#this is all a set up for part 2 in which bruce will slowly lose parts of himself

[zeawesomebirdie]

Okay I may or may not have lost my mind, this fic is already at 18 chapters and none of the planned deaths have happened yet

[fancyfade]

Ok like time for a post that has a target audience of 2* but I feel like if post war games they wanted to emphasize Tim’s similarity to batman, it should NOT have been “he’s edgy now” or whatever. The way they try to make this comparison in canon is via tim threatening to permanently cripple people (link) and just being written as like. the most intimidating thing around with no buildup (link). This was dumb and unnecessary IMO.

because (this will get rambly) Tim already has another similarity to Batman IMO.

Which is using “the rules” as a way to interact with people when superheroing. This isn’t to say he always FOLLOWS the rules he sets for himself, or he is consistent about everything, but he does come at it through that perspective “These are the rules that Bruce set, I have to follow the rules”. A lot of the inconsistency comes from Bruce’s own inconsistency.

First of all, I’ve seen “Tim doesn’t do what Bruce says, he made himself Robin against bruce’s wishes”, but I think we need to understand that he pretty much did have permission. He doesn't have BRUCE’s permission, but Alfred encourages him (and implies that dick was as well -- halfway through this post we show the efforst the writers go through to make it clear tim has other people’s approval before putting on the suit (link)), and Tim tries as much as he can to get Dick to go back to being Robin first. Then, after he is in training for Robin, he is extremely apologetic about breaking the rules to save Bruce’s life (link) and is like “I understand if you fire me”, or even just in his early days not being good enough and failing at something (link) (oddly enough, despite Tim literally never having been at risk of being fired by Bruce, he is portrayed as extremely worried about it link1 - even after being established as robin for like over 70 issues).

It should be noted I feel like a lot of his worry of being fired comes from insecurity. To add to this, I’m just copy pasting what @mollyhats sent me on the analysis of the rules, which I think ties into his insecurities and explains part of the extreme anxiety about being fired by Bruce despite that never being portrayed as a possibility in canon

I think part of “the rules” is that Tim trusts Bruce’s judgement above his own. Even when he goes against Bruce, he does it with the expectation he will lose Bruce’s respect. It applies to himself, and I think once he cracked the incredibly high expectation that had to mean something. He did things “the right way,” and like many sheltered rich white boys, didn’t consider that the “right way” is inaccessible to others. (He also can’t consider it because that means Bruce could be wrong about things, which destabilizes a lot of his reasoning and also. Means he might not be deserving of Robin either)

(quote block is mollyhats, now we’re back to me)

OK anyway so that got off the actual proof that he follows the rules, which I meant to include but anyway. Tim is extremely Pro bruce’s rules. We know he is “We do not kill - ever”, he also is anti leaving people to die. An instance we see this is final night crossover, where he and steph are attacked by someone trying to kill them during final night (the sun is gone, earth is slowly transforming into a frozen wasteland)  when stephanie argues they should let the guy who tried to kill them freeze, because she doesn’t want to risk her life saving someone who was trying to kill her, tim says "That's not the way it works -- that doesn't make letting him die the right thing to do -- what batman and I do isn't all adventure and cheap thrills. there's a commitment and it's never an easy one - so we just give up? Is it too hard for you? It's not fun anymore? so what if there's not another tomorrow? I'm not going to do something to make me regret waht I did today"

it should be noted -- I am in tim’s corner here, I think that he’s right to save the guy. but. his logic for why they need to save him is entirely tied up into personal code of conduct (won’t do something i’ll regret) and that they have to follow the rules -- it’s not hte way it works, this is a commitment batman and I do’.

Then AFTER he is officially set up to be trained, he the way he interacts with his friends is also based on the rules. He can’t tell them his secret identity, so he doesn’t. The young justice team only finds out about him because of alternate universe shenanigans. The idea is that his commitment to bruce outweighs whether he personally wants his friends to know who he is or not, even if it creates tension with them.

anyway so the REASON for all of these strict rules... First of all, there is how insecure he is in his position as we’ve mentioned earler Tim seems to me as a judgment first, compassion second character. And before anyone gets super defensive, I’m not saying that makes him a bad character or even a bad person. I think LOTS of people are judgment first, compassion second.

In terms of instances of canonical judgmentalness.. there is no one single writer this is confined to. His entire relationship with Steph in Dixon’s run starts out based on him feeling like both he has a responsibility to her (despite them being peers), he has the authority to tell her to stop (link), and he should exercise that authority (I think this works well in with what mollyhats pointed out earlier, which is that Tim is EXTREMELY into batman’s rules, and if batman says steph can’t be spoiler... well obviously she can’t right? Batman knows best. His judgment of steph is compounded by the judgment other members of the batfam express. Cass loves Steph but views her as not as good, not as competent, Bruce does pretty much all the ‘steph’s not good enough’ rules that Tim does). Tim is also extremely condescending to Steph (link) multiple instances that’s just one.

Steph is also not the only person he is shown to be judgmental to first. we have his internal monologue about cass (link), and him being very creeped out by her, he joins much of DC (or he is used as a writers mouthpiece) to express taht jason was reckless (link), under later writers we have him immediately sizing up the attractiveness of one woman (link) letting the audience know she was “not” in terms of “hot or not”, then when we get to him with his peers we see him judging them as losers based on their appearances (link) and expressing disbelief that anyone could fail a test (link) -- it should be noted in those last two examples, Tim was aware of his tendency to leap to judgment and like mentally “corrected” himself, as this was treated as a flaw under this writer. He also reacts uncompassionately to Damian when he just arrives (even pre damian trying to kill him). Bruce says “if he is my son -- even if he's not -- he deserves some love and my respect. Tim, drawn with an angry expression, says "so let him earn it, like everybody else." (batman 657). (Some earlier context for the interaction: tim initially reacts friendly to Damian but is immediately put off when Damian doesn’t accept his hand, he says something patronizing and Damian threatens him)

and in some cases tim is allowed to grow from this! I did mention that the one writer was trying to treat his instinct to judge as a flaw, he later apologized to cass for his initial reaction towards her in her batgirl run. and allowing him to grow from it is just much more interesting than pretending it never happened and DEFINITELY more interesting than pretending his judgments were always right

Secondly: the WAY that tim approaches his superheroing, ESPECIALLY at the beginning, is impersonal and through more of an obligation to gotham and to bruce (with HEAVY emphasis on bruce). (link1, link2). Even later on, during No Man’s Land, we see some of this (link) where his way or talking about Gotham and the human misery that is there in post NML is impersonal, and framed as a duty he wonders if can actually be done, and the people to whom he attributes agency are bruce and gordon. The way he interacts with the stranded criminal in the snow in final night that I mentioned earlier is also extremely compassionate in terms of action, but in terms of motive is framed as a duty and the inherent value of human life does not have anything to do with it. this is not to say that he dOESNT value human life, it is just pointing out that in his internal logic and explanation for why they should save someone, it did not factor into his argument which I think is a good case for compasison second

So I feel like Tim’s strict adherence to rules could have been paralleled to Bruce’s and that’s a way the writers could have made a comparison, if they wanted to, without edginess, trying to act like he's super cool and intimating now, direction that they took

EDIT : Ok and i forgot here’s a good post talking about bruce’s lines and rules and why he has them (link)

*me and mollyhats

[sohotthateveryonedied]

Hiii!! I really love your tumblr posts and I'm pretty new to the Batfam (meaning I have only read fics and textposts about them, no comics) and I wanted to ask about the year Bruce/Batman gets "lost in time". I know general things of what the kids have been doing–Dick became batman and fired Tim from robin, giving it to Damian, everyone thinking Tim was crazy for believing Bruce was alive, (don't really know what Jason was up to though, was he still murderous towards Tim? Does the pit still affect him? Also I have no idea about Cass and Duke, were they introduced at this point??) Anyways, my real question was why was Bruce lost in time, what villain put him there? And how did he get out? And how long was he "dead"? Was Bruce in another reality or like just asleep the whole time? Oh! And how soon did this happen after Damian got introduced to the family–a couple months?

I'm so sorry this is so long, but I hope you answer and thank you!!

(I’m going to try and cover all my bases here by going into how exactly Bruce “died,” what went down during the Battle For the Cowl, what the Batkids did while Bruce was gone, and how Bruce came back. Hopefully it all makes sense?? We’ll see how it goes lmao.)

Part 1 - What Happened to Bruce:

So there was this event called Final Crisis (which I won’t go completely into since it would make this post a million times longer than it already is), but the bottom line is that Darkseid wants to overthrow reality and release his Anti-Life Equation, which would overthrow the whole planet and turn everyone into slaves. (If you’re interested in knowing more about the storyline, here’s a Reddit thread that explains it WAY better than I could.) 

What I CAN tell you is that during his final confrontation with Darkseid, Bruce is hit by an Omega Beam and turned into a burnt chicken nugget killed. Poor guy.

Final Crisis #6

Clark and Diana bring the body back to the Batcave and break the news to the Batfamily. Batman #687 covers a good portion of the aftermath such as Bruce’s funeral, the Batfamily grieving, and Dick coming to terms with his new responsibility of becoming Batman.

Batman #687

Part 2 - Battle For the Cowl: 

Musical chairs time, fellas! After word gets out that Batman is gone, Gotham erupts into chaos. Dick doesn’t want to take over the mantle, Tim needs Dick to take over the mantle, and Jason says “fuck it” and takes over the mantle himself because somebody around here has to. He becomes this murderous psychopathic Batman and starts taking out criminals with deadly force because someone’s gotta do the job, so it might as well be him.

Batman: Battle For the Cowl #1

(Okay honestly, this series had some pretty bad characterization overall, which sucks since it’s such an important storyline. Jason is portrayed as this violent psychopath, which...okay, he was kind of insane after the Pit and all, but not to this degree. Personally, I choose to owe the bad characterization to Bruce’s death because as much as Jason resents Bruce for all he’s done, he does still love him and losing him would be devastating, which would exacerbate his already fragile mental health. As for Damian, this happens roughly three years after his first appearance, so we can assume it’s been a few months since he first joined the family. He’s still relatively new at this point, so nobody knows how to write him yet. He ends up being depicted as if his main two personality traits are Bratty and Assassin-Child and that’s it. It’s all just a mess.)

Anyway, Tim tells Dick to become Batman and stop Jason’s reign of terror. Dick says no, so Tim follows Jason’s lead by saying “fuck it” and putting on the cowl himself. He goes to confront Jason, which ends in Jason beating the crap out of him (again) and leaving him for dead after Tim declines his offer to become Jason’s Robin. Dick goes to save Tim and ends up fighting Jason. 

Battle For the Cowl #3

Dick wins, Jason disappears, Tim is fine, and Dick finally gets his head out of his ass and becomes Batman. 

Part 3 - What Happens to Each Batkid While Bruce is “Dead”?:

Dick: 

As I said, Dick becomes the new Batman a month after Bruce’s death. He’s got big shoes to fill, and it takes some time for him to get used to his new role. He and Damian end up flipping around the classic Batman and Robin dynamic, with Batman now as the fun counterpart to Robin’s edginess. Dick, Damian, and Alfred relocate to the penthouse above the Wayne Foundation building, operating out of a secret Bat-Bunker in the basement.

Batman #688

Jason: 

After Battle For the Cowl, Jason is still batshit insane and determined to make Dick’s already stressful life even harder by becoming a supervillain with an ugly costume and an even uglier hairstyle. (I know it’s just because the artist sucked, but still. Jason is horrifying to look at during this time.) He mostly just gets on Dick’s nerves by running around Gotham with his new sidekick Scarlet and killing criminals as Batman and Robin wannabes. Eventually, Dick has Jason committed to Arkham Asylum and he hangs out there until Bruce returns.

Batman and Robin (2009) #5

Tim: 

Tim...doesn’t do great after Bruce’s death, mentally. Dick makes Damian Robin, his reasoning being that Robin is more of a sidekick and he sees Tim as his equal. By making Damian Robin, Dick hopes that it will give him the stability he needs to keep him from straying back toward the “bad�� side. (It’s the right move ultimately, although his execution was pretty messed up since he didn’t discuss it with Tim beforehand, but he’s allowed to make mistakes. Dick’s father just died and now he’s in charge of picking up the pieces of their broken family. It’s a lot to handle.) 

Long story short, Tim has a breakdown, realizes that Bruce is alive, dons the Red Robin identity, and cuts ties with his family to travel the world in search of proof. It’s a rough time. 

Red Robin #1

Damian: 

Our little guy becomes Robin! So proud of him! As I explained earlier, Dick makes Damian his Robin with the assumption that it will keep him out of trouble, and he’s right on that account. He mentors Damian, teaching him how to channel his violent instincts into something productive, and it works! Slowly but surely, Damian makes the transition from bratty assassin to actual hero!

Batman and Robin (2009) #22

Cass:

Duke sadly was not introduced at this point in time, so he missed out on all the pandemonium. Cass, however, has been Batgirl for years by now, but she got kind of pushed aside by the writers after Bruce’s death. Bruce disappears shortly after adopting Cass, but once he was “dead,” the writers sort of moved Cass around for a while, not quite knowing what to do with her. First she was with the Outsiders. Then they got disbanded and Cass tried forming a new network of heroes to take over for Batman if needed. Then she helped out in said network during Battle for the Cowl, taking care of a newly ravaged Gotham. Then Cass gave the Batgirl mantle to Stephanie Brown after she became disillusioned with the role, thanks to the loss of her father and mentor. Then Cass picked up and moved to Hong Kong to “follow Bruce’s plans” by continuing whatever work he had set up for her there. It was all very vague and confusing, and Cass more or less got swept under the rug during this time. Thanks, writers.

Batgirl (2009) #1

Part 4 - How Bruce Came Back: 

When the Blackest Night storyline happens, the Justice League realizes that the corpse buried under Bruce’s grave is apparently not the real one and that he’s actually alive out there somewhere! How wild is that! This is further proven by Dick after he places Bruce’s body in a Lazarus Pit to revive, which has the same result because it’s very clearly Not Bruce and they should have listened to Tim from the start.

Batman and Robin (2009) #9

Anyway, what actually happened is that the Omega Beams that Darkseid shot at Bruce didn’t kill him, but rather blasted him back through time to the prehistoric era with his memories wiped. The Omega Energy inside of Bruce ends up catapulting him through various time periods, which is all part of Darkseid’s plan. With each time-hop, Bruce builds up more Omega Energy in his body which, when he gets back to his original time period, will be unleashed and destroy everything.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #5

It’s been a little under two years since Final Crisis, though in-universe it’s uncertain exactly how long Bruce has been “dead.” We can assume it’s been a year, give or take. The way he comes back is too scientific and complicated for me to understand, so uhhhh the bottom line is that Tim and a few Leaguers save Bruce at the Vanishing Point and the day is saved! Hooray! 

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6

(If you want to read about how it actually goes down, then I seriously recommend reading Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. It’s only six issues, so it’s a quick read and it explains the situation far better than I ever could.)

Bruce eventually reunites with his family after spying on them for a period of time as Insider to see what has changed in his absence:

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home

After that, things quickly settle back into their new normal. Dick and Damian stay on as Batman and Robin. Bruce goes back to being Batman as well, with him handling Batman Incorporated business and Dick continuing as Gotham’s defender. Tim keeps the Red Robin outfit, Steph stays on as Batgirl, and Cass becomes Black Bat. Jason stays in Arkham for a while before filing an appeal to be moved to a regular prison. He kills 82 inmates in less than a week and gets transferred back to Arkham, which he promptly escapes from. It’s a ride, I tell ya.

Aaaaand that’s about it! I hope this answered all of your questions!

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

Do you happen to have any fics to help restore ones love for the irondad fandom? I'm suddenly afraid of loosing interest. Perhaps I haven't read a good fic in a while.

Oh, there is so much variety in the Irondad fandom that I guess it depends on what you enjoy.  Here are a few of my favorites from across the board.  

Whump with Feelings:

Of Flying and Falling by @polaroid15

Peter hums as if in deep thought. The blood on his face is bright and unrelenting in the glow of the fire, like some permanent reminder of Tony's failures. “Did you know my parents died in a plane crash?”

Tony jolts, the response hitting him like a freight train. He rubs Peter’s arm as his throat tightens. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

“They must’ve been really scared.”

“Are you scared Peter?”

---

Or, on their way home from a fancy conference on the coast of Vancouver, Tony and Peter's helicopter crashes, ending what should have been a perfect weekend filled with maple ice cream and sea water in a desperate battle for survival.

A Mermaid AU:

Petey and the Hermit by eccentric_artist_221b

Three years after losing his wife and child to a fatal car accident, Tony Stark courts his darkest thoughts at the top of an old, abandoned lighthouse. Preserved at the last second by the supposed screams of a drowning victim, Tony leaps into action. Finding an injured merboy trapped in trawler lines between the crevice of a rock, he can only assume this is part of a whiskey induced dream. As he brings the creature home to nurse its wounds, he soon discovers this is more than he signed up for when it begins to form a bond with him.

Age Regression:

close to my heart, never to part by @parkrstark

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

Amnesia Victim Peter Parker:

Do You Know Who You Are? by loubuttons 

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For forgetting. I’m sure I didn’t want to forget you.”

Amnesia Victim- Tony Stark:

Identity [REDACTED] by @obsessionoftheday

Dissociative fugue is one or more episodes of amnesia in which an individual cannot recall some or all of his or her past. Either the loss of one's identity or the formation of a new identity may occur with sudden, unexpected, purposeful travel away from home.

OR

When Tony goes missing, Peter and Rhodey team up to find him.

Migraine and Injury two for one:

Keeping Company by @whumphoarder and @xxx-cat-xxx

While attempting to look after his migraine-riddled mentor, Peter manages to injure himself badly enough to need Tony’s help.

Lots of Fluff:

t-shirts by KiwisAndTea  @kiwisandtea

A collection of one-shots centered around Peter Parker's favorite shirts. They serve only two purposes:

1. to embarrass Peter

2. to make Tony Feel™ Things

Humor:

Sole Heir by GotMyInkPen  @gotmyinkpen

Tony Stark has officially decided that Peter Parker is his sole heir and will one day inherit Stark Industries. Here's how Peter prepares for that day.

Kid Peter Parker- Hydra :

darkness will be rewritten by @marveal

"Richard Parker was studying Cross-Species Genetics, but struggled with the ethics of it, because it required he use human DNA, which no ethics board would agree with. So he used his own. His work was successful based off of his own DNA, and every human has a unique DNA,” Bruce explains. “So, naturally, when HYDRA wanted his research, they knew they would never get his support, so they took the next best thing they could to his own DNA. His son."

Or, Tony finds a tortured and experimented-on Peter Parker in a HYDRA base and decides to help him because who else will?

Adoption AU:

I told you I had issues by Bergen 

Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and right now, a little exasperated. Because some guy is swinging around New York, shooting webs and making trouble, Fury is breathing down his neck, and his latest intern took off with his coupon for a free coffee.

Thank god for Pepper Potts.

--

...or, a Spider-Man AU where a set of bad circumstances begin to push Peter Parker down a wrong path, and where Tony is probably not the best person to deal with it, but he does anyway.

Kid Peter Meets Tony :

i promise you, kid, you'll be home soon by bstarship

If there was one good thing to come out of Tony's ultimate death at the end of the week, it was the ability to forget for a short period of time. He spent his time surrounded by strangers who idolized him and friends who sometimes gave less of a damn. But it was a kid who grounded him—who made him wish he had more time because he reminded him that there were good things to live for. One kid did all that.

Truly, Tony didn’t know how to make sense of it. A part of him told him to be unabashedly humble. Another part said to leave the kid and drive to Miami with the top down until his eyes fell out of their sockets.

A kid who had a shopping bag tied around his wrist with the Stark Expo logo on the side. A kid who was silent for a while until he finally said, “I have to use the bathroom.”

It was just a kid. A kid.

or

Peter is eight-years-old and loves everything about Iron Man. Tony is dying and helps a lost kid find his aunt and uncle.

Sickfic:

Sick and Lost by @kittybellestark

Peter’s sick and took the wrong bus. He meant to go to New Jersey but ends up in not New Jersey and calls Tony for help. He isn't having a great time but at least he has Tony on his side.

Okay, I could go on ALL DAY so I think I’ll stop here.  If you find something you enjoy and want more things like it, let me know!

[boys-wonder]

Day 2 - Cockwarming

Pairing: Jason Todd/Bruce Wayne

Tags:  Age Gap, Cockwarming, Submissive Jason Todd, Dominant Bruce Wayne, BDSM, Age Gap, Trans Jason Todd, PIV Sex Consensual Underage Sex, Top Bruce Wayne, Bottom Jason Todd, Vocal Jason Todd, Daddy Kink, Brat Tamer Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd Is a Good Boy, Subspace, Dom Bruce Wayne, Gentle Dom Bruce Wayne, Established Relationship

Desc:  Sometimes, when Jason gets too frustrated to focus on his training, too in his head about things, Bruce makes him take a break. He bends Jason over the console of the Batcomputer and fingers him open, then works him down onto his cock and holds the boy in his lap while he catches up on paperwork.

Word Count: 1179

For the @jasonpunishmentweek​, Day 2 - Cock-warming

Ao3 Link: Here

- - - 

“Oh fuck,” Jason keens, and the chuckle that rumbles in Bruce’s chest makes his knees weak. That finger is moving steadily in and out of him, so fucking good and nowhere near enough, and he has to bite down on his lip to stop himself from whining impatiently. It wouldn’t do any good; Bruce would just go slower.

The cold metal of the console presses into Jason’s trembling thighs, and the boy bites back a whimper as Bruce’s thick middle finger slides into his already slick front hole, pressing in and in until the older man’s other fingers brush against Jason’s swollen cock. 

“So wet already,” Bruce murmurs, and Jason flushes, but whatever embarrassed retort he opens his mouth to huff out dies on his lips as Bruce curls that thick finger inside of him, making Jason’s vision go white at the edges.

Instead, his silence is rewarded with a second finger sliding in next to the first, stretching him in ways that make his toes curl. Jason stutters out a breath, digging his fingers into the console as Bruce starts fucking his fingers slowly into Jason’s leaking hole. “Oh fu- god,” Jason whines as Bruce curls his fingers right into that spot, making him see white. 

“Yeah, baby?” Bruce purrs against his hip, lips brushing across the boy’s back. “Right there?” He punctuates the word with another curl of his fingers. 

“Fuck! Yes, fuck, daddy,” Jay cries out, and Bruce rewards him by curling his fingers roughly inside him again. He thrusts them hard and fast inside him for a few blissful moments before pulling them free, leaving Jason empty and dripping. “Bruce, fuck, ple-” His pleas are cut short as he feels the thick head of Bruce’s cock rubbing against his slick folds, pressing against his entrance in a way that makes his head spin with want. 

“Impatient brat,” Bruce chides, and digs his fingers into Jason’s hips as he slowly - god, so fucking slow - pushes in. Any attempt on Jason’s part to rush him was thwarted easily with his iron grip on the boy’s hips, and Bruce keeps pressing in slowly, seconds seeming to stretch into hours before his hips finally, finally touch Jason’s.

Bruce smiles and leans forward to kiss across Jason’s trembling shoulders, giving the boy time to adjust to his girth. Jason is clenching around him, slick dripping onto the console and the floor, trying so hard not to just rock his hips back and fuck himself on the older man’s cock. Nothing makes him lose his cool faster than any part of Bruce inside him, he can’t get enough. He wants everything Bruce has to give him, and he wants it now. But even more than that, he wants to be good. He wants to be good for Bruce.

After a few long, agonizing minutes, Bruce sees Jason relax into the console, the inner struggle finally over with. 

“Good boy,” Bruce praises, running his fingers through Jason’s hair before he carefully wraps his arms around the boy’s waist and gently holds him to his chest as he sinks into the chair behind him. Jason whines as they settle, the movement forcing Bruce’s cock even deeper inside him, and the feeling has Jason’s head swimming. 

He rests his head heavily on Bruce’s shoulder, letting himself be pulled even deeper into subspace as strong arms frame him carefully, swiping and clicking at buttons and keys on the computer to pull up files he can’t be bothered to try and read. 

Time seems to drag on in lurches and lulls, and Jason doesn’t fight it or try to keep track of how long he’s perched there in Bruce’s lap, the man’s cock buried inside him. Every now and then, Bruce will absentmindedly thrust inside him, just enough to sate the itch and keep himself hard. Each time, it sends a white-hot pulse of pleasure skittering up Jason’s spine, making him drip around Bruce’s cock to pool on the chair between their legs. When Jason clenches particularly hard around Bruce, the older man will lean down to kiss soothingly across the boy’s shoulders, the angle of his chin against Jason’s back making it clear that he’s still looking up at the screen, and fuck if that doesn’t make Jason’s head swim. 

Doing this, there’s no risk of doing something wrong. No way he can fuck this up, like he does with everything else. All he has to do is be still and keep Bruce’s cock warm and hard inside him. He doesn’t even have to move. There’s no way to compare himself to Dick like this, no way he can come up short. Not with Bruce’s cock spearing him open and Bruce’s lips on his neck, murmuring praise into his neck about how good he feels, how well he’s doing. How proud of Jason he is. How Jason makes him proud. Dick can’t take that away from him; nobody can. Bruce’s pride in him, doing this right, this is something that’s just his. 

It’s about an hour later - or maybe it’s three? - that Bruce signs out of the Batcomputer and brings Jason’s attention back to his body with warm lips against the boy’s neck. 

“Are you ready to go upstairs and let Daddy take care of you?”

Jason’s thoughts are so fuzzy, slipping through his fingers as he tries to grasp onto them. It takes him several moments to find the presence of mind to respond, but Bruce just waits patiently.

“Mm,” he starts, and clears his throat to try again. “Yes sir.” Bruce gently wraps his arms around the boy, carefully pulling himself free of Jason’s clenching hole, and coos softly at the pitiful noise Jason makes at the sensation of feeling so empty.

“Shh, good boy. I’ll take care of you. I always do, don’t I, sweetheart?” Bruce asks, his voice gentle and grounding in Jason’s ear, the tether with which Jason keeps himself from free-floating into oblivion.

“Yes sir,” Jason slurs into Bruce’s shoulder, vaguely feeling himself being wrapped in a blanket and carried up the winding set of stairs that lead back up into the manor.

Gentle kisses are pressed to Jason’s hair, and are responded with half-aware content noises as Bruce pads through the manor, using a secret pathway here and there to ensure Alfred doesn’t stumble on the pair. Jason’s not sure when they make it into the older man’s bedroom, but the familiar scent of expensive sheets wraps around him, lulling him further into a sleepy, comfortable headspace. 

He knows that Bruce will always take care of him. It’s something that Jason never has to doubt or question, the depth of Bruce’s devotion to him. The tender way the older man’s lips touch his skin, the steadfast and sturdy way Bruce holds him in his arms, the way Bruce’s eyes soften every time his and Jason’s meet, all of it lays out how much Jason is loved. He just needs reminding sometimes, and that’s okay too. Bruce is more than happy to remind him as often as he needs.

- - -

Thanks so much for reading! If you liked this work, please reblog, and if you’re feeling generous, please go to ao3 and leave a comment, or drop one off in my inbox here!

[melancholymaz]

Enceinte (3)

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader 

Summary: Now at 16 weeks in your pregnancy, The avengers have been taking the Uncle and Aunty role with pride, With your nursery being built and painted. But it’s game night and what better way to do that than have the avengers have a sleepover? 

Warnings: Sad!Nat turns into Soft!Nat and couldn’t help but end it in domestic!Avengers. Swearing and Bucky and Steve cheating at Uno. Also talks of parents disowning their child.

Y/S/P = Your sexual preference 

A/N: Here’s part 3! I am so deeply sorry it’s taken this long! Enjoy!

Deciding to live in the compound while pregnant has been both a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately with your parents having disowned you when you came out as Y/S/P, you didn’t have very many people to tell, besides a few friends and cousins, To which they were ecstatic. 

The positives are that Nat doesn’t miss a thing as her and the team have decided to only go on missions unless necessary. So now they can be there for milestones or help if you ever need it. Even Carol has decided to stay until her niece or nephew is born. You and Natasha have both been reading pregnancy and baby books and even Tony had the two of you sleep in a spare room temporarily as him and the team combine your room with the vacant one next door for the baby’s nursery which is now ready to decorate. In about 3 weeks you’ll be having your gender reveal, as you and Nat had agreed you were far too excited to wait to see if your baby was a boy or a girl. Despite it being your first pregnancy, Your 16 week baby bump was very much noticeable, and now  you didn’t look like you ate too much the night before, like you did when your bump was first starting to grow.

You’ve been keeping as active as you could, doing mild workouts during the day to keep as fit as you can. You’ve noticed your skin has become a bit more clearer, as the ‘pregnancy glow’ makes it’s mark.  Sometimes you’ll have random blood noses, which is normal as Dr Cho had to convince Nat a hundred times, but it didn’t make them any less annoying. Warm baths and back massages had become your best friend as your bump starts to grow, If your back pain is bad now you dread the pain that is to come. You’ll even become dizzy at random points during the day, and it’s handy having the avengers around to easily catch you if you start to sway. 

You’ve started wearing maternity clothes, to which Nat loves. Your choice in bras have become different thanks to your ever growing breasts, and she loves finding new ways to take them off as fast as she can. The only thing she loves to pout about is the fact you’ve started sleeping on your left side, as now it’s rare she gets to see your face as you both lay in bed together. That doesn’t stop her from rubbing and talking to the baby every night though. 

Finishing up in the gym for the day, you wipe your forehead to rid the sweat and take a swig from your drink bottle, taking a breather before you say goodbye to Steve and Bucky who are both training together. Making your way to Your’s and Nat’s bedroom, you pass Wanda and Carol in the hallway, who asks you how you were feeling and if you needed anything, much to your gratitude.

As you enter your room you immediately notice somethings wrong. You hear a sniffle before a soft cry, and you notice it’s coming from the nursery. A frown settles on your face as you walk in and you can’t help the feeling of your heartbreaking a little. There Nat sit’s in the middle of the empty room crying, staring up at the half finished Winnie the pooh themed wall mural Steve has started, making sure to leave a spot blank to paint the baby’s name when you and Nat have decided on one. 

“Babe? What’s the matter?” You ask, slowly coming up behind her, placing your hands on her shoulders, softly peering at her face. Her puffy eyes look up at you and she gives you a small sad smile. “I thought I was the one that was supposed to be emotional.” 

“I’m sorry, I just came in here to see the mural but then I couldn’t help but think how surreal all of this is. I mean I never would have thought 2 years ago that you’d be my girlfriend much less pregnant with our first child. I mean all my life I thought I’d never have kids much less a partner. I used to have nothing, and now I’ve got this job... and this, family that couldn’t love us any more.” 

“It does seem a bit crazy doesn’t it.” You say softly, lightly massaging her shoulders as she lets a few more tears fall. You know the best thing right now is to just comfort her and let her have her moment. 

“I am so incredibly lucky to have the team, and you, and especially our baby. Everything I’ve ever wanted right here and I don’t know how or why I deserve it.” 

“To be quite honest with you my love I think we’re the lucky ones. To have someone so loving and forgiving like you is definitely rare. Beans going to have the most protective and playful mama, and I think I can speak for the team when I say there’s no one that could ever replace you. You deserve all of this, The team, the family and most importantly me and our baby.” You tell her honestly, placing her hand on your bump. 

“You think so?” She asks with so much uncertainness. 

“I know so.” You smile, to which she returns. 

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Nat replies, the soft smile on her face as she looks up at you. 

“Yeah, multiple times.” You smile. “Now come on, we’re gonna go have a shower and go see the team, It’s game night.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” 

-

“This game is bullshit!” Sam screams, slamming his uno cards on the table before standing up and kicking his chair. “He’s cheating!! There is no way he can win game 5 times in a row!! He just picked up 4 cards!” 

“Stop being a sore loser.” A smug Bucky says, taking joy in his friends rage. 

“Stand up and clean out your pockets.” You demand, also annoyed at your friend. Bucky does as you say with a smug smile on his face, pulling his pockets from his shorts and jumper, proving he didn’t cheat. When he sit’s down however, you catch something in the corner of your eye and you shake your head with scoff when Steve subtly high fives Bucky under the table. Nat must have seen it to, because she too shakes her head and speaks up. 

“Steven, my lovely captain.” Natasha says albeit too sweetly. 

“Yes Nat?” He replies, probably too quickly to come off as nonchalant.

“Would you like to stand up and empty your pockets too?” I finish instead, smiling at the blonde who looks at Bucky then stands and does the same, which ends in him pulling out roughly 10 cards from his sweatpants pocket. 

“Are those Bucky’s Cards?” Wanda asks, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

“...no?” Steve replies. “They’re mine?” 

“Steve is that or is it not Bucky’s cards?” Carol asks this time, her face stern, which you know is making Steve slightly panic. You see Bucky staring at Steve, almost daring him to lag on him. 

“Okay fine. Buck and I made a deal that I would help him win because he always loses and he’s sick of Sam and Y/N always winning.” Steve confesses ashamedly, Bucky’s eyes widening in betrayal. 

“I KNEW IT!!” Sam yells. Nat just stares dumbfounded, meanwhile Tony, Rhodey and Bruce just watch things unfold shaking their head in disappointment, Wanda and Carol stand up and start packing up the Uno cards as they both know no one will want to play after this. You, however, stare at Bucky with betrayal and hurt. 

“You always say you want me to win! This is discrimination against pregnant women.” You joke, to which Nat laughs behind you. 

“I think he wanted you to win so the baby will be named after him.” Rhodey inputs. 

“Definitely won’t be now.” You say to which Bucky frowns. “Sorry pal lost your chance.” 

“What-” 

“Yeah because we all know the baby’s gonna be named after me.” Tony interrupts Bucky, pouring himself a drink at the bar. 

“Jokes on all of you, we’re not naming the baby after any of you.” Nat replies, smiling matter-of-factly after nearly everyone looks at her offended.  “You all suck.” 

“Besides me.” Carol says, sticking her hand up. 

“No definitely you.” Is Rhodey’s reply, causing Carol to throw the uno cards at him. Everyone begins to move into the common room, deciding to chill before someone picks a movie. 

“Speaking of the baby, what’s the update?” Steve walks in, handing Wanda the chip bowl, who thanks him quietly. 

“Well, Bean should be starting to hear sounds now hopefully, muscles are getting stronger and should be having coordinated arm and leg movement.” You explain, the team listening attentively. 

“And Bean is now the size of an apple!” Natasha quickly adds. 

“Seriously can’t wait to be an uncle.” Tony says, scratching his greying goatee. “How are you wanting to do the gender reveal?” 

“Well so far it’s just gonna be all of us, Pete, Clint and his family, Fury, Sharon and Maria. Thor too if he’s back in time from Asgard. We’ll get Dr. Cho to put the respective colour in a big balloon and we’ll have like mini games and just have a fun time with all of us.” Nat explains. The team nods, and you can see Tony’s gears in his head rolling, probably just promoted himself the event planner. 

“There is to be no one invited without our permission.” You direct to Tony, who just nods. 

Just an hour later you and the team have all set up mattresses and blankets all over the common room, deciding to have a sleepover all together. Bruce and Rhodey as an exception as they believe they’re “too old” to have sleepovers. You and Nat set up on the end of all the mattresses, in case need to go toilet during the night. You’re surprised everyone agreed to do it, considering they’re the earths mightiest heroes. 

-

As the end credits of the fourth movie rolls around, you look around to see everyone but you and Nat have fallen asleep. You move back down and start to wiggle around to find a comfortable spot, but end up failing miserably. 

“You okay babe?” Nat asks, lightly rubbing your back after you groan for the third time. 

“Just can’t seem to get comfortable.” You mumble back, trying to fall asleep. 

“Would you like me to go get your new pregnancy pillow?” She asks laying her head on your shoulder, to which you nod softly. Nat gives you a kiss on the cheek before she stands and steps over you to go get your pillow from your shared room. When she comes back a few minutes later, she helps you position yourself and when you finally find a comfortable spot, you can’t help but sigh in relief. 

“Thank you my love.” You mumble, already drifting off. 

“Go to sleep Malysh, I’ll try to not keep you awake while I say goodnight to Bean.” Nat whispers, already moving down to talk to your bump. You hum in goodnight before you drift off into a deep slumber. 

Malysh = Baby

[yourmcu]

Wish You Were Here (i)

Pairings: Tony Stark x daughter!reader, Avengers x Stark!reader

Summary:

an Infinity War/Endgame AU where Tony Stark’s daughter (you) is one of half the population that vanishes in the snap, Tony finds out later on when he arrives back to Earth, devastated, then you come back like the others to help fight Thanos.

Word count: 2,030

A/n: (moved to the end of the fic!)

Warnings: angst, death, swearing, a lil soft!Nat in the beginning bc I love her, mentions of anxiety/anxiety

read on ao3!

Part 2

gif not mine! credits to the owner^^

You wanted to help in whatever was happening, you weren’t quite sure still, but it had something to do with the infinity stones and how you guys needed to find them before some guy named Thanos does.

It took a lot of convincing for Steve, Natasha and Rhodey (they were the ones more protective over you) to let you come, especially with Tony not around to scold you since he was in space.

“I’m coming with you guys whether you like it or not - no, I know what you’re gonna say, I can handle myself. I’m sixteen! Did you know Peter’s in space right now with Dad? Outer freaking space. You’re not the only one who has a suit, Rhodey-”

The argument ended with, “if something happens and I-” you dragged your thumb across your neck, “then it’s on me. None of you are to blame. Can we go now?”

So they didn’t have any other choice. You went to Wakanda with them to get the mind stone out of Vision and intend to destroy it afterwards.

Things got a *bit* out of hand though, there was an army of creatures - they’re from space, you assumed, working for Thanos - trying to get the stone. You fought alongside Sam and Rhodey, sometimes even fighting with Bruce who was using the Hulkbuster. You also helped the Wakanda tribes when they got overpowered by the creatures.

Even Thor came back to fight and he brought a raccoon and a tree with him.

The battle was going really messy, until - “Everyone on my position. We got incoming.”

You fly to where Cap and the team are, and there he is coming out of what appears to be a cloudy, blue grayish portal, Thanos himself.

“Cap, that’s him.” Bruce says as he hides you behind the Hulkbuster to shield you. He slowly walks over to the purple titan before saying, “stay down, [Y/N], alright?”

Did all of them suddenly forget that you, if not more, are stubborn like your father?

Because when all of them attack, you fly behind Thanos when he's distracted and wrap both your metal covered arms around his neck in stupid attempts to strangle him. He effortlessly uses his gauntlet to throw you back to the ground, knocking you out.

He eventually got all the stones, snapped his fingers when Thor failed to kill him, and left.

“What did you do?!”

“Where did he go? Thor, where did he go?”

“What’s happening?” You get off the ground as Bucky turns to dust. You look around and saw the air filled with the same dust, just from different people.

What the hell did that snap do?

People are vanishing, disappearing, are they dying? Why are they dying? You’re pretty sure you're panicking. Your lips start to quiver and you feel your chest tighten, making it hard for you to breathe.

Natasha notices right away. She's the one who could help you with your anxiety attacks besides Tony. She comes to you and places her hands on your shoulders, looking you in the eye. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, you’re fine, just breathe with me,”

You watch Wanda, one of  your best friends, turn to dust too which did not help in the slightest. What’s worse is when Natasha holds your hands to calm you down,

They start turning into dust particles.

“No no no no no no,” you grow weak, holding onto her. “Nat, I’m scared - I don’t - I don’t know what to-”

“Y/N, just breathe like we practiced, okay?”

You try copying her breathing but it’s no use. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re still fading away. You look at her, tears threatening to fall out of your eyes, “I’m so sorry.” She has no choice but to hug you tightly until you get dusted completely.

The Avengers just lost a kid. Not just any kid, for them you were special. You always supported the team no matter what. They couldn’t even imagine what Tony’s reaction would be.

When Natasha told Pepper of course she didn’t take it well.

You were Tony’s own flesh and blood (and some one night stand chic that we won’t mention anymore starting now), but Pepper helped raised you when Tony first took you in and treated you like her own. Sometimes you even called her ‘mom’.

She was so relieved when a spaceship came by the compound to drop Tony off - he looked weak and skinny - she didn’t know how to break the awful news to him while he was in that condition.

“I lost the kid,” he meant Peter. What he doesn’t know was that he actually lost two.

“It’s been twenty-three days since Thanos came to Earth.”

Bruce and Natasha keep looking over one another as images of the people they lost in the snap took turns popping up as holograms. Rhodey feels tense and keeps tapping his foot - nervous of what his best friend’s gonna do once he sees-

Tony abruptly stands up from his wheelchair. “Stop. Stop there.” (“Tony, you need to sit down,”) “No.” He stumbles over to a particular hologram, the one with his daughter’s face.

Y/N Stark.

The room is awfully quiet. Despite you telling them that it isn’t going to be any of their faults if something happens to you, they still feel responsible for you.

“Was anyone going to tell me?” He speaks softly. Too soft and calm for all of them that they remain glued to where they're standing, avoiding eye contact. He clenches his fists and sends a look to  everyone in the room. “You better not be shitting me I already lost Parker and I - I can’t - I can’t lose her. I can’t.”

“Tony,” Natasha says. “We couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

It's like being stabbed with his own blade all over again. She tells him everything that happened, how you got dusted like Peter, and Tony just stares blankly at your photo, looking very pale.

Tony takes a deep breath and pushes his glasses further up his nose, holding in  tears. Good thing his glasses cover it up. He mutters ‘okay’ over and over as he takes a seat back in his wheelchair. Steve hesitates to continue the discussion but Tony encourages him to go on, even though he feels like he was literally dying inside.

His mood definitely went downhill from there - Tony's furious with himself. Furious with them, with Steve, that he takes it out on the super soldier. By the end of it he's on the floor, passed out.

“Dad, come in, it’s [Y/N]. Everything alright out there?”

“Oh y’know, typical day in the city - pair of aliens came to visit again.” Tony sounded breathless.

You paused briefly. “...what? W-well, do you need help? I can help, and Peter’s probably on his way there - he just made a lame excuse and hung up on me so, I figured he sensed something was wrong.”

“Yeah. Stay where you are and when things get worse, find Pepper and get to safety.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Nope. Deadass serious. Stay out of this one.”

Tony opens his eyes and takes in his surroundings. He's transferred to a bed with the same wires poking his arm. He dreamt of his last conversation with you - before and while he was dragged to space.

“Hey, I’m still here, you know,” you cut him off while he was arguing with Strange.

“[Y/N]? How is this still connected?”

“I made the earpiece set myself - I guess it has really long range, huh?”

“You’re a nerd.” Tony cracked a small smile.

“Hi [Y/N]!” Peter shouted from a distance.

“Peter? You’re in space too? I’m so jeal-”

The line completely went out, guess the range wasn’t that long.

“Tony?” Pepper says gently. “You shouldn’t be up - it’s only been an hour since you passed out.”

He looks at her for a moment then returns his attention to the wall, eyes bloodshot. “Have I been a good father to her? ‘Cause I feel like she deserved more. Way more.”

“Of course, she loved you! Tony, [Y/N] loved you as much as you love her,” Pepper reassures, running a hand through his hair. “I know you’re upset but you really should be getting bed rest right now.”

He sniffles and gave a small nod, “okay.”

He closes his eyes again when she left the room and sigh, mumbling “goddammit kid,” before letting the tears flow down. Tony rarely cries. Barely cries. He usually keeps those stupid emotions in but this - the fact that his little girl is gone, it's too much for him. He realized never fully showed how much you meant to him and he regrets it.

Can't help but think that it should've been me Either way, I still wish you were here.

Fast forward to five years later: Tony now lived at a lakeside cabin with Pepper and their daughter, Morgan.

Moving on was better than to be sad and depressed for the rest of his life. That’s what you wanted for him anyway, to be happy.

So that’s exactly what Tony did.

He spent time with his family, made new suits which he enjoyed to do, living his life peacefully. That doesn’t mean he forgot about you. Sure the last few years were hard, he missed you every single day, but he had to face and accept it.

Tony moved your stuff from the compound and into a vacant room in the cabin. Sometimes he’d look through your crazy inventions, your journals that were filled with ideas for future gadgets and he hung up framed photos of you and him (some with Pepper) on the walls.

He told Morgan all about you. How awesome you were, how you were energetic and enthusiastic in everything you do, and how the both of you would be best friends if you two met.

“I wanna meet her,” Morgan says, looking at pictures of you.

Tony smiles sadly and looks at the photo of you and him. It was at your school’s science fair and your invention won first place (he remembered laughing at all the science teachers’ shocked faces because of your advanced gadget, way advanced than the grade you were in). Both of you looked really happy.

If a picture is all that I have, I can picture the times that we won't get back If I picture it now it don't seem so bad Either way, I still wish you were here.

“Someday, maybe.” He replies, giving her a warm smile.

Steve, Natasha and a new guy Scott visited him one day. They basically told him bringing back everyone who died in the snap was possible, hinting time travel.

Tony was torn. He didn’t want to risk losing what he had now, but bringing everyone back... that was something. Everyone in the universe that vanished, the other Avengers, the guardians he met in space, Strange, Peter, you.

That same night he thought about you, and Peter when he stumbled upon a picture of both of them. That same night, he figured out time travel.

“Hey legacy,” he chuckles a bit, remembering how you always frowned or pouted whenever he called you that. He likes that nickname on you though. “I... uh, this is just a little video. For you. Sure you won’t see this but... I like to pretend I could still talk to you. I miss you, a lot.”

“It’s been five years, hun. Morgan, your sister... you have no idea how much she talks about you. She wants to meet you someday,” he looks at the camera. “I know I can’t tell her the real reason why you’re not here with us, not yet, but anyway, ‘couple of old pals came to visit me. They want to try to get everyone back, that includes you.”

Tony sighs, looking away. “As of now I don’t know if we’re ever gonna pull off something like this. I figured it out, just a couple minutes ago actually. Time travel. It’s dangerous, very risky...”

“But we’ll see. We’ll figure something out. I hope to see you soon, [Y/N]. I love you.”

----

so I’ve cut this lil idea into two parts - I’ll probs post part 2 soon right after this one - if everyone likes it of course :)

oh, and I listened to this song by Neck Deep while writing this, which is where I got the title too, you can listen here. (I also put in some lyrics from the song to the story, just because it fits well hehe)

[whatta-babe]

Date Crashers (Obvious pt. 2)| Peter Parker x Reader

Taking place months after the Avengers found out that their youngest member, Sider-Man, had a crush (Obvious), the team only wants to meet Y/N officially. They will achieve their goal through any means necessary… This takes place before Infinity War and Endgame and can be read seperately.

Disclaimer: I wrote the first part of this two-shot over three (3) years ago and just never finished this part until now. Some of the characters are definitely out of character, but I am following the same characterization I used in part one (1).

Warnings: Minor cursing, OOC characters, and soft Peter Parker

Word Count: 1,247

On a random fall day in a random small café, Peter Parker is nervously bouncing his leg at an empty table, waiting for his girlfriend, Y/N, to come back from the restroom. Even after finally making the relationship official after months of aggressive flirting via text and shy stuttering flirting in the high school highway, and after approximately four (4) months of dating, the young brunette still gets jittery and bashful at even the thought of her.

Sure, he faces mutant people and aliens trying to take over the Earth on a surprisingly regular basis, but it just isn’t as nerve wracking as being in the presence of his loving girlfriend.

As Peter’s leg bounces, in a random small café, on a random fall day, he is being surrounded and spied on by the people he considers family- the Avengers. If he hadn’t been so obvious with his infatuation of Y/N all of those months ago, unintentionally drawing notice from his superhero familia, maybe the events that are currently playing out would have never happened.

Various pairs of eyes located from inside the café to the rooftop of a neighboring building snap to focus in on movement heading towards Peter’s tiny black table. It’s Y/N in her favorite skirt and- is that Peter’s decathlon sweatshirt? Wanda is already at risk of blowing her cover as Vision attempts to stop her from vibrating excitedly.

The girl finishes patting her hands dry on her clothes as she sits down, but before the couple can greet each other again, Peter’s name is called. He shoots out of his seat to dart to the pickup counter to collect his girlfriend’s and his drinks and freshly warmed pastries. Located in a dark corner of the café, Steve nods to himself in silent praise. Good job for paying for and collecting the food for his partner; what a gentleman.

The brunette swiftly walks back to their table and sets Y/N’s order gently in front of her, and as he sits down, their easy conversation starts up again. It seems that neither one of the teenagers notice that they are simultaneously playing footsie under the table as they discuss topics of interest- maybe it’s Star Wars or something nerdy like that as Bucky shakes his head slowly.

This boy is hopelessly in love, and I can’t with this young teenage romance any longer. He silently contemplates heading back to the compound. Why did he even agree to this anyway? Oh yeah, to get more dirt on the kid to tease him with it later.

Now the couple’s conversation switches to future plans. “Saturday is supposed to be really nice. Do you want to have a picnic in Central Park? I’ll pack all of your favorites!”

Peter grabs her hand and smiles sweetly as Y/N nods in excitement! “That’s a great idea, Peter! And we can look at all the sculptures! I haven’t been there in so long…” She trails off.

When Peter brings the hand that he is holding to his lips in a sweet kiss, Sam has to say something to his frenemy. “Man, who knew this kid had game? Because I sure as hell didn’t.”

Bucky can only nod silently in agreement because yeah, who the hell would have thought?

Another peaceful and giggle-filled hour passes by as Natasha records the entire date from afar, not only for her own pleasure of rewatching it later but also because she promised Bruce that she would record their interactions for him to see. He had some type of life-changing and important research he had to conduct instead of joining the team for this bonding experience- lame.

In the end, it’s Clint that exposes the team to the happy couple, but was anyone expecting anything different? It seems that the café’s air vents were not as stable as he would have liked because its Clint’s body tumbling from the ceiling that leaves the café customers and workers in horror and surprised confusion. The man in question rapidly stands up to dust himself off and cheerily waves “Nothing to see here! Just go on with your daily activities,” to try and act like this event is no big deal.

But it is a big deal to Peter who knows what’s happening the second he recognized the falling body. “You’ve been spying on us??” He stands up in disbelief while Y/N can only become more confused than before.

Tony, who has been shaking his head in disbelief at his teammate’s idiocy, quickly joins the fray from his inconspicuous hiding place (the same shady corner Steve is located in) to explain the situation. “Look, kid, what else were we supposed to do? You’ve been making excuses for months to not bring Y/N over when all we want to do is meet her!” Okay, so maybe he is doing more accusing than explaining.

“I-what-ugh! Where is everyone else?” Peter’s face is amusingly splotchy and red while Y/N can barely keep up with the drama unfolding.

As the Avengers assemble in front of the couple, a strangled gasp and the sharp sound of a hand being hurriedly placed over one’s mouth is heard. “Oh my gosh… It’s really you guys! I’ve heard so much about you, and I’ve so wanted to meet you all!”

As Y/N smiles bashfully in front of her favorite heroes, Peter seems to snap back into focus and turns back to his unhinged family. Before he can speak again, Vision loses his fight against Wanda as she flings herself at Peter’s girlfriend in a flurry of long hair and flying arms. The squeal that has been building up for the past half hour is now being unleashed, but somehow someway, Y/N doesn’t seem to mind the ear-splitting noise. In fact, all she does is hug the woman back with equal enthusiasm.

Natasha pries the Scarlet Witch off only to take her place as she sways Peter’s girlfriend back and forth in her arms whilst muttering compliments and encouragements into her ear.

Peter can only pout heavily from the sidelines, arms crossed and bottom lip jutting out as he childishly huffs. Steve pats the boy’s back softly and waves to his two best friends as they finally make their way into the café from their rooftop hiding spot.

Apparently, there’s a line of people wanting to talk to Y/N because as soon as Natasha loosens her arms around the blushing girl, Tony steps up to her and pats her on the shoulder in acceptance. “You should come over for dinner this week, kid. We’ll get to know you more.” The usually obnoxious man is surprisingly composed and sane which Peter is grateful for, and he knows that Mr. Stark is really holding himself back at the moment.

Y/N can only smile brightly and clasp her hands together in excitement because who wouldn’t be excited if they were invited to have dinner with Earth’s mightiest heroes? She is totally writing this in her diary later!

But as the girl realizes the current time, all she can do is frown and starts to reluctantly says goodbye to everyone that she has met and places a chaste but sickeningly sweet kiss on her boyfriend’s cheek as a farewell. When Peter blushes, she lets out one last laugh and slips out of the café, excited to make dinner plans with Peter’s family and eternally grateful that Peter warned her that something like this may eventually happen. His Spidey senses never miss.

[anika-ann]

WINSoD - Pt.4

What You Need (Is What I’m About)

Type: series, soulmate AU series  (part 1, part 2, part 3)  

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader, one more ;)  Word count: 3400

Summary: In which fate has a strange sense of humour, the Maximoffs appear and... well. 

Warnings: brief violence, mention of death, messing around in one’s brain, language, cutesy and fluff (yep, it’s all there)

Part 3

༻༺༻༺༻ღ༺༻༺༻༺

You watched the kettle quiver as the temperature of the water climbed towards the boiling point. You’d like to say your blood was reaching it too, but despite the warm hoodie (Steve’s, naturally), you were feeling coldness seeping into your very core.

You hated waiting for him. You had never been a fan of it, sitting on your ass and stressing until he returned from a mission, bruised and usually bloody, but this time it was something else. This time, you had more than just a vague idea of what he was fighting; you had witnessed it first-hand. An army of fucking robots.

The team had left 43 hours ago, but who the hell was counting, right? Certainly not you. And you had certainly not been feeling the urge to ask Jarvis (R.I.P., my beloved A.I.) like every half an hour for any updates. You weren’t that desperate. You weren’t that scared-

Yeah, not even you were having your bullshit anymore.

You were shivering in cold from losing sleep, terrified and over all out of your mind. Nothing helped to ease your worries. Definitely not the fact they hadn’t made any contact ever since they had left.

They consisted of the usual Avengers team; Nat, Clint, Tony, Bruce and Thor, plus Bucky. All of them under Steve’s attentive command.

Surprisingly, Matt Murdock – also known as a freaking vigilante (a blind lawyer!!) – did not join the quest. He had said that robots were way outside his territory. You would beg to differ, because he punched the robot like a champ, yet you didn’t quite blame him for refusing. Bottomline, you still thought he was pretty swell (not to mention easy on the eyes, but that was beside the point). He had saved your life though, so you might be a bit biased. A lot biased.

Sam Wilson might have fought once too, but he would sit this one out as well. It was not helping your anxiety.

The soft click of the kettle brought you back to reality and you grabbed the handle to pour water into your mug, only to see you failed to actually put a teabag in it.

To be fair, you would have sworn you had done it, but that was just another prove of you losing your mind. At this rate you were about to burn the kitchen down – not that you felt like cooking… or eating for that matter. Steve was out there, in his own sci-fi movie that had somehow become reality and-

You sighed and set the kettle down, reaching for the box with chamomile tea. Taking one bag, you felt a strange gust of wind and curled into the hoodie as a shiver ran down your spine. Was the air-conditioning misbehaving…? Perhaps it was an aftermath of what they called the Ultron mess-

You shook your head, scolding yourself for getting paranoid and went to finally finish the simplest task of making yourself tea.

Only for your blood turning to ice when you noticed the teabag was missing. You had just put it there half a minute ago, you were sure of it. Your heart started hammering in your chest as you spun on your heels, your eyes scanning the room.

The cupboard behind your head clacked and your head swiftly snapped back to it. Feeling your own pulse pounding in your temples, you forced your brain to come up with a rational explanation.

You were losing your mind, you were imagining things, you hadn’t slept in almost two days, your mind was playing tricks on you-

Another gust of wind and the kettle disappeared from your hands, a shriek escaping your lips. On instinct, you opened the drawer and pulled out a knife. You were probably useless with it, basically offering it the potential attacker as a weapon, because they would be able to disarm you and use it to their advantage, but you didn’t give a shit. You felt better being armed.

What the fuck was happening?!

A man suddenly appeared by your left hip, like a hurricane inside of the room, and your body acted on its own, driving the knife in his side.

Or you attempted to; the knife met something solid that could not have been a body and the blond – he was a blond man, younger, hell, looking younger than you, dressed in a jumpsuit – stared at you with his mouth hanging open.

It was only then when you registered a strange red matter--- no, something unsubstantial, like an energy, swirling and changing, hovering around the blade that had stopped an inch from the man’s torso.

“Taka se ubivate, kolibri,” a female voice sounded from the other side of the room, nearly sending you into a cardiac arrest.

Yet, you couldn’t tear you gaze away from the strange man, whose face was now twisted in annoyed grimace as the woman seemed to be scolding him.

What kind of a language was that anyway?

Really not relevant.

There were two strangers in the Tower, in the very same room as you, they could be talking about how to kill you the most painful way and you wouldn’t even know, and for fuck’s sake, why couldn’t you catch a break-

“Ne ti e zabavno, foĭerverk,” he hummed back, his lips spreading in a smile, baffling you to no end. “Zdraveĭ, krasavitse.”

Your hand still on the handle of the knife that was no longer under your control, of which you refused to let go though because you were not a complete idiot, you had no idea what to do.

The man sounded almost friendly, but then again, villains often did. Sleazy. You would know.

A tremble ran through your body and out of nowhere, you made a lightning-fast decision of kicking the man in the crotch.

Your knee only brushed his manhood when your leg was no longer yours. With horror filling every cell in your body, you realized it was caught in the freaky red spiderweb of energy and you couldn’t move it no matter how much you tried.

Tears filled your eyes and suddenly you were free, the man several feet from you. A gorgeous young woman, dressed even more strangely than him – crimson leather jacket, black and half-torn leather leggings with high boots with way too many straps, her outfit completed by sleeves peeking from under her jacket –, stood next to him, cuffing him in the back of his head.

“Idiot!” she hissed and in the back of your mind, the one tiny corner that was not occupied with the fact you might die in the next second, you thanked god for some words being international.

Then, the girl with long wild red hair smiled at you apologetically, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Hello. Sorry for startling you,” she spoke with thick accent which you identified as Eastern-European and shot her companion a murderous look. “My brother is an ass and doesn’t know the difference between being funny and scaring people.”

She didn’t sound menacing at all; in fact, you saw every responsible older sibling annoyed at their younger family member in her. You blinked away the sting in your eyes and attempted to focus despite the ringing in your ears.

“Huh?” slipped from your lips intelligently, utter confusion gradually replacing your despair.

The blond rolled his eyes, which only earned him another clip round his ear.

“See what you’ve done? This is all your fault!”

“I was just messing around!”

“Do you have any idea what she’s been through? You scared her to death!” the woman hissed, effectively sending you back to the spiral of dismay, your slowly calming heartbeat skyrocketing again.

What did she know about what you had been through?!

With your knees wobbly and not to be trusted to keep you upright on their own anymore, you gripped the counter behind you with such force your muscles cramped.

“Who- who are you?” you breathed out shakily, catching the attention of the supposed sibling duo once more.

The woman smiled warmly, patronizingly almost.

“My name is Wanda and this is my brother, Pietro. We are of Sokovia. Your Captain and the other Avengers found us, showing us that we were fighting on the wrong side of things. Would you like to see?”

Her words echoed in your suddenly dull skull, the meaning escaping you.

And because her last sentence was what made sense the most and yet the least, you nodded.

Later, you would realize just how stupid and trusting you had been when agreeing, mostly because Steve gave you his look of disappointment and horror, but at the moment, it seemed right.

Somehow, on a level you couldn’t quite comprehend, you already understood they weren’t a threat to you.

“See how?”

Wanda smiled.

*Like this,* a ghost of her voice sounded somewhere deep in your mind, making you dizzy. What the hell-? *Please, don’t judge me. I thought I was doing the right thing.*

Before you could question such statement or the fact her lips were not moving while you heard her voice crystal clear, you were thrown into a vortex.

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Ultron had been sure they were coming; he left a bait for them, an easy track to follow. The track they could follow towards their end.

Wanda wasn’t one to enjoy killing or hurting people in general, no. She hadn’t even considered herself a strong person once, but that had all changed with their parent’s deaths. She had had to rely on herself – on herself and on her brother. Where an opportunity had risen, to step up their game and possibly to get revenge on the name still haunting them in their worst nightmares, they hadn’t even hesitated.

Wanda had once been a weakling. It had been the tempering in fire, in a burning pain of experimentation with the sceptre that had made her the woman who she was now.

And she had a mission; she and Pietro had a mission, their chance at revenge finally gaining a shape.

She had already played with Stark’s mind, with the scum only interested in money and destruction; now she could do the same to all of them.

Bursting in with a crash, they clearly hadn’t expected such livid counterattack. A response so… nightmare-like.

Just a flick of wrist and a little concentration on Wanda’s part and they were dropping like dead, trapped in their own minds.

Black Widow, locked in a scary base, ballet dancers, martial art training and merciless killing, her fresh fears creating a horror picture of aiming her gun at her current lover’s head, at her soulmate.

“I should have known you’d never change. You’re nothing but human reduced to a murder machine…”

Thor, oh so mighty God, travelling back to his home planet to a feast, legends messing with his headspace, confusion and helplessness, thunder and lightning all around and out of his control.

“You’ll kill us all! See, son of Odin, close your eyes and see!”

The righteous captain, trapped in his own mind, folded like a house of cards under his soulmate’s dead eyes, anger and accusation blossoming into hate and finally indifference.

“You cared about your 40’s sweetheart more, anyway, didn’t you? If it was her in my place, you would have chosen her before the thousands. You wouldn’t let her blow up… but if I’m nothing to you, then you are nothing to me…”

Satisfied with her work, with only a nudge to their consciousness and their own brains doing the work for her, Wanda smirked as she noticed the busy archer. Now what tricks his could mind come up with? What hardship would he get caught in?

As she slowly sneaked behind his back, a voice snarled behind her, causing her heart to stop from more than a simple fright.

“Kak mozhe neshto tolkova malko da prichini tolkova nepriyatnosti?”

Her first reaction to her blood crystallizing in her veins with horror and rage towards the whole fucking universe, was a snarky reply.

How dared he to call her small? Implying she was weak? Underestimating her and saying that she couldn’t cause any real trouble? Oh, she would show him… that arrogant bastard! She would show him trouble-

“Laĭna…ti mi narichash nepriyatnosti?” she hissed back, carelessly losing the sight of the archer, not interested in him in the slightest all of sudden. “Vie ste strana s greshni khora!”

This stranger, this—this man-machine radiating pain as her powers barely brushed the surface of his mind on instinct… he was the real trouble as she didn’t hesitate to tell him. He was on the wrong side of things! Fraternizing with a mass murderer, with her parent’s killer-

“Pone te sa kho—” he wanted to argue, but they his mind stopped before it started screaming, punching her telepathic powers she seemed suddenly unable to turn off.

Memories, a dozen of his own memories, the way he looked at his soulmark in a mirror, the pain, the sorrow, the torture… his encounter with the Avengers, living with them; with the band of heroes she just put down, one by one, teasing and laughter, compassion and acceptance, even from the man who was supposed to be nothing but a cocky heartless bastard-

“What the hell did you just say?” Bucky rasped, astonished and horrified.

He realized it too then. Everyone always did, didn’t they? Because every person with a soulmark awaited a moment like this; the moment someone would finally say the words matching the ones on their skin, met their expectations or not…

But Bucky Burnes was the farthest from Wanda’s dream when it came to a life-long partner.

Strength is tempered in fire, she remembered reading once. She had once found a special irony in the fact that the treatment by the sceptre felt exactly like that. Wanda’s soul turned to steel with the games the fate had played with her.

So why did her hands fell from their defensive position to her side, limp and drained of all strength and determination they had known, tears stinging her eyes.

Her life was shit and she thought she had made her peace with that. But judging by the deep ache in her chest, she had been holding out for her soulmate more than she had thought. Because why else would it hurt so bad when she found out he was an enemy?

“And I thought Romeo and Juliet was just a lot of crap,” she chuckled bitterly, switching to English when he did.

His thoughts scream at her, disbelief, caution, pain, confusion, regret and hope— ambivalence. He had no idea what to do and he hated her for what she had done to his friends, but the knowledge of her being his, supposedly, it torn him in half, reaching out with willingness to forgive her if she fixed it, because if anyone understood fighting at the wrong side it was him--

Unable to resist, she dug deeper into his mind, baring his very soul, fascinated.

Pietro was still fighting with the archer and Stark, dodging the lame attempts at attack of the Avengers lost in their minds, but for two people, the time stopped.

They stood against each other, staring and motionless, and Wanda was confident she saw more than him. His mind was a tangled mess of emotions and desperate desire to get a hold of them and think rationally, bundle of memories and hopes colliding with reality and rock-solid facts and Wanda felt a pang at her heart, a crushing sensation in her chest when she finally embraced everything his headspace had to offer, getting lost in it.

Lost in him.

James Buchannan Barnes had a beautiful soul. Torn and glued together with little kind gestures from his friends, sweet memories of his sister and everlasting friendship with Steve, his no-longer-little-but-equally-stubborn Steve, Steve’s soulmate, his teammates that accepted Bucky with surprising ease and less judgement anyone would deserve… and the careful way he was giving away the pieces of the very same heart that was barely together, in gentle smiles and good-natured teasing, silent self-declaration of giving his whole life for every single one member of his new-found family.

And Wanda understood. In a fraction of second she looked under the illusions she had helped to build in the Avengers’ minds and saw the truth.

*Pietro, spri!* she cried out straight into his mind, begging him to stop fighting. With another flick of her wrist, her enemies were free of her handiwork, shell-shocked from the experience, too lost to find their footing. “Brat, spri! Pietro… greshim. They are right.”

The battle froze as if the time did and for a second, Wanda felt like she was in her brother’s skin, moving so fast that the world around her stopped turning. The stunned silence was only broken by a soft gush of wind when Pietro appeared by her side.

The Avengers seemed so baffled at her admission they didn’t try to attack them.

She exchanged a look with her twin, hoping her face spoke volumes as tears gathered in her eyes. She was far from convinced that Anthony Stark was a good man; but she knew he was better than the creature they had sworn to assist. And her mother always used to say that a man should be judged by the company he kept. From what she had seen in Bucky Barnes’ head, Stark had one bunch of fine people around; and their imperfections seemed to be balanced by the good they all wished to do.

Pietro understood. Of course he would. More than he could read her expression, he must have felt the change in Wanda’s aura, the transformation touching their bond as well.

He graced her with a reluctant nod of agreement. Via their mental connection, he whispered he trusted her. Her lips curled up in a tender smile.

“Are we just gonna stand here? Are we fighting together or against each other or what?!”

No, Tony Stark was by no means a man she would call good. In fact, she already found out he was an ass. But now, he had become her ally.

From all the eyes on their duo, she chose to meet her soulmate’s.

“Together, Anthony. Because there’s bigger malice in this world than you are.”

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Wanda nearly cut you off right then. The rest of what she showed was a blur of images, fear, pain and determination, destruction and cooperation, all of that leading to this very moment. It all resembled waking up from a very intense confusing dream, being pulled away into consciousness by the first sunrays of the dawn.

You blinked heavily as the world swayed off its place, the counter seemingly in a peculiar angle from your point of view.

Why was the lamp not up, but on the side? Why was it spinning?

“Oops. Sorry. Never made the connection for such a long period of time-“ a voice reached you, breaking through the hush of blood and your own heartbeat in your ears.

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to get a fucking grip on both your body and thoughts.

Bucky had a soulmate?

No, not relevant, the images were too unclear for you to be sure everyone made it out alright, you needed to see Steve first, you had to-

By the time Steve’s figure appeared in your field of vision, you were certain you were steady on your feet and finally managed to control your mouth.

“Steve!” you cried out excitedly as you sprang his direction, relief mixing with delight, because he was alive, he was not bleeding visibly, he-

-was suddenly graced with an identical twin, two loving tired smiles blending into one and splitting into two the next moment, swimming in your vision and you felt something solid grabbing your body and positioning it right into his strong arms.

You gazed at him in haze, melting into his warm and firm embrace, spotting a swirl of red energy flow around you.

Oh. Wanda’s work, no doubt. Sweet.

“Are you okay, doll? Are you sick? What happened?”

Wanda’s guilt was nearly solid in your reach, but you only let your head lull onto Steve’s shoulder, plunging into the fluff of love that his presence provided.

“Nah. I’m fine… just drunk on you…” you mumbled.

The girl’s bubbly relieved laughter rang in the room, bringing a satisfied smile on your face.

Steve’s kiss landed on your forehead, corners of his own lips upright despite the concern in his voice.

“Alright, sweetheart. Let’s just get you to bed…”

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Part 5

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Thank you for reading!

I chose Bulgarian, just to avoid traditional Russian this once. Bucky is a Winter Soldier after all and he should know how to speak 30 languages or so :D just thought this would work. Google translator used; apologize for any mistakes.

I hope you had an okay start to 2021 :-*

[amythedvdhoarder]

Protection - Part 8

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Chapter Summary: Bucky cannot bear that Y/N was hurt because of him. He has to find a way to keep her safe. Forever

Warnings: Swearing, fluff, injury detail and a lot of angst.

Word count: 2.8K

Author’s note: Gif not mine. Thank you so much to everyone following this story, it means the world to me. This chapter was so difficult to write, eeek the angst. 2 more chapters and an epilogue to go! As always, if you have any requests or would like to be added to the taglist just send me an ask.

series masterlist

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None of you expected this. Everything was quiet. There was no sudden downpour of bullets, no one tried to attack you, in fact there was no signs that anyone was here. As you walked forward you kept your gun raised, your training telling you to hope for the best but plan for the worst. “You guys see any signs of life?” Sam’s voice rang out through the earpiece. “Absolutely nothing. Steve’s bike and the remains of his phone were outside. He has definitely been here.” You replied “we need to search everywhere thoroughly.” You and Bucky took the ground floor and Sam and Nat went upstairs. Working methodically, you checked each room, scanning for any indication that Steve had been there. Edging towards the final room, you were starting to give up hope. Bucky went ahead of you carefully studying the kitchen, as you followed behind him repeating his actions. “Buck, look at these marks on the floor.” He bent to the floor and ran his hands over some scuffs on the stonework, fingers catching on a handle of sorts. “Trapdoor to a basement, better get down here.”

Having scanned over the surrounding areas, Tony came inside and met you all. “Ready?” Bucky questioned as his hand hovered over the handle. You all nodded, guns trained on the opening as Bucky lifted the hatch. Steep steps led downwards with a faint light glowing below. A vast network of corridors lay in front of you, it must have covered the area of the entire farm. “I don’t like this” Tony breathed. “We’re going to have to split up again. Y/N and Barnes take the left, I’ll take the middle, Nat and Sam take the right.” All of you nodded and began the search again. You felt like you had walking for ages down the narrow corridors, the only sound that could be heard was yours and Bucky’s breathing. So far you had found nothing, maybe Steve had been taken somewhere else? At the next door along the corridor Bucky suddenly signalled at you to stop. He placed his ear to the door and listened carefully, he looked at you, brows furrowed together. Bucky shifted back, raised his gun and sent his foot crashing into the door, forcing it open.  

The room was huge, a single strip light cast a clinical glow. A solitary metal chair in the middle of the room, a table placed to one side, covered with what looked to be medical instruments on. A pile of rags lay on the floor next to the chair, some dark red stains on the floor around it. Your breath caught in your throat as you realised what this room had been used for. There was the iron stench of blood in the air. Stood in the corner of the room was Zemo. He looked calm, there was no sign of nervousness, in fact he looked devoid of emotion. Bucky pointed his gun straight at him. You walked further into the room, the smell seemed to be getting stronger as you approached the pile on the floor. Your gun clattered to the floor, eyes widened as you realised what was in front of you. “We’ve found Steve, I need an evac now” You barely recognized your voice as you spoke, it was shaky and quiet, as you leant forward to check for a pulse.

You could feel a weak pulse underneath your fingers which were carefully placed on the artery in his neck. It was taking every ounce of yourself control to stop you from panicking. You had to focus for Steve’s sake. His breathing was shallow. You could feel Bucky’s eyes watching you as you continued your assessment of his best friend. As you gingerly rolled his unconscious body, you couldn’t see a patch of his face that wasn’t black or blue. His eyes were swollen shut and his nose clearly broken. Scanning over the rest of his body you could see his uniform had been cut in countless places, blood had congealed at these sites hinting at the deep wounds you suspected lay underneath. He looked like he had been attacked by a pack of wild animals. His limbs spread out at awkward angles told you he had broken several bones; super soldier healing meant some of these had likely set back in the wrong place, meaning many of these would have to be broken and reset. There was nothing you could do for him here; he needed Dr Cho and Bruce.

Your head snapped to the door as you heard Tony enter, quickly followed by Sam and Nat.  He looked at you, he could tell by the look on your face that it wasn’t good. Bucky’s eyes were filled with rage and you could tell he was close to losing it. His knuckles were white; you were surprised the gun in his hand hadn’t shattered under his grip. Tony walked over to you. “Can’t get a signal down here, we are going to have to carry him out. Carefully” You nodded. Sam and Tony started to shift Steve and pick him up, a cry of pain to escape Steve’s unconscious lips. Bucky’s gun thudded to the floor as he exploded launching himself at Zemo. “You fucking bastard” he screamed as he aimed vicious punches. Tony and Sam hurried to get Steve out of the way leaving you at Nat to try and get some semblance of control over Bucky. You tried to pull Bucky off Zemo but he wasn’t having it, he was wild with rage. It consumed him. Nat helped you as again you tried to pull him back. Both of you combined managed it but he was still fighting against you, all muscles tensed and breathing ragged.

Zemo slowly sat up, spat some blood from his mouth as his eyes fell on the sight before him, a smirk forming on his lips as he began to laugh. It was taking all of your energy to prevent Bucky from propelling himself at Zemo again. “I’m coming for all of you so called Avengers. I will succeed in tearing you apart one by one.” Bucky incensed at this doubled his efforts to try and escape your grip. “Bucky stop, he’s not worth it. Steve needs you. YOU NEED TO STOP” You shouted out the last words, which finally got through and Bucky stopped struggling and looked up at you. He wanted to kill Zemo then and there. But as you rubbed your hand up and down his arm slowly, pleading at him with your eyes he seemed to calm down a little. He gaze went back to Zemo who was now cackling to himself again. “Bucky, we need to get Steve back to New York. Can you control yourself for Steve? Please?” Your said softly and thankfully Bucky nodded. You shot Nat a quick glance and let go of him. Nat went over to Zemo, placed some cuffs around his wrists, her Glock aimed at his head as she dragged him to his feet. She started to walk him out of the room as you pulled Bucky up. Your hand lingered on his, rubbing your thumb delicately over the swelling knuckles. He lifted his head up letting out a pained sigh. You could see he was still livid, you were too but there was something else in his eyes. Something you couldn’t identify and it worried you. Dropping his hand from yours, he collected his gun from where it had fallen and both of you silently followed Nat back towards the exit.

Tony’s voice came through as crackle as you began climbing the stairs. “Cap’s stable but he needs Dr Cho.” About a 100m from the jet you heard engines fire up as you edged nearer, assuming it was Tony getting ready for take-off. It wasn’t. A helicopter appeared over the horizon, approaching quickly. You could see large guns stuck out of the open side of the military style vehicle. Zemo turned back to face you all, standing between you and the jet. Nat’s lowered her gun and Zemo smiled at you all. “The remnants of the Sokovian death squad.” As if on que, bullets started raining down behind where you stood. Bucky started firing at the helicopter which was getting ever closer to where you were positioned. In the chaos of it all Zemo bolted, Nat fired after him. Zemo staggered as he took a bullet to the leg, slowing him down as he headed for clearing where the helicopter was starting to land. “Get to the jet” Bucky yelled at you and Nat over the deafening sound of the rotary blades. The three of you sprinted towards the jet, you wanted to go after Zemo but you had to let him go. You were outgunned, Steve needed urgent help. Zemo could wait, his punishment was coming.

Immediately after you stepped onto the jet, the doors closed behind you and it took off. Apart from Tony, everyone was gathered around Steve. Due to his injuries it was difficult to recognise him, the only give away was the rags of the uniform he was still wearing. Nat pulled the scanner over him. Sam had already given him some pain killers and a sedative when they had got Steve back to the jet. As you had previously suspected, the scans showed he had a couple of bad breaks that were healing in the wrong position. “We need to break his arm and reset it” Nat whispered to you all. Your shook your head, not wanting to believe what you were going to have to do to your friend. “I’ll do it” you turned to look at Bucky, his eyes clouded with emotions but his voice calm. “Sam, Y/N hold him steady.”As you and Sam got into position, Bucky’s metal arm moved towards the spot Nat indicated, he used his thumb and forefinger to snap the bone. The sound made you feel nauseous, but Nat quickly corrected its position and let out a relieved sigh. Bucky walked away and wrapped himself into a ball in the corner, his eyes trained to the floor as he listened to the bleeping of the machine monitoring his best friend.

You and Sam worked on cutting away Steve’s uniform so you could start cleaning the cuts that adorned his body; you had a long flight back and wanted to reduce the chance of infection. It took hours to do this thoroughly. No normal human would have been able to survive the horrors Steve had been subjected to at the hands of Zemo. Bucky didn’t move, his eyes flicked up to Steve’s motionless body every now and again but he refused to make eye contact with you as you handed him some water. You left him alone, not wanting to intrude, opting to stay with Sam by Steve’s side. The rest of the flight passed with an uncomfortable silence, broken only by you and Sam quietly giving Steve words of reassurance. Bruce and Doctor Cho were on the flight deck as you landed. They thanked you for the work you had done starting Steve’s treatment as they quickly took over.

You followed the medical team as they rushed Steve through to a private suite. You sat on a chair in the corridor, not fully aware of what or who was around you. Images of Steve looking broken ran on loop through your head. The horror movie in your head momentarily paused as you heard your name being called from a distance. You glanced up to see a doctor stood along the corridor beckoning you to an examination room. You knew you hadn’t been injured but couldn’t find the energy to argue with her as went to her and sat on the bed as directed. You relaxed slightly as she chatted away to you, you ignored her and let your thoughts take over. The next few days were going to be tough and you knew Bucky was going to need you, not that you minded. The doctor tapped you on the shoulder breaking you out of your trance, giving you the all clear and letting you leave. You walked through the doors to join the others, waiting on news about Steve’s condition. Sam smiled at you but you didn’t return it, instead you raised an eyebrow in question. “Where’s Bucky?” Sam’s forehead creased in confusion “I thought he was with you? He isn’t in with Steve.” It was weird, Bucky should have been there, he would’ve wanted to be there? “I’m going to go and check his room, maybe he went to grab a quick shower?” Sam nodded at you and you set off down the corridor towards the elevator.

You didn’t bother knocking as you reached his room, you could hear him pacing around. His eyes widened as his head snapped up to look at you, his mouth open in shock. “Bucky what’s going on?” you tried to keep your voice calm but you couldn’t mask the panic as you pointed to the rucksack on his bed. He was packing. “Shit, Y/N” He moved, zipped up the bag pulled it onto his shoulder. “Bucky, you better tell me what you’re doing right now.” He stepped towards the door and you planted yourself in the doorway blocking his exit, your body beginning to tremble. “I’m going after Zemo.”

Questions ran through your head; if you hadn’t have come to find him would he have left without saying goodbye? “What happened to us being a team James?” Bucky flinched at the sound of his own name, it felt foreign coming from your lips, you never called him James. He had thought about this carefully on the way back from Poland. Zemo posed a threat to you, to everyone. Bucky knew his past would help him find and kill Zemo. If he took you with him he couldn’t guarantee your safety. Leaving you behind seemed like the only sensible option. The team would take care of you, you would be safe with them. He knew you would try to stop him from leaving, so when you all got off the jet he resisted his instinct to follow you to the med-bay. He wanted to be long gone before you even noticed his absence. The thought of leaving you was tearing his heart in two, he loved you so much but the idea of Zemo getting to you was too much to bear. You weren’t a super soldier, Steve had been lucky to survive his ordeal with Zemo. He didn’t want to imagine you being tortured, maimed and possibly killed by that monster. It was his job to protect you. He looked at your stubborn gaze and knew what he had to do.

“Y/N I lied to you. I just wanted to sleep with you, I don’t love you.” He paused as he saw you visibly flinch. “I’m going after Zemo alone, I don’t want anyone’s help, especially yours.” His words cut into you, tears began to fill your eyes. A searing anger began to fill your chest. “That’s not true. No one has ever looked at me the way you do, touched me the way you do. People don’t act the way you have over the last few days, heck months if they aren’t in love. You’re just scared” Hot tears began to fall down your cheeks. “I’ll come with you, we can find him together” your voice cracked with emotion as you pleaded with him. “You’d only slow me down Y/N. I got what I wanted from you. You’re of no further use to me” he sneered at you. You shook your head, you lip quivering as he stepped closer. You used the back of your hand and tried to wipe the tears out of your eyes so you could look at him clearly. His eyes were cold, his whole demeanour changed. You didn’t recognise the man in front of you. He placed his hands on your shoulders, too stunned to fight him, you let him pull you into the room and effectively swap places with you. He stood at the door and faced you “don’t bother looking for me Y/N, you won’t find me.” 

With that he walked away. You collapsed onto your knees where he had left you, sobs wracking through your entire body. He could hear; you screamed out his name begging him to come back to you. His own eyes filled with tears, as he forced himself to leave you behind. Every cell in his body was telling him to turn around and wrap you in his arms, but he had to do this, it was the only way to ensure you were safe. Hurting you ensured you wouldn’t follow or try to find him. He hated himself for having to do this to you but he couldn’t see any other option. As he reached the garage and climbed onto his motorbike your final words rang through his head. “You promised me forever!”

taglist: @broco8​

[stilloutofmyvulcanmind]

And It All Came Tumbling Down Part 3

Request: Reader getting people out to safety gets hurt really badly and trapped, and Bruce has to save her

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x Reader

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Female!Reader, Dick Grayson

Word Count: 3600

Warnings: Graphic injuries, angst, hurt/comfort

Summary: During a work party a call comes in that the Joker has planted a bomb somewhere in Gotham. You’re tasked with clearing your building when the unthinkable happens.

A/N: Thank you all for the love you’ve given this series, and I hope you like this last part! If you’ve enjoyed this series, I’ve got a question at the end of the chapter that I’d like some feedback to if you’re so inclined!

Part 3 of 3

Part 1   Part 2

You were falling. Down, down, down into never-ending darkness. There was a light up above. So faint it was barely discernible, but it was there. It led to safety but it was forever out of reach. No matter how hard you tried you couldn't grasp it. 

You screamed but water flooded your lungs. It burned, choking you even as you fought for a breath. 

The light above flickered out. 

Something was covering your mouth, you could feel it pressing against your skin. You scrabbled at it desperately wanting to get it off as panic set in. 

"Hey, hey, hey, Y/N. It's okay, you're okay." A voice spoke from somewhere up above, a warm hand coming to rest over your own. You recognized it. 

Blinking your eyes open everything was blurry and unfocused. Someone was hovering over you though, and slowly Bruce came into focus, smiling down at you softly. 

"Hey, baby," he said quietly, his free hand reaching for something over your head before coming down to brush some hair off your forehead. 

You tried to say something back, what, you weren't entirely certain but something, but even thinking of words felt like effort, like your mind was filled with fog and you couldn't quite find what you needed. Gradually your surroundings were becoming more clear though. 

You were in a hospital if the quiet beeping of machines were anything to go by. A private room. A nice one. There were flowers next to your bed. Your favorites. The thing over your mouth was an oxygen mask. You'd been trying to yank it off when Bruce had stopped you. Bruce… 

He was still talking to you, nothing important, just quiet little things to keep you calm and comforted. He looked terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes, he hadn't shaved in several days, and there was a nasty looking gash slicing along one side of his jaw. He still had a hand over yours, fingers entwined now. 

You managed a smile at him, and the worry in his eyes instantly faded some. You tried to take the mask off with your other hand, wanting to try and say something again but found that it was covered in a cast that went up to your elbow. Oh. 

How hurt were you? Was that the reason for Bruce's worry? You couldn't feel any pain, but you couldn't feel much of anything other than a dull ache in your chest. The fall. The water. Anything could've broken. Was that why you couldn't feel? 

"Shh, you're okay." Bruce must've seen the panic rise again. "The Doctor will be here in a minute to explain everything."

He seemed so certain that it was impossible to not believe him. As long as he was next to you, you could deal with anything anyway. 

The Doctor came in soon after just like Bruce had said, and checked you over before asking some simple questions. It was still an effort to speak, but you managed and he seemed happy enough. You noticed Bruce's shoulders relax some. 

You were told you were lucky. That the falls you took could've been enough to kill you on their own, without the additional injuries. The worst had been the wound to your side. The second fall had ripped it out, doing worse damage, but the Doctor assured that they'd managed to repair it, and there was nothing to worry about. On top of that, there had been two head wounds, which explained the questions, several broken ribs and hairline fractures, a broken forearm, a torn knee ligament, a punctured lung, and enough scrapes and bruises that there were more damaged areas than not. 

After that, you weren't really surprised when he said about the amount of painkillers you were on to keep you comfy.

Bruce thanked the Doctor when he was done with a shake of the hand, then returned to his seat next to your bed, your hand in his once again. 

When you were alone, you smiled at him again. "You got to me."

"Told you I would," Bruce smiled back, kissing the back of your hand gently. 

"What happened?" You asked, motioning to the cut on his face. 

"This? Sharp piece of rubble. I've had worse."

You nodded, letting your eyes flutter closed for a moment while you enjoyed the comfort of just having Bruce next to you. 

"The others? Did they get out?" 

"Yeah. There were a few minor injuries, but that's it. You saved them."

It didn't feel that way, but it was a relief to hear. "Joker?" 

"Tracked him down the night after and sent him back to Arkham."

"Thank God." You slumped into the bed, not noticing how tense you'd been. Everything was okay now. You were alive, Bruce was there. You needed to talk but it could wait. 

"You should get some rest." Bruce must've seen you were still exhausted and leaned down to kiss your forehead. 

"You too. Look awful."

"Thanks," Bruce chuckled. "I'll get some sleep later. Focus on yourself."

"'kay." Closing your eyes again, you kept Bruce's hand in yours as you drifted off back to sleep.

~

The following days were mostly a blur of slipping in and out of consciousness. Bruce was there every time, occasionally joined by Alfred or Dick. You talked a little to them, but mostly it was still too much effort, and easier to just slip back off into sleep again. 

The next time you woke, you ached. The Doctors had been reducing some of your pain meds and you were starting to feel it. For a moment you thought you were by yourself for once, but a rustle of paper had you looking to the corner of the room to see Dick sitting there reading a book. 

It was the first time you'd seen him by himself since you first came to. 

"Hey," you said, drawing his attention. "What you doing over there?" 

"Didn't want to disturb you," he answered, marking the page he was on then set the book down. 

You smiled gently and held out your good arm towards him. "Come here." Waiting until he moved around to sit by your side, you asked, "How are you?" 

"Okay."

"Sure? You don't look so certain."

Dick nodded, "Yeah. Just glad you're awake. You were out for so long, I didn't know-" his voice cracked when he cut himself off, looking down at his hands. 

"I'm gonna be fine, Dick."

"I know, I just…can't lose you too."

Your heart broke for him right then and used what strength you had to tug him in for a hug. It was awkward, holding yourself at an angle that didn't hurt too much was a strain, but it was worth it to feel his arms around you, being so careful not to squeeze. "I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart."

"You nearly did." Dick's voice was quiet when he pulled away, letting you relax again. "I got to the roof where B had you, and you weren't moving. You weren't breathing! And Bruce…I've never seen him like that."

"Like what?" 

"Scared. He didn't say anything, but I could see it. He thought he'd lost you too."

It was difficult to know what to say to that. Dick wasn't the only one who'd never seen Bruce scared. He'd always been unshakeable, the one to spread the fear not feel it, so it was a difficult image to conceive. Maybe Dick had just been projecting, looking to see his own fear in someone else. Because it just didn't make sense for Bruce to be scared. Why would he? 

The things you'd been feeling before the attack had faded, lost to the pain and fear and then the relief of being alive, but now they were trickling back, feeling like lead in your stomach. Bruce would've been concerned for your safety, sure. Just like he was concerned for every civilian's safety. But you couldn't shake the feeling that was as far as it went. Being scared would suggest feelings you weren't entirely sure he had for you. 

Dick must've noticed something because he was frowning, "Are you okay?" 

Shaking yourself out of it, you nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Still a little out of it I guess."

He looked far from convinced, but the concern made you smile. Bruce had taken him in before you two had gotten together, but there'd always been a connection between Dick and you. Perhaps that was why Bruce had originally asked you out. It made sense. 

As if he knew you were thinking about him, Bruce knocked and entered the room carrying a fresh bunch of flowers. 

"Hey, you're awake," he smiled, setting the flowers down before leaning over to kiss your forehead. 

"Came to a little while ago. Dick and I have been catching up." You avoided Bruce's eyes when you spoke, something he didn't fail to miss. 

Digging into his pocket, Bruce pulled out his wallet and handed Dick some cash. "Give us a minute?" 

Dick looked between you both for a moment, then nodded and tucked the money away. He gave you another quick hug, then exited the room, probably off in search of food. 

Bruce waited for the door to click shut, then sat down wearily, tugging the knot of his tie loose as he did so. The dark circles under his eyes had faded some over the last week, and he'd shaved now, but he still looked a little worse for wear. He was watching you, or studying more like, taking in every detail, trying to figure out what you were thinking. "I'm sorry."

That wasn't what you'd expected him to say. "For what?" 

"Everything. For ditching the party, for asking you to be the one to get people out. For putting you in danger. You nearly died because of me."

He was sincere, you could see it in his eyes. He meant every word, harbored the guilt. Only it made your own guilt worse. "Not your fault. Didn't tell me to stay behind."

"You did exactly what I would've done. Saved all those people. But you shouldn't have been in the position to make that choice. That's on me."

"No. Bruce, it's not. No one forced me, and like…like you said, it's what you would've done."

"You aren't me though, Y/N."

"I wanted to be! I thought...I thought if-" You cut yourself off, turning your head away from him. 

"Thought what?" When you didn't answer, Bruce took your hand, squeezing it gently. "Talk to me, please."

"I...thought…I thought if I was like you…I'd be a hero too and you'd think I was important." The final words came out rushed, heat spreading across your cheeks at the admission. 

"Y/N…" Bruce's hand was on your face, guiding it back to look at him. He looked wounded, "Why would you not be important?" 

"Because you never forget important things."

You could see the realization dawn in his eyes and would've turned away again if it wasn't for Bruce's hand still on your face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, baby," he whispered, "You're important. You always have been. I fucked up, I know I did, but I love you, more than I ever could say. Never think otherwise, please."

It was impossible not to believe him. The genuine sincerity, the pain, the love, it was all there, plain to see. That openness, the vulnerability he so rarely showed, along with what he said, made you nod. "Okay."

Bruce smiled softly and leaned in to press a soft kiss to your lips. "I don't have an excuse for forgetting, but I want you to know that I didn't. Not completely. I knew it was coming up, I bought a gift, then, the days got so muddled between work and patrols, I just didn't realize it had come up so quick. It won't happen again.”

You believed him. It still stung, but it was understandable. And at least he hadn’t entirely forgotten. “Always next year to make sure things go better.”

“Yeah. But if you'll have me, I can rearrange what I planned this year. Just go a little later."

"Go where?" 

"To Rome. I arranged for us to have a weekend there for your birthday."

"Rome?" 

"You said you always wanted to go."

You were about to protest, say that you'd never told him that, then you remembered. A couple of years ago you'd told him a board member wasn't available since he'd gone on vacation to Rome, and mentioned in passing that you were jealous and wanted to go. Bruce hadn't acknowledged it at the time, and you'd assumed he'd been too preoccupied with paperwork to pay attention. Apparently, he had been. "You remembered that?" 

"I remember the important things."

The words shouldn’t have hit hard, but they did, and you could feel the tears burn at your eyes. It was such a dumb thing to cry over, but there you were, crying because he’d noticed one small fact. Maybe it was because you were still exhausted from everything, or maybe it was because it smashed all the thoughts you’d been having to pieces. 

“What’s wrong? We can go somewhere else if you want? Back to France, or somewhere else altogether.” Bruce had moved from his seat and was kneeling on the floor in front of you so he was as close as he could be, gently reaching forward to brush the tears away.

“No. No, Rome is perfect. It’s just...I love you.”

“I love you too.” Bruce stretched, letting his forehead rest against yours, a hand slipping to idly stroke your hair. 

You wished he could be next to you, that you could feel his arms around your waist, but the bed was too small, and though the two of you probably could’ve squashed on, it would’ve hurt. 

At least he was there, you still had him and he had you, and for the moment, that was enough.

~ 

The room was dark when you awoke with a start, cold beads of sweat coating your skin. Your breaths came in harsh ragged pants, loud in the silence. 

You'd been home a week now, and so far the nightmares had stayed at bay. Until tonight. Tonight you'd found yourself trapped all over again, falling endlessly, freezing water forcing its way in your body. Bruce was above you, yelling your name, but unable to reach you. Knowing now how scared he'd been that night made it all so much worse. 

You sighed, using your good arm to sit yourself up in the bed. The space next to you was empty and undisturbed. Not surprising. You'd talked Bruce into going back out on patrol again. He'd been by your side since your return to the manor, and while you appreciated it, you'd convinced him that a return to normality would be for the best. 

Now you wished you hadn't. 

Your injured leg protested as pushed yourself out of the bed, though it settled down once you were steady, the knee brace doing its job well, and headed into the bathroom. You could always text Bruce. He'd be home in a flash if you needed him, but the city needed him too. And it was late enough that it probably wouldn't be long before he returned anyway. 

Splashing some water on your face, you looked yourself over in the mirror. There'd been no nightmares, but you hadn't slept much either, content most nights to just lay in Bruce's arms, and it showed. Tomorrow. You’d sleep tomorrow when Bruce was back home and you could spend the day in bed together. It'd be nice. 

Not really wanting to do anything, and not wanting to risk disturbing Alfred when he was watching over Bruce and Dick, you decided to just head back to bed. Sleep would evade you until Bruce was home, but at least you could be comfy. The full-length mirror in the bedroom stopped you in your steps first. It glinted in the moonlight that filtered through the gap in the curtains, drawing your attention to it. 

You clicked a light on and stood in front of it, taking in the full length of your body. The brace was kinda clumpy so shorts had been your best sleep option, and an old t-shirt belonging to Bruce was comfy enough to cover the rest of you. The cast on your arm was still there, though by now it was covered in graffiti of little birds thanks to Dick. Raising the shirt you could see bruises that were now almost faded, and the lesser of the cuts nearly gone, with just slight discoloration where the new skin had grown to mark their presence. 

Then, of course, there was the bandage on your side, masking the stitches that lay beneath. They'd be coming out soon, and then you'd be able to see the scar for the first time. You'd already been warned that it wouldn't be pretty. The exact opposite. 

It was the first time you'd really stopped to look at yourself, to take in everything that had happened. You touched the bandage gently, fingers ghosting over it. 

You'd gotten lucky. Way too lucky. By all rights, you should've died. 

Fuck. 

The thought slammed into you. 

In the weeks since you'd come to you hadn't stopped to think about that, too busy reassuring everyone that you were fine and alive. You'd come so close to dying. By all rights, you had died. You knew the trouble Bruce had getting you breathing again. If it hadn't been for him…

"You should be in bed."

You turned sharply to see Bruce in the doorway, dressed in sweats and t-shirt, home for the night. 

The tremble spread through your body, legs shaking as you tried to keep upright. "Bruce…" Your voice came out quiet, cracking at the first sob that wracked its way through your chest. 

Your legs gave out from under you, but instead of hitting the floor there were arms around you, pulling you into a solid chest. 

It only made you cry harder. 

Bruce held you to him, letting you sob into his shirt, whispering to let it out as one hand rubbed your back. You clung to him, as though you'd fall away if you didn't. 

"'M'sorry," you mumbled when you could finally speak again. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing." Bruce kissed the top of your head, and moved you both to the bed, being careful of your injuries, but still making sure you were against his chest. He had you propped up, back to his front. 

You twisted slightly so you could bury your face in his neck.  "I stopped breathing." Bruce's arms tightened a fraction around you, and you didn't need to see his face to know he was schooling his own reactions. "If you hadn't saved me, I…"

"I'm always going to save you. No matter what it takes."

Closing your eyes, you nodded. "I know. I do. It just-"

"Doesn't make what happened easier."

"Yeah."

Bruce ran a hand over your arm, letting you both sit in silence for a minute. It was nice. Having him there calmed you. You never felt safer than when you were like this. "If you want, if it'll help, I can get you an appointment with a psychiatrist. Best in the city," he said after a while. 

It was a perfectly sensible idea, one that wasn't unappealing, but it made you cringe nonetheless. "You've been through worse and don't need to see one," you whispered. 

Bruce shifted and lifted your head, "Y/N, I run around dressed as a bat. I think there are plenty who'd say I need to see one."

You couldn't help it. You laughed. For the first time in weeks, you laughed. It was absurd, to hear everything Bruce did be minimized down to that, especially from him, and that's what made the whole thing so funny. It must've triggered something in Bruce too because he was laughing with you, and for a few minutes everything felt normal again. 

The two of you came down slowly, Bruce playing with your hair as he smiled at you. "So, do you? Want an appointment?" 

You nodded. "Please. Think I need some help with it all."

"Okay." The total lack of judgment in Bruce's eyes made it all the easier to admit to wanting help. "I'll look into in the morning."

"Thank you."

"Anything for you." Bruce kissed you and it was easy to lean into it, to let him guide it and pull a quiet moan from you. 

You broke apart and Bruce smiled, brushing some hair from your face. "Hold on a second. I've got something." He pulled away carefully and reached into one of the drawers by the side of the bed. When he returned, he handed you an envelope. "I was going to wait and take you to dinner first, but…"

You opened the envelope, pulling out the two slips of paper that lay inside. Tickets to Rome. The date was for a couple of months, enough time for you to finish healing. It was the return date that made you raise an eyebrow. "These are for a week."

"I think Gotham can survive a week. It still has Robin and if anything happens the jet can have us back in a few hours."

"You sure?" 

"Yeah. I'm sure."

A grin crept its way onto your face, tucking the tickets back away so you could wrap an arm around his shoulders. It hurt a little but compared to everything else it was nothing, and for the moment you couldn't care less. You were happy and excited, and utterly in love with a man who obviously loved you back. 

Bruce returned the grin and kissed you again. 

Things were going to be okay. 

A/A/N: Hey! So while the main story of this series is done, I’m considering doing a bonus chapter set between parts 2+3. It’ll be Batman and Robin tracking down Joker and taking him in. Basically, I want to write about a Very Mad Bat, and this seemed like the best way to do it! So if that’s something you want to see, let me know!

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee! (I’ll love you forever)

Tagging: @medicatemedrmccoy​ @thefanficfaerie​ @weresilver-in-space​ @theravenkingishome​ @abigailadams1788​ @iwillmakeyoucraveme​ @ishouldvebutdidnt​ @wonhos-world​ @electricprincess888​ @cuddlememerrick​ @slytherinsheashire @kacchasu​ @generalgoldfishldrm​ @dc-marvel-girl96​ @sagyunaro​ @padfoot-siriusly-approves​ @mybabyboytony​ @imaginethatwow​ @thearcher7 @notsohappysunflower​ @quoththe-raven​ @startrekstartrash​ @thatanonymouschocolate​ @eternalabysss​ @megarichoo-blog​ @verdonafrost​ @huntersstuff591​ @mellowstatesmanhandsempath​ 

[crows-murder]

What was the first fandom and/or pairing that you wrote fic for?

Do you participate in any writing events or challenges throughout the year? If so, what do you like about them?

Do you write fics from start or finish, or jump around?

Do you outline before you start writing? If so, how far do you stray from that outline?

What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

Which part of writing do you struggle with most?

dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

If you could only write angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

Is there a trope you wouldn’t write if it was the last trope on earth?

What is your most underrated fic?

What fic are you most proud of?

What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

What is the one fic that got away?

Have you cried while writing a fic?

If you had to remix one of your own fics, which would it be and how would you remix it?

Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future. (sorry for sending so many i really wanna know)

(no don’t worry it’s perfectly okay! i had fun answering all of them 😊)

1. what was the first fandom and/or pairing that you wrote fic for?

ah. okay, so the first fandom i wrote and published for was Voltron, though i will never give away what the pairing was. i was 14 and it was on Wattpad, the rest is forbidden knowledge

2.do you participate in any writing events or challenges throughout the year? if so, what do you like about them?

i recently participated in a few events and challenges, and honestly, they were a lot of fun! i’d have to say that what i like about them is that i get to get out of my comfort zone and push my limits. 

3. do you write fics from start or finish, or jump around?

well. uh, no. 

sometimes i do write whole fics in one sitting,  but usually it takes me a day or two, and i have more than one WIP doc open because my brain needs to switch fics when it gets bored, so to speak. i just need to jump around to avoid losing interest in a story

4. do you outline before you start writing? if so, how far do you stray from that outline?

if it’s a multi-chapter fic, then yes. if i don’t have a clear ending or goal, then the story can and will drag on and on and on lol. sometimes i’ll stray from my outline, since it’s not really a strict set of directions for me to follow, more of something to guide me. very often, my story won’t exactly resemble my outline.

5. what is the perfect environment for you to write in?

late at night with a steaming cup of tea or coffee, or just an energy drink, wrapped in my fuzzy blanket with instrumental music playing. 

7. Which part of writing do you struggle with most?

writing

/hj. idk i guess i’d have to say finding the right word when i forget it. or another super annoying thing is that sometimes i have the perfect word in french, and i need to find a good translation for it, but the english version of the word just doesn’t feel the same as the original. that’s very annoying lol.

10.  do you enjoy dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

dialogue. i tend to stray from the plot and i always struggle with exposition, but i absolutely love writing dialogue. 

11. if you could only write angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your life, which would it be?

angst. no questions. i need to hurt my characters because i love them.

12. is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

enemies to lovers. i don’t have any actual WIPs with that specific trope, but i do really want to write it one day lol.

13. is there a trope you wouldn’t write if it was the last trope on earth?

alpha/beta/omega. i fully support my writer friends who write it, but sadly i will never write it. it bothers me a little too much rip. i’d rather never write again than write it. 

16. what is your most underrated fic?

um. personally, i think that this fic from my urban fantasy AU was really not popular lol. i kinda see why, since its pure fluff and from an AU that is a personal indulgence lol

17. what fic are you most proud of?

okay this Jayroy fic from my bad things happen bingo is definitely one of the ones i’m very proud of. idk, i just like it? i can’t explain why i’m proud of it, but i am.

18. what is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

i decided to cheat a little and i’ll be using a line from a WIP instead. and the commentary’s gonna be written bc i can 

It was a mission report. Bruce had told him it was fine if he finished it tomorrow.

Tim could finish it tonight. (tim you absolute walnut SLEEP)

He was perfectly capable of doing what Bruce asked him. (not when you’re sleep deprived, idiot) He wasn’t Dick. he certainly wasn’t Jason. But he could still work diligently and without mistake. He could be better. (aw bby you dumb idiot child you dont need to be better)

Tim stared at the person standing in the hallway, eyes narrowed and mug in one hand. He knew for a fact that it took longer than twenty-seven hours of no sleep to start hallucinating. (I BANISH YOU TO SLEEP JAIL YOU UNRULY GREMLIN)

But that was the only reason Tim could fathom the Red Hood standing in the kitchen of Titans Tower at half-past three in the morning. (and that’s valid. i too would think i’d be hallucinating lmao)

Red Hood approached Tim slowly. “You have a lot of nerve wearing that uniform.” (jason please LET. THAT. GO.)

Tim glanced down at his rumpled gray shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. (i laughed writing this. i laughed a lot) 

He should be more alarmed that the Red Hood clearly knew he was Robin without the mask, but Tim was too tired and he was going to have to push that freak-out to the next day. (me doing homework at 4am like)

19. who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? why?

this time i’ll go with the type of characters. the easiest character for me to write is definitely the one character i relate to the most/ my comfort character because of course, i know them more than any other character and to some level understand their character. the hardest character to write is probably one i don’t really know or one who doesn’t have a lot of character development or there isn’t much info about them. i’ll still write them, but i’ll be making up a lot of stuff lol.

20. what’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

hmm. i haven’t written many side characters, but i did love writing Dana Winters. she’s very cool and i like her a lot.

21. what is the one fic that got away?

it might just be me but im struggling a bit with what this could mean, so i’m going to assume it means that one fic that didn’t go where i expected it to (if that’s not what you meant, feel free to send me an ask correcting me lol)

so i’d have to say its the second part of this 2 chapter fic i wrote because a lot of people were asking for more cuddles in the first part. i was not expecting writing another fic specifically for fluff, but here we are.

22. have you cried while writing a fic?

definitely during that one major character death fic i wrote. i wrote the aftermath of the character’s death and i was crying while writing it lmao.

i was crying so much writing the ending for this

23. if you had to remix one of your own fics, which would it be and how would you remix it?

i wrote a sort of road trip birdflash au that i wouldn’t mind seeing as a remix

30. tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future.

i’m actually writing a longfic right now. i don’t even know where i got the idea from, but it’s basically a batfam no capes AU where they all practice magic instead and it’s set in 1927.

here’s the ask game! send me an ask! (or more than one, i don’t mind)

[dumbkiri]

Fate Changes Four

Parts: [ 1, 2, 3, Here, 5 ]

Summary: When all is about to end, the Knight stops his damsel in distress from taking her life once again. But this time was different. She wasn’t going to stop unless he gave her a good reason not to. Telling her he wasn’t dead this whole entire time might be the way.

Pairing: Jason Todd x Female! Reader

Genre: Slight Angst

Word Count: Idk, it’s short

Warnings: Blood, Suicide, Death, Guns

Stop!"

"Don't listen to him." Jason said.

"You don't want to do this, [Name]." 

[Name]'s smile was wiped off her face and she turned her head at the source of the speaker. Her eyes landed on the Arkham Knight. He stood at the entrance of the cell with his hands up, showing her that he meant no harm. 

Her hands began shaking and she looked away from him. Her eyes focused on the wall in front of her. It was discolored and blank. Unlike her who was decorated in various colors due to her injuries. "I'm going to do this, Knight. I'm finally going to be able to be free and this heavy weight that's been on my shoulders will be lifted off." 

The Arkham Knight took a step into the cell and she jumped to her feet. She didn't hesitate to point the gun at him, "Take one more step and I'll shoot you." 

He stopped moving and let his hands rest by his sides. "Put the gun down," The Knight warned and gesture for her to listen to him. Yet she wasn't cooperating. "Listen to me, you don't want to go down this route. Death is not- There are some people who-" 

"Batgirl, stand down," Batman ordered the woman suddenly appearing behind her. If the bulletproof glass wasn't between them then the Bat would probably have taken her down. 

The Arkham Knight froze in his spot as he stared at the caped crusader. 

"Pull the trigger," Jason coated her.

On the other hand, [Name] bit her lip. The fear toxin was still working in her system, but for some reason she didn't see any monsters or scary images. Then she looked at the gun gripped tightly in her hands, "I'm going to take my life. I don't care if you disagree, Batman. And Knight, you have no right to care for me." 

She lifted her eyes to the Arkham Knight and glared at him, "You barge into my home. Destroyed it. Took my first chance of taking my life."

"He doesn't want us together," Jason sighed. 

[Name] took a deep breath in, "Forced me into a car. Fought me while I suffered from two bullet wounds. Ended up in a car accident and you saved me." 

She aimed at his suit again, "Watched me suffer with the fear toxin taking over. Now you want to save me for a third time. I want to know who you are before I do anything drastic." 

The Arkham Knight sighed and shook his head, "All those hints I gave you. All those Romeo and Juliet phrases going back and forth. I thought those would jog your memory." 

"Everyone knows about Romeo and Juliet," She countered. 

"Not like us, we remember it differently. I thought I was your home," The Knight said and if it wasn't for the robotic voice, she would have assumed his voice cracked a bit. She was shaken by his sentence. 

"You'll always be my home, Romeo." 

She shook her head and backed up into the wall. He couldn't be him. All this time, he was right here in front of her. All this time, he was watching her get beaten down and even used force on her. 

"You are not my Romeo," She began with an attitude, "he would have never laid hands on me or let alone watch anyone beat me." 

"That's right! I would never harm you, [Name]." Jason said desperately.

The Arkham Knight stayed quiet and she wished for him to give her a reason why he did what he did. He let Barbara die. 

Meanwhile, Batman laid his hands on the cell desperately wanting to hold the girl in his arms. He needed to take her away from the cell and to Alfred where he can keep a watchful eye on her. But for right now,he watched [Name] uncover the truth behind the Arkham Knight. 

"You expect me to believe you are him!" She yelled at the Knight. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. The grip on her gun was locked and her knuckles turned white. "Well I don't believe you!" 

"You don't have to believe my words, you have to trust them," The Knight said with a softer tone. His hands reaching for her slowly and his legs moving toward her. "Please, [Name], put the goddamn gun down." 

[Name] shook her head, "Stop! I said don't move!" She pulled the trigger giving him a warning shot. The Arkham Knight stopped and raised his hands up again. His feet standing firm on the ground, not moving an inch. 

She was breathing heavy and she didn't know what the cause of it was from; the fear toxin or the sudden shock of Jason being alive. Either way, her heart was pounding and her head was in a swirl. Unbeknownst to her and the rest, one more shot of fear toxin entered her system and her hand flew to the collar. 

"Ugh," [Name] groaned, "I'm going to kill him!" She yelled and dropped the gun to the floor. She needed two hands to take the collar off and holding a weapon wasn't going to help her. 

The Knight saw this as a chance to render her unconscious. He ran at her and slammed her body against the cell wall to which she cried out, "What in God's name is wrong with you!" 

"I need you to calm down!" The Knight yelled at her and ended up getting punched in the face. 

"Get away from me!" [Name] yelled and kicked at him. Her vision showing her a monster trying to take advantage of her. 

"It's the fear toxin," Batman spoke up to the Knight, "it's taking over her body." 

The Knight scoffed and dodged a kick from [Name], "Yeah? Why didn't it affect her earlier? She had about seven doses already." 

"She saw someone important to her in the visions early on, that's who she's afraid of," Batman reasoned and worked on getting inside the cell. He could use his explosive gel, although he could harm [Name] in the process. 

The Knight blocked [Name]'s right hook and swiped his leg under her feet. Her back collided with the cell floor and she let out a strangled gasp. "Old man, you got any bright ideas to get her out without me damaging her so much?" 

"Talk to her," Batman simply responded. 

[Name] grabbed the Knight's foot and yanked on it causing him to lose his balance in the process. She crawled on top of him and started delivering punches left and right. She showed him no mercy. 

"She'll listen to you," Batman explained to the Knight watching his student unleash her wrath, "Show her that you're her Romeo." 

The Knight gritted his teeth and pressed a button on the right side of his helmet. 

[Name] raised her left arm to give the Knight another cruel punch, but a hissing sound made her stop. She watched as his helmet came off. 

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw those gunmetal eyes once again. Those stormy blue eyes she saw a long time ago. His black hair barely peeking out from the helmet. And that scar, that scar that made her blood run cold. 

"It really is you," [Name] admitted putting her hand down at her side. 

Jason nodded, "Yeah, I told you." 

"Batgirl, get down!" Batman warned and gunshots rang in the cell. 

Jason hovered over [Name]'s body and shielded her as much as he could. Once it stopped raining bullets, Batman blew up the wall of a cell and walked into it. He handled the men that wreaked havoc in the cell. After that was done, he checked up on his family. 

"No, no, no," He heard the Knight say over and over and when the smoke dispersed, Batman saw [Name] bleeding out in the Knight's arms. A bullet wound in her abdomen. 

"We have to get her out of here," Batman placed his hand on Jason's shoulders. 

……

"She's in stable condition, sir," Alfred said confirming the vitals on the screen were stable. "But she's going to be out of commission for at least a week. I've found three bullets, one that broke into shards." 

"I assume you took all the pieces out," Batman spoke over the phone. He was busy tracking down Scarecrow. 

"To the best of my abilities. Not only that, she broken at least four of her ribs, sprained her ankle and has multiple contusions. It's a miracle she's alive considering the bruises and damage that's been done to her body." 

"Not helping, Alfred," Jason called out to the butler from his sulking corner. His voice firm and broken at the same time. Those injuries were caused by him. He was the one that caused her so much pain. 

Alfred looked over at Jason. It was just an hour ago that he found out the boy he lost long ago was alive. "Well, yes, Master Todd, it seems that you are feeling guilty for what happened to Miss [L.Name]." 

"Guilty?" Jason scoffed, "I should feel more than guilty. She almost died, she could have died." He corrected himself. 

"But you saved her," Alfred dressed [Name] in new bandages, "I recall you saving her on multiple occasions, Robin or not." 

"That's not the point," Jason argued. 

"Then what is?" Alfred shot back laying [Name] gently back on her bed. "Sulking about what happened? It won't help her. The only thing- No, the only person that has ever helped her was you, Master Todd." 

Jason still stood in the corner of the room with his arms over his chest. 

"When you died, nothing was ever the same. Master Bruce would stay in the batcave with little to no sleep and [Name]," 

Jason looked over at the woman in the bed. 

"She was alone again. She lost the love of her life in the most cruel way; at Joker's hands." Alfred finished while setting a wet cloth on her forehead. 

"She replaced me." 

"She did no such thing," Alfred defended [Name], "and neither did Master Bruce. They both loved you in their own ways." 

Jason pushed himself off the wall and glared at Alfred, "Then why did Joker tell me there was a new Robin? I wasn't even dead, yet they found someone else. Someone else to call Robin." 

Alfred looked sadly at Jason, "Master Drake found out who they were, their real identities. Master Bruce could not just allow this boy to run around knowing who Batman really was." 

Jason turned away, "While they were out there, I was being tortured by a psychotic villain. I thought that Bruce would have killed him already, but turns out the Joker died differently. I wanted him to suffer. To feel the pain he dealt me." 

"Batman almost killed the Joker," Alfred confessed. "He was nearly there until [Name] stopped him. She stopped him from crossing the line." 

……

"Batman, stop!" Batgirl landed on the roof, standing behind the caped crusader. 

"Oh, Batgirl!" Joker laughed, his legs dangling in the air, "Thank goodness, you're here! I was starting to worry you weren't going to show!" 

"Let Joker go," [Name] advised while gripping a batarang in between her fingers. 

Batman didn't say anything and kept his hands around Joker's neck. 

"Uh-oh, Bats, seems like you got another rogue birdie," Blood was dripping down his chin, "we all know what happened to the last bird that left his nest too soon." 

"Shut up!" Batman demanded and squeezed Joker's neck even harder. If he did it any more stronger, the psycho's neck would snap. 

Batgirl spoke up, "You'll regret your actions later, Batman. You have a code. A code you made yourself and the others follow because if we broke it,…" 

……

"We're no better than them," Jason finished off Alfred's recount of that night. 

"Yes, even I wanted the bastard dead. I was so set on the Joker dying that I didn't care for the consequences at the time. But [Name] stopped us from crossing that line." 

Jason walked over to [Name]'s bedside and sat down at the edge. Her hands were cut up and bandaged. Her face adorned with bruises and cuts. One of her eyes covered up in ice to stop the black eye from swelling so much. 

"I thought she wanted the Joker dead too," Jason questioned reaching out for her hand. 

Alfred hummed, "Of course, she did. That's all she ever wanted after your death. She wanted him to die so badly that she said she was going to be the one that kills him." 

Jason intertwined his fingers with hers. 

"And when she found out the Joker was sick, she rejoiced. Finally, the clown was getting what he deserved." 

[what-is-your-plan-today]

CSI Rogers and Barnes Ch12: An Excelsior Turn Of Events

Part 1 Co written with @icanfeelastormbrewing​

Episode Summary: Steve, Katie and Bucky head to Tony’s lab to find out what was on that Pen-Drive. Fury’s back, being Fury and then they discover some other stuff that’s gonna make you all go “arrrrrrgh!”

Episode Warnings: Bad Language words.

Episode Pairings:  Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Song for Episode:  A Thousand Trees by Stereophonics

A/N: This is another LONG chapter guys, but there’s a LOT going down as we really are ramping up to blowing this popsicle stand (Or case…) Again we’ve split into 2 parts for you to read either all at once or separately, however you wish.

Oh, and we KNOW Steve was in a uniform here, and not a suit, but damned the only pics out there of the beautiful bastard in a police uniform are when he has that damned moustache (huh? you know I’m talking to you…) so, yeah, we used one of him in a suit because like who CARES?????

With a special birthday dedication to the handsome man himself, and of course the beautiful @jtargaryen18​

As always we live for re-blogs and comments

Series Master List  // Main Masterlist

It only takes one tree to make a thousand matches, only takes one match to burn a thousand trees

When Steve, Katie and Bucky arrived at the lab and entered the main room they found Banner, who was reading something on a computer screen while muttering something unintelligible.

"Good afternoon Bruce. Trouble experimenting?" Katie greeted the scientist.

"What? Oh… hi Katie." he stuttered as he stood up and approached her reaching his hand to greet her. "I was just.... I was just thinking I have to heat up the cube to 120 million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." he explained absentmindedly fiddling with the reading glasses he had just taken off.

Katie looked at him puzzled. "The what?"

"Are you trying to achieve heavy ion fusion?" Bucky suddenly asked.

"Oh hi, Sergeant Barnes. Captain." Bruce greeted both men when he acknowledged their presence. "Yes, you could say that. Just on every reactor in the lab." he answered Bucky's question to what the Sergeant nodded knowingly.

"What just happened?" Steve whispered leaning over Katie who simply shrugged.

"Look, Bruce. We really need to speak to Tony. Is he in?" she asked.

"Oh sure. Yes, he's in his office. You know the way." he said pointing at one of the corridors with his glasses.

Steve and Katie nodded at the scientist before heading towards Tony's office. Bucky followed their steps after patting Bruce on the back and stating "I've read about your work in antielectron collisions. It is unparalleled."

Both Katie and Steve turned to look at Bucky giving him a questioning look.

"What? I do my readings." he shrugged as if it was something so obvious he couldn't be bothered explaining.

When they got to Tony's office, they could hear him talking to someone on the phone. His voice getting louder as Katie knocked on the door twice, before cracking it open just a bit. Tony looked up as she turned and gestured with her head for Steve and Bucky to follow he in.

"Of course you can quote me on that, I just said it." Tony waved, greeting them and signalling for them to take a seat as he finished talking on the phone. He surely wasn't amused by the person at the other end of the line, as he rolled his eyes continuously and sighed when he finally hung up.

"Sorry, that was the wedding planner. Told her to tell the man at the venue to go to hell..." he offered, while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Wedding planner?" Katie asked, surprised.

"Oh right, yeah, we've set a date..." Tony explained. "Maybe if you were home some time, I could have told you earlier." he added grabbing a foil packet from his desk as Katie rolled her eyes and took a breath at her brother’s snarky comment. Steve gently rubbed her back, signalling for her not to rise to his bait.

"Blueberries?"  Tony offered his guests. But they all refused with a nod of their heads, so he leaned his head back and

"Weddings are great" Bucky said with a huge grin. When he felt everybody staring at him, which was happening a lot that day, he added "As long as they're not yours..."

"You're invited Manchurian candidate and your Toy Boy " Tony snorted.

"What?" Bucky asked with a frown.

"Yeah, Doc is invited too..." Tony replied, a knowing smile spreading on his face.

Bucky was going to ask Tony what he was trying to imply when the landline on his desk started ringing.

"Sorry guys..." he apologised as he pressed the button to answer. "Stark...Yes, hold please..." and he pressed the button again.

"He likes to watch the light blink" Katie explained to Steve and Bucky who were looking at each other.

"Yup. Why are you guys here so late anyway?" Tony asked, sitting on his office chair.

"We need to speak to you, Tony..." Steve trailed off as Tony frowned.

"Oh God..." Tony looked at Katie "You're pregnant aren’t you..."

"What? No..." she protested.

But Tony ignored her, glaring at Steve instead "You knocked her up?"

"Not that strange an idea considering the amount of times they..." Bucky opened his big mouth to speak.

"Shut the fuck up Bucky!" both Katie and Steve shouted at the same time.

There was a pause as everyone fell silent.

"This is serious Tony..." Katie finally said.

"I went to see Fury today...." Steve helped her.

"Oh, how's the Goth Pirate doing?" Tony asked casually.

Bucky sniggered. He knew Howard had been close to Fury and therefore Tony and Katie had known and been around him since they were kids.

"For once in your life will you shut up and listen?" Katie was starting to lose her patience.

Bucky saw that Tony had noticed Katie's facial expression and frowned, suddenly concerned "What's the matter kiddo?"

"Fury gave me this..." Steve said, showing Tony the pen-drive.

"What's on it Cap?" Tony asked, looking between the Captain and the pen-drive on his hand.

"We don't know yet." Steve replied.

"Yet?"

"It's encrypted." Katie explained.

"So take it to tech..." Tony said leaning back on the chair and crossing his arms.

"When it arrived Fury opened it. Before the encryption started scrambling there was a clear message that it be handed to Katie and only Katie because it concerns..." Steve trailed off.

"It concerns stuff about Dad." Katie finished for him.

At that Tony frowned, not understanding where she wanted to get "Dad?"

"Yeah...Fury thinks... " Katie took a deep breath before continuing. "He thinks that mom and dad’s deaths might not have been accidental."

"That's absurd..." Tony frowned.

"Maybe, but until we open it we won't know..." Katie looked at him.

Tony took the stick and looked at it. "And there were no clues, nothing, zip, nada as to who sent it?"

"Nope. Might as well have been delivered by a ghost..." Katie sighed.

"Well, let's see what the ghost wants." Steve said with determination, nodding at the pen-drive.

Tony plugged the stick in and they all watched as the screen filled with a load of random numbers, which didn't seem to make much sense to any of them, nor did they appear to look like they were going to stop filling the screen randomly anytime soon.

Tony started talking about running an algorithm or something to crack it, much of the jargon he used was alien to Steve but he did remember what Fury had said about the message on the pen-drive, “My guess is it will be a date or a combination that means something to Stark.”  But so far Katie looked as lost as he was as she was staring at the screen intently frowning.

"This requires insight" Tony mused "It looks like the programme the CIA uses to choose targets."

"They look like random numbers to me." Bucky quipped leaning over Katie's and Tony's heads.

"They're not random...there's a pattern." Katie muttered without taking her eyes from the screen.

"Like what, what do they represent?" Tony asked, looking at her.

"They don't represent a thing...it's what's missing." Katie explained, borrowing a notepad and a pen from Tony's desk and scribbling something.

Steve frowned at what she said and then spotted what she was trying to say "There's no 6s or 1s..."

Tony and Bucky pointed at the same time "4s....0s..."

"Exactly..." Katie said, as she wrote down the different possible combinations with the missing numbers.

"What the hell..." Bucky asked, watching her stop at one combination as she drew a circle around it.

Katie simply grinned at him and looked at Tony, showing him the notepad "14.605..."

"What are the dots?" Bucky asked.

“A stuffed Llama…” Steve muttered and Bucky glared at him as he shrugged, a small smile flickering across his face.

“She’s not a llama she’s a goat…” Bucky started to argue until Katie shook her head.

"Whatever she is it doesn’t matter as they aren't dots, they’re zeros. Actually, it should read 14.605.000" she said looking at Bucky and then at Tony.

"Fuck, of course..." Tony said with eyes wide open as Bucky looked at Steve, who simply shrugged. He had no idea what that number meant but clearly it was significant to the siblings. Tony nodded at Katie "Go on, type the numbers."

Just as Katie had finished typing the last digit the numbers on the screen stopped moving and the image faded to black for a couple of seconds. Everyone in Tony's office was holding their breaths when a video recording started, showing a white haired old man with a wrinkled face, with a beard and a moustache. His eyes tiny and sparkling behind his smoking glass glasses.

"Do you know him?" Steve asked.

Katie shook her head slowly, looking at the screen while sweeping through her memories trying to find something that stated the contrary.

"Wait. I've seen that guy." Bucky intervened. " I just can't seem to figure out where from..." he mused.

"Miss Stark. Please listen carefully as following this message the drive will wipe. I knew your father, he was a good man and I'm hoping I can trust you like I trusted him. I've been watching the case from afar, hoping I was wrong but after the latest killings it all seems to be leading to one conclusion. We need to speak in person. You can contact me on the following number to arrange to meet but we have to be discreet....."

Katie grabbed a pen and rapidly scribbled down the number the man was showing on a piece of paper he was holding up to the camera with both hands.

"Take care Miss Stark, and trust no one...."

And with that, the screen went still and the drive wiped.

"So this adorable grandpa knew dad?" Tony asked.

"Apparently...is he from the police?" Katie asked, turning to look up at Steve.

"I don't know. I've never seen him, and I spent a lot of time with Howard" he replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But I have...he's been at every crime scene to date...like some kind of dead famous actor or a series creator, you know, when they get to do cameos for fun..." Bucky suddenly quipped, everyone looking at him in disbelief.

"That told us nothing...I thought you said Fury told you it contained information?" Katie protested, looking at Steve, frowning.

Now she was snapping at him, but Steve didn't take it to heart. He knew she was pissed and he could understand where she was coming from. It had been an exhausting day for both of them but more to her and alone the fact that her parents could have been murdered was more than enough to rile her let alone everything else that had happened. To say she had the right to be angry and frustrated would be an understatement.

"He did, that's what he thought..." Steve replied cautiously.

"I mean we don't even know who the fuck he is!" she snapped again.

Steve was about to say something to appease her anxiety but just as he squeezed her shoulder Bucky spoke.

"One way to find out, Doll face..." he interjected. “Call him."

So Katie picked up the phone on Tony's desk. Steve, Bucky and Tony looked at her expectantly but Katie frowned as soon as she put the earpiece close to her ear  "Yeah, he'll call you back..." she told the person who had been on hold all that time before pressing the button to finish the call.

"Oh, shit...I  forgot...I like the red light..." Tony apologised. Steve saw Katie take a deep breath before calling the number and putting the call on speaker. As soon as it picked up a robotic voice said "Meet me tomorrow, 2pm at Green-Wood Cemetery. Bring no one but the Captain."

The recording finished and only white noise could be heard. Katie slammed her hand against the button to end the call. She was about to explode, Steve could tell as she stood up straight and tried to call the number again, but nothing came from the other end of the line.

"Burner." Steve sighed. "Chances are he's destroying it as we speak." he said hugging her from behind and placing a kiss on her head.

"FUCK!" Katie yelled, slamming the handset down. "We know nothing more than we did before!"

"Ok Kiddo, I want you to go home and rest. There's nothing else you can do now." Tony tried to calm her. "Are you coming with me tonight or shall I rent your room to someone else?" he continued, testing the waters with his joke.

"Right, coz you're definitely running a bed and breakfast." she repeated the same exact words Tony had been bugging her with for the past week.

"Well, it's not like I see much of you lately. Not even managed to tell you all about how I’m having a civil war with the venue guy or that we set a date yet" Tony whined. "Come on, Pepper will be thrilled to share the details with you. Although I'm warning you, you may need to put your shades on to look at the new rock I bought her."

“You bought her a new rock?” Bucky frowned “Why would you do that?” “Because it was a few years old and…well we should have set a date ages ago so I kinda re-proposed…”

"And that's my brother for you, ladies and gentlemen." Katie snorted. “Ostentatious bastard…” “Don’t start snapping at me!” Tony looked at her, his own temper flaring slightly “Look, I’m as pissed as you are, especially if this guy has information on mom and dad, they were my parents too you know…” “Oh get to fuck Tony!” Katie snarled “You’re such a-“ “Ok, ok…” Steve said, stepping in quickly before the pair of them really went at each other. They were so different yet in other ways extremely similar, and both had developed that infamous Stark temper from Howard, along with his stubborn streak, which made for some spectacular brother-sister arguments as he had seen many a times over the past decade. But now wasn’t the time. They were going to need each other, and he didn’t want them at odds. He turned to Katie, his hands falling to her shoulders "Tony's right, doll. Go home. Spend some time with Tony and Pepper. It'll do you good." he encouraged, trying not to push too much.

Steve knew she was restless enough as it was but, although he'd be more than glad to spend the night with her at his place, he also knew being with her family would be a perfect distraction for her already distraught mind. God, it was only half past six but he had the feeling his meeting with Fury had been weeks ago. Could anything more happen in a day?

Steve saw Katie hesitate and decided to help Tony out. He knew the man needed his sister as much as she needed him.

"Look, we can't do anything more until tomorrow, sweetheart, you should go..." Steve said, taking both her hands in his.

She bit her lip and looked at him until Tony spoke.

"Cap, you can come too...if you want." he shrugged, sensing Katie's hesitancy.

"YESSSSS BOY!" Bucky suddenly shrieked with joy at the fact he had the apartment to himself as he fist pumped in the air but a second later he stilled, pouted and jokingly asked "What about me?"

"Go to the mortuary or something, I dunnno, wherever you and Sam...." Tony deadpanned, waving his hand. "And for fucks sake stop eating my blueberries!"

"Erm, are you sure Tony?” Steve asked. In all honesty he was taken aback by Tony's offering, was that an olive branch? Well, if it was, he would be more than happy to take it as the prospect of spending his free time away from Katie was really not all that great.

Tony shrugged “Well you two are…you know, together. And I suppose you’re better than Shitweasel…”

“Yeah as far as bars go, that’s not particularly high…” Katie frowned. Tony glared at her and Steve once more jumped in.

“Well, that would be great " he nodded, “It’ll be nice to spend some time with you and Pepper. I just need to nip home first thought and get some stuff..."

"Like you need clothes." Tony scoffed, earning a glare from Katie and a snigger from Bucky which  made him turn to look at him again "I told you to stop eating my blueberries, Robocop!"  

Steve rolled his eyes "I'm not sitting all night in my uniform."

"Yeah, as long as you don't sit on my sister." Tony muttered.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud." Tony brushed him off. "See if I could find something in my closet that fitted you. But then again it might not be spangly enough for your liking”

**** "What a sight for sore eyes, young lady." Pepper teased Katie as soon as they walked into the apartment.

They had dropped Bucky at the flat earlier and Steve had changed into a more casual and less conspicuous outfit and  grabbed his overnight bag, one he would have never in a million years imagined he would be taking to Tony's. Katie's car remained back at Sarah's. Seeing the events of the day they had decided it would be better if she didn't drive. They would sort that out the next day, after meeting their new informant.

"You only saw me on Friday, remember?" Katie protested as she hugged her brother's fiancé.

"You're right. And from what I've heard a lot of things have happened since then. Hi, Steve." Pepper said before moving to hug Steve, who greeted her back.

"You could say that." Tony said, entering the living room. "But the prodigal son, sorry daughter, returns. Much to her brother's joy."

"Oh, cut the crap Tony. I saw her on Friday! It’s only Wednesday!" Katie glared at her brother.

"Don't mind him and make yourselves at home." Pepper said, inviting them to take a seat on the couch. "I'll take your bag to Katie's room." she offered Steve, who handed her the bag after thanking her. He had always liked Pepper and how easily she could handle Tony.

"Drinks?" Tony asked. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. In the meanwhile... Gin, Kiddo?"

"Always." Katie answered.

"Rogers?" he asked, looking at Steve as he prepared Katie's drink.

"I'll have a beer, thanks." he answered, trying to suppress the feeling of awkwardness of being at Tony's as his sister's boyfriend.

"Somebody told me you had a big blinding rock to show me." Katie told Pepper as soon as the woman was back in the living room.

"You know your brother. He likes to push the boat out." she said stretching her hand for Katie to look at the ring.

"It's an exclusive cut. The Infinity Stone." Tony boasted.

Steve looked at Katie and he could instantly tell she really couldn't be less interested, instead she rolled her eyes at her brother's bragging. She made a comment about it being very big, more out of courtesy than because she really liked those flashy pieces of jewellery, Steve knew she wouldn't like anything so gaudy. Wait, why was he thinking about that? He tried to wipe the image of his mother telling him about the ring out of his mind and focus on the conversation Katie, Tony and Pepper were engaged in.

"So, you finally set the date?" Katie asked the couple, who grinned at her excitedly.

"Yup. 20th December. Pepper wanted a Christmas wedding." Tony explained.

"That is not entirely true, Tony" Pepper protested. "I wanted for us to get married as soon as possible and your brother suggested we could do it right before Christmas." she explained to Katie.

"Well, that's certainly sooner than I expected." Steve said.

"Well, if I don't kill the wedding planner and the venue dude before, we'll have a Christmas wedding. It will be like Christmas but with more me." Tony smirked.

"You know, guys, I can't be living with you when you're married...I appreciate you putting me up but I need to think about what I'm gonna do seriously." Katie spoke softly, turning her eyes to Tony.

"What do you mean, Kiddo?" her brother asked

"You guys are gonna be newlyweds.” She smiled “You should be building your home together, you won’t need me here.” “Kiddo, you’ll always-“ “I know, I know Tony…” she smiled at him “But, I was saying to Steve before, the lease on my apartment in DC is up in a few weeks...I'm not sure I'm gonna renew." she explained.

"You’re not gonna go back to DC?" Tony was now frowning.

"Not until this case is solved and we have no idea when that's gonna be." she said looking at Steve who shook his head.

"But you could cancel that lease and then need to be back there a week later."  Steve looked at her. "I told you, just leave it as is and come stay with me."

Steve didn't know why but he could tell Katie was hesitant about it. And then back up came from the most unlikely source in the entire Universe.

"That's not a bad idea..." Tony mused as Steve looked at him with an expression of utter shock on his face. "You wanted that role in DC so badly...you'll kick yourself if you don't go back...give it till Christmas. If this is still going on...then you can make a decision as to whether you stick with it or go back." Tony told his sister.

"And then we have the added complication that I can’t stick with it and be under Steve's command when we’re together, it's against regulations. So we’re either stuck as a secret for fuck knows how long, or I go back to DC or I have to find another precinct." Katie sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Steve could see she was getting worked up again as she was rambling and decided to calm her down. "Ok, look, let's tackle this one problem at a time ok? You got a few weeks yet. I told you, you're welcome to come stay with me Sweetheart."

"Aww. That's so sweet Steve." Pepper spoke this time. "You're so cute together. Are you seeing them, Tony?" she asked her fiancé.

"Yup. Seeing, still working on believing." Tony wise cracked. "Yet, I must say if dad could see them he'd be jumping for joy. He always wanted you to end up with golden boy here, Kiddo."

Steve rolled his eyes at Tony's comment, but he was indeed very pleased to hear he would have had Howard's approval. Not only was he Katie's father but his mentor and the man he had always looked up to, considering his own father had passed away when he was still a baby.

Katie was looking a little upset again, clearly thinking about her dad and the possibility he could have been murdered so Steve decided to change tactic a little and asked something he had been dying to ask since they left the office, but for some reason had forgotten about.

"So, I'm curious...the number 14605...how did you know what order the missing digits had to be in?"

He saw Katie grinned before answering "Oh, it’s a number dad used to quote all the time..."

"14 million, six hundred and 5..." Tony offered

Steve was now utterly lost “I'm not..."

"When I was 4 I asked Dad how many stars there were in the sky. He said 14 million, six hundred and 5...just a random number, but I believed him. It was only when I got older I realised he had just made it up, and then it became a bit of a joke." she explained, her green eyes sparkling again at the childhood memory of his father.

"Yeah, like when dad asked how many times he had to ask you to tidy your room before you would do it..." Tony quipped.

"14 million, 605..." Katie finished, grinning widely.

"And like when mom asked how many eggs dad wanted on his breakfast..." Tony started again.

"14 million 605..." she repeated.

"How many dresses you tried on for prom..." Tony continued and the siblings smiled to one another for an only answer.

"All right, dinner must be almost ready. I'll go and check it" Pepper cut in.

"Right. Good to go on this end. The rest is up to you." Tony told her as he sat up and waved for Katie and Steve to follow him to the dining room.

Following their dinner, they retired to the large lounge in Tony’s penthouse, the 4 of them chatting and sharing another bottle of wine. Well, 3 of them chatting as Steve noticed that as the night ran on Katie was participating less and less. She’d clammed up, gone in on herself as she often did when something was bothering her. Tony had noticed too as Steve caught him looking at his sister more than once with a concerned expression on his face. Eventually she stood up and said she was tired and heading to bed. Steve agreed, eagerly considering he too was whacked and they bid Pepper and Tony a good night and headed down to the spare room, or Katie’s room as it now was.

“C’mere…” Steve said to her gently as she shuffled down under the soft duvet. She sank into his arms, snuggling into his chest as his hand gently ran through her hair, his lips pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She stayed silent for a moment and then he felt her shoulders beginning to shake as her soft sobs hit his ears. With a sigh he turned onto his side, brushing her hair back off her face. “Hey, look at me.”

She raised her eyes to his and he placed a soft kiss on her lips. “We’ll work this out sweetheart I promise”

“You don’t know that.” she shook her head “You can’t make promises that you don’t know you can keep Stevie…” “Well, I promise I’m gonna do everything I can to make this ok.” he appeased, wiping her cheeks with his thumbs “Trust me.” “I do, you know I do.” she sniffled “I trust you with my life but…how is any of this ever going to be ok?”

“Let’s see what our mystery guy has to say first.” he said gently “It could just be a load of conjecture and…” “I don’t believe coincidences Steve, not on stuff like this, you know that.”

Steve merely sighed and fell silent, unable to think of anything else to say he simply pulled her closer, his legs tangling with hers as she pressed her face into his bare chest. He ran his hand softly up and down her back underneath the shirt she was wearing, his chin resting on her head.

He lay away long after the events of the day lulled his girl into an exhausted sleep.

**** The next morning Katie and Steve arrived together at the station. They had gone to Tony's in Steve's car the previous night and besides there was no point in even trying to deny they were together though they still had to be careful to not be touching or doing anything that wasn't keeping a professional front.

Katie went straight to her computer. Steve had talked her into ignoring Wanda as they drove in. They’d had enough having to put up with Tony's snarky comments during breakfast about them sharing a bed under his roof.

He tried to keep verbal exchanges with Wanda to a minimum. It hadn't been difficult, the redhead had handed him his mail without even looking him in the eye and had basically sat behind her desk without engaging in conversation with anyone, which was very out of character. Tension really could be felt in the air.

Clint and Nat just said hi, nothing more, no sassy remarks or interrogation of any sort. Steve was definitely getting more nervous by the minute, but tried to brush it out of his mind as he entered his office and closed the door behind him.

"Briefing will be interesting today." Bucky turned to Katie.

"I don't think I can be in that room with the bitch." Katie whispered, nodding in Wanda's direction.

"Thanks for the money." Natasha said, startling Katie.

"Fuck, Nat. Where did you learn to be that stealthy, in the KGB?" Katie asked, still trying to catch her breath.

Natasha laughed and explained to her the little bet she had with Clint about who would blow cover first and that she had won, twice.

"I should be surprised you know but I’m not. Nothing gets past you two" Katie shrugged as she nodded at Clint, who was having an argument with someone on the phone about a pile of logs that needed cutting.

They all waited for Barton to finish his call before going to the kitchen for coffee and a few minutes later Thor appeared, with his characteristic “Greetings, Morons.”

"I bet he can smell coffee from three blocks down the street." Clint quipped, opening the cupboard to grab a packet of pop tarts for the police officer.

“So I see it is out about you and the captain.” he said, grinning widely at Katie.

“Good news travels fast." Katie muttered.

Bucky at that moment thanked God that Wanda wasn't in the kitchen.

“I knew on Monday.” Thor informed as he shrugged.

Katie glared at Clint and Nat. Bucky flinched. Nat had assured him the bet was only between her and Clint and they hadn't told anyone.

“We didn’t tell him…” Nat protested.

“No one told me.” Thor said, “I figured it out.”

Not that was rich, Bucky thought. How the fuck can the bungalow have figured it out by himself. So he decided to ask. “How?”

“Oh the Captain’s doodles on his briefing notes.” Thor shrugged “Changed from random little shapes to stars…and we know that’s his little nickname for you…he did buy you that necklace after all…”

Bucky saw Katie’s hand fly to the silver star shaped pendant around her neck, her mouth hanging open slightly.

“You clever bastard…you should be a detective.” Bucky snorted.

“No, I prefer the action. We get a lot more fights on the front line…and you know how I love fighting…” Thor said, after laughing loudly.

"And here I was thinking Banner was the smartest person I knew. Just yesterday I was telling him..." Bucky started but couldn't finish as Thor cut him in, excitedly.

"Aw, good old Banner. How's he doing? I tell everyone I know him. Hey, he's a friend from work. That's what I tell them." Thor rambled just before his phone beeped.

They all saw him grunt at the name on the screen of his phone “I am sick of this” he mumbled before dialling a number angrily.

"Noobmaster. Hey, it's Thor again. Listen bud, if you don't drop this immediately, I'm gonna fly down to your house, come down to that basement you're hiding in rip off your arms and shove them up your butt!"

They all looked at him dumbfounded as he finished the call and, without further explanation, put his phone in his pocket again and bit a pop tart.

"Are you ok?" Clint said, squeezing Thor's shoulder.

"Yes. I'm fine. Why?" he asked "Why, don't I look all right?"

At that he paused, reached for his phone and pulled a face. "Sorry. Heimdall got a message for me. Erm, Fury is here." he informed.

Then, all of a sudden, Bucky saw Thor vanish as quickly and suddenly as he appeared. It was almost as if some magic beam from another world transported him in and out.

Exchanging glances they all hurried into the office and true to word, Fury was there.

“I swear Heimdall sees everything…” Natasha mumbled, and they all agreed.

Fury nodded to everyone before calling Katie over.

"Stark, may I have a word with you? In your Captain's office?" Fury asked her.

"Yes, Sir." Katie answered softly.

Bucky saw her looking at him, puzzled, before following Fury to Steve's office but he could only shrug. Then Bucky noticed Wanda was going bright red and he glared at her as the door of Steve’s office shut

“What did you do?” he asked. He was fuming.

But Wanda shrugged and simply turned back to a file cabinet she was sorting. Bucky, Clint, Nat exchanged a glance.

"Oh shit…"

****************************************

Continued in Part 2

[dessarious]

Broken Harmony Pt8

This parts a bit on the short side because I’m trying to keep up with posting everyday but the need for sleep is getting in the way lol. I promise I’ll get some longer updates this weekend though.

Master List 1   Master List 2    Prologue   Beginning   Previous   Next

There’s complete silence for close to five minutes before Sabine stands up and walks slowly to the door.

“Maman?” Marinette’s tone was questioning but her song held an edge to it.

“I’m just going to call the school and tell them you won’t be returning.”

“Maman.”

“And set up an appointment to talk to your principal and teacher first thing in the morning.”

“Maman.”

“I promise I won’t yell. And I’m not saying anything until tomorrow about why we’re pulling you out.”

“Maman.” Every time the word came out of her mouth it was more and more exasperated. “Can you please wait until school is out? The principal will still be there and it’s less likely rumors will start flying immediately after you hang up.” She sounded tired, and not physically. Sabine was frowning but it looked to be at her own thoughts more than her daughter. 

“Alright, I’ll wait.” She went to the kitchen instead and grabbed more tea as well as snacks for all of them. 

“In the meantime, perhaps you could tell us more about your heroes. I wasn’t even aware Paris had any before we got here.” There was an implied question in Bruce’s statement and Damian was happy he wasn’t the only one wondering how they didn’t know.

“We hear that a lot from tourists.” Tom sat back in thought. “I know the Mayor is doing his best to keep the media contained so it doesn’t affect tourism. “ Sabine rolled her eyes in obvious annoyance. “But to be honest I think either Hawkmoth or Ladybug’s powers are a big part of it.”

“What makes you think that?” The question came from Marinette. There was a sharp edge to her song. It almost seemed like panic. Her father didn’t seem to notice anything and shrugged.

“It just makes sense. The Mayor can only do so much and with the Ladyblog,” He practically spat the name. “As well as other online news sites it’s bound to get out. Yet somehow it’s been two years and no one outside Paris seems to have a clue. Sounds like magic to me.”

He was right, it made a lot more sense that magic was involved in keeping things quiet because no matter how adept the Mayor was at controlling the media there’s no way they wouldn’t have even heard about it.

“You said Hawkmoth or Ladybug. I get why Hawkmoth wouldn’t want interference but why would you think the heroes would keep it quiet?” Bruce’s question was a good one but Damian was having trouble concentrating on the conversation. Marinette’s song was suddenly chaotic her emotions spiking and changing at lightning pace. What could possibly be going through her mind?

“If Ladybug is responsible I very much doubt she’s aware of it. What you have to understand is that our heroes are very young. Probably Mari’s age if I had to guess, which means they were barely teenagers when this started. I don’t know how they ended up as heroes but, at the beginning especially, you could tell they weren’t completely sure what they were doing. Even now I’m not sure they know their full potential.”

Marinette was staring at her father in something like awe. Her song had calmed but he could tell she was still anxious.

“So you’re being protected by children, and everyone is just going along with it?” Bruce sounded offended at the very thought. It was Sabine who answered.

“There’s not anything we can do about it. None of us know more than basic information about them or their powers and they haven’t been forthcoming about them. All we know is that their powers come from their Miraculous and for all we know it may be necessary for them to be wielded by children. I doubt it, but at the same time the two Miraculous held by adults are being abused and used for evil purposes so anything is possible. Either way Ladybug has saved Paris hundreds of times at this point so we have faith in her.”

“And what about the other hero?” Sabine’s face twisted in distaste and Tom blew out an agitated breath. Marinette seemed surprised by her parents responses though Damian could tell she felt about the same.

“Chat Noir hasn’t been acting like a hero for some time now. Honestly I’d love to get my hands on that boy and knock some sense into him.”  Sabine gave a derisive snort. “He claims that he’s staying away from fights to ensure Hawkmoth doesn’t get what he wants and Ladybug won’t contradict him. Whether out of loyalty or because she’s afraid of a public panic I don’t know. But not long before his sudden absences at Akuma attacks he and Ladybug were caught arguing. I could guess what about but I won’t.” She seemed to get more worked up the longer she talked.

“Maman, please calm down. Whatever is going on is between them, us trying to figure it out or getting frustrated isn’t going to help.”

Tom leaned over and hugged his wife before responding to his daughter. “You may be right but his actions are making people lose faith in Ladybug and that is completely unacceptable.”

“Perhaps they should be losing faith in her. Two years later and we’re no closer to ending Hawkmoth’s reign of terror.” Her voice was small and all he could get out of her song was guilt and shame. Both her parents seemed to have been stunned speechless. “I just mean that maybe Bruce is right. Maybe we shouldn’t be leaving the safety of Paris in the hands of teenagers.”

The silence in the room was near deafening. Damian shared a look with his father but otherwise neither moved. Tom just looked taken aback by his daughter’s words. It was Sabine that worried him though. He had the distinct impression that she was barely holding herself back from shaking some sense into her daughter.

“Marinette.” She flinched at the sound of her mother’s voice and everything about her tensed up. “The adults in this case are a Mayor who’s more concerned about money flow and a Police department who flat out refused to work with Ladybug to try and find a solution. Do I think putting that responsibility in the hands of children was a good idea in the first place? Absolutely not. But it happened and Ladybug has been doing everything in her power to live up to everyone’s expectations. The least we can do is support her in anyway possible. She deserves nothing less.”

“Yes Maman.” Her emotions were a mess of contradictions Damian couldn’t make any sense of. Joy and gratitude mixed with guilt and depression. But under all of that was an overwhelming sense of doubt. It was like a steady thrumming bass line that held everything else in place. What made absolutely no sense to him was that he knew that doubt was aimed at herself. He knew that was important even if he couldn’t yet understand why.

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Tag list for Broken Harmony

Thanks for all the positive responses! Here’s the tag list I’ve go so far. If I missed anyone let me know. There’s a few people on here that it’s not letting me tag properly. I’ll be working on that this weekend as well.

@crazylittlemunchkin @iggy-of-fans @captainmac6 @shizukiryuu @origami-dreams @yamadochie @drama-queen-supreme @miraculousbelladonna @mjisntme @zebrabaker @driftingmoonlitpetals @slytherinhquinn @politelyvicious @mystery-5-5 @constancetruggle @synnesstra @im-here-for-the-content @slytherinsheashire  @myriad-of-passionate-pettiness @cyborgcandy @rhub4rb @satans-favorite-homo @beautym3 @ayuchan07 @zalladane @moonlitarchangels @mooshoon @mindfulmagics @saphiraazure2708 @chrismarium @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @tog84 @littleredrobinhoodlum @cupcakeandkisses @kiara-rose-blackthorn @moonlitarchangels @graduatedmelon @lunar-wolf-warrior @tbehartoo @zoerayne2426 @ellerahs @heaven428 @my-name-is-michell @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine @myownworldstayout @alexzandria-747 @k-rena-k

[rynhaswritersblock]

the benefits of fake dating | p.p.

summary: although incredibly annoying, flash thompson’s arrogance was just what you and peter needed.

warnings: some cussing, flash being an idiot, and 5K WORDS I POPPED OFF SO HARD

+ + +

"Flash, I don't know how you got into this school with that pea-sized, misogynistic brain of yours, but somehow it still leads you to think that you telling me how I feel is attractive. Just fuck off, please," you sigh, shutting your locker with a bang.

"Alright, for now," the boy says, smug smirk on his face. "although I know you're just denying your undying love for me. I'll wait."

Your eyebrows furrow. "Did you not hear a single word I just said?"

"Nope," a new voice pops in and you turn to see Peter, words and expression monotonous as he stares at Flash.

"Aw, and the protector swoops in to save the day. Aren't you two a cute couple?"

"Oh-" the two of you blurt at the same time.

"We're not-"

"a couple," Peter finishes for you, roses blooming on you guys' cheeks.

"It's the only explanation for little Y/N's 'disinterest'. See you later, babe," Flash nods, walking off with a wink that only bewilders you more. You and Peter look at each other.

"Did he just call me babe?"

"Apparently," Peter shrugs.

Peter should be in theatre considering the acting he does around you. It enrages him to see such a jackass bother you constantly, and the pet names only make him even angrier. If it wouldn't ruin his hero image, he'd totally wipe Flash out during one of his patrols.

"I swear, that kid makes me question things I shouldn't have to even worry about. For example, why isn't part of the requirements for getting into this school common sense?" you ask, shaking your head.

"No clue," Peter sighs. "Sorry to cut this off, but I gotta go to-"

"Physics now, yup. See you later, shithead." you nod, shoving him the other way, laughing as he almost crashes into the cheerleaders.

You resume your way to AP Calc, letting your mind inevitably fall back into your conversation with Flash. Every freaking time Peter steps in, he immediately calls him your boyfriend. But, honestly, the thought of that didn't sound too bad.

+ + +

"MJ, you're not helping."

"All I'm saying is: you tell Flash he's your boyfriend, he leaves you alone. In addition, dating Parker doesn't seem so bad, especially to you, right?"

"MJ!" you groan, falling back onto the pillows of your bed. "It's fake dating. It's not like we'd..."

You suck in a breath.

"It's not like we'd actually date."

"Yeah," she scoffs, "tell that to the prolonged hesitation in the middle of that sentence."

Goosebumps ran across your skin at the gust of cool midnight air that rushed through your window, but you didn't bother close it. You were too comfortable.

"Whatever, MJ. I'm just saying, if Flash and the rest of the school thought we were dating, not only would that jackass leave us alone, but everyone else would. And maybe even Tony and the rest of the team."

And it was at that point that Peter, donned in his Spider Suit, landed on your fire escape. You didn't notice though, too preoccupied in your conversation with MJ to change your focus. He peeked through the window, the words "fake dating" immediately making him spin around against the brick wall, telling Karen to project your conversation to him.

"Imagine having the Avengers ship you with your partner in crime. Couldn't be me."

"MJ," you groan, "It's not like they actually think Peter and I like each other."

The boy's eyes widen.

"They just saw the opportunity and took it. We're each other's age and work well together. Seems like an easy target to me. Plus, they were probably getting tired of making fun of Nat and Bruce," you explain.

A small pain rips through Peter's heart. Even though he didn't act like it, he loved the way everyone acted like they were dating. It made him feel like it was real.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself to get you to believe it, Y/N. But seriously, I don't see anything bad coming out of a fake relationship with Peter Parker," MJ states. You can practically see her shrugging smugly right now.

"Well," you say, firing up, "something bad that could come out of a fake relationship with Peter Parker-"

The poor boy outside, already looking stupid and stalker-ish, becomes even more flustered.

"- is that I could lose control of the feelings I already have, MJ. Do you realize how much that would mess up our friendship?"

Your words sting like icy-hot. On one hand, it sucks to Peter that you sound totally opposed to a relationship with him, but on the other hand, he's now 99% sure that you like him too.

He couldn't bare standing there any more. He swung home, all-consumed by his thoughts.

It would be a long night for Peter Parker.

+ + +

The bags underneath Peter's eyes were enough of an example of his insomnia last night. As if his brain didn't already love to overthink, the conversation he eavesdropped last night was enough to send him into overdrive, going over possibilities, how the two of you'd act, and just the very concept of fake dating itself.

Little did he notice, you shared the same look of under-eye bags (which you failed to cover with concealer), kept up by the same conversation.

The two of you were, obliviously, on the same page. You both thought that it was a pretty smart solution to the dilemma, but both were terrified of confrontation.

For being Avengers, the two of you sure were cowards when it came to love.

The school day passed quickly and slowly at the same time, the two of you fighting to stay awake as your history teacher rambled on and on about the Sokovia Accords. It was a Thursday, so the two of you kept your weekly plans to hangout at Peter's after school to study and just hangout. Needless to say, you two almost failed to miss your stop on the subway due to your sleep deprivation.

You enter the apartment, immediately greeted by May.

"Hi, you two," she smiles, grabbing her keys off the counter and swinging her purse over her shoulder as she talks. "I have a shift in a few minutes, so you'll be on your own, but I trust you."

"Thanks," you smile.

"Of cour-" she frowns. "Y/N, did you sleep at all last night?"

You feel the blood rush to your cheeks and cringe. "What? Oh, yeah, I did, I'm just... stressed, is all."

"Okay.." she eyes you, half-playful, half-serious.

"She's fine, May," Peter nods, which eventually eases the woman.

"Okay, fine. Don't keep her here too long, Peter, you both need some rest."

You give him a look and the two of you say goodbye to her before you go to his room. You eye him closely.

"Peter!"

He jumps. "Goodness, what?"

"Why do you have bags under your eyes?" you furrow your brows.

"I should be asking you the same thing," he huffs.

His attitude catches you off guard. "I asked first," you retort.

"Okay, okay, fine. I couldn't sleep."

Well, that was slightly underwhelming. "Why not?"

"I was... thinking about stuff," Peter shrugs. "not that big a deal."

"What stuff?"

A sigh of exhaustion and desperation falls from his lips as he shuffles through his bag, not looking for anything in particular, but rather a distraction. You clear your throat and hear his breath hitch.

"Do you want to date?"

Whoa there.

...

What the fuck?

The breath catches in your throat before your voices finally regains itself, a bit louder than you meant it to be. "What?!"

"No-" he sputters, eyes wide, "Like, fake date."

By some force of nature, his correction of fake dating surprises you more than just straight-up asking you to date him. Your mind becomes invaded by thoughts; questions about how he thought of that and oh shoot did he hear me last night? You sit down on his bed.

Silence fills the room that sends Peter into a thought spiral similar to your own, just about to make him break into a nervous sweat before you pipe up.

"Did you hear me last night?"

His chocolate eyes widen.

"You heard my call with MJ, didn't you?"

"How.. how would I even do that?" he stutters, rubbing the back of his neck with the hint of a crooked smile. You give him a look and he sighs. "Okay... maybe when I was on my way home from patrol I stopped on your fire escape, and maybe when I was about to come in through the window I heard you say my name, and just maybe that made me hide and listen to the rest of your conversation. And maybe I got Karen to hack into the call so I could hear it."

You shoot up from his bed excitedly, "Gotcha!"

"Whatever," he jumps back, startled, but with a smile.

You raise an eyebrow at him and plop back down on the bed, letting your back fall against the mattress. Peter marvels at how your hair is sprawled across the mattress before he, too, lays down next to you with a thud, making you laugh.

"So, fake dating, huh?" you tease.

"You're the one who came up with the idea in the first place!" he scoffs. A huff falls from your lips and Peter looks over at you. "Do you actually wanna do this?"

You shift your head to look at him. You feel that familiar feeling of the tingling in your stomach; the butterflies fluttering, the fireworks going off. Still, you hide it. "Eh, why not?"

The two of you sit up on the bed, legs criss-crossed and your foreheads less than a foot apart. Words began to fill the air as the two of you devised an intricate plan to fool everyone- well, except for MJ. And maybe May.

You came up with a set of rules:

1. No exposing yourselves to the public (duh) 2. Make it seem AUTHENTIC (hand-holding, nick-names, kisses on the cheek) 3. Go to and from school together 4. ONLY kiss on the lips if put under pressure and make it QUICK! 5. Love letters (????)

These were all scribbled on a scrap piece of paper from your journal, donned in your messy yet legible handwriting.

The whole process of coming up with this was a bit weird for the two of you. On one hand, you were super awkward with romance; your dream relationship was one where you could make fun of each other and laugh at rom-coms. On the other hand, as much as he hated to admit it, Peter Parker was a hopeless romantic. He wanted to be able to show you off and make you smile. Hence, rule #5.

He'd seen Instagram posts with clips of To All The Boys I've Loved Before. And, although he knew that movie didn't make sense to you, he found the idea of writing you love letters every day an incredibly good tactic to get you to fall in love with him.

Because, let's be honest, a huge reason that he was doing this was in hopes that just maybe the two of you would actually date. For real.

Little did he know, you felt the exact same way.

With a sigh, you folded up the scrap paper and handed it to him, getting a puzzled look in return.

"What?" you ask. "If anything, you're the one who's gonna mess up about this."

He perks up, an offended look painted on his face. "How would I possibly do that?"

"I don't know, you'd probably accidentally let it slip that this isn't real-"

Ouch.

"- or go too far with it. I've seen the look in your eyes whenever we watch rom-coms, Petey." you raise an eyebrow.

Jeez. Not only did you hit him with the already incredibly enforced friendzone (again), but you called him out for his love of rom-coms and called him Petey, a nickname that pulled at his heartstrings every time.

Guess he'd be hearing that name a lot more now.

He scoffs and shakes his head. "Whatever."

The paper crinkles as he unfolds it, scanning over the list one more time.

2. Make it seem AUTHENTIC

Hmm.

"Y/N?"

You hum.

"How are we gonna make it seem authentic if you can't even hear the word 'babe' without making a face?" he asks.

"Yeah, that's a good question. Maybe we should... practice?"

As soon as the words leave your mouth, you cringe. A crooked, smug grin tugs at Peter's lips and you scold him, only getting a boyish laugh in return before he pounces onto you, teasing you with lovey-dovey words and tickling you.

"PETER I WILL NOT HESITATE TO SEND A POWER BLAST RIGHT INTO YOUR CHEST RIGHT NOW!"

Your words make him freeze and he hovers above you, chocolate curls hanging over his forehead as the two of you pant, slight smiles on your lips. You raise a brow.

There go the butterflies again.

Peter's eyes light up and he plops down beside you, beginning to wrap his arms around you. You slap his wrist.

"What?" he asks accusingly.

"I should be the one asking that! What do you think you're doing?" you question, slightly bewildered.

"Jeez, Y/N, I'm trying to cuddle with you."

His blunt words practically knock the air out of your lungs, but you and your stubbornness refuse to let that happen. You relax slightly at way his eyes give you a look of "just let me do this" and you give him a small sigh and nod of approval.

Peter tries to hide his happiness and content as he turns onto his side, turning you with him. His arms wrap around your waist gently and pull your back to his stomach, lacing your fingers together.

As much as you hated to admit it, this was nice.

And it was especially nice when you felt him bury his face in the crook of your neck, letting out a relaxed sigh.

A few minutes pass and you lay there, eyelids getting heavier by the second.

"Pete?"

He hums.

"Are we supposed to fall asleep?"

He shifts, opening his eyes drearily. "Yeah, that's kinda the point."

"Alright, dumbass, I was just checking," you say with a smile, pausing for a moment. "Okay, my turn."

Peter furrows his brows at your words before he feels you shift in his arms, turning to face him and settling into his chest. He lets out a soft hum that makes you scrunch your face with a smile, feeling him pull you closer and entangle his legs with yours.

So, who's the one that made Peter Parker a god at cuddling?

You ignore your thoughts and eventually let sleep pull you in, relaxed by the soft breaths of the boy you were so close to- not just as best friends, but now physically.

When May got home late that night, she walked into her nephew's room to catch the sight of you two, having to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from letting out an excited yelp.

Naturally, she left the room with at least fifty pictures of the two of you.

+ + +

Despite the deepest sleep you two had ever had, your restfulness was broken within a split second by the piercing noise of Peter's alarm. You shoot up, eyes wide, only to be dragged back down by Peter's strong grip.

"Peter!" you yell.

"What?" he muffles into your hair, pulling you closer.

No time to fall into that. No matter how hard you want to.

"It's morning!" you exclaim, finally receiving the reaction you expected.

The boy practically flies up, expression matching yours. His eyes shift over to the clock, which, although inanimate, makes him jump out of the bed and begin hunting around his room.

"May!" he yells.

You snatch your bag and begin rummaging through it for your phone when Peter's door busts open, a very tired-looking May appearing in the doorway.

"Peter, what is it?" she pants, messy hair correlating with her exasperated expression.

"You let us fall asleep!" he exclaims, running his fingers through his hair.

Which- not that you notice- somehow looks even better in the morning. You completely ignore how its normally styled chocolate curls have gone wild and how it makes him even more attractive to you.

Yup. Totally ignored.

"Oh, honey," May sighs, a tired smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, "I called Y/N's mom last night to let her know she was sleeping over. I couldn't stand to wake you two up, especially considering the position you were in."

You whirl around to look at her, cheeks bright red as she wiggles her eyebrows playfully.

"May," Peter groans.

She laughs. "Not sorry!"

The door shuts and you two let out a collective sigh. You begin putting your bag together, feeling a bit out of place. The sounds of ruffling in the background makes you furrow your eyebrows.

"Pete, what are you doing?"

"Oh, uh," he turns from his dresser, shirt in hand. "I didn't think you'd want to go to school in the same stuff you wore yesterday."

Your breath hitches as he tosses you a t-shirt with a science pun on it. Classic.

You hum, smirking.

"Thanks, babe."

His expression is priceless.

"What? Might as well get practicing now," you shrug innocently.

Peter lets out a small laugh and the two of you resume with your routine, leaving the apartment with lunches from May and intertwined hands.

And, in addition, a sweatshirt from Peter that smelled just like him.

The two of you walk to school, sharing headphones and getting mildly surprised looks from the other daily commuters on the subway, surely pondering about how the quiet schoolboy from Queens was holding hands with a new mystery girl.

The looks only amplify once the two of you step onto campus.

Your hands are sweaty, fingers having been locked together for a solid twenty to thirty minutes. Still, it's easy to ignore when suddenly you're getting looks from mutual classmates whose gazes now have a weird magnetic pull to your hands. The two of you are mere inches away from your locker before MJ veers in front of you, smirking and clearly satisfied.

"Looks like the idiots finally got their heads out of their asses," she smiles.

"Michelle."

Her eyebrows raise in (impressed) surprise. You never call her Michelle.

"Fine, whatever, I know what's up," she shrugs.

Peter squeezes your hand reassuringly, a silent message of "everything's okay."

"However-"

Oh boy.

"Let's not waste time pretending you both don't want this to be real."

"MJ-" Peter blurts, pleading in his voice.

Right in time for Flash Thompson to enter the scene. Both MJ and Peter can practically hear your annoyed groan at his presence.

"I'll take that as my leave," the curly-haired girl winks before she beelines the other way.

"And that'll be my entrance," Flash smirks. "Parker, I see you've taken the whole protection thing up another notch?"

You practically feel the boy next to you puff his chest up in pride (whether it was fake or not was beyond you). "Well, as her- um- boyfriend, I'm pretty sure it would be a problem if I didn't stand up for Y/N."

You look up at him, smirk on your face. Maybe you were a little peeved at the idea of having to have a boy stand up for you, but you'd let it slide in this situation.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Flash asks, a hint of confusion written in his expression that you pick up on immediately.

"Boyfriend," you nod firmly.

God, if you and Peter were alone right now you'd totally intimidate him to get rid of his rising ego.

"Well then. If the two of you are dating, why don't you kiss her, Parker?"

Or Flash can do that for you.

You look over to see his cheeks bright red. He stutters for a second before Flash raises an eyebrow, prompting Peter to lean over and plant a quick kiss on your cheek.

There.

"On the lips, dumbass."

Nevermind.

"I... uh," Peter chokes out. He's not the only flustered one anymore.

"Oh, don't be a wuss, Parker. Just give Y/N a kiss or I'll do it," Flash smirks.

Whoa there, bud.

You squeeze Peter's hand both anxiously and reassuringly, frantically trying to silently tell him to just do it. Thankfully, he gets the message, taking a deep breath and turning to face you, fingers still loosely intertwined. You give him a slight nod and he slowly leans down, minty breath lightly fanning over your lips before a loud yell erupts in the hallway, making you two jump, as well as everyone around you.

"Eugene Thompson!"

You two, free-handed (which feels refreshing), look up to see Principal Morita speeding over to the boy in front of you.

"You're coming with me," he mutters angrily, grabbing a spluttering Flash by the wrist and dragging him down the hallway.

Grateful smiles bloom on you and Peter's faces and you laugh, resting your head on his chest.

"This isn't the end of this!" Flash shouts, pointing back at you two.

"Yeah, okay, Flash!" Peter yells back, donning a boyish grin. He speaks again, whispering, "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know," you mutter, resting your head on his shoulder and smiling as he wraps his arms around you softly. "Jeez, cuddlebug."

Peter's face burns at the nickname, but he smiles, drawing circles on your back with his thumb.

"Whatever," he murmurs. "We're definitely not bad at PDA, though."

He got that right.

+ + +

You had everyone fooled.

The news spread quick, to both the school and the Avengers team.

You and Peter became relationship experts, holding hands in the hall, giving the other occasional cheek kisses, following all the rules you two had layed out.

Essentially, you both were living out your dream relationship.

You'd both be lying if you said you weren't trying to somehow make the other fall in love in hopes that the relationship would turn into a real one. You both went the extra mile- in your own ways. You'd make sure to give him plenty of kisses on the cheek- which he'd return- and call him Petey, all while wearing his clothes and using TikTok videos to guide your way (hehe). Peter would take extra thought into every word he wrote in his love letters and made sure to keep them interesting, writing them on leftover bags, old notes, or gum wrappers.

You open your locker, alone for the first time today after spending every second possible with Peter and talking to friends about your "relationship." A small, folded piece of notebook paper flutters to the ground and your face lights up, realizing it was your first letter from Peter. You unfold the paper with a smirk on your face.

"My favorite element is Uranium because I'm in love with U.

- Peter ;)"

The air in your lungs flies out. Of course he'd use a nerdy pickup line, but god, if it didn't make your stomach flutter.

"Hey."

You spin around.

"Speak of the devil," you say, waving the paper in the air.

He lightly smiles. "Was it good?"

"Are you made of Copper and Tellurium? 'Cause you're Cu-Te," you respond, getting a confused look from Peter before he's struck with realization.

"Nice."

"I know."

It almost made you want to write notes to him, but you'd figure you'd find a better idea rather than steal his.

The two of you walked into the Avengers Headquarters, fingers intertwined (as always).

"Well, well, well," Sam says, shifting his gaze from the TV over to the two of you.

The group was split in half when you and Peter announced the "news" about your relationship. One half was immediately ecstatic, running up to you with bright smiles on their faces and asking hurriedly about details. Opposingly, the other half didn't buy it one bit. When they heard the news, they gave each other wary looks and analyzed the two of you.

"Hi, guys," Peter greets, giving your hand a slight squeeze of anticipation.

"What on Earth-"

Tony is cut off by the sound of squeals from Wanda, Bucky, and Bruce, the group eagerly running to you with the biggest smiles you'd ever seen.

"FINALLY!" Scott yells as he runs down the stairs, ice cream covering his mouth and bowl still in hand.

It was a bumpy road.

You lay on your stomach, working on a physics worksheet, nearly falling off the bed when you heard a knock at your window. You raise your head to see Spider-Man gazing in. A sigh falls from your mouth as you roll off the mattress, stumbling over to the window and sliding it open.

"Peter, what are you doing here?" you yawn, falling back onto your bed and nearly crushing all of your papers.

He pulls off his mask. "Why are you so tired?"

"Pete, it's nearly one in the morning."

"Oh," he says quietly. Late nights never got to him.

You close your eyes. "Why are you here, again?"

"Well.. I uh," he hesitates. You grumble and he continues. "I was thinking about this whole relationship thing and it's authenticity and I don't know I kinda missed you and I was thinking maybe we could cuddle just cause it might help with the chemistry and stuff you know-"

"Just get in bed, Peter."

He shuts his mouth immediately, hesitating before piling your papers and neatly placing your things on your desk. Then he looks down at himself.

"Do you by chance have any-"

"Top drawer."

He pulls open the drawer to see a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt you'd stolen from him a few weeks ago. A smile pulls at the corners of his mouth at the knowledge that you'd worn these and kept them. He glances at you before pressing the spider at the center of his chest, feeling the suit loosen and fall to his feet.

You open your eyes.

Of course, you and Peter had seen each other in just underwear; you'd known each other for ages. But it was different now.

Your eyes scanned over his body, just donned in a pair of plaid briefs as he dressed himself. You look away as he turns around, clothed.

The boy then walks to you, picking you up lightly and adjusting you on the bed, pulling the covers and sliding underneath them behind you. You let out a sigh of relief, easing into him and letting sleep overcome you.

+ + +

You should've seen it coming.

Sure, you did, but you never acknowledged it. Your subconscious was playing a manipulative game and you desperately wished to have a talk with it.

You were in love with Peter Parker.

It was known well within you, but you'd never fully registered it until now, here, in the middle of a training session.

Heavy breaths flew out of you as you panted, sweat dripping off of your forehead. Peter stood a few feet away from you, in fighting stance, panting and sweating just how you were. His front curls were getting soaked in sweat, hanging over his forehead as he bounced on his feet. You couldn't help but let your mind get pulled away from your session and towards the fact that he looks so incredibly hot right now.

And then you got angry.

It made you mad that you'd held these emotions in for so long. You'd loved Peter your whole life and never once thought about making a move. It was stupid.

You didn't even give him the nod you normally do, throwing a punch and just barely skimming him in the gut. His eyes widened.

"Jeez, Y/N! You know I have fast reflexes, but that doesn't mean you ignore the signal," he pants, exasperated.

Your hard gaze meets his soft one for a split second before you begin laying it on him, the hardest the two of you had ever sparred. The poor boy was trying to talk to you the whole time, letting out pleads between his pants of desperation, trying to get you to calm down.

"Wow, you two really like getting at it, don't you."

You pull back, snapping your head over at Sam, open door behind him and smirk on his face.

Peter stops. "Uh, now's not a good ti-"

"Get out, Wilson, or I'll shove my finger up your nose so hard that-"

"Okay, okay, jeez," Sam smiles, walking out and shutting the door behind him.

An exhausted huff falls from Peter's lips as he looks at you.

"Y/N," he pleads, "what's wrong?"

You shake your head, entering fighting stance again. He sighs, doing the same before you resume your session, taking a swing at him and barely missing.

"What's wrong," you huff, knocking him out from underneath and pinning him to the ground. "is that I'm in love with you, dumbass."

His eyes widen. You let out a sigh, relief and sympathy immediately washing over you. You look down at yourself, practically straddling the boy on the ground.

And then he flips you around, hands on opposite sides of your head and his breath fanning over your face. He has a soft look, mixed with exhaustion and what seems to be relief and joy. Finally.

Peter Parker smiles, tilts his head down, and lays his lips on yours.

Fake relationship my ass.

+ + +

goodness gracious that took so long to write