#pre!shangqi x reader

[watchtowerindistress]

best mistake - Xu Shangqi x fem!reader

Summary: Katy tries to matchmake Y/N and Shaun. If only these two weren’t so stubborn.

Word count: 3.0k

Rating: T

Warnings: fluff, language

Relationship: Xu Shangqi x female!reader

Additional tags: Pre!Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings. 

Author’s note: Ever since watching Shangqi, I couldn’t help falling for this sweet boy - this is so unlike me! Let’s send this cinnamon roll some love. This was written in two days - I have been feeling the inspiration ... hard.

Masterlist | Bring me a cuppa

The echoing guitar music resounded in her ears while Y/N’s eyes followed Shaun standing close to the bar. It was truly fascinating how she was always capable of finding Shaun’s figure in the crowd − just by watching those broad shoulders of his. All little smile was on his lips as he was leaning forward, with his back hunched over.

Something warm tingled on the side of her face before Y/N mentioned almost with boredom, “You know I can feel you staring, right?”

And just as she expected, Y/N slowly turned her head to find Katy staring back at her. With playfulness shining in those chocolate-brown eyes, not even embarrassed about being discovered.

Katy started babbling, “Can’t a girl just stare at another beautiful woman? I mean, in what kind of society are we truly living if female solidarity is not even appreciated - I mean, your hair, it’s like so glos-” Out of nowhere, the back of Katy’s hand caressed Y/N’s hair.

Stunned by Katy’s fervent stream of words, Y/N raised her eyebrows. “Uh, are you drunk already? You barely had two tequila shots and you’re already in your flirty phase? Maybe you need to slow down, sweetie.”

Y/N carefully slid her shot glass away before she patted the back of her hand on the table in almost pitying comfort. Like one would pat a child’s head before uttering, “oh, you poor thing.”

“What did I miss?” Shaun’s curious voice echoed from their left, with a bowl of chips in his hand and placed it into the middle of the table between them.

Not wasting any time, Y/N slid the snack closer to Katy. “Either Katy exploring her bi phase or she’s unable to hold her liquor.”

With slow movements, Shaun took a seat between them while confusion was setting on his face with a deep frown. “Okay … sure.” The syllables were pulled apart in a drawn-out word as his eyes narrowed. Not knowing what to make of a Katy who was a flyweight so early in the night.

Katy shifted her eyes between them. “I’m totally fine. Just a generous person admiring her best friend, and you too, Shaun.”

A smirk tugged on Shaun’s lips, moments before he lifted a beer to his mouth. “Love you too, Katy,” he mumbled mockingly. 

“Anyway, I’m just grateful having you two around. Two good-looking people … who could make some beautiful babies. Just strong, beautiful boys and girls. How cool would that be? How do you think your sex would be like?” Katy cocked her head, like she had been harboring that thought for a long time.

Nope, that didn’t sound weird at all.

It seemed that Shaun and Y/N were sharing the same expression – with their lips pursed and crooked heads.

There was something about Shaun glaring and mouthing something next to her at Katy that confused the hell out of her.

“Okay, maybe you do need some water to clear your thoughts, you know. Right, Shaun?” Y/N turned her head to discover him whipping his head in her direction with a close-lipped smile.

“Yeah, totally sounds crazy.”

Something was off about Shaun, same as Katy, but that was kind of a given with the raven-haired woman who was made of weirdness. One of the things she loved about Katy.

Unfortunately, Y/N couldn’t delve into that particular can of worms when a notification lit up the screen of her phone. “Think I can leave you both alone to be responsible grown-up people while I take a quick call?”

Shaun casually waved before saying, “Sure.”

“Really?” Y/N narrowed her eyes in uncertainty.

An affronted Shaun made an appearance. “What? I am responsible and a grown-up.”

Katy finally spoke up. “Okay, that’s just rude, Y/N. Where’s the trust?”

“Shaun, I do believe that you’re responsible, but Katy’s a bad influence.”

Without missing a beat, Katy pointed towards Y/N. “You’re right. She’s right.” She was facing Shaun again who rolled his eyes in response.

“I’m hurt. Physically hurt. And scout’s honor.”

Y/N hummed under her breath once she saw him lift two fingers in the air and felt pleased enough. Two voices exchanged words behind her once she was moving away.

Katy’s muttering voice reached her ears. “You were a boy scout?”

“Hey, I could have been.”

~ Shangqi POV ~

“What the hell are you doing?” Shaun hissed fervently as he leaned forward on his arms. This was turning into one of his nightmares already, with Katy messing with his life like that.

Her wide innocent eyes couldn’t fool him. “What? I’m not doing anything. Can’t a girl just want to see her two best friends be happy?”

Exhaling heavily through his mouth, Shaun shook his head. “I can’t believe this. You’re trying to hook us up after what I told you?” His eyes nervously shifted in its sockets. “Y/N’s not even into me. She’s one of my best friends. I care about her as a friend, … just as I care about you.”

A derisive scoff left Katy. “First, that’s a lie. Second, I saw the way she was looking at you while you were getting our food. Trust me on this, a girl can tell when another is having a crush−”

Wait a second.

“Wait, what?” Shaun whipped his head around in shock at the unexpected reveal.

“And third,” she continued like he hadn’t said anything, “don’t pretend with me. You definitely have different feelings for her than you have for me. Unless there’s a part of you who likes seeing my in hot lingerie.” Katy lifted a know-it-all eyebrow.

Shaun’s voice turned serious. “She can’t know. I was drunk when I told you all of this stuff and that memory was awkward enough.”

Katy pursed her lips. “You mean when you told me how she was effervescent and captivating? That you woke up some days wishing you could share everything with her?”

Shaun felt utterly speechless from her verbatim rendition of their conversation.

“Trust me, it was as awkward for you as it was for me hearing you gush like a lovesick dork.” Katy revealed her cell before declaring triumphantly, “And I got the video. It was too funny to pass up, Shaun.”

Shaun didn’t see the funny nature of it and commanded intensely, “Delete that.”

Katy snorted loudly. “I’m not doing that. It’s going to be my engagement gift for you two.”

Leaning back with a drawn-out sigh, Shaun groaned, “You’re going to be the death of me, Chen. Stay out of this, you hear me? No more funny business, I mean it.”

“Fine, scout’s honor,” Katy offered and lifted three fingers to her forehead.

A neutral expression settled on Shaun’s features before he replied with a bored voice, “That’s the Panem salute.”

If someone had told her that a frigging blackout would douse San Francisco in utter darkness, Y/N would have laughed in their face. It was still a pretty frightening event when a sound pierced through the air a split second before everything turned pitch-black.

Y/N placed her hand against her chest as her head shifted around in anxiety. Her breathing turned normal again once the bathroom doorknob wiggled and Shaun rushed out of it. His dark hair was still wet from the shower he just took. Thankfully, he was wearing black shirt and grey sweatpants and hadn’t been still in the shower when the lights went out.

“Are you alright, Y/N?”

“Yes, I think so.” Her eyes were trying to discern the outside world when she asked, “Do you think there’s a blackout all around the block?” The light of the moon was the only source offering comfort while the blackout was wreaking havoc around them.

Shaun stepped towards the windows and brushed the blinds away. “Seems that way. It could be even farther than that.”

“Great, where are your candles, Shaun?”

Shaun hesitated in the darkness. “I’m a guy,” he merely uttered, like that was explanation enough.

Rolling her eyes, Y/N muttered, “Now would be a perfect time to have some though.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the next blackout in San Francisco,” Shaun teased her.

“You betcha.” Feeling saucy, Y/N turned on the flashlight of her phone, effectively blinding him.

Shaun groaned before a grimacing smirk adorned his face.

“You never know these days. We live in a world with aliens and basically the end of the world happening through the dusting.”

Shaun was able to see right through her by guessing her emotional state. “It’s daunting, right?”

“More like out of this world.”

Shaun snorted loudly. “Funny.”

Y/N mused out loud, “Not to mention, it could be pretty useful for your next girlfriend to set some romantic mood. You know, light some candles…”

His interest was stirred now. “You know, you sound very committed to my love life.”

“Nah, just pondering.” Suddenly Y/N lifted her head in morbid curiosity. “Why don’t you have one again?”

Shaun seemed to have a little devil on his broad shoulder when he directed his own glaring flashlight into her eyes. “Is a certain someone interested in being my girlfriend?” he inquired with a baritone voice.

“Okay, I realize I started that little bit, but I don’t think it’s funny anymore.” Y/N shrugged her shoulders, referring to the flashlight issue. “It just makes me wonder, that’s all. Why I don’t ever see you with someone serious unless we’re counting the ones who barely survive a few weeks.”

Another thought crossed her mind. Y/N narrowed her eyes with that peculiar notion. “Unless a certain someone isn’t emotionally available.”

Shaun lifted his well-toned arms in defense. It was moments like these it was hard not to get distracted. “Hey, I’m not a player. You should know that about me by now.”

“You just seem like such a nice guy. It would be such a shame to see you pass up on like, the love of your life because you’re afraid.”

“’Love of my life, huh?’” Shaun mouthed wordlessly before he spoke normally, “And I’m not afraid.”

“Me thinks the lad doth protest too much.”

“And what about you? It’s like looking into a mirror. Nothing serious, never settling down. Sounds like someone’s scared too.”

“Okay, I don’t like playing this game anymore,” Y/N grumbled under her breath before turning around as she tried to shift her focus on something else.

“Come on, like seriously, who wants to be with a guy who parks cars for a living, barely even has time for a girlfriend and lives in a shoebox for an apartment?”

Y/N sent him an incredulous glance over her shoulder. “Stop selling yourself short. Sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself more than me.”

“I’m not−”

“Wait, did you hear that?” Y/N strained her ears as she was listening intently.

Shaun needed a second before he decisively said, “That’s ‘Hotel California’.”

“What?”

Stepping next to her, Shaun explained, “It’s Katy’s ringtone. She must have dropped her phone the last time we were gaming together.”

“Gee, I wonder why you don’t have time for a girlfriend, Shaun.”

“Don’t be jealous.” Y/N felt him wrap his arm around her shoulder. “You know you’re the only girl for me.”

Despite the warm feelings taking root in her stomach from his heartfelt but teasing words, Y/N rolled her eyes, just as Katy’s phone went quiet again.

“Shoot. Gotta take care of the stuff in my fridge.” With a dashing motion, Shaun rushed into the kitchen. “You want to raid my ice cream?”

Y/N was slightly distracted, with the phone in the palm of her hand, when she answered, “Oh, I’m not gonna say ‘no’ to that kind of offer.” Not to mention, after all those times they had raided each other’s foods constantly.

Once she had it unlocked already, a quiet whisper left her, “Oh Katy, you security-averse weirdo.”

“Did you say something?” Shaun’s voice called out from around the corner.

“Oh, just Katy leaving her damn phone unlocked.”

“That’s Katy for you.”

Y/N’s heart was bleeding once the notification ‘phone storage almost full’ filled the top of the screen.

Y/N sighed mournfully and absentmindedly took a seat on his couch. “Oh Katy, you’re hurting my soul.”

As soon as the biggest file with Shaun’s thumbnail filled the screen, Y/N had to chuckle inadvertently. It was probably another one of their pieces of evidence of their wayward antics. Feeling curious and slightly bad about snooping, Y/N still pressed play, since she didn't know whether she was supposed to delete it or keep one of their weird drunken karaoke escapades.

A drunk Shaun with hazy eyes which weren’t focusing on anything caught her attention. “She’s like so … gorgeous.”

The sound of a spoon falling on the counter barely reached her senses before it was silence that followed.

Y/N’s upbeat voice called out without lifting her head, “Hey, Shaun, what is this weird karaoke video?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could sense Shaun standing in a frozen state behind the counter. “What are you watching?”

“Oh, you know … Katy.” Like that explanation was sufficient enough.

Katy’s low chuckle was uttered from behind the camera. “I think you’re hammered, dude.”

Shaun was in fervent refusal. “No, I’ve never seen things more clearly. I love everything about her. She’s so efferevescient – efficient? eff− captivating, I mean,” he breathed.

Y/N couldn’t help thinking how Shaun was being all cute when he was babbling nonsense and unable to pronounce words effectively.

“Y/N just moves like … she’s air.”

She swallowed and held her breath, as she was unable to avert her eyes from the words Shaun was saying. Utterly in her own world, she stood up with shaky legs as her back was facing the kitchen.

Completely forgetting that present-Shaun was standing right there, probably listening to everything.

“I don’t care how she gets cranky in the morning without her coffee and would bite my head off if I would even dare speak to her. What’s the archer’s name again from the Avengers?”

“You mean Hawkguy?”

Past-Shaun was blinking slowly. “You sure? That doesn’t sound right.”

“Hell, if I know. I’m not into archery. I mean, I could, don’t get me wrong. It’d be fun and I’d be pretty much perfect. I’d probably drop it two days later though. Because it’s just too much work, you know?”

Shaun kept talking, like he was only half-listening. “Anyway, she got me, Katy.” He thumped with his fist against his pectorals, missing his heart way off. “Right here. I’m so far gone. She can do whatever she wants with me.”

“Kinky,” Katy muttered.

“Y/N’s like the love of my life. I just wish things were different. Sometimes I wake up and wish I could share my whole life with her.” Shaun glanced up at her with those puppy eyes when only silence reached his ears. “What?”

Y/N felt speechless as her heart was beating erratically in her chest. Despite his confession, her lips quirked.

“Nothing. Just a lot to unpack here,” past-Katy offered with hesitation.

“Wait, are you taking pictures of me?”

“Hell nah.”

Blackness filled the screen, reminding her with a shock that the video was over. Katy’s phone was limp in her hand while she turned around and stared in shock at Shaun.

“Listen, that’s not what you think.”

Y/N raised her eyebrows at his adamant denial. “You’re in love with me?”

Shaun scoffed once and then a second time. “No? That’s not – you’re in love with me.”

What a man-child, Shaun was sometimes, Y/N thought to herself. She rolled her eyes. "That’s barely even a secret.”

Shaun’s head whirled around. “Wait, you are? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Disbelief was shining in her eyes. “Just like you never did?”

Chuckling low under his breath, Shaun placed his hands on his waist before he shook his head. “God, it sounds crazy now that I think about it. I just … didn’t want to ruin our friendship.” With slow steps he inched towards her. “What are you thinking right now?”

Y/N was smiling fondly. “That you’re the most adorkable dork when drunk you is declaring your undying love for me.”

Now barely inches away from her until his breath was brushing against her face. “I’m not adorkable.”

Y/N nodded. “Yeah, you are. Like a pocket full of sunshine in that muscled body of yours.”

Shaun seemed to regain some of his smugness when he smirked. “So, you only like me for my body, huh?”

Y/N shrugged and like she was confiding a secret in him, whispered, “I could climb you like a tree.”

Shaun’s widened eyes were setting her body on fire while even his pupils dilated. “Oh wow, really? Maybe I should have come to my senses sooner then.”

He was getting transfixed on her eyes. “Listen, this is going to sound totally insane and I’m probably going to wreck our friendship for all eternity, but−” He exhaled lowly and continued, “I don’t care. I mean, to a certain extent. But … I’m going to kiss you right now and you’d better punch me in the face before I even get close. And every inch of my body is telling me how I’m going to regret this for the rest of my life if I don’t feel your lips on mine."

Woah, swoon-worthy Shaun was simply unreal.

Y/N was waiting with bated breath, while Shaun’s face inched closer until his exhaling air was caressing her lips.

Despite Shaun’s words, he was giving her time to pull back by getting closer with excruciating slowness. His longing eyes alternated between her eyes in silent question and her lips. Finally, his lips brushed against hers as he exhaled lowly.

The breath against her mouth made Y/N open her mouth, feeling curious of the feel of him.

Trying to explore more of Y/N, Shaun tilted his head and let his tongue dance with hers.

A whimpering sound echoed from her lips at the sensation which soon shifted into a sigh once the taste of luscious boba on his tongue mingled with hers. Her fingers wound around his neck, wanting to keep him there.

As if there was even a part of Shaun that ever wanted to let go of her.

She was breathing him in before Y/N felt Shaun ultimately … stop. With her eyes still closed, she heard Shaun speak.

A smile was heard Shaun in his words. “Best mistake I ever made.”

“Couldn’t agree more.”

[blackbat05]

One Big Family

Dad Shangqi x Reader

A/N: Greetings from your resident fluff writer! Decided to come back for one good old domestic Shangqi because who doesn’t love domesticity! This fic can be seen as a prequel to <You’re the best to me> where little Xiayi is three years old here! As always, enjoy! Likes/comments/reblogs are greatly appreciated!

Genre: PG-13

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff. Reader supports Shangqi through a little self-doubt.

(Allow me to use this gif again because I don’t know why… but I think it’s such a Dad look on him? In a good way of course😉)

***

You wake up to the light that was peeking through your curtains. Shifting in your shared bed, you reached out for your husband only to find that he wasn’t there.

Blinking the sleep away from your eyes, you sit up, registering your surroundings. Where did Shangqi disappear to?

A loud clunk could be heard from the kitchen. Removing the blanket, you trudged down the steps, sounds getting louder.

‘Baba look!’

Your husband chuckles, ruffling Xiayi’s bob hair. ‘That’s good baobei, keep doing that.’

You quietly made your way into the kitchen where the father-daughter duo were intently focused on cooking up a storm. Xiayi was sitting on a high chair, mixing a bowl of batter that was placed in front of her. For a three year old, she had great motor skills, minus some of the batter that landed on her chubby cheeks.

Shangqi checks on the eggs before turning his attention to his baby girl. Chuckling, he removes the bowl from her high chair. ‘Did you leave this for dinner later?’ He refers to the excess batter on her face, blowing a raspberry into her tummy.

‘No baba! Pancake for mama!’ She looks at him, expression stating the obvious. It was as if Shangqi was looking at a mini you.

It was time you made your appearance known. ‘Really? For me?’ You slip behind them, giving a peck on his cheek.

‘Well when did you arrive?’ He holds Xiayi in one arm, bringing you closer.

‘Couldn’t stay in bed when you were making such a delicious breakfast could I?’ You plucked Xiayi out from his arms, nuzzling your nose with your baby. ‘Did you have a good dream baobei?’

Xiayi giggles, making grabby motions to wrap her little arms around your neck.

Shangqi watches the scene fondly, unsure that all this was real. If it was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up from it.

The ding from the oven signaled that the pre-made hash browns that he snagged from the supermarket yesterday were ready.

Maybe he did need a wake up call. Being the absent minded man that you grew to love, Shangqi reaches for the tray - with his bare hands.

‘Babe!’

‘OUCH!’ Before you could warn him, his hand jerks back, nearly dropping the tray. The sound startles Xiayi, her eyes widening.

‘Baba hurt?’

You led him to the sink, immediately rinsing the area with cool water.

‘Baba’s ok,’ your husband reassures Xiayi who proceeds to be preoccupied with the plastic plate in front of her. He watches you carefully attending to the burn, dabbing the washed area with a napkin.

‘Better?’

He nods, cradling his larger hands in yours. ‘Sorry,’ he apologizes. ‘Got carried away seeing the two of you.’ You waited patiently as he plated the food onto two ceramic plates.

‘It’s crazy but even after all this while… I wonder if I deserve all this. I know, I know,’ he defends himself seeing that you were about to retort back. ‘Sometimes I just have these… worries.’

You knew what he was implying. Shangqi didn’t exactly had a normal childhood. He barely repaired his relationship with his sister and now he finds himself as an Avenger - having Gods, Sorcerers and even Eternals as colleagues? Fighting off world threats?

He didn’t want to put you or Xiayi in any danger. All he wanted was to give his daughter a normal and happy childhood.

‘Hey, look at me.’ Shangqi’s brown ones look into yours. You were going to shut down this man’s insecurities of not being a perfect father once and for all.

‘If I had a choice, I would still choose you again. Besides, I don’t want Xiayi to have a “normal” childhood.’ You quoted using your two fingers. ‘I want her to live a life that she won’t regret. One that she’ll be proud of. And who better to show her that than her father?’

He sighs, knowing that you had a point. You were always right. Just then, the doorbell rings.

‘Plus, Xiayi would remember all the amazing times that her many Aunts and Uncles spent with her!’ You beamed, going to get the door. It was a Sunday and every once a month, that means it was personal time for you and Shangqi.

You open the door to see a familiar sorcerer, holding a large bag from a departmental store.

‘Wong! Uh,’ you craned your neck into the driveway. ‘I thought it was Katy’s turn today.’ Letting him in, you lead him to the kitchen.

‘It is. Katy’s running late. So I offered to come until she gets here,’ Wong informs you gruffly. ‘Besides, I felt bad missing Xiayi’s birthday last week. Strange and Mr Parker almost set fire to the sanctum’s library.’ He frowns in disapproval, remembering the incident.

The sorcerer always came across as strict and straightforward whenever you met him. No funny business. However, there were always exceptions…

‘Xiayi! Your uncle is here!’

You shrugged at Shangqi who caught your eye, mouthing the words Katy’s late.

‘Shangqi,’ he doesn’t forget to address your husband gruffly before turning his attention back to Xiayi who’s now eyeing the bag in his hand eagerly.

To Xiayi’s delight, Wong reveals the content in the bag - a huge carrot plushie that was half the size of her.

‘This is to always remind you to eat your veggies young lady,’ he sets the plushie beside Xiayi who thankfully has been cleaned up from the morning batter as she smashes her face into the poor carrot.

‘Well then,’ Shangqi clears his throat.

‘Yes, yes. Your daughter will be in good hands. Do not worry.’ Wong dismissively waves his hand, preparing to usher the two of you out of the kitchen. ‘Go! Have some time together!’

‘Just remember-’

‘That her nap time is half an hour after lunch and the ingredients for lunch and dinner are already prepped and in the fridge,’ Wong rattles off. ‘I got it. Now go!’

As you were being led out the kitchen, you turn towards your daughter. ‘Be good Xiayi! Mama loves you!’

Xiayi waves at you from the high chair, using her new found carrot toy before the kitchen doors closed.

______

‘You think she’s ok?’ Shangqi asks you over the table at a Dim Sum Restaurant. You were grateful that Shangqi gave boundless of love for his daughter but he was just worrying unnecessarily at this point.

‘I’m sure she’s fine babe, Katy just texted me about an hour ago.’

He nods, looking back at the menu again. Just then, you receive a beep on your phone, face turning into a grin.

‘Shangqi, look at this!’

The photo showed his baby, off in dreamland. She was dressed in sleepwear that his Aunt Ying Nan had made for her, clutching onto the carrot that he saw earlier.

Along with the photo was a message - Wong nearly cried.

‘See? You have nothing to worry about.’

Before he can open his mouth, you beat him to it. ‘Yes, I’ll send you this photo too. I’m not surprised your whole photo album is filled with her pictures.’ Not that you were complaining though.

And neither did he. Having lost the feeling of how a family should feel like years ago, Shangqi thought that he would never experience it again.

He was so grateful. Grateful for the people that he could count on when he needed it the most. Checking the message that you had just sent him, Shangqi does quick work.

He saves the photo, setting it as the wallpaper of his home page to remind him of his one big family.

***

A/N: Fluff medicine has been administered (me thinks)! I shall see what else I shall do soon!🥰

[crazycookiecrumbles]

The Official Relationship

A/N: This is a prequel series to my Stark!Readerverse series. Those are all my stories that start with “A” and have some other shit following it. This is the 3rd installment.

Masterlist

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader, 

Warnings: Flirting and Fluff

Summary: You’d been in Washington for a few weeks now, and it seemed like things were taking a turn to change.

Steve watched you over the top of his newspaper. You had just entered the cafeteria and you were sashaying over to look at the offerings for the day before grabbing a cup of coffee for yourself. He watched as Brock Rumlow talked your ear off the entire time, only leaving your side when he was called away. Steve watched as Brock looked up from his phone, glanced at you, squeezed your arm, then walked out of there.

As you were leaving with your drink, you spotted Steve sitting in the corner behind his newspaper. You noticed it was him only because of how he quickly ducked under the paper, and who else would hide in a quiet corner in a cafeteria of a government agency?

“Why are we hiding?” You asked as you pulled out a chair and sat across from him.

Steve lowered the paper and sighed, “They want me to do more of these, these PSA’s for kids and I just — I can’t do another one, doll. I can’t.”

You hummed and squeezed his arm, “I believe in you, Steve. Tell those young kids about their bodies changing.”

He groaned and banged his head on the table. Your loud laugh of surprise made him smile and lift his head to gaze at you. It had been several weeks since your coffee date that one faithful morning before work, and Steve was hooked. You both went to work together every day, if he was in town, and he often found himself knocking on your door and asking you to join him for dinner, whether that meant going out or if he was trying out a new recipe.

“Hi, doll,” Steve smiled softly and squeezed your hand.

“Hi, Steve. Aside from the PSA’s, how are you?”

He shrugged, “I’m fine. I just — “ he stopped himself. “I’m fine.”

You narrowed your eyes, “What’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing —“

“Steve—“

“I’m fine—“

You sighed, “I bet Brock would tell me what was wrong.” Steve groaned, and you laughed. “I fucking knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“You don’t like Brock.”

“Brock’s a very capable agent,” Steve said. “He’s a fine guy.”

“But?”

Steve huffed, “I don’t like how he looks at you.”

You raised an eyebrow, “And how’s that?”

Steve shrugged a shoulder. He seemed uncomfortable with this conversation, like someone would be listening in on him to find some dirt, “Like you’re something to eat.”

You smirked and leaned forward, “I seem to think I’m a tasty snack.”

Steve caught on to what you were doing. He scooted the chair in closer and leaned on his forearms on the table as he whispered in your ear, “I bet you taste really sweet.”

The speed at which that man turned your flirting against you had your jaw hitting the table. He pulled away with a satisfied smirk on his face and mischief dancing in his eyes as you felt your cheeks burn under his gaze.

“Fuck you, Rogers,” you mumbled in quiet defeat as you crossed one leg over the other.

He chuckled, “Hey, easy, Stark. I’m not that kind of girl. At least wine and dine me first.”

You groaned at how corny he was, rolling up his newspaper to smack him in the arm. He laughed and grabbed the paper from you to set on the table before pulling your hands over to his side where he gave them a squeezed and curled his hands around them, “But, hey, I’m glad you found me today.”

“Yeah? Felt like making me blush?”

“Always,” He grinned. “But, well, seeing Brock looking at you and touching you…”

“Uh-huh…?”

He cleared his throat, “So, things have been going, at least I think so, really well between us. I love the time that we spend together, and I think you’re amazing.”

“Go on. I’m enjoying this,” you grinned. “Come on, Steve. Out with it!”

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before he continued, “Well, I just — I uh, I wanted to — I’m thinking — will you…be my …uh. girlfriend?”

It pained him to say it. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he had no idea how to say it, or even if he should say it? Modern dating was weird and scary. He didn’t know if he was to ask, or just say it, or just go under the silent assumption that the two of you were actually together. It pained him and he didn’t want to look like a complete and total fool.

But when you smiled brightly at him, his heart felt relieved. You nodded eagerly, and Steve leaned across the table, hand reaching up to cup the back of your head as he leaned down to kiss you. You grinned into the kiss, your own hand rising up to squeeze his wrist as he held your head in place.

When you pulled away, you licked your lip and looked down at your hands excitedly before looking up at him, “I was wondering when you were going to ask.”

“I wasn’t sure if I should. Rules on that are funny,” Steve confessed. “Natasha said to ask you before someone else did.”

“Ah, right, I am a hot commodity,” you joked as you leaned back and fanned yourself. “Kidding, I’d have said no to everyone but you.”

“Now you’re just flirting with me.”

“Is it working?” You grinned. “That’s kind of the goal, you know.”

Steve grinned. His cheeks had a slight touch of pink to them, the tops of his ears gaining the most of that blood rush as they turned red. He bowed his head slightly before nodding and looking back up at you with a grin plastered across his face, “Well, how about I take my girlfriend to get some lunch?”

“We’re in a cafeteria, it’s not a far trip,” you joked.

He shook his head and stood up, hand outstretched for you to take as you stood up, “Nah, not for my gal. How about that nice cafe we saw on the way in this morning? I shouldn’t get in too much trouble for stealing you away for a little while.”

“I don’t know, Steve, Fury’s got me working on something really improtant. I think a ship is involved? I tuned out halfway through his explanation. But I found something weird in the system.”

“Unfortunately, it’s SHIELD, and something tells me you’re always going to find something weird in the system.”

You sighed, “Yeah. Not like Fury would tell me anyway. Eh, I’ll hack him.”

“I thought part of your contract was to make it so your dad couldn’t hack him again?”

“Nothing is totally inhackable,” you laughed. “Besides, Jarvis does it for him, or a program that I wrote for him does it. Maybe it’ll take longer, but it’s still happening.”

“Right, I’ll pretend I understood that,” Steve said making you laugh. “Do you still want to come out?”

“Eh, fuck it, not like SHIELD will collapse if I don’t look at some stupid Star ship or whatever it’s called,” you replied. “Take me away, Steve.”

Steve shook his head at your antics, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he gave your hand a gentle squeeze. Glancing back at the cafeteria that you were leaving behind, you raised an eyebrow and looked up to Steve, playfully tugging on his hand, “You smell something wrong in that kitchen, don’t you?”

“I am just saving you from what I smelled to be a really, really horrible  looking steak salad toady.”

“Oh, god.”

“I warned them there’s something wrong with it, no one listens. Let them get sick, you and me? We’re going to be completely fine.”

You cooed, “Aw, look at my super soldier protecting me from bad meat.”

Steve glanced down at you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders as you made your way to the garage together. He vowed, “Doll, as long as I’m alive, I will protect you from anything and everything.” 

Steve leaned down to kiss the top of your head, then kiss you on the lips before you exited the elevator and went to his motorcycle. You walked behind him with a little skip in your step and a grin that couldn’t leave your face, no matter how pained your cheeks were. This felt like an absolute dream. Steve was charming and sweet and you were long swept off your feet.

Sure, he was stubborn, so stubborn it made you want to punch him in his perfect face, but to you, Steve was the best man you’d been interested in. The only problem was how you were going to tell your dad you were dating part of the source of his daddy issues.

[crazycookiecrumbles]

The Getaway Trip

A/N: This is a prequel series to my Stark!Readerverse series. Those are all my stories that start with “A” and have some other shit following it. 

Masterlist

Stark!Verse Masterlist

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader,

Warnings: Flirting and Fluff

Summary: You and Steve had been doing al ot of work lately, and he felt like it was time for a break.

W/C: 1,792

You were exhausted. You collapsed on the sofa in the tower and groaned. Staring up at the ceiling, you ignored the sound of footsteps until someone was blocking your light. You whined and brought your hand up to cover your eyes, the cast on your arm doing a good job of shielding you from having to look at this person.

“Told you that you were doing too much,” Tony said. “But, no. Spawn doesn’t want to listen to me. Spawn thinks she knows more than her dad.”

“I mean, don’t I?” You joked.

“Kid, everything you think you know, I’ve done a hundred times over.” Tony sat down on the sofa, not caring that he was squishing you between himself and the back of the sofa.

You whined, “Don’t fart on me, please. I smell your green drink from here.”

“No promises,” Tony took a long sip of his beverage. “Can I get you anything? Spa day? Snacks? Want to make a fort and watch movies and tell everyone else they’re not allowed and gatekeep the shit out of having fun?”

You sighed, “No…”

Tony scoffed, “Oh, I know what it is. You just want your boyfriend, don’t you? Isn’t he a million years old? Is this grooming? I should be against this.”

You rolled your eyes and lifted your arm away from your eyes to stare at your dad and his dumb smirk, “You’re dumb, dad, and you love him.”

“That’s a strong word. I tolerate him,” Tony said as he grabbed your cast and looked it over, “This should come off soon. Still don’t regret trying to warn Fury about Hydra?”

“Nope,” you  replied. “Cool first car-related broken bon ,though.”

“Probably not your last,” He quipped.

“Probably,” you agreed. “Hey, maybe we can go out tomorrow? Farmer’s markets, snacks, drive out to Long Island to go to the Aquarium?”

Tony thought about it. You didn’t know what was coming, but he did, so he couldn’t in his right mind make plans with you tomorrow. “I’ve got something to do tomorrow. How about we do it on Saturday? Farmer’s market is open then, too.”

“Okay,” you nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Okay,” Tony leaned down and kissed your forehead. “Rest up, kiddo. And don’t worry, I bet Steve’ll be back before you know it and you two can knit sweaters or whatever the fuck old people do.”

You snorted and kicked him, “Rude!”

“That’s my charm,” He squeezed your leg and excused himself after telling you to get some rest.

With a yawn, you shut your eyes and continued to relax on the sofa. You had been working a lot to avoid the fact that you missed Steve while he was off with Sam for the last two weeks.  They were out searching for Bucky after that whole Washington incident. You’d go with, but him making Fury’s car flip while you were taking cover in the backseat sort of made you break your arm.

Which absolutely could’ve been avoided, had Fury let you out to fight these guys, but instead, he wanted you to stay hidden in the backseat because if what you were saying was true, you were in danger as well: and you absolutely were, but that’s a story for another day.

For now, you had fallen asleep on the sofa and hadn’t realized it. You were out like a light, finally taking some much needed rest after all your computer work these last two weeks. You didn’t even hear the ping of the elevator announcing someone’s presence or catch the footsteps heading directly towards you.

Steve chuckled as he saw you. Upon arrival, he had asked Jarvis where you were immediately, wanting you to be the first person he saw. He stared at you for a moment and took in your sleeping form. Shaking his head with a smile on his face, he grabbed the blanket left on one of the other chairs and brought it over to you. As softly as he could, Steve draped the blanket over you and brought it up to your shoulders. He leaned down to give you a kiss on your forehead, and the action made you stir and open your eyes.

“Shoot,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“S’fine,” you murmured sleepily and rubbed your eyes. “I’m up. I wasn’t sleeping.”

He snickered, “No? You weren’t catching up on sleep?”

“Mmm, no. Why would I need to?”

“Oh, no reason. Not like you’d spent the last two weeks at all hours of the day and night sending me possible leads on Bucky,” he teased.

You shrugged a shoulder making him sigh and shake his head, the smile never leaving his face as you turned to your side and brought the blanket with you, “No luck on Bucky?”

“Not yet, but I know we’ll find him,” He nodded so very sure of himself. After a moment he grinned, “Hey, doll.”

You beamed, “Hey, Steve. I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” He leaned down to peck the top of your head before stealing a kiss from your lips. “I had plans for us, but you’re resting, I don’t want to ruin this.”

“No, no, what were your plans?” You grabbed his arm and yanked him down to sit on the sofa with you. “Hit me with it, Capcicle.”

“Well,” he reached over to grab your hand and lace his fingers with yours. “I was thinking I could take my best girl out to dinner since I’ve been gone for two weeks.”

“That is so sweet,” you began, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. “I can go, I’m not tired.”

He hummed, “Tell you what. I’ve got something planned for us tomorrow. We’ll be back Friday. Why don’t I just make a dinner for the two of us? We can sit here and watch movies, and head out early tomorrow.”

Your eyes lit up, “You’re taking me somewhere?”

“It’s nothing big or crazy,” he said quickly. “I hope you’ll have fun. I think it’ll be a nice time. I mean, well, now that I think about it —“

“Hey,” You squeezed is hand to get his attention. “As long as I’m with you, it’ll be amazing. This is exciting. What do I pack?”

“Oh, nothing. I asked your dad to take care of it to surprise you,” Steve said, then paused. “Which I’ve ruined.”

You laughed. Sitting up you grabbed his face and peppered it with kisses, “Steve Rogers, you are an adorable little Labrador. Come on, I’ll help you make dinner. Anything in particular you want to watch?”

Steve shrugged his shoulders and helped you up from the sofa. He left his duffel bag there on the floor as the two of you left the living area to head down to the kitchen, “Sam was telling me about some movie called The Hurt Locker, said there’s some actors in there that kind of look like him and Clint.”

“Huh,” You nodded. “Okay. I haven’t seen that for awhile. Let’s give it a shot. I think it’s a war movie.”

Steve groaned, “Can we —“

“Save it for another day? Yes. Let’s see, how about a TV Show? We can watch an episode or two.”

“Sure. What do you have in mind?”

You chewed on your bottom lip as you thought about it while Steve went to the kitchen to find some ingredients to whip up something for the two of you, “Ever watch The Sopranos?”

“Can’t say I have,” he said. “I just know that the ending upset a lot of people.”

“It was the perfect ending! Ugh. Okay. We’ll give it a shot tonight. Okay?”

“Sounds good, doll.”

~*~

True to his word, early the following morning you and Steve had hit the road. Tossing him the keys to your truck, Steve climbed in and set off on a journey that he did not disclose with you. All you knew was that you were on the road, his clueless copilot when it came to directions since you didn’t know where you were going, and you were in charge of music and getting snacks at every rest stop you went to.

Naturally, this trip was peppered with selfies and silly videos to send to the team showing that Captain Steven Grant Rogers did, in fact, know how to have fun.

When you were closer to your destination, Steve knew he had to say what you were doing. You caught the sign that said, ‘Welcome to Newport, Connecticut,’ and you stared at him in surprise.

“I,” he seemed sheepish at the suggestion. “I thought it’d be a cute getaway. There’s a lot of historical things around here, and you mentioned wanting to get away to somewhere quiet. I got us a room at this place called the Hydrangea Inn. I thought we could see the Illustration Museum, check out a tour for a winery or brewery, go through the orchards, have some nice, quiet candlelit dinners?” 

Steve watched your face as you stared ahead of you silently. He worried that maybe this wasn’t going to be the best idea, and your silence was deafening. He gripped the steering wheel tighter and took a deep breath so he could figure out what to say. Just as he was about to say that if you didn’t want to be here, he’d drive back home, you screeched and clapped your hands.

“Yes!” You exclaimed. “This is exactly what I need right now! And I get to be here with you!” You were beaming as you turned slightly stare at him, “Thanks, Steve. I’m, I’m, I don’t know! I’m excited. This is perfect. Thank you, I can’t wait to spend the next few days here with you.”

Relief washed over him as a toothy grin appeared on his face, “Me too, doll. After everything that happened in Washington, I just thought this would be a good idea.”

“It’s an amazing idea,” you sighed dreamily. “Ya know, I’ve never met a guy like you Steve.”

“You always say that, you know, what do you mean?”

You shrugged, “Everyone wants to fuck me as a bucket list item, ‘I fucked Iron Man’s daughter!’ which is so rude, because I’m an awesome Avenger,” you explained. “Or they just want to get close to my dad through me. But you, you don’t do that. You just want to be with me.”

He reached over and took your hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze as he spared a glance in your direction, “Always, doll. Just you and me.”

You felt your heart flutter out of your chest. To you, this was Steve. Romantic, caring, adorable, he was a dream, and you never wanted to wake up.

[crazycookiecrumbles]

The Rescue Mission

A/N: This is a prequel series to my Stark!Readerverse series. Those are all my stories that start with “A” and have some other shit following it.

Masterlist

Stark!Verse Masterlist

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader,; Pre Shang-Chi x Stark!Reader

Warnings: Violence, kidnapping, heads blowing up

Summary: All you wanted to do was enjoy your day off.

W/C: 2,618

Why was it so hard for you to have even a day to yourself? Honestly. you weren’t the most active field person for the Avengers. A lot of your work was behind the computer. While your father was an engineering genius, the things you could do with programming, the speed at which you could do it, it was impressive. You constantly ran the behind-the-scenes operations for everyone, and you were usually very on top of it for everyone’s missions. You went out in the field, usually, when it was so specific to your particular skill sets.

Or, whenever your dad specifically tried to keep you out, you always found your way back in because that usually meant he knew you were needed, but just didn’t want to risk you.

For now, you were in Beijing, hot off of a tech conference, enjoying the one day you had for yourself before it was time to get going back home. You had been ignoring calls for the entire day, both due to business and for the fact that when you  weren’t working, you just wanted to be left alone.

“Boss,” Your AI, Wednesday, began to say. “Your notification override code is being used by Agent Romanoff. It is urgent.”

You groaned, “Fine, fine. Put her through.”

After a few seconds, you could hear Natasha’s first sharp breath, “Stark —“

“What couldn’t wait, Nat?” You said as you leaned against the window in your car. “I’m in good-food heaven, and you’re interrupting my time to get good food.”

“We need your help,” She said quickly. “We’re in a mission. We’re separated and pinned down. You are the closest person available.”

You frowned and sat up, “What do you mean?  There were no missions scheduled. I didn’t —“ you paused. “What happened?”

“Rogers found out Hydra was planning an abduction, something about you getting on their nerves trying to find Bucky. He wanted to strike first, the facility closest to you was supposed to be low in population but our intel was bad. Clint’s hurt. I can’t get in touch with Sam, and they got Steve.”

They got Steve.

“Give me the coordinates and stay hidden,” you told her before ending the call. “Okay, innocent civilians trying to walk around, I am so sorry.”

You gunned it. You pulled out of your spot in traffic, honked the horn, and started speeding out of there as fast as possible towards the coordinates Natasha had messaged you.

“Wednesday, get me the fastest route possible,” you explained as you started to move out of your seat and into the back. “And take the wheel. I need to get changed.”

“You got it, boss.”

~*~

With a soft thud, you gazed out the mountainside. The coordinates Natasha had sent you were straight ahead. It took a moment, but after squinting you could see a compound in the distance. Near the compound, you were able to spot, with the help of Wednesday’s helpful gaze through your glasses, a small cave opening.

You made your way over. You felt around for a moment until you noticed how much the moss gave in at one location. You ripped it open, went inside, and after a few twists and turns you saw Natasha running her fingers through Clint’s hair as the man rested on the ground, head in her lap, broken leg on top of Sam’s lap.

“You found Sam, that’s good,” You remarked as you walked in.

“Hey, Starkest,” Clint weakly raised a very broken hand. “Nice to see you.”

“I’m so disappointed and angry at you all right now, but that can wait,” You walked over to them and dropped a duffel bag, “Antibiotics, some snacks. We’re out in 20. Start moving in about five minutes to the jet.”

“We can make that easily,” Natasha said as she started to patch up Clint. “If you can give us enough cover.”

“Oh, you’re gonna be fine,” You nodded as you took a protein bar out and ate half of it in one bite. “I got this, easy.”

“I’ll go with you, give you some support —“ Sam started to get up, but Clint used his good leg to kick at Sam and keep him from getting up.

“With what? That broken wing?” Clint scoffed as he forced himself to sit up. He laughed at the situation and held his ribs in pain, “You’ll throw her off.”

“You think I’m gonna let Steve’s girl walk in there by herself?” Sam looked at Clint like the man was insane. “You must be in pain because there’s no way you think that’s a good idea.”

“Here we go,” Natasha looked to you and rolled her eyes. You sighed heavily and finished your protein bar.

“Listen, Wingette, I was with this girl before you even got your wings. She’s crazy, and her man’s inside,” Clint said. “Stark’s got this.”

You wiggled your fingers to them as you started walking backwards, “Five minute head start. You’ll have a clean way to get to the jet, Steve and I will see you soon.”

Natasha smiled to herself as she watched you walk out, “Going in hard or soft, Stark?”

“You’ll see, Red!”

~*~

You went in hard. Very, very hard.

You landed directly in front of the compound. A stomp to the left, a stomp to the right, almost like a popular wedding song, and you were breaking the two watchtowers that had snipers on it which could potentially hinder the escape of the other three Avengers.

You waltzed right through the front doors. You raised your hand and bullets that were flying at you were dead in midair. You would use both hands to force your power out in front of you, various henchmen slamming into the stone walls, backs snapping at the sheer impact and force behind your powers.

In the compound there were alarms going off and red, flashing lights. You stood tall down one end of a long, narrow hallway. Down the other end of it, eight men were rushing towards you with guns ready to go on the offensive against you. You raised an eyebrow as your eyes began to glow a bright, beautiful golden color.

“Oh, this is just too easy,” you sighed to yourself.

~*~

Steve swished around the blood in his mouth and spit it at the ground. He could feel the facility rumble, and that act alone had him looking up at the ceiling. He knew what was coming: a rescue party, and, if it was who he was thinking of, a serious scolding.

“Why are you smiling?” The man holding the electric baton asked as he glared at Steve. “There is no one here to save you. There is no way out for you, Captain America.”

Steve openly laughed in his face. True, at the moment, he was stuck. The bindings on his wrists and ankles were magnetized, thick, and incredibly difficult to break out of with the addition of the drugs they kept him on with an IV to keep him weak.

“I think you’re wrong,” Steve smiled, a bloody grin that had him lifting his head from his chest after taken a moment to gather his thoughts. “I think you’re in trouble.”

Just as he said that alarms went off. His room was flashing red and he could hear the sirens that went all around the compound. His torturer in front of him looked around in a panic before looking at Steve, “Who did you send for?”

“No one. I’ve been here the whole time. I’ve got no way of getting help,” Steve answered casually. “You okay? Ya lookin’ scared.”

The man looked at Steve like he wanted to kill him. Angry, he jabbed the baton into Steve’s neck, causing him to scream out in pain.  As he was doing this, more men flooded the room Steve was in. They were intent on keeping their prize here. They couldn’t lose something as valuable as Captain America.

“Where is Y/N Stark?” The man shouted as he continuously held the baton to his neck. “Where is the Soldier?”

Another rumble ripped through the compound, and Steve could hear chunks of walls falling around him and people screaming in pain.

“I think you’re gonna find out,” he rasped with a knowing smirk on his face.

The door to his cell was blown open. It ripped off the hinges and slammed through all the way into the other wall, crushing a man beneath it. You stepped through the opening, looked around the room until your eyes landed on Steve, “You are in so much trouble.”

Steve smiled at you, “Hey, doll.”

You sighed heavily. One of them shouted a command in Chinese.  You whipped your head around and saw a baton heading right for your head. You quickly side-stepped it and their incoming attacks. You blocked a few punches, kicked one of them in the gut and smashed his nose with your knee. You performed a drop kick on another before getting back up and blasting the rest with your powers, the wall coming down and crushing all of them.

You exhaled slowly and looked around the room to make sure they were down before you looked to Steve, “Where’s the control?”

“Room next door,” he replied.

Nodding, you blasted a hole through the wall, which coincidentally made someone’s head blow up on the other side of the wall. You stepped through, hit the release button, and ran back into the other room. Steve was leaning against the wall for support while ripping the IV out of his arm.

“Did I say you were in trouble?” You asked him as you approached. “Because I don’t know if I said that you were in trouble. Because, Steve, you’re in trouble.”

You were scolding him. He knew you were upset. But he thought you looked so cute when you were angry, and the way your eyes looked when they glowed with power?

He was smitten.

“To be fair,” he began very quickly, “I was trying to keep you safe.”

“By keeping me in the dark,” you sighed as you helped him leave the room. “My dad does it enough. Why do you think I want you to do that?”

“So you can enjoy your one day of vacation in peace.”

“Does this look like peace to you, Steve?” you retorted.

He shrugged a shoulder, “Does it help if I say you bring me peace?”

“No, idiot.” You rolled your eyes and looked up at Steve who was staring down at you. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you do when you’re about to watch me use my powers.”

“I’m sorry you amaze me every single chance you get, doll.”

“God, you are so cheesy,” you laughed and looked around. “I’m going to get you out, and then I’m bringing the house down.”

He frowned slightly as he let you lead him out of the basement, “Do you have enough strength for that?”

“Just enough,” you explained as you two started to evacuate. “I’m counting on you to get me to the jet. Those drugs will be out of your system in no time — where the fuck is your shield?”

The two of you stopped walking when you heard footsteps. You both quickly turned around on the staircase and saw one of the Hydra agents running towards you with Steve’s shield. You both tilted your head to the side at the same moment to see this man try to throw his shield.

The shield fell two feet away from him.

The man stared down at the shield, then at the two of you. You quickly ran forward as he started to turn around and run away. You slid across the floor, grabbed the shield, and hurled it at Steve. He caught it, then flung it down the corridor to hit the man right on the back of his head. The shield bounced between the walls and landed back in Steve’s grasp.

“You’re feeling better,” you remarked as you raced back up the steps to meet him.

“And that was a good throw,” Steve winked at you and took the lead. “Come on, stay behind me. You’ve got to keep your strength if you’re going to take it down.”

“How noble of you, Rogers.”

Steve led the charge to get out of the compound. When you two were a safe distance away, Steve kept a watchful eye out while you  focused on the compound. The ground beneath the two of you shook for a moment before it shifted towards the compound. Steve watched in awe as the entire facility began to shake and rattle before it all collapsed in an instant in front of his very eyes like a bomb went off. 

His awe turned to concern when he saw your arms drop in front of you and your shoulders slump. Before you could fall, he quickly caught you and lifted you up in his arms while you draped an arm around his shoulders.

“Thanks for the save, doll,” He murmured as he leaned down to kiss your forehead, then your lips as he walked to where the quinjet was waiting.

“Always, boy scout,” you mumbled as you leaned into him. “That was more than I expected.”

“You did really well,” he praised you as he spotted the jet in the distance. “You’re getting stronger, you know that, right?”

“Maybe a little.”

He chuckled, “We’ve got to work more on your hand-to-hand. You rely on your powers too much.”

“Clint and Nat have trained me.”

“And you don’t use it,” he admonished you. “You’ll lose it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you waved him off. He scoffed and pinched your side playful as he entered the jet. He set you down on one of the seats and took the spot behind you as Natasha closed up the platform and prepared for takeoff.

You looked around and spotted Sam. You waited until he was staring at you, then you grinned and gave him the middle finger.

“Oh, fuck off, Stark.” Sam sighed.

“Never doubt the princess, Wilson,” Clint teased. “You good Cap?”

“Better shape than you, thanks to Y/N,” Steve smiled and wrapped an arm around you to pull you into his side. “You okay, Barton?”

“Eh, nothing I haven’t had before,” Clint waved it off as he lay there in the middle of the jet.

“Oh, before I forget,” you cleared your throat. “If any of you ever try to pull some shit like this ever again, I will kick all of you asses. I’m not a baby. Stop treating me as such.”

“Yeah, what she said,” Clint added.

“Fuck off, Clint. You knew.”

“Yeah, but I say we should tell you.”

“It’s true, he did,” Natasha sang from the front.

“Yeah, Cap over here just wanted to keep you safe,” Sam added. “How precious.”

“And how’d that work out for you, Cap?” You looked up at Steve who pretended to mull it over.

“Well, I’ve got you back in my arms, so I can’t say it went all that bad. Can you?”

“Yeah, no. I definitely can. Ruined my food tour I was going to take myself on. Sheesh, acting like it would’ve been my first time getting kidnapped. It won’t be the last, you know,” you sighed dramatically. “Next time, give me a head’s up.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Steve said with a firm nod. “Thank you for rescuing me, honey.”

“All in a day’s work being the coolest, strongest Avenger to ever exist in the history of ever,” you sighed dramatically. “And you’re getting me dinner.”

“Done.”

“No… making me dinner. I want steak.”

“As you wish, doll.”

[crazycookiecrumbles]

A Power Struggle (Part 1)

A/N: So this will be a two-parter at the least! Probably won’t go beyond that. Lemme know what you think?

Pairing: Shang-Chi x Stark!Reader; Platonic!Bucky x Stark!Reader; Platonic!Sam x Stark!Reader

Warnings: swearing, flirting/innuendos, threats, endgame references, 

Summary: Sam and Bucky requested your help in figuring out who the Power Broker is, and against your better judgement, you decie to do some undercovr work (that you hate) with your boyfriend who was now pretending to have taken his father’s place.

“Babe, have you seen my glasses?”

You raised an eyebrow and stopped putting on your earrings. Glasses? Since when did Shangqi wear glasses? As far as you knew, this man had perfect vision. What the fuck did he need glasses for?

“You own glasses?” You retorted as you shook out of your daze and finished getting ready.

The two of you were dressed in your best tonight. Why? You and Shangqi were going undercover as a favor to your two obnoxious best friends, Sam and Bucky. Why you were doing this you were half unsure and half pre-regretful of this decision. Sam and Bucky were trying to find leads on someone called a Power Broker. Given Shangqi’s connection to the ten rings, your dad being a Stark with a questionable past in weapons, and your own legacy, they figured the two of you would be perfectly shady to enter the criminal underworld together in Madripoor, especially given their, well, their last visit wasn’t the best.

“Yes, actually, I do own glasses,” you could hear him as he  walked towards the bathroom. You nodded to yourself and reached for your compact to finish your makeup. When Shangqi entered the bathroom and you saw his reflection in the mirror, you dropped your compact in the sink and couldn’t be bothered to see if the powder broke. 

“You do own glasses,” You blurted out, staring at him a little too hard in the reflection. You saw him start to grin as he stood behind you and slipped his arms around your waist to pull you against his chest.

“You like the glasses,” he smirked.

“No. They’re just, whatever. There.”

Shangqi could not stop smirking, “You think I look good in glasses.”

“Not at all. I actually think you look like a massive dweeb and this isn’t attractive.”

“No?” He hummed and slowly started to lean down to lick the shell of your ear, “Well, how about —“

“Please tell me y’all are not fucking in the bathroom,” Sam groaned as his footsteps were heard approaching the bathroom. You huffed and tilted your head back to rest on your boyfriend’s shoulder while he stood taller and looked towards the doorway. Sam stopped and looked him over, “Dude. I would not hire you to do any crimes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yo, man, look at this,” Sam waved over Bucky who had more interest in making sure Sam did not drink his whiskey than he did this conversation. Reluctantly, he walked over and shoved Sam slightly out of the way to get a look.

“Wow, professor,” Bucky snickered. “Trying to coax her into an extra credit assignment or something?”

“What—but I— I look great!” He argued. “This is the nicest suit I have! And that was just because the tailors were thankful I stopped them from getting robbed when I went for a fitting.”

Bucky sighed and looked to you, “Really? You think this is okay for undercover?”

“As himself, sure,” you replied as you grabbed your makeup to finish up and put it away. “As the new holder of the ten rings, well…”

Shangqi pouted, “Really?”

“You look amazing. But I trust you dressed like that,” You explained. “You really should look more like —“

“A shady bastard,” Sam finished. “Okay. Maybe between the three of us we can put something together for you.”

“That’s fine. I packed an extra suit. Second compartment of my bag,” You said easily, prompting all men to look at you. You scoffed, “Tony and Pepper in my lives for how long, and neither one of you think I would plan ahead or have a very strong opinion on clothes?”

Bucky shrugged, “She’s got a point.”

~*~

Shangqi changed into the new outfit, a completely black suit, no glasses, and his hair slicked to the side and perfectly parted. The sleeves for his shirt and jacket were pushed up revealing the rings on his forearms, and the sight made you walk straight into a wall.

“You dork,” Bucky howled with laughter.

“Damn, Stark, thirsty?” Sam cackled.

You hated them.

Shangqi smirked and leaned down so his lips were ghosting over yours, “Going to pretend like you don’t like this one too?”

You huffed, “So help me, if we don’t get to come back here and do deplorable things, I’m going to be so mad.”

He winked at you and stole a quick kiss. The two of you slipped on your earpieces. You studied the dossier once more to remember who you were looking for, and then slipped a tiny camera disguised as a pin in your hair. Together, you and Shangqi climbed into your rental and made your way to the club.

“Katy would die,” He muttered as he slipped into the driver’s seat. “She’s going to be so pissed she’s not here to drive this.”

“To be fair, we offered, but her grandmother guilted her, and I can’t go against a grandmother’s guilt,” You shrugged.

“No one can. She’s adorable,” He admitted as he drove.

~*~

When you both arrived, he threw the keys at the valet, and you could practically feel the pain in him as he did such a thing to a fellow valet. You snorted to yourself and patted his forearm as the both of you stood by the entrance. There was a giant crowd there, but once someone caught sight of who you two were, the crowd shifted. There were murmurs as they all stared at Shangqi and the rings on his arms.

But the concern came from you and what you typically stood for. A large, heavyset guard began to approach you telling you to leave, but before he could enter your space, Shangqi’s hand came out, a fist pressing lightly against the man’s chest as he warned him to back off.

“She’s not allowed here,” he explained.

“She’s with me.” Shangqi said easily, “Can’t you see my invite?”

The rings glowed and the man hesitated for a moment before stepping aside. Shangqi smirked and shoved him even further before holding your hand and leading you up the stairs.

“Honey,” you whispered quietly. “When this is over, I am going to rock your—“

“It’s an open comm-link!” Bucky shouted in your ear to stop you from saying anything too graphic for his delicate ears. “I don’t want to hear that.”

Shangqi winked at you, “Think you’ll be okay in here?”

“I got this,” you nodded comfortably and walked to the bar.

Shangqi seemed to be enjoying this playing the 'bad guy’ role a little too much. He asked where you wanted to sit and you pointed at a random spot, not really caring. Shangqi walked over, told them to leave and then pulled out a chair for you. As you sat down you whispered, “You’re a little too good at this.”

He nodded, “I know. I’m just doing what I think my dad would’ve done.”

He made eye contact with a bartender, snapped his fingers, pointed at the table, and someone came running over. They offered a bottle of Cristal and Shangqi deferred to you. You scoffed and rolled your eyes, “Do you know who I am?” You asked, and watched them nod hesitantly. “Then you know what I want.”

“I don’t —“

Shangqi grabbed him by the arm a little too tightly, “Your best rum. Leave the bottle.”

He ran off and you could hear groans in your earpiece.

“God, (Y/N). You are so corny,” Sam groaned.

“Shut up,” You hissed and looked around.

“Hold on, that’s your mark.” Bucky said, and you and Shangqi were quiet as you listened to him, “Boy toy’s six, purple velvet blazer. That’s Power Broker’s new mouthpiece. Calls himself Skelly.”

Shangqi cringed at the dumb name, “Why?”

“He likes to leave a clean skeleton behind of his marks. No one knows where all the flesh and stuff goes.”

“…Ew,” Shangqi muttered under his breath.

You sighed and nodded to the waiter who returned to your table. When he set the rum and two glasses down, you grabbed his wrist. Knowing who you were, you could feel the man tremble as he wondered if you were about to shatter every bone in his body. You smiled and slipped a sizable wad of cash into his hand. He thanked you profusely, sweat dripping down the side of his brow before he retreated.

“Those rings really command respect, huh?” You commented to your boyfriend who sat back in his seat, legs spread with one foot propped up on the seat next to his thigh, his other leg sticking straight out as he surveyed the area.

“It’s fear,” he explained. “Fear for over a thousand years.”

“…Bro, how old was your dad?” Sam asked.

“Is now the time?” Bucky scoffed.

“Shut up, losers,” You muttered to yourself. “Skelly’s looking this way. I’m getting serious wants-to-carve-me-alive vibes from him.”

“He’ll have to get through me, first,” Shangqi muttered.

Bucky and Sam continued to groan and gag over the communications link, making you seriously consider getting rid of the earpiece. Before you could tell them to shut up again, you noticed that Skelly was making his way over to you. You cleared your throat, nodded to Shangqi, and chugged some of the rum before Skelly approached.

“Now isn’t this an interesting duo,” Skelly remarked. “(Y/N) Stark and…you. You are not Wenwu.”

Shangqi kept a straight face but narrowed eyes as he stared up at the man, “Xu Wenwu was my father. I’m Xu Shangqi. I run things now.”

“You run things now,” He repeated as he stared at him before sticking out his hand. “Good to meet you, Shangqi.”

Shangqi stared at the outstretched hand and did nothing but lift his own to bring the glass of rum to his lips. Taking a long sip, he set it down and stared up at the man who withdrew his hand, “What do you want?”

“I want to know why an Avenger is here,” He turned to glare at you.

You laughed, “Haven’t you heard? The Avengers are gone. I don’t do that anymore.”

“I find that hard to believe,” He began. “Iron Man’s daughter, Captain America’s whore, and I’m to believe you’ve left those good morals behind?”

“Oh, shit,” Sam sighed.

“Stark, do not kill him. Do not attack him!” Bucky warned, knowing you were about to break this guy’s face.

In what he was sure his father would do, Shangqi kicked Skelly’s knee in. When Skelly fell to bended knee, Shangqi grabbed him by the throat and lifted him just enough to slam him down to the ground and hold him there by the throat. You sighed and slipped out of your seat to crouch down beside Skelly.

“Sorry about him. He’s protective. You get used to it.” You went on to explain, “Everyone I loved is dead. And for what? Not even a thanks. So, yeah, my morals changed. All that good work for shit,” you stood up and sighed, “So, are we going to talk business or does my new man need to show you how he runs things now?”

Skelly offered a smile that reminded you of a shark. He tapped Shangqi’s arm twice, and the man reluctantly loosened his grip and let him go. Standing tall, Shangqi adjusted his suit while Skelly rubbed his own throat.

“Why don’t the two of you come back with me? There’s someone here whose business might interest the both of you,” he explained. “They hold a lot of power.”

Shangqi looked to you. You shrugged and nodded a shoulder. He nodded to you once before telling Skelly to lead the way. Shanqi outstretched one hand to you while shoving the other in his pocket. He pulled you close to his side, the action making you stumble just a bit into his side.

“Easy, tiger,” you muttered.

“Just making sure they know you’re mine,” Shangqi replied as you now realized how many eyes were watching the two of you. You wondered what that was about, but decided to let it go under the assumption that he was just really, really falling into his role of a bad guy.

You both walked down a narrow hallway, Shangqi walking behind you with a hand on your back so that no one could sneak up on the two of you, just in case this was a setup. Skelly stopped in front of a purple door and held the doorknob before looking over his shoulder at the two of you.

“Allow me to introduce you to the Power Broker.”

To be continued.

[watchtowerindistress]

we all have our secrets (1/5) - shangqi x asian!reader

Summary: Y/N receives a visit from a familiar face with the sinister news that the past can't be buried, endangering the life she built with Shaun.

Word count: 3.4k

Rating: M

Warnings: oral sex (f!receiving), dominant vibes, explicit language, fluff

Relationship: Xu Shangqi x asian!reader

Additional tags: Kinda during the events of Pre!Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings and post!Hawkeye/Black Widow

Author’s note: Would you look at that? This series title sounding so familiar with my we are not series. That sex scene wasn't even supposed to happen. This is what happens when I'm trying some normalcy between two partners. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I'm getting my booster shot today, so I just wanted to give you something, in case I no longer function properly.

Hope you're alright with me including an Asian reader, I just wanted to write something which would take my own heritage into account and a selfish and horny part of me just wants to imagine myself getting with Shangqi. I really hope I don't lose any readers because of that.

*Smut under the cut*

Tag yourself | Series Masterlist | Masterlist | Bring me a cuppa

Tagging: @mellowstatesmanhandsempath @ravenmoore14 @yourwonderbelle @ponyboys-sunsets

~ One week later ~

Something fluttered in her belly once the warmth from the sun was tingling, reminding her that Y/N was on the brink of awakening.

But a part of her wanted to stay blissfully in that dream. She barely remembered what had happened, only that someone was pleasuring her wet heat.

Y/N believed it was Shaun who was performing some oral ‘loving’ − God, how cheesy did that sound? − it would've been pretty weird if it wasn’t him.

She moaned under her breath and leaned her head back. Her hips moved to the rhythm, craving Shaun’s mouth in her dream. Disappointment followed when she opened her eyes and gasped out loud. Y/N hated that she was taken out of that slumber all so suddenly.

“Oh my God.” Instinctively, her fingers stroked Shaun’s hair, needing to feel his mouth even closer.

“You taste fucking delicious,” a husky voice mumbled between her legs.

A heavy weight was settled right between them while the heat of Shaun’s body made her stomach tingle. Y/N was smiling contentedly while she felt the sheets rustle over her legs and slightly pushed them down until Shaun’s dark hair made an appearance. A salacious smirk met her while he licked her clit with vigor. The darkness in his eyes revealed how aroused he truly was from pleasuring her.

“Well, good morning to you too,” Y/N purred and grinded her hips to feel him even deeper. She had lost all inhibitions and craved to get what she wanted from Shaun until her cum would trickle all over his face.

Shaun hummed with a low voice. “Hmm, good morning, beautiful.”

His tongue was swirling in circles on her swollen nub, letting heat slowly overwhelm her while Shaun was staring with hypnotizing dark eyes.

Y/N’s fingers clenched in his hair with the sucking sounds taking over the bedroom.

“Oh, just keep going. I’m so close,” she gasped.

Taking that as incentive, Shaun pushed her legs higher until they rested on his broad shoulders.

That was always something that fascinated her about him. How there was more to him than met the eye. Until he would take off his clothes and reveal the true extent of his muscles on that body.

Y/N’s thighs clenched tighter around the sides of his head, and she felt almost afraid of choking him.

That didn’t deter him at all while his fingers held tight onto her upper thighs, keeping her close. His mouth remained fused to her pussy as a deep groan left his lips.

“Don’t you dare move.”

Those vibrations against her pulsating heat and Shaun’s quick tongue going in rhythmic circles made her gasp out loud. She was breathing heavily with every stroke while he tried to chase her orgasm.

Soon enough, Shaun inserted his fingers into her tight channel while he licked with hungry obsession.

Soreness tugged low in her core. A whimpering noise echoed from her lips before Y/N tried to pull back, feeling far too sensitive already.

“Don’t move,” he reminded her darkly.

Shaun would have none of it as his fingers clenched around her thighs, needing her close until she would see black spots from the intensity and Shaun’s dominance.

Y/N’s thighs quivered with the rush of ecstasy taking over her body and heat filled her completely. Shaun lapped up the pooling liquid like a man starved and grunted from the taste.

Her muscles were still spasming before she felt herself relax deep in her bones.

“Oh wow,” she murmured and absentmindedly dried the heat settling on her forehead. “What kind of cardio was that even?” She swallowed thickly as soon as she was breathing normally again.

Shaun chuckled under his breath and let his kisses brush against her inner thigh. “It was my pleasure.” His body slowly crept up her body while his mouth explored it as he went and snuggled at her back.

Strong arms stroked against the skin of her stomach underneath an old shirt she had borrowed from her boyfriend- or … Shaun. Whatever they were.

And just like that, everything tingled from his mere touch while his lips briefly brushed against her neck.

“I don’t think I like you wearing my shirt, Y/N.”

The sudden change of subject prompted her to turn her head to glance backwards at him. The serious tone in his voice was in contrast to the light humor in his brown eyes.

“Uh huh?”

“In fact,” Shaun’s fingers dragged the fabric higher inch by inch to uncover Y/N’s naked skin to his eyes as they grew darker with dangerous heat, “I think we should take it off.” He was all about the suspense when his face inched closer to hers with dark intent.

Not able to take it any longer, Y/N placed her hand against the back of his neck and yanked him towards her until his soft lips brushed against hers. A moan left her as soon as Shaun kissed her with a greedy passion, tasting herself on his lips. Rocking his pelvis against her core, Y/N could feel his hardness probing her dripping heat. The coldness of his amulet settled on her heaving chest and cooled the heat of her body.

Y/N groaned at the feel of Shaun’s tongue exploring the depths of her mouth while her fingers stroked his naked shoulder, getting to know him all over again after last night.

It had been kind of intense and set her whole body on fire while the tips of her fingers had admired the taut muscles of his abdomen, rendering her a salivating mess. A shuddering sigh wreaked through Shaun’s body when she felt a few elevations on his skin that resembled small scars.

Shaun was breathing heavily and let hot air exhale against Y/N’s lips as his face was inches away from hers. His eyes roamed over her body in a mysterious air that rendered her speechless.

“You drive me crazy.”

Y/N’s fingers were softly – almost distractedly – stroking the hair at the back of Shaun’s neck. “I seem to recall you saying that last night as well,” she whispered seductively.

Shaun smirked. “And I remember you calling me ‘God’ a lot.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“Oh, am I?” His lips met hers in a soft caress, like some sort of good-morning kiss.

Humming low under her breath, Y/N couldn’t help wondering if she could remain in his arms and forget the world around them.

“What are you thinking?”

“You,” Y/N replied in an honest whisper, almost too scared to say it out loud. Like it was a secret just between them. “How much I like this.” She stroked his shoulders, enjoying the smooth sensation of his skin.

“Me too.” Shaun’s features appeared all soft as he asked in a murmur, “Are you hungry?”

Her eyes wandered over to his lips before she nodded mutely. “I could eat something,” she whispered.

“See you later, babe. Going over to Katy’s,” Shaun whispered against her lips in between soft kisses, letting warm air puff against her skin. “Miss you already.”

Y/N chuckled, but still sighed with the brief touches. “See you later, dork.” She pressed her lips together and stepped away from him with regret, loving the taste on her lips.

The flavor of boba was starting to become a distinct scent she would always associate with Shaun. He was secretly going to wreck her for any other guy.

“Now leave before I change my mind.” Despite knowing how candidly she truly meant it, she nudged him away to get rid of the temptation altogether.

Shaun put his hands in his pockets and revealed a pleased smile on his face. “Okay. I’ll see you.”

Y/N raised her eyebrows at his adorable antics. “Now go.”

He sent her a glance from under his eyelashes that made her reconsider her choice before he took over. “Okay, don’t have too much fun without me.”

Rolling her eyes, Y/N turned around and called over her shoulder, “No promises.” She was chuckling under her breath as she strolled in the other direction, hearing his footsteps recede in the distance with every step.

Y/N had just walked a few blocks down the sidewalk when the back of her neck was tingling with an uncomfortable sensation. A contemplative frown took over her features, forcing her to halt in her steps.

“He’s cute, you know.”

That voice. Instantly, Y/N felt her stomach drop as that familiarity hit, and the painful memories resurfaced. Not intending to go down that rabbit hole, Y/N kept walking and pretended like she hadn’t heard a thing.

The blonde assassin had no issue keeping up with her as she hurried to her side. “Oh, come on, just admit that you missed me,” she teased next to her.

Aggravation was shining in her eyes when they lingered on the familiar face. “I don’t have time for your games, Yelena.”

The Russian woman lifted her arms in mock surrender. “No games, promise. Just another Widow wanting to get reacquainted.”

Y/N snorted, as she refused to believe Yelena’s sudden innocent nature. The blonde woman might have her sentimental moments, but she shied away from showing it.

“Okay, that’s a lie, you caught me. You know after all this time, you’re still one of few people who could see right through me.”

All of a sudden, Y/N stopped in her tracks and let her hands splay on her hips. “What do you want?” she asked with determination.

As Yelena pursed her lips and tilted her head, a certain glint shone in her green eyes. “Maybe we could try one of American customs? Have brunch together?”

Y/N pretended like she was letting it go through her head. “I already had breakfast. Maybe next time, in another life, maybe.” She hoped Yelena would take the hint as she kept walking.

Her presence lingered steps away like a haunting memory she tried to leave behind.

“You made a promise, remember.”

The younger assassin’s resolute voice evoked a clenching sensation low in her stomach. Y/N clenched her jaw before she slowly turned around and for the first time took the time to truly look at her.

Since the last time she had seen her in the Red Room, there was something different about her. Her blonde tresses were tied in a messy ponytail and the tips of her hair fell in waves down her shoulders. Judging by her clothes - dark leather jacket over her dark green blouse which complimented her torn jeans, Yelena was growing into her own self.

It truly made Y/N realize what they all had been through and that they needed pieces of normalcy that reflected they were their own person again. That no one would ever control their beings ever again.

But there was something else. Something that was simmering under the surface.

“Why did I have a feeling you would throw that in my face?” Y/N inquired with a weariness in her voice.

“I’m not above fighting dirty if I have to,” Yelena muttered in her accented voice.

As much as Y/N hated her manipulation tactics, Yelena’s usage of them made her stop short and swallow. If the younger woman had it her way, she’d probably have the audacity to reveal herself to Shaun - or even worse - if she felt pushed into a corner.

Y/N placed a small smirk on her face. “But I guess there’s brunch for a reason, am I right?”

Yelena smiled at her approving words. “I so love when you see things my way.”

“Oh my God,” Yelena moaned loudly and closed her eyes in bliss.

One would think Yelena hadn’t eaten in decades, the way she was stuffing her face with pancakes.

A small part of her was staring in amusement while being conscious of the stares of the other guests.

“Those are some delicious pancakes. You want to try?”

“No, thank you.” Y/N smiled briefly while she was taking her time enjoying her cold beverage.

Perceptive green eyes followed Y/N stirring the blue drink. “Seems we both are craving small comforts, right? What’d you call it again?”

Y/N’s gaze turned soft, as much as she tried not to let her get to her. “Sago’t Gulaman.” She nodded once and whispered in agreement. “Small comforts.”

Yelena’s shifted around, like she was taking in her surroundings for the first time.

As if.

“You and your boyfriend go here a lot?”

Y/N sent her a look not to go there. “As if you don’t already know.”

Yelena shrugged. “I just think it’s nice. Going out, enjoying foods and drinks from your home.”

Y/N was watching her in consideration at her words. “That would require me to have a childhood in the first place,” she negated almost with boredom. The mention of her heritage still put a sour taste in her mouth, as much as she tried to regain her footing by touching on what she had missed. What the Red Room had done to all of them couldn’t be easily forgotten.

“And he’s not my boyfriend,” she mentioned with heat blossoming in her cheeks.

“Uh huh.” The blonde took a large gulp from her vodka and orange juice with a satisfied sigh. “It’s just … you Americans, and your weird food habits. Like pancakes for brunch? And with Screwdriver even? Who thought, huh? Maybe you really are Russians after all.”

Y/N took the time to glance outside while keeping the exits in her eyesight. “Well, thank God, I’m not an American, right?”

Like a giddy kid, Yelena was smiling with her face still stuffed with food. “Feels like old times, doesn’t it?”

Y/N frowned since Yelena’s memory seemed to differ from hers. “I don’t remember any fun times, not really.”

Yelena rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Surveillance, late at night. Just us and other girls.”

“You eating all the foods,” she continued painting the picture for her.

Yelena’s eyes widened. “Exactly.”

“You mean before Dreykov did the mind-meld on us? Those fun times?”

Exhaling heavily, Yelena leaned back in her seat and watched Y/N intensely with considering eyes.

Y/N leaned forward on her crossed arms on the table. “You want something, don’t you? So why don’t we skip the interrogation session covered as a moment of nostalgia, and you just tell me what you want?”

Yelena tilted her head. “What, no pleasantries? And I’m hardly interrogating you, Y/L/N.”

Y/N’s eyes turned serious. “I’m certain. I told you I was out for a reason. That part of my life is over.”

“I know that. And I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have other choice.”

Y/N nodded her head. There was a part of her that did understand, as much as she foolishly thought she had put the past behind her. “How are the others?”

“I’ve woken some of them by now.”

Y/N inhaled deeply, knowing how much this meant to Yelena, as it did to her. They were all her sisters as well. “Good. They’ve been under the Red Room’s control long enough. It’s time they woke up.”

“But it’s still not enough,” she admitted and averted her eyes. “Don’t make me beg,” she muttered under her breath, like a heavy secret weighing on her.

Y/N crossed her arms. It made her wonder that Yelena asked for help in the first place. “Why now?”

“Something happened to me while I was freeing Ana.” Yelena spoke slowly as she forced the words from her lips like it would free her by confiding in Y/N. “One second, I was right there, and next I blink, the next five years had passed.”

Y/N sighed. Getting dusted was not something she wished on anyone. Except Dreykov - that bastard could rot in hell. But still, Y/N felt for the young Belova.

Abruptly, Yelena’s head whipped in the air before her eyes zeroed in on her. “Do you know what it feels knowing you lost all this time of your life and the next second you find out your own sister died saving the world?”

Y/N had hoped the mention of her sister would follow way later. Or not at all. “I heard what happened to Natasha. I’m sorry.”

Yelena’s blank face saw right through her. “There’s no need to lie.”

“I’m too tired to talk ill of people who are dead. I never hated Romanoff.”

Yelena’s eyebrows rose. “No, you just strongly disliked her.”

Her ears were ringing once her last moment with Natasha came to mind. “She made her choice all those years ago. I was the one who stayed, trying to keep you and everyone else safe from the darkness of the Red Room.”

Yelena’s sudden sentiment of comfort took her by surprise when she covered her hand with hers. The warmth of her skin filled Y/N with a feeling of being home again.

“And you will never know how grateful I am that you did. I just … things are different now and I … never felt more alone than ever. It’s funny how I freed so many Widows, we have this network of female assassins, and I feel so isolated in this world.”

“You aren’t,” Y/N whispered with conviction.

Yelena tilted her head and gazed up at her from under her eyelashes. “So, you will help me?”

“You didn’t have to ask.” Y/N took a sip of her drink. “You know, all these manipulation tactics of yours weren’t even necessary. You shouldn’t have gone for the jugular.”

Looking teary-eyed at Y/N, Yelena replied, “You say, you’re not an American, and you still are sucker for this emotional stuff, admit it. Talking about emotional – how is that hunk of a boyfriend of yours?”

“Could you stop talking about Shaun?”

“Shaun…” Yelena spoke slowly, “He looks … delectable.”

“It’s weird when you’re trying to be a normal girl who’s just talking about boys, Yelena.”

“Does he know?” she whispered ominously and kept her gaze fixed on her while sipping her milkshake through a straw.

Y/N snorted, just imagining that scenario. “How would that conversation even go? ‘Hey, Shaun, listen, looks like I’m a world-class assassin who was trained by the best to manipulate men and kill them without even blinking. What do you want for lunch, babe?’”

The cynic in Yelena made another appearance. “Maybe you’re fooling yourself. A normal life, you think you can have that? How does that work, by the way? He’s in the kitchen, holding a knife in his hands, do you get flashbacks when that happens?”

“Kind of hypocritical to free all those Widows while refusing to believe they can ever be normal again.”

Yelena lifted her palms in the air as an offering. “I’m a deep well.”

“Let’s just get this over with. Where are we going?”

“Bucharest. Home of art and culture,” Yelena admitted.

“Maybe that’s why I’m lone wolf, nothing and no one is holding me back.” Yelena was still proving her sarcastic self and leaned next to the doorjamb while Y/N was trying to unlock the door to Shaun’s apartment.

Without looking at her, Y/N said, “That’s a sad way to live, Yelena,” and finally managed to open the door before she stepped inside.

She could feel Yelena shrugging behind her when she replied, “It’s a safe way to live.” She called out into the apartment, “Hello, boyfriend of Y/N’s. We come in peace.”

Y/N sent her a glare over her shoulder as she was passing her. “Shaun, you here?”

“You have key already? You’ve been moving fast.”

Y/N was glancing around as she muttered absentmindedly, “Stop stalking me. You sound utterly creepy.”

“What can I say? It’s a talent of mine.” She followed her example by going one step further and peeked at Shaun’s mail instead. “Did he dip already?”

Something caught her eye which made her frown. The familiarity of Shaun’s handwriting made her stop short before the beginnings of a letter stood out.

‘Dear Y/N…’

Y/N bit her lip once the message became apparent. Merely scanning the small letter, Y/N was still confused by the contents. Something about needing to do something important with Katy and that he was going to come back soon.

Not wanting to read anymore, Y/N let the piece of paper drop on the table again as heat grew in her cheeks. “Let’s just get out of here. The plane for Bucharest isn’t waiting forever.”

Yelena narrowed her eyes. “Mmmh, if you say so.”

[blackbat05]

Dog Days

Shangqi x Reader

A/N: Me seeing Simu with his dog. That’s the tweet. Hope you enjoy and as always, you know the drill! I literally wrote this whole thing in like an hour? Uninterrupted? And this is my 2nd write within 2 days? WOW!😯

Genre: PG-13

Warnings: Cute doggos🐶. That’s all. Come on, it shouldn’t be a warning even! I think I also proof read it but given that I almost wrote it at one go just be careful ya know🙂

***

You and Shangqi were neighbors - but you never really saw him because he was at Ta Lo when you just moved in.

Your hours could also be irregular as a youth worker making all those home visits and street drifting. I would also expect Shangqi to be pre occupied with official Avenger matters now that he’s on their radar.

So when the weekends rolled around, the both of you had looked forward to your much needed break.

Shangqi would be the kind who is religious with their weekend morning runs - getting his head in the game. Plus, he likes the vibes that the neighborhood gives.

Ok, you caught me here - Shangqi makes it a point to visit the Char Siew Bao stall after his runs. That settles his breakfast for the morning.

As for you, you were living alone in the big city together with your Daschund, Churro. He was your baby but you also had to make sure Churro didn’t get too fat. You certainly didn’t want any health complications to jack up your existing bills.

So here the both of you were, taking a walk in the park. Putting on your favorite playlist, you enjoyed the ballad flowing into your ears.

Everything was going well. A little too well.

All of a sudden you felt the leash tightening. Eventually, the sneaky little bugger ran off to who knows where.

Like owner, like dog. Churro was attracted to the delicious smell that was carried all the way to the park by the wind.

Shangqi raises his recently purchased Char Siew Bao in his hand, looking at it greedily. He couldn’t wait to devour this.

Suddenly, he feels a flurry of movement at his feet and then paws scratching against his leg. Shangqi looks down to see a ridiculously adorable, short-legged dog trying to climb up his leg. Must be the food.

‘Hey bud! Where’s your owner?’ Shangqi squats down, giving Churro a few belly rubs.

‘Churro! Where are you boy!’ You finally catch side of your loose dog, being rubbed by… Shangqi? The very same Shangqi who had just been recruited by the Avengers?

You wasted no time making your way over. ‘Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, I hope Churro wasn’t a nuisance!’ You apologized profusely, picking your squirming dog up.

Shangqi momentarily looses his train of thoughts. Why did he think that Churro’s owner was probably a young kid or maybe even an older adult? He didn’t expect you - a girl who managed to be so effortlessly good looking to pop up right in front of him.

‘Uh yeah… no worries,’ Shangqi tries to compose himself. ‘He was no trouble at all.’

Churro flops himself over, belly facing the sky as he tried to lick you. And oh boy… the laughter that emitted from you was nothing more than angelic.

Oh come on now, the sun rays that was peeking behind from your messy hair? That was a cherry on top. Now the gods were just simply messing with him.

‘Churro!’ You laughed. ‘Boy stop it now! Don’t embarrass me!’

After getting him to settle down, you decided to walk with Shangqi around the park to get to know each other better.

And that’s how you both knew that you were neighbors. ‘That’s crazy!’ He smiles at you, secretly glad not to end the day as simply knowing a friendly stranger.

‘Glad to know that I have such a dependable neighbor.’ You beamed at him, Churro leading the way.

Was today a time for Churro to suddenly act up? More so in front of an Avenger? An incredibly good looking Avenger?

A duck from the nearby pond had caught your dog’s eye. You should have anticipated what happened next but you were too caught up in the conversation.

Churro went absolutely bonkers - chasing down the poor duck in a full circle around you and Shangqi. Churro’s sudden spurt in energy had caught you off guard once again as the leash followed behind the energetic Daschund, wrapping you two together by the ankles.

‘Oof!’ You find yourself face to face with Shangqi. You would have enjoyed it but you didn’t want him to have a close up look of your face that was turning positively tomato.

‘God I have no idea what’s wrong with him today,’ you huffed in mock annoyance, attempting to untangle the mess that Churro made.

‘Let me,’ Shangqi chuckles, gently unwinding the leash, passing it back to you. Just then, his phone beeps in his jacket. ‘Oh great,’ he reads the message with a groan. ‘Um…’

‘Let me guess, avenger stuff?’ He nods, biting his lips. Shangqi really didn’t want to end this conversation so abruptly. And neither did you.

You asked him for his phone to punch your number in. ‘Call me for lunch - or dinner some time,’ you toss him back the phone. ‘I know a great that makes some mean Beef Noodles.’

With that, you waved him good bye as you carried a grumpy sausage away from the park. You were grateful for the assist but you really needed to have a conversation with this dog of yours.

Watching you leave, Shangqi sends a quick message to Katy, recounting to her all the events. As he leaves the park, his phone beeps again with a reply from his best friend.

‘Don’t mess it up this time jackass.’

Typical. Typical Katy.

***

A/N: As I typed Char Siew Bao - BOOM I wanted one too😋 HAHAHA! Hope you enjoyed this unexpected headcanon!😉