” Shaking my head, my brain begins to hurt at even trying to comprehend what he could’ve been thinking. “When I found out, it just broke my heart.”

“You and Tony are very different people,” Bruce explains. “Which is why I think now would be a good time for you to make amends with Girl. She needs someone who will treat her gently. That’s something Tony’s going to have to work on.” I nod in agreement, shoving my frustration with my co-parenting partner aside for later. Right now, Girl needs me. I have my own mess to clean up with her. And now, I guess it looks like I’ll be picking up after Tony, too.

“Alright. I’ll head down there,” I agree. Bruce nods, and I turn, starting my way back down the hall.

When I reach the door, my hand fumbles for the knob as I pause for a second, taking in a deep breath. Soft, I remind myself, gentle. Nothing like Tony.

As carefully as I can, I open the door, stepping only a foot or so into the room. Girl is lying on the bed, her knees bent, legs tucked in close to her body. Looking at her in this moment, it really sinks in just how tiny she is.

As soon as she sees me, the child’s eyes grow wide, wild with fear. As she shrinks back into the mattress, it appears as if she wishes she could just disappear altogether. Taking a step further inside, I turn to close the door behind me before turning back to face Girl. Her hands grip the sheets tightly underneath her, causing my gaze to soften, my brow raising slightly. As gently as I can, I reassure her, “It’s alright, sweetheart. I’m not here to hurt you.” Not an ounce of apprehension drops from her face; it’s clear she’s not convinced. “Can I sit down?” I try carefully. Unblinking, the little girl doesn’t dare respond, instead she just continues to look at me, her green eyes glittering with tears. When I take a few more steps towards the bed, her grip tightens, her expression reminding me of a deer in the headlights.

A few more cautious steps land me at the side of the bed. As I rest myself down gently onto the edge of the mattress, Girl finally moves to cower, her bottom lip beginning to quiver. “Hey, shhh. It’s okay,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “You’re safe, Girl. It’s alright.” Unfortunately, I know my words do little to comfort her.

Remembering Bruce’s emphasis on the power of safe physical contact, I decide to reach out, placing a hand on one of the girl’s bony knees. The child flinches, a whimper catching in her throat. Though she remains silent, her eyes do all the pleading for her. Her fear and uncertainty are written all over her face; it almost makes it worse, in a way, that she won’t open her mouth and beg like usual. Not even that feels safe anymore. So she just stays quiet.

“Sweetheart,” I begin, meeting her wary gaze with my own. “I know you’re frightened. You have every right to be. What you saw in the safe-house… I didn’t ever want to scare you. I didn’t even know you were watching. I just… I got caught up in the moment. I looked in that man’s eyes and I-… I saw everyone who ever hurt you staring back at me. And I just-… I lost myself,” I admit. Girl looks up at me, eyes wide. “They were coming for you. They wanted to hurt you. And the thought of anyone ever hurting you again… I couldn’t bear it,” I shake my head. “Sometimes, when you’re a superhero like me, you have to do scary things to protect people from the bad guys. And when it’s you, when it’s my best girl… I gotta do all I can,” I finish, rubbing my thumb across her knee gently.

Girl is quiet for a moment, and I’m surprised to see that beyond the wariness shining in her eyes, there’s a tiny glimmer of something more, something that almost seems like… wonder. When she finally does open her mouth to speak, her words seem like nothing short of a miracle, and time stands still. “Best girl,” she repeats. Almost… lovingly.

“That’s right,” I blink back tears, unable to keep from smiling at her. “My best girl. And I can’t let anything happen to you.” Before I can say anything more, Girl has pushed herself up in front of me, leaning in against my chest. Enveloping my arms around her, I run a hand gently over the small girl’s hair, her tears soaking through my shirt as I struggle to choke back my own. The familiar feeling of the soft, warm body wrapped up in my embrace returns to me like a breath I’ve been waiting to take in for far too long, and it’s entirely overwhelming; it’s entirely extraordinary.

“Best girl,” the child says again, her voice muffled by the fabric. I lean down and plant a kiss on the top of her head, a feeling of homecoming washing over me like a wave of grace. “Yours.”

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[paper--moons]

Regressor!Peter Parker Headcanons

Peter has been through a lot, to say the least. Which a lot is basically the standard lot in life for a superhero it would seem, but even then he's not had the greatest luck. And while with great power comes great responsibility, great power doesn't come with a great relief package. Or any relief for that matter. Peter often uses humor to destress and de-escalate tensions, but cracking a joke at perhaps inappropriate times shouldn't be his only coping mechanism. Which is where regression comes in.

He's not exactly a stranger to the concept, but it wasn't his immediate go-to when he started looking into others ways of handling his PTSD and his generally chaotic life. Peter tried a few other coping mechanisms out first—exercise, meditation, journaling. The kinds of things a lot of self-help resources recommend. When none of them quite clicked was when he asked himself what it was he truly wanted when things got too overwhelming, and the answer is pretty simple: he wishes things could go back to the way they were when he was a kid, long before the whole Spiderman business. The answer becomes rather obvious, though what he does is more akin to age dreaming than age regressing.

Peter always falls somewhere about 5ish, for no other reason than five is a fun age. Still little enough to want and easily accept affection, but just big enough to start being a teeny bit independent. Though he tends to struggle a lot with staying in his smallspace; it's mostly due to overthinking. He can't turn off his more adult thoughts at times, or really turn off any of his thoughts for that matter. There's always that voice telling him that it's selfish for him to be taking this time to be small, that he could be out doing so much good if he wasn't so self-centered—this voice is wrong, of course. But it does take awhile for Peter to realize that (because even if he is a smart cookie, it's easy to believe our negative thoughts).

Although not technically his cg, Mary Jane is aware of his regression. His Aunt May is also in the know; unlike Mary Jane however, she put it together for herself (after all, she raised him since he was a little boy and she can tell when he's back to being that same little boy). But Peter was upfront about it; he wasn't about to hide another aspect of his life from either of them. It's kind of an unstated thing between them and him though, meaning that they don't really draw attention to it. They trust that Peter will come to them if he needs to.

That's not to say they don't spoil him whenever they can get away with it. Mary Jane buys him lots of little things here and there, stealthily stashing them in his regression box for him to find later. And Aunt May is on it like you wouldn't believe, oftentimes catching Peter slipping before even he knows he is. When she does, it's so obvious to her that he's upset and overwhelmed and just needs things to be simpler for a little while. She's quick to offer him a soft blanket and some hot chocolate, making him warm inside and out. It might seem like a small gesture, but it's something she's always done when her boy was feeling down.

Absolutely adores doing those kiddie science kits, specifically the physics and chemistry based ones. And sure, he's a science whiz and well beyond them in terms of his actual knowledge and skill, but they definitely take him back to a simpler time where his uncle would get them for him as a special surprise for doing well in school. It helps him feel as if his uncle is still with him. And going back to the basics like that also is one of the things that is guaranteed to keep him feeling small.

Peter also loves things like model building. Specifically model trains, the kind that are very true to life and practically replicas of actual ones. It's something that takes a lot of concentration to do right, and that coupled with the soft haze that comes with age dreaming for him helps to keep out all the pressures and negative thoughts from his big self. There's nothing more enjoyable to Peter than spending an afternoon in his softest clothes, laying in the floor beneath the window on his stomach as he fiddles with piecing together the model train.