#suddenly i felt the wonder and joy of seeing my fave on the cover of j-14 again

[gruesome-beauty]

this issue of guitarist magazine that was available at our local barnes and noble literally has a full page fender ad with julien on the back btw

[sashi-ya]

𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡; 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐇𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 ⋆˙⊹ kyoraku shunsui x f! reader

request: @the-witch-of-one-piece Hello my love!!!! Happy holidays!! I hope your having such a wonderful holiday babes!!! If I can please request the prompt I want a hippopotamus for Christmas with shunsui x fem reader sfw please!!! Thank you so much mi amor! Love you !!!! 💜 |tw: none. based on the song "i want a hippopotamus for christmas. I'm sure Shunsui would have a daughter so the kid is a female | wc: 819 | masterlist | taglist: @zella07 @jin-supremacy01 @stygianoir @alexkanroji |

“What do you think she meant?” you ask, showing your husband your little daughter’s messy Santa letter. “That exactly. She wants a hippopotamus for Christmas” Shunsui says, laughing as he drinks his morning coffee.

You laugh with him, flipping some pancakes. And he continued laughing until total silence, something that for you felt a little weird…

You turn around all of a sudden, narrowing your eyes at him while he scrolls on his phone. “Shunsui Sozosuke Jiro Kyoraku you are not buying her a hippopotamus”.

The man with tied long hair and sharp features rolls his eyes. “Fiiiine….” he grunts, leaving the phone over the table to take another sip of his coffee as you go back to the pancake flipping.

“Alexa… where can I get a hippo?” he suddenly whispers to the little device over the counter. “SHUNSUI!” you scold him, trying to repress your laughter. It’s crazy how much this man loves his daughter. Where is he planning to put that animal, after all?

Of course the conversation had to be cut short, since your baby daughter come down the stairs with still sleepy eyes but driven by the smell of momma’s breakfast.

“Good morning my sleeping beauty” Shunsui salutes her, as she sits her on his lap. “Mworning daddy” she mumbles, rubbing her eyes to shake the sleepiness away.

You hide the letter from her, since none of you should read it but Santa. And bring her fave food to the table. As you sit, and kiss her forehead you think about ways of asking if she actually meant a real hippo or maybe just a toy that looks like it.

“So, (----)… what did you ask Santa this year?” you inquire her, as Shunsui helps her cut the pancakes with care.

“A hippo, mommy” she says, proud with one of her cheeks stuffed.

Shunsui laughs loudly, looking at you with that classic “told you” smirk. “A real hippo? Not a cat, nor a dog?”

The kid turns around to look at his father, using her two tiny hands to grab his face. “Pappa, I don’t want a cat, nor a dog nor a tyrannosaurus rex. Only a hippo will do” she says, assuring it.

“We will see if Santa can bring you one. You know, those live in Africa and are pretty heavy for him to carry. Plus, do you think a hippo will be able to pass through our chimney?” he says, tucking one of her curls behind her ear.

She takes a few minutes to process the information, and ultimately she arrives at a conclusion; “Just let the front door open, daddy. It can fit right through it”.

“Honey, a hippo will eat you up alive!” you tell her, trying to scare her… but the kid is way more intelligent than you thought.

And as she jumps from her daddy’s lap she comes closer to you. “Aunt Nanao told me those are vegetarian”.

Shunsui covers his face, he is so weak for his tiny little bundle of joy. “My my, little one… we will see what Santa has in mind for you then. You should be really nice if you want him to bring you such a gift!” he says, looking at you with a soft look that shows he has something in mind.

And because there is nothing he wouldn’t do for his daughter, he quickly solved it with his best friend that same night…

After tucking their baby, and waiting for her to finally fall asleep, Shunsui pulls you closer in bed. The book you were reading ends up on the floor, but you don’t care.

“Honey, do you know about (….)’s gift? Ukitake has given me the best idea!” he says, snuggling you against his wide chest.

You widen your eyes, surely you care about your daughter’s gift, but, you had forgotten for the rest of the day. “Oh yeah? What do you and your soul sister have in mind” you tease him. You know very well how much those two love each other and how many years they’ve been together like brothers.

“He- you- come on! (Name)-chan!” he protests, but he continues. “So, he told me about a special day at the Zoo. You know they have hippos there, right? It’s more or less like a sanctuary where they are recovered and ultimately sent back to Africa”.

You smile, kindly. That’s beautiful and kind and it would probably fit your baby’s desires very well.

“So, I thought… we can give her a little invitation letter on Christmas morning. As if the hippos were inviting her to visit them and because they have to go back to their home they cannot come here. What do you think? Giving her the whole fantasy and experience? She would also learn something about animals and their habitats!” he chimes, excited.

“Shunsui… you are the best father a kid could ever ask for…” 💖 ~

[whoisbxcky]

In Heaven An Hour

request: Hi darling! Would you mind writing an imagine where Bucky thinks you died in battle (he loves you but hasn’t told you) and he holds you at the end but you’re alive and he saves you? Sorry if you think it’s stupid

pairing: Bucky x Reader

word count: 1200

warnings: all of the angst, because it’s me. (death, injuries mentioned.)

author’s note: First of all, I would like to stress that there is no such thing as a ‘stupid’ request. Please never think your idea isn’t worth my writing because I assure you, even if initially I don’t see your vision, I will work through it until I can write it to the best of my ability for you (obviously with the exception of some topics).

Second, THANK YOU anon, this was a rad idea and I loved writing it. Bucky is, if it wasn’t obvious, my absolute fave and angst x Bucky is just *chefs kiss*.

I hope you all enjoy this little emotional roller coaster, stay safe, stay fabulous. Peace and love. ~ Toria <3

“Bucky… Come on pal…”

“Barnes…”

“I’m so sorry…”

“Oh, Bucky…”

Bucky dropped to his knees; his shoulders slumped in defeat. He could hear the sound of his teammates calling to him, but Bucky paid no mind to them. Their voices were far away, muffled to his ears, as if they were all underwater.

That was how Bucky felt right now. Underwater. Trapped. Unable to breath. To reach the surface. To reach the light.

To reach you.

You lay a mere inch in front of him, and yet, you had gone where he could not follow. You were in another place, far from the catastrophe of the battlefield. Somewhere peaceful, he guessed from the blissful expression on your bloodied, bruised face.

As one trembling flesh hand reached out to wrap around your waist, pulling you into Bucky’s lap, the other, sturdy and cold, tangled in your hair that was slick with blood that was not your own and dirt from the ground on which you lay. Bucky choked back a sob, burying his face in your chest as he rocked you both backwards and forwards gently.

“Oh… Y/N… I’m so sorry doll…” He whispered to you between gasping breaths.

You couldn’t be gone. You just couldn’t be.

And yet.

You were.

Bucky faintly noted the sobs and gasps coming from behind him, dully aware that he was not the only one in mourning right now. But he could not bring himself to pull away from you and allow anyone else near, instead tugging you closer into his broad chest, as if he could somehow protect your lifeless form from the truth.

A truth he himself refused to believe.

“Doll… Please… You can’t be gone. You just… You can’t.” He murmured into your tactical gear. “I never… Never got the chance to… To…”

He broke off again with an anguished cry, and for a few minutes the only sound audible in the desolate ruins of New York was that of the weeping Soldier.

No one spoke. Nor did they make a move to console him. Not even Steve dared approach, well aware that nothing he could do or say in that moment would comfort his best friend.

After some time, Bucky’s sobs had reduced to sniffles and gasps for air, and finally he pulled away from your chest, staring down at your listless face in defeat.

Sighing, he released his grip on your waist in order to brush the stray strands of hair from your face. You’d always hated when your hair got in your eyes. You once threatened to shave your head entirely, when those stray hairs had caused you and him to lose a bowling match against Steve and Nat. He had laughed in response, but silently considered how you’d look radiant no matter what you did with your locks.

He swallowed hard, smiling wistfully down at you.

“I should have told you sooner. But I always thought we’d have more time…” He mumbled to you, gingerly stroking his fingers over your cheek.

“I love you, angel.”

Bucky let out a shaky sigh, leaning down to press a tender kiss to your forehead as his eyelids fluttered shut. He allowed his lips to linger on your chilled skin, savouring the feeling of your closeness, trying to etch it into his memory forevermore.

Suddenly, a strained whisper broke through the silence around him, as warm breath tickled his chin.

“Quite rightly so, too.”

Bucky pulled back with a start, inhaling so sharply he almost choked. Wide-eyed and panicked, he glanced into his lap to find you, unmistakably alive, eyes barely open, soft smile on your lips.

“Y/N! I thought you were… You weren’t breathing… How…?” Bucky stumbled over his words, gripping your face in his hands so tightly you couldn’t help but groan in protest, causing Bucky to flinch and hastily loosen his grasp.

You met his frantically puzzled gaze and covered his metal hand with your own, offering him a wry smile.

“I couldn’t very well die after a confession like that now, could I?” You mumbled, wincing as you tried to sit up.

Bucky stared at you incredulously for a moment, gently pushing you back into his lap instinctually as you groaned in pain once more.

You might be alive, but getting crushed under a Leviathan hadn’t exactly left you unscathed.

You hurt. A lot.

Bucky let out a breath, chuckling as tears of relief streamed down his cheeks. Your face cracked into a warm smile in turn, and you reached out with trembling hands to wipe away the droplets as they fell.

“I just can’t believe…” Bucky let the words out in a breath, staring at you in wonder.

“Believe it. You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Barnes.” You whispered back, gripping his flesh hand in yours and bringing it to your lips, smiling through tears as your pressed a gentle kiss to the skin there.

Bucky nodded, roughly wiping his eyes with his free hand. He let out a shaky breath before clearing his throat.

“We should get you out of here, doll. Get you to a medic…” He trailed off, busying himself with manoeuvring his arms in such a way that he could scoop you up without causing you too much pain. You merely nodded in response, exhaustion seeping into your very core as the adrenaline began to wear off, and the pain from your injuries began to amplify.

After deftly lifting you up bridal style in his arms, Bucky turned, and began to make his way back through the battlefield. You were vaguely aware of your teammates’ presence as you passed them. Some were simply staring in disbelief, others cried with relief, shock, joy. But you paid them little mind. All of your focus, or at least all that you could muster as your mind slipped into unconsciousness once more, was transfixed on Bucky.

“Hey… Bucky?” You murmured into the crook of his neck, your voice thick with fatigue.

“Yeah, doll?” He murmured back, tightening his grip on you ever so slightly as he walked.

“I love you too, you know.” You confessed with a delicate whisper, nuzzling your face into the warmth of his skin, relishing in the familiarity of his smell.

Entirely at peace in the arms of the man you loved, you felt yourself giving in to the exhaustion as it overcame you like a crushing tidal wave. You faintly noted the sensation of Bucky’s lips against your forehead once more, and a small smile crept onto your lips as you considered the future you would enjoy with him once you woke.

And with that, you surrendered yourself to the welcoming darkness.

[arthurflecksgirl]

Imagine giving Arthur a clown soft toy🥺

Plushie clowns and happy tears 

was a Headcanon I wrote a while back. It was one of my first I think.

I`ll copy it in here:

* When Arthur was still a little boy he had no toys at all. Penny didnt have much money and she wouldnt try to get him at least even one single toy. He knew that toys existed, though. He saw other kids on tv playing with teddy bears and plastic cars. Little Artie always looked at them with a heavy heart. He wished so much for  just one toy.

*When he would ask Penny if he could have one, she would always say that she is poor and can`t afford such unnecessary stuff. That he didnt needed toys anyway, because he was already such a happy boy.

*Arthur wasnt happy. And watching the kids in the movies playing in their bedrooms made him even sadder. He didnt had his ow bedroom eighter. He slept on a matress in the corner of the living room, right beside the radiator. He always thought it would help him a lot to have something to cuddle with while lying there. Stuffed animals were his faves. No one ever hugged him, so at least he would have something to hug and cling on.

* Sometimes he wished for a present from his mum on his birthday.  But it never happened. No one ever mentioned his birthday. Some years he even forgot his birthday himself. It was like it doesnt even existed. It was like HE doesnt even existed. He just wished Pennys boyfriend also thought he didnt existed. But he did.

*One day, when he got hurt by Pennys partner again, little Artie would run away from home. Running down the streets in Gotham city. He didnt knew where to go to. He wished he had a friend, but he was all alone in the world.He thought that  If he had a friend right now, he could go there and maybe he or she would have some toys to play with together. Maybe even a teddy bear.

*Gotham was a very ignorant city. They didnt even noticed the little kid running around without his parents. Arthur sat down on a bench. He wanted to cry but he couldn`t.  He felt the urge to cry so many times, but it was difficult for him to make the tears come. So it was just a feeling of being chocked. No one could see how he felt inside. That he was getting short of air.

* After the air came back again he would walk down the streets and find a junk market. He saw one of those markets before when Penny neeeded a new jacket. It was people seeling their old stuff for a cheap prize. Arthur walked through the pretty crowded place. Many clothes and books. Sometimes he watched people buying stuff and looked at the differents things with curiousity. But he never dared to touch or ask for something.

*After fiveteen minutes of pushing himself through the crowds he would see the most colorful tables of them all. It had stuffed animals, plastic cars, puzzles, games and other  toys all over. Arties couldnt belive his eyes. It was so beautiful. He made a stop right there, staring at the teddy bears.

*The old woman sitting behind the table looked at him and asked him if he lost his parents. He didnt answered. All his attention was focused on green hair sticking out between the different teddy bears. It chatched his attention right away.

*“I see you are looking at something?” the woman asked. Arthur pointed at it “Does that one teddy bear have green hair?”. The lady smiled “Oh no, thats not a bear.” Her hand was reaching out for it and she pulled out a small plushy clown with yellow vest over  a checkered jacket. Arthur loved the huge, curly, green hair and his painted face.

*The old lady showed him the plushy “He`s got one big, smile,huh? He was always my fave but I am getting old. I dont need him anymore.”

*Arthur kept in staring at the small clown. There was something about this toy that made him feel less sad when he was looking at it. The woman asked him one more time if he was all alone here. And Arthur told her that he ran away from home, which alarmed the woman right away. She told him that he cannot walk around Gotham all alone. That its a dangerous city for a small kid like him.

*The old lady touched the hair of the plushy clown. “Would you promise me to go back home if I give you Mr. Clown?”. Arthur nodded sadly “But I dont have any money”. “Thats okay, little boy. Just please go back to your parants,okay?” Arthur nodded one more time as she handed him the clown.

*He felt something that must have been joy when he held the clown in his hands. He touched the fabric of the clowns clothes and looked at his big smile. He looked up to the seller “My mum always tells me that I should put on a happy face”.

*“See?” the lady said “I am sure your mum is already worried about you. Hurry up!” And as litte Artie said thank you for the present and turned around to leave the place, the old lady ran after him and told him “Hey, little boy, just to let you know. His name is carnival”.

*30 years later

*Arthur was having nightmares again. He woke you up in the middle of the night, just like you told him he should if the nightmares wouldnt leave him alone. And it would happen a lot.

*You told him that its okay and turned on the lights. He was covered in sweat, his brown culs hanging heavy upon his forehead, dark bags under his eyes. He was even having trouble breathing a bit.

*You wrapped his arms around him tight as he was kneeing on the bed. Usually there were no words needed. Hugging him was enough. He just needed human connection. Something he never experienced in his childhood.

* He told you that it was memories of his childhood again. He wasnt sure which part of his nightmares were based on true memories and which ones were just stuff his mind made up while sleeping. He always had this one dream about his only toy being taken away from him. A small, plushy clown he found at a junk marked after running away from home. He didnt even remembered who it was that took th plushy away from him, but the pain of losing his one and only toy was unbearable for little kid Artie. It wouldnt even leave him alone 30 years later.

*After you managed to calm him down , he would crawl back under the sheets again, pressing the pillow against his face to build a shelter.

*The next few days you thought about his memories a lot and wondered how you could help him with that. You might not be able to change the memories but maybe there was a way to comfort him. And suddenly soemthing came to your mind. What if YOU would make him his own clown plushy all by yourself? He told you so many times how his old one looked like and you were really good in  knitting. So maybe you should give it a try?

*You started to knit a small clown the next day. You had everything you needed for it. There was just some meterial missing that you needed for his clothes,so you bought some fabric to make sure it would look like the plushy he discribed. It took you some days and you were hiding your work in the wardrobe between your sweaters to make sure he wouldnt find it before its finished.

*You were really excited about the thought that you might make him happy with the clown plushy. Knitting it for him made you happy,too. You put all your love in it. Thinking about kid Artie always made you sad but now he wasnt alone anymore. He wouldnt be alone ever again. You loved him with all your heart and you would never leave him alone ever again. He knew that.

*As the clown was finished you looked at it and felt satisfied with the result. His smile was big and bright red. You even managed to make the green hair look real puffy and curly. The jacket looked a bit big on him but you thought this would be just right.

*Early in the morning after you made some coffee, when Arthur was still asleep you tip toed back to the bed and placed the plushy right beside his pillow, so he would see him right after he wakes.

*You sat beside him on the bed, sipping your coffe, reading a book and twenty minutes later he started moving, mumbling something you couldnt understand, before he opened his sleepy eyes.

*You touched his messy bed hair “Hey, my love. Good morning”. Arthur immediately saw that there was something lying beside his head. He asked you what it is and reached out for it.

*You could never forget his face when he saw what it was. He wanted to ask you where it came from right away, but he couldnt say anything. He just looked at the small clown. And at you. And back at the plushy. His eyes watering, tears of happiness running down his cheeks, as he pressed the plushy close to his naked chest.

*You crawled up to him, laying your loving arms around his fragile shoulders “I hope it just looks like the clown from your childhood, Artie. I knitted this one for you myself. I thought you need your little friend again”.

*Arthur pressed the clown even closer to him, he was crying so hard. “I don`t know what to say” he whimpered. “This makes me so happy. YOU make me so happy. I don`t deserve it.” He smiled between the tears “Look at his big SMILE!”. He gave you a sloppy kiss on the lips. His face wet from crying.

* You kissed his salty tears away. One by one. A taste of his happiness. The happiness he deserved so much.

*Arthur took a close look to every detail of the plushy. “He is holding a sign with his name on it!” he said.

*Yes Artie, he does. Remember you told me the name of your childhood plushy? I didnt forgot.

*Arthur`s smile grew even wider than the clown`s smile. His eyes lighted up as a single tear fell on the plushy´s sign which said “MY NAME IS CARNIVAL”.

------

So yeah....

Oh my god, Arthur would be the cutest when receiving a clown soft toy or a plushie. He would be so moved. Artie is a little boy at heart and he deserves to get all the things he never got when he was a kid.

He would be in tears. Happy tears. I often imagined this. I think he would hug it all night long when you wouldnt be home.

I would definitely give him one!

[ciarawritesmarvel]

number five - steve rogers x reader

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: A lot of language, I’m sorry, it just really fit with the character I was writing! Also, pregnancy ands kids and all that with some fluffity Steve

A/N: This is my entry for @teamcap4bucky‘s 2K Celebration! Congrats on 2K lovely, you absolutely deserve it and seem like a wonderful person! I had a lot of fun writing this, as I don’t often write about our faves having kids...couldn’t help myself this time though. And don’t forget, on Wednesday we begin Hello Spring! Anyway, without further ado...

Prompt: “Turn around for me baby, I want to see you.”

masterlist is in my bio and tags will be in a reblog...enjoy!

---

“Keep that man away from me!” you shout, storming off the quinjet with purposeful steps into the compound.

“Sweetheart, please!” Steve called out to you, a desperate note in his voice that tugged at your heart strings and would have sent you back into his arms had your mind not been swirling. Instead, you ignored him and continued the way you were going, getting inside, rounding the corner and putting as much distance between you and the bastard as possible.

As soon as you were well away from him you stopped walking and let out a guttural screech, punching the wall before you knew what you were doing. You’d hardly punched it hard, your self-preservation instincts kicking in to stop you but the sting in your knuckles stopped you from doing it again, even if you really, really wanted to. You let out a shaky exhale, closing your eyes as you leant your head against the wall, your body giving in to the exhaustion as all the adrenaline leaked out of your body.

“Y/N?”

The voice behind you put you back on edge, but the fact that it wasn’t Steve’s at least meant you weren’t going to run away. You turned your head, still leaving it against the wall and looked at the intruder on your private moment. “What do you want, Romanoff?”

“Just checking on you,” she walked over with her hands held up in surrender, coming to stand next to you against the wall. She stared at the wall opposite as she spoke, “Any reason you’re more pissed than I’ve ever seen you and punching the walls of the compound corridor?”

You groaned, clutching your hand and closing your eyes, tilting your head to the ceiling as you breathed deeply.

“My husband,” you began, not even being able to bring yourself to say his name, “Has done something unspeakable. Unforgivable.” Nat quickly looked at you instead of the opposite wall, surprise written all over her face.

“Are you being serious right now? I can’t tell if you’re-”

“Do I look like I’m joking, Natasha?” you cut through her words and she pressed her lips together. You could tell she was trying to stop herself, but it didn’t last long.

“What’s he done?”

Another groan from you. Whether it was the pain of your hand or the pain of the question, Nat wasn’t sure.

“Don’t ask.”

“I kinda feel like I already have,” Nat murmured and you opened your eyes just to glare at her. You sighed. You hadn’t wanted this to go this way at all.

“Okay,” you conceded, “So you know how we were separated during the mission? All on different sides of the building, when comms were down-”

“You saw Steve and Bucky kiss?!” Nat interrupted and you balked. She had always thought they would go for each other, but that view was not at all helpful right at that moment. Or ever, really, seeing as you and Steve had been married for 6 years.

“No! Why is that always your go-to? Would you let me finish? I was just about to enter the building, gun cocked and foot poised to kick down the door when-”

“When what!”

“When I threw up, Nat. I threw up!”

Nat’s brow furrowed of its own accord. You stood and waited with an unamused expression on your face as you waited for her to catch on. It took a few seconds, but soon her face was opening up in understanding, her mouth forming an ‘o’ as she worked it out. “No…”

“Yes. He’s gotten me pregnant. Again!” you covered your mouth as your words sank in, “Oh my god!” you exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air and pushing yourself away from the wall.

“Okay, stay calm, it’ll-”

“Stay calm? Stay fucking calm? Nat, I’ve got four kids. That’s more than enough. I mean three of those four were mistakes, for fuck’s sake!”

Nat raised a brow at you.

“Mistakes that I treasure more than anything, of course,” you said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. To you it was, of course. Your kids were the best things in your life, even if you hadn’t been intending to have four. Five, you reminded yourself. You were going to have five kids. You basically already did. Your hand came up to rub your stomach absentmindedly.

“I think you’re happy about this,” Nat deduced suddenly and you looked at her, with a clearly false look of disgust on your face.

“That’s absurd…”

“No, it isn’t. You’re happy about having five kids and you’re terrified that Steve won’t be. That’s why you were so angry with him. He doesn’t even know yet, does he?”

You stared down at the floor.

“...he thinks I’m angry because he accidentally threw his shield vaguely near me during the fight.”

“Oh Y/N,” Nat sighed and you wondered when the two of you had started pacing up and down the corridor.

“I mean, it wasn’t even that near me, I just panicked when he started talking to me on the flight back so I used that as an excuse to be mad.”

“Oh, Y/N!”

“Would you stop acting like a disapproving aunt for two seconds!” you took Nat by the shoulders as you spoke loudly and the two of you stopped your pacing. A few seconds went by as you stared at each other.

“You’re pregnant,” Nat whispered, the hints of a smile just beginning to blossom on her face and you couldn’t help but give in, a grin overtaking your face as you pulled her in for a tight hug, wrapping your arms around her shoulders.

“I’m pregnant!” you whisper-shouted excitedly, feeling the tears building in your eyes as you stood swaying in other’s hug.

“Shut up! You’re pregnant?” came a sudden extra voice in the corridor and your eyes widened as you turned your head in the hug to see the excitable puppy of Clint Barton sticking his head around the wall, eyes alight with joy. You pushed out of the hug.

“Nat fill him in, would you? I need to find Steve!” you were already running down the corridor, planting a quick kiss on Clint’s cheek and calling out again, “And don’t tell anyone!”

---

You found him in your shared mission room, standing at his wardrobe, staring into space. He’d changed out of mission gear, instead in jeans and a button up but he was wringing his hands together, anything but relaxed. It was his typical worried pose. You frowned. You’d been so unfair; just because you’d panicked in the moment didn’t mean he deserved such harshness, such cold looks and words. The guilt weighed heavy on top of you and you felt the tears prick your eyes again. The hormones had arrived already, you noted.

Without much thought, you strode over to your husband and wrapped your arms around his middle from behind, squeezing tight, resting your cheek on the muscles of his back and squishing into him. You winced when he tensed in your grip but relaxed when he did, feeling him melt into your arms, his hands resting on your own.

“I’m so so sorry, honey,” you whispered, pressing a kiss to his back through the fabric of his shirt, “I was such a bitch.”

“You’re never a bitch,” Steve assured you firmly and you smiled at the protectiveness in his voice, “But you did have me worried.”

His admission made your heart sink.

“I know, and I have no excuse.”

“I’m really sorry for throwing my shield near-” Steve began but you squeezed him impossibly tighter as you interrupted.

“Oh god, please don’t apologise! Your shield was nowhere near me and you damn well know it!”

He chuckled and you felt the vibrations run right from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. You leaned upwards and pressed another kiss, this time to the nape of his neck. His arms wrapped more firmly around your own.

“Well, I was pretty sure it was nowhere near you,” he said between chuckles, but once his laughter died down his tone became more serious, “Is there something else wrong, sweetheart? Not like you to snap for no reason.”

You steadied yourself. This was it. No time like the present.

“Turn around for me baby, I want to see you,” you said softly and Steve was quick to turn, your arms falling from him. The concern in his eyes was palpable.

“That sounds serious,” he said, half-jokingly but all jokes fell away from his expression when you just gave him a watery smile. He took your hands in his, “Okay, you’re scaring me.”

“Don’t be scared,” you reassured him, rubbing circles into his knuckles with the pads of thumbs, either to ground him or yourself, you weren’t sure, “I mean maybe be a little scared. But not too much. Or maybe not at all, it just depends-”

“Y/N.”

You took a breath.

“I threw up, on the mission.”

A pause. A long, lengthy, heart-wrenching pause.

“But you never throw up.”

Steve’s voice was barely there and you could tell he’d worked it out. He was slightly quicker on the uptake that Nat was on things such as these. Emotional matters. Still, he seemed in disbelief.

“I never throw up,” you agreed, “Other than when I’m…”

You trailed off, unable to quite finish your sentence as you felt the tears yet again, knowing that crying was a surefire sign too. As a pretty enhanced human being, throwing up was not a regular occurrence for you but for some reason, when pregnant, you threw up whenever and wherever you were, especially in the first trimester. So you didn’t even need to take a test. You knew.

Steve’s face was a picture, one that you wanted committed to your memory for the rest of your life and beyond. Tears welled in his eyes, grin splitting his face in half. He moved his hand, still holding yours, so that both of your hands were resting against your stomach. Your tears began to fall. It was all so surreal.

“You’re pregnant, doll?”

You nodded happily, a little burst of a giggle set free and Steve joined in the sound, laughing as he swept you up into an embrace, lifting you off the ground and into his arms. Your hands flew to his neck to keep steady, still giggling, legs flailing about above the ground. He places you down carefully, like you’re fragile, could break any moment. Hands find their way to your hair, cup your face lightly, hold you so that your foreheads rest together.

He leans in and steals a kiss, followed by another before he’s quickly kissing your whole face, forehead, nose, cheeks, lips, kissing your tears away and kissing the corners of your grin.

“I take it you’re not mad, then,” you concluded and Steve pulled back, looking at you agape.

“Mad? Why the hell would I be mad?”

He genuinely sounded puzzled and you felt stupid. Of course he wasn’t mad. You really were hormonal.

“I don’t know,” you admitted sheepishly, “I convinced myself earlier that you’d be mad or upset or something which is why I panicked when you came to talk on the jet and made up that shit about the shield.”

The pity came off him in waves and he tugged you in close again, hands rubbing shoulders, upper arms, shoulders again.

“Our family’s growing. That’s never going to be a bad thing,” he says succinctly, sure of himself and you’re sure too then. You believe him, trust him. And though you never planned on four, you couldn’t imagine it any other way. This would be exactly the same.

“I love you so much, Steve,” you said it as if it were a secret known only to the two of you, a special thing to be kept away, kept safe. He held your words to his heart.

“I love you too,” he replied, lungs all out of breath, “More than I can ever tell you.”

You stand for a few moments, basking in each other’s company, his hand and yours somehow weaving down to your stomach once again, yours resting atop his, fingers linked.

“It’s a girl,” you say certainly.

“Not this again!”

“I can feel it this time!”

“You could feel it last time,” he said, and though he might have sounded exasperated, you could tell by the glimmer in his eye that he wasn’t, not at all.

“How should we tell the others?” you asked, suddenly remembering that you’d have to break the news to your other kids, who you were 60% sure would be incredibly happy for you. Currently, they were deep in the left wing of the compound, far from the incoming/outgoing missions, business meetings and bloodied new recruits. The far left wing belonged solely to the Stark family and the Rogers family and was known as a strictly family friendly area, no mission gear allowed, no swearing, no shop talk. Tony, Steve and you took turns to go on missions when you were needed, so that there was always a grown up in charge. This time, with you and Steve required for a slightly more difficult raid, Tony was left with the six of them and you thanked your lucky stars that Pepper had been available too.

Apart from the fact that it was almost definite that Tony was teaching your kids how to make lasers or something right now. They always knew something new when you got back. Sometimes something good, sometimes something slightly worrying.

“Well, we took them to Disneyland for James, did the whole “What’s in the Box’ nonsense for Margie...what did we do for Alice again?”

“I think we just told Claudia that I was pregnant normally,” you answered, moving over to your wardrobe and changing out of your gear in record time, stepping into a cotton sundress perfect for the unexpected good spring weather, “I mean she was like two at the time.”

“Wasn’t that the most successful though? The box one was a disaster, you remember?”

“I remember,” you said grimly, shuddering as you thought about it, brushing your hair in the mirror and wiping any remaining dirt and blood from your face,  “Maybe we should just tell them.”

“What, now?”

“Well, no time like the present! I know you only really tell people at 12 weeks but that doesn’t count for family right?”

“Of course not! We’ll just tell the family for now, oh, I’m so excited!”

You bit your lip.

“Ah, well, if we’re just telling the kids then-”

“Who knows?” Steve asked suddenly, shaking his head at you fondly and you were just glad he wasn’t annoyed that you’d already told some people.

“Nat,” you admitted and Steve nodded as if that made sense, “And Clint, but that’s cause the little shit was eavesdropping.”

“Well that was on you, if you talk to Nat you know Clint’s listening, it’s how those two work. But I said we were telling family - that’s the kids and the others. They’re family, right?”

You grinned.

“Let’s go tell them!” you squealed excitedly, looking as if you’d never been on a mission in your life, rushing over and pulling on his hand as you began to skip out of the room, but his hand tugged you back and into his arms. One hand firmly on your back and the other holding your face, he dipped you and you yelped, but then he kissed you like he never had before and you lost yourself in him. Your own hand reached up into his hair and found its place on the back of his neck, the other holding onto his arm for dear life.

He pulled away slowly, guiding you back upright and keeping his hold, noticing your shaky legs with a smug grin.

“Now let’s go,” he muttered softly and you stared up to him wide-eyed, still in slight shock. His hand wound around your own as he pulled you with him and when you came to your senses once more, you caught up to him and swung your hands between you as you walked rather quickly down the corridor and towards the kids’ section of the compound.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” you murmured as you walked, trying to look as nonchalant as possible to people passing you.

“Watched a YouTube video,” he admitted, a cute blush spreading up his neck that made you sidle up closer to him, “I dropped Sam like fifteen times when we practiced.”

You held back a snort.

“You’re lucky we’ve got bigger things to do right now, Rogers, cause otherwise I’d be teasing your ass so hard right now.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know.”

[pinksvnt]

pairing: reader x minghao

genre: fluff

word count: 1,468

sypnosis: meeting minghao in the past leading to the start of a new life.

theres a marrige proposal here and y/n is an artist lmao. Honestly not my fave but all work is good bc I still managed to write something I dont totally cringe at sorry I dont title my work orz

-

You remember the day you met Minghao. You came to Seoul for an exchange program from your university and as your senior year thesis you held an art show. Work in all different sorts if media all revolving one central theme. Your self discovery. Who were you as a person, the good and bad.

Your thesis was held in a small studio place and the general public was encouraged to take a look. You remember what it was like hanging up posters and trying to get people to take one for themselves. You had never done anything like that but sometimes you meet people who were interesting and you'd sketch them up real quick if they promised to show up.

Minghao was one of those people. It was nearing sundown and you were ready to head back to your dorm but had an unexplainable urge to get one more person to promise to visit your show. That's when you saw two men walking with other, one with a camera and that's when you knew you could definitely get them to come. Shyly walking up to them you interrupted their little photoshoot were having between themselves.

"Sorry to bother you two but I was wondering if I could just, sketch a portrait for you two real quick in exchange for a favor" The taller men of the two immediately started smiling at you.

"What's the favor and where should we sit for the portrait!" You had them sit down on a bench nearby and quickly went about sketching their image.

"You see, I have an art show coming up, and the more people that go, the better I look! So I was wondering if you or just one of you really could show up and just take a look at my work?" You spoke to them without really looking them in the eyes as you were busy trying to capture their image.

"What kind of art do you do?" Finally the other of the two finally spoke. He had a weirdly mysterious vibe from the get go especially since he didn't speak to you from the start. He had on a simple yet stylish track suit on and dark hair that really contrasted against his fair skin. He seemed really intrigued in knowing what it was you'd answer.

"All kinds of work really, I work in tons of different media but I love focusing on myself and emotions. Emotions are such an interesting thing to try and visualize but I like the challenge. I'm almost done here so it won't be much longer and then you two can leave!"

The two turned towards each other and gave a sort of approving look to one another over your answer which made you smile. Although they didn't look it at first that fact that one of them asked about your work shows they at least have a good appreciation for art. You ended up signing their portrait and handing it to them along with a clean piece of paper. That was just to keep the graphite from smudging.

"Now that that's done, I hope I can see you two again at my art show! I'll give you this flyer and I'll even write down my personal number for if you two get lost or something. I'll appreciate it if you two just swing by, so please think about it!" You put away your pencil and sketchbook and gave them a smile.

"Yeah yeah. We might just go, I don't think we have anything scheduled that day!" The taller boy smiled at you "Oh! By the way, my name is Mingyu"

"And my name in Minghao"

"Nice to meet you two! I had fun drawing you two, my name is y/n. Hope to see you two soon, stay safe"

Now initially you didn't think much of those two. They were just another pair of really attractive people you met today. Though you really wanted them to show up for some reason.

Fast forward to the day if your show, you're exhausted and caffeinated beyond space. The anxiety you were feeling was probably a good reason as to why you shouldn't have drank so much coffee. But here you were, an anxious jittery mess. You had to pull yourself together as much as possible so that you could great visitors when they come in. If people would even show up.

Looking up at a portrait of yourself looking confident and somewhat menacing you sighed.

"Alright y/n, you've had plenty of art shows before. Even though this is your senior thesis, you'll do just as good as your previous shows. Nothing to fear"

The moment you unlock the studios doors you're met with so much uneasy you feel weak in the knees and on the verge of passing out. Why were you so nervous? You're so occupied in your mind with worries that you don't even notice when people start trickling in. You had to get it together.

"Are you alright?" You look up to see Minghao, a pleasant surprise in all honesty.

"Oh yeah. Yeah, I'm fine just a little stressed. I'm glad to see you came though!" He smiled softly at you and for some reason you felt a bit at ease. "I can give you a sort of tour of my pieces if you'd like?"

"I'd love that" He continued smiling at you and you couldn't understand but the more he looked at you that way, the better you felt better about the entire situation.

You walked with him showing him your work and explaining the meanings and feelings. It brought you so much joy because he wasn't viewing your work to critique it as your professors would be soon. He looked at each piece intently and said 'this is my favorite' to every piece you showed him.

"Your work is amazing y/n" Minghao scanned every inch of the studio and sighed to himself. It didn't sound bored. It didn't even sound as if itd lead to an awkward silence. "Can we talk more? Not here but like, a date or something?"

That initially caught you off guard. At the moment you were just happy how intrigued he was about your work. Most people (men) would dismiss your work or make you feel less than about it. And just as suddenly as he asked you responded in a way that even surprised you.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'd love to" You smiled at him and that was that.

That was about two years ago now. Minghao became one of the most important people to enter your life. Being an artist himself he would always confide in you when showing you his work. You would show him yours and you had nothing but support for each other.

It was just another day in your small little studio when Minghao visited during his time out to the convenience store. This wasn't an out of character for him to do. He'd do this quite often and you loved the times where he would find a way to see you during the day during his busy days. What you did find odd though was the fact that he barged in painting, a bit sweaty, and looking disheveled.

"Mingha-"

"Y/n... it's felt like an eternity since I met you. The person you are is more beautiful than any piece of art I've seen in my life"

You were speechless, Minghao often told you he loved you but this felt different and so sudden. What's worse is that you're a mess, messy hair, paint covered smock and dirty paint covered hands.

"Hao I-"

"Please let me finish. I love you y/n, I want to paint the world with you. Will you marry me?"

Complete and utter shock. You felt weak in the knees and the world felt as if it was spinning. Even though you know the answer you couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. You looked at him and he seemed anxious, looking at you so longingly that that brought you back to your senses.

"Minghao I-" You felt the tears starting to fill your eyes as Minghao took a box from his pocket and presented you with a ring. It was stunning. Nothing flashy, it was simple and more than enough. "Of course I will!"

Minghao pulled you into a tight embrace, laughing and if you swore you could feel a few tears from him too. But those could've been yours. Finally he pulled away and placed the ring on your finger. Minghao made everything in your life better. The idea that not too far into the future you would be able to call him your husband, flooded you with happiness. With Minghao in your life. Everything will fall into place.