#poor Steve falling in love with a dumbass

[sashaforthewin]

[on Ao3] Rated M, sex mention, Steddie

ATM Boy

The song started as a joke. Eddie wrote it to see Steve's reaction. 

It had a catchy tune and the lyrics began as a love song of sorts. Steve sat on the couch in Gareth's garage tapping his foot along to the heavy beat and smiling at Eddie as he sang. Until he got to the chorus, of course. 

"He's my ATM boy, my ATM boooooooyyyyy"

Steve rolled his eyes, assuming this was some dumb jab at his being rich. He was upper middle class, at best.

"I can tell he loves me / I can tell he's true / cause when we're in bed there's a thing that he lets me doooOOO!"

Steve was already frowning as soon as Eddie mentioned them in bed but Eddie kept singing, holding eye contact the whole time.

"He let's me go ass to mouth, ass to-"

"EDDIE! EDWARD J MUNSON, ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

The song cut off as various members of the band, Eddie most of all, lost their collective shit at Steve's reaction, laughing at his outburst.

Steve strode over to where Eddie was cackling into the mic, hands on hips, and when Eddie didn't stop, Steve just smacked the mic to the floor.

"Hey, that's expensive!"

"Then you better make sure not to sing about our sex life with the rest of your band present after you buy a replacement, huh?"

Everyone except Eddie agreed that Eddie had sort of deserved it and should replace the mic. Steve forgave him fairly quickly, though, since it was just some harmless joking among friends that would laugh it off. 

That was, until the gig. 

Corroded Coffin got booked to open for the metal band Devastator that were out of Indy. They had three times the fan base of Corroded Coffin, so probably upwards of twenty people were at the show. Sure, those people were also local musicians that were friends of the main band, but a fan is a fan, shut up.

Since the gig was at a shitty dive bar in the city, the kids couldn't come; but Robin, Jonathan, and Argyle decided to come along, as well as Murray, for some reason. Nancy had flat out said she didn't want to have to ride all that way to stand in a smoky bar and hear music she hated, so nobody tried to talk her into it.

Steve was up front in one of Eddie's home-made Corroded Coffin tee shirts. He was still wearing his light wash jeans and a pair of bright orange earplugs, though, so he didn't entirely fit in, but he wasn't as out of place as he thought he would be. There was a guy in a yellow disco suit in the crowd, after all. 

The gang were having a great time. Murray along with yellow disco suit dude were both at the center of the moshpit, slamming and being slammed, Jonathan and Argyle stood around Steve, helping block the worst of the crowd while Steve's hearing was muffled and he wasn't paying attention to anything but his boyfriend, and Robin was alternating hanging with Steve and going to hang against the wall where it was safest. 

Eddie and the boys seemed so happy and were doing great, aside from a few minor difficulties. One of Eddie's strings broke during their second song, but the guitarist from Devastator was quick to loan Eddie his own guitar for the rest of the set. 

The  rest of the Corroded Coffin set was going smoothly after the guitar swap. The crowd was really into the music, and Eddie looked like a natural up there. He introduced the band members and thanked the audience and Devastator for having them, and then announced that this next song would be their last. 

As the opening notes rang out, Eddie risked a glance at Steve and cringed. He was furious and Eddie would definitely be sleeping on the couch tonight. 

But the thing was, the song ATM Boy really was very catchy. It was daring, it was sexual, it was devious and queer, but above all, it was a bit of an earworm. The audience went nuts for it, they were screaming when the chorus hit and by the final chorus, a bunch of people were singing along. It went over better than they ever even thought it would. 

Which made it all the worse that Steve continued to stare at Eddie as if he had been betrayed in the worst possible way. He just stood there. Eddie had to force himself to concentrate on the crowd, not on Steve. As soon as the set was done, Corroded Coffin grabbed their shit and made way for Devastator while the party surrounded Steve and tried to pretend they hadn't just heard a very intimate fact about their friend, discussing the crowd energy and how good the boys had done and literally anything that wasn't the elephant in the room. Steve did not participate in the conversation at all, he was quietly seething. 

He refused to talk to or be touched by Eddie the entire rest of the night, making sure to put his arm around Robin so that only their party would know he was the so-called ATM boy. The ride home was awkward and a bit tense, but the fight was saved until they were at home, alone in Steve's house. Steve pulled off his Corroded Coffin shirt and threw it at Eddie's face before storming off up the stairs. 

"Baby, I'm sorry! Baby, come on, it was funny!"

"You asshole, you just told all our friends and Murray that I let you… that I… it was a one time thing! Do not think I am ever letting you do that again after you did this!"

"Yeah, that's fair. But baby, it's just shock value! And it's a surprisingly catchy tune, I don't know why it came out that way but it did! I swear I wrote it to make you laugh, but the guys all wanted to play it at the show. I voted not to but was overruled! Come on, please forgive me. Baby? Please? Baby?"

"Ugh... Fine, okay, fine. I forgive you for humiliating me in front of our friends. At least the kids weren't there and only about thirty people heard it. I guess. And now it's over and I won't see most of those people ever again. So, I guess, yeah, it's kinda funny."

"You know I love you and I respect you so much. I'd let you go ATM on me as an apology."

Steve just huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes, but he allowed Eddie to kiss him and wrap him in a hug. He was just glad this was the end of it.

Months went by and Steve had nearly forgotten about the whole thing. 

Until Eddie and the Coffin boys recorded their first demo. It wasn't anything professional, it was recorded in a large truckstop bathroom with decent acoustics and it was recorded with a portable cassette recorder, but it was recorded nonetheless. 

They had made a bunch of copies, sent them off to a few radio stations, and sold a bunch to indie record stores, handed them out to friends and sold them at their weekly gig. In the second week, a few new people showed up specifically to buy their tape because they had heard their friend's copy.

Eddie was so excited for the growing buzz that he wasn't thinking when he popped the tape into Steve's stereo to celebrate. He had been very careful to only play Steve Side B, never Side A, up until now. 

As soon as ATM Boy came on, Steve slammed on the brakes so hard Eddie nearly broke his face on the dashboard. When he saw Steve's expression, Eddie thought maybe breaking his face would've been preferable. 

Eddie slept on the couch for a week after that, but Steve eventually forgave him. 

Steve had nearly gone back to a completely normal life free of mortifying embarrassment, having convinced himself only subculture dwelling weirdos had heard the song.

But then a local radio station played ATM Boy. Not just once, they put it into their evening rotation. And then another station farther away picked it up. And then another. And then things spiraled from there. 

The only saving grace was that the radio had censored it. The lyrics were now "he lets me go ah- - t'mouth" though Steve suspected people probably still got the gist of it from the rest of the song. 

Corroded Coffin got signed to a record label and they recorded their first album in an actual studio. On the studio release, it was decided for the lyrics to become "he lets me go A T M" even though "to mouth" did not strictly speaking need censoring, it flowed better. 

ATM Boy, meanwhile, was starting to spread. It reached the billboard Top 100 list and started climbing. The band started touring for real, not just road trips to Indy and Chicago. They started selling out mid-sized venues and meeting other bands and forming friendships with fellow creatives. 

Eddie was finally the rock star he had dreamed of. 

And Steve was struggling to be supportive while also wishing he was invisible and unknown to anyone. He was living in constant fear of being found out. Not just because he wasn’t publicly out, but because Steve did not want to be known as the ATM boy and he felt even being seen in Eddie’s presence would damn him. 

At first he refused to tour with Eddie and the band, but after not seeing his boyfriend for months, Steve was both lonely and worried Eddie would cheat or leave him for someone else. It took Eddie a while to notice how badly Steve was handling everything but once he did, he hired Steve as his hairdresser so that he would be able to drag Steve around and have an on-the-books excuse for his constant presence. He groveled and doted on Steve and tried everything in his power to atone for the embarrassment, paranoia, and distress he had caused the man he loved.

There were many rocky years but they managed to stay together through it all. Caring for Steve and focusing on him was actually what helped Eddie avoid the pitfalls of fame that so many bands fell victim to. Who has time to do drugs when they have so many beautiful moles to kiss and a gorgeous toned back to massage?

And on a talk show, nearly forty years after the song ATM Boy was written, Eddie Munson told the audience about his wonderful husband and about the real ATM boy.

“It wasn't my husband, just some other guy I slept with.” 

Unfortunately, two minutes later in the interview he off-handedly mentioned Steve is the only guy he's ever slept with or dated.

[stevie-petey]

episode four: the sauna test

Steve pushes at Dustin’s feet to help him move further, but he’s quickly berated. “Not my feet, dumbass. Push my ass!” “What?” You and Steve exclaim at the same time.  “Touch my butt, I don’t care!” Dustin’s screeching voice is muffled from the walls of the vent. Looking at you one last time, Steve sighs heavily and places his hands on your brother’s butt and starts to shove him deeper into the air duct. He can’t believe he’s doing this right now, shoving the butt of the brother of the girl he’s in love with. You stand next to Robin, mortified of what you’re currently witnessing, endlessly ashamed of the two boys. 

Summary: dustin has some brotherly concern for you (dont tell anyone though), steve is offended you dont think he can fight, nancy gets upset during therapy hour, robin encourages child endangerment, erica becomes your hero, and you lose your lunch on hawkins makeshift tower of terror (aka sketchy russian elevators)

Rating: general, swearing

Warnings: swearing, use of y/n, fem!reader

Words: 7.5k

Before you swing in: hello my loves ! had a busy may wrapping up finals, move out, and adjusting back to life at home. i finally had the time to write this, and while im still iffy with some parts, im just excited to finally be at the elevator scene tbh. ive been DYING to write her. enjoy !!

-

Dustin stands outside your room the next morning, fist hovering over the door, unsure if he should knock. It’s early and he can’t get the panic he saw in your eyes last night out of his head. He hasn’t seen you that consumed with anxiety since you guys were kids and your parents began to fight. 

He feels horrible for putting you in that position last night, at odds with him, Robin, and Steve. 

Especially Steve. 

Dustin hadn’t meant to start a fight between you and the teen. Contrary to popular belief, he actually does want the two of you together, but now he’s worried he’s somehow caused a rift in your relationship.

Sighing, your brother allows his knuckles to rap against your door. When he doesn’t hear anything, he slowly opens it and pokes his head in. You’re asleep in your bed, blankets strewn everywhere, and Dustin knows he’s fucked up because you almost never sleep in this late. 

Now he’s worried he’s going to have to force you into a code blue.

Dustin lets himself into your room and stands before your bed. Then, because he’s your brother and finds it hard to express his worries for you in a normal way, he pokes your cheek with his finger. “Wake up.”

You stir at the touch but remain asleep. Dustin groans and starts repeatedly poking you. “Dude, get up.” He now starts poking your nose, your forehead and eyebrows, anywhere his finger can reach.

Finally the onslaught of pokes to your face is enough to wake you up. You raise your hand and slap Dustin away as you scrunch your face in displeasure. “Why do you always insist on waking me up this way?”

“It’s fun for me.”

You slap at your brother again and take a moment to stretch. Your body is exhausted, you got home late last night after your drive with Jonathan. Once the two of you had been done discussing your relationship problems, you both decided to just drive around Hawkins and simmer in your limited time together. For those few hours, only the two of you existed.

Yawning, you blink your eyes open at Dustin. “Is there a reason you’re waking me up before my alarm is supposed to go off?”

Dustin’s smug smile falls. He coughs and starts to fidget with his fingers. “Oh, I was just–well. Last night… Do you wanna talk about it?”

The implications of your brother’s words cause you to fully wake up. “Is this your poor attempt at commencing a code blue?”

“Well, do we need a code blue?”

You roll over and throw your blankets over your head, blocking out the world. “I already talked about my feelings last night with Jonathan, please give me at least twenty-four hours to recover.”

Dustin flicks your ear that pokes out from under the blankets at the mention of Jonathan. “Why were you with that guy last night?”

“Stop touching my face!” You yell at the kid, annoyed. “And because he’s my best friend. We both had shitty nights so we drove around and cried together.”

Your brother pauses. “Did you actually cry together?”

“No,” you now uncover your face and sigh. “Only I cried, but it was therapeutic nonetheless.”

Dustin drops his head, remembering how upset you’d been standing in the hallway last night with the others. “I’m sorry about last night, Y/N.”

“Hey, no.” You sit up now and force him to look at you. “No apologizing. I understand.”

Your friends have all gone their separate ways this summer and I know you’re so fixated on the Russians because you’re lonely. I understand, and I’m here for you.

It goes unsaid, but Dustin knows that you have him all figured out, though it doesn’t ease the guilt he feels for dragging you into all of this in the first place. “You don’t have to join me at Scoops today, Y/N.”

“I know, but I will anyway after my shift.” I have to keep you safe.

“We both know you’re only going to make sure I don’t burn the place down.” You worry too much.

“Oh, don’t think I won’t call Steve once this conversation is done to make sure he keeps an eye on you.” I know, but it’s my job and I love you.

“You’re the worst.” I love you, too.

You ruffle Dustin’s hair with a fond smile. It’s an intricate thing, the hidden language that can only be found between siblings. All that goes unsaid becomes masked behind teasing and taunts, but you both hear what’s underneath. 

When Dustin leaves your room to go to the mall, you roll over in bed and reach for the phone that rests on top of your desk. Your fingers press the numbers that have become ingrained within your brain from countless nights of dialing. The line rings only one time before Steve’s tired voice answers. 

“Hello?”

You smile hearing his voice, despite the distance that seems to have now formed between you. “Hi, honey.”

There’s rustling on the other end of the line and you know Steve still lays in his own bed only ten minutes from your own. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine,” you quickly reassure him, wincing when you realize you don’t normally call him so early. “Sorry, I was just calling to ask if you’d keep an eye on Dustin today? With the Russians and everything, I have work today and can’t be there–”

“Of course I’ll keep an eye on your brother, Y/N.” Steve gently interrupts your anxious rambling. 

“Thank you,” you say softly with a laugh, embarrassed. 

“Are we…” Steve hesitates, unsure how to find the right words. “Are we okay? I know things were–uh, weird. Last night. And that I was a dick and I just, I’m really sorry, Y/N. For everything.”

You close your eyes and exhale slowly, knowing that there’s more that Steve wants to say but is too afraid to tell you. Too ashamed to say that he’s embarrassed as well for allowing his pride to cloud his judgment, and you’re too exhausted to try and remind him again that you love him despite it all. “We’re okay, Steve. I promise.”

He takes a moment to respond, he doesn’t know what else to say. He’s never been good at this. Finally, he settles on what he’s able to give you. It seems that’s all he’s been able to do lately. “I’ll miss you today, angel.”

“I’ll miss you too, honey.” The name slips from your tongue in a languid manner, the warmth that accompanies the word still wraps itself around your body and reminds you of the love you feel for the boy. You hope he can feel the warmth too, you hope it descends down the landline and wraps around him as well. “I’ll see you after work.”

– 

Your day only gets worse from there.

After only an hour or so of sadly sorting through books at work without a customer in sight, you hear a frail scream come from Mrs. Waters’ office. You run towards the woman in a heartbeat, panic stricken and afraid of what you’ll find. 

Mrs. Waters is sitting tiredly in her office with her head in her hands when you run in. The usually upbeat woman is hunched over with despair and you’re quick to rush over to her with worry. “Mrs. Waters, is everything okay?”

She rubs at her temples and it’s then that you realize her telephone is in her hand. Without bothering to look, she clumsily places it back on the wall and looks up at you with sad, tired eyes. “I’m fine, dear. I–I just had a fright, that’s all.”

“What happened?” You pull a chair to sit next to the woman and grab her wrinkled, yet soft, hands. 

“Oh, I’m old.” Mrs. Waters smiles at you sadly. There are tears in her eyes as she takes a deep breath to try and steady her nerves. “My, you would think I’d be used to phone calls from the hospital.”

“The hospital?” 

Hearing the panic in your voice, your boss grabs the hands you have placed on top of her’s and squeezes with reassurance. “It wasn’t for me, dear.”

You’re still anxious for the woman in front of you. “Who then?”

“They called me for an old friend,” Mrs. Waters clutches at her chest with a certain fear that you’ve never seen within the woman. “She’s in the hospital because some young journalist found her eating fertilizer in her home last night. She’s always been… troubled.”

You gasp and pull away from your boss and your mind reels with this new information. Jonathan’s voice echoes within the walls of your mind, of his story of the woman he and Nancy had found last night after investigating the rats. 

Mrs. Waters frowns at your unexpected reaction and notices the fear on your face. “Dear, I’m sure my friend will be alright–”

“What…” your voice shakes, and you clear your throat. “What’s your friend’s name, Mrs. Waters?”

The old woman sighs, sensing there’s something more to your worry, but her heart hurts for her friend and she’s seen more in her almost seventy years than she’s ever wanted to. “Her name is Doris Driscoll.”

–

You’re sent home early after your conversation with Mrs. Waters. She had been too worried for her friend and saw how shaken up by it you seemed to be as well, so she patted your arm and dismissed you. 

“There’s no point keeping the store open today, Y/N. Go home to that cute boy of yours while I go visit an old friend.”

You had tried arguing with her, but even you knew it was no use. 

Biking to Starcourt, now more than ever worried about your job, you feel your birthday looming over you and the worries of Nancy’s involvement with rats and old women eating fertilizer mixed with Jonathan’s fears. 

This was supposed to be a good summer. 

Your head spins as you walk into the backdoor of Scoops Ahoy, finding Robin, Steve, and Dustin all circled around the table as they discuss how to enter the Russian storage room. 

“What? I sneak up behind, knock him out, and I take his keycard.” Steve is explaining when you walk in. He has his leg propped against the seat next to him as he twirls his sailor’s hat in his hand. “It’s easy.”

“Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?” Dustin blinks at the teen, having little faith in his confidence.

You make your way towards the group and lift Steve’s propped leg up so that you can sit before placing the leg across your lap. Feeling your touch, he looks up with surprise to see you, having expected your shift to end later in the day. “Y/N?”

“You’re not going near any Russian men with guns, Steve.” You say to him in lieu of a greeting.

Steve deflates in his seat. “That’s why I’d be sneaking.”

Dustin shares a look with you, the two of you remembering all the times Steve has tried, and failed, to win a fight. Clearing his throat, your brother crosses his arms and winks at you before turning to the teen. “Alright, please tell us this, and be honest. Have you ever actually… won a fight?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Okay, that was one time–”

“Twice, honey.” You interrupt him with a smile, enjoying this conversation maybe a little too much. “Jonathan, remember him?”

“Listen, that doesn’t count.”

“Oh, but it does.” You pinch Steve’s shin. “He kicked your ass, I was there.”

He winces and moves his legs off of you. “He didn’t kick my ass–”

“You got a fat lip, crooked nose, swollen eye.” Dustin adds on, leaning against your chair now as the two of you gang up on Steve. 

“He even pinned you at one point. I distinctly remember thinking he was going to kill you.” You say, smirking.

Steve scoffs. “Oh, you did not have any concern for me then–”

You hit his shoulder. “Yes I did! I’ve always been worried about you–”

“Can you guys not make everything about your weird relationship for like, three seconds, please?” Dustin whines as you and Steve start to bicker about something else entirely.

As the three of you argue, Robin seems to get an idea and runs out of the room. Noticing her sudden absence, you turn to Steve and frown. “What’s Robin up to?”

He stands up and sees her snatching money from the tip jar before running off. Steve calls after her, but she doesn’t slow down as she runs out of the shop. “What are you doing?”

“I need cash!” She says, as if that explains everything.

“Isn’t half of the tip money Steve’s?” You ask, now standing next to him by the register alongside Dustin.

“I’ll pay your boyfriend back later, Y/N.” Robin continues to walk towards the shop’s exit. “I’m going to find us a way into that room, a safe way, just like I promised you.”

You’re oddly touched that she remembered your insistence on keeping everyone safe. With a smile, you call across to her, “thank you!”

Robin blushes and forces herself to look away from you so that she can direct her attention to Steve. “In the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don’t get beat up. I’ll be back in a jiff!” 

As you and Steve watch Robin leave, the two of you turn and catch Dustin licking at one of the ice cream scoops. You whack him with the back of your hand and cringe at him. “Dude, what the hell?”

Dustin flinches away from you as Steve snatches the scoop from the boy with his own disgusted look. “Not my scooper, man.”

“Why are you like this?” You ask your brother with disappointment in your voice, to which he huffs at. 

“I’m a curious person.” You scoff at Dustin and he rolls his eyes at you before making his way out from behind the ice cream counter. “If I’m going to be judged, then I’m going to the arcade while we wait for whatever Robin has planned.”

He’s gone without another word, leaving you alone with Steve.

It’s still early in the day and there’s only a few customers in Scoops Ahoy, so it’s just you and Steve. It’s the first time you’ve been alone together since last night, when you’d been standing in front of him, begging him to listen to you, and all he could do was watch you silently with pain in his own eyes. 

As if coming to this realization himself, Steve coughs and rocks back and forth awkwardly. He knows you told him this morning that everything was okay between you two, but things still feel off. Despite your best efforts, he can tell that you’re still struggling to seem okay with the whole Russian debacle. You’re still frail looking, unsure and anxious, and Steve hates that he’s the reason why. 

Hesitantly, he reaches for your hand. “Care to, uh. Join me in the backroom?”

You raise your eyebrows at his question. “Are you propositioning me, Harrington?”

“No!” His eyes widen in fear and his voice squeaks, which only embarasses him more. He clears his throat and tries to swallow down his dread. “I mean, not like that. I figured we could, you know… talk.”

Now it’s your turn to fill with dread. He’s seen through you, despite your best efforts to try and appease everyone. Squeezing his hand, you nod at Steve and allow him to guide you into the backroom. 

Steve pulls a chair out from the table and sits down, and before you can process what’s happening, he pulls you down and into his lap. You throw your arms around his neck to steady yourself at the sudden movement, which only makes Steve’s proud smile widen. “You planned that, didn’t you?”

“Sure did, angel.”

You laugh and shake your head at him, tightening your arms around his neck and settling into his lap. He rests his hands on your thighs and stares at you with such warmth, such patience, content to simply have you here with him. Despite the uncertainty that seems to now loom over the two of you, there’s still a certainty within it. There’s still a trust that accompanies the hesitancy, and it’s this trust that caresses your cheek and coaxes you to speak. 

“I don’t like what we’re doing, Steve.” You confess to him, making your words as plain as possible so that nothing gets misconstrued; too often your words have gotten lost in translation.

Steve nods slightly, his eyes never leave yours, and he listens. “I get that, I do, and I’m sorry if I ever made you feel bad about standing your ground. It’s just… I wanted to go along with Dustin, pretend for a few days that I’m not some moron who couldn’t get into college, you know?”

“You’re not an idiot,” you fix a piece of Steve’s hair that has fallen out of his sailor’s hat and sigh. “But there’s more to this than just my stupid need to protect everyone.”

“Did something else happen?” 

You hesitate, unsure if what’s been on your mind holds any real weight, or if you’re just being paranoid now after everything you’ve been through these last few years. Biting your lip, you decide that it’s Steve you’re telling this to. Paranoid or not, he’ll listen and try to help you piece it all together as well. He always does. “A few days ago I saw Billy stumbling on the side of the road. He was… bleeding.”

Steve’s eyes harden at the teen’s name and instinctively his grip on you tightens. “Did he do anything to you?”

“No,” you breathe out sharply, remembering how disoriented Billy had been. He was in no condition to cause you any harm, which in itself frightened you. “There was something off about him, Steve. I–I can’t explain it, but a day before I saw Billy, I had been with Will and he was almost similar to Billy, I guess? He just–he was frozen, staring off into space, until I got his attention again.”

“Why do I feel like there’s something else you’re not telling me?”

You sigh. “Because there is. There’s always something else in the fucking town.” Anger begins to rise within you and you force yourself to swallow it down. Now isn’t the time for the anger that always simmers just below the surface, waiting. “I talked to Jonathan last night. He’s been with Nancy investigating rabid rats and an old woman who was caught eating her fertilizer.”

“Christ,” Steve exhales with bewilderment.

“And now Russians in Hawkins? What are the odds of this all happening within the same week?”

“Do you…” Looking around, Steve lowers his voice. “Do you think it’s happening again?”

“I don’t think so, El told us she closed the gate, but… I can’t explain any of this, either.” You feel helpless, and you hate it. There’s something you’re missing, there’s something connecting it all, and yet you’re going in circles. 

It all can’t just be a coincidence, and it’s a horrible, maddening feeling. 

And Steve tries to absolve you from it. “We’ll figure it out, together. You and me, even if you want to kill me by the time we’re done, I promise you that I’ll help you–” The phone starts to ring, cutting Steve off, and he sighs. Patting your thighs, he silently asks you to get up so that he can answer it.

Lazily walking over to the ringing phone, Steve picks it up with slight annoyance. “Scoops Ahoy, this is Steve.” There’s a feminine voice on the other line, which he frowns at, before handing the phone to you. “It’s for you?”

Surprised, you stand up and take the phone, unsure who would be calling for you at the ice cream shop. “Hello?”

“Y/N, it’s me. Um, hi.” 

“Nancy?”

“I–uh, I called your job and this older lady told me you’d be at Scoops Ahoy? I needed someone to talk to, and I–I just,” She clears her throat, and it’s only now that you notice the exhaustion in her voice and how thick it sounds from dried up tears. “You know what? This is weird, I shouldn’t have called. I’m sorry–”

“Hey, no.” You fumble with the telephone cord and desperately wish you were with Nancy right now. After what Jonathan told you last night, you feel horrible for the girl, and from the sound of it, she needs someone there for her right now. “Talk to me, Nance. What happened?”

You hear her inhale a shaky breath, always the first to try and disguise any upset and hurt she may be feeling for the sake of others. She takes another deep breath, exhales slowly, and then begins to talk. “Jonathan and I had a fight.”

She tells you everything, from Mrs. Driscoll and the rats to Tom firing them for falsely identifying as reporters. It’s everything Jonathan told you last night, all his worst fears come true, except Nancy also tells you what he told her this morning. How condescending he had been, how he had reminded her of how poor he is, how he belittled her need to figure everything out herself. 

“He kept defending all those assholes, Y/N.” More tears lace within Nancy’s voice. “He wouldn’t listen to me. He just kept repeating over and over again about how he needed the job, as if it wasn’t the single more humiliating thing I’ve ever had to endure.”

There’s so much you want to say, but you’re afraid it will only come out wrong. “I can’t imagine what you had to go through, Nance. I know those men were horrible to you, but you understand where Jonathan is coming from, right?”

“I mean, I thought I did, but,” she sniffs, her voice is soft and defeated. “I’m not so sure anymore. It feels like we can’t understand each other, like we’re physically incapable of seeing eye to eye. I know he has to provide for his family, I–I love that he takes care of them, that he always does what’s right, and yet it infuriates me sometimes.”

You can’t help but chuckle at what Nancy has said. She sounds so much like Jonathan in this moment, reminiscent of him telling you that her ambition is what he loves about her, and here she is saying his integrity is what she loves about him. “God, you two and your pride; you sound just like Jonathan. He said practically the same thing about you last night–”

“Jonathan talked to you about this?” Nancy’s voice becomes cold, defensive, and you know you’ve just said the wrong thing.

“Well, I mean,” you frantically try to alleviate the situation. “He only wanted advice, that’s all.”

Nancy scoffs, and you feel your heart drop. “So he can tell you all about how he feels, but bottles it up when it comes to his girlfriend?”

Well, fuck. 

“He was scared and overwhelmed.” You try to keep your voice neutral, not wanting the girl to assume you’re on anyone’s side. “It’s a difficult situation, and he came to me for help just like you are right now.”

Jealousy claws at Nancy suddenly, it clashes against the hurt within her. Jonathan went to you, as he’s always done, he sought solace in you for the emotions within him that he still has yet to share with her. It reminds her, then, just how little she knows about him still. How many years stretch between you and Nancy when it comes to Jonathan. 

“I’m sure you know all about how he feels,” she says bitterly, unable to stop herself. “The two of you understand one another.”

You sense that there’s something important with what she’s just said. The words were said with a history behind them, an insecurity that you cannot compensate for, and you feel defenseless against Nancy. “He was hurt, and so are you–”

“God, I should’ve known you’d take his side! I mean, you two always do this. I’m such an idiot.”

Panic begins to surround you. “Nancy, I’m not taking anyone’s side, just please listen to me–”

The line goes dead as Nancy hangs up. 

Numb, you place the phone back on the wall and stare blankly at it. The pressure of tears presses against your eyes and you try to steady your breathing. You’ve hurt Nancy, you’ve caused a rift between you that threatens to collapse into a chasm, and you don’t know what to do.

Steve sees that you’re fighting back tears and he tugs you against his chest. His embrace soothes you, but when he asks what happened, all you can do is shake your head, too overwhelmed to speak. There’s too much to explain, a history between you and Jonathan that you know Steve accepts, and yet now you’re terrified you’ll somehow hurt him like you’ve hurt Nancy. 

“I’m sorry, angel.”

Neither of you are sure what Steve is apologizing for, but it’s enough for now. 

So much for an easy summer.

– 

“It is fascinating what twenty bucks will get you at the County Recorder’s Office.” Robin places a giant sheet of paper onto the table. On it are lines and shapes all drawn in blue with an intricate layout. You lean in close to inspect it as Robin continues explaining. “Starcourt Mall, the complete blueprints.” 

Dustin praises her idea and you hesitantly agree; you would’ve never thought of asking for the mall’s blueprints. “You’ve got my attention.”

She smiles and starts to explain her plan. “This is us, Scoops,” her fingers trace over the paper as she guides you and the boys through the blueprint. “And this is where we want to get.”

“I don’t really see a way in.” Steve points out, now sitting at the table with an arm wrapped around you. 

“There’s not,” Robin casts the top blueprint aside and reveals another one underneath. It’s similar in design, although this one lacks more shapes and is mostly lines. “If you’re talking exclusively about doors.”

You squint at the drawings, trying to figure out what they remind you of. “Are those…”

“Air ducts!” Dustin finishes for you, impressed with Robin’s idea.

“Safe, practical, and wouldn’t involve guns.” Turning to the girl, you nod at her and wink. “Buckley, you really keep your promises.”

Robin bows playfully. “Turns out, this secret room needs air just like any old room, and these air ducts,” she grabs a marker from the whiteboard and circles Scoops on the blueprints before drawing a winding line down to the hidden vault and circling it as well. “Lead all the way here.”

The four of you all look up at the vent above you, and while the idea seems like the safest option, you can’t help but wonder how horribly wrong it could go as well. You’ve never had the best luck, not when it comes to Hawkins, and the air ducts seem almost too easy of a solution to trust. 

Steve finds a screwdriver in one of the shop’s drawers and takes apart the air vent with Dustin’s help. You stand next to Robin and watch with slight weariness, unsure where to go from here. Once Steve has removed the vent, he shines a flashlight inside and winces. 

“I don’t know, guys. It’s a tight fit.”

“I can do it,” you step forward. “Can’t be that bad, right?”

Steve looks down at you from the ladder. “This feels like a trap.”

“Move, Harrington.” Once he’s off the ladder, you climb up yourself. When you look into the vent, your heart drops. It is a tight fit, there’s no way you’ll be able to crawl through it. Defeated, you climb down the ladder. “Well, shit.”

“I’ll fit.” Dustin now speaks up.

“No you will not.”

He rolls his eyes at you. “No collar bones, remember?” 

“Excuse me?” Robin has never been more confused in her life.

Steve begins to explain Dustin’s medical condition while you continue arguing with your brother. “I’m not letting you do this!”

“You got the healthy genes while I got the rare genetic condition, Y/N.” Dustin starts to climb up the ladder as you tug at his shirt to try and stop him. “Let me abuse it!”

“But–”

Steve places a hand on your shoulder. “I’ll handle this, Y/N.”

You step back, hoping that he’ll talk some sense into your brother, but to your horror he only makes things worse. Dustin starts to climb into the vent with Steve below him, but he gets stuck about halfway in. “Steve, push me!”

The teen looks at you, unsure what the right call here is. “Do I…?”

“Yeah, just push the kid.” You rub your eyes, tired. “He’s already almost in the damn air duct anyways.” 

Steve pushes at Dustin’s feet to help him move further, but he’s quickly berated. “Not my feet, dumbass. Push my ass!”

“What?” You and Steve exclaim at the same time. 

“Touch my butt, I don’t care!” Dustin’s screeching voice is muffled from the walls of the vent.

Looking at you one last time, Steve sighs heavily and places his hands on your brother’s butt and starts to shove him deeper into the air duct. He can’t believe he’s doing this right now, shoving the butt of the brother of the girl he’s in love with. You stand next to Robin, mortified of what you’re currently witnessing, endlessly ashamed of the two boys. 

The two boys argue, Dustin commanding Steve to push him harder as the teen tries his best to shove the kid, and Robin leans over to you. “Remind me, why are you into Harrington again?”

All you can do is sigh at her question, having no good answer as you watch Steve now manhandle Dustin and scream back insults at him. 

They look ridiculous. 

“Ahoy, sailors!” Someone rings the register’s bell impatiently. “All hands on deck!”

You and Robin turn to find Erica standing at the register as she repeatedly rings the bell and demands her daily free samples. You’re about to respond to her when you see Robin raise her eyebrows; it’s clear she’s thought of something. 

“Would… Erica fit in the vent?”

Your hand snatches at Robin’s arm as you pull her away from the shop’s window. “Absolutely not. We’re not getting Erica involved!”

“C’mon, Y/N. She’s small, she could easily fit–”

“She’s ten.” She’s too young. You’ve always regretted that Dustin and the party were twelve when everything began. 

You’ll be damned if you ruin another child’s life. 

But Robin doesn’t know any of this, and she ignores you as she runs to the register and recruits Erica before you can stop her. Within a minute you have a very curious Erica Sinclair climbing the ladder up to the vent as she shines a flashlight through it. 

You stand below her, helpless. 

“Yeah, I don’t know.” She climbs down after a few minutes of studying the vent’s dimensions. 

“You don’t know if you can fit?” Dustin asks. 

Erica leans against the table and studies the four of you with distaste. “Oh, I can fit. I just don’t know if I want to.”

“Are you claustrophobic?” Robin teases her, but you only feel sympathy for the girl. 

You step towards Erica, trying one last time to reason with her. “You don’t have to do this, you know. You can back down now, no one will blame you. In fact, I will give you all my allowance if you say no.”

Dustin elbows you roughly to get you to shut up, he knows what you’re trying to do. You glare at him and rub your now tender shoulder. When you look towards Steve and Robin for backup, both teens send you pleading glances similar to the ones from last night.

Once again, you’re the odd man out. 

None of this is what you want.

“I don’t have phobias,” Erica informs Robin. Then, she turns to you, “and no one tells me what to do.”

Steve crosses his arms. “Okay, well. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is, I still haven’t heard what’s in this for Erica.”

Ten minutes later, you’re sitting in a booth with the others as Steve slides Erica a freshly made sundae. 

“More fudge, please.” She requests, pleased she’s won.

Steve looks at you, already fed up with the kid, and you feel no sympathy for him. “Go on, get the girl her bribery fudge. This is what you wanted.”

He cringes at the sarcasm in your voice and knows you’re once again pissed at him. Defeated, he hangs his head low and leaves to get Erica more fudge without another word. Once he’s gone, Robin opens up her blueprints and shows the girl the air ducts. “You see this? This is the route you’re going to take.”

You sit there quietly as Dustin and Robin talk to Erica. After they’ve explained the entire plan, she mentions that this all sounds like child endangerment. You let out an exhausted chuckle. “It does, doesn’t it? Isn’t that just hilarious to think about?”

Robin tries to reassure both you and Erica. “We’ll be in radio contact with you the whole time–” 

“Ah, ah, ah!” Erica waves a finger in Robin’s face, unamused. “Child. Endangerment.”

“It’s a shame only you can see that.” You drop your head onto the table, entirely over the situation. “I mean, how can only the ten year old see how insane this is, huh?”

Dustin throws a straw at you and shushes you, annoyed with your theatrics. Clearing his throat, he turns to Erica. “We think these Russians want to do harm to our country.”

“Unconfirmed, actually.” You retort. With every passing minute, it becomes more and more evident that this really is happening, and there’s no way you can back out now; someone sane has to be there to protect everyone. Dustin and the others all seem deluded by the idea of fame and adventure, but all you want to do is keep your loved ones safe. 

“Shut up,” Dustin shoves you further away from him as he tries to win over Erica’s agreement. “Great harm. Don’t you love your country?”

“You can’t spell ‘America’ without ‘Erica’.” She takes a sip from her drink, now listening.

You lift your head up from the table and share a baffled look with Dustin, both of you going through how to spell America in your heads. Amazingly, Erica is right. You really can’t spell the word without her name. 

“Incredible,” you whisper, in complete disbelief. 

Dustin shakes his head. “Uh, yeah. Oddly, that’s–uh, totally true… So, don’t do this for us. Do it for your country. Do it for your fellow man, for America – Erica.”

After your brother’s speech, Erica puts down her drink and mocks him, still not entirely sold on the whole child endangerment idea. Instead, she goes on a whole spiel about how she loves capitalism and paying people for their services while you sit there, head pounding with a headache. 

“And it seems to me,” Erica concludes with a smile, “my ability to fit into that little vent is very, very valuable to you all. So, you want my help? This USS Butterscotch better be the first of many. I’m talking free ice cream for life.”

Robin and Dustin mirror exasperated expressions on their faces, but honestly? You get a kick out of Erica recognizing her worth; she’s brilliant. Without saying anything, you lift your hand up for Erica to high five, which she happily accepts. 

“To child endangerment!” You cheer, your voice oozing sarcasm, and Erica follows suit as Robin and Dustin both slump in their seats. 

– 

It’s your idea to prep Erica for whatever she may find after crawling through the ducts. You shoved a helmet on her head and forced knee pads onto the girl, which she adamantly protested against. 

“This is excessive, even for you.”

You held up money, which promptly shut her up. “Wear the protection and do exactly as I say, or lose $5.”

After she took the money, you then held out your switchblade for her to take as well. “And use this if anything happens, alright?”

Erica had stared at you, slightly surprised. “Why do you carry knives on you?”

“Ask questions later.”

Now you’re anxiously waiting on the mall’s rooftop once more with Dustin, Steve, and Robin as you radio Erica for updates.

“You nerds in position or what?” Her voice drones through the walkie’s speaker.

“Yeah, we’re in position.” Robin confirms. The three of you have been scouting the shipment deck for the last thirty minutes, making sure all the possible Russian guards were gone. “It’s all quiet up here, so you’ve got the green light.”

You take the walkie from Robin. “But be careful, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Be careful and green light, roger that. Commence Operation Child Endangerment.”

Robin snatches the walkie back and cringes at what Erica has said. “Can we maybe not call it that?” 

“That's exactly what’s happening here.” You say with a snort. 

“Thanks for the help, Y/N.”

You give Robin a thumbs up. “Anytime.”

Erica announces that she’s in the air ducts and you feel the familiar burden of fear creep through you as she now goes quiet. Steve’s hand finds yours and he attempts to ease your discomfort as you all wait. “Erica will be fine, Y/N.”

“Yeah, totally!” Robin tries to reassure you as well, though she looks nervous too.

The minutes drag by at an agonizingly slow pace. The three of you hold your breath, waiting for Erica’s assurance that she’s safe and okay, and you pray to whatever god that’s up there to listen and keep her safe. 

If anything happens to her, it would only be your fault for not having learned your lesson sooner. 

“Alright, nerds.” You let out a breath of relief when Erica radios again, and you can feel Steve exhale as well. He’d been worried, too. “I’m there.”

“Do you see anything?” Robin asks, voice alight with excitement now. 

“Yeah, I see those boring boxes you’re so excited about.” 

“Any guards?”

Erica pauses a moment, presumably scanning for any signs of danger, before responding. “Negative.”

You breathe out again with relief. At the very least, Erica is in a safe enough location. 

However, Robin isn’t done asking questions yet. “Booby traps?”

“If I could see them, they’d be pretty shit traps, wouldn’t they?”

You grab the radio again from Robin. “Erica, have I told you that you’re my favorite child?”

“You haven’t, but I know I am,” there’s a bang over the other end of the walkie, then a loud thud followed by a grunt, before her voice comes through again. “I’m in.” Then, not even a minute later, the door to the vault begins to lift up, revealing a smug looking Erica on the other side. 

You all stare at her in awe, and she snaps her fingers at you. “Free ice cream for life.”

Steve lets out a surprised laugh and a smile crosses your face as well. Even though you’re still entirely against what’s happening, you can’t believe that the plan worked. You guys successfully broke into a Russian vault. 

That beats Demodogs any day. 

You, Steve, Robin, and Dustin climb down from the roof to get to Erica as fast as you can. When you finally join her, you risk her fury and pull her into your arms for a hug. “You’re so much braver than I was at ten.”

Erica shoves you off of her. “That doesn’t at all surprise me.” 

While you make sure she’s okay, Dustin and the others investigate the room. There’s boxes everywhere with tape all over them. Lifting one up onto a table, Steve turns to you. “Can I borrow that switchblade, Y/N?”

“She’s got it,” you point to Erica. “Talk to the kid.”

Steve frowns, having unexpected this, and, being scared of the girl, he laughs nervously. “Uh, Erica? Can I have that switchblade now?”

She rolls his eyes at him and digs through her pockets to retrieve it. “Aren’t you the man in the relationship? Why don’t you have your own pair of knives?”

You cover your mouth to try and stifle the laugh that escapes you, but it’s no use. Steve hears it and sticks his middle finger up at you before finally opening the box. Cutting through the tape, he opens the box’s flaps to find a metal storage container within them.

When Steve reaches his hand inside the box, you stop him. “Please, be careful.”

“I got this, angel.” However, he slows his movements and carefully grabs at the container’s handle. Slowly, he turns it, and it lets out a terrifying hiss as air escapes it. Removing the lid, more air comes crawling out and reveals four individual cylinders.

“Definitely not delicious noodles and sensible shoes.” You breathe out, and Steve hums in agreement.

“That’s a weird way of saying ‘you were right, Dustin’.” Your brother snarks, and you hit his shoulder to shut him up.

Meanwhile, Steve waves his hand at the four of you, motioning you to back up. “Uh, maybe you guys should, you know, stand back.”

Robin and Erica don’t hesitate to listen, but you and Dustin remain where you are. There’s a silent agreement between the two of you to not abandon Steve, he needs you. When he sees that you both haven’t listened, Steve pleads with you. “Just step back, please? I’m doing this for you guys, this could be dangerous.”

“No.” You and Dustin say at the same time. 

Steve tries to argue again, but you remain firm in your stance. “I’m not leaving you. Ever.”

His words falter at the sincerity in your voice, and he wishes it was just the two of you alone right now so that he could stroke your cheek and kiss away your concerns. He’s filled with warmth by your care for him, but just like you would never put him in danger, Steve would never put you in any danger either. 

He loves you with everything within him, he just wishes he could tell you this. 

“If you die, I die.” Dustin proudly declares, breaking Steve out of his thoughts. 

You stare at your brother, as does Steve, and together the two of you awkwardly pat the kid’s shoulder to acknowledge his sentiment. With a cough, you add, “Hendersons with Harrington.”

Steve clears his throat, overwhelmed and slightly off put by the bizarre support. “Okay, I guess.” He grabs at one of the cylinders and twists slowly, and when it unlocks, he lifts and reveals a bubbling green liquid. “What the hell?”

Robin asks what the substance is and you feel like you’ve lost your mind. You have no idea what the fuck is happening anymore. “God I hope it’s scary Kool-Aid”

As soon as the words have left your mouth, you feel rumbling beneath your feet. 

Immediately, you know you’ve fucked up.

Dustin looks up at you in alarm. “Was that just me, or did the room move?”

“Booby traps,” Erica whispers, looking scared as well.

A mechanical whirring sound infiltrates your ears as the room starts to shake again, and every part of your body screams at you to run. Something is very, very wrong. Grabbing Dustin’s hand, you start to head towards the door. “We need to leave. Now.”

“Let’s go!” Robin follows you, not needing to be told twice, and grabs one of the vials of liquid as she does so. 

“Which one is the button, Erica?” Dustin asks, fingers hovering over the control panel’s buttons after pressing one failed.

“Just press the damn button, nerd.”

You turn to her, panic rising. “He is, but nothing’s happening.”

“Press ‘open door’.”

Dustin presses the button again but still, nothing happens. Frantic to escape the room now, you shove him aside and try yourself. Your fingers press roughly against it, but still the doors won’t budge. 

Steve joins, sliding next to you as he starts to try pressing the buttons. “Here, press the other button.”

You slap his hand. You’re overwhelmed and scared and anxious and he’s five seconds away from losing an eye. “I already did that!”

Dustin starts to argue with Steve now and they push you back, repeatedly hitting whatever they can touch, as Robin and Erica shout their own useless and unneeded advice that is helping absolutely no one. You stand behind the boys, hands pressed against your head as you start to hyperventilate with panic.

Then, walls come slamming down on all sides of the room, effectively kick starting your panic attack. The lights begin to flicker as the room suddenly drops. Your stomach lurches into your throat as you’re thrown downward, and instinctively you grab for Dustin in your panic as Steve grabs for you. 

Everyone screams as you plunge into the darkness.

-

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[literaryavenger]

Captain America: Civil War - 3

Summary: The Winter Soldier gets triggered and it's up to Steve, Sam and you to make sure that Bucky doesn't get killed, doesn't kill anyone and doesn't get locked up again.

Pairing: Avengers x Reader, slight Bucky x Reader

Warnings: Descriptions of violence. Language. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 3.1K

A/N: Just to be clear, Bucky x Reader is my endgame, which is why I was so looking forward to get to Civil War because I knew I could get some scenes with Reader and our thicc Civil War Bucky.

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

You get to the FBI bunker and get out of the SUV as Bucky’s pod is carried away by a forklift.

You and Steve both look at Bucky and, as Steve looks away, Bucky’s eyes meet yours for a second before he looks away again. All you can think about is how broken he looks, almost ashamed of his current situation.

You walk with Sam, Steve and T’Challa towards Sharon and a short man in a great suit.

“What's gonna happen to him?” You can’t help but ask.

“Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition.” the little man says.

“This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander.” Sharon informs us.

“What about our lawyer?” Steve asks.

“Lawyer. That's funny.” Ross says. “See their weapons are placed in lockup. Oh, we'll write you a receipt.”

“I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that.” Sam says as they walk away with your gear.

You see the man carrying your gear playing around with a particular gadget. “I wouldn’t touch that, if I were you.” You warn him.

Almost as if just to piss you off the man activates the gadget and gets electrocuted, falling to the ground as you start laughing with a quiet "Dumbass".

As some other agents go to help the idiot you turn back to the group, Sam is grinning too and Sharon and T’Challa seem amused but Steve and Everett are glaring at you.

“What? I told him not to touch it!” You defend yourself, but it’s very clear you’re amused and have no regrets.

You all start walking, following Ross and he starts talking. “You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now, do me a favor, stay in it?”

“I don't intend on going anywhere.” T’Challa says as Natasha joins your little group.

“For the record, this is what making things worse looks like.” She says looking directly at Steve.

“He's alive.” Steve answers as we approach Tony talking on the phone. You have to give it to Steve, at least he's consistent.

“No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. And, Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup.” Tony says on the phone.

“Try not to break anything while we fix this.” Natasha tells you all and you roll your eyes at her.

“Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.” Tony ends the call.

“'Consequences'?” You ask as you raise your eyebrow, your tone and facial expression clearly skeptical, not believing for a second that he’s serious about this.

“Secretary Ross wants all three of you prosecuted.” Tony answers. “Had to give him something.”

And, there he is. You chuckle quietly and could swear you saw a smirk in Tony’s face for a second.

“I'm not getting that shield back, am I?” Steve asks.

“Technically, it's the government's property.” Natasha says as she starts walking away before turning to you and Sam. “Wings and gear, too.”

“That's cold.” Sam says and you groan in annoyance; you love your gear.

“Warmer than jail.” Tony yells back while walking away with Nat and you roll your eyes.

You sigh deeply and turn to the two gentlemen next to you.

“Well, this is great.” You say sarcastically and, before they can say anything, some agents escort you and Sam to the office Ross spoke of, from which you can see the security cameras on Bucky, while Steve gets taken to another room for what you assume is gonna be questioning.

-

You and Sam are seated at the table next to each other as you see Bucky’s prison pod get connected to a pipe and the light inside it dims for a moment, just as Steve comes into the room where you and Sam are.

“What did they ask you?” You ask Steve as he comes to a stop in front of the glass where he can keep an eye on Bucky.

“Nothing, I was talking to Tony.” There's a pause where none of you talk, just watching Bucky before Steve quietly says. “Wanda’s being detained at the Compound.”

“What?!” you say loudly, startling both men. “What do you mean, she's detained?!”

“I think Tony doesn't want another accident to happen, so she's currently confined to the Compound” Steve elaborates.

“Fucking Stark…” You mumble under your breath, shaking your head in disappointment as you see Tony joining Natasha in the control room with Ross. You ignore Steve’s glare at your cursing and focus on Bucky in the screens in front of you even though you can't hear anything. 

Your heart breaks a little for him at the way he’s being treated. After all Bucky’s whole situation wasn’t his choice, just a surprising amount of bad luck in the past 80 years.

After a minute Sharon enters the office you’re sitting in, handing us some papers. “The receipt for your gear.”

“‘Bird costume’? Come on!” Sam whines as you snort and laugh as he glares at you before glaring at Sharon.

“I didn’t write it.” She says defensively, then pushes a button that stops the restriction on the audio from Bucky’s cell and allows us to hear it on the little screen in the corner.

“I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions.” you can hear the psychiatrist say. “Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky.” Bucky says calmly. 

It’s the first time you hear him speak clearly and your eyes are glued to the screen. His voice is deep and gruff and you can’t help but find it attractive. You take a moment to really look at him and you think to yourself, for a brainwashed psycho assassin that’s almost 100 years old, he’s really quite handsome, isn’t he?

You’re brought back to the present by Steve’s voice. “Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?” He’s standing in front of the monitor, looking at the blurry photo of Bucky that was released on the news.

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Sharon answers.

“Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding.” Steve continues. “Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

“You're saying someone framed him to find him?” You say with a frown, trying to follow his train of thought.

“Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.” Sam points out.

“We didn't bomb the UN.” You point out absentmindedly. 

“That turns a lot of heads.” Steve adds.

“Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would.” Sharon says before trailing off and all of our attention drifts back to the screen where Bucky is being questioned by the psychiatrist. 

“Yeah.” Steve says quietly.

“Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?” the doctor asks.

“I don't want to talk about it.” Bucky says quietly.

“You fear that… if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry.” The doctor taps his tablet to see something and you frown, everyone else’s expressions mirroring yours. “We only have to talk about one.”

Suddenly the lights go out in the bunker and you all look around confused. You can see people freaking out in the control room, Tony using FRIDAY through his glasses and Natasha looking around.

You look at Sharon and she simply says “Sub-level 5, east wing.” And you, Sam and Steve rapidly exit the room and head towards Bucky.

You arrive outside the chamber, red emergency lights flashing all around and agents slumped on the floor, all out cold.

You hear a feeble “Help me” and see the psychiatrist on the floor, clearly conscious, asking for help. Steve steps towards him and enters the room where Bucky's pod is, you barely enter it and Sam is right behind you at the threshold.

“Get up” He says and harshly grabs the doctor, shoving him against the wall. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“To see an empire fall.” Is all he says.

Suddenly there's movement behind you and you quickly turn around just in time to avoid Sam getting thrown into you and he lands against the pod instead. 

You barely have time to react when you feel a punch in the stomach and stagger backwards against the wall, knocking the air out of you. You slide down on it and take a second to compose yourself as Steve starts fighting Bucky.

After what feels like a second Bucky sends Steve down an elevator and walks away. You groan and quickly get up, going to the elevator first.

“Please be alive, Rogers!” You shout down, as you try to look down.

“I’m okay!” He shouts back and you let out a breath of relief. “Find him!”

You don’t waste a second and run after him, catching up to him as he’s beating up a guard.

You put yourself in the middle of it after Bucky gets the better hand on the agent and takes his baton, you kick Bucky on the stomach but he barely moves.

At least you have his attention now and, when he looks at you, his eyes seem empty and void of any emotions. That’s not the same person you saw before. Those are not the same eyes you met when you got to the bunker. 

You hesitate for a second and that’s enough for him to get the upper hand, grabbing you and throwing you over a table. He has a gun you assume he took from the other agent and aims it at you but, just as he’s about to pull the trigger, he gets disoriented by a stun-burst from Tony,that makes you cover your ears, then there’s a flash of light and then Bucky and Tony are fighting.

You take a moment to breathe and suddenly Tony’s on the ground and you go to him to make sure he’s okay while Natasha and Sharon take care of Bucky.

“Are you okay?” You ask him, worried, helping him sit up.

“Just dandy.” He says breathlessly.

Both of your attentions go to Sharon when she gets slammed into a table next to you and you both go to her. She’s conscious but before you can say anything, she points to something behind you and you turn around to see Bucky getting tackled off of Natasha by T’Challa.

You get up and go to Natasha as she’s taking in deep breaths after Bucky almost choked her, you help her sit up before turning around but both Bucky and T’Challa are already gone.

When you turn back to Natasha, she’s already looking at you. “Go” is all she says and you know she’s right, you should go before you get detained again. 

You nod to her and all but run outside, where you see Sam just standing there in the middle of the running crowd. You go to him and, when he notices you, he shows you a hoodie that you assume to be the psychiatrist’s.

“I lost the doctor.” He confirms your theory.

“I lost the soldier.” You tell him and he sighs, as you both look around.

“We should get out of here” He says after a moment, looking at a group of guards.

You follow his line of sight and when you notice the guards too, you say “Yes, we should.” and you both start almost running, putting as much distance between yourselves and the FBI as you can.

-[Time skip to when they’re in the warehouse because I’m lazy and don’t want to make up all the stuff in the middle]-

While Steve and Sam wait for Bucky to regain consciousness you go to look for a first aid kit.

You’re all mostly fine, but Bucky has a cut in the forehead that Steve informed you occurred when he hit the windshield of a chopper, which is why he is unconscious.

It takes you a little time to get back to the abandoned warehouse they’re hiding in because of the pain in your torso, which you’re pretty sure is because your ribs are bruised.

By the time you’re back Bucky is awake and his metal arm is free. You hear him talking as you get closer to the room they’re in and the last thing he says is “You’d never see them coming.” before the three men notice you.

You completely enter the room, standing next to Sam but your eyes don’t leave Bucky, rightfully wary of the man.

“Don’t worry, he’s back to himself.” Steve says when he notices your careful and calculated moves.

“I am worried. He also tried to kill me as himself.” You say, looking away from Bucky and to the two men next to you.

“I wasn’t trying to kill you, I was trying not to get captured by you.” Bucky addresses you directly for the first time ever with an accusatory tone.

“Semantics.” You answer, looking back at him and narrowing your eyes. Your defiant, but admittedly childish, answer seems to surprise Bucky but it gets a chuckle out of Sam and a groan out of Steve.

“Just… please.” Steve says to you, almost begging you. “Help him.”

You roll your eyes and groan, mumbling an annoyed “Fine.” while cautiously moving towards Bucky. As you kneel in front of him and open the first aid kit you can hear Steve and Sam talking, but pay them no mind.

“You know I’m a supersoldier, right?” Bucky asks you quietly.

“Supersoldiers can bleed too.” you say while looking down and not at him, looking through the stuff in the kit. “The image of an unconscious and beaten up Steve in a hospital bed comes to mind.”

He knows you’re talking about Steve’s conditions after the whole Project Insight situation in DC, and you can tell he feels bad about it as he instantly looks away from you.

“Sorry,” you say with a sigh “That was mean.”

He seems to perk up a little at your apology and looks back at you.

“It’s okay.” You look up at him. “I kind of deserved it.”

You smile a little at this, and start to take out the stuff you’ll need as you say “You kind of did.”

You go to clean his cut but wince slightly, you almost forgot about your injuries. You take a deep breath and start carefully cleaning his cut and the blood off his forehead.

“Did I hurt you?” He asks you quietly, seemingly concerned that you’re in pain.

“Don’t worry.” You tell him just as quietly. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Sergeant.”

“I bet you can, doll.” You almost feel like you imagined the nickname, but you’re positive you saw a grin on his face for half a second.

You can feel his eyes glued to your face as you take care of his cut, silently watching you work. You almost feel like he’s memorizing every detail of your face, like he’s trying to figure out everything about you right in that instance. 

When you’re done you take a second to look into his eyes, expecting him to look away, but he holds your gaze and you feel your heart skip a beat by the intensity of his stare. After a moment you slowly get up, your eyes still locked on his and take a step back.

When you finally turn around you see Steve watching your interaction with a very curious look and, when you meet his eyes, he raises an eyebrow at you. You roll your eyes and ignore his silent question, getting closer to him and looking around for Sam, who you see just outside the room on the phone.

“Who’s he talking to?” You ask Steve.

“Don’t know” He shrugs. “Just said he knew a guy.” 

A second later Sam gets closer as he ends the call.

“Alright, thanks, Scott.” He says and hangs up.

You raise your eyebrow at him. “Scott? Really?” You ask smirking and he groans, rolling his eyes while Steve just looks at us confused at why you’re so amused by this because he still doesn’t know about the time Scott breached the Compound and kicked Sam’s ass.

-

“I’m just saying, this isn’t really the most practical getaway car…” You say as the four of you make your way to meet Sharon in an old Volkswagen Beetle.

“It’s low profile” Steve defends his choice from in front of you, Bucky in the backseat to your right and Sam in front of him in the passenger’s seat.

“It’s really not, Steve.” you say back as Steve groans, prompting a snicker from Sam and, surprisingly, from Bucky too. You’re about to point out that this old car sticks out when Steve parks and gets out to talk to Sharon.

You can’t hear what they’re saying but you can see them looking at the Buggy for a second before Sharon opens the trunk of her car. Your joy about seeing your gear is a little overshadowed by Bucky’s voice as he talks to Sam.

“Can you move your seat up?” He asks, surprisingly polite.

“No.” Is all Sam says, being the petty bitch that he is. You roll your eyes at him, you get that the last time a car was involved with Bucky in the mix it didn’t go great, but still.

“Here, switch with me.” You tell Bucky and pull him to the middle seat, then climb over him to slide into his seat, being sure to smack Sam in the back of his head as you go and smirking at the loud “Ow” he lets out. You look back at Bucky and see him blushing slightly and you can’t help but smile.

When you look back at Steve and Sharon you can see them kissing and you let out an amused giggle. It looks like Captain Virgin finally got some.

They talk for another second before Sharon goes to her car and Steve turns to the three of you as you all smirk and you even wink at him. You can see him groan and roll his eyes before grabbing your gear and putting it in the trunk of the Buggy.

When he gets into the driver’s seat the only thing he says is “Not one word.” while the three of you quietly laugh but don’t tease him further.

He drives off and you look out the window, knowing that the hardest part is about to come. Whatever comes next sure won’t be as fun. 

Requested taglist: @sapphirebarnes @aki-ham

[darklilacs]

How to talk to your crush? Advice number 1 - don’t talk about your nipples

✨️✨️✨️

Cupid was a bastard. There’s no other explanation for why he had made Eddie fall in love with the most “out-of-your-league” boy ever.

Eddie’s poor heart skipped a bit every time Steve Harrington was near. Yeah THE Steve Harrington -retired king of Hawkins High; the most beautiful person Eddie had ever seen; a weird, pretty creature created to haunt Eddie’s dream, through sweet fantasies full of kisses.

Eddie was hopeless. He was a man enough to admit that. He needed help to woo his future husband. And who’s the better option, if not his favorite three apples tall person- Chrissy?

She had a plan. A vision, if you will. She made him buy a fancy spy shit (a wireless earpiece and a microphone). She will tell him what to do through mic and Steve's heart will be his!!

He walked into Scoops Ahoy with a stupid assumption, that he got it. 

“Ahoy, I’m Steve and today I will be your captain. What can I get for you?” Steve smiled.

Oh.

Oh, this is great. He is in a good mood. 

“Ahoy! Can I get a U.S.S. Butterscotch?” Eddie said, losing all of his confidence.

Wow, he almost lost his shit 30 second in. A new record. 

“Talk to him. Say something interesting. You have to intrigue him.” Chrissy voice almost gave him a heart attack. Steve's presence makes him forget about the fact, that she was watching and was trying to give him advice and commentary. 

Something interesting. Okay, he can do that. 

“Did you know, that the skin on your tongue has the same texture as your nipples?” Eddie leaned on the counter nonchalantly.  

He could hear Chrissy facepalming through the earpiece. 

“Something interesting about you, dumbass.” Chrissy tried to save the situation.

You have to give it to her. Maybe she couldn’t stand another love song with the message: “Straight boy (derogatory) doesn’t want me and I'm sad about it”?

Steve looked at him, puzzled.

Yeah, Eddie definitely made an impression on him. But different than he had hoped for. 

“Did you know that my tongue has the same texture as my nipples?” 

“STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR NIPPLES FOR GOD’S SAKE,” Chrissy didn’t bother to be quiet. Her scream was audible from outside, where she should be hiding behind fake plants. 

“Congratulations,” Steve laughed. 

Holy Shit. 

He laughed. 

Angels started to sing in his head. Eddie felt in that moment like a new God’s favorite child. 

He will spend at least thirty minutes writing about it in his diary, while kicking his feet. 

“Is there anything else you want to share with me?” Steve asked, giving him an ice cream. 

“I have a choir in my head,” Eddie informed him, without a second thought. 

Shit.

He didn't wait for Steve's reaction. He couldn’t handle it. He threw the money on the counter and left quickly.

[all-alone-he-turns-to-stone]

I'm Never Gonna Dance Again, The Way I Danced With You

Stranger Things Masterlist

Summary: After everything that happens to Hawkins, a school dance seems so out of place, but yet, everyone needs it. When an argument seems to break up Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship, Steve thinks it’s finally his chance to ask Nancy to the dance to conquer her heart. But first, he needs to learn how to dance. And of course, it has to fall on you. The only girl in Hawkins that seems to know how to dance and that is also deeply in love with Steve Harrington.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x F!Reader, Steve x Nancy, Nancy x Jonathan

Warning: Fluff, angst, misunderstanding, mention of the earthquake, Steve being a blind dumbass

Word Count: 5486

A/n: So this is the fic I took 6 months to finish, phew! Set up after season 4 when everyone tries to gather what they have left after the earthquake. No upside down breach leaks yet.

Having a school dance after everything that happened had to be the randomest, but the best idea people had in a while.

The school was one of the last, big buildings standing after the earthquake that opened the ground in pieces. With the hospital, it was the place people went if they needed food, shelter, clothes, anything they might have lost.

It was Robin’s idea, surprisingly. As she was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, she suddenly dropped everything she was holding, smiled brightly and ran around telling people. With some help, they transformed the school with what they had left, found some speakers in the audio room and printed flies to invite people. Everyone was invited. Not that there were many people left in Hawkins, everyone fled the town.

Since the cafeteria was used for the homeless and wounded, the gym was chosen for the dance. Clothes were given away for the occasion, suits, dresses, of all sizes, so people could take what they liked to wear to the dance.

With all that happened, it was really needed. Just one night, dancing, eating, having fun with everyone and forgetting the mess that was outside… Everyone needed that.

You needed that. It was the perfect opportunity to reveal your feelings to the man you loved. All you had to do was to walk to him and ask him to go to the dance with you.

And there he was, in front of you, folding the newest arrival of clothes. A big, long red dress in his hands, Steve was struggling to find a way to put it on a hanger, totally lost in the number of straps it had. 

One foot in front of the other. Your heart tumbling in your chest. Sweaty hands kept wiping on your skirt. Mouth dry, lips silently mumbling the words you were ready to tell him. And it was easy, so easy, just… Hey Steve! Do you want to go to the dance with me?

Easy, right?

Another step, you were now even closer. Steve finally found how to put the dress on the hanger and placed it on the rack with the other prom dresses. People were so generous, he had an impressive amount of them in front of him.

Another step. “Hey, Y/n!” A voice suddenly rang behind you and you startled. “Sorry I scared you! I have a question…”

Turning to Robin, the organiser of the dance - a title not to pronounce in her presence, the mere thought of being the brain behind the dance turned poor Robin in a puddle of stress-, you forced a smile. “Yeah?”

“I know you were in the dance club before you graduated,” Robin was speaking very fast. In her hands, there was your year school book, her finger pointing at the picture of you with the dance club members. “So, since it’s a dance, I was wondering, what do we dance at a dance party? Like, for the music, of course.”

“Oh,” you picked up the book, smiling as you remembered that time. It was only a year ago, but yet, it felt like forever. “First, you need songs that are slow. We need that slow dance moment,” your smile grew bigger as you turned the page. “I can make a mixtape if you want, with songs we used to dance to?” 

You lifted your head, at first to look at her as you asked her the question, but stopped breathing immediately when you noticed something happening in front of you.

Further in the cafeteria, there was the drinks stand where usually Nancy helps. Now, she was in a deep conversation with Jonathan, both of them having tears in their eyes. You were too far away to hear what they were saying, but at the looks of it, it looked like…

“Looks like Nancy and Jonathan are breaking up,” Robin muttered out loud what you were thinking. "Again." 

And just to confirm, you watched as Jonathan walked away quickly, making everything to hide his face and his tears. Your heart broke at seeing them apart, you wished no one to live through a break up. 

But then, your gaze shifted and you saw him watching. The moment Jonathan was gone, his hands were slicking his hair back, his eyes never looking away from Nancy.

He wanted to try it again with her.

Next to you, Robin jumped her way towards Steve to whisper something to him and you saw him nodding ferociously, clearly listening to Robin’s advice or the plan that she was already scheming for them to get back together.

Your heart sank even more.

Still really stuck in your mind and how you missed your chance, how Steve would never notice you, or notice you had feelings for him for years now, you didn’t notice there was actually a person in front of you trying to get your attention. You got out of your head when fingers snapped near your nose. 

“What?” you jumped again, your voice high with annoyance of always being so jumpy. Your annoyance suffered a major down when you noticed it was Steve in front of you. “Oh… Uh…”

“Y/n. I need your help.” Steve left you no time to talk between his sentences. “I need you to teach me how to dance. I need to be the best dancer before I invite Nancy. Also because asking her immediately after she broke up would be quite a dick move,” Steve laughed, and god. 

You wished he didn’t laugh.

You wished he didn’t offer one of his beautiful smiles.

You wished he didn’t have his puppy eyes activated.

Because helping the guy you love getting with the girl he loves was too painful to even think about it. But when Steve asked you something… Or simply talked to you… You always got in a trance.

“Yeah, of course."

Neither Robin or Steve noticed it. How you suddenly got really flustered and sad at the same time, your heart literally breaking into a thousand little pieces at your feet. How your eyes got darker as you lowered your head while the two were scheming again, creating a plan where Nancy wouldn’t be able to tell him no.

But someone else noticed. He was giving glasses of water to people, reminding them H2O was essential to the body. Still walking with his limp, his injured ankles dragging a bit behind, Dustin stopped to look at what was happening.

“And they call us kids. Unbelievable.”

-

“Hey, flashdance,” you groaned after the fourth time.

It’s been only an hour. Just you showing him the basics. And Steve already stepped on your foot four times. Always the same foot, on the same toe. And at first, you tried to swallow it, swallow the pain to avoid any kind of embarrassment for him. But that one really hurt.

“I’m so sorry,” Steve cringed as he let go of your hand. Stepping back, he sighed and let himself drop on his couch.

After you agreed to teach him how to dance, Steve invited you to his house to start the same day. There was no time to lose, according to him. He had to be good, perfect, even, by the end of the week. Clearly, Harrington had a big ego and wanted to show Nancy how much of a good dancer he was.

The dance was happening next Saturday, and it was only Monday evening.

You sat down next to him, your hand still burning with the sensation of his fingers intertwined with yours as you tried to teach him how to spin his partner. “It’s okay Steve, we still have plenty of time,” you tried to comfort him. "Nancy's gonna be so impressed with your dance moves, you'll see." Of course, the sentence that wanted to be reassuring for him only hurt your feelings.

Steve ran his hand through his hair and you followed his movements, your eyes unable to look away. His hand and his hair. 

Gosh, he was beautiful.

“Yeah but I feel like I’ll never get good…” Steve mumbled and sighed in defeat. His eyes wandered to the left and he looked at your feet. “Sorry for stepping on your feet,” he apologised again and you rolled your eyes. 

“Stop saying sorry. Now, get up. We have work to do, you're gonna impress Wheeler at that dance,” you ordered, standing up and extending your hand for him to take. You had no idea how you managed to stay so calm. Perhaps, even if your heart was beating very fast, it wasn’t exploding because it was broken. After all, you were helping the guy you were in love with getting back with his ex…

Why were you doing that to yourself?

The smile he had on his face as he nodded, took your hand and got up. That was why.

That same smile you fell for and wished was only for you to see.

Swallowing your jealousy and your heart twisting painfully, you forced a smile and resumed the lessons.

-

Spending a whole week with Steve Harrington would have been a dream come true in any other circumstances. 

But spending a week with Steve Harrington to help him get back with his ex was the most painful thing you had to do. Because you really loved spending all that time with him. Not just for the dance where you had to touch and be close, or where you could laugh at how clumsy he was. It was the late night pizza he would order. Or how he always had the house to himself since his parents were out of town, so you two would be alone. It was the few nights you stayed over because it was too late to drive back home.

It was that night he decided to jump in the pool and you joined him. Since you didn’t have your swimsuit, you jumped fully dressed. And it felt liberating.

The week was amazing. But now that it was over, that the dance was coming, that Steve didn’t need you anymore cause he mastered the art of dancing…

Emptiness was filling you up. Steve was simply so happy and proud of himself, he kept talking about it wherever he went. To Robin, Dustin, everyone knew he was now a professional dancer thanks to the best teacher in the world, you.

The dance finally arrived. You were home, wearing the dress you picked, looking at yourself in the mirror. Tears were drowning your sight and leaving trails of water down your cheeks. Luckily, you had no makeup on yet, because it would have been a disaster. 

The dress was beautiful. Red and silky, the corset brought up your shapes and created a semi plunging neckline. In the back, many stripes were intertwined, it had been really complicated to put it on. It was mid length and arrived just below your knees.

It was the dress Steve was trying so hard to put on a hanger. You didn’t know why you picked that one, because it was pretty, or because you imagined how Steve would hold you if you were in it?

“Honey, your friend is here!” Your mom called from the kitchen. You startled, once again, and a hiccup cut down your little pathetic scream. 

“Coming!” You screamed, hurrying to dry your cheek. One last look at the mirror and you admitted defeat. You wouldn’t be able to hide that you've been crying. Your eyes were way too puffy and red now.

Wondering who was at the door, you really hoped it wasn’t Steve. Then, you realised, it couldn’t be Steve. He asked Nancy to the dance. She said yes. That was the reason you’ve been crying for hours now with the dress on. 

Steve was with Nancy.

When you arrived at the door, you expected a lot of people. But not the one that was waiting there. His hair was slicked back, Steve style, and he had the cutest suit on. “Dustin?” You wondered quite loudly as you looked at him, up and down, frowned and crossed your arms against your chest. “What… Why… How…”

“Gosh, Steve is so blind,” Dustin rolled his eyes and stepped inside your house like it was his now. “I’m making sure you’re coming to the dance,” he continued and then took a long look at you. You could see the moment his eyes softened, meaning he noticed you’ve been crying. “I knew it. Now, finish up, we’re going.”

“Where do you come from?” You wondered, trying to wipe invisible tears that would still be there on your cheeks. “How do you know where I live? Why are you here?”

“That’s too many questions,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “But okay. First, I came through the front door. Second, I know where you live because I’m smart. Third, I’m here to help you confess to Steve.”

That was indeed too many questions, because you received way more answers that your brain could comprehend. “How do you-”

“Like I said,” Dustin stepped closer to you and put both of his hands on your shoulders. “No time. I know. Now, go get ready, I’ll be waiting in the car.”

To that, you stopped mid track. Already, Dustin Henderson showing at your house was something you would never have expected. He clearly knew you had feelings for Steve, but that part strangely didn’t surprise you. Dustin was always the clever one, after all.

“The… Car?”

Once you were ready, after your mom kissed you goodbye and told you how beautiful you were, you walked outside to see what Dustin was talking about. And here, parked in front of your house was a car. Of course, it wasn’t Dustin’s, he didn’t have the age to get his licence yet. But as you got closer…

“Hello dear, you are beautiful!”

“Thank you m’am,” you smiled as you entered the car next to Dustin’s mom. Sitting at the back, you knew Dustin had the biggest smile ever. The kid was proud of himself.

Arriving at the dance with Dustin was weird at first, but quickly, you noticed no one was paying attention to you anyway. Already, people were on the dance floor, the mixtape you made for the occasion playing in the speakers. They used the same lights and the same decoration as the snowball dance, but no one minded. Adults and younger people were mingling and having fun for the first time since the earthquake.

“Dustin, I have to ask you.” You were at the drinks table with your friend, hiding. Looking at the choices of beverages to hide the fact you were too scared to look at people and seeing Steve with Nancy. He had to be there. That was for sure. “Why do you want to help me?”

“I’m not only helping you,” Dustin answered, taking a glass of grape juice. “I’m also helping Steve. That poor guy is so blinded by Nancy, it hurts both him and the girls that like him. At first, I thought he would get with Robin, but they don’t have that kind of relationship.” He took a loud sip of his juice as you still avoided looking at anyone in the room. Head bent down, you thought about what Dustin just said. “Then, I saw how you looked at him. It was easy to guess.”

Of course, if someone would see through the mask you tried to wear whenever you were with Steve to hide your feelings, it would be Dustin.

“So,” you resumed, finally making your choice. You picked a can of soda and turned to Dustin. “You do that for him?”

“Steve needs someone like you in his life. And he needs to realise Nancy loves Jonathan, break up or not. Look,” Dustin gestured in front of him, and it was with fear that you finally turned to scan the crowd.

To the left, there was El with Mike, dancing so closely it was barely if they were two people anymore. Hopper and Joyce were there as well, dancing cheek to cheek, and you smiled at seeing them so happy. Hopper coming back to Hawkins was the best thing that happened in a while, even if at first, people were shocked to see someone seemingly coming back to life, again. Then, there was Lucas and Will eating cake, clearly talking about DnD. Will’s face was bright with passion as he spoke to his friend.

Then, like there was a spotlight on them, Nancy was with Steve. 

Steve looked so good, for a moment, you forgot to breathe. He had a suit on, with a bow tie and his shirt was unbuttoned enough to show the chest hair he was so proud of.

Nancy was as beautiful in her pink dress. Her curly hair was tied in a tight ponytail and clips with little bows were decorating the side of her head.

But above their unnatural beauty and how much they fitted together, there was something else. Nancy kept glancing towards the door, as if she expected to see someone come in at any moment. Yes, she was holding Steve’s hands, she was physically with him, but her mind was completely elsewhere. 

Hope seemed to light a flame in your chest. She was looking for Jonathan, that was certain. They say the eyes are the mirror of the heart. And her heart belonged to him. Dustin was right, Steve hurt himself by holding on to her.

The slow song seemed to end, and Nancy whispered something to Steve. Again, you were too far to hear, but the look she gave him before walking to the exit meant enough.

She was leaving to find Jonathan.

Your heart sank then. How could you feel hope when you saw the man you loved getting his heart broken, again? You knew the feeling. It hurts so bad it gets hard to breathe. You could not take advantage of this.

Steve seemed to notice he was alone in the middle of the dance floor, because he suddenly looked all around him. And when his eyes fell on you, when a smile stretched his lips as he walked towards you, you really felt your heart drop to the floor. 

“Here he comes,” Dustin sipped his juice again and subtly walked further in the room to leave you two some time alone together. Part of you wanted to punch him, after all, he brought you here and told you all of that about Steve, to then leave you alone with him. But the other part was thankful.

Here was your chance.

“Hey! I didn’t think you would come,” Steve said the moment he was close enough. You swallowed, played with your soda, trying to find something to answer, but nothing left your mouth. There were so many things you wanted to tell him, your brain was running wild with the desire to speak, but it was blocked. Impossible to say a single thing. “Oh, I love that song!” Steve bobbed his head to the rhythm, clumsily vibing to the music. You knew it was one of his favourites, you practised a dance on that song with him, that was the reason you put it on the mixtape. Hoping you would get to dance to this song with him again. “So, Nancy left to find Jonathan.” You glanced at him quickly to see his reaction; he rolled his eyes, drinking his apple juice quickly. “It’s like she can’t get him out of her head, y’anno?”

“Steve, I-” You tried. You tried so hard to make the words leave your mouth, find the courage… But you were immediately interrupted.

“I spent a week learning how to dance, gathered the courage to ask her, she came here with me, and now she’s gone? If you want my opinion, it’s so unfair. I was right there!” Steve exclaimed, drowning the rest of his juice. “Why is there nothing else than juice and soda here?”

“There’s kids to the dance, Steve, so there’s no alcohol,” you tried again, tears quickly filling your eyes. You wanted to say it. So bad. It was the time. You were alone with him, you just had to say it. The words were bleeding through your lips, your heart beating so hard it hurt. You could barely hear the song above the beatings.

“I just wished she could see me, y’anno?” Steve continued, not at all listening to you. “I’m right there, next to her… And…” You could see him lower his head, clearly hurt by what happened. You really hated to see him like that, so like always… You tried to comfort him.

“I know…” You whispered, knowing exactly what he meant. “Sometimes, the right person is right there, next to you. With only love to give,” you continued. Next to you, Steve nodded, agreeing with you. “You're there. Right there next to them. But they don’t see you.”

“Exactly!” Steve exclaimed. “If only Nancy was thinking like you…”

Tears were now running down your cheeks. You couldn’t hold them back. All you ever wanted to tell him, you basically just did. And he was still talking about Nancy, comparing her to you.

It would always be about Nancy.

“Sorry,” you excused yourself, walking as quickly as you could towards the closest door. You had to leave, right now. Coming was a bad idea. You should have stayed home, curled up in your bed, watching the wall like somehow, the answer to all of your questions was hiding in the wallpaper.

Making your way through the crowd, you couldn’t hold back the sobs that shook your chest. Good thing the music was there, it could bury the sounds. But it also buried Steve’s voice as he called your name.

There was only one place you could go. To hide and cry and let your emotions drown freely out of your body. The lock was broken for a while now, but since no one cared about this place, the school didn’t think it was necessary to change it. Who would want to steal anything here? Dance material, costumes, even the theatre props were put in here. Most of them were so worn, even the patches sewed on the fabrics to cover the holes were starting to rip apart.

During the hell that was your high school, being in the dance club was the only thing that brought you comfort and joy. And then, you became friends with Robin. She wasn’t in the club, but you could see her sometimes during practice in the doorway, mimicking the movements like she wanted so badly to be there. One time, you asked her if she wanted to join, and she answered she was so bad at dancing she would look like a clown. You proposed to teach her how to dance, but then, she suddenly got very busy with something she wouldn’t tell you about.

The earthquake happened shortly after. You knew there was more than that, a truth her group of friends were hiding. Of course, by hanging out with Robin, you ended up hanging out with her friends too, and that included Steve. She promised you there was nothing between the two of them, and you believed her.

Friendship didn’t always need romance after all.

In Hawkins, there was the big, main gymnasium, but there was also a smaller one right next to it. The room was surrounded by mirrors and designated for dance and theatre practice. And in the corner, the only place there were no mirrors, there was a door. And behind, the props you were hiding with.

You had no idea how much time passed. How many tears shed down your cheeks before there were none left. Gosh, you were crying for a boy, and missing the dance you were so happy to attend at first. It was so unfair, you couldn’t stay there and cry alone like a teenager with a heartbreak.

With that new resolution in mind, you quickly dried your cheeks, got up, and opened the door. Lights filled the room, but you couldn't remember you let the lights on when you came in here. Only one step out of the room and you walked into a firm wall of warmth head first.

“Ouch,” you mumbled, staggering a bit to find your balance back. Stupid high heels you were not used to wearing. Once the first surprise of heading into someone was passed, you noticed that in fact, you weren’t alone in here. In your private hiding spot. And you noticed it from the start, when you walked into him. You knew who it was, only with the soft scent he always had. Of course, there was a strong aftershave scent above it. But under, it was him. Your other source of comfort.

Though, right now, it was a source of heartbreak.

“Sorry,” Steve apologised, both hands raised. Not able to face him right now, you kept your head down and stared at his chest. Particularly at the patch of hair he was proudly displaying tonight with his unbuttoned shirt.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, rocking from one foot to the other. Stress started building up, did he follow you? How did he know you were in there?

“I couldn’t leave you after you ran away like that.” Steve’s voice was soft, low, almost a whisper. Like he was speaking carefully, choosing his words to be sure to not mess anything up. “I also couldn’t let you leave without…”

As the first note of the song echoed in the empty room, you couldn't help but lift your head towards him. A smile was stretching his lips, he looked so proud of himself, and he was so close to you you could see your reflection back in his brown eyes.

“How did you…” You started, looking around the room to try and find who put the song on. THe room had speakers, but to have access to it, you needed to be next to the sound console which was not with you right now.

“Do you want to dance with me, Y/n?” Steve's voice was now sulky and warm and even a bit flirty. And when you glanced towards him, it was to see his hand extended to you, a glint of amusement in his eyes and one wild hair strand falling on his forehead. “Please.”

I feel so unsure

As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor

As the music dies, something in your eyes

Calls to mind a silver screen

And all its sad good-byes

Who were you to tell him no? It felt like a fairy tale. Maybe you fell asleep in the prop room, and this was your dream coming true. Well, your dream being a dream. You couldn’t let that pass, so dream or not, you took his hand.

It was warm in yours, almost burning.

I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

This verse, he sung it with the song. And as the lyrics left his lips, Steve hugged you to him, his whole body engulfing yours with the heat. It felt hot, you knew your face was flushed with embarrassment of being so close to him. You almost missed the significance of the song. How the lyrics and what he was singing was exactly what was happening.

Though, as you started your slow dance, your left hand in his big one and your right one on his shoulder while his was around your waist, he didn’t step on your feet this time. He had rhythm. 

You teached him well.

Laying your head on his chest, you closed your eyes. If only this wasn’t a dream. 

I should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste the chance that I'd been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you, oh

As the song continued, time seemed to stop. It felt natural. To be this close to Steve. To hold him close to you. To share the same space, the same body heat and the same air. It was beautiful, just the two of you, surrounded by an endless amount of reflection all around you. Your twins dancing the same dance in the mirors.

Steve stepped back ever so slightly, but never let go of your hand. And then, with the skills of a professional dancer, he lifted the arms that were locked with yours and made you spin slowly. No feet stepping on your toes, you swung on yourself beautifully. The hem of the dress lifted and created a swirl of red that got reflected in the mirrors. You saw it all around you. And when you lifted your head to tell him he did it perfectly, your words were cut by lips.

At the same moment Steve kissed you, fireworks exploded in your stomach. There was no one else than the two of you in the school. In Hawkins. On the whole planet. Only the two of you existed. Not wasting a second, you put your other arm around his neck and kissed him back with all the love you had for him. 

And in the distance, the song continued.

Tonight the music seems so loud

I wish that we could lose this crowd

Maybe it's better this way

We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say

We could have been so good together

We could have lived this dance forever

But now, who's gonna dance with me?

Please stay

“Please stay,” Steve broke the kiss and exhaled softly against your face. You closed your eyes and smiled sadly, knowing this just couldn’t be true. It was a dream. “I was blind, so blind,” he continued, a nervous laugh following his words. To that, you opened your eyes again and looked at him, listening to what he had to say.

And in his eyes, you could see anxiety.

Wait. Steve being anxious? He was always so sure of himself. You frowned. “What?”

“I was blinded by Nancy… We never really forget our first love, you know,” his gaze grew sad. Yeah, you knew. Nodding your head, you invited him to continue. “But I realised tonight… Sometimes… Sometimes, the right person is right there, next to you. With only love to give. You were there. Right there next to me. And I saw you, I saw you since the time I met you. But I couldn’t really see you, you know?” You nodded even if you were not really sure to follow. “I mean… Y/n, I like you.” 

Butterflies flew widely in your stomach now.

“So that’s why you kissed me,” you nodded. God, you were nodding way too much!

Steve nodded as well. At least you weren’t the only one using your head to show agreement. “Please, forget how of a blind jerk I was, stay…”

To that, you thought. Stepping back from his warmth, even if staying in his arms was the only thing you wanted, you suddenly clasped both hands on your cheeks quite strongly. By now, the song was over, so the clap sounded loudly in the room.

“I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Steve looked at you with wide, confused eyes. “No…?”

A bright smile stretched your lips. Good. This wasn’t a dream. You took a couple of seconds more to take in the moment, take a deep breath and admire the man in front of you.

God, your heart was about to get out of your chest.

“But… wait,” you momentarily lost your smile. “How… How did you know? Minutes ago, you were all over Nancy,” you reminded him, but you could see for him it was like a stab in the back. You quickly asked your question, afraid to spoil the moment. “And now you’re here, and danced with me, and kissed me,” you smiled, your lips tingling with the need to do it again. “What happened in the meantime?”

LIke he was waiting for the right moment, the door cracked open on an overly curious teen. 

“Good, you both like each other. Now, can we go back to the dance please?” Dustin muttered before closing the door. You listened to his steps fading away.

“I should have known,” you rolled your eyes playfully. If someone had to open Steve’s eyes, it was Dustin.

“Ready to go back?” Steve changed the subject, probably a bit ashamed it took a kid to open his eyes and offered a hand that you took with no hesitation. Glancing up at his face, you were met with a soft gaze filled with warmth.

“Actually... I’d like to stay a bit longer,” you snuggled against Steve, his arms immediately circling your frame. “If it’s okay with you.”

“Of course,” Steve placed his cheeks on top of your head. “We can stay as long as you want.”

Forever Taglist: @nitnat6245​​​ @b3autyfuldisast3r​​​ @eevvvaa​​​ @wickedinspirations​​​ @fictional-affairs​​​ @awkward-and-indecisive​​​ @cryptichobbit​ @katbratsupernaturalwhore​

[braveclementine]

Chapter 3

Warnings: None (anyone can read this story)

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. I do not condone any copying of this.

𝓣𝓗𝓔 water was deep and scary and I fought to make my way upwards. When my tiny head broke the surface, I let out a series of cries, hoping that someone would come and save me. I looked around wildly, trying to see how far it was to the edge.

The thing that had transported me here was long gone. He wasn't going to save me. Not that I had expected he would.

I kitty paddled for a long, long time towards the edge. People were starting to appear, some of them running along the path around the lake.

Idiots. They might fall in too! Humans weren't as sure footed as cats were.

I finally reached the edge, but looked up in dismay. It was a good foot above the water, and I had nothing to jump on.

I shivered, my sopping fur soaked with coldness. I was freezing and I was scared. I just needed some body warmth and good pets. Some chicken would be nice too.

"Help! Help! Help! Help!" I mewed over and over, paddling around. I was tired and hungry and cold.

"Hey Buck, did you hear that?" A curious, warm voice asked.

"HELP ME YOU DUMBASS! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?" I mewed loudly.

"Yeah, it sounds like a cat." A second voice said. This voice was very warm as well and I wanted them to find me.

"But where is it?" The first voice asked.

I could hear footsteps and I continued to meow, even as I continued to feel even more tired. I couldn't give up now. Not so close to being saved. Not when I had to find Billy and Tommy and save them. What if their father tried to kill them too?

Suddenly, feet appeared at the edge of the wall and I looked up, trying to stay afloat.

"Aww, the poor kitty." The second voice said, and a large hand dipped down, pulling me out of the water.

"Gosh she's so little," The first voice said in a marveling voice. He was a blond man with blue eyes and a kind face.

"She must just be a kit." The second said. He was also kind looking, but also a little scary. He had long brown hair, brown eyes, and a metal arm. Luckily, he was holding me with the flesh hand, which was very warm and I curled up into a ball, trying to get as much warmth from it as possible.

"Here," The second man said. "You can hold her in both of your hands so she can get warm. We should take her straight to the tower and warm her up."

The first man took me into his large hands. They were huge, like the rest of his body, and very warm. He cupped me between them and they took off back the way they had come.

"Where are you guys going now?" A dark skinned man said, stopping on his run. "Don't tell me you're done already!"

"No, sorry we've got to cut the run short Sam." The first man said. "We found this kitten in the water and she's freezing. We're hoping maybe Tony will have something to warm her up, or something, I don't know."

"Oh well she is adorable." Sam said, "I'll head back with you guys."

The three men were very quick in bringing me to a very large tower that was very warm when they stepped inside.

I was very content where I was, in the man's hands. They felt very safe and loving and if it weren't for the fact that I needed to find Billy and Tommy, I wouldn't have minded settling down with him.

"Bucky? Steve? Sam? What are you guys doing back early?" A red headed woman asked, sipping on a cup of what smelled like coffee.

Since dark skin was Sam, and dark haired was Bucky, I assumed light haired was Steve.

"This little kitty was in the cold water of the reflecting pond." Bucky said, pointing to me in Steve's hands. "We want to get her checked out by Tony."

"Does Tony know anything about animals?" The red head asked skeptically. "You might want to bring her to Bruce instead."

"Are they both down in the lab?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they should be. I don't know if Tony even went to sleep last night though." The red head said.

"Thanks Nat."

Gnat? Was she a type of bug? I looked at her with even more interest now. She didn't really look edible though.

We went into a small box that traveled downwards. I mewed and Steve opened his hands a little. I got to my feet on his hands and stood up on my hind legs, putting my front paws on his chest.

"Do you have food?"

"Oh my gosh she's so adorable." The man named Bucky squealed.

Strange, he seemed like he would be scary. Maybe he was just an overgrown man child.

"I would like food." I said again.

"She is adorable." Steve agreed. He ran two fingers down my head lightly like he was afraid to much pressure would break me. I purred. It felt good.

I dug my claws into his shirt, crawling up it so that I could rest on his shoulder, wrapping my tail around his neck. I purred with content.

"Oh gosh, please don't fall." Steve said in a pleading voice, resting one of his hands lightly on my body. Two metal doors opened and they exited the metal box, walking down another hallway until they got to a very large room.

It was filled with lots of metal things and tools. Two men were sitting there, both looked slightly similar.

One was wearing glasses, wearing a light purple shirt that was buttoned at the elbow. His black hair was wavy, slightly looking a bit like pepper. He was slightly shorter, and slightly wider than the second man.

The second was lean, and maybe around the 5 foot seven mark. He was definitely shorter than the men carrying me- except maybe the dark man named Sam. He looked nice and friendly, with black hair around his mouth and on his chin. He wore a short that had the letters A-C-D-C on it and I wanted to let him know he had two C's on his shirt. I was pretty sure it was supposed to say A-B-C-D.

"Is this the kitchen?" I asked.

The lean man looked up first, "What are you doing with a kitten Cap? I thought you liked dogs better?"

Who was Cap?

Steve sighed, lifting me down from his shoulder to place me in front of the man. "But look how adorable she is Tony."

So was his name Steve or Cap? What kind of name was Cap?

Actually, I liked bottle caps. They were very fun to bat around. Would he be fun to bat around?

"Where'd you get her from and why are you bringing her down here?" Tony asked, putting a hand in front of me to stop me from batting whatever he was playing with off the table. "Holy, she's soft and also very wet and cold."

I mewed happily with the compliment and sat still so that he could pet me.

"She was in the reflecting pool. She was trying to get out of it, but the wall was to high." Steve said with a slight frown.

"What the heck was she doing out there?" The second man questioned, joining in on the conversation.

"Well, you see, there is this terrible man and he THREW me in there." I mewed. "You should arrest him or something. Cat crimes and all. That's a thing, right?"

"Oh my gosh, her mews are so cute." Tony mumbled.

"We don't know." Bucky answered the second man's question.

"So why is she down here?" The second man asked.

"We were wondering if you guys had anything to check her out with. See if she is okay and all that." Steve said.

"Oh yeah." Tony said, picking me up in his arms and then walking over to another table. "Stay still cutie."

He pressed a button and I peered at the green lasers in interest. My first reaction was to back away as they got closer, but the nice man named Tony had asked me to stay still, so I did.

The green lights went through my body, but I felt nothing and then Tony was picking me up and putting me back down on the other table. "Results?"

"Perfectly healthy." A female voice said from literally nowhere. "Female."

I hissed, my fur poofing up as I looked around the room, trying to find the source of the noise.

"She is around seven months old and is of the munchkin cat variety. She will most likely only get to be anywhere from three to six inches bigger than she already is. She is pure white, but has a small marking on her back right paw that is in the shape of a crown and is black. It seems to be natural. There is no ink imprints at least. She has no collar or identity so it is impossible to locate her owners. However, with a few hours of time, I could possibly pull up the cameras from around the reflecting pool to see what happened."

"That would be great, thank you F.R.I.D.A.Y." Tony said. "Well, I guess that answers all of your questions. Are you going to keep her?"

"Yes!" Bucky said cheerfully. "Me and Stevie were thinking about getting a pet and she is obviously a gift."

"What are you guys going to name her?" The second man asked with interest.

"I don't know Bruce. I don't want to call her anything generic like marshmallow or snow." Steve said.

"I know, Blizzard." Bucky said with a smile. "She kind've looks like one too, doesn't she?"

What was a Blizzard.

"My name is Y/N." I mewed.

"Blizzard is really cute." Tony said, petting me. His fingers felt really good, running along my fur.

"Well, okay, it's not bad." I mewled sullenly. "Do you have food?"

"She's very talkative, isn't she?" Sam asked. "Do cats usually meow a lot?"

"What? Of course we do! We have a lot to say you dumby." I meowed at him.

"I wonder if she wants something specific." Steve said with worry.

"Maybe she's hungry." Bruce said, rummaging through a drawer and brought me over something brown. "I don't know if she'll like this though."

I sniffed it and took a tentative bite. Ooh! It tasted good. Almost sweet. And chewy. And soft. I liked it very much.

"Bread?" Bucky's voice was very surprised, "Can kittens have bread?"

"Well, until we get proper cat food, we're going to have to give her human food." Bruce said.

"I would not give the cat sourdough bread Mr. Banner." the robot voice said. "It contains a lot of yeast. They love it, but they get sick if they eat to much. And she is just a kit."

Five different hands reached out to snatch the tasty snack from me. I mewled in protest, leaping at Sam who had the bread in his hands.

"So I would say that she is very hungry." Tony said, lifting me in his hands. I let out a cry and I watched his heart break on his face. "SHE'S SO CUTE!"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., what are some human foods that she can have?" Sam asked as he discarded the bread in the trash can. My eyes zeroed in on it and when Tony put me back down on the table, I stared looking for a way to get to it.

"Fish, Chicken, Beef, Cheese, Bananas, berries, melon, carrots, rice, pumpkin, oatmeal, eggs, and spinach just to name a few. If you have anything specific, you can ask me." the thing they were calling Friday said.

I crept low across the table, hopping down onto a stool, and then hopping to the floor, sauntering over to the trash can.

"We have plenty of cheese upstairs in the refrigerator. We also have hamburger." Tony said. "Some of that should be good for her."

I peeked into the can, seeing the delicious thing in there, and tried to grab it, falling into the bucket. I mewed as I latched onto the bread. Yummy.

"Where is she?" Bucky asked.

"Blizzard!" Steve shouted, a shadow falling over me, and he lifted me into the air. He attempted to tug the bread out of my mouth, but I dug my teeth in.

"Aww c'mon kitty." Steve pouted. "I don't want to hurt you. Let go and you can have fish."

Fish? What was fish? It was a funny word. Fish, fish, fishy fish.

"C'mon Blizzard." Bucky said, "Give me the bad bread. It's not good for you. You'll get sick. You don't want to get sick, it feels bad."

Reluctantly, I opened my mouth and let him take the bread from me.

"Good kitten." Bucky said, petting my head and tossing the delicious love of my life into the bin again.

But alas, I did like Bucky calling me good. I liked all of them in here, although Bruce smelled a little funny. But Steve and Bucky were the most comforting of all. And Tony was a close second.

"C'mon, let's go and get you some fish." Bucky said, taking me into his large hands and they left the two men behind.

⬅️➡️

[andvys]

IM BACK

Warnings: 18+, minors don't interact! rough smut, threesome, spanking, choking, manhandling, mentions of unrequited love and heartbreak, mentions of cheating, slight angst, fluff, happy ending

OH GIRL. WE HAVENT EVEN STARTED YET AND IM ALREADY OVER HERE WITH WIDE EYES

“Stop thinking those thoughts,” Steve sighs. 

my favorite mind reader ♡

He chuckles, shaking his head at you, he dips his fries into the ketchup, taking his time to answer the question, he eats the fries and drinks his milkshake. 

OHH IM CRAVING FRIES AND MILKSHAKES NOW

He rolls his eyes, “shut up, no I don’t.” 

yes you do 🤭

You giggle as he glares at you. Leaning back in your seat, you look him up and down, “you’re not too bad either but I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole.” 

girl 🤨 do you have amnesia orrr

“That was 20 minutes ago, you let me cum inside you.”

😭😭 he rocked her world so hard she suffered from memory loss

“I like your dick, it’s really big.” 

SHES SO REAL FOR THAT I THINK 😭😭

A sharp gasp makes you tear your eyes away from his, looking up, you find a middle aged lady looking at the two of you in disgust. The cross necklace around her neck clutched in her hand, she looks at you in disgust, frowning as she looks between you both. 

NOT THE CHRISTIAN GRADMA LMAOOO 😭😭😭

He gets up as well and looks at you as he reaches for his wallet, throwing some money on the table, “did anyone ever tell you that you’re a brat?”

ooh and what are you gonna do about it stevie? ;)

Eddie Munson was just another boy who broke your heart. Jonathan was the one who put it back together, only to hurt it was well. 

oh okay fuck boys then 😐

You lick your lips, Steve is handsome, pretty and sexy. You had never seen his beauty before, not until tonight. Suddenly you feel yourself wanting him more. Not wanting this to be a one time thing. 

my girl was blind as well... someone take her to ER already cause...

A laugh falls from your lips, “yeah well, you’re not exactly brat tamer material, Steve.” 

bet? 🤨

“Can you be quiet?” He smirks as he kisses your cheek, “wouldn’t want mommy and daddy to catch their good little girl getting ruined by Steve Harrington.” 

o-oh 😫😫

You stayed at his house for two days. Your usual movie night was different this time, Jonathan and Nancy weren’t there and thank god they weren’t. Making out with Steve and riding him on his big sofa was better than watching some stupid movie and cuddling up to your lying, cheating, partners. 

i believe you on that one 🤞

You even made use of the polaroid that Steve bought but never really used before. 

🤨🤨 proof...?

But of course, you still hate each other. 

no yeah of course... of course you do 🤭

Maybe you fucked the pain out of him. 

suddenly im in pain and steve should come and help with that

“Aren’t you trying to graduate again?” Steve counters as he slams his notebook open, forgetting about the pictures he had slipped in there earlier. It falls on Eddie’s lap, who looks down at it, eyes widening. 

THE CALLOUT HAHAHA

Eddie takes the picture, he stares at it in surprise. His lips part in shock. It’s a picture of someone’s boobs. It’s not a challenge to figure out who’s body this is, he had definitely seen and touched it before, he is pretty sure he has a picture of them too, somewhere. 

........... NO WORDS (why did this DUMBASS keep those in his NOTEBOOK 😭) (imagine a teacher wanted to check his homework or something 😭)

“Are you still mad at me?” 

no, she just told you to fuck off lovingly 😭?

A date night with your boyfriend turns into one with Eddie as well. 

🤭 it's starting

“You let that bitch touch you!” You yell as you close the fridge, glaring at your boyfriend. 

HELL NO STEVE

“Starting some stupid fight just so I will fuck your brains out.” 

you know what i see her point 🤭

“Oh my god,” he murmurs, staring at you in disbelief, “baby, you’re my girl. I want you, no one else.” 

awww

His dark eyes stare into yours, he leans closer, eying your lips for a moment, “poor King Steve doesn’t know how to handle you, huh? He doesn’t know how to put you in your place?” He asks as he reaches his hand out to touch your face, caressing your cheek softly. “He can’t do it like I can, right?” 

OH. MYGODs

“Put her in her place,” he murmurs as he reaches for your waist, pulling you into him, “tame the fucking brat.” 

WHAAAAT 😳😳

You have questions, so many of them but you don’t bother to speak them out now, instead you find yourself nodding, “I want you both.”

me rn

He ignores you, “you don’t want him to know that you dream of him?” He asks as he kisses your cheek softly before he turns your head towards Eddie, forcing you to look at him, “I heard you whispering his name the other night, you know?” 

WHAT OH NO

“You’re a depraved little slut, you know that right?” 

im flabbergasted

“I’ve been doing it on purpose,” you admit, your cheeks growing hot at your own words, “I wanted him to put me in my place.” 

KSJSKSHSOSHSJ

Suddenly you jolt forward and a cry falls from your lips as you feel the leather smacking against your ass, tears well up in your eyes. 

OH??? 😳😳

He swallows, your hand resting on his knee, squeezing it tightly as Eddie takes your ruined panties off and throws them at him, chuckling when he catches them and sniffs at them. 

THIS IS LEAVINF ME SPEECHLESS WHAT.

“I missed your sweet pussy, baby.” 

AAAAAAA IM BLUSHING— also im getting older because im reading this whole description but im literally too shy to paste it here and comment it lmao 😭 im out of practice

That is too intimate for you, you don’t hold hands with people you don’t love, Eddie doesn’t love you. 

intimate is hot though

You lick your lips, eying the bulge in Steve’s pants, “take your cock out, Stevie,” you whine, “please.” 

she's so me

“Yeah, he is so much bigger than you, Eddie,” you tease, looking over your shoulder with a smirk on your face, “makes me feel better too.” 

PLS ANY GUY WOULD CRY IF YOU SAID THAT TO HIM 😭😭

“Fuck,” he whispers, a happy chuckle leaving his lips. 

THE WHOLE SEQUENCE WAS SO FUCKING HOT BUT WAY TOO FILTHY TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS LMAO

Soft sobs leave your lips as all your feelings come catching up to you. 

aw :(

Your glassy eyes meet the ones of your boyfriend, your bottom lip quivers as you stare at him, you push yourself up a little, clutching the blanket against your chest, “d-do you love me?” 

AWWW (poor eddie)

“I didn’t want to ruin your life.” 

eddie... you're a dumbass im sorry 😭

I LOVED THIS PART SO SO VERY MUCH!!! can't wait for more of these guys (also im in love with your steve)

FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME SMILE AGAIN 🤭 i’m laying in bed reading your comments, totally kicking my feet and giggling rn 🤭😁

ugh i’m always in the mood for milkshake and fries, it’s such a good combo!

she really did get amnesia for a sec, his big dick is too blame 😩

Steve put the polaroid pic in there on purpose.. maybe 😁

The fact that this smut was too filthy for you to share your thoughts— I’m proud of myself 🤭

I’m so so happy you liked it! I can’t wait to write part 3🤭🩷 and i’m so glad you like the way I write Steve!! 🥺

[endlessthxxghts]

MY BEST FRIEND MUTHAFUCKIN DID IT AGAIN.

From the homage of their first kiss to Connie's sweet ol' heart to Steve's fucking dumbass... And the manifestation of Javi's self doubt?

Madeline... seriously... you're some kind of fucking writing Goddess, I worship at your alter every damn day of my life.

“Chucho is right, you two are no worse than a pair of teenagers…” Maria has to be my favorite supporting character, though. She’s so unhinged, and she takes zero shit. I LOVE her. Also.. this line reminded me of when we talked about all the things Chucho has potentially walked in on with these two, and I could physically feel my cheeks getting hot with second-hand embarrassment yet again…That poor man.😭😭😭

“Does he always smell that good? God, I wished your father smelled like that, the man smells like a sweaty sock. Javi, what kind of cologne do you-” THIS MADE ME HOWL DUDE LMFAOOOOO, I AM OSITA’S MOM IN THIS MOMENT. If I ever got to find out what he smelled like, I really don’t think I’d be able to stop the shit spewing from my mouth. I just know he smells so fucking good.

I’m not quoting anything Steve said because the dumb fuck doesn’t deserve any highlights this chapter, however, I will say: you wrote him so STUPIDLY good that I’ve never felt such anger over a character IN MY LIFE. Like… how can you be so oblivious and ignorant.. how can you think.. oh right now would be a great time to bring up my buddy’s ex and how he left her at the alter right before he’s going to step up to another alter and marry someone else?? God, dude. I just know if Connie was there to witness Steve’s fucking comment, he’d get a smack upside the head FOR SURE.

“He knew he was a better man. A stronger man. A man who was worthy of the love and compassion you had shown him from the moment you two had met. Or was he?” YES, HE IS, DAMN IT.😭 YES. HE. IS.😭 Writing for Javier is complex. Honestly, it scares me to write him because of how much we can analyze from his personality (which is a big reason as to why I’ve been reluctant to post anything for him). With that being said, though.. Madeline, you literally write him so perfectly. You pull out the softer parts of him so naturally, and you show how easy it is for him to fall back into his hold habits when given the right trigger (fucking Steve🤦🏻). You say this chapter is a bit more angsty than normal, but I say—given his character—this is exactly on par with Javi’s character development, especially since he’s legit getting married (something he thought he didn’t deserve for SO LONG). This is exactly the conflict point—and the way you handled the resolution!!—your story needed at this part, and you deserve to be proud of yourself with this chapter. I know that I, and so many others, are so so proud of you. Of everything you’ve done for their beautiful story. For giving Javi the love he finally deserved and will always deserve.🥹

And finally… the SMUT..?! C’mon.. we know who is writing this story…. Do I really need to say more? But okay- I will say this…. The way you wrote the desperation in their makeup sex……. I’m genuinely foaming at the mouth, I don’t know if you understand just how feral it truly made me.👹👹👹

I’m sorry this was so long, but FINAL NOTE, I PROMISE. Your fic has always felt like a book to me. Although, this chapter? This chapter especially feels like a piece of literature—with the way you set up the plot, the conflict point, transitioned into the resolution: everything was out of this damn world, it was so perfect. Even after their story is completed, I’m coming back to these two. They bring me so much comfort, and you incorporated so many things that I actually relate to on a personal level, so I swear I think I have an unhealthy attachment, but IT’S ALRIGHT my therapist can deal with that.. anyway, I’m just trying to say: you’re so fucking amazing and talented and I can’t express enough how excited I am to see where your writing takes you this year🥹🥹🥹 i love you so much🥹🥹💚 thank you 4 existing <3

Chapter 18: Hole in None

Summary: During your bridal shower, Steve takes Javi golfing. When they return, the way Javi is acting has you questioning everything you knew about your relationship.

Word Count: 12.1K (getting back to my roots of a short chapter LMAO)

Warnings: SMUT(18+) unprotected p in v sex (wrap it up irl pls), oral (f receiving), creampie, praise kink, breeding kink (if you squint?), makeup sex and getting caught (The Murphy's will never catch a break) ANGST (I'm so sorry!!), Hurt/comfort, Javi being super insecure, you being confused as hell, Steve being an absolute idiot

A/N: HELLO. IT'S ME! I DO EXSIST! I am genuinely SO sorry that this chapter has taken a million years to happen. December has been so busy and I have had no time to write, so I really, really appreciate all of your patience 🥺 This is a lil different than any other chapter we've had so far in the NTL universe, it's a lil angsty-er than normal but ya girl only believes in happy endings so don't fret!!! Also poorly beta'd bc I have the stomach flu and I am 100% there are mistakes in this chapter that I'm sure I missed 🫠

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“Do I really have to do this? This thing hasn’t even started yet and I’m already exhausted.” 

“Yes, Hermosa, I do think that most people do expect the bride to be at her own bridal shower.” Javi laughed, staring into the bathroom mirror as he ran his hands through the dark curls of his hair, fixing them into place as you stood next to him, finishing the rest of your longer than usual makeup routine to prepare for being the center of attention against your will for the next several hours. 

It wasn’t that you weren’t grateful that your co-workers wanted to throw you a bridal shower before your wedding, now only a few weeks away- the sentiment of the whole thing was incredibly thoughtful. Your 3rd grade teammates had even found a way to get in touch with your family to make sure that your mom, aunts and cousins felt included in the event, too. You should have been thrilled about the fact that the people who loved you most in the world were coming together to celebrate your upcoming wedding and quite literally showering you with gifts, but if there was one thing you hated more than anything else, it was the social exhaustion that came from having a party planned for no one but you. 

You had really tried to convince Maria, Estelle, Linda, and now, your mom that you didn’t need a bridal shower- your wedding was going to be small, and since you had already been living on your own, there weren’t a lot of things you needed as you started married life together. Unfortunately, neither of those arguments were going to stop those ladies from going all out for you, leaving you feeling like your bridal shower was turning out to be even bigger than your actual wedding. 

“Don’t you think I could just get a cardboard cutout of myself and use that instead? All these ladies love to talk so much that I don’t think they would even know the difference.” You sighed, giving yourself a once over in the mirror before putting away the rest of your makeup as Javi snuck behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, planting a soft kiss into your shoulder as he pressed his chest against your back. 

“I have a feeling that someone would notice.” Javi chuckled, a soft grin spreading across his face as your eyes met in the mirror, his smile and sweet eyes enough to calm your nerves for at least a moment. “I would definitely notice.” 

“Well that’s easy for you to say, you don’t even have to be there.” You huffed, letting a little pout fall from your lips as Javi playfully shook you in his grasp, trying your best not to smile as you tried to keep up your unenthused facade. “It’s not too late to trade. You can go to the bridal shower and I can go golfing with you and Steve.” 

Even though Javi had insisted he was more than happy to stay at the shower with you, Maria had insisted that Javi find another way to spend his time so the spotlight of the day could be on you, and not him being distractingly handsome to everyone else there. Lucky for Javi, that meant extra time to spend with Steve while Connie was at your shower- not so lucky for you that Maria had banished your future husband from attending an event for your own wedding. 

“I honestly may have to take you up on that. Steve must have needed an ego boost when I let him pick what he wanted to do while you and Connie were at the shower because he knows I can’t golf for shit.” Javi’s overdramatic sigh and roll of his eyes was enough to make you break into a little giggle, turning your head enough to press a quick kiss onto his cheek before reaching your hand under his chin, giving his jaw a little jiggle. “It’ll go by fast, Osita, I promise. And then, when we get home,” he paused, pressing another kiss into your shoulder and up towards your neck, digging his fingers a little tighter into your sides as he rasped into your ear, “I’ll take as much time as you want to destress you.” 

“As much time as I want? Bold of you to assume that the dog is gonna give us that long.” You snickered as a happy Bear trotted into your bathroom right on cue, his tail loudly thumping against the bathroom cabinets from his happy wags as he wedged himself between you and Javi. 

The newest furry member of your household had been a well loved addition, but if there was one thing Bear had no concept of, it was privacy. Your dog had become a constant shadow to you and Javi anywhere and everywhere in your house, including your in your bedroom, even when you were, well, not sleeping. It hadn’t helped that Javi had already formed such a soft spot for Bear, and had let him on your bed from the moment he stepped foot into the apartment, and now, your dog and his clingy personality had become a new obstacle to try and navigate in your sex life. 

“Someone needs to tell his dad that he’ll survive if he gets left out of the bedroom for a half hour, huh? That he’s adorable, but that he can be a little cockblock, can’t he?” Squatting down next to Bear, you wrapped your hands around his face, scratching behind his ears as you mockingly serenaded him, raising an eyebrow at Javi. 

“He just sounds so sad when he whines and he’s trapped outside the door.” Javi grumbled, kneeling down to join you, patting Bear’s stomach, now much thicker and fuller than it was a few weeks ago after you had first brought him home, skinny and neglected from his lack of care from his previous owners. 

“You say trapped like we're kicking him out to the streets when we close the door on him. He’s adorable and sweet, but he’s a dog, Jav, he’ll be okay.” You smirked, playfully scolding Javi as you peppered Bear’s head with kisses, making his tail thump even harder as it wagged back and forth. “Tell your dad you’ll be just fine, won’t you?” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Javi groaned, knowing damn well you were right, even though he couldn’t bring himself to admit he had become an absolute softie for your new dog. “Alright, Hermosa, we gotta get you to this shower before Maria yells at me for making you late.” Pushing his hands against his knees, Javi let out a little grunt as he pushed himself back up to stand, checking the time on the silver watch wrapped around his wrist. 

“Wow, so eager to get rid of me, you must really be excited to go get your ass kicked in golf.” You teased, now following suit and straightening out your dress as you stood, throwing your arms around Javi’s neck, pressing up on your tiptoes to plant a little kiss on his lips. “Sure you don’t want me to golf for you?” 

“I’m sure, you dork.” 

After Javi had insisted on giving Bear more than his fair share of treats before the two of you left for the day, you were on the road to Maria’s, Javi insisting that he drop you off, instead of letting you take the treacherous 2 minute drive by yourself. As you drove down Maria’s street, you couldn’t help but smile at the memory of walking up to her house for an end of the school year party almost exactly a year ago. A party that had ultimately turned a handsome stranger from the Laredo Sheriff's department into your future husband, now sitting in the driver’s seat on the way to your bridal shower. You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself at the irony, leaning your head over onto Javi’s broad shoulder as you pulled up to Maria’s house. 

“What’s up, Osita?” Javi asked, a twinge of confusion in his voice at the content and calm of your demeanor as the two of you arrived at the event that you had been seemingly dreading for days. 

“I just- It was probably a year ago to the day the last time that we were at Maria’s house. Crazy to think that a year later we’re getting married and here for my bridal shower. I don’t know, a year ago I never would have thought I would have met someone I love so much, let alone be getting married, building a house, owning a dog, I- I’m just really happy that the department made you come to do that stupid presentation. You’ve made this year the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you, Jav.” 

A tender silence hung in the air as Javi leaned over the center console, gently bringing his palm to cup the side of your face, his thumb tracing circles along your cheek, letting his sweet brown eyes lock with yours as a soft smile spread across his face. “I love you too, Osita.” His words barely left his mouth above a whisper, bringing his lips to yours. The two of you could have stayed like this forever, lost in the moment of your love for each other, but unfortunately, the world had other plans. 

“JAVIER. DIOS MIO. CAN YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER FOR 3 SECONDS?” Maria shouted, banging at the driver’s side window, the aggressive thumps of her hand against the glass making the two of you practically jump out of your skin. 

“Jesus Fucking Christ….” Javi whispered, clutching his hand over his chest, trying to steady his heart rate back to normal, the two of you looking at each other in pure terror. 

“If you’re going to drop her off and make a scene in my driveway, the least you can do is help an old woman out before you leave, Javier!” Maria demanded, still rapping her knuckles against the glass, the two of you trying to keep from dying of embarrassment as you exited out of the car. 

“Sorry Maria…” The two of you grimaced, still trying to avoid direct eye contact with her before she decided to scold you more. 

“Chucho is right, you two are no worse than a pair of teenagers. Come on, we only have an hour before everyone arrives and I need you and that wildly blonde haired boy to help me move chairs.” Shaking her head in disappointment, Maria was already halfway up the driveway and into the house as you and Javi trailed behind her, glancing at each other in confusion as to who she was referring to, until you noticed the Murphy’s car parked on the side of the street, realizing that Steve and Connie must have beaten you there. 

Before you even had a chance to make it a foot into the house, you were greeted by an overbearing swarm of people rushing to say hello and give you a hug, already feeling overwhelmed 30 seconds into the start of your shower, and these were all people you knew. Your mom was the first to make her way through the crowd, squeezing you in a death grip hug, even though you had just seen her last night after picking her up from the airport and dropping her off at her hotel. 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe the day is almost here! My baby girl is finally getting married! Ugh, you look beautiful sweetheart!” Your mom beamed, planting a chaste kiss on your cheek before making her way over to Javi, squeezing him just as hard. “C’mere, don’t think that you get to escape hugs from me too, Javi.” Javi looked over at you, trying his best not to laugh at everyone’s dramatics, knowing how stressed you already were, and that no one’s overly excited attitude was doing you any favors. 

“Ouch on the finally there, Mom. What do you need help with?” You asked, noticing that your mom had been holding on to Javi for a touch longer than what was probably appropriate while everyone else continued to hustle and bustle around Maria’s house. 

“Does he always smell that good? God, I wished your father smelled like that, the man smells like a sweaty sock. Javi, what kind of cologne do you-” 

“Mom! Jesus Christ.” You interjected, burying your hands in your face.

“Sorry, sorry! Honey, you don’t need to help with anything, it’s your shower!” Your mom swatted her hand at you, shaking her head in disbelief that you would ask to help, even though she knew better than anyone it was not in your nature to sit back on the sidelines and let other people do the work for you. 

“Why don’t you come help me set up decorations?” A soft voice replied behind you, making you whip your head around as their hand rested on your shoulder. 

“Connie!” You grinned, throwing her arms around her, relieved to find someone who wasn’t going to drive you absolutely crazy for the next hour of party prep. “It’s so good to see you, thank you so much for coming!” 

“Hey, Sweetheart!” a lower voice grunted from behind a stack of folding chairs making its way to the backyard. 

“Wow, Maria put you to work too, Steve? Yikes, she’s running a tight ship around here.” You and Connie snickered as Steve set down his stack of chairs, revealing his already sweaty and frustrated face, considering Maria had probably made him carry 6 trips worth of seats up and down the stairs since he and Connie had arrived. 

“You’re tellin’ me. Hey, make yourself useful and pick up some of these chairs, lazy ass. Sooner we get this set up, the sooner I kick your butt at golf.” Steve smirked, gesturing over at Javi, still standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. 

“In that case, I’m taking one chair at a time.” Javi sighed, pressing a quick kiss to your temple in stride towards Steve, giving him a swift hug and a pat on the back before being interrupted by a shrill and demanding voice. 

“JAVIER. I HEARD THAT. IF I DON’T SEE YOU WITH A STACK OF CHAIRS IN YOUR HANDS THE NEXT TIME YOU’RE OUTSIDE, IT’D BETTER BE BECAUSE YOU ARE DEAD.” Maria shouted from across the house, making everyone’s faces freeze in fear. 

“You heard the woman. Chop, chop, Peña.” Steve chuckled to himself before passing off half of the chairs over to Javi, and walking towards the back of the house as Javi picked up his share, begrudgingly trailing behind Steve. 

“Alright, we should probably get to work on decorations before Maria finds us standing around for too long. I know you’re the bride, but I have a feeling that holds very little value to her until everything is set up.” Connie shrugged, nodding towards the backyard where the shower was being held. 

“You’re definitely right, and I would prefer to live through my bridal shower in order to make it to my actual wedding.” 

With all of the helping hands around the house, and Maria’s commanding dictatorship over shower setup, all of you had finished with time to spare, leaving your mom and co-workers to happily chat and gossip amongst themselves as you and Connie found your way to say goodbye to Steve and Javi, one of whom was looking much more excited about departing for golf than the other. 

“Have fun, ladies. Any last words for your future husband before I absolutely obliterate him on the golf course?” Steve snickered, giving Javi a soft punch on the shoulder. 

“Shut the fuck up, Murph.” Javi groaned, rolling his eyes as he braced himself for the next 3 hours of harassment from his former partner. 

“Don’t be too hard on him, okay Steve? He gets grumpy when he loses, so just a reasonable amount of ass whooping, nothing too drastic.” You teased, now playfully punching on the other side of his arm, you, Steve, and Connie laughing to yourselves at Javi’s fed up frown. 

“Says the one who literally pouted for hours after insisting we play "Sorry" and then she lost.” Javi smugly murmured, raising an eyebrow at you, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well someone wasn’t very sorry about it, were they… You know what, Steve? I changed my mind, go ahead and kick his ass for me.” A mischievous grin grew across your face, bursting out into giggles as Javi flung his arms around you, giving you a squeeze and shaking you in his grasp. 

“Pendejo. Alright, you need anything else before I go get my ass kicked, Hermosa?” Javi asked, pressing a kiss into your hair. You were about to speak, but stopped yourself for a moment, looking Javi up and down, admiring how handsome he looked in the khakis and navy blue polo he had picked out this morning. You’d been so worried and worked up about the day that you hadn’t really had a chance to get a good look at him until now, and God, part of you wished you hadn’t taken the time to really take it all in as he stood next to you. You knew there was nothing you could really do about it now, but that wasn’t about to stop you from at least getting a little taste. 

“Uh yeah, I uh- actually um, I uh, I scraped my finger earlier on one of the banners I was setting up and I think I got a papercut. I forgot to ask Maria about it earlier, but um, can you show me where the bandaids are upstairs again?” You tried your best to sound as casual as possible, but Javi knew just as well as you that there was no way in hell that you actually needed a bandaid. His brow scrunched in a slight confusion, head cocked to the side as if to say “I think I know where this is going and I’m not really sure it’s going to work” before giving you a little shrug, gesturing up towards the bathroom at the top of the stairwell, trying to keep his smug grin hidden between his lips. 

“Yeah, I uh- here, let me show you where they are and I can get you one before we go.” Before Steve or Connie could even muster a word in protest, Javi was already dragging you halfway up the stairs, barely letting you make it to the top of the stairway before closing the bathroom door behind you. 

“Band Aid, really? That was the best you could come up with?” Javi laughed under his breath, letting his hands roam down your sides and under the hem of your dress as his fingers dug into the meat of your ass, the heat of his breath tickling your skin where his lips met your neck, gently sucking at your pulse point, making a tiny moan escape from your mouth. 

“I needed to come up with something to get you alone for long enough to give you a proper goodbye before you left.” 

“And a Band Aid was the way to do that?” 

“Oh shut up.” You giggled, draping your arms over Javi’s neck, letting your hands roam through the curls at the nape of his neck before pulling him in tighter to let his lips crash into yours with an electric intensity, his fingertips gripping deeper into your flesh. 

“I don’t think-” Javi muttered between kisses, “I don’t think a bandaid is gonna buy us enough time to do anything, Hermosa.” 

“I know. I just needed this. Just needed to kiss your stupidly handsome face. I needed something before you left me to fend for myself. Plus,” you paused, pulling back to see the lovestruck grin spread between Javi’s cheeks, “only fair that I get a chance to recreate our first kiss.” You snickered, gesturing to the interior of Maria’s bathroom, where you had found yourself with Javi almost a year ago to the day, your lips meeting for the first time as you sat on the ledge of the sink after Javi had came to your aid when a shattered beer bottle had landed in your leg. 

“Fuck, I forgot our first kiss was in Maria’s bathroom. Real fucking smooth of me, huh?” Javi grumbled, rolling his eyes at his past self for letting your first kiss be in the bathroom of his Mom’s best friend’s house. 

“Smooth enough for me to wanna marry you, so I guess it all worked out okay, didn’t it?” You teased, planting one last kiss on his lips before shooting him a wink and slipping out the bathroom, your face warm and tingly from the rush of excitement tucked away with Javi in your impromptu makeout session. Javi ran his hand over his face, taking a moment to try and compose himself, shaking his head to himself in shock and delight at how he found himself falling more and more in love with you every day. 

“Okay, uh- sorry, sorry about that. Just didn’t wanna have to bother Maria for anything.” You sighed, darting your eyes away from Steve and Connie, their arms crossed against their chest with almost comically smug smirks on their faces as they watched you shuffle back down the stairs, Javi reluctantly trailing behind you. 

“Yeah? How’d that bandaid work out for ya?” Steve smiled with a shit eating grin, nodding to your hands, neither of them with a bandaid anywhere in sight. You let out a gulp, trying to quickly tuck your hands behind your back, your cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. “Goddamn, you two gonna make it 3 hours without touching each other, or am I gonna have to bring him back here after hole 4 for a mid-round makeout?” 

“Jesus Christ, Murph, really?.” Javi grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Bye, love you. Have fun and I’ll see you soon.” Leaned over, snaking his arm around your waist to plant one last kiss in your hair. 

“Not soon enough, apparently…” 

“Murphy…” 

“Stop makin’ out and I’ll stop givin’ you shit.” 

“Touche…” You muttered under your breath, just loud enough to make the 4 of you burst into laughter, easing the uncomfortable tension that you had brought upon yourself from your antics. “Love you too, have fun getting your ass kicked.” 

“Yes, yes, out, out, out! It’s only 10 minutes until guests arrive and your truck is taking up all the room in the driveway! Out!” Stampeding into the living room, Maria waved her hands at the boys, quite literally shooing them out of the house after overhearing your goodbyes. Giving a quick wave to Javi as Maria kicked him and Steve to the curb, you caught Javi’s head whipping around for one last glance at you before you left, giving you a once over with his eyes and a soft smile on his face as the front door shut behind him. 

Truth be told, your shower ended up being way less painful than you expected it would be. In all honesty, it was actually somewhat enjoyable. The fact that your mom, co-workers, and Connie had put into helping everyone come together to celebrate you filled your heart with so much more joy than you could have predicted- your friends and family had bought you and Javi so many more gifts than you knew what to do with, had so many kind things to say about the two of you, and Connie had even gone out of her way to make sure that there were fun games planned for everyone to keep the need for constant socialization at bay. It really had ended up being a fun afternoon, even if it meant having to answer the same questions about your wedding, house and honeymoon plans more times than you could count. 

Javi, on the other hand, could not have been having a worse time on the golf course, getting his ass thoroughly handed to him by Steve hole after hole, wondering to himself how anyone could bring themself to genuinely enjoy the torture that had been the past two and a half hours of hacking his club into chunks of grass and loosing his golf balls in the brush. The only consoling factor was that Javi was grateful to spend time with Steve, even if it meant being berated by endless questions from him on top of his painful performance while he played. 

“You feelin’ ready for the big day?” Steve grunted, after smacking his driver against his ball from the tee box, Javi relieved that the pair were finally on the 9th and final hole. 

“Yeah, I mean- Oh fuck me-” Javi grumbled, hitting his club and watching his ball fly into a patch of trees, the opposite direction of where he was trying to aim for, “I still can’t believe I’m getting married.” 

“You and me both, Jav. I never thought I’d live to see the fuckin’ day, that’s for damn sure. Javier Peña, a married man.” Steve chuckled, slipping his club into his golf bag as Javi followed behind, grabbing what must have been the 57th golf ball from his bag this round. 

“Shut the fuck up, Murph.” Javi chuckled, shaking his head at his friends’ jab, the two of them hopping into the golf cart together to try and scavenge for Javi’s long lost ball. 

“I’m just given’ you shit, Jav. I’m fuckin’ happy for you man. Really happy. She’s a great girl. Best thing that’s ever happened to your sorry ass, I’ll tell you that much. Guess you don’t have to worry about really followin’ through this time?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You’re actually gonna get married this time? You’re not leavin’ her at the altar like Lorraine, huh?” As Steve laughed to himself, Javi could practically feel his stomach drop, his heart beginning to race as a wave of terrible guilt and panic washed over him at his friend’s ironic question. 

To his own shock and surprise, Javi hadn’t thought about his last lack of a wedding once since the two of you had gotten engaged. He had been so head over heels excited to spend the rest of his life with you, that the failures of his past engagement had been tucked far away in the back of his mind. But then again, no one had been so gracious as to bring up the knife to the chest that was leaving Lorraine at the altar, and no one had been so gracious as to bring it up in classic Steve Murphy fashion. 

Javi could audibly hear himself gulp, his heartbeat pounding so loud he could hear it ringing in his ears as the terrible reality of the past he had so glady forgotten about met him in a head on collision, instantly re-opening all of the cuts and wounds he had finally managed to sew together. 

The last time he almost got married, Javier Peña had astronomically fucked up the lives of every last person who cared about him, leaving nothing but chaos and heartbreak in his wake.   

Rationally, Javi could tell himself that his upcoming wedding was the polar opposite of everything that was once planned between him and Lorraine. Javi couldn’t have cared less about Lorraine. From the moment he had wearily accepted his fate, he had dreaded every moment of his future from that point on. But you were not Lorraine. 

Javi loved you. 

Javi cared about you. 

Javi wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with you and give you everything in the world you could possibly want. 

But, one mention of that 8 letter name had Javi’s brain flooding with every single doubt, regret, and painful memory of his past that he had fought so hard to forget. It had his mind reeling with every uncomfortable feeling of remembering the man he had been before you had come into his life and changed him for the better. He knew he was a better man. A stronger man. A man who was worthy of the love and compassion you had shown him from the moment you two had met. 

Or was he? 

“Earth to Javi? Hello? Anyone home?” Waving his hand in front of Javi’s face, Steve stared at Javi in confusion as to why it seemed like his friend had suddenly become lost in his own world as they pulled up to the patch of trees where his ball had most likely landed. 

“Uh yeah, uh- what, sorry, um, what did you say?” Javi asked, visibly trying to shake the thoughts from his head, painfully scrunching his face and running his hand through his hair before looking back over at Steve. 

“I asked if you were gonna go get the ball or if you just wanted to add to your +200 score and drop one here instead. Hey, you okay, man?” Steve questioned, pausing for a moment before asking the later half of his statement, seeing the color flushed from Javi’s face. 

“Uh, yeah- Yeah, sorry, I just, I’m good. I’ll um, I’ll just drop a ball.” Javi muttered half to himself as he stepped out of the cart, barely paying attention enough to even remember what in the world he was even looking for in his golf bag. 

If Javi wasn’t already thankful to be on the last hole before Steve’s comment, he sure as hell was now, mindlessly whacking his golf club with no regard as to how his ball made it to the green. Any thoughts about golf, let alone any previous attempts to even try to play well had now flown out the window, creeping thoughts of self doubt and resentment crawling through Javi’s mind. The rest of the round and the entire car ride back to Maria’s were spent in an internal battle ranging in Javi’s brain, the fight between the man he used to be and the man he’d thought he’d become rearing its ugly head with a painful intensity that absolutely felt like it was consuming him whole.  

Steve, who was just as oblivious to his friend’s distraught state as he was to the idiocracy of his sarcastic question, had chalked Javi’s quiet and somber mood up to being an overly sore loser after getting mercilessly crushed at golf. Little did he know that his one silly comment had sent Javi spiraling down a trail of crushing self-doubt. 

As the pair pulled into the driveway and made their way to the backyard where a few straggling party goers still lingered, trying to monopolize their time with you to get the details of your upcoming plans for the future. Being the attentive and patient person that you were, you were trying your hardest to seem enthused and engaged with in the conversation with who you thought was Javi’s Aunt’s Cousin (at this point, you had been introduced to so many new people, you were questioning your own name), but it wasn’t long before your future husband’s big, broad body entering the backyard had you more than distracted, your face instantly lighting up at the sight of him. Peeking over his Aunt’s cousin (or cousin’s aunt, you weren’t really sure) shoulder, you bit down on your lip to try and contain your excitement, letting a little wave shake from your hand in his direction. 

Javi wished that your sweet smile and beautiful self were enough to snap him out of his funk, to see how you beamed in excitement just at the sight of him and shot him that lovestruck look he’d never get sick of- but for some twisted reason, it only made him feel worse. 

You were everything- kind, smart, funny, the most breathtaking woman he’d ever seen. But what was he? Tired? Broken? A shitty guy who had done even shitter things, who had left nothing but destruction in his path for years and years, with no regard for who it hurt, or even worse, left for dead? How was he supposed to give you everything you deserved when he sure as fuck didn’t deserve you? 

Before you had even said a word to him, you could already sense something was off about Javi’s demeanor that was due to more than just losing to Steve in golf. Even from across the backyard, his forced smile and tired brown eyes had a worried pit swirling in the bottom of your stomach, politely excusing yourself from your conversation to make your way over to Javi. 

“Hi! You guys have fun at golf? Steve didn’t kick your ass too bad?” You grinned, wrapping your arms around Javi’s waist, pressing up on your toes to plant a kiss on his lips, his mouth barely ghosting over yours in return. 

“Yeah, it was um- yeah, it was fine.” Javi nodded, trying to make a smile appear between his pursed lips. “How was the shower? You uh, you ready for Steve and I to start putting things in the truck to bring over to the new house?” 

You immediately frowned in response, cocking your head in confusion at him. “Yeah, it was great, but hey, are- are you okay? You seem really off, like more than just Steve kicking your ass at golf off. Did something happen?” 

“No, I’m- yeah, I’m good, Hermosa.” Javi’s eyes darted towards the ground, trying his best to stifle his sigh before another fake smile spread across his face, his response making you even more concerned than you were before, seeing he was clearly lying to you. As much as you wanted to problem solve right then and there to figure out what had Javi so distressed, the calls of one of the last groups of party goers wanting to say their goodbyes rang across the backyard, you flashing them a quick smile and a wave to signal you’d be over in a second. Before you could try and get anything else out of Javi, he had already backed himself away from your hands still tangled around his waist, nodding towards the group of women who were not so patiently waiting for you. “Go say goodbye, I’ll start loading stuff up.” 

“Um, I- uh, yeah, o-okay. Thanks.” You murmured, half to yourself, as Javi had already begun to walk away to find Steve to help him start carrying things out to the car, leaving you more anxious and confused with every passing second. 

With goodbyes finished, and decor and party setup cleaned up just as fast as Maria had demanded it to be put up, you and Javi made your way to your now packed car, followed by Connie and Steve, who had asked to see the progress on your new house while they were in town. You figured you’d kill two birds with one stone, inviting them over and having them help to unload gifts in the same trip, but now, given the strangely somber mood that Javi couldn’t seem to shake, you really wished it was just the two of you so you could figure out what the hell was going on. 

You and Javi piled into his truck, Steve and Connie hopping into theirs and following you down Maria’s street towards your new house. A stark silence filled the car, praying to yourself that maybe Javi just wanted to be alone before he said anything about his current state, but 5 minutes down the road without a single word falling from his lips, you had a devastating feeling that wasn’t going to be the case. 

Your leg bounced against the seat, fingers nervously drumming in your lap, letting out a quiet sigh to yourself before looking over at Javi and mustering up the courage to try and interrogate. 

“Sooooo, golf was fun? I love ya, but I think it’s probably safe to assume Steve won?” You quietly snickered, trying your best to stay nonchalant. 

“Yeah, it was good, Steve won, but that’s no surprise because I suck at golf.” Javi mumbled to himself, barely glancing your direction from behind the yellow tinted aviators perched on the bridge of his nose. Normally, if either of you had something that self-deprecating to say, it was at least followed by some sort of a joke or laugh, but his comment ended with nothing but a stoic silence as his hands gripped tighter around the steering wheel. 

“Hey, babe, it’s okay, you don’t ever golf, so it’s hard to expect yourself to be good at something you rarely ever do.” You reached over to grab his arm to reassure him, that unsettling and anxious pit beginning to grow in your stomach again with the way Javi was acting. All he could muster was a half hearted huff in response, signaling to you that whatever was happening was much bigger than a poor game of golf. 

“Javi… Baby, what’s going on? Did something happen with Steve?” 

“It’s nothing.” 

“It’s clearly not nothing, Jav. Did I do something wrong?” 

“No, I told you, it’s fine.” 

“Javi, it obviously isn’t fine if this is the way you’re acting about it. Why won’t you talk to me about it? I just wanna-” 

“I told you, it’s fine, okay!? Jesus, I don’t need you to solve all my problems.”

Oh.  

You and Javi had been in arguments before, hell, you’d been in fights before, but never once in the time that you’d known him, had Javi snapped at you like this. You could practically feel yourself recoiling in your seat from the harsh tone of his voice, fighting back the tears that had instantly begun welling in your eyes. You could feel your heart in your throat, choking down a heavy gulp as your lip quivered to try and keep from crying. 

What had gone so wrong that Javi was acting like this? 

You wish you had it in you to dig it out of him, but as you pulled up the driveway of your new home, Steve and Connie right behind you, ready for a tour, the best you could muster was a quiet, “O-okay.” As soon as the car was in park, Javi was unbuckling his seatbelt and slamming the door behind him, leaving you behind in the car, trying everything in your power to not become a startled, sobbing mess. 

Wiping away the wetness pooling behind your eyelids, you swiped the back of your hand against your cheeks, taking a few deep breaths before following behind, mustering up as much courage as you could to keep your cool for however long Steve and Connie were planning to stick around before heading back to San Antonio. 

You had hoped that Steve and Connie hadn't picked up on the palpable tension brewing between you and Javi, trying your best to put on a brave face as you paraded the Murphy’s through your nearly completed house. To be quite honest, you couldn’t have recalled anything that had happened in the time that they were there, your mind racing in torment as you watched Javi brood around your new home, barely saying a word to you, let alone make any eye contact, or look in your general direction. 

As the four of you made your way upstairs, your attention was finally caught by the low lull of Steve’s laughter as he situated himself between you and Javi, grabbing you both by the shoulders and shaking you in his grasp. 

“Well I’ll be damned. Y’all got enough rooms up here to house half a baseball team! You want that many kids driving ya nuts, huh?” Steve chuckled, making his way down the hallway, peeking into the empty bedrooms of your 2nd story. 

“Steve!” Connie scolded, slapping the back of her hand against Steve’s stomach for his comment. 

“What?! I’m just sayin’! I thought y’all would want like, 2, but there’s enough room for way more than that. I mean, I guess you two are fuckin’ goin’ at it like rabbits all the time, so I can’t really be shocked.” 

“Steven Edward Murphy! Jesus Christ!” Connie snapped, shooting Steve a dangerous glare, aggressively raising an eyebrow at her husband as she gestured towards you and Javi. 

“No, it’s okay, we don’t know for sure how many we want, but we figured if we had the space we’d add the rooms and even if they’re not bedrooms, they’ll still get used.” You had it in you enough to force a half smile across your face, flashing it at Steve and Connie before looking over at Javi. 

While you hadn’t expected much of a response from him given the current situation, what you weren’t expecting was the panic stricken look painting Javi from head to toe. 

If you weren’t already worried out of your mind about what the fuck was going on with Javi, you sure as fuck were now.  

“Uh, I um- yeah.”

Those were the only words Javi was able to choke out through the audible thumps pounding in his chest as his face went ghost white, eyes peeled to the ground. 

“See, Steve? You’re making them uncomfortable! You have absolutely no filter, I swear! I’m so sorry, you guys!” Connie frantically apologized, giving Steve another hardy slap in the stomach, making him wince. 

“I’m just jokin’, Jesus Christ, sorry!” Steve grumbled, holding up his hands in defense from his wife’s accusation, sheepishly looking over at you and Javi with a little shrug. 

“No, it’s uh- no, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.” You had given up on trying to be convincing at this point, your voice quietly shaking as you stared at Javi, now looking like a terrified, ragged shell of himself. 

What the fuck was going on? Did Javi want to wait to have kids? Did he not want to have that many? Was he having second thoughts about kids all together? Fuck, was he having second thoughts about getting married? He’s literally never acted like this before. Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

You were sure at this point, you probably looked just as much of a mess as Javi did, letting your thoughts race wildly throughout your brain, the silence now lingering between the four of you now seemed to feel deafening, Connie beginning to pick up on the uneasiness festering between you and Javi and knowing she had enough common sense for her and Steve to pick up her cue to see herself out. 

“Well, still, I’m sorry. We should probably get going anyways, we told the sitter we’d be back around 6 so we should probably hit the road. Thank you so much for the tour! The shower was beautiful and I’m so glad I could be there for it. We’ll see you guys for the big day soon! Just let me know if you need any help with wedding stuff between now and then okay?” 

“Uh yeah, yeah of course. Thanks for all your help, Con. I’ll um- I’ll let you know if we need anything.” You stammered as Connie pulled you in for a hug goodbye, followed quickly by Steve, who planted a few pats on your back mid hug. 

“Bye sweetheart, thanks for letting me steal this asshole for golf today. See y’all when you’re gettin’ ready to get hitched! Adios, loser.” Steve chuckled as he pulled away from your hug to tug Javi into another, giving him an even harder pat on the back before letting Connie say her goodbyes as well. 

“Do you want me to walk you guys down to your-” 

“Nah, we’ll find our way out, no worries. Bye lovebirds, see ya soon.” Steve grinned, giving the both of you one last wave farewell before disappearing down the stairs, their hushed bickers about Steve’s unnecessary comments quietly trailing behind them. Before you could even get a word out to Javi now that the two of you were alone, he was already halfway down the stairs behind the Murphy’s, not even bothering to look back at you as he mumbled under his breath. 

“I’m gonna get the gifts out of the car and go sit outside.” 

“Jav, wait, I-” 

You could feel the lump beginning to swell in your throat, your bottom lip trembling with tears welling in your eyes as you watched Javi storm down the stairs without even so much as an attempt to care about what you had to say, leaving you with nothing but yourself and 5 empty bedrooms that now had you questioning everything you thought you knew about your future with Javi. You felt your body begin to collapse like a sad pile of jello as you melted into a sobbing puddle on the floor, bringing your knees to your chest as you cried into the flowy fabric of your dress, leaving wet stains behind from your tears. Your breaths were rapid and shaky with each muffled sob, trying to rationally grasp on to something, anything, as to why Javi was acting this way. But the more the gears frantically turned in your brain, the more irrational and terrifying your thoughts became. 

This all happened so fucking fast. It’s only been a year since I’ve known him. Is he realizing it’s too much? Am I too much? This was all too fucking good to be true, wasn’t it, you fucking idiot. 

Taking a few more minutes to collect yourself enough to at least stop full on sobbing, you wiped your wet cheeks with the back of your palm, inhaling a trembling deep breath as you mustered up every ounce of courage you could find to face whatever fate was waiting for you downstairs with Javi. 

Each step down the stairs felt heavier than the last, leaving your fingers anxiously drumming against your legs as you saw Javi’s broad body hunched over the side of the unfinished back patio, staring out to the tall grass of your backyard swaying in the warm summer breeze. If it were any other time, you would have rushed up behind him, wrapping your body around his back and attacking him with kisses until the two of you were wound up in a fit of laughter and giggles, happily tangled in each other's bodies. 

Right now, you were terrified to even step too close to him. 

Carefully and quietly sliding open the glass door to the porch, you prayed with every bone in your body you weren’t going to do anything that set Javi off enough to even let you attempt to have a conversation with him about what was going on. The new wood softly creaked under your shoes, making Javi turn his head just enough to acknowledge your presence as you wearily approached him. Taking one more deep breath, you opened your mouth to speak, but with your jaw hanging open, Javi’s words filled the stark silence before yours could. 

“I don’t know if we should get married.” 

Fuck. 

You could practically feel your heart sink to the bottom of your stomach, like the weight of 1,000 bricks had been dropped on your body all at once, hearing that come out of his mouth. You could have mentally tried to brace yourself for a lot of things, but hearing Javi tell you he didn't want to get married anymore sure as hell wasn't one of them.

“Javi, I- baby, what- I don’t- I don’t-” 

“Why the fuck do you even wanna marry me?” 

Your brows scrunched in pain and confusion at the sharp tone of his words, desperate to try and understand what point he was trying to prove in this gut wrenching game he seemed to be playing. 

“Because I- Javi, I- Javi I love you, that’s why.” you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper as you sat down next to him on the edge of the porch, leaning over enough to see the tears glistening down his cheeks, his eyes red and puffy as he tried to stifle the sobs rumbling in his chest. He shook his head back and forth before his gaze fell into his lap. 

“You shouldn’t love me.” 

“Javi… what the fuck are you talking about?” you plead, feeling the pain and hurt creeping through your body as you watched the tears he was so desperately trying to fight. With a scornful scoff, Javi shook his head, pressing against his knees to stand, taking a few paces around the porch, burying his hands in his face, his words muffled and muted by his palms covering his mouth. 

“What the fuck am I- I’m not- I’m not what you deserve. I don’t understand how you don’t fucking see that.” 

You followed suit, bringing yourself to stand with your arms crossed tightly across your chest, staring at Javi in bewilderment, biting down on your tongue so hard to keep from bursting into tears you thought you were going to make it bleed. You could feel the storm of pain, anger and confusion brewing deep in the pit of your stomach, your body numb and mind blank. 

“Javier. What the fuck is going on? I don’t understand why-” 

“Because last time I was gonna get married I fucked up everything. For everyone. I hurt everyone I cared about. I went half way around the world and I spent a decade fucking things up even more. How do you know I’m not gonna fuck everything up again? I love you too much to let it happen to you. The thought of ever hurting you even half as I much as I’ve hurt anyone else because of my choices fucking kills me. I can’t do it. I can’t hurt you like I’ve hurt everyone else. I’d never fucking forgive myself. I love you more than anything, Osita. I love you more than anything in the world. You deserve someone who isn’t going to hurt you. Someone who will do right by you, by your family, your future children, I just- fuck- I don’t think that person can be me.” 

A deafening silence hung in the air as you stared blankly at Javi, tears streaming from his tormented brown eyes, his body trembling with devastation and regret. You had no doubt your body mirrored his as the guilt and heartbreak flooded you from head to toe, wondering how in the world you had ever let the man you loved and cared about more than anything feel like he wasn’t enough for you. 

You wished you could speak- to find the words to tell him that he was your everything, the glue that had put you back together when you were convinced there was nothing else that could mend the broken mess that you had become. You wished you could express to him that there was no one on the face of this earth that you would rather spend the rest of your life with than him- that there was no one else you wanted by your side through every moment of your life, the good, the bad and the ugly, more than him. You wished there was a way to tell him that you loved him more than anything, but in that moment, all you could do was grab him and wrap your arms around his waist, squeezing him as tightly as your body would let you, letting your wet face rest against the familiar warmth of his chest as you whispered into the soft fabric of his shirt. 

“Javier Peña, you’re the only person it could be.” 

You could feel his chest begin to rumble with heavy sobs as his arms draped around you, pulling you against his body so closely, it was like his life depended on it, like he couldn’t bear the thought of ever letting you go again. One arm stayed wrapped around your back as the other slid up the back of your neck, his broad palm cradling your head in his grasp, his fingers practically digging into your skin to keep you close as the two of you let yourselves do nothing but hold each other in your teary silence. 

You let one of your hands reach up towards Javi’s face, cupping his jaw and forcing his gaze back on to you, as your thumb traced back and forth along his cheek, wiping away the wetness that had been welling in his eyes. 

“I need you to listen to me, okay?” You asked, waiting until you felt Javi’s head gently nod up and down in understanding in your palm before you continued, “The man you were before doesn’t scare me. If it did, I would have been gone a long time ago. The man you were before has turned you into the man that you’ve become. The man that I want to spend everyday with for the rest of my life. Every good day, every bad day, every painful, hard and shitty day, and every day in between. And I promise that I will spend every last one of those days until the day I die trying my best to convince you that you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And if I die trying, then so be it. I love you, Javi. Don’t you ever think for a second that there is anyone out there that I want to spend the rest of my life with more than you, and I won’t ever let you forget it.” 

It was only moments before both of Javi’s hands were cradling your face, gently trembling as they cupped your soft, wet skin as you locked eyes with his, watching his face shift from terrified to bewildered, thinking he must have misheard what you had just said to him. 

“Osita, I-” 

“Promise me.” 

“Promise you what?” 

“Promise me that you believe me. Promise me that you know I love you more than anything.”

There was a part of Javi’s brain that wished he could find something to prove that he couldn’t. To prove he wasn’t worthy of keeping the promise you had made to him. To convince himself that he had no reason to believe he was worthy of the love you had given him.

But the truth was, for the first time that he could remember, as he looked down at you, the woman who had taken his life and forever changed it for the better, who had helped to heal him in ways he didn’t know he needed, who had cared for him in ways he never thought he deserved, and who had stood by him even as you learned about the ugliest parts of him he never thought he’d forgive himself for, Javier Peña finally realized he had learned what it was like to be worthy of love. 

You had made him realize he was worthy of being loved. 

A small gulp slid down his throat between his shaky breaths, taking a moment to soak in everything about you, before letting his lips ghost across yours as a quiet whisper left his mouth. 

“I promise.” 

And just like that, his lips crashed into yours with a ferocious and tender passion, soaking in every ounce of the sweet flavor of you, a taste he knew he would never tire of, one that he craved like nothing else. 

“I love you, Osita. Fuck, I love you so much.” Javi moaned between your kisses, praying with every bone in his body you knew how much he meant it. 

“I love you too, Javi.” The hot breath of your words danced across his lips before they were crashing together once again, his tongue swiping between your parted mouths as he ran his hand down your back and around your waist, pulling you so close you were convinced your bodies were going to melt into one as you pressed against his broad chest, now needily grasping at fist fulls of his shirt. 

In that moment, it was like the two of you could feel something in the air change. The tension lifting, the frustrated fog fading, the both of you desperately needing the other to know how much you loved them. The Javi you knew and loved had come back, returning home to you. All of the fear and sadness was replaced by a rampant desperation to know how much you needed him, almost as much as he needed to show you how hopelessly he craved you, too. 

With your bodies still tangled together, your kisses became messier and sloppier as you backed your way towards the door that lead inside, stumbling and trampling over each other’s feet without any regard for where you were headed until you felt your back bump against the kitchen island, the rounded edges of the countertop stopping you in your tracks as Javi caged you between his broad figure and the island. 

Both of your hands were now feverishly roaming across each other’s bodies before Javi had run his hands down your thighs, hoisting you up to sit on the countertop, planting hot, wet kisses across your neck and collarbone while his fingers crept under the hem of your dress, his palms sliding up and down your legs, digging his fingers into your flesh. 

“Javi…” You whimpered, letting your eyes close and head fall back as he sucked at your pulse point, leaving you with one hand bracing yourself against the edge of the counter and the other with your fingers wrapped around the navy fabric of Javi’s shirt, clinging on for dear life. 

You eyes opened, and gaze shifted downwards as you felt Javi pull away from your grasp, watching him drop to his knees, slotting himself between your parted legs and kissing the inside of your thighs while his hands tugged at the waistband of your already soaked underwear, hastily shuffling them to fall down your legs and pool at your ankles. His needy kisses up your thighs crept closer and closer to your core as your legs draped over his shoulders, kneeling before you like you were the altar of everything he worshiped as his deep brown eyes looked up at yours, like he was begging for forgiveness for his sins. 

“I’m so sorry, Osita. I’m so sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it. Fuck, I love you so much. Let me show me how much I love you. Please, baby. Please let me show you how much I need to be yours.” 

Your response was nothing but a ragged moan as you felt his hot breath hovering over your cunt before letting long, flat licks of his tongue drag through your folds, each swipe pressing firmer than the last, lapping up the arousal dripping from your entrance like a sweet nectar. With one hand still white knuckling the edge of the countertop, the other shot down to bury itself in the dark curls of Javi’s thick locks, tugging at ends to find some place to ease your tension as he began to flick and swirl his tongue relentlessly against your clit, lapping you up like a man starved. 

“Oh fuck Javi- fuck- you feel so good, baby.” You moaned, raking your fingers along Javi’s scalp as you watched his head bob nestled between your legs, feeling the low hum of satisfaction thrumming in his throat as he began to suck your sensitive bundle of nerves, latching his lips around your clit as his mouth worked feverishly against your cunt. You could already feel the tingle beginning to grow at the base of your spine and spread to your legs as Javi found every sweet spot that he knew made you lose all control, desperate to make you feel how much he needed your love and forgiveness. 

“That’s it, sweet girl. Let go for me baby, I’ve got you.” Javi hummed before diving back between your legs, tightening his grip around your thighs as his tongue danced around your clit relentlessly. It wasn’t long before you could feel your orgasm begin to flood your body, pleasure crashing through you as you cried out his name, a death grip clutching around the counter and Javi’s dark locks. Javi worked you through your high, drinking up the juices of your slick as you came, feeling your legs tremble as they stayed slung over his broad shoulders, not stopping until your body was shaking and your whimpers and moans had become so wrecked, he had no choice but to stop to relish in the blissed out, dripping mess he had made you. He would have loved to stay like this forever, watching you become more and more wrecked beneath his tongue, the want, no, need, to be buried inside your heat, getting lost in your wetness and warmth, savoring in the way no one else would ever be able to have you like he did, to know that you were his. 

Javi worked in a determined silence, rusting with his belt buckle until the metal clangs of it opening had his pants and boxers in a puddle around his ankles, splaying kisses across your neck as he slid you towards the edge of the counter, his fingers digging into your hips with a bruising intensity. He stroked himself a few times as he lined his cock up with your entrance, guiding his tip through the glistening arousal covering your folds, leaving his dick shiny with your slick as you whimpered into his skin. 

“Javi… Please, baby. I need you.” You whimpered, instinctively bucking your hips towards him, desperately craving him to ease the achy emptiness between your legs. 

Resting his forehead against yours, the dark, damp curls of his hair brushed your skin, the hot and heavy heat of each of your shaky breaths melting into one another’s as your lips ghosted his, only fully meeting yours to catch the moan that had escaped your mouth as he pushed himself into your heat, letting himself bottom out, his tip brushing against your cervix. You couldn’t help but wrap your legs around the small of his back and drape your arms over his shoulders, desperate to have your bodies needily tangled and intertwined together as you savored in the sweet sting and stretch of his fullness. 

He began to rock his hips, letting his cock drag in and out of your cunt, taking his time with each stroke, the movement making you dig your fingernails into the fabric of his shirt stretched over his muscular back, in turn, making the grip he had around your waist even tighter, his fingers buried in the soft flesh of your stomach where his hands had crept under your dress. 

The way he punched up into you, perfectly pounding against your g-spot with each thrust, combined with the way the hairs at his base rubbed along your clit, already had the inevitable coil beginning to tighten in your belly. You dug your nails deeper into Javi’s skin, grasping for the damp curls at the nape of his neck, your whimpers growing louder and more desperate with each stroke as you could feel yourself beginning to crumble beneath him. 

Each stroke seemed to become deeper and fuller than the last, Javi’s pace now climbing in speed and intensity as he felt your cunt clench tighter and tighter around his cock, knowing that familiar feeling meant you were coming closer to your end. You could barely muster anything but a whimper, your soft pleads and begs going straight to his dick as he slid and out of your wet heat. 

“Fuck baby, don’t stop- ahhhh- please don’t stop, I’m so close.” 

The lewd sounds of skin hitting skin and low, ragged moans echoed against the bare walls of your unfinished kitchen as Javi fucked deeper and deeper into you, singing sweet, soft praises against your skin between locking your lips with yours. 

“Fuck- Dámelo, Hermosa (Give it to me, beautiful). Need to feel you soak my cock before I fuck you full of me. It’s okay mi amor- mierda- té tengo. (my love- shit- I’ve got you.) I’ve always got you. Forever.” 

You could feel your legs lock even tighter around Javi’s waist as heat began to bloom in your belly, only needing a few more thrusts as you rolled your hips against his before your mind went blank and vision went white, your orgasm crashing through your body and flooding every inch of you with pleasure so intense, you could feel yourself going limp in his grasp. 

“Fuck, Javi, fuck, fuck, fuck, oh my god-ahhhhhhhh-” You whimpered as Javi fucked you through your high, now desperate to chase his own as his thrusts became rushed and sloppy, pounding into you as your walls gripped around his cock like a vice. Your warmth and wetness consumed him, only needing a few more pumps before he could feel himself following suit, hissing through gritted teeth as incoherent babbles spilled from his lips. 

“There it is, baby. Fuck- fuck, you’re so fucking perfect. I love you so much, Osita. Con todo mi corazón. (With my whole heart). Oh fuck- I’m yours forever. Oh shit, I’m gonna cum to, oh fuckkkkkk.” 

With one last thrust, Javi finished buried deep inside you, hot ropes of his cum coating your walls as a slick mixture of spend leaked down your thighs, leaving him panting while he slumped into your shoulder, his chest heaving with labored breaths, trying to compose himself. Bracing himself with one palm flat against the counter next to your hip, his other hand reached up to your face, brushing away a piece of stray hair back into place before gently cupping your cheek as he spoke. 

“Osita, baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you so much. I didn’t mean what I said earlier, I just- fuck- I’ve never been so sure of anything, but when we were at golf today, Steve brought up Lorraine, and I- I just was so scared I was gonna fuck everything up again, and I-” 

“Oh God, he brought up Lorraine?! Jesus. I knew it. I knew this was Steve’s fucking fault.” You sighed, quietly laughing to yourself as you shook your head. 

“Wait, how did you-” 

“Because it just seemed so strange that you were acting like this all of a sudden. You got back from golfing with him and it was like you were a different person. I mean, I’m not gonna lie, I was freaked out and panicking wondering what happened because you’ve never acted like that before. That, and because I love Steve, but he’s an idiot.” The two of you were both now laughing, Javi rubbing his hand over his face before rolling his eyes, wondering to himself how he had really let his friend’s stupid comment get the best of him. 

“I’m so sorry, Osita. I should have just ignored it, I just hadn’t thought about it in so long and I was so terrified to mess everything up again. It would kill me to hurt you like that.” His thumb circled around your cheek as he tilted your gaze to meet his, sincerity and remorse swirling in the dark pools of his chocolate brown eyes. 

“Javi, listen, if this is moving too fast, or it’s too much for you, I want you to be able to tell me, I understand if-” Before you could finish your sentence, Javi’s lips were planted tenderly against yours, pulling away from your mouth with a goofy grin and satisfied sigh. 

“I promise you, I’ve never wanted anything more. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I can’t wait to marry you,” he leaned in, pressing a quick kiss on your cheek, “I can’t wait to live in our new house with you,” he grinned, planting another ticklish kiss on your neck, “I can’t wait until we can finally start filling up these empty rooms with little baby Peñas” Javi chuckled, now peppering kisses all over your body, making you erupt in a fit of laughter and giggles, squirming and flailing in his grasp, playfully swatting at him. “I can’t wait to spend every day for the rest of my life with the most beautiful, amazing woman I’ve ever met.” He smirked, tilting his head to let your mouths meet again, this kiss filled with a tender passion and intensity unmatched by his previous playful ones. 

It was the kind of kiss that said all of the things that words couldn’t. The kind of kiss that had butterflies fluttering in your stomach like the first kiss you had shared in Maria’s bathroom almost a year ago. The kind of kiss that made you fall even deeper in love with him, even when you thought you couldn’t. 

It was also the kind of kiss  where everything else in the world seemed to melt away and make time stand still, a kiss that you could have stayed lost in forever… unless a certain someone hadn’t forgotten his wallet at your house and needed to come back and get it. 

You were so oblivious to anything else happening around you, that neither you or Javi had heard your front door open, followed by the rushed, impatient footsteps of Steve and Connie, arguing about where Steve could have left his wallet, and how on earth he could have left without realizing it was missing from its usual home in his back pocket. 

“Seriously, Steve, I can’t believe we’re gonna waste a whole hour having to turn around and come back here because you couldn’t remember your wallet!” 

“Con, I told you, it’s right on the counter, I know where it is, lemme just go grab it really quick and then we ca- Oh Jesus fucking Christ!” Steve shouted, walking into the kitchen to see you and Javi making out on your island, your dress pushed up well past your legs, and Javi’s bare ass on display from his pants still pooling around his ankles. 

“Ahhhhh!” You and Javi shrieked, practically jumping out of your skin to see Steve’s tall and lanky frame frozen in your kitchen, now scrambling to try and fix your clothes and hair to try and save yourselves at least some dignity. 

“What the hell are you two doin’?!” Steve grimaced, trying not to cackle to himself as Connie rushed up behind him to see what was happening, only to very quickly cover her eyes and turn away from you and Javi. 

“Us?! What the hell are you doing here? Jesus, you ever heard of fucking knocking, Murph?!” Javi groaned, shuffling his pants back up and fixing his hair before helping you off the counter, trying your best to hide your beet red, embarrassed face. 

“I forgot my wallet! Forgive me for thinkin’ you two would keep your hands off each other for long enough to let me come pick it up in peace.” Steve frowned, raising up his hands in defense. 

“I’m sorry! I told him to call you to let you know he was coming to pick it up, but he seemed to think it wasn’t a big deal.” Connie scolded, giving Steve a forceful nudge of her elbow before finally turning back around to face you and Javi, knowing you were at least halfway decent. “God, I love you, but you are an idiot.” 

“You can say that again…” You snickered under your breath, just loud enough to make Javi and Connie join in your laughter, leaving Steve with his arms crossed over his chest, rolling his eyes in annoyance. 

“Hey, listen. Call me what you want, but I don’t think you’ll be callin’ me an idiot when you need me to come babysit your 47 kids so the two of you can get some…” He paused gesturing to you and Javi’s disheveled state, “... time to yourselves. Like I said earlier, y’all gotta lot of rooms to fill, and I don’t think you’re gonna have any problem doin’ it.” 

And for as much as you wanted to give Steve the ten pounds of shit he deserved, as you looked up at Javi standing next to you, you couldn’t really even bring yourself to be mad. Because in the end, the only thing that mattered was him- the man you were going to spend the rest of your life with. The one who was your future, the one who stood with you through every twist and turn, the one who was your home. What started as a day that had you questioning everything had turned into one that had never made you feel more assured. You knew that Javier Peña loved you more than life itself, and you knew that you were so lucky to spend the rest of your life getting to prove to him over and over that you loved him just as much. 

Taglist:

@cool-iguana @rhoorl @whyjuliaaa @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24 @3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed @pedrohoe04 @theorganasolo @endlessthxxghts @beware-my-thorns @missladym1981 @messinadress @milly-louise @jay-zzle @the-one-with-the-grey-color @persephone-girl @bitchesuntitled @pedropascallvr @millennial-teenybopper @nastiasnow @vee-bees-blog @hopplessilse @mxtokko @its-nebuleuse @mandoisapunk @msmorningstaarr

[darling-i-read-it]

The Rowboat

Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.3k 

Warnings: SPOILERES FOR STRANGER THINGS SEASON 4, major plot spoilers!, violence, some gore 

Author’s Note: yall loved my shitty first fic for eddie so here is one i actually liked lol! Steve and Billy content coming soon! 

Summary: You go to the boathouse to get eddie after hearing people are after him 

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

“Wait Lucas slow down slow down. You’re saying the basketball jocks think that Eddie killed Chrissy? My Eddie? Eddie Munson?” 

“Repeating his name back to me does not make it any less true! They’re trying to find him right now! I’ve gotta find Dustin, they think he knows where Eddie is.” 

You were standing in the doorway of your house, staring down at Lucas Sinclair. He had just told you that his ‘friends’ were dead set on doing something to Eddie for what happened with Chrissy. You had been waiting at your house in case he decided to come around for some shelter or something but no such luck. You hadn’t really been let into the loop. 

“I don’t know where he is though. Eddie or Dustin,” you explained. 

“Well then we have to find them. I can radio Dustin and he can send you directly to Eddie to hide him somewhere safe.” You nodded quickly. You grabbed a coat and shut the door, not bothering to tell your parents where you were going because you really had no idea. Your keys were already in your pocket and you unlocked the door. 

“Radio him then. We probably have to be fast. Those jocks have one mind between the four of them.” 

-

You dropped Lucas off at the school and sped towards Reefer Ricks. You had only been there one time but you remembered the way. Eddie didn’t like to take you around there, he said it was bad news. You tried to tell him that he seemed to be there all the time but he was having none of it. You were not to get mixed in with anything dangerous, no matter how close to him it was. 

If only he knew why you were going there now. 

You made a sharp turn into the gravel road and quickly came to a stop. You looked into the house, noting that all the lights were off. You pursed your lips. If you were Eddie, where would you be hiding? 

You locked your car and walked slowly up the steps only to catch the lights on in the garage/boat house. Your eyebrows flattened. Dumbass. 

You half jogged half walked over and knocked on the door, just to let him know someone was there in case he wasn’t hiding already. You opened the door slowly, peeking around the mess. 

“Eddie? It’s me!” you called into the seemingly empty room. You shut the door behind you and surveyed the mess on the table of food and the one light on in the middle of the room. Underneath the boat tarp rose your boyfriend, scaring the hell out of you. 

“What are you doing here?!” You held your chest, shaking your head. 

“Helping you! Why didn’t you call?!” He climbed out, stumbling and then almost falling onto the ground. You grabbed his arm to keep him steady. 

“Because I didn’t want you mixed up in this,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what this is!” 

“Dustin told me,” you said softly. He looked more scared then you had ever seen him before. Eddie was usually easy going in the worst of situations. You had no doubt that whatever he had actually seen had been traumatic and awful. “Lucas also says the fucking basketball jocks are coming to get you. We have to move you somewhere safe.” “This is safe,” he argued. “No one found me yet.”

“Except Dustin and Steve and Robin and me and-”

“Okay I get it I get it. You have any ideas sweets?” He let out a tired exasperated sigh. 

“Anything is better than your poor excuse of a hiding spot under that tarp. Maybe we should just drive and keep fucking driving,” you suggested. He scoffed, scratching the back of his head. 

“Not a bad idea.” You could hear gravel upturning outside. You both turned around and reached for each other. You had grabbed his left elbow and he was clutching your side for dear life. “Shit. Shit shit shit. You have to go. Run. I don’t care, go, get, scat.” He was shoving you out the door like they wouldn’t see you leaving. 

“Eddie I’m not just gonna leave you.” 

“Yes you sure are. Go before they find you here.”

“They already saw my car. They know I’m here.” He shook his head aggressively, pointing a finger at you, something he usually never did. 

“You are not going to be found by them. Jason Carver thinks I killed his girlfriend. You’re my girlfriend. You think about that?” Truthfully, you hadn’t thought about that. But in the moment you were much more worried about Eddie than about you. 

“We’re taking the row boat.” “No we’re not.”

“Yes we are.” 

You took the tarp off and he hoped inside, realizing this was your best and probably only chance. You got in and grabbed an oar, shoving it against the dock so that you would move away. 

“Let me,” he said, taking it from you so he had both oars. “We don’t have time to argue about who can row straight.”

“It’s obviously me,” you said, trying your best to lighten the mood. You look at the shore as you moved past it, not nearly as fast as you would have hoped. You breathed heavily, watching helplessly as the flashlights flitted around and eventually made their way to the boat house. 

“That tarp isn’t looking so bad now is it?” he hissed. 

“Well driving to California was my option!”

You could tell that Jason had seen you. You cursed under your breath and grabbed an oar from Eddie. 

“I’ll hit the guy.”

“With the oar?” 

“Yes with the oar!” You raised it above your head, watching as he started to swim. 

“Yo sweetheart violence for you is not the answer right now! Hand me the weapon!” Jason was getting closer. Your heart was beating faster. “Maybe we should just try and swim across!” 

The boat rocked. You gasped, almost dropping your weapon. Eddie grabbed onto your hip again, something he did whenever he had the excuse. The boat rocked again. 

“It's gonna get Jason,” you whispered. 

“I love you!” Eddie exclaimed. You turned to him, seeing true fear in his face. “I love you so much. You’re the only thing I’ve ever really loved. And dungeons and dragons.”

“I love you too, Eds. We’re not dying right now we’re just-” 

You were cut off by one of the boys being risen into the air. You stumbled back, right into Eddie causing him to tumble into the water. You gasped, no longer paying attention to the floating boy and suddenly keenly aware your boyfriend could easily get hypothermia. 

You reached into the water to pull him up, glancing behind you worriedly, just in time to see bones crack and a body fall. 

Eddie was shivering and you were rowing and Jason was screaming. 

“Let’s go to skull rock,” Eddie said quietly. 

“What?” you whispered, voice no louder than his. 

“It’s out in the woods. It’ll hide us until Dustin and his friends get here.” You pursed your lips and nodded. 

“Okay.” His clammy hands grabbed your knee and then he put his forehead on his hand, taking the moment to breathe.

(again not tagging anyone quite yet since the season is so new!)

[imagines-to-quench-thirst]

Visiting your hometown

What happens when you take your man to your home town? As your memories, people and places come together how will he react?

A small/long drabble to get me back into writing. Enjoy!

Victor Creed

This mutant never thought that he would walk in your hometown. He didn't expect to see cultures that morph together into one special town, your town. A place where you grew up. So keeping all that in mind he was cautious. Various not to offend someone or to say a rude word in your mother tongue. For the first time in his life, he is frazzled and nervous. he will keep in his front pocket a small leaflet some words he heard you say a few times that may be of some assistance. trying to woo you.

-that old hag showed me the middle finger. let's go.

Unfortunately, anything that he says wrong, will be your responsibility to amend it. so good luck.

Loki

you just know that Loki will have your mother tongue in his little finger (that sounds weird but let's carry on) but do not be fooled, he can not survive the morning wave of people in the farmers market. something that is pretty much normal for you. Loki doesn't know how to feel when he sees the local butcher wrapping the meat in todays' newspaper giving it to buyers or how people shove him to the side as his black suit with the green scarf is more than brought down in value. he will hear the near shouts of Famers that are trying to sell their livelihood to him as his head goes from one side to another in a split second. he will easily get reeled in by the old farmer who just smells the innocence on the Midgardian addressed god. you know the moment you grabs his hand he looks at you.

-how did you ever survive in this chaos?

-I thought you said that chaos is your middle name.

-it is however my kind of chaos is more dignified.

-survive just a little bit more, I need to go to that man in the corner.

-oh, no...

Thor

we all in the fandom know that thor is a ball of joy. but when he lands in your city, your territory he is stoic. he is here on a mission and no one should stand in his way. he will glue himself to your side and he will hold the dictionary book in his mighty right hand and your hand in his left. he will not stand for wasting a day on mundane stuff that you do with him back in the HQ so say goodbye to lazying around. when you go to the oceanic part of your country you are now almost ready to drown him in the ocean. or just leave him on the road, it is getting that heavy.

-thor, think it is time to stop.

-what do you mean?

-to be honest, I don't know anymore I am so tired.

-you are right... let us stop. for 2 minutes and then you can drive again.

-I will leave you here.

Bucky Barnes

bucky loves to travel. he loves to see you in the role of a guide you tell him about the park where you cut your leg open and when you got to the hospital as a nun stood above you praying for your recovery. bucky loves to feel the fresh air going into his nose thinking to himself how this was the same air that you breathe in. he loves to see all the different parts of the city where you went to. even so much that he went to your former hairstylist.

-bucky, you don't have to do this.

-nonsense, doll. I want to experience it. just like you did.

-that was eons ago. and I wore super short hair, like a hedgehog.

-hedgehog?

-yeah, it was so short that I only put on gel and made small spikes.

- I will give everything I have and say that you looked beautiful.

-alright, your call.

Steve Rogers

steve cannot wait for enough for him to arrive in the city where you walked, ran, and laughed. he cannot wait to enter your old apartment and see all of the hidden pieces that he wants to know. he loves to help you clean the apartment and see a big box of your old photos. he will look with your through on the hard wooden floor with one arm around your shoulders as you talk about each photo. even showing him the photo of your sister.

-when will I meet her?

-I don't know.

-didn't you say that she lived here, still?

-yeah...

-I want to meet her. I think am ready for it.

-okay...

Bruce Wayne

you just know that when you told him to pack his bags to go with you he did his research. he knows when, how the city was built. he will try to memorize the tongue twisters and say them horribly wrong just to make you laugh. when he looks at your old apartment he tries to envision the day you left it all behind to go to Gotham and it breaks his heart to imagine you in tears.

-bruce.

you take his calloused hand feeling his fingers tighten the grip.

-sorry, I immediately imagined you when you moved out. I got sad.

-why?

-because, you surely cried.

-I did, a little, but this city didn't have that something.

-and what is that?

-you dumbass. now stop sulking we need to clean.

Clark Kent

as Clark arrived at the farm where your aunt lived he couldn't help feel but prepared. he saw the cows eating grabs and was ready in a split second to milk it just to show off his soft and delicate side. Clark heard the stories of your aunt, well one of them, and from what he concluded, for now, this aunt was the beginner level, nice one, the one who won't tear him a new one if he doesn't treat you right. as the door opened you greeted your aunt in your mother tongue and introduced your man. Clark shakingly trying to reply in the mother tongue feeling the few letters that stood together could fall more apart than from his mouth. your aunt laughed hugging him and roughly patted him on his back. almost like a punch if you will. you look at your aunt and Clark cannot help but stand behind you as he whispered.

-what did she say?

-she said that you seem stiffer than a goat's turd.

-you said that this aunt was nice.

-she is. but that is the way we express ourselves.

-with curse words???!!

-what better way.

Arthur curry

Arthur was relaxed when he arrived, he was laid back when he slept in your apartment but that all suicide jumped off a cliff as he shook hands with your mother. Your mom wasn't that intimating but he heard the stories of her standing to your abusive father and running away with just some change in her pocket and a used car. he knows that the woman in front of him is strong can make or break your relationship. so he held the coffee cup in his hands as if was the key to everything he needed to know how to make your mother happy. he saw how your eyes sparkled when you talked to her how your smile ever left for a second you take what seemed to him in complete gibberish but cute gibberish. your mother turns to him asking in English.

-so Arthur, can I call you by your first name?

-yes, madam. of course, you can.

-thank you. well, then Arthur what do you do for a living?

with a small nod from you, he tells the honest truth.

-I am a superhero. but minus the stupid cape. I am here to keep you and your daughter, of course, safe from all danger. and I hope you will like me!!!!

you turn to your mother with a small chuckle as you tell her in your mother tongue.

-he is helpless.

-he seems like it, good luck, Y/n.

Orm Marius

nothing can save his pulse from rising as he walked with the crowd of people in the town square only your hand which he held more than tightly enough. you stopped pointing at a big statue of a colonel on a horse placed in the middle of the square.

-he is a big deal.

-yes, I can imagine the poor people that had to lift it up to place it here.

-yes, but thanks to those people, people now in the present can always remember what they went through at that time.

he didn't find any specialness in the statute for him it lacked in far more than that he can count but when he saw your face looking at the statue he knew that whatever that stirred in you he wanted to see it every day. he only squeezed your hand placing a kiss on your knuckles.

-does this mean you want in your likeness?

-sure, but only if you will make it.

-oh, darling, that is a recipe for chaos.

The Joker

j never put effort into himself. he did in destruction, in chaos, in mayhem, and even in covering his white skin with some basic foundation as he meets your off the edge aunt. when you told him that every second sentence from her is a curse he was more than ready to meet her. because sometimes crazy people click with the people who like to curse. everyone knows that. so when he sat in the house of your crazy aunt he firstly observed, he watched you talked together and exchanged laughs, even more, when you ever brought to tears as you laughed off the curses she threw at you so playfully making even j smile. so when she turned to him it was game time. and you were the translator.

-my aunt asked what is that you do for a job?

-tell her I am the man of your dreams.

-I told her that.

-damn, then tell her-WHAT?!

you giggle at his shock as you heard the playful quote she told you when you were little and j wanted to know what she said.

-what did she say?

-she said "if a girl gives a man a hand, she will give him her ass"

-your aunt is a wise woman.

- I knew you would like her.

Duncan Vizla

Duncan likes to take walks and taking a walk with you next to him as you showed him around your old neighborhood and told him stores of the always pissed on metal slide and the always filled cafes that were always the pinpoints for some scammers he found in question why you like it so much. as you showed his around you stopped at your old elementary school. you showed him the main entrance was where everyone hurled in the morning hours and where you sat with your friends and talked about the horribly proffers that still to this day haunt you. something he heard you mumble in your sleep.

-she was that awful?

-yes, and people like here never get old it's like the evilness she has in her keeps her eligible for work.

-am i not the same?

he couldn't ask a stupider question. and for that, you punched him in the shoulder.

-don't compare yourself to her. you aren't evil.

-you are forgetting my job, darling.

-you kill for money, she kills for fun and to keep herself alive. a difference now let's go home I need to remind you just how good and attentive you can be.

-lead the way, dove.

hope you liked it. Tell me what you think❤️

Support me with a kofi

[helpinghanikan]

Sleeping arrangements

Avengers (and Matt Murdock x Reader)

Sum:  It's late and the bed is so nice. It's time to sleep and to bring your heroes along with you. (Fluffy little snippets of sleepy time with the Avengers)

Steve Rogers:

It’s the last train home and only one thing in this world is warm. The wall of Steve Rogers your head rested against was beating softly through the jacket and shirt he wore. Keeping your arms around his center to keep any of the heat from getting away. His own arm protects around your shoulders, keeping you in and gibing his hand something to do instead.

He could’ve driven, he should’ve driven, instead he wanted to take the train. He wanted to walk around like he did years and years before, but this time with your hands intertwined.

Although far away the train has started to shake the earth. Taking you out of the almost sleeping world and back into this cold one. The change in worlds brings out a yawn and lets the cold back in. It’s been a long day. With your eyes closed and clothes heavier than they could ever be Steve was the only thing keeping you up. His chin rests on your head after a while, thumb rubbing over your shoulder as the train finally pulled to a stop.

Inside it was the same story but in a seated position. Guided into his lap and landing with a groan as it was just so much work. The practically empty strain allowed your legs to stretched straight out over the seats.

Steve could stay awake longer than most, but he was tired. He was cold and annoyed and really wished he had driven instead of taking this stupid train. He took his frustration out on squeezing you tight, holding on as if you were liable to fall right out of the seat if he let go. At least it was warmer inside the train.

Tony Stark:

Someone staying up late, not getting enough sleep, and making exhaustion their personality trait is funny for maybe week. But After days of trying to coax him to come to bed, to try something other than just giving up on sleep or even talking to a doctor it gets concerning. After weeks of these same issues, it becomes frustrating.

Everyone, from Pepper to Peter have done their fair share of lecturing. Happy has gone out of his way in helping you get the dumbass to appointments. All of which he has walked right out because, unfortunately, he was still an adult who could make his own decisions.

It’s only after using the nuclear word that he pays attention.

“Anthony,” You say just before he leaves the room.

Although speaking to his back he does stop. His shoulders have tensed under the t-shirt and he’s listening in.

There’s an audio book’s worth of things you could say about this issue. But it would all be a repeat that he’s heard before, from many different mouths. Instead, you kept it simple, not even bothering to turn on the light.

“You didn’t even try.” It comes out from a tired partner just wanting the best for him. Yet Tony walks away from the advice, again.

Thor:

Power doesn’t stop for sleep. It’s still in the air when he’s laying sideways towards the window. Because of the whole nighttime thing it’s hard to tell if clouds are actually coming in or darkening. Maybe you’re just insane but Mr. Weatherman didn’t say anything about rain tonight, right?

It was a jolt that really woke you up. Looking over your shoulder at the expanse of muscular back. Thor movements were always a bit too…loud for this world. Whether running through a fight or moving in his sleep it calls attention to everyone. He doesn’t mean to, but it does wake you up enough to see your glass is dryer as a bone.

As if reading your mind, the rain has come down. It could almost be described as torrential how hard it was all coming down. Matching the dramatics of rain, a lightning strike coming straight down into some poor tree.

This wasn’t the first time Thor had a nightmare. Asgardians just seemed to be humans 2.0, making Thor just as a victim to horror as we humans are. At the same time, he was still another worldly being, translating to giving him a few feet when waking him up.

Another strike of lightening and another tree is taken out of this world. Without the lights on that blast was your only moment of lightening. The rest of the journey made to Thor’s side of the bed was done in darkness and pounding rain. Following the outlined Asgardian until reaching his shoulder. A gentle hand on his should does nothing. A little shake and a whispered “Thor,” finally does the trick.

The two strikes of lightening outside somehow reached his eyes. For the briefest of seconds blue, cracking energy is directed right at you. Stopping just as quickly as they appeared, replaced with Thor’s regular blue eyes that blink a few times.

“What is it?” he asks.

There’s no point in telling him the truth about his nightmares and their effect. Then again, there’s no point in lying either. Instead, it’s better to distract. “It’s still super early. Back to bed.” You say instead, kissing with until he takes the hit and holds you.

Bucky Barnes:

Sleep is a luxury that isn’t worth chasing. With the pillows and sheets there were nightmares and enemies that could sense his weakness. Trying to get at least six hours and all that guarantees is waking up sweaty and a call to doc, making sure to get everything back in order before you could ever notice.

Instead, he takes walks. Maps out the city at night, the changes and differences that happened without him. He recognizes the buildings, the structures and bricks that were too strong to be a victim to time.

Most of the time he does this alone. Watching a show about nothing until you were asleep before starting his walk. But there were times you catch him, calling out to him like the neighborhood cat trying to get away. Getting on your own shoes and jacket quickly. Then enforcing the handholding during the little adventure.

It’s only when passing by something important that words are shared. “One of my buddies worked here when this place was a mechanic. Broke his leg just before the draft, I still think it was on purpose.” He’d say then never bring it up again.

These walks are always shorter than most. After two times Bucky learned when to make the loop back home with you. When your building comes back into view the handholding has gotten sweaty. The walking had slowed to a crawl and you were dragging him down by the arm. Even less talking was done after getting through the door; just landing face down onto the bed without bothering about the shoes.

These kind of walks were Bucky’ favorite.

Natasha Romanoff:

The bed was used almost exclusively for sleeping. As the couch was both comfy and expensive. And, as Nat puts it, “Should we do it with the lights off too? Under the covers like grandparents?” Although it was probably another reason to use the overpriced couch more often.

Like any good, and overworked, soldier Nat could sleep anywhere. When a mission is done, and there’s nothing to worry about, a shower and a nap is the best in the world.

“I smell nice,” She says walking into the living after the shower. Steam still behind her, hair wrapped up and a sweater purposefully bought to be several sizes too big.

She stretches and lays over you like a cat. Resting as close as possible so you, too, can smell the expensive shampoo she uses. Making sure that the body wash isn’t ignored either as that, too, was expensive.

“Might as well spend this pay on something,” She says when asked about the prices.

Although she asks what you’re up to she won’t be awake for the answer. Already teetering into sleep land when you answer.

Natasha was as athletic as she was heavy. Only sometimes managing to carry her bridal style and most of the time having to walk/guide her into the bedroom. Either letting her drop onto the bed with the same weight you had carried in, or she holds fast and takes you down with her.

Just like a cat, Natasha gets to decide cuddle time.

T’challa:

Although the mattress was new, the bed’s size was traditional, and passed on through generations of rulers. Forget California king bed, A Wakanda king bed was that and a half. Ten feet length, twelve feet tall. Combined with blankets, pillows and more it was easy to disappear into the thing. But it was also easy to get lost in it all.

In the middle of the night, in the very center of this ocean of bed, you can reach out forever. Finding pillows (both the decorative and the usable kind), smaller blankets or stuffed animals that have managed to be added. But it’s a tiresome journey, one that doesn’t seem to have an end even as you stretched to pointed toes and fingers.

It’s only after touching body heat that you can relax. Finally finding your king that turns to your touch. Making his own journey through sheets and bedding. Using you as the trail into his love. Neither of you thinking about the absolute nightmare it will be to make this bed tomorrow.

Pietro Maximoff:

For most of his life Pietro is moving. Be it running or just running his mouth, he’s not the kind of guy to sit still. Unfortunately, this also applies to sleeping.

“He’s been sleep walking since we were children,” Wanda once said. “Our father once found him crying in a puddle. He had slipped and woken up in the street. He’ll deny crying, though.”

As an adult Pietro doesn’t actively get up and walk around anymore. The man made up of strong and lean muscle still moves quite a bit. Waking up from freezing feet finding yours or because he’s sat upright in bed again. Using soft, but firm, pressure to get him to lay back down or to guide him back to his side of the bed. If you weren’t careful his arms would find you, almost dragging you back to his side of the bed.

He'd deny it in the morning. Smiling with barely open eyes as you’re still pressed against him. No matter how much you’re going to insist this was his fault he’d still mock you. Nuzzling in since you insist on cuddling so much.

Peter Parker:

There’s a time limit next when sitting next to Peter. You have ten minutes before his head finds your shoulder. If you don’t shrug or lean away he’ll stay there, slowly leaning in until he’s all settled.

Although not completely asleep he does rest. If your hands are held in those moments you could probably feel his pulse slow down as his breathing slows. Maybe his eyes manage to stay open, but his eyes do get heavy. Someone could say his name, and he’d respond, but it be from his throat. An annoyed groan directed to whoever was ruining this moment. Even if it was usually a teacher or adult.

It’s only when traveling, and you’re sitting for a while, that he completely falls asleep. Progressing past just leaning his head and adding his arms. If you allow him, putting an arm around your back and the other over your center. With your own arm over his back, he sleeps in a position that, although sweet, always left a pain in his neck. Something he’d complain about until you ask if he want’s you to rub his shoulders.

Stephen Strange:

During aura projection Stephen’s body is dead weight. No muscles or bone working with the individual trying to help them. It’s just taken over by gravity and his entire weight wants to be on the floor. Sleep does the same thing.

Short of a bucket of water to his face he won’t wake up. Part of his experience in med school was taking every bit of use sleep could give him. Which leads to sleeping fast, and sleeping hard, usually opened mouth. No snoring yet, but the moment he does there’s an open target for shutting him up.

Matt Murdock:

It’s a mixture of meditation and caffeine that he is still functioning. Too busy, much too busy, as a lawyer for the two of you to share a bed most of the time. Making any comments you have about his sleep schedule mute.

Watching him doesn’t change give any information either. Coffee in the morning, some deep breathing and self-centering in the between moments at work, and sleep ins on days off were all you could gather. Between that it’s easier to just assume he’s fine.

Just laugh at his “not like I need to rest my eyes,” jokes and move on.

Carol Danvers:

After going through every time change known to man, alien and beyond Carol has developed a very specific still. Carol Danvers, woman with the power of a star and to sleep literally anywhere at any time. Be it a cleared-out corner of some ship, an open floor that keeps her hidden from passersby or on your lap. The latter being her personal favorite.

Like a massive golden retriever, she wants to be in the middle of your lap. Close as possible with a arm holding around your shoulder and the other on her toy, or phone.  A being of wiry muscle and heat keeping you pinned to the couch. Most of the time she’s out ten minutes into the movie, most of the time the remotes’ out of reach, and most of the time you gotta go pee.

[explosiongamora]

Steve Rogers Headcanons / what he's like in my DR (i've shifted twice:))

Transgender FTM 

 Omnisexual

Steve’s father was physically and emotionally abusive towards him and his mother Sarah.

^ not really a headcanon, as Steve's father was abusive in the comics, but you get the point 

The Super Soldier Serum is what helped steve through his transition  - FTM

Loves starbucks (his favorite is a vanilla bean frap, obviously)

Loves dogs

Is allergic to cats 

Hates birds

Hates british accents (he barley dealt with peggys) 

Cant cook lol

Can bake really well tho^

 cleans and bake when he’s stressed

Loves curvy women (honestly the curvier, the better.)

Hates parties and get-togethers, even if they’re small.

LOVES MYTHOLOGY 

Paints his nails for special occasions (holidays, birthdays, etc)

Hates big trucks.

Loves the name Cassidy for some reason.

Has like 5 dogs of all different breeds.

Lives in a small little cottage on a small mountain with a huge lake wrapped around it.

LOVES SNORKELING 

he hates going to the mall (unless he can stop at forever 21)

His house is  like 90% windows and 10% wall.

Wants to go to the spa, but is too embarrassed to actually go 

HATES. HORROR. MOVIES.

he literally lives on pinterest and buzzfeed. 

^ no srsly he's obsessed. Like he even has a monthly subscription to buzzfeed

LOVES LOVES LOVES MILEY CYRUS

AND TAYLOR SWIFT 

HES A SWIFTIE FOR LIFE ( they can recite every lyric of every song tswift has ever written)

Loves the percy jackson book series 

Hates the color brown 

HATES HATES HATES SPIDERS

Loves kids sm. Like someone please give this poor man a baby already.

Is deathly afraid of cardi b

Watched fifty shades of grey for the plot.   The plot in question: 

Loves braiding hair ( i feel like he would grow his hair out a little just so he could give himself tiny braids on either side of his head :,,)

Every time bucky and peter (p) watch ahs (i’ll explain in bucky headcanons later lolz) steve will run to his room and won't leave until the episode is over. 

One time he walked in just as twisty the clown was on screen and he screamed like a banshee and super sprinted to his room and didn't leave for 2 days.

He definitely has an iphone 6+ and refuses to upgrade phones

He's actually a really big fan of lacrosse and enjoys watching the games at the local highschool (creepy lowkey) 

He really wanted to go to a nirvana concert but sam and bucky bursted his bubble by telling him (rather bluntly) that kurt cobain was dead and nirvana was not together anymore 

He got depressed and didn't talk to Sam or Bucky for 8 hours.

He doesn't like One Direction (the music isn't his type) but he really appreciates Harry styles and all he does for the LGBT community :)

He even went to a harry styles concert with thor because loki wouldn't go with him

Likes making power points ( he fully believes he's an internet genius every time he successfully creates a powerpoint)

His favorite bands include: Mother Mother, Nirvana, The Lumineers, and Paramore. 

He went as a panda for halloween one year (nat did all his makeup obviously)

When bucky first joined the avengers (go with it) steve saw how much bucky hated his arm so he forced tony to make a metal arm for him too so bucky would feel better :,)

Dumbass tony however made it for the wrong arm so it went on his right hand instead of his left (like bucky’s) so  steve holds bucky’s left hand with his right when bucky gets nervous or anxious  :,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,)))))

 Did i mention he loves dogs?

Another year for halloween him, sam, and bucky went to tony’s halloween party as dogs :)

Scott once told steve he gave off golden retriever energy so he went as a golden retriever :,)

His favorite board game is sorry and uno, no questions asked. 

Hes deathly afraid of the people in his insta comments calling him “super zaddy soldier”

Fall and spring are his favorite seasons btw <3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

idk how to feel about this lol, i hope this was good and you enjoyed it :)

i will also be making more headcanons for the other avengers / marvel characters :)

lmk if you have anything to add <3 

[ifmywishescametrue]

hnnng, could you please do either “you’re sick and you need to rest” or “you could’ve died” for stevetony? Worrying about an SO is a soft spot for me🥺

thank you for sending me this prompt! hope you like it :) (warning for mentions of torture, btw, but nothing graphic)

In that cave in Afghanistan, Tony keeps seeing flashes of things. Moments from life before all of this come to him in between the shocks of electricity when his head is forced underwater, while he’s sputtering and gasping for breath and can’t understand the words being screamed at him. 

He sees Steve more than anything. Sees blue eyes and a bright smile and if he tries hard enough he can almost hear the laugh that comes with it. Sometimes it’s that first day again, with roaming hands and a rush to get off in the bathroom of some party he didn’t want to be at, followed by an easy grin and the promise to do that again sometime. He sees Steve on his couch surrounded by take out containers and the reassurance that absolutely none of it counted as a date. Morning pancakes that supposedly meant nothing, and Steve sneaking under the desk in his office. Pencil scratches on sketch pads that used to wake him up, cold feet pressed against his calves, his favorite muffins from that bakery downtown that used to just appear out of nowhere when he was having a bad day, and the way that Steve would never admit that it was him doing it. 

It’s that last night he remembers the most. He can almost hear the words whispered in the dead of night and remembers the ones he held back, because Tony has never known how to be completely honest. He didn’t know how to say that this casual friends with benefits things was starting to feel less like friends and more like love, but when he lays down with his aching chest and bleeding fingers on the poor excuse for a cot at night, he wishes more than anything that he could have found the words before. 

So he builds the suit and practices the right thing to say for when he makes it out. If he makes it out. If this ridiculous plan of his doesn’t result in him dying somewhere in the middle of the desert, just another body added to the pile of deaths he’s caused. 

He almost doesn’t believe it when he lives. His knees hit the scorching sand, and Rhodey’s arms are right there, and still all he can think about is whether or not Steve mourned at all when they all thought he was dead. 

In the plane, after the hospital at the army base and all the IV lines to fix the three months of dehydration and malnutrition, he works up the nerve to ask about it. 

“Steve,” he starts, voice hoarse enough that he pauses to clear his throat, unwilling to sound so affected. “Is he - did he -” He stops, settling for asking, “Have you talked to him?”

Rhodey leans forward on his elbows, closing some of the distance that the aisle between them created. He pulls out his phone and taps for a moment before turning the screen to face Tony. Steve’s name is at the top, and Rhodey scrolls through the string of messages with enough speed that Tony can’t actually read any of them, but he gets the point anyway.

“This is just the last couple of weeks,” Rhodey says. “Never stopped asking for updates, especially when we found you. Called so much I told him I was going to put a virus on his phone to redirect him to random strangers if he kept it up. He didn’t listen.”

Tony swallows around the lump in his throat and looks away towards the window. 

“We weren’t supposed to be anything,” Tony murmurs, watching the way the sky is fading from orange into blue, clouds obscuring the ocean below them. It’s still a few more hours until California, where he hopes that Steve is still waiting for him. “We said it was nothing.”

Rhodey hums, both noncommittal and suggestive at the same time, and Tony turns his head back to look at him. “What?”

Rhodey shrugs, “I didn’t say anything.”

“But you want to.”

“I don’t spill secrets that aren’t mine to tell.”

Tony’s brow furrows. “What does that even mean?”

“It means he’ll be there when we land, and if you try to pretend that it’s still nothing, I’m putting your ass back on the plane until you find your common sense somewhere.”

Tony bites his lip and shakes his head, staring down at his hands, “I wasn’t going to pretend. I just - I didn’t know if he cared anymore. It’s been a few months, and we weren’t… There was never a promise for commitment. He could’ve found somebody else. Anyone else.”

Rhodey gives him a look, that fondly exasperated one he does so well. “Nice to know you’re still a dumbass.”

It startles a laugh from and makes his abused lungs twinge, but it feels good to laugh again. “Takes more than a few months to knock the dumbass out of me.”

The topic falls away after that, because Tony can’t say what he feels, and Rhodey knows anyway. He switches the conversation over to the start of the baseball season that Tony missed, complaining about the Phillies like Tony’s heard every year since he was fifteen. It’s easy and passes the time until Tony ends up falling asleep for the rest of the flight.

His muscles are stiff and uncomfortable when he wakes with a start a couple of hours later, heart racing and on edge when he doesn’t immediately recognize his surroundings. Rhodey puts a hand on his knee, and Tony jumps initially before calming. It makes Rhodey’s eyes turn sad for a moment, then it’s hidden away again. 

“Come on,” Rhodey says softly, gripping Tony by the elbow of his good arm to help him up. “We’re here.”

There’s still a slight limp in his step when he walks off the plane from bruises and scars that are still healing. He sees Pepper first, with her red hair shining in the sun, but his gaze gets stuck on the person next to her. 

Steve straightens from where he’s leaning against the black car, and Tony wishes he was in better condition so he could run to him. It would have been romantic, he thinks, like something out of one of those movies he’d never even seen before Steve came into his life. There would have been some grand, sweep-him-off-his-feet moment with declarations and pretty words and violins coming from somewhere. 

Instead Steve meets him halfway, with a quivering chin like he might start to cry. There are dark circles under his eyes, and his hair is too long, and his five o’clock shadow is almost an actual beard now. 

He’s the best thing Tony’s ever seen. 

“Hey,” Tony says, because he can’t remember a single one of those things he planned before. 

Steve smiles, and it’s only a little shaky, “Hey yourself.”

Rhodey and Pepper disappear with the shutting of the car door, leaving the two of them standing there in the middle of the empty runway. Steve takes the first step, but Tony takes the second, and then Steve’s chest is beneath his cheek, and his arms are around his shoulders. 

Tony holds on to him like a lifeline, fingers clutched in his t-shirt, and he can feel the warmth of him seeping into his skin. Steve’s hands are all over, as if checking to make sure he’s all actually there and in one piece. 

Steve steps back a little, a small frown on his face. He reaches his hand up to Tony’s chest, and Tony tenses at the first light press against the reactor case.

“What…” Steve trails off, eyes flickering between Tony’s chest and his face, and Tony undoes two of the buttons on his shirt to show him. 

The scars around it are marred and red, with raised edges that serve to make it look even worse than it is. Steve makes a sound like a choked back sob, and Tony grabs his wrist to put his hand on the reactor. It’s a little terrifying to let him touch it, but if there’s anyone he knows would never hurt him, it’s Steve. 

“It’s okay,” Tony murmurs. “It keeps me alive.”

“You could’ve died,” Steve whispers, fingers spreading out over the light of the reactor. “I thought you - I didn’t want to think it, but it was hard not to. Rhodey kept saying that you wouldn’t let yourself go out like that. You’d be all or nothing, and it wasn’t big enough. And Pepper, well, she basically said exactly what did happen. That you’d find a way out. I tried to believe it, too, but I just kept thinking that you could be gone, and we’d never - I’d never get the chance to make this real.”

Tony looks up at him, breath catching in his throat. “I thought about you every day, you know. I almost told you how I felt about you on that last night. Came so close to saying it, but I just -”

“I know,” Steve says, and with his other hand he cups Tony’s cheek. “You don’t have to say it. I already know.”

“Yeah?”

Steve nods, leaning in closer, and his lips brush against Tony’s when he says, “Yeah, sweetheart, I know.”

[allaboardtheussharringrove]

So @billy-baby mentioned That 70’s Show and Harringrove, and it reminded me of a *whole ass* set of hc’s about a 70’s/Stranger Things AU that has been sitting in my notes for literal years collecting dust, so here it is:

-Billy & Hyde would be besties, probably neighbours in the same shitty neighbourhood

-They headbang to hard rock and metal, jam to 60’s & 70’s rock while drinking TONS of beer and hotboxing the Camaro and El Camino, respectively

-Bands they’d have in common: AC/DC, Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, KISS, Judas Priest, Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin just to name a couple

-Hyde always gives Billy shit for like, never wearing a shirt, Billy gives Hyde shit for his ever-present sunglasses & sideburns

-They know each other’s parental problems, and take refuge in the Forman’s basement/the empty Harrington house (yes, we’re talkin’ a Hawkins, Indiana/Point Place, Wisconsin mashup here)

-Billy still has a major crush on Steve (Harrington that is, Steven Hyde will only be referred to as Hyde [and that possible name mix-up could cause some hilarity whenever anyone calls out “Steven”, and some embarrassing rumour drama for Billy, Steve, & Hyde (or omg a block party at the Formans where Kitty calls out “William! Steven! Michael!” And she turns around and has Billy, Will, Hyde, Steve, Mike, and Kelso starting at her expectantly)])

-Billy probably also thinks Eric and Kelso are kinda cute, but total dumbasses, they both definitely annoy him

-Fez would have a totally awkward and hilarious crush on Billy, and you just know Billy would flirt with him on purpose just to make him nervous (this might make Steve a lil jealous and annoy him to no end)

-Jackie would have the BIGGEST crush on Steve, after Kelso, and drag him around to go shopping and shit, he would tolerate it but Billy would absolutely hate her as a “bitchy rich entitled snot-nosed brat” cause she would be vocal about him being poor and he’d have to be calmed down by Hyde and Steve all the time

-Billy would give Hyde an unimaginable amount of shit for going out with Jackie, hooo boy!

-Steve would get a kick outta Kelso, but I think he and Eric would be pretty close friends, with Steve always pushing to hang around at the Forman’s cause Eric’s parents are always present, as opposed to his empty house (he adores Kitty Forman for SURE as the mother he never had)

-But the gang would surely hold parties at the Harrington’s....and only sometimes get away with it (both these groups are known for their KEGS! and the 70’s teens would lose their damn minds over Keg Kings Billy & Steve)

-Billy would put the charm on for Kitty sometimes just to see her blush, and Red would get annoyed and just a little threatening saying something like “Like to see how charming you are with my foot up your ass” and Billy being the abused kid that he is automatically takes it a little too seriously- probably flinches, goes a little pale, stutters out a “Yes sir, sorry sir”

-This would make Kitty and Red a bit concerned, pay a visit to the Hargrove household- I wouldn’t be surprised if they experience Neil putting Billy down or catch a glimpse of a smack or something and they would for sure take action with Red intimidating Neil cause you know he could

-Anyway! Girls. Robin and Donna would be THE BEST FRIENDS EVER, cause Donna had no other cool girl friend to hang out with and you just KNOW Robin might have an “itsy bitsy” (huge) crush on Donna, cause she’s Hot Donna, also they’re both super into female empowerment (and honestly, when Donna/Eric break up I could see her maybe falling for Robin too)

-Donna and Billy would be buds, she might like him for a hot minute but be cool with him being gay (Out of everyone in the 70’s gang, I think he’d most likely share this with her - cause she’d probably figure it out - even if it’s just to gush about their dumb, brave, pretty brunette boys to each other)

-Max would LOVE Donna, not just because of the hair (but also redhead solidarity is important), but because they’re both badasses and would totally vibe together- Max, Billy, and Donna would be an unexpectedly fun trio (and Billy would complain about having to drive the “GingeTwins” around all the time or something to that effect)

-And Jackie having to babysit Erica (because Donna does it sometimes, but she’s out for the night) would be the best thing ever good lord, Erica would put Jackie in her place, but they’d probably make up some schemes together too

-Also Erica would be absolutely appalled at having a similar name to Eric, she’d probably call him something along the lines of “Supreme Nerd” or “King of the Nerds” and have an endless supply of unimpressed looks for him during their debates of whose name is better

-Eric would totally join Mike, Will, Lucas & Dustin in their nerd exploits (STAR WARS!) And he and Dustin would get into loooong nerd debates

-I think Kelso would join Dustin & Lucas (and maybe the other boys too) in doing mischievous experiments including but not limited to: pyrotechnics, wrist rockets, radios and electronics... He’d begrudgingly listen to the scientific explanations of the boys (which would all fly right over his head) and they would have a moderate success rate, but also have to run away from the trouble they’d get in

-Lucas and Hyde would always be cool, but after finding out about Hyde’s biological dad they could become closer (Hyde’s dad and Lucas would have the best banter)

-Will and Eric would geek out over comics, and I think Eric would be super nice/supportive about seeing Will’s drawings

-Jonathan would be pretty quiet at first, but might talk to Fez since they’re both kinda the odd man out in each group (and he’d be genuinely NICE to Fez, *side eyes 70’s teens*)- then he’d be roped into doing random/stupid/mildly illegal stuff with the gang

-And despite Billy & Hyde being besties, I think Jonathan would bond with Hyde over shitty dads (plus I think Hyde would love Joyce, and she’d be another offer of refuge for him & Billy) and WEED WEED WEED

-Actually that might definitely be a sub-trio: Jonathan, Billy, & Hyde- they’d all have each other’s backs when it came to family drama (and later on when Hyde gets his record store, he’d offer them both jobs and Jonathan would be over the fuckin’ moon and work there)

-Billy would for sure work for Red in his muffler shop, and Red would take him under his wing, probably unwittingly become the father figure Billy never had.

-Nancy, hmmm, well she’s on the richer side of town so her and Jackie might be friends? but she’d for sure get annoyed with Jackie’s shallow bullshit

-OH and Robin would also hate Jackie I think, ‘cause of her entitlement and relentless obsession with boys (poor Jackie, I’m not setting her up for anything great here huh)

-So that’d be why Steve is friends with her, if only ‘cause he feels bad when she alienates herself from the rest of the teens, they (and I hate to say this) *could possibly* date for like 5 minutes, it’d be a REALLY hard time for Billy...and Kelso. And those two would probably come up with some hairbrained scheme to break them up (and succeed, but each get ripped a new one because of it)

-But at least the group of teen girls would be bigger if Donna, Robin, Jackie, and Nancy all hung out together sometimes (and if they tried to have a sleepover or something there would be toooo many idiot boys trying to creep on them, I think Billy would be the voice of reason and tell them they’re all being dickheads)

-And he’d give Fez a fuck ton of shit for being such a voyeuristic creep, probably make him stop hiding in people closets (wait what? Fez is like constantly coming out of closets in that show?! hello?? is that a thing??? Oh ho-ho they’d have a whole talk about that)

-Steve would get a kick outta Fez, probably think he was the funniest dude on the planet, as I’d say they’re the goofballs of the group (and yes, I am mostly excluding the King Steve narrative from this and using only cool mom Steve, cool? cool.)

-Steve might also have a lil crush on Donna, (‘cause a strong personality and blue eyes is like his kink, we all know this) but Eric would throw a fit about that and then they’d be all buddy-buddy discussing Donna & Billy (I think Eric being kind of a dumbass about his own gay kiss might put Steve off for a bit [and make Billy super hesitant and real pissed], but I also think Eric would be cool with hearing Steve out about his big bisexuality-discovery-adventure)

-Donna and Eric trying set Steve and Billy up by saying they’re all gonna hang out, and then like locking Billy/Steve in a room together or something and leaving😈

-When Billy/Steve’s relationship comes out, Hyde’s reaction is probably “That’s cool, man” Kelso would make some corny statement about how hot *he* is, Fez would probably fangirl over it with big ole heart eyes, Jackie would be like “weird, whatever”, Kitty would get flustered and then overly excited about it after a while, Red would be uncomfortable but okay with it saying something like “I better not catch you two dumbasses doing anything in my house”

-Ohmygod, Red as a father figure to Billy, Kitty as a mother figure to Steve, and they end up being so supportive of the boys ‘cause they have to put up with so much parental shit (say what you want, but the Formans have compassion) and they convert their house/backyard into a little private prom for the whole gang just so Billy/Steve can dance together and be themselves

-Billy, Steve, and Robin would die laughing every time they saw/talked to Leo. And I feel like Robin would talk her way into a job at the Photo Hut and then just end up being the manager and hires Jonathan herself to do the developments

-And you know how Hyde is always punching Kelso in the arm? Well he’d always get one, and Billy would punch the other arm as he’d classify Kelso a special kind of idiot, they’d always be teasing Kelso together, but Billy (and Steve I’m sure) would have some wicked BURNS that Kelso would love

-Steve and Kelso as friends? Sure, pretty boys gotta stick together~ especially when Steve gets called that by Billy, and then Kelso insists he’s a prettier boy, and Billy either rolls his eyes or flirts aggressively cause Kelso doesn’t understand WHY that’s Steve’s nickname, and it’s a whole can of worms you guys

-(And I didn’t forget about El, I’m just not quite sure where she fits in this AU... she probably doesn’t have powers and is the new kid who moves into town cause of a bad home life, she’d befriend Max in school and then I think Donna would take her under wing, then she’d be a hit with the teen gang cause she’d break her quietness with witty comments/one-liners, and since she’s very intuitive still, she gravitates towards Billy & Hyde and there would be some touching heart-to-hearts about shitty parental situations followed immediately after by inappropriate offers of beer to which she responds with a firm “gross”)

-And finally, *the Circle* would be so much bigger and funnier with the Stranger Teens in it

[tillxthexearthxstartsxtoxcrumble]

Stranger things season 4 thoughts during watching it:

BTW this involves me heavily cheering on some characters being killed. Specifically Brenner. And Jason

-Will made me cry so much with that moment right there

-Owens is iconic

-Eleven :((( my poor child

-Dude poor Nancy

-Gotta mention that Nancy didn't even see her dad when Vecna was trying to scare her

-mAX NO

-Eddie I love you so much

-Brenner, fuck you

-OWENS YOU ARE AWESOME

-If they kill Steve after telling us about what future he wants I'm gonna go feral

-Lumax is officially my OTP and I will die for them

-Im not gonna say who but... They're hot.

-Oh my God, Robin is adorable

-FUCK THAT HURTS, I'M SORRY ROBIN

-Kill Jason, Nancy. KILL HIM.

-Erica HIDE, PLEASE

-NANCY KILL HIM

-Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit

-Argyle my precious child

-ARGYLE OUT HERE SAVIN THE DAY

-If they kill Owens istg

-ELEVEN HIDE

-Eleven kill him already!!!!!!!!!!

-BRENNER DID THAT?!?!?!?!?!?

-KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM

-TELL HIM OFF, EL!!!

-fuck you Brenner.

-GO, EL!!!!!!!

-YES HE IS THE MONSTER, GO EL

-KILL HIM! DO IT!

-Dammit

-Eddie you cutie

-Eddie and Dustin together 😭😭😭

-EDDIE IS GONNA DIE PROTECTING DUSTIN AND HES GONNA TELL HIM NEVER TO CHANGE ISNT HE

-Erica my beloved

-if they kill Robin or Steve I'm gonna quit on this damn show

-DONT LET ROBIN DIE DONT LET ROBIN DIE

-No what the fuck

-DID HE SERIOUSLY OUT THE COLLAR ON HER

-KILL HIM DONT LET HIM TOUCH THE BUTTON

-NO, OWENS NO

-YES

-DIE BRENNER DIE

-YES YES YES YES YES JUST IN TIME TO SAVE HER

-GO EL GO!

-Oh damn

-Welp. They're dead.

-Dont say you love her right now, please. Please, it will hurt Will so much.

-WILL AND ELEVEN BEING SUCH CLOSE SIBLINGS I LOVE IT

-He just can't stay dead, can he?

-No fuck you Brenner

-Very glad she didn't say she understood. Let him die knowing what he did.

-Knowing this show they're gonna have him miraculously survive and be back next season

-Hopefully that's one of the five deaths.

-If we lose Max, Lucas, or Erica I resign from life

-Hopper on the verge of tears while talking about it.. imma cry

-Not them being so dissapointed about getting a call they need

-Why does Steve look so badass while doing that

-If Eddie or Dustin die I'm gonna lose my shit

-Argyle I love you more than anything

-Dude baby Steve falling down stairs and Nancy saying "that makes so much sense" istg 💀

-Am I crazy or is Steve super pretty right now?

-Steve that's sweet and all but the world is ending

-Nah Lucas and Max are too cute

-please say yes, max

-AWWWWW

-Okay but considering now that they wanna go on a date I'm starting to think Max doesn't survive. (OR Lucas doesn't. But more likely Max)

-Gotta agree with Mike here

-IF WILL COMES OUT TO JONATHAN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT IM GONNA SOB RIGHT HERE AND NOW

-I will fucking cry

-Possibly unpopular opinion here but Jonathan is such a good character.

-IM CRYING

-Well I'm crying again cause of Max

-MAX WHY MUST YOU HURT ME SO

-Oh that better be Vecna

-okay that's definitely vecna

-I have my Elmax moment of the season. I'm not satisfied but I fear this is all I'll have.

-Oh I'm so ready to hear Eddie play

-NOT HIM SAYING ITS FOR CHRISSY OW

-GO EDDIE GO

-DONT TOUCH ERICA

-JASON DIE

-LEAVE HER ALONE

-LEAVE ERICA ALONE YOU ASSHOLES

-I love those two dumbasses

-DONT TELL ME ELEVEN IS GONNA FIND HER IN THERE

-MY ELMAX HEART CANT TAKE THIS

-THEY'RE HURTING ERICA NO

-Jason die JASON DIE

-I can't take it if anyone but Jason dies

-SHIT

-NOT ROBIN

-NO FUCK

-NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

-EDDIE RUN BITCH RUN

-NO

-EDDIE IF YOU DIE ISTG

-I can't do this

-NOT MAX NO

-LUCAS I LOVE YOU

-No

-WAIT YES GO ERICA

-GO LUCAS

-GO GO GO GO GO

-GO EL

-"Hi" your honor I love her

-EDDIE NO

-DUSTIN ILY BUT NO

-EDDIE EDDIE EDDIE EDDIE

-PLEASE NO

-DONT TOUCH LUCAS

-ELMAX FOR THE WIN

-ELEVEN I LOVE YOU

-Wrong time to simp WRONG TIME TO SIMP

-HES GONNA KILL MAX ISNT HE

-BACK OFF YOU SLIMY BASTARD

-WHY DO I AGREE WITH BOTH OF THEM

-Oh shit

-shit I gotta stop simping

-FUCK

-Well shit is Will meant to be the next villain or smthn?

-Well the theory was correct

-STOP HURTING LUCAS

-NO EDDIE

-HOPPER?!?!

-EDDIE

-ROBIN PLEASE

-NO HE DOESNT KILL LUCAS DOES HE?!

-I CANT DO THIS

-MAX

-DAMMIT

-Alright. IM CRYING

-SHIT

-I DONT SHIP THEM BUT THAT WAS CUTE

-GO LUCAS

-YES LUCAS

-MAX NO

-PLEASE I CANT DO THIS

-SAVE EDDIE SAVE EDDIE SAVE EDDIE

-Murray is gonna die isn't he?

-YES GO

-IM SOBBING

-NANCY LEARN FROM THANOS AND THOR, GO FOR THE THE HEAD

-WELL AT LEAST HOPPER DID IT

-Dammit he's not dead is he?

-IM NOT READY FOR EDDIE TO DIE

-FUCK

-THIS HURTS

-I CANT DO THIS

-MAX

-Well ... at least Jason's dead?

-MAX PLEASE LIVE

-Eleven and Max are officially the best relationship in this show. Platonic or not

-Is Vickie, like, secretly gay or something?

-OKAY I SHIP IT

-Steve being an amazing best friend

-No why why why why why

-EDDIE

-Dustin, we did. We loved him.

-IM CRYING AGAIN

-Will my poor baby

-HOPPER AND EL REUNION?

-THE REUNION

-Sobbing

-Shit

-Not to be that person at the moment where it's most important but Mike and Will staying together as El walks forward and they're in a pair just like the other two couples 👀

Well that was awesome

[honeypiehotchner]

Where do broken hearts go? -- Bucky Barnes x Reader one shot

But Kay. Don’t you have an essay due Wednesday that you haven’t started? Shhh. Enjoy this Bucky Barnes angst to fluff one shot. Based purely on this picture. You’re welcome.

Summary: You and Bucky used to date, but once the honeymoon phase died down, things took a turn for the worse. Now, months later, your roommate finally manages to get you out to a bar. Only for you to run into some dumbass wearing a tiara.

“This is exactly what you need, Y/N,” your best friend, Jada, tugs on your arm. She’s been trying to get you out of bed for the past hour and she has had no luck whatsoever.

“What I need is to finish this show.” You twist your arm out of her grip, shoveling another fistful of popcorn into your mouth. You’re finally at the good part in this episode, and you’ll be damned if you let Jada ruin it for you.

“Okay, I can’t watch you like this.” Jada grabs the remote and turns the TV off, which is then followed by loud protesting from you.

“What the fuck! I was watching that!”

“You can finish it later,” Jada mutters, tossing the remote to the side. “Listen, it’s been months. Literal months. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to get back out there.”

“Make it later,” you reply curtly. “Hand me the remote.”

“No.”

“Jada, I can’t. You know I can’t.”

“Every time you say you can’t, I just hear excuses,” your best friend raises an eyebrow at you. “I’m not asking you to go out and fall in love again. I’m just asking you, as your best friend and roommate of five years, to please come get drinks with me. I miss going out to the bars and pretending to be waiting for a date. And getting sympathy drinks when our nonexistent dates don’t show. Come on, please?”

You chew on your lower lip. You have to admit, you do miss doing that. It’s been longer than months since you and Jada have enacted that master plan. It was a normal thing before you had a boyfriend and after the two of you broke up, you haven’t been back to a bar to even try.

“Fine,” you mumble. “But only because you know I can’t turn down pity drinks.”

“Yes! Thank you! Okay, you have to wear this new outfit I got you--”

“Were you planning this?”

“...no.”

“Whatever,” you smile, missing this rush of adrenaline. “Let’s do this before I change my mind.”

+++

The bar is crowded. But what bar isn’t?

You can’t help but get the sense, though, that this is more crowded than the usual Saturday night. Or maybe it really has been a long time since you were out of the apartment.

When you and your boyfriend -- none other than Bucky Barnes, the famous Winter Soldier and best friend to Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America, both heartthrobs to the universe -- broke things off a few months ago, your desire to go anywhere that wasn’t work-related had left your body. And since work for you consists of sitting on the couch with your laptop, that meant your desire to leave the apartment was nowhere to be seen.

The only times -- and they were few and far between -- that Jada would manage to get you out would be for food. Groceries or dinner, but that was it. No bars. No “having fun” as Jada would put it, even though you have plenty of fun. Netflix is fun. Comedy specials are fun.

As you and Jada score the last two stools at the bar, you send her a wary glance. You definitely didn’t miss this atmosphere.

It was one thing to play the game to your advantage, but when you haven’t played in so long, it’s terrifying. You’re out of practice entirely.

And the crowd certainly isn’t helping. You don’t remember it ever being this packed. How is this not a violation of the fire code or something?

“Relax,�� Jada yells over the commotion. “You look like you’re going to hurl.”

“I might,” you joke, but you’re not going to. You know when you’re about to throw up, and that’s not the feeling you have right now.

When you and Bucky ended, it wasn’t because he cheated. And it wasn’t because you cheated, either. Everything was smooth sailing. It was all so...easy with Bucky. Which doesn’t make sense, you know, because Bucky is a literal block of ice sometimes. Even more so than Steve at times.

But Bucky was tender with you. You had wormed your way right into his heart not knowing he was doing the exact same to you. It was effortless. No pushing, no pulling. Just smooth. Exactly how love should be.

Then, the honeymoon phase ended.

Bucky started going on missions again. You started spending more time back at the apartment because of this -- which Jada was at least thankful for; she missed having you around. But with you and Bucky separated, it meant you weren’t talking as much.

Granted, he wasn’t available during missions. And you understood that. You also understood that when he came back, he needed his space. No offense to you, and it has nothing to do with you -- or anyone else for that matter. He just needs space. That’s just Bucky.

But he took your willingness to give him space as something else entirely.

You didn’t break up because you cheated. The accusation itself was thrown around more than once.

He accused you of it on nights when all you had been doing was watching some shitty Netflix drama on the couch with Jada. And on nights when you had been working nonstop.

After the second time, you told him that if he didn’t trust you at all, then maybe it meant things weren’t working anymore.

Bucky realized his mistake. You saw it in his eyes when he realized it. But you were too fed up with his games to even bother forgiving him then.

You slammed the door on your way out. And sent every call of his to voicemail. When you were worried you might have to block him, he stopped calling.

The two of you haven’t spoken since.

Have you thought about him? Every second of every day.

“Don’t hate me for telling you this,” Jada leans over so she isn’t yelling as much. “But I think I might’ve just seen Tony Stark.”

Your eyes go wide. “What?”

Jada discretely nods over to where the crowd has been all night. “But it could just be someone who looks like him. A creepy cosplayer. You never know.”

“It better be.” You don’t know that you can handle seeing Bucky. Not when you haven’t spoken since the breakup.

The bartender brings you a refill with a sad smile. Sympathy drink number one.

Some idle chatter flows between you, Jada, and the random guy sitting beside your best friend. He’s the classic just-got-his-heart-broken kind of guy, so you can empathize with that. He’s cute, too, and you silently cheer when he rests his hand on your roommate’s arm.

Jada’s eyes catch on something over your shoulder and you freeze, staring at her. “What?”

“Cutie staring at you.”

“Huh?”

“A cutie. Is staring. At you.”

You chuckle, deciding to play your cards. You look over your shoulder with a smile. What you don’t expect is for your gaze to fall right to Bucky Barnes.

“Fuck,” you hiss, turning back around.

Jada gives you a strange look. “What now?”

“That’s Bucky.”

Jada looks again, disbelieving. “No, that’s-- holy shit, he cut his hair.”

Yeah, he cut his hair. It looks fucking good on him, too, the shorter length. You kept trying to get him to entertain the idea of cutting it when you were together, but he wouldn’t budge. You didn’t totally mind because you did like his long hair. But the pictures you saw of him from the ‘40s? No wonder all the girls swooned over him. You fell in love with his long hair, but one look at him from the ‘40s had you falling all over again.

Just like right now. You can feel it. You know he’s still looking at you. And damnit, you want to look, too. But it’s a bad idea.

Apparently, the idea isn’t bad enough to stop you. Because you look again.

You snicker quietly to yourself as you take him in. His hair is shorter, yes, but he’s got a tiara sitting on the top of his head. The sight of that alone has you grinning. What dumbass bet did he lose?

You get a little too carried away with making eyes at Bucky across the room because then you’re spotted by none other than Tony Stark, and all hell breaks loose.

“Y/N!” You’d hear Tony’s voice from a mile away if he tried hard enough. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Hi Tony,” you reply, watching as the poor guy next to you is promptly shoved off the stool by a somewhat tipsy Tony Stark. “How much have you had?”

“Not nearly enough to be okay with seeing you and Barnes have eye sex.”

“Tony!” You smack his arm. “Knock it off. I was just laughing at the crown on princess’s head.”

Tony grins wide. “There’s that fire. We’ve missed you.”

“Sure,” you shake your head, sipping your drink. Next to you, Jada is giving you a look of sheer disbelief. “Tony you’re scaring my best friend.”

“Best friend!” Tony exclaims, looking over at her. “Both of you, come join our party! More the merrier!”

“You’re drunk off your ass.”

“Not yet,” Tony winks. “Come on, Barnes wants to see you anyway.”

“No,” you stay put. “I don’t want to.”

“Oh, give it up,” Tony yells. “He’s been moping around my goddamn tower for months, please go have sex with him or something to make it stop--”

You don’t have time for another protest before Bucky comes up next to you, pushing Tony away. Bucky Barnes. Taking every chance he can get to save the day.

Your ex slides easily into the stool. You look to your right for help from Jada only to find she’s fully facing and flirting with the guy beside her. You’re stuck.

Bucky waves down the bartender and asks for two beers.

“You’re gonna drink two? Seriously?” It’s a weak jab, but you don’t know what else to do. You’ve had speeches made up in your head for months, what you’d say when you saw him again, but they were all in scenarios where you weren’t in a loud ass bar.

“Actually,” Bucky takes both bottles in his hand, sliding one toward you. “I got one of them for you.”

If it wasn’t your favorite kind, you would’ve poured it on his stupid tiara. “Thanks.”

“Come on,” Bucky nods, standing from the stool.

“What?”

“Let’s get away from the bar,” he says. “Too many people.”

“Fine,” you huff, ignoring his hand that is stretched out to help you down. You try to walk with more than an inch between you two, but it’s so crowded that when Bucky grabs lightly onto your arm, you let him.

Suddenly, the crowd opens up, and you realize it’s because Tony Stark -- of course -- has rented and blocked off one section of the place, forcing everyone else to crowd around the bar.

You ignore the weird glances coming from the other Avengers that haven’t seen your face in months. One, in particular, is Steve.

Bucky finds an open booth and slides in, waiting for you to do the same. You do, but you keep your distance. He accepts defeat, leaning onto his arms on the table, beer bottle in one hand.

“Nice tiara,” you comment, not looking at him. “It suits you.”

“Thanks,” he chuckles, shaking his head until the plastic crown falls into his hands. He sets it down on the table, running his fingers through his hair, messing it up. You want to fix it so badly, but you leave it alone. “How’ve you been?”

“Good.” A lie. “How’ve you been?”

“Awful.”

You turn your head to look at him, not expecting that answer. “Okay…”

“Y/N, I’m…” Bucky pauses, grabbing a fistful of his hair and letting go. “I’m a fucking idiot.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” you mutter, picking at the label on the side of the bottle. “What made you come to this revelation?”

Bucky’s lips stretch into a smile. “I miss that.”

“What?”

“Your wit,” he replies. “Your ability to call me on my bullshit.”

“I shouldn’t have to be there to call out your bullshit.”

He frowns. “I know.”

“What are you doing?” You blurt. “Whatever you’re trying to do.”

“I’m trying to say I’m sorry.”

“Then just say it,” you almost laugh. He’s being ridiculous. “Stop trying to-- To drag me back in. Just say you’re sorry so I can go.”

“I don’t want you to go, that’s the thing,” Bucky pleads. “I’m sorry, doll, I’ve been so stupid. I am stupid and I don’t blame you one bit if you get up and leave right now, but I’m asking you to please, don’t go.”

“Why?” You murmur, surprised he can even hear you.

“Because I’m miserable without you. And every day I think of how I would change things if I could--”

“You can’t.”

“But I want to try. If you’ll let me.”

You stare hard at the bottle in your hands. If you had even an ounce of Bucky’s strength, the glass would be a shattered mess all over the table.

“Please, baby,” Bucky scoots closer, knowing he’s testing his luck. But what else does he have left to do? “Let me love you right this time.”

Slowly, because you can’t believe he’s telling you all that you ever wanted to hear, you look up at him, tears in your eyes. One slides down your cheek and he wipes it away, hand cradling your jaw.

You shake your head. “I can’t do this again, Buck.”

He frowns deeply, his hand slipping away. His eyes lower themselves to his lap, accepting his defeat once more.

“So you better not break my fucking heart this time.”

His gaze snaps to meet yours, thinking he’s imagined those words, but you’re smiling. Smiling, even though you’re also glaring. But he sees the hurt behind your eyes.

“I won’t,” he swears to you, hand returning to caress your cheek. “And if I do, you can kill me.”

“I might,” you giggle, scooting an inch closer.

“Good,” he says seriously. “Because I’d deserve it.”

He leans down as you tilt your head forward, pressing your lips against his in an aching kiss, one you’ve both been longing to share for far too long.

Bucky scoots closer, body right next to yours, metal arm fitting around your waist perfectly, right where it should be, right where you’ve been missing it.

You grab the tiara off the table and put it back in the top of his hair, smoothing down the strands. He gives you a strange look.

“What? It suits you.”

He laughs, pulling you into him. “Okay, doll.”

“Hey Buck?”

“Yes?”

“I still love you.”

His forehead rests against yours as he sighs in relief. “Oh, thank God. I love you, too, doll. Always.”