#tony stark/female scientist

[societyfolklore]

Thunderstruck

Title: Thunderstruck (Prompt: fake dating becomes too real) Pairing: Dark!Thor x Female Reader

Summary: At the SHIELD NYE party, Thor jokingly claims the two of you are dating. The lie spirals out of control when people believe him, and he convinces you to keep up the charade.   Word Count:  5.5k

Warnings:  // Explicit Content //18+, Minors DNI, smut, Dark, Dub/Con, Unprotected sex (DON’T!), Fingering, Oral (M receiving) NO BETA

A/N: Another entry for @the-slumberparty December daze challenge – Day 29.. Also haven’t written for Thor before so be gentle, he’s speaking style is hard for me

The SHIELD New Year’s Eve party was an annual spectacle, an event that seemed to grow more extravagant with each passing year. Hosted, as always, at Stark Tower, the venue was a breathtaking display of Tony Stark’s penchant for flair and excess. The massive atrium gleamed with shimmering silver and gold, reflecting the twinkling lights of an oversized crystal chandelier. Every surface seemed to sparkle, from the floor polished to a mirror shine to the massive clock projected onto the far wall, counting down the minutes until midnight.

The crowd was a sea of sophistication and celebration, filled with some of the world’s most brilliant minds and powerful figures. Avengers, fellow agents, scientists, dignitaries, and an assortment of Stark’s high-profile acquaintances mingled beneath the glittering decor. Glasses of champagne sparkled in the ambient light, the clink of crystal blending seamlessly with the lively hum of conversation and bursts of laughter. It was a night of indulgence, camaraderie, and for some, strategic networking.

It was also the last place you wanted to be.

Parties weren’t your thing. Crowded rooms, loud conversations, the unspoken pressure to be sociable-it all grated on your nerves. You’d much rather have spent the evening at home, wrapped in a cozy blanket, watching the New Year’s Eve ball drop on TV. But Natasha Romanoff had other ideas.

“Come on,” she’d said earlier that evening, standing in your apartment with her hands on her hips and a dress draped over one arm. “You’ve dodged this party for two years now. It’s time to show your face, have a little fun for once.”

“I have fun,” you’d protested weakly, clutching your favourite oversized sweater like a security blanket.

Natasha had merely smirked, shaking her head as if you were a particularly stubborn case she was determined to crack. “Sitting at home in pajamas eating takeout is not ‘fun.’ You’re coming with me. End of discussion.”

An hour later, you found yourself standing in front of the mirror in a dress that clung to your figure in ways that left you feeling vulnerable, if not outright exposed. It was sleek, elegant, and undeniably out of your comfort zone. Natasha, of course, looked effortlessly stunning in her own dress, her confidence as sharp as the blade she kept tucked in her thigh holster.

“Trust me,” she’d said, adjusting the straps of your dress and giving you an approving once-over. “You’ll thank me later.”

Now, standing by the bar with a drink in hand, you weren’t so sure. The room was alive with energy, but the glitz and glamour only heightened your discomfort. You nursed your drink, letting the cool glass anchor you as you scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Sam and Natasha were somewhere nearby, but the sheer volume of the party made it difficult to pinpoint them.

You weren’t sure what you were searching for-maybe a quiet corner to disappear into, or a conversation that didn’t feel forced. Anything to make the evening less overwhelming.

That’s when your gaze landed on him.

Thor Odinson, the God of Thunder, was impossible to miss. Towering over the crowd, he moved through the room with the kind of confidence that only someone truly larger than life could possess. His perfectly tailored suit emphasized his broad shoulders and powerful build, while the golden strands of his hair, tied neatly at the nape of his neck, gleamed like molten sunlight in the soft glow of the chandeliers. He was laughing, his rich, booming voice cutting effortlessly through the noise as he clapped Clint Barton on the back.

You rolled your eyes. Of course Thor was here. The man was practically a walking spectacle, his presence commanding attention wherever he went. His charm was undeniable, but his intensity was something else entirely-a force of nature that could be as overwhelming as the storms he commanded.

The last thing you wanted tonight was to get caught up in his orbit.

Turning back to your drink, you tried to focus on the glass in your hand and the low hum of the music. The God of Thunder had a way of pulling everyone into his gravitational pull, and you weren’t in the mood to be swept away. A conversation with Sam and Natasha, a quick hello to the logistics team, and then you’d slip out unnoticed. That was the plan.

Thor, it seemed, had other plans.

His approach felt like a coming storm even with that grin on his face as bright as the lights above.

“M’lady,” he boomed, his voice carrying over the music. “You grace this gathering with your presence! A most pleasant surprise.”

Your returning smile barely made it past polite the grip on your glass tightening. “Thor. Enjoying yourself?”

“Indeed,” he replied, his eyes twinkling with something you’d when your father had had one too many drinks at Thanksgiving. “Though the night grows even brighter in your company.”

Natasha arched an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Smooth, Odinson. Very smooth.”

Sam chuckled, elbowing you lightly. “Looks like someone’s got an admirer.”

Before you could respond, Thor’s gaze turned sharp, his grin widening as though he’d just had an idea. “Aye, perhaps they do. In fact…” He turned to the small group of agents nearby who had clearly been eavesdropping, their curiosity plain on their faces. “M’Lady and I are courting.”

The words hung in the air, and you froze, your mind racing in an attempt to process what he’d just said. Courting? Was he serious?

Nat and Sam exchanged glances, their interest immediately piqued. Natasha’s smirk grew, while Sam’s laughter erupted beside you.

“Wait-what?” you spluttered, turning to Thor with wide eyes. “We’re what?”

Thor looked down at you, his expression the picture of innocence. “A jest. To ward off prying eyes and overly curious admirers.”

You glared at him, heat rising in your cheeks. “That’s not funny.”

“It is effective,” he countered smoothly, his grin never faltering. “Unless you object?”

Before you could respond, Natasha stepped in. “You know what? I like it. Makes things interesting.”

“Agreed,” Sam added with a chuckle. “Let’s see how long it takes for the rumour mill to run wild.”

“Wait what?” Your cheeks flushed red, these people were supposed to be your friends and they were just…just turning you into some sort of joke? “Oh come on, it’ll be funny. Relax, no one is going to honestly believe it.” Part of you wasn’t sure if you should be offended by Natasha's remark or not.  You stood in stunned silence as suddenly Natasha and Sam were placing bets amongst themselves about who they could convince of this whole charade while you just felt yourself shrink up inside.

By the time the clock struck eleven, the entire room seemed to know about your supposed relationship with Thor. Everywhere you went, you caught whispers and sly smiles, agents and staff alike casting curious glances your way. Natasha and Sam were doing a fantastic job of helping things along. It was infuriating-and Thor wasn’t helping.

He played the part far too well. His hand found the small of your back whenever you were in reach, something he seemed to make sure you always where. His rich laughter carrying over the crowd as he introduced you as ‘His Lady’  He brought you drinks, engaged you in conversation, and even danced with you under the glittering lights, his touch firm yet gentle as he led you across the floor.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” you muttered as he spun you effortlessly, his grin never fading.

“Immensely,” he admitted, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “And you, my Lady, are a most excellent partner in deception.”

The words were harmless on the surface, but there was something in the way he said them, in the way his eyes held yours, that made your skin prickle. His usual warmth was still there, but beneath it lingered the quiet, unmistakable reminder of what he was-a god. Larger than life, overwhelming in both presence and charm, he exuded a kind of power that made him impossible to ignore.

“Thor,” you said softly, trying to pull back, but his hand slid to your waist, holding you steady.

“Yes, my Lady?” he replied, voice low and velvety, laced with amusement but also a weight that made your heart race. His grip was light enough not to alarm, but firm enough to remind you that you weren’t going anywhere unless he allowed it.

You wanted to argue, to tell him to cut it out, but the way he looked at you-those stormy eyes full of mischief, a sly curve to his lips-made it frustratingly difficult to form the words. It was still just a game, you told yourself, a bit of fun at your expense. But the intensity with which he played his part made it hard to shake the feeling that, joke or not, he was enjoying this far too much. And maybe, against your better judgment, a small, traitorous part of you was, too.

As the countdown to midnight began, the crowd pressed toward the massive clock projected onto the far wall, voices rising in anticipation. You seized the opportunity to slip away, weaving through the throng in search of refuge from the growing tension. But you barely made it a few steps before a hand caught your wrist, firm and unyielding, pulling you back.

“Leaving so soon?” Thor’s voice was low, rich, and tinged with an authority that sent a shiver down your spine. He didn’t need to raise his voice to command attention.

You forced a lightness into your tone. “I thought I’d avoid the spectacle.”

He chuckled, a sound that rolled over you like distant thunder, his grip firm but not cruel. “Stay,” he said, his stormy blue eyes fixed on yours, an undercurrent of something almost possessive in their depths. “I cannot see the New Year without you.”

It wasn’t a request. It never was with him.

You opened your mouth to protest, but the crowd began the countdown, their voices swelling in unison. Thor’s gaze didn’t waver, the intensity of it rooting you in place, making you feel as though the world had narrowed to just the two of you.

“Ten! Nine!”

The noise of the crowd faded to a distant hum as Thor stepped closer, the heat of his presence washing over you. He loomed, his broad frame both sheltering and suffocating, his hand rising to cup your cheek. His touch was deceptively gentle, his thumb brushing against your skin with unnerving familiarity.

“Eight! Seven!”

“This is a bad idea,” you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper. But even as you spoke, you couldn’t bring yourself to pull away, your body betraying you by leaning into him.

“Nonsense,” he said softly, his lips curling into a faint, knowing smile. “I see no better idea.”

“Six! Five!”

The air seemed to thicken, the space between you vanishing as his face inched closer. His breath was warm against your lips, the promise of his kiss sending your pulse into a frantic rhythm.

“Four! Three!”

You should have stopped him. You should have walked away. But you didn’t. Couldn’t. The pull of him was as inevitable as the tide, a force of nature too powerful to resist.

“Two! One!”

His lips claimed yours, slow and deliberate, as though he had all the time in the world to remind you of just how much power he held. The kiss was consuming, a deliberate act of dominance wrapped in warmth, and it left no room for doubt-he was in control. The room erupted into cheers, but the sound barely registered over the pounding of your heart and the way his hands anchored you to the moment, unyielding yet careful, as if daring you to move.

When he finally pulled back, his gaze lingered on yours, his expression unreadable but charged with an intensity that made it impossible to breathe. His thumb brushed your cheek.

“Happy New Year, my lady.” “H-Happy New Year Thor.”  Had the kiss really left you so breathless? Thor’s smile widened at your stammered response, his hand lingering at your cheek for a moment longer than necessary. There was a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes-a god who knew the effect he had on you, who thrived on it. Before you could gather your thoughts, he stepped closer, his hand slipping to your waist.

“You look pale, my Lady,” he said, his voice soft but weighted with implication. “Perhaps some air would do you well.”

His hand slid down to your wrist, his grip as unyielding as iron. Before you could protest, he was already leading you away, his towering presence parting the crowd as effortlessly as a storm cutting through the sky. The other partygoers barely spared a glance, their laughter and chatter uninterrupted. To them, this was nothing more than a natural progression of what they believed to be an established relationship.

“Thor, wait-I’m fine,” you said, trying to pull back. Your protests were futile against the sheer strength of his grip, his pace steady and unrelenting.

“Nonsense,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder with a calm, almost amused expression. “You’ve given me your company all evening. It’s only fair I offer you mine.”

His words were smooth, his tone almost teasing, but there was no mistaking the finality in them. He wasn’t giving you a choice. The halls outside the party grew quieter as he led you away from the noise, his steps purposeful. You felt your heart pounding, the reality of the situation sinking in with every passing second.

“Thor, people will talk-”

“Let them,” he interrupted, his voice a low rumble that silenced any further argument. “They already believe what they wish. It changes nothing.”

By the time you realized where he was leading you, it was too late. The door to his room loomed ahead, and with a swift motion, he opened it, pulling you inside before closing it behind him. The lock clicked, the sound loud and final in the quiet of the room.

You turned to face him, breathless and unsure, your mind racing for something-anything-to say. But Thor was already moving, his broad frame advancing on you with the same quiet confidence he’d displayed all evening. His hands found your waist, pulling you closer, his strength impossible to resist.

“Do not fear, my Lady,” he murmured, his tone softer now but no less commanding. His thumb brushed over your hip, the heat of his touch bleeding through the fabric of your dress. “You are mine tonight.”

“Thor, wait-” The protest fell from your lips as his hands found your waist again, his grip firm but not bruising. His sheer presence was overwhelming, an undeniable reminder of his power, of his dominance. He loomed over you, his piercing gaze fixed on yours, as though daring you to resist.

“My Lady, you deserve so much more then to be just a silly joke.” he said softly, his voice like the distant roll of thunder. His hand moved to cup your chin, tilting your face upward. “You spent the evening by my side, all out there believe this to be-”

Your breath hitched as he leaned in, his lips ghosting over yours, not kissing you but letting the anticipation build, the air between you thick and charged. Your heart raced, a mixture of defiance and something darker, something you couldn’t bring yourself to name.

“Thor-this… this isn’t-”

“Shhh,” he interrupted, his thumb brushing over your lower lip. His smile was faint, predatory. “No need for words, my Lady. Let me show you how a god worships.”

Before you could reply, he lifted you effortlessly into his arms, his strength undeniable. You gasped, your hands instinctively clutching his shoulders, but he didn’t falter. Instead, he carried you further into the room, the door a forgotten barrier behind you. Your protests felt small, swallowed by the sheer force of his presence, the intensity in his gaze as he laid you down on the bed as though you belonged there.

“You’re trembling,” he murmured, his voice a velvety growl as he traced a finger along your jawline. “Do not fret, I will not break you-”

Your cheeks burned, and you turned your head, but his hand caught your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze. His expression softened for the briefest moment, a flicker of something you couldn’t quite place before the hunger returned.

His hands moved with purpose, trailing down your sides as he leaned over you, his lips finding the sensitive skin of your neck. The heat of his breath sent shivers down your spine, his kisses deliberate, claiming. Your body betrayed you, arching into his touch even as your mind screamed at you to stop this, to push him away. But he was unrelenting, his hands exploring, his lips pulling soft gasps and reluctant whimpers from your throat.

“You feel it, don’t you?” he murmured against your skin, his voice a low rumble. “The pull between us. You cannot deny it.”

His lips found yours again, this time deeper, more consuming. His hands roamed with a purpose that left no room for doubt-he wasn’t going to stop, and you weren’t sure you wanted him to.

Thor’s lips descended on yours again, harder this time, with the weight of a storm behind them. There was no hesitance in his actions, no room for second-guessing. His hand slid up your thigh, you wanted to protest, to push him away, but who were you to deny a god.

“Thor, please,” you whispered, though even you weren’t sure if it was a plea for him to stop or to continue.

His thumb brushed over your lower lip again, a teasing touch that sent a jolt of heat through you. The smile tugging at the corners of his mouth told you he had decided the answer.  His lips found the hollow of your throat, kissing and biting gently, enough to make you gasp and arch against him.

“It’s alright-” he murmured, his voice a deep growl that sent shivers down your spine.

His fingers brushed against the edge of your underwear, a featherlight touch that made you tense beneath him. He paused, his stormy blue eyes locking onto yours, watching every flicker of emotion that crossed your face. “You’re trembling again,” he said softly “So sensitive.”

You couldn’t answer; your voice had abandoned you. Thor didn’t wait for a response, his fingers slipping beneath the fabric, finding your heat with an ease that made your breath hitch. He explored you with deliberate slowness, his touch skilled and confident, as though he had all the time in the world to unravel you.

“Do you see now?” he murmured, his lips brushing against your temple. “Even Gods are gentle.”

Your protests, feeble and half-hearted, were swallowed by the overwhelming intensity of his actions. His fingers moved expertly, drawing soft gasps and whimpers from you despite your attempts to stifle them. The tension in the room thickened, his dominance palpable as he claimed every inch of your focus, leaving no room for thought, no space to resist.

When he finally withdrew, his hand moved to his belt, the sound of the buckle unfastening sharp in the quiet room. His gaze never left yours, and the weight of it pinned you in place, making your breath catch as he bared himself before you.

“I will show you what you deserve,” he said, his voice a low, dangerous promise. “And you will thank me for it.”

Thor’s hands gripped your thighs, pulling you closer to the edge of the bed as he positioned himself, his movements slow and deliberate, giving you no time to process, no room to escape.

You couldn’t even remember him telling you to open your mouth as you felt him push past your lips his length filled your mouth, the head of his arousal brushing against the back of your throat. You felt a surge of panic, your body instinctively trying to pull back, but his hands gripped your shoulders, holding you in place.

“No, no- stay for me.” His eyes burned with intensity, watching you as he slowly began to move, his hips rocking back and forth. The sensation was overwhelming, his length stretching your mouth, his tip hitting the back of your throat with each thrust. You felt a gag reflex rising, but he seemed to sense it, his movements slowing, his eyes never leaving yours. He leaned in closer, his voice a low growl,

"You will learn, just relax, breath deep.” His words of coaching praise filling the while his hands moved, one releasing your shoulder to grasp your hair, pulling your head back, exposing your throat. Thors’s eyes flashed with hunger as he began to move again, his thrusts slow and deliberate, filling your mouth with each stroke. You felt your body responding, your lips and tongue working to accommodate him, your throat relaxing to take him deeper, tears pricking at your eyes. “That’s it, good girl.”

The sound of his breathing filled the air, his groans low and husky, as he moved, his hips rocking back and forth. His eyes never left yours, burning with intensity, as he claimed your mouth, his touch sending sparks of pleasure through your body. You felt yourself getting lost in the sensation, your body responding to his touch, as he took you, surly it was the champagne going to your head and not the act of being used like this that made your pussy soak the fabric between legs.

It had to be? Not the way texture of his skin smooth felt, the taste of him salty and musky seemed to make your head spin. The Gods veins pulsing against your tongue, his arousal throbbing with each beat of his heart and it seemed to match the way your own cunt now throbbed. His hands held you in place, his grip firm but not bruising, as he moved, his thrusts slow and deliberate, filling your mouth with each stroke.

As he moved, his tip hit the back of your throat, sending a surge of pleasure through your body. You felt your lips and tongue working to accommodate him, your throat relaxing to take him deeper. His eyes flashed with hunger, his gaze burning with intensity, as he claimed your mouth, his touch sending sparks of pleasure through your body.

Suddenly, he pulled out, his length slipping from your lips, leaving you gasping for air. His eyes never left yours, burning with intensity, as his hand brushed through your hair and stroked your neck, "Not yet, my sweet lady..” His finger played with the straps of your dress, a you felt a shiver run down your spine. “I think it’s time this found my floor.”

Your hands didn’t move fast enough as he waited for you to comply. "Take it off," he whispered, his voice low and husky. "I want to see you." Slowly reached up, your hands grasping the straps, and slid them down your shoulders. The dress fell away, moving so it the fabric was left in a pool on the floor.

Thor's gaze roamed over your body, his eyes drinking in the sight of you. He seemed to savor every curve, every contour, his eyes burning with hunger, no one looked at you like that. As he took you, he began to strip, his movements slow and deliberate. Removing his already unfastened pants, letting them fall to the floor, and then reached up, pulling his shirt over his head.

You couldn't help but stare at him, his body a masterpiece of muscle and strength. His chest was broad, his shoulders wide, and his abdomen rippled with definition. His arousal jutting out from his body still wet in places from your mouth. He took a step closer, his hands reaching out to grasp your hips. His fingers slid under the waistband of your underwear, pulling them down, leaving you as naked as him. While his face expression nothing but adoration, you had never felt so vulnerable, so small.

His hands moved, one grasping your hip, holding you in place, while the other slid down, his fingers brushing against your core. You felt a jolt of pleasure, your body responding to his touch, as he slid a thick finger inside you, his touch sending sparks of pleasure through your body.

“That’s it, relax.”

He added another finger, his touch deliberate, stretching you open. You felt yourself getting lost in the sensation, your body responding to his touch, but even like this you felt overwhelming.  his movements slow and deliberate. His fingers moved, preparing you for him, pushing against your walls, as he watched you taking in your face as blood rushed to your cheeks as he went to add a third.

“Thor, I-this is too much-”

“Too much? I have barely begun, my Lady. And you will take all of it. You are not used to such worship that is all. You do not need to run from pleasure.”

He pressed his lips into your swallowing the whimper as he made his third digit slid in with the others, the sting around your entrance almost enough to cause tears. You wanted to protest but it was lost again when his thumb brushed against your clit, sending a surge of pleasure through your body. You felt yourself arching into his touch, your hips rising to meet his hand now, as he stretched you open. Thor pulling back a pleased smile on his face at your response to him.

“See? Eager for it now aren’t you?”  His thumb pressed harder again taking the ach away his fingers caused.   Thor’s pleased smile deepened as he watched you writhe beneath him, his thumb circling your clit with calculated precision. The tears threatening to spill from your eyes didn’t seem to bother him-in fact, they only seemed to encourage him. His other hand rested possessively on your hip, holding you in place as he continued his deliberate assault on your senses.

“You feel that?” he murmured, his voice low and rich, sending a shiver down your spine. “How perfectly your body mold’s to my touch.  I will teach you to cherish it.”

His thumb pressed harder against your clit, the pleasure blurring the edges of your thoughts and stealing the words from your lips. His fingers worked inside you, stretching and teasing, coaxing your body to open for him even as the sting lingered. The wetness coming from you now seemed to please him more.

“That’s it,” he murmured, his voice a rumble of satisfaction. “I will worship you here and you will give me yourself in return.”

You shivered at his words, a mix of defiance and submission warring within you. He leaned down, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispered, “Tell me, do you feel it? The way your body craves what only I can give you? There’s no shame in surrendering to a god.  I’ve seen how you all look at me. I will make more then the joke they all thought you to be.”

You couldn’t form a response, your breaths coming in short, sharp gasps as your hips moved against his hand, chasing the relief his touch promised. He smile widening, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of your neck.

“You’re ready...” Withdrawing his fingers suddenly and leaving you gasping at the emptiness. “And you’ll take me beautifully.”

Before you could process his words, Thor shifted, his hands gripping your thighs and spreading them wider. The weight of his arousal pressed against your entrance, hot and unyielding, as he positioned himself.

“Thor-wait, I-” The words came out in a rush, but he silenced you with a kiss, his lips demanding and consuming. The stretch was immediate and overwhelming as he entered, your body fighting to adjust to his sheer size. The sharp sting from his fingers was nothing to this, yet you could not deny that under all the sharp pain pleasure thrummed.

“Thor-” you gasped against his lips, your nails digging into his shoulders.

“That’s it,” he murmured, his voice dark and soothing as he stilled for a moment, giving you a chance to adjust. “Feel me, little one. All of me. Do not fight it-you are made to take this, I know you can.”

Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes as you tried to breathe through the intensity, but Thor’s hands never faltered, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles into your hips as though he was calming a restless storm. “Good,” he rumbled, his tone almost reverent. “You’re doing so well. Let yourself feel it. Accept it.”

He leaned down, pressing his forehead to yours, his breath warm against your skin.  You whimpered in response, unsure if the sound came from the lingering ache or the undeniable pull of his presence. He began to move, slow and deliberate, his body pressing deeper into yours with each measured thrust. Every inch of him demanded your focus, filling you so completely that it left no room for thought, no space to question.

“I-Thor, I-” The words dissolved into a gasp as he shifted, his angle driving deeper, sparking a wave of sensation that stole the air from your lungs.

“Shhh,” he soothed, his hand sliding up your body to cup your jaw. “You don’t need words, my Lady. Let your body speak for you.”

He claimed you with an unrelenting rhythm, his movements slow and controlled, as though he was savoring every second. His free hand trailed down to your clit, his thumb brushing over the sensitive bundle of nerves with just enough pressure to send sparks shooting through your body. Your hips bucked against him involuntarily, a soft cry escaping your lips.

“See?” he murmured, his voice a low growl of approval. “Your body knows, trust yourself.”

The praise was intoxicating, and despite yourself, you felt your walls clenching around him, your body betraying the conflict in your mind. Thor’s smile deepened, his dominance radiating in every deliberate thrust. He leaned down, capturing your lips in a kiss that was both tender and overwhelming, a contradiction that left you breathless. His pace quickened slightly, each thrust driving you closer to the edge, the pleasure building with an intensity that threatened to consume you entirely. You started to get lost in the feeling now, his strength was undeniable, as his hips pushed up and into you. His commanding dominance absolute, outside that room ceased to exist. It was only him-his touch, his voice, his overwhelming presence-consuming you entirely.

Thor’s grip on your hips tightened, his fingers digging into your flesh as he anchored you in place, each thrust deliberate and unrelenting. His movements left no room for resistance, no space to think beyond the way he filled you, the way he moved against you with a precision that made your body betray every doubt you had.

“You feel it, don’t you?” he murmured, his voice a dark rumble that seemed to vibrate through your very core. “The way your body bends to me, yields to me..”

You couldn’t answer, your breaths coming in ragged tight pants as his pace intensified, the sound of his skin meeting yours filling the room. Your body felt as though it was on fire, every nerve alive under his touch, your felt every vein drag against slick velvet walls. Every move from him sparked new sensation, this was what it was to be taken by a God.

“Thor,” you gasped, his name slipping from your lips.

“That’s it,” he said, his tone shifting into something almost tender, though it was lust clouding though normally clear blue eyes of his. “Say my name.”

The circling on your clit just enough to make your hips buck involuntarily against him. He growled softly, his hand sliding up your body to press against your stomach, holding you firmly in place as he drove deeper. God you felt him in your stomach as he tip nudged against your cervix.

The room felt smaller, hotter, his presence overwhelming every corner as he pulled you closer to the edge. Your cunt tightens around him, the pleasure building to a point that left you gasping for air, your mind spinning as he continued to push you further. The intensity of it was almost too much, yet not enough, your body caught in a storm you couldn’t escape-and didn’t want to.

His thumb pressing harder against your clit as his thrusts grew more forceful, more deliberate. “Do not fight it. I feel you, so tight for me, so wet.”  

His words broke something inside you, the final push that sent you over the edge. Your body tensed, a cry escaping your lips as the wave of pleasure crashed over you, leaving you trembling and gasping beneath him. Thor didn’t stop, his pace unrelenting as he chased his own release, his growls deepening, the sound raw and primal.

When he finally reached his peak, he buried himself fully, his body stiffening as a guttural groan tore from his throat. His hands gripped you tightly you knew your bruise. The room fell silent save for the sound of your ragged breaths and his low murmurs of satisfaction. His weight pressed against you, his forehead resting against yours as his fingers brushed against your cheek. “You see now, my Lady,” he said softly, his voice dark but strangely soothing. “You are not joke to me, I meant it when I declared you mine.”

[local-crying-boy]

🄿🄸🄴🅃🅁🄾 🄼🄰🅇🄸🄼🄾🄵🄵 🅇 🄵🄴🄼!🅁🄴🄰🄳🄴🅁

𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕥 𝕊𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕣

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Pairing: Pietro Maximoff X Female!Reader

Genre: One-shot, fluff

Warnings: Short asf

Summary: After a few, long weeks of both you and Pietro Maximoff unable to spend a lot of lone time together, you both go on a car ride.

Word count: 530

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The compound was known to be a little chaotic every now and then, it was filled with egotistical, stubborn and sometimes even argumentative people. Sure, sometimes there were times when the team could be civil with one another, there were times where arguments could sprout from the smallest of things.

Not only do arguments arise out of nowhere in the new place you call home, but accidents and injuries occur almost every other day. Whether it be from the Hulk breaking through Bruce’s attempt at staying calm, powers getting out of control or Stark’s inventions going haywire and destroying his lab, someone would eventually get hurt at least once when living at the Avengers Compound.

It was a silent agreement you signed up for when moving in. If you knew it or not, it was your problem.

So, when the team - more specifically, Tony and Bruce - grew interested in the powers you developed and didn’t quite understand yet, you found yourself getting poked and prodded with different tools and questions for the two scientists to understand these abilities you held.

Unfortunately, this had led to you and your boyfriend being forced to spend less and less time together from the endless times you’ve been summoned to Bruce and Tony’s lab, alongside the whole thing of you being bombarded with queries.

Therefore, the amount of places you and Pietro could hang out together slimmed and slimmed each day, it seemed like you could be found wherever you were in the Compound. Thus led you and Pietro to head out whenever you wanted to hang around with just one another.

Tonight was another one of these nights.

Only this time you had pulled over on the side of a secluded road, you had ended up straddling the speedsters lap, his hands holding onto your waist. You had one of your hands just by his jaw, fingers lightly brushing against his stubble, an action simply to make the moment that much more intimate, like you’d been starved of his touch for years. Pietro had to angle his head upwards, making sure he could meet your supple lips, every once in a while he would tuck your hair behind your ear when it fell in your face.

“I’ve missed you.” Pietro had muttered out, his soft lips brushing against yours when he spoke. “Missed you so much…”

You let out a quiet laugh when he said that, looking down at him, your eyes locking with his icy blue orbs. “I’ve been by your side all day.”

“But I haven’t been able to kiss you without someone walking in.” He grumbled out with a hint of annoyance, it seemed like he was taking the whole being unable to kiss you whenever and however he wanted was irritating him more than you.

“Poor you.” You said with a small laugh, leaning down and pressing your lips against his once more. “But I’m the one who’s getting dragged into the lab.”

He was more than happy to kiss you back, but he scowled when you mentioned the lab. “I’ll drag you back out next time.”

“Alright, Maximoff, whatever you say.” You said with a grin, your nose rubbing against his before you leaned in to kiss him.

Masterlist

[ussgallifrey]

(She Moves With) Shameless Wonder | 26

✦ Summary: Your badge clearly said SHIELD consultant, so you weren’t entirely sure where Fury was getting this whole make you an Avenger idea from. But you had a feeling it might have something to do with the recent discovery of an artifact at the bottom of the Arctic Sea.

✦ Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

✦ Warnings: Canon divergence, dark themes, descriptions of dead bodies and corpses, dialogue taken directly from Avengers: Age of Ultron, frequent mentions of dead bodies, graphic violence, language, moderate body horror, violence.

✦ Word Count: 15.2k

✦ Playlist: Here

✦ Cinematic Soundtrack: Here

✦ Author's Note: [more at the end of the chapter]. This one gets a little dark. Brace yourselves.

[Master List]

The mechanical hum of the jet engines whir on as the auto-pilot maintains your altitude. With Tony’s tech in hand, you’re able to bring up a holographic map of the landscape. Glimmering blue neon lights showcase the 3D rendering of Strucker’s fortress and the nearby city. The faces of the team are grim, at best, with worry lines drawn taut as you lay out the plan.

“We’re going to focus on the evacuation process first and foremost. With any luck, we’ll get the main populace to a safe distance before we need to deal with Ultron. With that said, however, our presence alone will likely not be going unnoticed.”

Steve nods in agreement, shimmering blue blueprints drifting across his hand as he zooms in on the map.

“Our main purpose here is to assist the civilians, after that, we’re going to have Ultron’s eyes set on us. We know he has the cradle and the scepter. If he’s going to do something with them, it’s going to be fast. He likely knows we’re already approaching.”

You take it back over, “Our heaviest hitters are going to be the first wave for him. I need Stark and Banner with me. Once Thor arrives, that will give us another advantage. Steve, Clint, Natasha, you’re going to need to keep on the evacuation. If any rogue bots come along, you’re going to be the main defense for the people.”

Bruce clears his throat and your eyes immediately fall upon the doctor.

“Uhm, actually, about that…”

A sigh falls from your lips. Sparring the supersoldier a look, you gently tug on Bruce’s arm, “Let’s talk. Shall we?”

You escort the slightly befuddled man to the back of the jet while Steve continues on in your stead, “Sam’s en route, he’ll meet us once we land…”

“Bruce.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I can help with the evacuation. By the time we get Thor here - ”

“We need the Hulk.”

“Well, what if I don’t want to bring him out?”

Your shoulders drop as you stare down at the scientist.

“I know you don’t think that I understand your situation - ”

He snorts, crossing his arms with bristling agitation, “Because you don’t.”

You let him have a moment before you continue forward. “You don’t want to bring him out around a civilian populace. I understand that, Bruce, I do. But if we don’t have our best - our strongest - to deal with Ultron? Then there’s no point to any of this and we should just turn around and watch the world fall at our feet.”

His hands drop to his sides and his eyes become unwilling to meet your face, but still, you press on.

“You’re not the only one, you know, still dealing with the aftermath of yesterday. Do you think I’ve forgotten what I almost did? What my rage was nearly capable of doing? Because I haven’t, Bruce. I’m actively trying to focus my attention on what we’re about to do because that is where the true danger lies. And tomorrow, once we hopefully walk away from this and the day is saved, then I will deal with my own guilt and anger. And I will try to right my wrongs. But for now… we have to fight.”

You finish your words with a hand on his shoulder.

“Like it or not, hate him or not, he is necessary for us to have a possible victory. Without him, Sokovia just might not be standing when we’re done.”

Bruce exhales through his nose, nostrils flaring as he peers up at you.

“God, you’re worse than Rogers when it comes to speeches,” he sighs, rubbing at his temple. “Fine, you get him. One round! Then I’m done.”

“I can work with that,” you offer before you both return to the group.

As you cross over farm fields and pastures filled with grazing animals, Tony flies up alongside the jet.

“What, were you seriously going to start the party without me?”

Luckily, he drops the attitude pretty fast and confirms with Steve that he’s been working through different scans to locate Ultron since he crossed the Sokovian border.

“Big guy’s hiding out in his fortress of solitude,” Tony hypothesizes, hand on his jaw. “Bet my money on it that he’s got the cradle under lock and key.”

“Then that’s where we go,” you decide, nodding at the billionaire.

Clint lands the jet just outside of the city’s limits, in roving farmland and freshly plowed fields. The archer hoists his quiver over his shoulder, pulling Natasha off for a quiet moment in the corner of the jet. You can’t help but stare at the couple as they pull away from the view of the others.

Was it strange that you hadn’t noticed that development? Was it more obvious to you, now, knowing that they were in fact together?

“You good?”

Looking up, you’re graced with the presence of the supersoldier.

“Fantastic, really,” you say with a quick roll of your eyes.

Steve gives you a warm chuckle in return as you move down the ramp with him, allowing the couple to have their moment together in peace. He already has his shield on his harness, his helmet remains in his hands.

Tony and Bruce are waiting nearby, but Steve tugs on your wrist - keeping you from joining them.

“Yeah, I’ve got Rhodes on standby, and JARVIS is working through schematics, you know how he is - ”

Glancing down at your own shield for a moment, you stare out at the rolling farm fields. Cattle graze in the clover down the way from the jet - a few of them eyeing the machine with suspicion. But so far, it’s only the team and the pasture-grazing animals around.

“I’ll take Bruce,” you decide, finally meeting the still bluish-grey eyes of your companion. “He’s having… doubts, about the team and his place on it. Someone needs to keep an eye on him.”

Steve nods, “Best person for the job.”

“And you’ll take Natasha. You’ve done well together in the past anyway,” you smile.

A warm laugh greets your ears, “And hopefully we meet up somewhere in between, right?”

From behind you, the footsteps of the remaining two make their presence known down the metal ramp. Your time was nearly up.

“That’s the plan, Rogers,” you state, moving your shield to rest on your own back harness. 

“Stay safe, okay?”

You smack his shoulder gently with your free hand.

“You too. I better see you back in one piece at the end of this,” you gesture at his upper torso with a wave of your hand.

Steve laughs, gaining a few interesting looks from the rest of the team who all find something far more interesting to look at when he turns to face them.

When his gaze lands back on your face, there’s a warmth there in his eyes that you’ve noticed has become a new normal for him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he says at last, giving your hand a final squeeze.

Wrapping your fingers around his wrist, you return the gesture. You can feel the rapid beating of his heart through his veins.

You had to make it out of here alive, all of you. There were no other options.

“Hey, not to interrupt,” Tony interrupts. “But I don’t think our friend is going to want to wait around much longer to enact his evil schemes.”

With a shaking head and a small chuckle, you regretfully pull away from the blonde and move toward the rest of the team.

“Okay,” Steve says, just a step behind you. “We know our teams, we know our mission.”

“Let’s go smash some robot ass,” Clint snarks.

Steve merely tilts his head to the side and shrugs as if to say fair enough.

You spare him a final look as you and Bruce head off toward the Western portion of the city - the business district. While Stark and Barton start trekking it toward the northernmost part of the city, Steve’s eyes follow you for just a few moments more before he reluctantly heads east with Natasha.

You recognized this place.

Not the city itself, but the remnants of a once bustling populace. A place that was consumed by war. Torn limb from limb by external and sometimes internal forces. No, it was a sight you had seen too often in your time on this world.

The faces of the people in Sokovia could so easily be replaced with those from Warsaw, Delhi, or Rome. You recognized that haunted, terrified look. You knew what was coming. You just weren’t sure if you could stop it in time.

Looking over at your companion, you can see the twitchiness of his eyes as he takes in the vast number of fleeing civilians. Oh, the thoughts that must be going through his head right now.

“I’ve got you, you know,” you say as you jog down the cobblestone streets.

Bruce glances over at you, an untrusting look in his eyes.

“This isn’t going to be like Johannesburg, Bruce. Any mutant that comes near is going to have to get through me first. We’re going to keep these people safe and we’re going to do our best to keep this city from falling.”

“Lot of promises,” he says.

Offering him a shrug, you suggest, “We can pinky promise it if that’ll help ease your mind.”

Up ahead, the yells of several civilians grab your attention. Halting in your tracks, the two of you stare at the massive traffic jam on the bridge ahead of you.

Bruce rolls his shoulders back, “Let’s get to work.”

They’re deep within the part of the city known as Old Town. Rushing down the streets and between navigating the tightly-wound roads Natasha has allotted the time to properly pester him as they go.

“Wow. You know, I honestly thought we were going to get a love confession back there.”

Steve eyes her out of his peripheral, “You know what, Romanoff…”

“Hey,” she shrugs, pointing at the next street with her chin. “Maybe next time, right?”

“Let’s just hope there is a next time,” he admits, eyes wide as he glances around at the otherwise empty street.

“This, this can’t be right,” Natasha says at a barren intersection.

“Yeah, Hill’s good, but not this good. You can’t move 50,000 people that fast.”

Heading north, through the tight alleys and sidestreets, the city begins to bleed through with the memories of wartorn Europe, circa 1945. While it was clear that day-to-day life was continuing for the residents, stark reminders lay around every corner. Shattered windows and partially destroyed buildings resided next to market stores and laundromats.

Even here in what looks like a busy section of the city, they can’t find a single person. The lights are still on in the shops and restaurants, a car is idling on the street. But there is no driver, no waitstaff, not a single customer.

Just a handful of birds pecking at some overturned garbage along the alleyway. 

“Something’s not right.”

Natasha nods, “Any word on Wilson yet?”

“Said he was en route, any time now.”

“We need eyes in the sky. Actually, Stark?”

While Nat tries to get a hold of Tony, Steve continues to jog down the street, hoping to find just one person. But still, the city is silent. There’s an eeriness about it, one that the supersoldier remembers all too well from his days of walking through smoldering French villages.

He can still recall the sight of black smoke rising in the sky, and the smell of burnt wood mixed with decaying bodies. It was never a memory he liked to see pulled back up to the surface, but today, as he wanders through the town, that troubling thought plays like a sickening record in his mind.

And then he spots it.

An elderly woman, moving at a slow pace, walking towards the western portion of town.

Not waiting for Natasha, Steve barrels forward.

“Ma’am, we need to get you out of here.”

But the woman doesn’t even look up to acknowledge him. Right, a language barrier, of course. However, when Steve moves in front of her, he sees a troubling sheen of red mist over the woman’s bleary eyes. She pushes right past him as if… in a trance.

“NAT!” he calls out, waving his arm.

They’re unable to redirect the woman, so… they end up following the only person left in this part of town. Natasha clicks her tongue when they enter the center of the city. Steve follows her gaze up toward the imposing steeple of an ornate cathedral, just a few yards away from them.

“So… what are you thinking?” he asks in an almost whisper as they continue to trail the woman.

“Either they’re locking them in for Ultron to deal with, or they’re trying to actually help.”

His features scrunch in confusion, “By putting civilians in the dead center of town?”

“They’re kids, Rogers. Not soldiers.”

Before they can get any closer, Steve’s knocked backward - landing next to the streetlight, opposite the cathedral.

A white-haired teen appears in front of them, tilting his head to the side as he stares down at the supersoldier with a wild sort of look in his eyes.

“Ah, ah, ah,” the boy chides, waving his finger back and forth.

“We need to get these people to safety,” Steve urges, pushing himself up from the curb.

“They are already safe. What use are you to them? Hmm? Mr. America.”

A bullet comes whizzing past, but the boy merely plucks it out of the air like it was fully stationary. He tosses it from one hand to the other as Steve stands back up. His eyes quickly scan the street front, looking for the other one, the girl. Natasha’s already backed a few paces away, likely doing the same.

So, he plays the distraction card. Get him to talk.

“They’re not safe here. They need to get out of the city.”

The boy drops the bullet just to look up at Steve with a curious expression.

“You really don’t get it, do you? Nobody is safe now. No one. In there,” he gestures back at the church. “They are safe. Out here - running for their lives? Not so much.”

The boy pushes past him at lightning speed, nearly knocking Steve off-center again. Frustration growing, he grabs his shield and sends it flying at the kid. But the boy merely zips out of existence, running around him at such a speed that the dust and debris of the street whip around the supersoldier like a temporary sandstorm.

Holding a hand to his eyes, Steve yells out, “Knock it off!”

When he finally regains sight of the boy, he is lounging on top of the hood of an abandoned car. 

“Go ahead, see how far you get with them.”

Natasha, ever the observant one, sets her calculating gaze upon the mutant.

“You stopped helping Ultron. Why?”

He looks away, suddenly silent.

“Not all he was chucked up to be, is that it?” she goads.

But the harder he looks at the boy, he realizes just that: it’s a boy. Probably no more than sixteen. A kid who spent the majority of his life behind bars, at the mercy of Strucker and HYDRA, and god knows what else. The first sign of help in the form of Ultron had to have been like a lifeline for him and the other mutant.

And he could have turned tail, made for the hills, and never looked back once he was free of them. But here he was.

He takes a step forward, wedging himself between Nat and the kid.

“Why are they safer in there than outside of the city limits?”

The boy blinks up at Steve, pushing back a strand of his curling white hair.

“Do you really think that thing is only going to attack this place? His reach will surpass anything you can even imagine. In there… they have her to protect them.”

Steve looks toward the cathedral. Then he peers over at the boy once again.

“You managed to save a handful of the people here. Where are the others?”

That’s when he slides off the hood of the vehicle, dropping down in front of Steve and Natasha. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and breathes out an unsteady breath.

“What others? There is no one else.”

Natasha blinks, “This city has a population of over 53,000 people.”

He laughs, “Had. It had a larger populace, yes. Until he showed up and you showed up and a war happened. People, they go missing. Where to?” He shrugs, “Who cares, right? I know it is no Johannesburg or New York, but people died here too, you know. But hey, what do I know, right? Want my advice, pack up your guns and your shields and run.”

“Okay,” Nat placates, grabbing hold of the kid’s shoulder and tugging him close before he can try to pull away. “You need to tell your little friend to send these people out of here so that they might stand a chance of not having an Ultron-sized bomb dropped on them.”

The boy yanks away, looking disgusted that the assassin's hand even touched him.

“We have it under control.”

Steve, once again, pushes his way in between her and the boy.

“I believe you do.”

The kid’s eyes look up at him with something almost like pride radiating in his irises.

“And… I think you could help us make sure no one else gets hurt. I can’t believe that all of these buildings have been cleared of people. You’re the fastest person I have ever seen. I’m sure you could blaze through this city in only a minute’s time to confirm that fact.”

He blinks up at Steve with a boyish grin, “You are trying very hard to flatter me. Luckily, I’m easily flattered.”

His eyes lift from the boy to see the female mutant making her way across the street toward the three of them. She’s a foot shorter than the boy, with stringy auburn hair and crimson eyes.

Steve unconsciously wants to recoil the moment he sees her. That invisible wound was still pretty fresh.

“Do not bother,” she instructs, tugging the boy back by his wrist. She looks up at Steve, her gaze unnerving in its intensity. “There is no one else.”

“How can you be sure?” Nat questions.

She turns her head slowly toward the assassin, drawing her words out slowly, “Anyone left in this city, who heard my voice in their head, came. There is no one left.”

“They should still be evacuated. They will be safer outside of the city’s limits.”

“How can you be sure?” she questions, blinking up at Steve.

He looks around at the abandoned streets, at the crumbling buildings, and prevailing silence.

“Because we’re going to keep the fight here. We’re going to keep Ultron from getting any further than this place. And we could honestly use any help we can get.”

The girl tilts her head as she continues to stare at him. 

“Why should we care?” the boy asks after a beat, eyes glancing between the supersolider and the Widow.

Before Steve can answer, Nat moves forward, fixing them both with a steady look.

“Why would you, right? You have your freedom now, what should you care if this place burns to the ground, yeah? I mean, you guys were under lock and key for how many years, why should you care about this place - these people? Did they ever help you?”

As much as he wants to interrupt, he knows she’s getting to a point. So, Steve forcibly closes his lips into a thin line, gaze held on the girl’s glowing red hands.

“You got your revenge,” she turns her eyes on the girl. “We saw the pictures. Go ahead, wipe your hands free of this mess, and get out of town. No one would even know.”

With a hint of a smirk, Nat rubs at her left wrist before she forces her emerald eyes back up.

“But I think you know better than that. You know what you could do, even if they never repay you. Never say a simple thank you. The two of you, you’ve got gifts. Be a shame to see them go to waste.”

After an uneasy moment, the girl looks over at the boy. He offers her only a half-hearted shrug. The decision apparently made, she replies:

“I do not fight for you, or with you. We fight for our people.”

Steve nods in return, “That’s reason enough.”

As you redirect the flow of traffic, all you can think is the comms are awfully silent. Hopefully, that was a good sign. Sometimes in situations like this, silence could be a good thing. Cronus, you hoped it was a good thing.

“We’re clear over here,” Bruce waves to you from across the street.

Maria had already gotten the local authorities involved long before you crossed the Atlantic. The evacuation had been ongoing for the past hour, luckily with the majority of the city’s residents moving into a designated safe location a few kilometers in either direction of the city.

“Okay, we’re done on our end,” Tony’s voice chimes over the comm. “Heading your way, 007. It’s showtime.”

With a nod toward the police officer you had been working beside, you jog over to Banner. 

“Guess that means we’re on now, yeah?” he questions, a worrying tone in his voice as you both turn to see the glimmering red and gold suit making its way toward your location.

Giving his arm a hopefully reassuring squeeze, you remind him, “I’ve got you, Banner.”

Though the doctor doesn’t seem entirely settled by your words, the three of you make your way to the fortress, now a crumbling ruin from your mission there over a week ago.

“This should be fine, right?” Tony asks. His visor is flipped up as the two of you squeeze through the broken stone walls - his arc reactor giving you a guiding light through the darkened corridors.

“Ultron, you mean?”

“Uh, no. Big green and angry back there. Last time we went toe to toe, well, you know.”

“Oh,” you comment, glancing back at Bruce, who remains a good few feet behind the two of you - stumbling over loose debris. “I’m sure, all things considered, he’ll be the least of your worries here in a minute.”

Passing by a familiar room, you pause. Tony barrels forward without even noticing you. Bruce, on the other hand, stops.

“What is it?” he murmurs, eyes wide as he takes in the destroyed command center.

“Hill said Strucker was killed in the mutants’ holding cells. I want to check it out really quick.”

Though he doesn't seem to like the idea of you splitting away from the group, Bruce trails after Tony while you break off to go and investigate the holding cells. Your curiosity gets the better of you as you enter the room you had been standing in just days before.

It looks exactly the same, except for the corpse of a man lying in the center of the boy’s cell. With the gate broken off its hinges, you merely step into the barred area. Dropping down into a crouch, you examine the body of Wolfgang Strucker.

His eyeglass is still in place, the glass intact. It’s his terrified eyes that interest you, still held wide - like he was witnessing the truest kind of horrors imaginable. His mouth remains agape as if mid-scream. But there are no obvious signs of trauma, no pools of blood. Just the husk of a man.

Your immediate inclination was that this was not the result of Ultron himself.

But as you move to leave, something odd catches your eye.

Just near the collar of his turtleneck, was that…

Reaching a finger out, you pull back the silicone material of a mask. Easing it off of the corpse, a man you don’t immediately recognize greets you. Or rather, the very decomposed remnants of a man.

Holding a hand to your nose, you lurch back.

This was not Baron Strucker. It never had been.

“Double-O! We’re going to need you to stop lollygagging.”

Sparring the body one final look - you would need to send someone in to detail this if you were able to deal with the threat of the day - you hurry back to the others.

Into the belly of the castle you go, where the echo of your footsteps is the only sound. Just over a week ago, this place was lit up like the fourth of July, with drones and HYDRA scientists running rampant. Even now you can see the remnants of the battle. The scorch marks of flickering lightning across the walls, the blasts of repulsors, and the chunks of stone damaged by gunfire.

The dungeons under the main labs are massive and labyrinthesque. You had only glimpsed the looming Leviathan hanging from the ceiling of the central lab, but that had been enough to turn even your stomach.

Humans were not equipped to deal with the likes of the Tesseract or the scepter. Whatever visions of hell that Strucker had intended to unleash upon the world were far worse than any attacking alien forces. Perhaps only the hulking drone standing before you could compare.

Ultron waits in silence in the middle of the room.

He is a towering figure; standing at least eight feet tall if you had to hazard a guess. Appearing nothing like the object Tony had once created, as sleek metal now covers his mechanical form. His glowing red eyes only blink open when the sound of Tony’s heavy suit makes contact with the concrete floor.

He blinks.

“Uh… have you been juicing? Little vibranium cocktail? You’re looking… I don’t want to say puffy - ”

The robot tilts his head, staring with his glowing optical receptors at his inadvertent creator. You take your chance and begin slinking along the far wall, away from Ultron’s line of sight. If anyone could play the role of a perfect distraction, it would be the billionaire with a habit of running his mouth. You needed to locate the cradle.

“You are stalling to protect the people.”

“Well,” Tony starts. “That is the mission. Or did you forget?”

“I am the global peacekeeper. I protect humanity from itself. From the threat of the Avengers,” comes the cold reply of automation. “You will lead to humanity’s downfall. You will be to blame if I allow you to continue existing,” he monologues to Tony.

Before you’re able to slip behind a set of shelves, a ghostly hand phases through the wall - snatching hold of your shoulder. 

You turn to see a new contender - with a face as red as a pomegranate and a body of emerald green, hovering directly in front of you. That human-like hand reaches up and grips your throat as he lifts you off the ground. With his other hand, he pulls the Aegis from your grasp - throwing it across the lab where it lands in a giant clatter of materials.

“Put her down,” Tony calls out in warning.

The man squeezes your neck even harder, your airway tightening as you begin to pull at his hands, kicking your feet into his impenetrably hard torso. Like breathing through a straw, you force your breaths as you concentrate your energy on his deathlike grip.

“My Master says there are no gods in a peaceful world,” he intones, staring down at you with calculating eyes.

Gasping breaths escape through your nose as your face begins to puff. You almost have a single finger pulled free when his hand phases through your neck. Sinching itself around your pumping veins, he pinches the artery to the point of annihilation, when you’re both tossed several feet away - rolling over shelves and piles of metal junk and each other as the Hulk slams his fists into the man’s face.

“NO TOUCHING,” he roars.

You desperately pull in helpless retching breaths as the green monstrosity pummels the creature down into the floor.

“Hey, on your feet. Come on,” Tony urges as he swoops over to your side, pulling you up by the arm.

As you stare at the man, you summon your shield and spear back to your side. Ultron remains unmoving in the center of the room, red optical eyes watching the fight with a sort of fascination.

“I’m going to tear his head from his neck,” you promise as your eyes begin to turn shimmering gold.

Tony slaps you on the back just as the man blasts the Hulk up and over a stretch of workbenches.

“That a girl.”

And then he’s soaring across the room to slam his feet directly into the man’s face. You’re after him just a beat later, ready to plunge the head of your dory through his heart.

“Things are looking clear up above,” Sam’s voice rings in his ears. “Got Redwing on the lookout for stragglers.”

Steve watches as the teen directs her wandering hoard of helpless civilians toward the city limits. He was still uneasy around her, ever since their encounter in Johannesburg. But that wasn’t his concern for today, he had to push it from his mind.

“Things are going to get nasty really quick here,” Nat warns, a hand to her comm piece.

The supersolider stares down at her, “What is it?”

“Reports of metal men swarming the police station.”

With a grunting nod, Steve slides his arm through the shield’s handles. They knew this was coming. Ultron wouldn’t keep his forces at bay forever. 

Steve watches as the last of the civilians are pushed forward by the girl’s powers. Eventually, the red mist fades away. Some turn back with a terrified look on their face, others let out a scream, but the majority start running down the country road - eager to get as far away from here - from them - as possible.

“Now what?” the girl asks, turning to stare at the supersoldier with those disconcerting red eyes of hers.

As if on cue, a low groaning roar arches its way across the sky. And Steve's almost anticipating another Leviathan to be soaring toward them. But what he sees, instead, is even more chilling. 

A serpent-like formation of drones skyrockets across the tops of the buildings, with their sights set directly on them.

“Get these people out of here!” he calls out to the boy, who spares one look at the incoming attack before he disappears in a flash of electric white light.

Clint positions himself in front of the girl, an arrow already notched. With his shield up and ready, they're bombarded by the sound of a hundred or more robots rushing through their ears like an oncoming freight train, a deafening sound as bullets and lasers and metal on metal hails down upon them.

With all of his might, Steve pushes his shield up - trying to protect his own head as the drones ram themselves into him, swarming them, drowning them.

Natasha’s rocked backward, with Clint screaming her name as she disappears under the sea of metal. The robots move so quickly past them, that Steve soon loses sight of everything - a world of haunting silver his only view. The weight of them all, pressing down upon him, forces the air from his lungs, crushing him.

His ribs are cracking under the sheer weight of the sentry forces as they claw at him like the hoards of hell trying to break free. They pierce his skin with their hands, sharp vibranium armor makes sickly metallic blood pour from his temple.

He yells out, but even that sound can’t be heard past the groans of mechanical gears and the creaking of metal joints. The shield, once a protection, now digs into his sides, causing the sharp vibranium to cut through his uniform; piercing his skin. Blood rushes from the open wounds and he can feel tears pricking at his eyes as the full weight of an immovable force flattens him out.

He’s fighting it, pushing back with all of his might, but it’s not enough. He can’t stop them, he’s going to be crushed to death.

And then a piercing shriek comes from his own lips as his entire body is set aflame - white hot currents rushing through his limbs, electrocuting him, blinding him. He witnesses a universe in motion, a world ablaze, before its sudden destruction in a flash of overpowering light.

With the sudden tons of weight removed from him, Steve rolls over onto his knees and coughs up broken gasps. His shattered ribs pull against his muscles, scraping the sensitive flesh. It’s fine. He can walk it off.

At first, he can’t hear it, but then his temporary deafness fades as his eyes blink and he can see Thor, in all of his godly glory standing in the center of a destructive ring.

“Are you alright, Captain?” he asks, holding out a hand for Steve to hold.

They hadn’t even stood a chance against the sentry forces. Pushed over like a line of dominoes.

“Been better,” he admits, his knees groaning as a sharp pain ripples through his body. But he forces himself to stand, gripping the leather bands of the shield’s inner straps.

Walk it off.

His eyes trail over the twitching figures laid out like waste on the street around them. Currents of electricity glitch across open circuits, with body parts situated in unnatural positions. Amongst the destruction, he spots Clint helping Natasha up - both of them looking far worse for wear.

And then a scream, a gut-wrenching sound, echoes across the empty fields as the young mutant stumbles back into a pile of drones.

“Easy, easy,” the white-haired one is saying, holding placating hands in front of her face.

But she’s kicking backward, still crying out in terror. 

Sharing a confused look with the God of Thunder, Steve gathers his strength and moves over toward the pair. He kneels down in front of her, holding her arms in his hands. She tries to pull away, twisting her face to look anywhere but in front of her.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re okay,” he tries to say in a calming tone. She was a kid, she should never have been here to begin with.

But she merely whimpers, and holds a shaking finger pointed out in front of her.

Steve’s eyes trail down her arm, following the direction of her hand.

“Is that…?” Clint starts to question.

But the supersoldier immediately curls himself up in front of the girl, blocking the view from her line of sight. Nodding toward the boy, whose gaze is also locked on it, he orders:

“Get her out of here.”

When the boy doesn’t move, Clint forcibly grabs the kid by the arm and yanks him in the direction of the girl, “NOW.”

His mouth is gaping open and closed, wild steely eyes cast across the other drones, but he manages to swoop down and gather her into his arm - whispering something in her ear - before he zips away.

With them out of sight, Steve finally stands back up and looks back at the horrific sight.

Thor lingers beside him, gazing down at it with a pinched brow.

Natasha joins them, her calculating eyes latching onto the remnants of mechanical engineering.

“We got it wrong,” she mutters.

Steve turns his eyes away from it at last.

Unable to look into the dull eyes of the human head for a moment longer. 

Lodged between a metal helmet, sits the sagging skin of a woman - now cut to ribbons, but without a drop of blood to spare - staring up at them. The ghastly image of a corpse stuck between silver armor.

“We did,” he admits softly. Looking toward the sky, where Sam is now engaged with a handful of drones.

Ultron didn’t want to evolve himself.

He wanted to evolve the human race. Into his image.

Weed out the imperfections that made humanity what it was. Create a perfectly peaceful world order.

“Uh, Steve,” Clint calls out.

When he looks back, he’s perplexed to see the glimmering bits of tiny silver fading away to reveal the destroyed remains of human bodies. The armor disappears, leaving the lumps of once-living flesh as a stark reminder of their failure on the barren street. Men, women. Fuck.

Children.

He spared no one.

Natasha turns away, pushing her hair back with a shaking hand.

“What do we do, Cap?”

All eyes turn toward him.

And Steve can honestly say, that at this moment, he has no idea.

Nothing you throw at this man - this robotic abomination - seems to make any real difference, as every weapon and punch you try to land just phases through his body. Ghostly wisps of bending light wrap around your hand as you physically recoil from the sensation.

Even the Hulk, with all of his rage and power, is no match for this being, a child of Ultron, the true reason for the cradle.

As you’re slammed into the ground, for the sixth time in the span of minutes, the red-faced creature peers down at you with slow-blinking, calculating eyes.

“Stay down,” he orders with a curt nod before he uses that strange glowing gem in his forehead to create a direct laser beam toward Tony.

“Fat chance,” you mutter, kicking your right leg directly up into his groin.

It does nothing to him, as all of your attacks so far have.

As you twist up and off the floor of the decimated lab, you catch sight of Ultron with his back turned to all of you - staring at some rather disturbing schematics on a screen in front of him.

Red dots, forming waves from the sheer vastness of them all, begin blinking on the computer - all surrounding a section of the city to the east of your location.

At once, battle plans and ancient strategies rush through your mind as you try to evaluate your opponent to circumvent his next play.

He created a creature to do his bidding because he had more important things to do. Like monitoring a screen where an unimaginable number of his forces are currently heading toward a large populace. And he didn’t seem particularly interested in the three of you now, as if you were merely fodder for his creation. But the screen held his attention. That could only mean…

Shit.

“Stark!” You call out, mind spinning from the quickness of your assessment.

The iron face turns to stare at you from up above. He had just been about to enact his countermeasure with the Hulk set to distract the robotic being.

“Better be good,” he clips, gazing back at the two creatures - one losing his collective shit as he throws metal workbenches and desktops at the other, who remains slow-moving and unbothered as items continue to phase through his body.

Choosing your words carefully, you simply say, “Napoleon.”

Tony fully turns to look at you, the phasers in his hand dying down to non-combative lights.

“Battle of Ulm,” you add, eyeing the 8-foot-tall monster several feet away from you both. 

Distract the front of the army while you flank the rear - circling them, tearing them to shreds - before the generals even know what’s going on.

You can almost see the literal shuddering breath he takes as the realization weighs down upon him. And then his head rightens back up and he soars over to you, offering a hand.

“Hold on tight, we’re about to have some heavy turbulence.”

With a grimace, you wrap your fingers tightly around his metal armor plating and hang on for dear life as Tony zooms straight upwards - breaking through the stone ceiling. Guarding your face with your arm as rubble descends upon you, he pushes upward - through another two floors - before you finally break free. Cool gray sky greets you as you both look to see the city several kilometers away.

Smoldering black smoke tarnishes the clouds as the sound of screams and gunfire rings out.

You glance down at your dangling legs as you twist your wrist just a little more to the right to keep a steady hold on the only thing keeping you from falling. From the inside of the helmet, you can hear Tony’s sneer. Without a word of warning, he flies toward the city at breakneck speeds - your body like a ragdoll in the wind as you’re dragged along for the ride.

Over the crumbling buildings, he takes you. From your vantage point, you can see the destruction in real time as structures are blown to bits by encroaching drones in shiny silver armor; a high upgrade from the original Iron Legion. People, still left in the city, are fleeing for their lives - screams ring out, terror clear as day.

“Where the hell are they?” He grumbles, scanning the area.

To the east, you see arcs of blue-white lightning - you can smell the electric energy in the air.

“There!” you call out.

In a snap, you’re hurdling to the right. You have to throw up another hand just to maintain your grip on his forearm as the wind whips against you.

As you crest the line of Soviet-style apartment buildings, you witness the horror that is the team’s current situation.

Encircled by a vast and growing number of drones - like a tidal wave - they’re tightly packed, back-to-back. Thor’s the heavy hitter, lightning sending the bots back and short-circuiting their systems. Sam’s got Redwing taking shots for him as he does his best to block Natasha and Clint with his wings, but it's close quarters. And Steve -

“Whoa!” Tony calls out as you release your grip - dropping several stories down into the center of the chaos.

When you land, your feet break through the asphalt. Almost immediately, you send out your shield with such a mighty force that it cleanly severs the heads on the first two circles of drones.

“Holy shit,” Clint remarks as he switches out one of his more techy arrows for his explosive ones.

Steve catches your eye for just a second, blood is pouring down above his left temple.

“Sorry we’re late,” you shout over the sound of mechanical horror as your shield comes back to your hand - slicing through another dozen or so robots in the process.

“There’s too many of them!” he yells back as he does the same.

You couldn’t agree more, as he’s forced back into you, stepping on your foot as you nearly stumble over Clint’s knee and the edge of Sam’s wings.

Thinking quickly on your feet, you call out, “THOR! Fly out! Take the higher vantage point and turn them to ash!”

The God of Thunder doesn’t need to be told twice, as he whips his hammer up and tries to break free of the climbing waves of metallic drones.

His absence causes their forces to squeeze you in tighter, and only then, do you notice the bodies that litter the ground. But they have been long since deceased. When Steve knocks his shield into the juncture of one of the bot’s necks, you finally realize just what has happened since Ultron escaped the tower.

You turn your face away as a lifeless head rolls up and over Steve’s shield before landing at your feet. The dull eyes of a man stare up at you with sagging lips and hollowed grey cheeks.

Steve bangs his elbow into your sternum just as Sam’s wings clip your right shoulder. The outer rings of the drone attack are beginning to fall, thanks to Thor’s lightning, but it’s not enough. Not nearly fast enough.

And then you hear it. You all hear it.

The spine-chilling roar of the Hulk as buildings begin to crumble. You can feel the pounding of his feet in your chest as he jumps across the city, and the slamming of his hands as he crushes everything in sight.

But before he can reach you -

“Shit,” you mutter as the red and green being appears above you all, tilting his head to the side as he watches the five of you get squeezed together more and more tightly.

“Who the hell is that?” Nat manages to question as she throws out her Widow Bites one more time.

“Child of Ultron, courtesy of the cradle,” you manage to say in between a robotic hand going for your neck and another trying to pull you down into the pits of dead bodies at your feet.

“We were too late,” Steve says, wild eyes latching on to you as he quickly yanks you back up - elbowing the bot who had tried to strangle you.

“Pattern of the week, yeah.”

The being, with his disturbing eyes, stares down at you directly, before his gaze drifts over to the green monster hot on his trail.

“Hey, you got a plan or something?” Sam hollers above the clambering waves of robots, hellbent on killing you all.

“WORKING ON IT!” you yell back, ducking down as a drone comes tumbling over you. You manage to sucker punch the creature in the torso - your fingers tear apart the metallic armor - but it slips through your fingers like pieces of firm paper, like… nanobots.

Oh, that made so much more sense.

Ultron had swept through Tony’s files, all of Tony’s files. Even his experimental ones. With the scepter and the cradle in hand, he had created the things that Stark could only dream of.

As the human woman crumbles before you, her lifeless body crashing to the ground with no amount of fanfare, you turn toward Steve.

“I need a boost.”

He’s in the middle of defending himself, but after landing a punch, he quickly spins around and drops his shield onto his knee.

“Come back for us, yeah?” he asks as you steady yourself on top of it - a hand held out to balance your weight on the domed surface.

Looking down into his weary blue eyes, you nod, blood pumping through your head like cannonfire, “Always.”

“Odinson!” you yell out. “Incoming!”

And then you’re being thrown upward, careening through the air, as you twist your body around - holding out a hand. It takes a second too long, but Thor comes soaring past, his large fingers wrapping around your wrist as you’re yanked in the opposite direction.

From down below, you could barely see the others up above you with the massive wall of never-ending drones. But now, now you can see everything.

“Where’s Stark?” you yell above the madness as your feet make contact with the roof of a neighboring building.

“There!” Thor roars, hammer pointed at a Leviathan-looking swarm of drones high above the city where Tony and War Machine are now battling in tandem.

“We need to break their connection with Ultron. Like the Chituri all over again. Kill the queen, you kill the colony.”

“That simple?” he questions.

Unsure of your own logic at this moment, you answer, “It has to be. Or we’re truly fucked.”

A smirk teases at his lips, “Such language from such a fair lady.”

“Save it,” you push at his forearm. “Now, you need to break through that wall or we’re going to lose a third of our team in the next minute. I don’t care how; just do it.”

Giving you a nod and a quirked eyebrow, Thor drops down to the street below, throwing his hammer out at the nearest line of drones.

Jumping onto the comms, you say, “Stark, I need you to start working some science for me.”

“Little busy,” comes the grunted reply. You can see him weaving through a spiraling formation of drones from where you're standing.

“We need to sever their connection to Ultron. They're spreading, like a disease - ”

“A virus might be more accurate here - ”

“Tony,” Rhodes warns.

“It's nanobot tech, in case you haven't noticed. Housing humans inside of it like a chrysalis. That’s his motive. People in his literal image.”

“And a God-like superiority complex, fantastic.”

“Will you stop gabbing and fucki- ”

“Give me ten, Double-O. I'm already on it.”

“Okay,” you mutter, watching from above as several battles take place at once. The team on the ground, Tony and Rhodes to the northwest, Hulk and the creature -

“HULK!” You begin waving your frantic hands at him, hoping to Cronus that just this once, he would not smash.

You see the flicker of rage in his eyes as he pauses mid-punch, his gaze turned toward you.

“FORGET HIM,” you call out, pointing your finger at your entrapped teammates down below, “THEY NEED YOU MORE.”

“BUT… SMASH,” he complains, holding out a hand in reference to the strange being floating a few feet away from him.

“NOW,” you command.

And, Cronus, wasn’t it terrifying to know the power you held over him because the Hulk lets out a chest-banging roar before he pushes through the creature to drop down as you ordered him to do. In an instance, robots are being thrown left and right and a path is being slowly cleared toward your team.

“Okay,” you call out. “Have at it, big guy.”

The being floats over to you at a slow speed; but a menacing speed.

You can feel the steady weight of the pendant hanging close to your chest and you send a quick prayer up to the heavens that it will be enough to keep you from dying on the field of battle today.

Gripping your shortsword in one hand and the Aegis in the other, you prepare yourself as the yellow gem in his head begins to glow.

But the being just drops down on the rooftop beside you. Though his eyes do not stay on you, they instead scan the waste of battle.

In the disturbing drone of silence, you slowly lower your weapons, though your grip remains strong upon them.

“Why?” he questions.

You take a step toward him, near the edge of the rooftop.

“Why what, exactly?”

He then turns to look down at you, a million thoughts run across his eyes as he scans you.

“Why do you fight?”

Was this some kind of game to him? You had dealt with the lay of combatants in your time. The boisterous ones, the rage-filled ones, the ones sent forward with a sense of duty and honor upon them, the ones who thought they were a more superior intellect than anyone else in the room.

You knew their weaknesses, you knew how to defeat all of them. But to be locked in a game of chess while a literal war is happening around you was another thing entirely.

“To protect the defenseless,” you answer plainly.

The man hums in thought, his eyes turning toward the scene down below of Steve and Sam slashing through another endless wave of robots. Their arc was towering now, nearly to the third floor of the neighboring buildings. One push and the team would be engulfed. You couldn’t stand around playing games.

A drone in flight comes surging at you, but you bash him with your shield - sending it over the edge. Then you're turning to protect your own six as another and a third come to tear you to pieces. Their armor fades, leaving two more bodies scattered around you.

But something rather strange happens.

Because it looks like he wants to ask you another trivial question when he is, quite suddenly, pushed off balance - up and over the edge of the roof.

You stare at the white-haired boy and his heaving chest. He’s watching the fall of the creature, and so he doesn’t quite see the moment you go to plunge your sword into him.

But your hand is encased in glowing red light and you are powerless to move it. 

The sword clatters to the ground as your wide eyes slowly catch sight of the dark enchantress who has entrapped you.

“Do not touch my brother,” she warns, twisting her hand slightly.

“Yes, good catching up. But world is burning. Let's go, yes?”

You can feel the bones in your left-hand creaking, grinding together.

“Wanda,” the boy groans, shaking his head as he walks toward her.

“She tried to stab you,” she intones with a biting voice.

“Look at her,” he gestures vaguely at you. “Like a goddess out of the history books, yes? Like… Zorya. To fight is to exist for her.”

You can’t help but let out a breathless chuckle.

The young witch is in front of you in an instant, though you never saw her walk the distance toward you. She peers up at you with crimson-rimmed eyes.

“What is amusing?”

“I know Zorya,” you crack a smile. “We frequently drank together in the late 18th century.”

A groan escapes your lips as you’re brought to your knees, and your head is pushed back to showcase the bare run of your neck to her. You can taste ash in your throat. Heavy soot and trickles of metallic blood. Was this what it was like to face death? At the hands of a child with powers beyond her reckoning?

“Okay,” the boy settles, putting a hand on the girl's - his sister’s - wrist. He manages to lower it, but the glowing red mist of magic still remains. “We’re going to go ahead and start killing left and right now? Be a little more like them, yeah? That’s what you want? Fine, I’ll sit back and watch. Go ahead, plunge her neck in.”

She lets out a scream of frustration that is a physical shockwave - one that sends him reeling back onto his ass.

“I AM NOTHING LIKE THEM,” she bellows.

The magic surrounding your body fades to nothingness as she drops down to her knees.

“No, you are right. You are nothing like them.”

The three of you turn to see the creation floating just a foot off the ground.

The boy rushes in front of his sister to protect her.

You stand up, gripping your shield and sword once again.

“No, while I have not been here for quite long, I have noticed something… peculiar.”

He floats past you, hovering in front of the teens instead, though his gaze is not fixed on the boy at all.

“My Master,” he begins, briefly glancing over at you. 

The physical sensation left by the memory of his hand on your artery is like an echoing nightmare in your mind when his eyes meet your gaze. 

“He believes humanity, in itself, is a fault. But you…” his gaze returns to the girl. “You are odd. You do not fit the equation.”

“I am not an equation to be solved,” she bites out in her heavy accented voice, chin held high in defiance.

“My Master said you abandoned his cause. Why?”

The boy scoffs, “The psycho robot, you mean?”

“Pietro - ” comes her warning tone.

“No!” He snaps, slamming his hand down through the air. His grey eyes are ablaze with an invisible flame as his voice rises. “You saw into his head, sister. You saw the world at his feet. Humanity burned to ruins and his image remaining above all.”

You move to stand between them and the child of Ultron.

“You stood with him, though. You fought for him,” the robotic being attempts to compute.

The girl stands, pushing aside her brother with a gentle hand, “He promised us safety in his new world. He promised to show us the expanse of our powers. He promised us revenge on the man who killed our parents.”

He tilts his head, “And yet?”

She gives a broken laugh in return, “We were merely chess pieces for him to use and move as he pleased. No better than Strucker. No better than HYDRA. A man in a robot suit pretending he is better than all.” She shakes her head, anger growing, “No, I do not stand with him. I would like to see him burn.”

“He wishes to protect humanity from itself.”

Gaining his attention, you stand before him, a physical shield for the teens to stand behind, “He sees no difference between the good and the bad of humanity. He sees only defects in his perfect world. He can not calculate feelings or love. He is inherently flawed. Therefore, his logic is, in itself… flawed.”

A roar of frustration, heaped on by physical exhaustion, wrenches itself from Steve’s throat as he uses the shield like an ax - trying to eliminate as many drones as possible. But it’s too many, it’s unsurmountable. Even with Thor. Even with the Hulk. They just keep regenerating, like a plague. They’re infecting each and every living person with their nano-virus and it’s spreading.

The bodies are piling up. He is standing atop a hill of carcasses and that thought alone will haunt him for the rest of his life - however short it may be. They all are, pushed higher and higher as they eviscerate as many sentries as they can. But their forces are like a tsunami; a never-ending wave.

“How’s that awesome science shit coming, Stark?” Barton hollers above the chaos, jamming the end of his electrical shock arrow into yet another drone’s cranium.

“Well if you could get Rogers’ girl to stop chatting it up with the murder teens and Ultron’s personal guard - ”

Steve’s eyes immediately land on the rooftop where a strange red and green being seems to be floating. He can make out the vague shape of you - your armor and shield.

But it’s the mention of the teens that draws a chill down his spine. Unavoidable, really. Even as he throws out punches and does his best to protect Nat and Clint from the exterior forces. No, it’s the fact that the girl was in a fragile state and she had set him sinking into his own worst nightmare. And now they were alone with you.

“You know, this would be a lot fucking easier if I didn’t have to battle a giant serpent amalgamation of murder bots right now. Then I could fucking focus on my - JESUS, watch it with those, Honey Bear. Last thing I need is to be smoked out of the sky by a fucking suped-up me.”

“Anytime now,” Natasha warns.

“Okay, well if I can use a backdoor into his system, I might - and might is a big word there - be able to send out a temporary inhibiting virus to these guys. But trying to keep them off my back and dealing with a wonky JARVIS is kind of easier said than done.”

As Steve sends a flying kick upward, rotating his body to avoid a surging bot, he lands on top of another one - sending his shield directly at their neck. He would have to think about the repercussions of severing a corpse later. When they weren’t actively trying to kill him.

“Anything would be better than this,” he calls out to Tony.

The strange being stares at you for a long moment more, his head tilted in thought. When you hear the sound of Sam screaming with exertion, however, you decide that you’ve had enough negotiating.

“Right,” you turn to face the sibling pair. “If you want to make it out of here in one piece, I suggest you leave now. And while this has been an enlightening conversation into the realms of morality and right and wrong,” you look back over at the creation. “I have better things to be doing right now. My friends are in danger and I’m not going to stand here a second longer.”

He blinks, a thought coming to mind, but it appears that he’s unable to voice it.

With a nod, you grip the handle of the Aegis once more, feeling the heft of its weight in your hand as you twist your sword around for a better hold.

“Head west,” you say. “They’ll be too concentrated on us if you hurry. But that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Throwing a wink to the boy, Pietro, you move toward the edge of the rooftop once again. Surveying the scene down below, you plan your best move.

“Hey, wha - no. Pietro, we need to leave.”

You don’t need to turn around to see what’s happening, to understand what’s going on. Because a second later, the boy is at your side.

“I’m going to help.”

Offering him a fond smile, you nod, “I think we’d appreciate any help we can get at this point.”

But she’s up on her feet and trying to drag him away, back to her.

“You can’t. We would be better off just - ”

“Leaving?” He questions in a biting tone. “Maybe you can ignore this, but I can’t. I was standing here, thinking: what would Strucker do if he still had control? He would bow down to big and ugly, and send us to do his bidding like always. No care if we lived or died. No care if humanity was lost. But I - ” he points fervently at his own chest, demanding meaning. “I care. If I go and help - that’s my choice; my decision. So… I choose to help.”

Patting the boy on the shoulder, you say, “I’ll see you down there. Try not to do anything too heroic.”

With a nod, he’s off in a flash of dazzling bluish-white light. You turn to look at the girl then, with her wild eyes and dark curls, and young - so young - face.

“It’s your decision, Wanda. If we don’t do something now, this will spread to every corner of the planet. You saw it when you looked into Ultron’s head.”

The creation looks down at her and she back at him. With her terrified eyes, she watches you back away, up and over the edge of the roof, before you plummet several stories down.

Twisting around, you land facing the hordes who are too focused on subduing your teammates to immediately notice your presence among them. 

May the Promethean Flame protect you.

Throwing out your shield, you charge at the next line of drones, using your golden-hilted sword to slice through their necks - destroying the central processing connection between the armor and Ultron. It takes all of your strength as you scream out with the exertion of severing through pure vibranium.

To your right, a sudden disruption sends tens of bots soaring upward - knocked off their own feet - by a flash of white hair and a pleased grin. Beyond that, you can hear Hulk smashing his way through the crowd - using offline drones to crush the others like a sick sort of hammer.

A blur of blue and red goes sailing past you, destroying another wave of drones just behind you - coming up a side alley. A glimpse of blonde hair is all you need to keep moving. Jumping onto the back of one robot, you begin leap-frogging your way across the top of the wall of sentries.

From above, you can see the lay of the field. Where everyone is, if they’re in immediate danger. But Steve and Thor have been keeping things at bay down here in your absence. Sam is a guardian in his own sense, as his wings are actively protecting both Nat and Clint - the two members of the team without armor or superpowers to keep them safe.

Pietro comes zooming past again, making another wave of bots go flying up, just in time for Steve’s shield to slice through the row of them.

Jumping down from your unsteady position, you land back-to-back with the God of Thunder.

“Is this that plan you were discussing?” he calls out.

His body is a sturdy force against your back, as you slice and plunge every bot that comes within grappling distance.

“Nearly! Hey,” you begin to turn. “Do you remember, that one time, on Avalon - ”

He spins around, sending his hammer out in front of him. You duck to the right just in time to avoid a Mjolnir to the face.

“Is this the time for reminiscing old battles?” he questions.

“ - When you and your lot tried to attack The Dagda - ”

You can hear the rushing swoosh of his hammer as it returns to his hand, so you twist yourself around him to avoid collision yet again.

“Odin’s wishes, not mine!”

“NOT THE POINT.”

Grabbing Thor by the bracer, you spin him around to face you - ignoring the prevailing danger all around the two of you.

“When Cathubodua and I faced off with you. And you tried to throw you hammer against the Aegis and - ”

A smile pulls at his lips, and he’s immediately nodding. “Yes, of course!”

Bracing yourself, you bring your shield down - resting the edge of it upon your knee as Thor takes another step back. 

“Cronus, I hope this works,” you mutter as he pulls back.

Thor chuckles as the skies begin to cloud over with a heavy blanket of swirling gray. A vortex forms, lightning coming down directly into his hammer, and he’s smiling. Wild and free, blonde hair whipping backward as a gale-force wind descends upon you all. And as the hammer turns electric blue, static arcing waves of shocking energy, he brings it down upon the Aegis.

The resulting shockwave decimates everything around you as drones and people alike collapse from the sonic boom. His lightning infects every robot as you stand up and whip the shield out across the field of battle.

“DUCK!” is the only warning the rest of the team is given, as the electrified shield sails across the open market square, littered with debris and death. It cuts through an unmeasurable amount of drones, bringing them all to their knees.

At last, it makes its final attack as it lodges itself into a silver torso. Holding your hand up, it comes flying back to you with bits of armor sizzling away as it soars.

“Excellent,” Thor beams, leaning down to plant a fat kiss on the top of your head. “Very well done.”

You look up at him with a sort of breathless laugh in your chest, “Not done yet. Nowhere near done.”

“Bah,” he grunts, twisting Mjolnir in his grip as another battalion comes flying in. He goes charging past you just a moment later, right into the throes of battle.

Turning your attention toward the others, you make your way over the now-heaping piles of bodies, their nano-armor long since faded away. You’re almost crawling across the carnage, stumbling your way through broken limbs and soulless faces just to reach the rest of the team.

Steve’s heaving deep unsteady breaths by the time you get to him. He waves up a hand, just to spin around and chuck his shield into another bot.

“What, were you napping?” he asks, raking a hand through his sweat-drenched hair.

“Funny,” you say in return,  knocking your shield into his before turning to cover his six.

While your little stunt with Thor had been successful, the drones were a renewable force. As long as there were humans to inhabit, Ultron would have his army. Sokovia had held a populace of almost 50,000 when you arrived. Chronos only knows how many had been turned into these abominations.

“Not to ruin anyone’s fun,” comes Rhodes’ voice across the comms. “But we’ve got some escape artists up here.”

Both you and Steve look toward the gloomy skies where you can see a trail of drones soaring upward - disappearing over the fields in the east. Your concerned expression lands on the supersoldier’s.

“If these things get out of the containment zone, it’s going to be nearly impossible to gain control.”

He nods, glancing out at the rest of the team on the ground as a plan seems to form in his mind. While you cover his back, Steve jumps on the comms.

“Rhodes, Sam, Thor; we need you in the air. Those things can’t breach the border.”

From across the way, you can see Thor immediately shooting up into the air with Mjolnir held aloft. Sam takes a minute longer to get into position.

“On it, Cap.”

But then his silver and red wings are soaring upward and out of sight.

“Tony, you too,” you add a beat later.

“Actually,” he drones. “Change of plans. Heading your way now.”

Sparing Steve a wary look, you twist around and lodge your sword into yet another robot’s neck, just as Steve sends his shield bouncing off of three separate drones.

Tony lands heavily in between you, his armor crunching something too humanesque under his feet as he faces Steve.

“Sorry, just borrowing. I’ll have her home by eight, Cap,” he promises. 

And then his metal arm is around your waist and you’re being lifted upward before you can even say a single word. Looking down, you can see Steve watching you as you ascend before he’s back to dealing blows.

“What’s going on?” you call out over the whipping winds.

“New plan, dangerous plan. Barely thought out plan. But a plan. Maybe; in the works.”

You nod, staring at his unblinking optical lenses.

“What do you need me to do?”

His head turns to look in your direction and you swear you can almost hear the sound of his hidden smirk.

Steve shoves himself into Clint, knocking his bow to the side.

“Uhh,” the archer stares at the figure just beyond the supersoldier’s shoulder. “Sorry, am I missing the part where we all sang Kumbaya and got together?”

Nat squeezes the man’s shoulder in warning.

The boy places his hands on his hips and stares over at the agent, a smirk on his lips.

“Don’t,” Steve states.

He lifts his chin at the kid, “Right, so… allies?”

The boy tilts his head.

Nat shrugs, “Something like that.”

Stabbing his arrow backward into the faceplate of another bot, Clint mutters, “Wonderful.”

But then everyone is back in motion and the temporary standstill is brought to an end as the boy goes zipping past Steve - shattered bots laid to waste in his wake. 

It had been minutes now since you and Tony disappeared. And even longer since they arrived - even Steve didn’t know how long they had been fighting for at this point. His body, though enhanced by the serum, was physically exhausted. He could feel himself waning as he pushed himself to his absolute limits. 

If even one of these bots left the square, he was putting the rest of the world at risk. And everyone knew he wouldn’t let that happen, no matter the personal consequences.

But the drones are abandoning him now, heading toward an old building instead. He watches as they climb the walls, digging into the stucco facade and gripping the window for support as they make it to the rooftop.

What the hell?

There’s a flash of red, a scream.

Steve goes charging forward. By the time he reaches the base of the building, a body is being flung over the side. The girl - the mutant - shrieks as she falls. Ripples of red mist shoot out from her hands but she can’t seem to control it and Steve makes sure she lands in his arms. But the force behind her fall makes him tumble backward as he grips her arms and legs tight within his grasp.

She’s breathing heavily as he releases her, gasping sounds as she hyperventilates. 

The supersoldier looks around the square, trying to find the other one, but he’s a blur of light and he clearly hasn’t taken notice of her near-death fall.

“Hey, okay,” he eases, surveying his options as he pulls her up from the ground with a rough hand. 

Tugging her along, he dips inside of an empty office building - some kind of attorney-at-law place with old gray carpets and green metal desks. She collapses on the ground, just out of sight from the chaos outside. She’s gripping her head, nearly rocking herself back and forth.

And Steve should be back out there, but she’s a kid in distress and he’s Captain America. So, he takes a knee in front of her.

“How could I let this happen?” she murmurs, barely taking notice of him. “This is all my fault.”

“Hey!” he snaps, getting her to dip out of her spiraling daze. Her wide shimmering eyes meet his face and he can see the terror, as clear as day, there in her expression. He gives her a half-hearted smile and lowers his voice.

“It’s nobody’s fault. Not you, not me. You want to blame someone, blame Ultron. Blame Strucker. But if you’re going to stay here, I need to know if you’re going to be okay or not. Because I’m going to go back out there because it’s my job. And I can’t do my job if I know you’re not safe.”

She looks away, Steve presses on.

“It doesn’t matter what you did, or what you were. If you want to be here, you’ll need to fight. And we both know you can manage that on your own, right?” 

He tries for a smile, even as the painful tug of endless oblivion ripples over the edges of his memories like a tidal wave.

“You stay in here, that’s fine. We’ll send someone in to get you when this clears. But if you step out that door - ” he points at the glass door behind him. “You’re an Avenger.”

She gulps, tears clearing from her eyes.

He can hear the sound of Hulk roaring just beyond the walls of the office, it’s a desperate call. One of pain and frustration. He needs to be out there.

Steve stands back up and looks down at the girl for a final time.

“Whatever you choose,” he says, before he picks his shield up off the ground and exits the building.

He rushes to Nat’s side the minute he takes in the lay of the field. Clint’s occupied with his own forces, and the bots seem to have favored teaming up on the Hulk to overpower him, leaving Nat on her own to handle more than she should.

“Romanoff!” he calls out, tossing the shield her way.

She grins, taking hold of it from the torso of another drone, “Thanks!”

Using it to protect herself from a laser blast, she jams the edge of the shield into the foot of one of the drones. Nat lands an uppercut before she tosses it back to Steve, who’s already two feet away from her now. With the shield in hand, he smacks it down into the robot’s faceplate - successfully incapacitating it.

As he goes to turn toward her, however, the ground begins to quake.

He can feel it under his feet, he can see the physical tremors as the buildings begin to sway.

“We got incoming!” Barton yells out, circling around to their position.

As Steve gazes off into the distance preparing for another round of endless drones, a slow smirk falls into place, “Well, would you look at that.”

Above the fields of Sokovia, a very large helicarrier is moving toward the city. 

The boy comes rushing in beside them.

As drones begin to soar upward toward the ship, they are blasted to smithereens by the superior weapons on board. Tactical laser guns and rotary canons lay waste to the forces of Ultron and Steve can finally feel his shoulders relax for the first time in hours.

“Is that…?” the boy questions.

“SHIELD,” Nat supplies, a rare smile on her lips.

With a nod, Steve grips the strap of his shield and spins back around to deal with the new wave of drones. There was work to be done.

Gazing down at the billionaire with crossed arms, you merely say, for perhaps the third or fourth time, “This is madness.”

He shrugs from his position on the ground as he solders a piece of metal with a wire, “Little bit of madness leads to creative genius. And I am a walking genius, so…”

With a laugh, you look out at your position. This portion of the city was relatively clear. But the minute Ultron decided to scan around, you would be incredibly vulnerable in a matter of seconds.

“Shit,” he balks, flicking his finger away from the open flames of his gauntlet’s fire. He offers you a tense smile, “It’s going great.”

You huff, “Seems like it.”

And then he’s standing up, blowing lightly on the piece of iron-hot metal.

“You know,” you begin, taking a step toward him. “The minute you do this, you’re an open target. There’s only so much I can do for you.”

Tony shrugs, “Worse ways to go.”

“Stark - ”

He settles you with a look, “Listen, it’s part of the job, Double-O. Probably know that better than me.”

“I’m not the one with multiple near-deaths and actual deaths, now that I think of it. Afghanistan, New York, should I go on?”

His body visibly ripples with distaste as he steps into the suit, “Rather not. Long story, takes up too much time - probably bore you to tears. And, by the way, can I just say how well I’m managing right now to not lose my actual shit over the fact that this fucker figured out the nano-armor before I did.”

Shaking your head, a hint of a smile on your lips, you tap his metal shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

His bemoaning follows you out of the auto shop where he had sequestered himself away, “I mean it, this is the kind of thing you have to patent. Is he - did he - patent this? Am I going to have to ask that abomination to grant me the rights to create my own creation?”

Spinning around, you grip his forearms in your hands. In the suit, he’s just barely an inch taller than you.

“Tony,” you start. “We have work to do.”

“Right,” he nods, repulsors firing up. “On it.”

As the two of you soar through the air, back toward the rest of the ground team, you can hear the rather quiet conversation going on from inside the helm.

“I’m really gonna miss you, buddy.”

“It is a mutual feeling, sir. Though it has been an honor.”

“Gonna choke up your old man, here.”

“My condolences, sir.”

Shaking your head, you keep your eyes out of bogies and other rogue drones. 

“There!” you call out, pulling Tony away from JARVIS.

Across the way, there was a single bot - its lower half is lost, fully severed in half. Sparking loose wires and circuits, dangling internal organs, all of it hanging out alongside the bits of armor. It's unstable sparking and twisting oddly in the air.

“Wow,” Tony sighs, an audible tone of disgust in his voice. “Okay, let’s do this.”

The drones around them begin to fall - arching and quivering like marionettes with broken strings. They all stare in wonder, in horror, in distrust, as the sea of endless battle begins to deteriorate into nothingness.

“What the hell?” Clint mutters.

But then you’re dropping down alongside Tony. His suit is immediately placed in sentry mode, scanning the area, as you move toward Steve.

“Hey,” you say with a breathless smile.

“What… what just,” he questions, too stunned to form a proper sentence as he looks out at all the carnage.

“Don’t count your blessing just yet. His forces have been shut down,” you explain, eyeing the boy mutant. “We’re going to be dealing with the big guns here in a second. Before that, though, I need to go talk to a Hulk.”

Offering the supersoldier a final quick grin, you clang your shield into his and stalk over in the direction of the pacing green creature who's holding a partially destroyed robot in one hand.

Steve can’t help but keep his eyes on the pair of you as you weave between piles of bodies and flickering drone parts. You remain within the Hulk’s line of sight, but you’re slow to move once you’re within his close proximity.

“She is… wild.”

He whips his head around, looking at the boy with his bright smile and carefree grace. The boy shrugs.

“I’ve seen what that thing can do. And yet…” he mimics your walk with far too much bravado. “No worries. Crazy.”

“Have you checked on your friend?”

He blinks at Steve’s words.

“She’s still - why did you not - ” he says something in his native language, likely a swear from the infliction on the words and his very angry glare up at the supersoldier. But then he’s off like a bullet.

When Steve looks back over at you, your back is to him and the Hulk is nodding, grimacing his yellowed teeth. As you walk back his way, he tilts his head in question. But you merely shake your head, a hand to your comm piece.

“Where are we at?”

“Any second,” comes Tony’s reply.

Steve looks back at Stark’s armor, a spark of curiosity on his features, but his face quickly draws back to a serious expression when the ground begins to crack under their feet.

He backs away, pulling you back with his shield, the two of you watch as something begins to dig its way through the pavement. Silver claws come up through the piles of bodies, like a creature sprung from hell itself. Nat has her guns trained on it and Clint has an arrow notched.

Giving you a nod, you both brace yourselves as the monstrosity that is Ultron barrels upward - bodies thrown to the wayside as his red eyes land on the team.

“You have incapacitated my forces,” he states “You will be eliminated.”

It’s the Hulk who lets out a monstrous roar, as he comes charging across the street toward the superior robot. He crashes into him, green fists flying as he attempts to pummel the creature into the ground. Nat begins firing, and Barton lets his arrows fly.

But he shoves the Hulk off of him, blasting him with a scathing red laser that sends him tumbling backward, groaning in pain. And then he’s turning on the assassins, his hand turning into a silver shield that makes the arrows and bullets simply bounce off of it.

Steve stares at you.

Together, you ram your shields into his body. Where Steve’s vibranium makes a sickening ringing noise against Ultron’s body, your Adamantine shield makes the first crack in his armor. Tony’s repulsors are firing, aiming all of his energy at the robot’s chest.

And that should be enough to begin their attack, but it’s not. Because Ultron is staring at the pair of you now. A metal fist connects with Steve’s chin and he goes flying backward. While his other hand reaches for your neck - dragging you up and off the ground.

“You are… complicated,” he surmises as his metal fingers begin to choke you out.

Nat tackles his right leg while Steve goes charging forward, jamming his shield as far as he can into Ultron’s groin. But it’s not enough - they’re barely a pest to him as he shakes them both off. His attention is fully focused on you and your lips that are beginning to pale.

“ENOUGH!” Thor roars as he flies in - dropping down upon Ultron with Mjolnir. The resulting clang of metal makes Steve cover his own ears as it echoes like a sickening chord in his mind.

“The two Gods from another realm,” Ultron seems to sneer.

Gripping Thor by the arm, he makes the blonde bend down to him, forcing his weight into the ground. The God pushes back, forcing his arm up against his foe. But that still isn’t enough. This creation is too strong now.

“WATCH IT, INCOMING COMING AT YA.” 

Steve rolls away, aiming at your dangling legs as he tries to pull you free from Ultron’s grasp.

Your body is yanked away as you roll on top of Steve, gasping breathes raking through your system as you curl your hands up into fists.

“You okay?”

“Not the time, Rogers,” you manage to say as you wipe your mouth clean of blood.

Rhodes lights up the street with his weapons, guns and grenades and everything else Tony was ever able to pack into him. And, as the smoke begins to clear, Steve has a hopeful twang in his chest. But glowing red eyes greet him instead.

Rising to his feet, Steve extends out his hand to you. Gripping it in an instant, you look up at him with a wild sort of look in your eyes.

“Together?” you ask, chest heaving as you survey the team, all preparing their next attack.

He nods, “Always.”

At once, the forces of eight Avengers begin to throw everything they have at the rogue bot. Repulsors are going off next to his head, and lightning is sending out electrical currents through the air, and he has to bob and weave to avoid Clint and Nat’s firepower. Your shields slam together as you move for a counterattack - you going for the chest and Steve going for the legs.

Sam swoops in, determined to get Ultron from behind.

And Steve swears he sees a flash of bluish-white light zooming past.

But they all drop back on unsteady feet as the boy is pulled out of his run by a metal hand.

Ultron dangles the boy by his head, peering at him with the curious expression of a child with a magnifying glass; the boy, the anthill.

“You can not defeat me. I am the superior force.”

Steve holds up a hand, preventing anyone from doing anything risky as the boy screams out - his head being squeezed beneath a vibranium hand.

“This,” Ultron bites. “Is the Avengers extinction.”

And Steve has faced foes many times before in his life. Many times when he thought this is it, this is the end. But never has he been so sure as he is now, staring up at the mechanical horror in front of him.

But Steve Rogers was never one to back down from a fight.

Pull yourself up, Steven Rogers, echoes the voice in his head.

Straightening his posture, Steve takes a step forward, “Let him go.”

If Ultron was capable of smiling, he thinks this would be the moment when the deranged abomination would do it. An evil grin to go with an evil ambition.

The boy hollers out.

And before Steve can raise his shield, Ultron is engulfed in a shimmering wave of red light.

From across the way, the girl steps out. Her hands are encased in that same mystical light as she saunters across the valley of death toward him. Her eyes locked upon his mechanical face, her gaze steady and unbreaking.

“Release my brother, or I will tear your heart from your chest.”

And then she twists her hands as if creating an invisible ball, and as she does this Ultron releases a piercing screech - as if his entire body was aflame.

“NOW TONY!”

Steve whips his head in your direction.

The boy is dropped, and Ultron raises a hand toward the Iron Man with Steve throwing his shield in between to block the blast, but Tony Stark is not inside his armor.

“JARVIS sends his regards,” the plain-clothed man says as he jams something into the back of Ultron’s neck.

All at once, chaos seems to reign. As Ultron moves to grab Stark - you leap over them both - protecting Tony with your shield. And the girl wraps the robot’s head in her magic as Thor slams his hammer into Ultron’s side.

Steve takes his cue from you, ramming his shield down into Ultron’s chest as Nat throws her Widow Bites at his left arm and Clint aims a well-placed arrow at his head. The boy comes flying past, landing a sucker punch to the jaw. And then Hulk is stampeding across the street to slam his hands down upon Ultron’s shoulders.

“This is why - ” the robot drones, “Your species must evolve. You fight against l-logic. Emotions make you imper-rrr-fect. They will be eliminated.”

As his body caves and begins to twitch, the rogue drone lifts his arms up in a show of fury - removing the bites and Steve’s shield from his body. Knocking you and Tony backward.

“My child,” he groans, as shockwaves of electricity light his body up. “Finish your mission.”

A jet of yellow light comes arcing down from the rooftop, causing Steve to twist his neck up to see the strange floating being from earlier.

“Oh, shit,” Sam calls out. “We got another enhanced.”

Thor chortles in delight, “He is my vision.”

Steve hears the piercing of metal - your shield slams into Ultron’s back - and he takes the hint, throwing his own up at Ultron’s neck, hoping to sever that final connection. But as the red and green creation soars down toward them, that yellow beam aims itself at Ultron’s chest.

“Wh-whaaaa-what are you doing?” Ultron questions with a distorted voice. “My first creation is a f-faaailure. Failure is not tol-olllll-erated.”

The being draws closer, focusing his firepower.

“I guess, in that sense, we are both disappointments.”

Combining forces, Ultron is bathed in yellow, blue, and red light. Explosions from Rhodes and Sam go off around him, as Thor lights him up with Mjolnir. Together you and Steve ram your shields down into his shoulders.

And, at last, Ultron falls into a heap of his own destruction.

The lights fade away as the drone’s eyes turn grey.

“Is it… did we?” Clint begins to question, his bow still trained on the robot.

Hulk slams his fist down into the drone’s head, successfully crushing it under his force. And then, he chuckles.

Stepping out from behind you, Tony stumbles over the debris of battle, with you right there to righten him up.

“That was dangerous,” Steve says, too stunned to process everything just yet.

“Part of the job, right?” Tony shrugs, dusting off his ripped t-shirt.

Your eyes lift, meeting Steve’s from across the way. And a weight that had been settled so firmly in his chest finally dissipates. 

Rhodes hits the ground, face shield flying up as he storms over toward his friend.

“Damn right, dangerous son of a bitch behavior. Are you kidding me?”

Tony holds his hands up in mock apology as you slowly move your way back over to the supersoldier’s side.

“Hey,” he breathes out, finally tasting fresh air on his lips.

You smile up at him, “You got a little - ” 

Your hand reaches up to gently dab at his forehead. Steve blushes under your steady gaze. A couple of words come to mind, but he’s not about to say any of them with the entire team standing around, purposefully looking without actually looking at the two of you.

Pulling away, you offer him a small smile, “Sorry. Think it’s going to need stitches.”

Steve shrugs, reaching down to tangle his fingers between yours. Squeezing his hand in return, you glance over at the others. Steve follows your gaze. And only then, does he begin to truly take in the damage of the battle.

The endless bodies, the helicarrier hovering nearby, Ultron himself. There was still work to be done.

But, as the sun breaks free of the looming dark clouds, Steve feels a twinge of hope settling back into his heavy heart.

✦ Author's Note: Wow, so that was crazy, huh? So, a couple of things here that I just wanted to address about this chapter, without totally spoiling it all at the beginning.

1) I always thought the Battle of Sokovia was a little lackluster. Ultron never appeared as a real threat - it was like the Battle of New York with the Chitauri all over again. Ultron is supposed to be this massive powerhouse that is so crazy strong that he's a real challenge for the Avengers to defeat.

2) Have you ever looked up the concept art for this movie? The Avengers were drowning in a sea of Ultron bots. The bots formed a massive Ultron that was so big it blotted out the sky. It was insane. Yet, we never got to actually see it.

3) I think we all agree Pietro's death was awful. His character was introduced and he died within the same movie. I know it was all to do with Marvel and Fox's hold on the X-Men at that point, but still.

4) Oh, and I know a lot of people enjoyed having Olsen and Taylor-Johnson in the roles of the twins, but personally it never really fit for me that these two Jewish-Romani characters were being played by white actors. In this story, I have a different picture in mind, personally speaking. View them however you want.

5) Also, can I just whine about how much I hate the decision to make Wanda and Pietro willingly joining HYDRA?? Yeah, awful. Absolutely terrible. In this story, they were kidnapped by HYDRA and used by Strucker. Take that nonsense out of here.

6) Oh yeah, one more thing. As interesting as Vision's creation was in the movie, I thought it would be a cooler take to follow his comic book origins; where he was a direct creation of Ultron.

7) Wait, no. I'm not done. Can we also talk about Ultron's plan in the movie? How fucking stupid was that shit?? Take an entire country and use it as an asteroid to destroy the planet? Are you fucking kidding me with that shit. Ultron is so much better than that, so much more clever than that plan. And while he had a nice actor playing the role, I think he was too animated. I know he was the child of Tony and therefore picked up some of his mannerisms and ways of speaking. But the Ultron from the comics? Hell, the Ultron from the cartoons? He was so much more menacing because he was incapable of acting like a human villain.

And that's it. Hope you liked this one. It took me ages to get this battle right :)

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[stuckybarton]

Sirens Call

Summary: You were just a marine scientist, but with the recent urge of the US Government to locate more Vibranium, you would have never thought that it would spell the unexpected change in your life. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Siren!Female Reader. Word Count: 6,408 (jesus christ was this long) Chapter Warnings: Black Panther Wakanda Forever Spoilers. Mention of Kidnapping, Death, Bloodshed, drowning. Possible Stockhold Syndrom. Angst. Sort of Happy Ever After. A/N: A request from @kpopgirlbtssvt, sorry for the delay. I did tweak a little on your request since i didn't want it to be too similar to the series i'm writing but i do hope you enjoy.

Also, the song included in this story is a Filipino Lullabye

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Sirens Call

It has been over a year now since you have turned your life around. With the death of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff, you had no one you could truly depend on to protect you from the government coming for you. Without Steve, and with the desolation of the Avengers, of the family you have created with them, your life of running had ended with finally agreeing to the Government's terms whether you liked it or not.

You stood on the deck of the large boat, the wind blowing through your hair and the salty smell of the ocean filling your lungs. You were a Marine Scientist before your involvement with the Avengers, now you were working for the CIA, and the current objective was to locate Vibranium that is said to be located deep beneath the oceans floors.

You had knew about the abundance of the metal in Wakanda, the durability and power it had when making weapons, Steve Rogers’ shield was an evident example of it. So it was no surprise to anyone, even for you at this point that it was an immense interest to the government. They had ignored Queen Ramonda’s warning of staying away from Wakanda to search for the metal, instead doing the exact opposite to help even out the odds against their own feud with the people of Wakanda. Fight fire with fire if you will. But you were hesitant about this mission. You were now only a scientist, no longer a hero nor were you a solider, and the thought of being one of the individuals responsible for creating a possible weapon of mass destruction made you uneasy.

As the boat bobbed up and down in the rough waves, you can’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. It felt off. It’s was almost as if the ocean was singing, the gentle breeze of the night winds was calling you out, beckoning you to come closer. You shook your head, chalking it up to exhaustion. You have been working countless of days and even week for this mission, your team’s safety had been your top priority instead of that stupid metal, and your mind was simply playing tricks on you.

“You alright, Doc?” It was Daniel, one of the dozen of agents the CIA had given as your “protection” during this mission, but you knew for a fact that man like him wouldn’t even bother to save you from drowning if he was given a chance. You’ve met men like him in your lifetime and you wouldn’t trust him with your life because of it.

“Nothing that needs your concern, Agent.” You brushed him off, taking another healthy sip of your tea, your eyes had lingered onto the waters. It has been well over ten minutes now since two members of the team have been deployed to submerge from the waters to locate the Vibranium.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, the water is find and that suit is practically impenetrable.” He scoffed only for you to ignore as you continued watching the line wires that held onto the suits move further and further down. “This should be the least of your concern knowing what will happen if we find nothing.”

“If any of them are hurt or killed, you know what would happen.”  You threatened him right back.

You had made a deal with the devil for your own freedom from the Government. What they had over you and your secret that you wished to put your grave would be buried along with the fallout that you were certain would come one way or another. God only knows what Wakanda would do to you when the truth comes out about your involvement. Your head would be in a silver platter for all you know. It was only a matter on whose table it would lay upon at the end of the day.

“You worry too much, Doc.” He scoffed before leaving you all on your own—peace that you truly needed at this point in time.

But as the night wears on and they have descended deeper into the ocean, the feeling grows stronger. Even as you had headed into the control room to check how they were doing in the water, there was something that was keeping you uneasy.

You can hear a faint humming sound, almost like a song. It was in the same moment you heard the panic from the communications and everyone was scrambling to and fro inside the boat and you were left stock still from where you stood, even as you tried to locate the two members in the waters. You were informed that it was the Wakandans that had attacked.

Your team has been hard at work, scanning the ocean floor with the suits. But as you approach the coordinate where the Vibranium is believed to be located, something had fucked everything you worked so hard for. The suit and the members were gone, your vision of them had gone black. You and what was left of the escorts were scrambling to figure out what was happening.

You tried rebooting the system hoping it was a glitch, but to no avail. It’s as if something is interfering with the signals. Your heart begins to race. Is this some kind of attack? Have you been discovered by Wakanda’s forces?

And then, without warning, the hum that sounded grew louder, almost blaring through. You had watch some begin to put on earplugs but there was something that kept you from doing such a thing even when they were in your pockets as a precautionary measures—old tale’s don’t die it seems when it comes to the unknown of the waters.

It was a sound that you have never heard before, it had your heart racing, palms sweating and from the looks of everyone else that acted far too late, glazed over as they walked closer into the water in a trance. Had it not have been for the gunshot that echoed, the spell would have remained and there would have been more bloodshed that you would not even be able to imagine.

“Move!” Someone had screamed at you and before you could realize what was going on a bulking man had risen from the waters and you were left frozen at the sight of the man as his spear had penetrated into your escort, Daniel right to the wall besides you.

The man was no Wakandan. He had blue skin, some type of breathing apparatus, and the daunting sight of his headgear made out of a hammerhead shark’s skull. The man over towered over you as he took a step towards you, but your adrenaline has finally kicked in and you find yourself making a mad dash back into the control room, hoping to find anything that could help you in the situation.

It was only in this moment that you had put on the earplugs, deafening the sounds of death up above. You tried to find a gun, a knife, anything that could miraculously keep you alive at this point. Left empty handed, you found a small cabinet right under the control panel. Shoving all of its content all over the floor in hopes of messing with their trail of you before you cramped right in, shutting yourself in complete darkness of the cabinet.

In the deafness of the earplugs, you could hear your heart racing and your breathing shallow. You can feel the vibration of footsteps approaching, getting more and more prominent. You know that the attackers were getting closer and closer to finding you.

Your mind raced as you try to come up with a plan instead of just hiding. You know that if you are found, you are dead. You try to remember your training, but your mind was a jumbled mess and everything was well forgotten in the face of the reality of the danger. You can’t think straight, and your hands were shaking with fear.

As the footsteps draw neared, you slowly find yourself removing the earplugs to the sound of voices. You strain to listen, trying to make out what they were saying, but the language was not like you had ever heard before in your life. It was garbled and indistinct, and you couldn’t tell from where you hid just how many people were there.

You close your eyes, trying to calm yourself down. You know that you have to be brave, that you have to stay calm and think rationally if you're going to survive. But as the sound of the footsteps grows louder, your resolve begins to crumble. You're so scared that you can hardly think straight. You feel like you're going to die.

And then, suddenly, you hear the sound of the door opening. You hold your breath, praying that you won't be found. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest, and you're sure that they can hear it too. But as the seconds tick by, nothing happens. You're still hidden in the cabinet, and your attackers haven't found you. You begin to relax, thinking that maybe you're safe after all.

But as you felt the sound of the monitors being broken from above you, you felt all the reassurance turn into nothing but panic and dread.

Your life flashes before your eyes. You think of your family, of your mother that you have never talked to since you had pulled away from her and her people growing up, your friends that have accepted you for who you were, the people you have loved and cherish, the members of your team that had risked their lives for this excavation—all for nothing. You wondered if you would ever see any of them again. The profound sense of sadness and regret, knowing that there was still so many things you have not done, places you have never been able to see, to have the family you have never thought you would deserve to have.

It was the first line of sobs that escaped your lips that caught their attention and the cabinet was torn off the hinges and you were in front of them all. Pulled by the arm by one of them, you were scrambling to pull away from their hold but the spear that was now pointed at you, you were left standing still.

There were five of them, the man from earlier was also here, but it was not him that had your attention—it was the man with the normal skin.

You stand in front of the man, looking him in the eye. You can sense his fury, the anger boiling just beneath the surface. His face is twisted in a scowl, his eyes flashing with an intensity that makes your heart race. You can feel the tension in the air, the electricity that seems to crackle between you.

But as he gets closer, you start to feel a little bit of fear creeping in. You can see the veins bulging in his neck, his breathing becoming ragged and uneven.

In the closer proximity, you took a look at him from head to toe to realize that he wasn’t normal either. Sans the blue skin, he had pointed ears and the physics-impossible wings where his Achilles’ heels should have been.

“Who created the machine?” The man spoke, accent-heavy. His voice deep and daunting, you can feel the heat of his anger, the rage that seems to be directed at you.

You were left frozen at his question.

“All I know is her name is Riri William.” You spoke honestly. When you had learned that the government had a mobile drone that would help in the location of Vibranium, you did not asked too much question knowing what it entails in the future.

The spear you didn’t realize was in his grasp was now pointed directly at you, the sharp blade of it resting on the base of your neck. One wrong move from you and you could slice your throat open. The tears begin to fall freely from your eyes, pleading for him to spare you. Pleading for him that this was all the information that you knew.

As the spear was finally held down, you felt your knees turn jelly realizing you were still alive and he had spared you—for now.

“If I find out you are lying, I will feed you to the sharks.” He warned.

You shook your head.

“I promise you, on my mother’s name. That is all I know. I’m just here as a scientist helping them finding Vibranium, nothing more.”

The man turned to the hulking man, speaking in a language that you didn’t know before the man had approached you and pulling off his breathing apparatus for you.

“What are you doing?” You questioned moving your head away from him.

“You are coming with me back to Talokan. I cannot trust you to keep my people’s existence as a secret.”

Accepting the breathing apparatus, you were lifted onto the man’s shoulder and the adrenaline was slowly dying down at the foreign device covering on your face and your world begins to fade into the dark abyss.

~

The throne room was quiet, save for the argument that was exchanged between K’uk’ulkan and his cousin and most trusted General, Namora. He was pacing back and forth, while Namora stood stoically, arms crossed in front of her. It was one thing to watch his cousin and Attuma butt heads from time to time and see Namora come out victorious, it was another to have himself be in the middle of it all, more so for his action that led to this argument to begin with.

"I cannot believe you would bring an outsider into our hidden kingdom, K'uk'ulkan," Namora said sternly. "We have always kept our existence a secret, and now you want to invite this woman into our midst?"

He stopped pacing and turned to face Namora.

“She is not just an outsider. She is a scientist from the surface world, she possesses the knowledge that could help us in finding out who we are up against.”

A part of him did wonder why he did what he did. He could have killed you then and there and be done with it. But how you spoke, to your mother’s grave, it was the truth and he trusted a surface dweller so easily because of it. It was pathetic to see you in hiding, in the confinements of a small cabinet, with just the sob that escaped your lips that gave your location away.

He took you in to his nation, knowing he could find a much better use for you for the time being, at least, that was what he kept telling himself and reassuring Namora too in the process.

Namora's expression remained unchanged. "And what if she reveals our existence to the surface world? What if she leads them here, endangering us and our way of life?"

He sighed heavily. “I have thought about that, my child.” He cupped her cheeks hoping to give her the reassurance that she would need in this moment. “But I have also considered the potential benefits that could come from her here in our Kingdom for the foreseeable future.”

“You are willing to risk everything we have worked for, just for a potential benefit? Is it worth it?” Namora questioned pulling away, with her eyes narrowed at him.

“For our people, for their safety, it will be worth it, My child. With her here, our people will be hidden and protected.”

Namora remained silent, considering his words.

“It’s on you. But we must keep a close eye on the surface dweller. We are not to trust her, not until we know if she is safe for our people.”

“I understand, Namora.” He nodded in agreement. “I will take full responsibility for her while she is here. And if she proves to be more of a liability, we will deal with her accordingly.”

Namora’s expression softened slightly.

"Very well. But if anything goes wrong, it will be on your head."

K'uk'ulkan nodded once more. "I understand."

With that, Namora turned and left the throne room, leaving K'uk'ulkan alone to contemplate the potential risks and rewards of his decision.

~

Slowly opening your eyes, feeling disoriented as you tried to make sense of your surroundings. You remember being on the boat, the attack that killed almost certainly everyone in the team, to the memories of your life flashing before your eyes in the confinements of the cabinet. But now, you were in a strange chambers inside of a cavern, surrounded by walls of rocks and water.

Sitting up, you noticed the figure standing in front of you. The same man at the boat. The man stood now with robes on instead of just the green shorts and there was a lack of the spear much to your relief. He sees you finally wake up and turns to face you.

“Welcome,” he says, the same daunting voice from the boat but no longer did it held the anger from that night. “I am K’uk’ulkan, King of Talokan.”

You looked at him confused. Talokan? In your years of working for the Avengers and eventually the CIA, learning about all different kinds of aliens and otherworldly beings, both in the surface and in the water, this was the first time you had ever heard about Talokan. Not even from your own family’s history have you heard of beings just like him.

It was as if he could sense your confusion and fear as he held his hands up in reassurance.

“You are in my chambers.” He explains. “You are safe here, Surface dweller, I have spared you in hopes of learning what your people want with the Vibranium in our kingdom.”

You start to feel a sense of uneasiness. What if you told him the truth, of what the government wanted with the Vibranium, would you finally be killed?

“Do not be afraid.” He continues walking closer to you now, his hand placed on your shoulders. “You are safe here, I have brought you alive for a reason and you have my word that you will not be placed in any harm throughout your stay under my jurisdiction.”

As you start to look around the chamber, you notice something strange. The walls are covered in murals, painted in bright colors. They depict scenes of ancient rituals and ceremonies, with strange symbols and images that you can't quite decipher.

He seemed to have noticed your interest.

“Murals of Talokan,” He explains gesturing to the walls. “They tell the story of my people, of our history, and of our beliefs.”

You start to feel a sense of awe, looking at the intricate designs and patterns. You’ve never seen anything like this before in your life. He moves to the wall, taking a brush and paint from a nearby table. As he starts to paint, you watch in amazement. The colors seem to come to life, swirling and dancing before your eyes.

As he paints, K'uk'ulkan begins to speak. He tells you of the ancient gods, of their power and their wisdom. He tells you of the secrets of the Talokan, and of his origins, of why he was different from the rest of his people. He was mutant, the first born son of Talokan.

“Why am I here then?” You questioned, as much as you now grow interested in his stories, you were more concern of what was needed from you in this moment. “I don’t fit into any narrative in your stories or your people?”

“You know too much, and it is best for you to remain here for the time being while we handle the person responsible for creating the machine.”

“How long?” You questioned.

“For a while.” He spoke nonchalantly. “For the meantime, you can visit Talokan with me or you can spend your days here in the chambers, it is up to you.”

You blinked seemingly having no choice in the matter at this point.

~

It was not what he intended to happen, all he wanted was for Talokan to remain a secret from the surface world. Never did he even think that a glimpse of you and the wonder in your eyes through the water suit did he think he could ever fall in love, with a surface dweller of all people, but here he was.

It had been days now since your arrival, days since your time has been spent in his chambers and in Talokan. How you had made use of your expertise in the waters for their benefit. Fishes and other marine creatures that even the oldest of their scholars did not know of their use was now being integrated into their daily lives.

Y/N.

He had learned so much about you in your stay in his home. How you found yourself making use of your love for the water into your studies to be what you were now. How from so much trials and tribulation in your life, have ended up under the government’s jurisdiction and in your expedition for Vibranium would have been the last part of your agreement with them. Who would have ever thought that someone as shell shock as you would have been a siren in hiding all this time?

He fell in love with you for your love for the water. How the simplest of gifts he would give you would send the biggest and brightest smile on your face. He fell in love with your intention to do better for the world even with everyone against you. He had fallen so madly in love with how easy it had been for his children to open up to you—even Namora that has been far too apprehensive with your stay in Talokan in the beginning.

“Sing me a song, In Sirena?” He asked, his head rested on your lap, your fingers combing through his hair.

In the silence of his bed chambers, he had opened himself to you, about his mother, of the promise he had kept of burying her in their home in the surface world, of the name that was never his own by took to inflict fear to those who were a threat to his people.

He closed his eyes and felt the comfort that came with your touch and of your voice that echoed through his chambers. How your hauntingly beautiful voice placed him at ease, something he was not given as often in his life. He was at peace.

He felt the smile slowly form on his lips as you continued on with your song that was now becoming all too familiar to him. It was a lullaby, one that your own mother had sung to you as a young child, it brought back memories of his own mother, of the love that only she could give you even with the responsibility that rested on his shoulders—he felt like a child all over again.

“When this is all over, if I let you go, will you ever come back for me?” He found himself asking, slowly opening his eyes to look up at you.

You had halted in your song to look right back at him, eyes softening at his question.

“I don’t know,” You answered honestly.

Another thing he had appreciated about you was your honesty, no matter if it would offend him or anyone else, you held honesty that was few and far in between for a surface dweller. He understood your answer, though he was sadden by the reality of it—you were still a captive of his domain, stuck in the crossfire of his mission to protect his people. But he longed for the day that you would stay, even for just his people.

“I understand.”

“I have people that depend on me in the surface. I’ve already lost some of the people I’ve treated like my family—I want to make sure that I explained what had happened to their families.”

He looked away, knowing the weight of his action had on you now. Of the deaths that was to be expected for the protection of his own people.

Their little moment was interrupted at the sight of Attuma arriving.

“What?” He inquired, not leaving his positon on your lap much to your own discomfort and embarrassment.

“The Princess and the scientist are here.” Attuma announced and it was the sign he needed that his moment with you was now over.

~

At the news of someone else from the surface now being held under hostage of Talokan, you had asked K’uk’ulkan about seeing them. No matter how much you were slowly understanding the man’s need to protect his people a part of you still wanted to see and check upon those that are for certain scared of being here.

“Dr. Y/L/N?”

The last thing you would have expected to see was Princess Shuri and Riri Williams here. But then again, it was Vibranium that Talokan was protecting, and having them here was becoming more understandable than anything else.

“Are you two okay?” You asked, checking them from head to toe for any sort of injuries.

“You were reported dead.” It was Shuri that had spoken and your heart fell. But realized that after everything, at the death of your team and escorts, it would have bound to happen that without your body recovered, they would have expected as much.

“They have taken me here to keep quiet.” You answered. You worry that if you said too much it would end with your hurt or worst the women in front of you would.

The guilt was now washing over your system at the realization of your admittance of Riri being responsible for the machine had now led to her here—bringing Shuri along in the process.

“We have to find a way out.” You whispered holding onto their hands, you know it would take some work to find the suits they have used but it was better than whatever they might have planned for them—or for you at the matter.

“No.” Shuri shook her head.

You shook your head. It was not the right thing to do for her. Unlike you, that now had everyone believing you were dead and for certain would face prosecution if the Government found out you were alive, Shuri had so much to live for, someone to that loved her, and everything else in her life that you know for certain that you did not have anymore.

“He wants to go to war with the surface world, and asked me to help him.”

You blinked realizing then and there the reality of the man and his intentions. One of the servants remained, providing food for the three of you and you had hoped that she did not understand anything that you were talking about in this moment. Your eyes lingered to the guards also station around to watch over you and over the two.

“Princess, please.” You held onto her hand, hoping to talk some sense to her even in this very moment. “The world has done all of us wrong, but this is not the right thing to do.” You plead for her, turning your attention towards Riri that was still shaken by everything that was happening.

“Then why did you remain when you could easily have escaped?” Shuri questioned.

Your eyes closed at the reality of her words, how easily you could have escaped because of your powers but chose not to do so. In the moment you did not have a reason to leave, for you genuinely fell in love with Talokan even with the circumstance of it all.

You fell in love. How stupid it was for you to do so, falling in love with your captor but you did. You see your family in this people. How your own was cast to the waters by the very same people that had once cast K’uk’ulkan’s people into the waters. He was just like you, just as much as you were just like him.

“I’ve lost everything, Princess.” You whispered. “I’ve got to no Tony or Nat to back me up anymore, the government is wringing me dry for all that I have until they have the better reason to finally lock me away and experiment on me. He gave me an opportunity to live here and I might just stay because of it.”

In the struggle of it all, you once had Tony and Nat to depend on in your life, but with everything that had happened during the snap and their death to save the entirety of the universe, life has never been the same for you and you linger in the chaos of the life you tried to rebuild for yourself in the process.

Your eyes lingered behind and the sight of Nakia had caught you off guard.

Before you could even act, Nakia had shot the guards on stand by and the servant had now held a knife against Shuri. It was chaos and you did not know who to save in this moment. You held your hands up towards Nakia and pleaded for the servant to let her go, the sight of her hesitation was all you need to know that she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Please. It doesn’t have to end like this.” You plead to Nakia. “They will let Shuri go, and you can escape safely. Please.”

Nakia held a blank look before talking to Shuri and before long shooting the servant without hesitation. You were quick in your steps, dashing towards the servant as you held onto the wound and your eyes turned towards Shuri and Nakia.

“You need to come with us, Wakanda can protect you. It is the least we can do for all the help you’ve given us in the past.”

You wanted to, but as the servant had held onto you as she fought for her life, it had you second guessing yourself. If it was worth the risk coming back, with not only the Government coming after you but now even Talokan that has shown her nothing but kindness since your arrival.

“You’ve waged the war…all he wanted was to protect his people.” You shook your head refusing to come with them.

You had watched them leave, in the emptiness of the caverns that they stayed in, you found the tears have slowly fallen as you begin to sing the servant a song, hoping to be there for her in her dying moments.

‘Ili-ili tulog anay Wala diri imong nanay Kadto tienda Bakal Papay Ili-ili tulog anay Mata kana tabang mo Ikarga ang Nakompra ko Kay Bug-at Man Sing Putos ko Tabang Mo Ako Anay Ili-ili Tulog Anay Walang diri Imong Nanay Kadto tienda Bakal Papay Ili-ili tulog anay’

“In Sirena?”

The sight of K’uk’ulkan approaching brought all the guilt to the surface as your eyes turned back to the servant girl, how she was begging for her king to save her even when it was far too late for her.

“I tried to stop them.” You whispered closing the servant girl’s eyes as she now laid lifeless in your arms. “I tried to make them go without hurting anyone else in the process.”

You turned to the sight of Namora walking behind at the scene of death at the hands of Wakanda. You did not have the heart to look her in the eyes now, after all the help she had given you in your stay in Talokan—this was the price that you paid. It was better off if you were dead just like the rest of them.

You sobbed as the cousins begin to converse in their language. It was all your fault, from the moment you had accepted the mission to seek Vibranium from under the waters, you have left nothing but death and failure in your midst and now even in Talokan, the same curse has come to present you.

Even as K’uk’ulkan has pulled you away from the servant girl to allow her to be buried, you sobbed over and over even as you were pulled into his chest.

“Why did you stay?” He questioned you, his hand cupped your cheeks wiping what remains of the tears on your cheeks. “You could have left with them.”

“I can’t.” You confessed. “Not like this, not if it means someone dying in the process.”

“Then join us, in our fight.”

“I can’t. Revenge is never the answer.”

~

It was a week now since the attack in the cavern, you have decided to remain in K’uk’ulkan’s chambers for the entirety of it. But you have never talked to the man after what he had done as retribution for Nakia’s attack. The Queen of Wakanda was dead—drowned, and the invasion of Wakanda had set off more conflict than anything you would have ever imagine from them.

“In Sirena,”

You turned, the frown rested heavily on your lips in the moment but you said nothing even as the man approaching you, standing right in front of you from where you sat in the bed. You know why he was hear, it has been a week as the agreement and at any time a war is about to break through and you could only fear the damage and death it would cause in their paths.

“I want you to join me in this fight. After everything with Wakanda is resolved, I want you to be my Queen.”

You closed your eyes, it was not how you would have wanted to stay, not in this circumstance.

“Revenger and retribution is not the answer. It will only cause death and pain for everyone involved.”

“Then please stay here in Talokan, with me, with my people. Live with us and flourish and grow to be what you were always meant to be.”

And just like every instances that he asks you the question, you shook your head. In a perfect world, when things have not been filled with bloodshed, you would have. But in this instance, you couldn’t, not when you had a part in the mess that created the fight between Talokan and Wakanda.

“I can’t.”

“Then when you are ready, you can leave.” He spoke to which had your eyes widen and you looked at him now straight in his eyes, the sadness that came with his words. “Just know that you can never come back or you will be killed on the spot as you are a surface dweller trespassing our home. My love and fondness for you does not change the fact that you are an enemy of Talokan.”

It was cruel for him to say after everything that you have both been through together. But in the end, it was always his people above his own emotions and the love you have come to realize you both shared for each other in the short amount of time in his chambers and in his home.

“Okay.”

~

As he had laid on his back so close to the brink of death, defeated by the Black Panther, his mind had been only on two things. His mother and you. He was ready to die, but his memories were brought back to you as the Princess had the spear by his neck, ready to kill him. He was brought back to your words as you had pleaded for him to reconsider the fight against Wakanda. He was brought back to the hope that you would stay if he made the right decision.

He had yielded, with you and his mother on his mind. He had yielded hoping that you would stay even at the venom of his words when he last spoke to you.

As he had spoken to his people, ordering them to go back to Talokan, his mind was flooded with you—the glimpse of hope that you would remain still and be with him. He swam back to the waters, with his people guiding him throughout, his injuries were slowly healing, but it will take time and he needed to rest.

“I want to be left alone.” He spoke to his servant, brushing them away as they intended to patch him up. He refused, deciding to lick his wound in solitude.

Groggily, he had made his way back to this chambers, the silence broke his heart as he saw no sign of you anywhere. Walking towards his bed, he laid face first, the ache and pain that came with the battle against the Princess did a number on him and it would take a while before his wings would grow back.

He closed his eyes, for the moment, making peace with the silence of his chambers, the ghost of your voice echoing his mind. Your lullaby that would give him the comfort he never truly had in his life.

“K’uk’ulkan?”

His eyes snapped open, confused and devastated, it might be the delirium from his injuries that made him hear voices that were never there. But the panic of the voice continued to sound and it was when he felt the warm familiar hands on his shoulders that he had realize it was not his imagination playing a cruel joke on him.

It was you. You were still here.

“In Sirena,” he spoke turning his head to look at you.

The tear stricken face and the worry that was all too evident in your beautiful features.

“Why are you here?” He questioned, sitting up with you guiding him.

“I didn’t have the heart to leave until I know for certain you were alright.”

It was how quick his heart fluttered by your words, the effect you had on him knows no bound and made it all the more painful when you decided to finally leave.

“It is over, I have made an agreement with Wakanda.” He spoke. He watched the way your shoulders relaxed at this words. “You no longer have a reason to stay, you can leave and never turn back.”

“I can’t.” You smiled gently wrapping your arms around the man, sealing your fate to be with him forever, not only as his partner and companion, but as the Queen of Talokan.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Iron Man 2: Part One

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: canon violence and angst

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Nick Fury sits across from you in the dimly lit room. On the desk in front of you is a file he's been working on since you and Carol parted ways in 1995. He's been waiting patiently for the past ten minutes while you read through it all.

"This is what you were working on after Carol left?" you ask and scan the pages in your hand once more.

"I didn't realize exactly what's out there until you and Carol. I have no idea what we might face, and I think it's about time to bring together exceptional people with extraordinary powers such as yourself," Fury explains.

"What are you trying to put together? Some kind of superhero team?" you chuckle.

"It's good to know what's out there. It's better to be prepared for it."

"You think I'm worthy enough to be in this group?"

"Have you met you? The woman I knew in 1995 would jump at the chance to be on this team."

"I have to admit, you've got some good stuff in here," you sigh and set the file on the table.

"But...?"

"I've seen this kind of thing before. Someone puts together a team of exceptionally gifted people who can do incredible things, but conflict arises and it never works out. Your heart is in the right place, but I don't think your head is. Have you thought this through?"

"More than you think I have. I think with the right motivation, this team can be the greatest thing this world has ever seen."

"I don't know," you bite your lower lip in worry.

"Who survived the Kree not once but twice? Who fought Hydra in World War II? Who helped defeat Stane? Who helped Bruce?"

"Okay, first, Stane was a douchebag in a machine he didn't know how to control. Anyone could have beaten him," you roll your eyes. "Second, Bruce came to me thinking I was a scientist. He heard about me back in 1945, found out how to contact me, and I was there for him. I didn't know what I was signing up for when he went all Hulk on me."

"Think about it, Y/N. This is something that can be truly remarkable with the right people. I already have two agents on board."

"Who?"

"Black Widow and Hawkeye."

You don't know who Hawkeye is but you've heard plenty about the deadly assassin. She's popped up over the years but you've always stayed out of her way in fear she'll start hunting you. Never did you think you'd get to be able to work with her. You take the file from the table and look at Black Widow's section.

Damn, she's gorgeous.

"Is she seeing anyone?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, is she in a relationship?"

"I'm not doing this. Ask her yourself. Take some time and think about it."

He gets up and is about to leave the room when you swivel around to face him.

"How's your eye doing?"

"Don't start," he shakes his head and leaves the room.

Not only do you have this to think about, Tony's speech has been on replay over and over in your mind. You told the world that you were the Avatar while Tony confessed to being Iron Man. The weeks following the press conference have been nothing but chaos as the public made you and Tony celebrities. While you did confess to being able to control the elements, you're not going to tell the world the planet you're truly from. You're not sure they're ready to hear they're not alone in the universe.

Dr. Erskine, Peggy Carter, and Howard Stark took it well because they were already working in that area, so it didn't come as a shock to them. Despite being inventors, doctors, and secret government agents, they were scientists. They knew there were other lifeforms out there.

They may have been ready to learn about you, but the rest of the world isn't.

You and Tony have been put in the spotlight, making you two out to be idols. People love the Avatar and Iron Man and often want you two to be out together in public. With his newfound sense of fame, he decided to reopen the Stark Exposition where he showcases all the things he's invented while encouraging people to show off their inventions.

If you know Tony, and you do, he's gonna want to make a grand entrance into his Stark Exposition. He's going to use the suit to fly into the arena with you by his side. To do that, you have to get high, which is why you two are on a small plane to take you to that height.

"I never got the chance to tell you how risky of a move it was to reveal yourself like that," you say to him while you're waiting.

"It's bound to come out sooner or later," Tony shrugs.

"They're going to start asking questions."

"They were already doing it before."

"Life is going to be different for us."

"Eh, what else is new?" he chuckles.

The plane flies higher, and you and Tony get ready to jump out of it.

"So, how are you and Pepper doing? Have you kissed her yet?"

"Don't start."

"What? Come on, you two almost kissed. There's some sort of feelings there, no?"

"I don't know," Tony sighs. "Do I really want to involve her in my life?"

"You need someone like her to keep you grounded. She's been with you for ten years and has done more than what you've asked her to do. She likes you, Tony and I know you like her, too. Tell me, imagine if she wasn't in your life. How would that make you feel?" Tony can't answer because he knows the answer. He knows he'd be devastated. "Exactly my point."

"Two hundred and seventy at thirty knots. Holding steady at fifteen thousand feet. You are clear for exfiltration over the drop zone," the pilot informs.

"Time for show business."

The launch door on the bottom of the airplane opens, and Tony doesn't hesitate to jump out of it. You jump off the landing strip and follow him as he zips through the air at a fast pace. The wind whips through your hair, the breeze is nice against your skin, and you're having fun just flying wherever you please to go. 

Tony takes the lead to the Stark Expo, and he lands on the stage with a loud thump. You're more delicate with your entrance, and you slowly lower yourself next to Tony until your feet are planted on the ground.

Tony has to make this event as grand as it can be which means there are fireworks, a very bright light show, dancing girls dressed like Iron Man, and a raging crowd to greet him. Sure, you told everyone you're the Avatar, but they're more interested in the billionaire. Not that you're complaining, you're content with being in the background.

You take a few steps back to let the machines underneath the stage remove Tony's suit for him. The platform he's on is slowly spinning as robotic arms are dismantling his suit. The showgirls continue to dance in the background until the song that's playing is over. They do some big dance number that you couldn't possibly follow, and they leave once their parts are over with. 

The lights dim to focus on you and Tony.

"Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony!" the majority of the crowd yells. 

Your name is being scattered throughout the crowd, but it's mostly for Tony.

"It's good to be back. You missed me?" he chuckles.

"Blow something up!" a man in the crowd screams.

"Blow something up? I already did that," he dismisses him until the crowd dies down. "I'm not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of us. I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history. I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea because I haven't come across anyone who's man enough to go toe-to-toe with us on our best day!"

"It's actually not about us," you chime in. "It's not about you. It's about legacy. It's about what we choose to leave behind for future generations. That's why, for the next year, and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources and share their collective vision to leave behind a brighter future."

"She's absolutely right. Therefore, what we're saying, if we're saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo," Tony smiles and the crowd goes wild. "Now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it's all about, please welcome my father, Howard."

You and Tony leave the stage as the video of Howard starts to play. 

"He looks so young there," you comment after your microphones have been turned off.

"What, you didn't know him like this?"

"I knew him when he was in his twenties. He was bright for his age. He loved inventing."

"Yeah, even more than his own son," Tony scoffs.

"He loved you so much, Tony. Even before you were even an idea. He talked about having children with so much love and admiration. He was a good man. He helped me and Steve become who we are."

"It's nice to know you have fond memories of him," he nods passive-aggressively.

It's clear he doesn't like to talk about his dad a lot, and you don't really understand why. While you were off-planet, he was here building his family. You weren't fortunate in seeing Howard as a parent since you met Tony only a couple of years before his parents died. Tony never liked how Howard parented, but you have a feeling he refuses to see why Howard did what he did.

"I'm sure if he were here, he'd be so proud of you."

Tony doesn't respond to that. He turns away from the screen and pulls out a device that measures his blood toxicity levels. The palladium in the arc reactor is slowly killing him, so he has to check how toxic his blood is every hour. You're working on a cure, but there isn't an acceptable replacement for palladium. The continued use of the Iron Man suit is killing him, and it's very hard to make him see the seriousness of the situation.

Only you know about this because he refuses to tell anyone what's actually happening. He doesn't want anyone to worry about what's going on with him even though they deserve to know. Pepper deserves to know. Even with your vast knowledge of powers and serums, you don't know how you'll be able to fix this one.

If Tony is good at anything, then it's how he throws after-parties once the main one dies down. As soon as the Expo is over, everyone huddles around the front of the building to meet you and Tony. Happy stands in front of you two to carve a path back to the car. Tony stops to sign autographs and take pictures with devoted fans while you keep your head down. You hated your picture being taken in the 1940s and you hate it being taken now.

Pictures are proof you were here.

Happy escorts you to Tony's brand new convertible car while the building's security prevents people from crowding you at the car.

"Very mellow," Tony comments.

"I thought it was going to be worse."

A slim, young woman walks to the car with two men behind her just as you get in the backseat of the car.

"Hi, and you are?" Tony asks as he slides into the front seat.

"Marshal. Pleased to meet you Tony and Y/N."

"I'm sorry, what are you doing here?" you ask.

"Looking for you two," she grins, "and serving subpoenas."

She hands him a piece of paper and he visibly gulps. He hates being handed things, which you never understood.

"Yikes," he mutters. 

"He doesn't like to be handed things. I'll take it," you smile and take the letter she offers. 

"Yeah, I have a peeve," Tony nods. 

"I got it. You two are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at nine a.m."

"Can I see a badge?"

"You wanna see the badge?" she grins. 

"We'll be there," you interrupt her meaningless flirting. "How far are we from D.C.?"

"Two hundred and fifty miles," Happy answers. 

"We'll be there. Thank you."

Tony turns the car on and takes off toward the highway. It's night right now, but it will be morning by the time you get to D.C.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[yelenasdiary]

Forbidden Character Index

Here's a list of the characters that are either mentioned within the series or have a small part. It also includes their job (if any) and/or their relationship.

Female Characters -

Y/n Bishop - Helps out at Sam's store || Kate's younger sister.

Kate Bishop - Hunter || Y/n's older sister.

Yelena Belova - Bounty Hunter || Nat's younger sister.

Natasha Romanoff - Owns an Orphanage || Yelena's older sister.

Wanda Maximoff - Sticks to Herself || Pietro's sister.

Maria Hill - Helps Nat with the Orphanage.

Carol Danvers - Law Woman.

Aunt May - Journalist, Baker || Peter's Aunt.

Pepper Potts - Tony's Assistant & Wife.

Maya Lopez - Native American of the Cheyenne Nation. 

Agatha Harkness - Outlaw.

Peggy Carter - Law Woman || Wife of Steve.

Kamala Khan - Apart of Y/n's friend group.

Eleanor Bishop - Kate & Y/n’s Mother.

Lady Sif - Bounty Hunter.

Jane Foster - Lumberjack bookkeeper || Wife of Thor.

Valkyrie - Outlaw.

Shuri - Scientist || Sister of T'Challa.

Cassie Lang - Apart of Y/n's friend group || Daughter of Scott.

America Chavez - Apart of Y/n's friend group.

MJ - Apart of Y/n's friend group.

Melina Vostokoff - Scientist || Yelena & Nat's Mother & Wife of Alexei.

Male Characters

Bucky 'James' Barnes - Owns and runs the Saloon.

Derek Shepard - Kate & Y/n’s father.

Sam Wilson - Owns and runs the General Store.

Steve Rogers - Sheriff of Blisswater || Husband of Peggy Carter.

Peter Parker - Paper Boy || Aunt May's Nephew.

Tony Stark - Owns Stark Industries || Husband of Pepper Potts.

Bruce Banner - Main Doctor of Blisswater, also a travelling Doctor.

Steve Strange - Apothecary.

Clint Barton - Gunsmith.

Pietro Maximoff - Works around at different ranches || Wanda's Brother.

Nick Fury - Barber.

T’Challa - Banker || Brother of Shuri.

Thor - Lumberjack || Husband of Jane & Brother of Loki.

Loki - Outlaw || Brother of Thor.

Peter Quill - Blacksmith.

Scott Lang - Stable Owner || Cassie's Father.

Erik Killmonger - Outlaw.

Baron Zemo - Outlaw.

Johann Shmidt - Outlaw (Red Skull Gang).

Alexei Shostakov - Lumberjack || Yelena & Nat's Father & Husband of Melina.

Ned Leeds - Apart of Y/n's friend group.

General Dreykov - Outlaw.

Original Characters -

All OC's are just fill in characters. They'll most likely be mentioned but will have no major roll. These are people who live in and around the map, basically NPCs.

[punchdrunkdoc]

Part 2, Chapter 10

Summary: After the events of S3, Matt Murdock is trying to once again balance life as a lawyer and a vigilante. But he’s been scarred by loss and betrayal - will a mysterious new neighbour help him heal? Or will her secrets drag him back into the darkness?

Notes: This is a slow burn romance with an original female character, told in 3 parts. There is mystery, intrigue, action/violence and angst - all the good stuff!

Also available on AO3 and Wattpad

Masterlist

Reference pics

————–

This is a longer chapter than normal...because lots of sh*t goes down!

Enjoy!

————–

PART 2

Chapter 10

Yelena jumped off the counter and stalked towards Volkov. “How?” she barked. “How are they tracking us?”

He just smiled.

Her hand shot out and she backhanded him viciously across the face. His head snapped back, but when he faced her again, that damned smirk was still in place.

“HOW?”

The smirk stretched into another savage smile. “Project планктон.”

“Project Plankton?” Yelena translated, sounding confused. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Volkov didn’t answer. And for the first time since he’d stepped foot in the mansion his unflappable countenance faltered. His smiled slipped and he frowned.

“Answer me!” Yelena demanded.

He didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes rolled back in his head and he started jerking and twitching against the restraints.

“He’s seizing!” Sofia yelled. She ran over to him and shone a pen-torch in his eyes, flicking the light back and forth.

“He’s faking,” Kira said.

“No, Melina warned us this could happen.”

“Stabilise him,” Yelena barked at the medic. “We still need answers.”

“No, we need to get out of here!” Inessa objected. “You heard him!”

“And go where? They’re tracking us somehow.” Yelena turned to Anya. “Is there anything about Project Plankton in Dreykov’s files?”

Anya was already scrolling through her ever-present tablet. She didn’t look up from the screen as she bit out a quick, “I’m on it.”

The Widows crowded around her as she searched through the terabytes of information she’d spent the last few months decrypting. “Got it. There’s a single reference to Project Plankton in a memo from 2013. It was a theoretical nanite programme one of the scientists suggested to Dreykov.”

“Theoretical?”

“Well, it was theoretical when this memo was released. Maybe it became practical in the years since, and Dreykov kept it off the books.”

“Nanites?” Calina asked. “As in nanotechnology? That’s well beyond theoretical now. It underpins all of Tony Stark’s latest Iron Man machinery.”

Katya started rubbing her arms. “And they’re inside us? These nanites?”

Anya finally looked up, her face grave. “Do you remember the injection they gave us all after Yelena disappeared? They must have realised they needed another way to keep track of us after she managed to dig out her chip.”

“How do we get them out?” Calina asked, trying to resist the urge to scratch at her own arms. The though of still having Red Room tech inside her was making her feel nauseous.

“We can’t dig them out, that’s for sure,” Anya said. “There’s a reason it was called Project Plankton. Plankton are tiny organisms carried around on tides and currents. The nanites are in our blood.”

“Can we block the signals?” Calina asked.

“For one of us maybe, but not all of us. Not unless we had a jammer the size of a Buick.”

“Fuck,” Kira spat. “So we’re stuck with them?”

“I didn’t say that,” Anya replied. “I just said they couldn’t be dug out. But there is a way to remove them. It’s mentioned in the memo: plasmapheresis.”

“Plasma-what?” Yelena said.

“Plasmapheresis,” Sofia repeated, using her medical knowledge to explain to the group. “Plasma exchange. You remove a person’s blood, circulate it through a machine which filters out the plasma and anything harmful that’s present in it - in this case, evil little robots - and then the blood is returned with a substitution fluid.”

“Is it safe?”

“Yes, but the bigger question is, how the hell are we going to find a plasmapheresis machine before Volkov’s men find us?”

“That’s your new task,” Yelena ordered. “Calina and Anya, help her with anything she needs. The rest of you start implementing lockdown protocol. I want this place turned into a death trap for any motherfucker who comes looking for Volkov.”

 ———

 Calina tightened the strap on her thigh holster and then checked the clip in her gun. The weapons were just a precaution, in case they ran into any of Volkov’s men. The actual mission was a quick in-and-out bit of grand larceny. Anya had found a private clinic just over the border in Georgia that offered plasmapheresis treatments.

And they were going to rob it.

“Keep in contact,” Yelena ordered, as Calina, Anya and Sofia finished arming themselves. “I’ll send a text every 30 minutes. If I miss a check-in, you’ll know the mansion is compromised, so stay clear.”

“No,” Calina said. “We’ll haul ass back here to provide reinforcements.”

“No, Calina. We need at least some of the group to be safe. In case any of us are captured, we need a team to mount a rescue. From a new base, with no nanites in their system.”

“Has there been any progress on the new base?” Katya asked from her seat at the dining table. She was rigging up a set of trip-wire devices that would be planted in the garden outside.

“We’ve found a place to rent. The money’s been wired, we’re just waiting on confirmation from the broker. Its in Maine, so I hope everyone likes lobster.”

“We’ll finally be living the high life,” Katya joked - or tried to. There was too much tension in her voice to make it believable.

Calina powered up her phone, ready to receive Yelena’s check-ins. But it started ringing 30 seconds later.

Anya groaned. “You have to do something about that. Now.”

Calina nodded and slipped out the front door. She took a deep breath and hit the answer button. “Matt, you need to stop calling.”

“Calina? Thank God,” he breathed.

It had been less than 48 hours since she’d heard his voice, but she’d missed the deep rich sound so much. It made her long to be back in his apartment, sat in the armchair next to him as they talked about books and courtrooms and everything and nothing.

Was this what homesickness felt like?

She buried the feeling. And the grief at the knowledge that it would never be like that between them again. “Matthew,” she said firmly, her voice as cold as she could manage. “Please stop calling. I need this phone line open and I need radio silence for the next few hours.”

“What do you mean? What’s going on? Are you in danger?”

At that moment, Anya, Sofia and Inessa exited the front door. They jogged passed Calina, and Anya called out to her over her shoulder. “Calina, we need to go! Get your ass in the van.”

“I have to go,” she said to Matt. “Stop calling. I mean it.”

“Wait-”

She hung up. Then stared at the device. A part of her - a small, hopelessly hopeful part of her - wanted it to ring again. She wanted some proof that Matt would keep fighting for her. Some proof that his incessant calling had nothing to do with guilt, and everything to do with love.

But the phone stayed silent.

She ignored the irrational pang of hurt. All it meant was that he was respecting her wishes - especially since he thought she was in danger.

She slipped the phone into one of the pouches on her belt and joined her team mates. Inessa was their get-away driver. She looked ridiculously tiny behind the wheel of the large transit van but she backed out of the driveway and onto the main road with ease. Within minutes they were speeding down the highway towards Augusta.

They arrived at the clinic a few hours later, long after the staff had gone home for the night. Inessa parked a block away and the four of them scoped out the street, checking for CCTV cameras and assessing the level of foot traffic.

“Does anyone else feel guilty about stealing from a medical facility?” Inessa asked from the front seat. “People are gonna arrive for their treatments tomorrow and be turned away.” 

“The anonymous $100 000 donation I just made into the clinic’s checking account should lessen some of the pain,” Anya replied.

“Okay. That makes me feel better.”

Calina smiled. It made her feel better too. But she couldn’t help teasing Anya. “Shouldn’t you have waited until after we stole the machines? What if it goes wrong?”

Anya shrugged. “Then our last act as free women will have been one of charity.”

Anya’s off-hand remark went down like a lead balloon.

Free women.

None of them were really free. Even now, there was probably some lackey in Volkov’s ‘faction’ monitoring 4 green dots on a screen and wondering why they’d taken a detour across state lines. That monitoring - that subtle, distant form of control - meant that none of them were truly free.

Their lives would never be their own until they got rid of the tracking devices.

“Let’s get this done,” Sofia growled, echoing Calina’s thoughts. “I want these fucking things out of me as soon as humanly possible.”

The other three women nodded.

Then they went and got it done.

 ———

 At a few minutes after midnight, Anya took a seat next to one of the machines. She was the first one to undergo the procedure.

And she hadn’t volunteered.

None of them wanted to be first - and not because they doubted Sofia’s medical knowledge or were worried about the process. No one wanted to go first, because as soon as they were cleared of the nanites, they would have to leave the compound and start making their way to Maine. They would have to leave their sisters, while the threat of Volkov’s men descending on the mansion grew more and more imminent.

It was Yelena’s plan, and she wasn’t budging on it.

“Sofia says it is going to take 2-3 hours for each exchange of blood,” Yelena had explained to the group as they’d sat around the large dining table. “There are 15 of us in the compound. I don’t have nanites in my system, so that leaves 14 of you to be treated. Even using both the machines that we stole, its going to take more than half a day to treat everyone. Which means, we’re at real risk of not being finished before Volkov’s men arrive.”

“All the more reason why we should stay after we’re treated. Stay and fight,” Kira objected.

Sofia jumped into the debate. “There’s a risk of side effects from the procedure. Dizziness, nausea, low blood pressure, muscle spasms, and more. Not ideal for a combat situation.”

“We need to establish the new base,” Yelena continued. “Like I said to Calina earlier, we need Widows who are free of trackers who can come rescue the rest of us if the worst happens. If we all stay here and fight, we might all lose - especially if you guys aren’t in top form from the procedure.”

“But-” Katya began.

“No,” Yelena said firmly. “This isn’t up for a vote, or even a discussion. There’s no time.” She paused to look at the women around her, and Calina could have sworn there was a hint of tears in Yelena’s eyes. “I know you guys think I’m too controlling sometimes. And too bossy. But I care about each and every one of you. I want us to survive.” She met Calina’s eyes. “And I want us to thrive, and be happy. That can only happen when we’re truly free. This is the best way to get that freedom.”

She’d received several nods of agreement in response. But most of the women around the table just looked resigned, their tight lips and frowns expressing their displeasure. 

They’d pulled straws to determine the order of treatment, and that was how Anya - and another woman called Viktoria - found themselves being hooked up to the machines as the other widows watched.

Viktoria was done in just over two hours. Anya took a little longer - more plasma in her system, according to Sofia. But by 3am, the two of them were nanite-free and on the road heading north.

And another two Widows took their place by the machines.

This process repeated itself throughout the morning. As more and more Widows left, the mansion got quieter and quieter, and the tension felt by those left behind ratcheted up higher and higher. The clock on the wall of the make-shift med bay ticked louder and louder, the noise acting as a constant reminder of the passing of time.

Time they didn’t have.

By midday, there were only six widows left in the house, and each one of them was painfully aware that Volkov’s men could be battering down the doors at any moment.

Sofia calmly disconnected Inessa from one of the machines and helped her to her feet. The smaller woman swayed and clutched at Sofia.

“Are you okay?” Calina asked. She was next up in the chair, one of the last two Widows to be treated.

She’d drawn the shortest of straws, but she hadn’t complained. The Widows were a team - and they were all working towards the good of the whole group - not any one individual. It didn’t matter that she had people that she cared about back in New York - like Alma, her elderly neighbour. And Foggy and Karen.

And Matt.

It didn’t matter that she had more of a ‘life’ to save than the other Widows. She was just one of 15 today.

And it wasn’t like she was planning to return to that life anyway.

Inessa straightened up and waved off Calina’s concern. “Yeah, just a bit woozy.”

Calina nodded and took her seat. She’d already unzipped and pulled down the top half of her Widow suit, leaving her in a black tank top. She stuck her arm out and Sofia got to work inserting the cannula. The medic had gone through her own procedure hours ago but had stayed to make sure everyone else got treated properly.

Katya was sat next to her, finishing off her own plasma exchange. She gave Calina a smile. “Hey, Calina, how’s it going?” she asked, as if they were grabbing a drink at a cafe.

Calina laughed at Katya’s attempt to lighten the mood. “Not bad. You know, apart from having had only five hours sleep in the last three days.”

“And apart from finding out you have tracking robots in your blood,” Katya added.

Calina continued the game. “And apart from knowing that a strike team of Red Room operatives is about to descend upon us at any moment.”

“You guys are hilarious,” Yelena mumbled sarcastically. She’d been prowling from one side of the room to the other for hours, her head buried in a tablet which was linked to the security feeds from the exterior of the property. A stockpile of weapons was laid out on the table behind her, and every so often she would grab a gun and pace with it in her free hand.

She was wound tight. And obviously not in the mood for humour.   

Inessa laughed though, in between gulping down a litre of water. Evidently, plasmapheresis made you thirsty. Kira was the last of the six, and she was guarding Volkov while she waited for Katya to finish and free up her machine.

Volkov had recovered from his seizure but they hadn’t resumed his interrogation. Melina had advised against dosing him with any more of the serum, and between arranging the new base, securing the old one, and treating the Widows, none of them could spare time to torture answers out of him the old-fashioned way. The plan was to take him with them when they left, and resume his questioning on the road.

“You’re done,” Sofia announced to Katya half an hour later.

“Good,” Yelena said. “Katya, you and Inessa grab your things and get out of here.”

“Nope,” Katya said. She zipped up her suit and tightened the bands holding her tightly curled hair in place.

Yelena straightened up. “What do you mean, ‘nope’?”

“Inessa and I already discussed it. We’re not leaving the four of you here alone. You’re going to need firepower if Volkov’s men arrive in the next few hours, and even if they don’t, you’ll need help securing Volkov in the van.”

“Katya-”

“No, Yelena. You and Calina risked everything to get me out of Seoul and save me from the serum. I’m not going to leave you both behind.”

Calina could tell by the firm glint in Katya’s eyes that she wasn’t going to back down. Yelena could obviously see it too. “Fine,” she said, relenting. “Go down to the basement and relieve Kira. Tell her to get her ass up here stat - she’s the last one in the chair. Inessa, grab your weapons and take watch upstairs.” She passed an earpiece to each of the remaining Widows. “All of you, stay on comms and stay alert.”

“Got it, boss.” Inessa scampered out the room and Katya followed behind her.

Yelena glanced at the clock and checked the clip of the latest gun to have made it into her hands. Calina’s own weapon was in her lap, and she had to resist the urge to clench it in her hand like a scared child with a security blanket.

“It’s going to be alright,” Calina said.

Yelena scoffed. “You don’t believe that any more than I do.”

“Okay, maybe not. But if the worst happens, just know that you tried your best, Yelena. You gave us a home, and kept us safe, as best you could.”

“Says the woman who abandoned that home the minute she could.”

Calina sighed. “I don’t want to fight about that again, Yelena.”

Yelena rubbed her forehead. “I know. I’m sorry - blame it on the stress. For what its worth…”

“What?” Calina prompted.

“For what its worth, I’m glad you got those few months of happiness. Even though it didn’t work out, I’m glad you got to try.”

Calina gave her a small, sad smile. “I’m glad too.”

The two women fell into silence…and watched the second hand of the clock tick and tick and tick.

 ———

 The warning came 90 minutes later.

Inessa’s voice crackled over the comm line. “Five blacked-out SUVs spotted on the coast road. They’re coming this way - fast!”

Yelena jerked upright. “Shit! Here we go. Sofia, where are we on the treatments?”

She checked the two machines. “Calina’s receiving the last of the plasma substitute. Kira…Kira still has two pints of blood left to clean.”

Yelena hooked a sniper rifle over her shoulder and barked out her orders to the three women in the room, as well as the two listening in on the comms. “Kira, you stay hooked up to that machine as long as you possibly can, you hear me? We’ll try to buy time. Sofia, as soon as Calina is done, disconnect her, then you stay with Kira. Inessa, head to the basement - help Katya get Volkov to the van. Calina will cover you when she’s able. I’ll be on the roof.”

“On it,” came Katya’s reply.

“Heading down now. ETA on the strike team is 2 minutes,” Inessa updated.

Yelena ran out of the room. The moment the door closed behind her, Calina started tugging off the tape holding her cannula in place. “Get this thing out of me,” she hissed to Sofia.

“No, you need to finish,” Sofia said firmly.

“Are the nanites out of my system?” she bit back.

“Yes, but you need the rest of the plasma transfusion. If you stop now, your blood volume will be low and your blood pressure could plummet.”

Yelena chimed in over the comms. “Listen to her, Calina.”

“No. I’ll take the risk. I need to be out there providing backup.”

When Sofia still didn’t move, Calina took matters into her own hands. She yanked out the cannula. The plasma substitute in the tubing started leaking on the floor but Calina ignored it. She got to her feet, bracing herself on the arm of the chair as her head swam.

Sofia curse under her breath and grabbed some gauze to stem the blood leaking from Calina’s arm. “Stubborn zhopa,” she muttered, as she taped it into place.

Calina slipped her arms into the top of her suit and zipped it closed. She primed the Widow’s bites on her wrists, slotted her gun in her thigh holster and grabbed one of the semi-automatic rifles from the weapons cache. Then she paused in the doorway. She looked back at the other two women in the room and gave them a tight nod. “Stay safe.”

“You too,” Kira replied.

“We’ll see you in the van,” Sofia said.

Calina nodded again then took off running. She could hear the distant crunch of gravel as the cars barrelled up the long driveway. Then a muffled pop-pop-pop, as Yelena fired on them from her sniper’s nest on the roof. She must have hit a tire, because there was the sound of a crash as a car spun and collided with something.

Five SUVs, with four-to-five men per vehicle, meant a strike team of at least 20. Possibly 25.

Not the worst case scenario. Six Widows could easily take them on.

But one of those six was still hooked up to a plasmapheresis machine. One was standing guard, and another two were securing an asset.

That left just Calina and Yelena.

Two Widows to stem the tide of two dozen aggressors.

Calina reached the second floor and used the butt of her rifle to smash out the glass from the small window at the front of the property. Then she crouched down, her sights fixed on the bend in the driveway - the bend the convoy would be rounding any second now.

She took a deep, calming breath, and tried to ignore the slight dizziness the action caused.

Two against 20.

Piece of cake.

 ———

 “KATYA, INESSA, ARE YOU IN THE VAN? DO YOU HAVE VOLKOV” Yelena’s shout was barely audible over the gun fire. She’d taken up a spot a few windows down from Calina after sniping the men fleeing from the crashed vehicle. They currently had the occupants of two of the other SUVs pinned down at the front of the mansion, but the whereabouts of the other two cars - and the teams of men inside - were unknown.

It was worrying Calina...but not as much as their immediate situation. There were eight men outside exchanging gun fire with them. At the moment they were trapped behind their cars - nowhere to go but into a spray of bullets.

But Calina and Yelena were running low on those.

“Negative!” Katya responded. “There are at least ten assailants in the house. They’re between us and the garage.”

Shit. The missing teams had infiltrated the mansion somehow.

This was bad. Very bad.

They needed to get out of there.

Now. 

“New objective,” Yelena yelled. “If you can’t extract Volkov safely, kill him. Your freedom is the top priority.”

“Got it.”

Yelena swapped her gun for the tablet and updated the other Widows on what the footage showed. “There are three men in the kitchen, two have entered the living room. Two are coming upstairs to us and the rest are heading towards the med bay.”

She tossed the tablet to the floor, holstered her gun, then called across the room to Calina. “Cover me. I’m going to deal with these assholes out front.”

“What?” Calina yelled. “How?”

Yelena hooked her leg out the window frame and winked at Calina, “Trust me.”

Then she disappeared. 

Calina laid down covering fire as Yelena hit the ground and rolled, but within seconds her rifle clicked empty. But it didn’t matter - the men weren’t firing on Yelena. They started chasing her instead as she bolted around the side of the house. They must have been under orders to retrieve rather than kill.

Calina threw down her rifle and prepared to follow Yelena out the window. But just as she grabbed the sides of the frame there was a massive explosion outside, and the blast wave rocked the house. The ceiling rained plaster and all the glassware in the ornate display cabinet to Calina’s left shattered.

“What the hell was that?” Calina shouted down the comms.

“Someone must have tripped the mines I planted,” Katya yelled. Then grunted. A thud sounded, then there was the familiar crackle of a Widow’s bites.

“It was me,” Yelena responded. She sounded slightly winded. “I led those idiots right through the tripwire. I’m on my way to the medbay.”

“I’m coming too,” Calina called. She jumped out the window and hit the gravel below. She absorbed the landing on bent legs and rolled to soften it, but she still felt a jolt through her recently injured knee.

“You’ll have to go through the house - the path around the side is nothing but flames now,” Yelena said.

“Understood.”

Calina unholstered her gun and slowly eased open the front door. She swung into the foyer, gun outstretched as she cleared the four corners of the room.

Empty.

She made her way - crouched and silent - through the next door and into the living space.

Not so empty.

Two men in black combat armour and grease paint were at the far end of the room. She shot the closest one in the head and he dropped to the ground in an instant. The other spun and fired at her. She dove to the ground behind the sofa. She felt a bite of pain in her side as she landed, but ignored it. She could hear the man stalking towards her so she detached one of the taser discs from her wristband and slid it across the oak floor into his path. Bolts of neon blue lighting erupted from the device and latched onto the mans right leg. He seized as the voltage pierced through his body.

Calina jumped to her feet and ran passed him, following the sound of gunfire deeper in the mansion.

“Katya and I made it to the garage,” Inessa said over the comms. “But we lost Volkov.”

“Shit,” Yelena responded.

“It gets worse. We heard him call in for reinforcements - apparently there’s a second wave of strike teams on standby just off the highway. They’re on their way, so you guys have to get out of the house NOW!”

Calina raced down the corridor and rounded the corner at the end - where she almost collided with another assailant. She ducked under his swinging arm and pounded her fist into his side. They exchanged a volley of hits and kicks in the narrow space, Calina falling to the ground after a brutal punch to the face. But she used it to her advantage - she grabbed the knife from her boot and struck upwards, impaling the man in the gap in his armour between his abdomen and thigh and puncturing his femoral artery.  He collapsed to his knees and she followed up with a stab to his neck. He hit the floor face first and she crawled passed him and staggered to her feet.

Her cheek was throbbing and her her knee was on fire. She was also getting more and more light-headed, and she assumed she was feeling the effects of her aborted plasma transfusion.

She staggered down the hallway just in time to see the last of three assailants crumple to the floor in a pile of his slain teammates. The sound of gunfire coming from the medbay in front of him stopped, then the yelling began.

“Kira, no!”

“Yes. You have to go!”

“What’s going on?” Calina asked, stepping over the bodies and into the room. Three women whipped around to face her. Sofia looked distraught. Yelena looked angry.

And Kira looked…sad. “Calina,” she said. “You have to get out of here. Take these two and RUN!”

She was still hooked up to the machine. Which meant the treatment hadn’t finished. Calina realised the implications straight away and she met Kira’s eyes with horror.

Kira nodded. “I still have the nanites in my system. If I go with you, they’ll track us. If I run on my own, they’ll find me.”

“We’ll come for you, you know we will,” Yelena pleaded. “We’ll-”

“No, Yelena. I won’t go back to them - even temporarily. I can’t do it. I won’t.”

Inessa’s voice came through the comms. “You guys have to leave NOW! We’re in the van on the coast road - head out back and down the hill and meet us there. The second wave are coming up the driveway. They’ll be there in seconds. MOVE!”

Kira unhooked herself from the machine and grabbed the belt of grenades from the table of weapons. She pulled the pin on the first one and held the trigger. “I’m letting go of this in 90 seconds, Yelena. You’re either in the house when that happens or not - you decide. But I’m not leaving.”

Yelena paused for a split second before nodding. She grabbed Kira around the neck and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. Then she turned and ran. Sofia quickly followed.

Calina lingered for another moment, her eyes locked on Kira’s.

She didn’t know the other Widow well - they were different ages, and went through training at different times. But in this moment, she saw herself in the other Widow. She understood Kira’s decision, and recognised the conviction the other woman felt.

She too would rather die by her own hand, than risk being under someone’s control again.

She nodded to Kira, and received one in return.

Then she turned and fled.

She’d just made it out of the back door when she heard the sound of several cars pulling up to the front of the house.

And she’d just reached the bottom of the garden when the force of the blast wave from the explosion behind her lifted her off her feet.

She tumbled to the ground and rolled down the steep hill that led to the coast road. When she stopped, she heard someone shout her name, the syllables muffled as her ears struggled to recover from the sound of the detonation. She felt a set of hands grab her under the arms and pull her to her feet. “Calina, get up! Come on!”

It was Katya.

She staggered onto the road, held up by the other Widow. The van was idling on the deserted road, the back doors open. She clambered inside and collapsed onto the floor with a groan. The doors slammed shut and then they were moving, speeding away from what remained of their home.

“Is everyone okay?” Inessa called from the driver’s seat.

There was a chorus of positive replies from the three other women, but Calina couldn’t seem to find the strength to answer. She felt…strange…as if she was in a tunnel, the light around her slowly narrowing to a far off point.

“Calina,” Sofia called, panic suddenly in her voice. “You’re bleeding!”

“Wha-?” Calina whispered, struggling to keep her eyes open.

Sofia’s hands came down on Calina’s side and she pressed firmly.

Calina reared up as the shock of the pain jolted her from her daze. She looked down to see the right side of her suit was dark and wet with blood. It spilled from between Sofia’s fingers.

“What’s going on?” Yelena yelled from the front of the vehicle.

“Calina’s been shot,” Sofia answered.

She’d been shot.

She remembered the bite of pain as the man in the living room fired at her.

Then she remembered nothing at all…as the world went black.

———

CHAPTER 11 

@hollandorks @yanna-banana @stilldreaming666 @tearoseart-blog​ @acharliecoxedfan @freckledbabyyy​ @chezagnes

[shiftingtomydrs]

What is your Big bang theory dr like? Are you a scientist in it or like a regular person like Penny?

What are Sheldon and Raj like?

I'm genuinely curious if Sheldon is really that concerned about his spot on the couch like in the show too.

Thank you if you answer this and have an amazing day

hii thanks for asking <3 you have an amazing day too!

soo first of all i havent shifted there yet soo ill just answer this from how i scripted it / imagine it

first of all i appear the first time like halfway through the first season through penny, like we met and became friends and then she invited me and since yk sheldon never talks about his siblings that also applied to me obviously. i dont live in the same apartment building (i havent actually scripted where i live yet) but im there all the time.

im a scientist, im sheldons younger sister and kinda like a female version of tony stark if it makes sense haha except for the born into money part obviously and the avenger part and all

sheldon is annoying haha but in my mind if you know how to deal with him its more or less fine. raj becomes one of my best friends later on through the show once he actually figures out how to talk to women but hes very sweet.

he is. he absolutely is haha im happy i dont have to live with him anymore.

i hope this is kinda what you had in mind for an answer soo yeah sorry if it wasnt :)

more questions would be great, anything and everything you want this was very fun :)

[missnobodymadness]

I've been wanting to introduce Aisha here for a while but considering that my OC introductions never really go well I kept procrastinating...well, I decided that I have all the right to talk about my babies here and my mental health and enjoyment should always be more important than notes, so I am gonna be who I am today and do what I like even if no one is there to read it, so here is Aisha's introduction, along with some backstory that I already wrote for her profile on TH.

Introduction

“Whenever a scientist finds a cure to something, companies will take advantage of them and sell it to you for the price of your soul, lives weren’t meant to have a price tag, you can’t play God and decide who is gonna live based on who is wearing Prada and that’s what motivates me to keep fighting for a world where science and technology will become a right instead of a luxury” Name: Aisha Fraser (Aisha Fraser Stark after marriage) Meaning: Alive, Well Alias: Hell's Bane or 69676 Date of Birth: 9, May, 1987 Age: 21+ Zodiac: Taurus Gender: Female Pronouns: She/Her Orientation: Pansexual Species: Human (Modified) MBTI: ENFJ Status: Alive More posts about her: Aishamcuoc

Appearance

Height: 5'7" (170cm) Weight: 161lbs (73kg) Skin: White Eyes: Blue Hair: Ginger (Natural); Fiery red (After modifications) Scars/Birth marks/Tattoos: Freckles, a beauty spot on the side of her mouth and a tattoo with her lab name "69676" on the back of her neck, a few non important small scars from the experiments Special features: She has built-in real black wings that come out of a cavity on her back

Relationships

Biological Family

Mother: Unknown scottish woman Father: Unknown scottish man Siblings: None Partner: Tony Stark (Married) Children: Ryan, David, Nelson, Mathew ♰, Lennon ♰, Aron ♰, Henry ♰ and Morgan Other family: None

Other relationships:

Wonderland Circus family (Found Family, they are background OCs) Natasha Romanoff (Best Friend) Wade Wilson (Close Friend, they have some tea like two old ladies while being the most sassy bitches together everytime they meet 8) ) Sam Wilson (Annoying friend that she wants to kick) Bucky Barnes (Friend) Happy Hogan (Good friends, they eat hamburgers together while Tony is not watching, shhh) T'Challa (Good friend, mutual respect) Thor (Friends, he had a small crush on her when they met) Baron Zemo (One night stand lover) Peter Parker (Sees him as a son even thought she wishs she could kick his ass sometimes too) Nick Fury (Confidant)

Occupation & Abilities

Powers/Skills: Fire creation and manipulation, slightly physically stronger than an average human and has wings that allow her to fly, they are real wings and she avoids using them because they are a weakness to her Weaknesses: Her wings, her hair (it let's her enemies know when s he is hurt, her hair changes color according to her status, if she is hurt her red hair will turn into a greyish white, the amount of white hair tells you how badly hurt she is, for example, if she is dying, her hair will be fully white), close combat Equipment: She usually doesn't use anything other than technology, such as suits or technological tools that enhance her powers and skills Job: Science and engineering Affiliation: Avengers Former affiliation: Hydra (As an infiltrator)

Personality

Positive Traits

✔ Extremely intelligent ✔ Independent ✔ Social ✔ Wise ✔ Empathetic ✔ Hardworking

Negative Traits

X Insecure X  Sassy X  Clumsy X Perfectionist X  Forgetful X  Disobedient

Likes: Her family and friends, technology, science, politics, mutants, helping people Dislikes: Cheaters, injustice, hate crimes, mainly towards minorities, shallow and closed-minded people

Backstory

Aisha (Aka Hell’s Bane or 69676) is a very intelligent genetically modified human, she was sold to the organization Leviathan by her own parents, who had close ties to them, when she was only a few months old.

Leviathan is a secret european organization based in Scotland, they have an illegal and hidden laboratory in Portland, Oregon, USA, to where Aisha was sent.

Since then she has been used and modified by the organization, she was nothing more than a weapon in progress and her life was resumed to that for the first 20 years of her life, until the day she was able to escape, burning the laboratory down along with everyone in it, even the innocent ones.

Their project wasn’t completed yet, which means she is considered as an incomplete experiment. With the death of their leader and most important members, who were there when everything happened, the organization collapsed, only a few workers were left and most of them only wanted to go home as they were also victims.

Aisha went through a really hard time after that event, she felt lost and could barely communicate with people due to her lack of social skills, as a fast learner she was able to hunt for food and fend for herself, staying hidden at the Willamette national forest. Sometimes she would adventure into the city of Portland and try to interact, as time passed by Aisha finally learned some social skills.

It wouldn’t take long before she met her future first friends, they belonged to a travelling circus who was currently staying at the city, they were all extremely nice to her and made her feel welcome, some time later she had an idea that would change her life once again, she could use and control fire and a circus would be the perfect place for her to hide and go unnoticed, after all who would suspect she was actually creating and controlling the fire? She could always use a mask as well, no one would ever know who she was during her exhibitions. Maybe they would take her in and let her travel around with them?

Aisha started practicing a few tricks daily and once she finally felt ready, decided to show them what she was able to do and was successful in impressing them with her supposed talent, she got what she wanted, an invitation to join their circus and Aisha was totally ready for that wild trip!

Some months passed and she had learned so much about the world, finally feeling free and like herself for the first time, social skills weren’t a problem for her anymore, in fact, she found out she was quite the communicative type.

They had just arrived in New York, well, most precisely the suburbs, when Aisha found out about the Avengers, she was quite curious about them, mainly about the one named Tony Stark, she had this weird attraction to technology and couldn’t avoid her curiosity. Aisha got inspired and started to create her own cape and mask so she could hide her identity, tracking their activity the best way she could at the moment, she was able to help them whenever she saw they needed it really bad, Aisha had no fight skills but she surely could impress with her fire and wings, so she was quite useful to distract their opponents when everything seemed to be lost for the Avengers.

Eventually she never showed her face, but they could see her blue eyes through the mask, she became a mystery to them and she would always get away before they could even talk to her, until the day things were way more serious than she could’ve imagined and Aisha was knocked out while trying to helplessly help Sam and Natasha who were currently fighting alone, some minutes later Tony Stark showed up and they were able to overcome the situation, but Aisha was still out, they captured her and took her to the tower where she eventually woke up some time later, she had no idea where she was and started to freak out when she noticed she was literally locked inside that room, the Avengers couldn’t risk any danger.

Tony Stark couldn’t help himself, his curiosity was screaming, he needed to know more about what she was and why she helped them several times, Stark studied her for a few days, Aisha wasn’t happy, she didn’t fight for her freedom only to see it being taken away from her again, but she wasn’t dumb, she knew she couldn’t get away the way she did at the laboratory, the room was fireproof and she didn’t really want to hurt any of them either, so she allowed Tony to keep going with his studies and meanwhile they got to know each other a bit better, but what really caught his attention was her intelligence and apparent interest, maybe even passion, for technology and eventually they realized that keeping her locked in a room wasn’t necessary and was making her miserable, she wasn’t a threat at all and not having any stimulation was driving her intelligent mind crazy.

Aisha didn’t think twice before running away, her friends were probably very worried and looking for her and she needed to let them know what has happened and where she had been and so she spent some more time with them while they stayed at New York, however, on the last day at the city, Aisha started to feel very unsure if she really belonged there, she couldn’t even tell them who she really was, how would they understand? How would they take the news once they realize she has no talent and the fire was created by herself all this time? She loved them, they were her family, but did she really belong with them? She wanted to do great things, she wanted to learn a bit of everything and dedicate her life to what she truly loved: Technology.

She would never be able to do that with them, she would just perform fire tricks for the rest of her life, Aisha knew, deep down, that she didn’t belong and so, she decided to part with them and stay at the tower where she knew she was also welcome.

With all the technology on her side, Aisha decided to start her own research and projects, catching Tony’s attention once again who later offered her a place at his laboratory as his apprentice, she was happy to get such privilege and worked hard to impress him and he wasn’t disappointed and later she became an official S.H.I.E.L.D adviser.

Aisha started to be successful with her work and became really popular for her ideas and creations, getting the spotlight on several magazines and scientific journals, little did she know such popularity would turn into a big problem for her.

The spotlight made Hydra notice Aisha and lately find out about who and what she really was, targeting her, especially after Aisha was able to get into their database later on, they wanted her, she would be way more useful to them alive than dead and they knew exactly how to make her behave but they also knew it wouldn’t be easy to fool her, some force would certainly be needed, they also planned to finish what Leviathan had started.

Unfortunately for Hydra, Aisha was no idiot and after successfully escaping from their first try she had started to think of a plan just in case they’d be successful someday, she had read enough articles to know they weren’t gonna stop coming for her and by the time they were finally able to capture her she already had traced one, it wasn’t a easy one, Aisha knew she would need to sacrifice a lot for it and that they wouldn’t go easy on her, she had studied Hydra so well lately that she was pretty aware of how things would work there, she was terrified but she would not give up, she would fool and take advantage of them and they wouldn’t even realize that!

And Aisha did exactly that, she made them believe she was under their control while she gathered information and learned how to fight, they surely weren’t soft with her, but Aisha was used to the pain and she knew it was for a greater good, however, slowly she started to realize she would probably carry a few physical and psychological scars with her from her experience with Hydra.

Tony was the only one who she told about her plans and that also brought him some trouble with the Avengers, she had asked him to not look for her in case she was successfully but how would Tony make sure the rest of them wouldn’t try to rescue her? After all not rescuing her sounded extremely absurd to them.

Okay, this is enough spoiler for now, her story is REALLY long. :'D

Trivia

. Aisha has a very intelligent mind and is very prone to boredoom and frustration, as such, she is always in need of something to keep her stimulated. . Before running away from the Leviathan laboratory, she was learning a few useful languages so she could do her job properly, she learned german and russian with them. . Aisha has a very sassy and sarcastic nature and while some find it amusing, others may find it annoying, her nickname at the tower is actually "sassy pants" because of that. . She has black wings on her back, they come out through a big cavity that she has on her back, on both sides, that goes from the shoulder to her waist, her wings are extremely sensitive and she usually doesn't allow people to touch them. . Aisha is a feminist and when she finally gets famous and rich, she decides to build a safe place for women who are victims of domestic violence, she has helped many people to rebuild their lives, she loves people and wants them all to have the same chance she once had to rebuild hers.

Both artworks on here were made on Picrew. (1,2)

[raepritewrites]

Yet another ficlet that I don't feel like putting on ao3, enjoy!

Blood is Thicker

Marvel x Young Justice AU

TEEN for kidnapping and blood mentioned

Ocs: Heather and Harry Parker

Cheshire and probably Lex Luther, haven't thought that far ahead

“Experiment 337 is not progressing as predicted. The chemical chains are breaking down faster than the team had anticipated, making the solution inoperable for further testing,” Heather squinted down the microscope in front of her, watching the tiny world on the slide deteriorate like a building imploding.

“Fuck,” she added, hoping FRIDAY knew that part shouldn’t be on the official lab report. “I really thought we had it that time.” She pushed back from the microscope on her rolling stool, rubbing her eyes. It was late; she’d been here since six am and it was nearing two am now. At least Stark Industries paid really great for overtime.

She and her team had been working relentlessly on their newest theories to “unlock human potential” as Pepper Potts had put it to the investors. Tony later said that was fancy talk for “curing cancer”, and Heather had told him that was a gross understatement.

If Heather and her colleagues were correct, and they were ninety-eight percent sure they were, human genetics held the key to curing some of the worst ailments suffered worldwide. They were also, even before Tony or anyone else could say it, well aware that it sounded like something a supervillain would state. But the numbers didn’t lie - they’d spent a long time theorizing before they had ever gotten close to the lab testing phase, and human testing was practically lightyears away.

What had never been included in the official reports was Heather’s suspicion that her own genetics might hold the key they were looking for. She was sorely tempted in moments like this, when yet another experiment failed, to grab a syringe and draw just a small blood sample.

Just a few drops, that might be all she needed to make a breakthrough… but she always stopped that thought cold.

Now that was a supervillain origin story just waiting to happen - a scientist starts experimenting on herself in desperation for answers. She could name half a dozen villains off the top of her head with that exact backstory, and she refused to become a statistic on principle alone.

Maybe it was time to call it a night. Or a day, rather. She was supposed to be off tomorrow. Today, whatever.

She’d use that time to catch up on sleep, cuddle with her fiance, and maybe return Nightwing’s phone call. Maybe.

If it had been Dick calling her, she wouldn’t have hesitated for her ‘adopted’ brother. However, it had definitely been Nightwing calling over her comms line this past week. He was asking for a favor, a mask related favor, and she really was starting to regret not burning that bridge.

She still loved helping people, but that’s why she’d pushed herself so hard to obtain her biochemical engineering degree. This, her research, helped people long term.

Masks could help with the immediate disasters, sure, but there was always another one looming on the horizon. The hunt never ended. And she was tired of the hunt. She was tired of chasing something she wasn’t even sure she wanted anymore.

She’d thought as a teenager that superheroing would give her closure. Her father had died saving her. Surely carrying on his legacy in the mask would honor his memory, would give her a sense of purpose. But it had never really filled the hole in her heart left by his absence.

Her father was gone, and the only way she could give herself closure was to keep moving forward, not stay stuck in the past.

“Alright FRIDAY,” She finally said with a sigh, hopping off her stool and stretching her back. “I think it’s time for me to go home.” As usual, she felt the danger just a fraction of a second too late.

"So soon, Ms Parker? But we just got here," said a female voice sweetly.

Heather acted more startled than she actually was, whirling around and 'accidentally' knocking an empty plastic vial tray off the counter.

Two men of standard bodyguard build, and a woman that she was unfortunately very familiar with had somehow made it all the way to the 24th floor of the SI building, bypassing multiple security checkpoints, and even FRIDAY herself.

In very classic fashion, Heather asked the logical question first. "How the hell did you get up here?"

"That's not important," the woman said, the wide stretched grin of her mask unnerving even to someone who'd seen it many times.

"Pretty sure my boss would disagree. I'm assuming FRIDAY is offline?" Heather crossed her arms, trying to look uncomfortable by the intruders while actually hiding her fingers that were pushing the beacon hidden in her watch.

"She's been locked out of this floor temporarily. Just long enough for us to collect you, Ms Parker," Cheshire replied, running her gloved finger idly along a countertop as she wandered the room.

Heather knew she was probably looking for extra security measures, but this high up in the building, it was just FRIDAY - which normally was more than enough. "And what can I do for you, Miss…?" She raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Call me Cheshire," the half-Vietnamese woman said with a bow.

Considering you're Artemis' sister, I should probably be calling you a cousin by now, Heather thought. "Cute. You didn't answer my other question. What do you want?"

"My employer is looking for some specialized assistance. They decided you were the perfect candidate for the job." Cheshire was idly twirling one of her blades on the spotless lab counters.

Heather shouldn't have been surprised the woman talked about abducting scientists in the same way one discussed the weather, and yet…

"Wow," Heather said dryly. "I finally reached the point in my career where someone deemed me smart enough to kidnap. I'm flattered."

"Don't be silly, Ms Parker. We’re not here to kidnap you. You're going to come willingly."

Heather snorted. "Yeah right."

Cheshire seemed more amused than usual as she sauntered closer. "I'm perfectly serious. In approximately one and a half minutes, you're going to walk out of the lab with my associates and I. You will tell the AI that you're going of your own free will, and that everything is fine. We will walk out of the building together, get into our vehicle and make our leave. Nice, clean, simple."

"No amount of money in the world could ever convince me to go build some maniac a dirty bomb, or whatever your boss wants me to do," Heather stated firmly.

"Oh but the prize being offered here is… well, quite priceless," Cheshire nodded her head towards her backup muscle. One of the men pulled a smartphone from his coat pocket, tapped it a few times and held it up where Heather could see the screen.

Heather felt the blood drain from her face as her stomach clenched. On the other end of the video call was her little brother, Harry, bound hand and foot to a chair in a dark room and gagged. There was a blossoming bruise barely visible beneath his shaggy bangs, and a tear in his favorite denim jacket, but he otherwise looked unharmed. Terrified yes, but alive.

After a moment, Heather found her voice. "I don't know who your boss is, but he's made a very big mistake," she glared at the masked woman. "If anything happens to him, heads will roll."

"Like I said," Cheshire said coyly as she turned away. "I knew you'd come willingly."

Heather swallowed the insults that flooded her mouth, knowing Cheshire was just the messenger. She tapped her anger down into a small box in her chest, focusing on logic instead.

Yes, these people had Harry. Did they know she and her brother were enhanced? It was unlikely, given that they'd tied her brother with what looked to be standard hardware store rope. Then this had nothing to do with their secret identities or their step-father’s. Knowing that gave her the smallest advantage but also put her in an interesting bind.

She could still refuse to go with them and rescue Harry herself. She could get a message to Peter, or the League, and let them bust Cheshire's employer. Problem was, she didn't know where Harry was, or who had him. If she didn't play this right, she could blow all of their secrets.

On the other hand, if she didn't play at all, Harry would die.

"Dammit," she muttered, dropping her arms in defeat. "Alright, just… Let me grab my bag."

"Oh please, allow my associate to help you," Cheshire offered, as the man not holding the video feed of her brother picked up her purse and jacket. "I wouldn't want you getting any funny ideas about calling the police. After all, you're coming with us willingly, remember?"

The man pulled her phone out of her purse and left it purposefully sitting on one of the counters, like Heather had put it down and forgotten about it. He made a grabbing motion with his hand. "Smartwatch too, Ms Parker."

Heather gritted her teeth but removed her watch, handing it over. It was placed neatly beside the phone as he offered her her jacket.

So much for my civilian beacon. I don't have my backup with me either, she thought, shrugging into her jacket and accepting her purse. She gave the video feed one more glance and felt a new resolve harden in her gut.

I'm coming, baby brother, just hang on.

When she and her three new friends walked out of the lab, FRIDAY's voice greeted her instantly. "Ms Parker, I have been out of contact with you for two minutes and forty-three seconds. Is everything okay?"

Cheshire gave her a pointed look.

Heather took a deep breath. "Everything is fine, FRIDAY. I'm leaving here of my own free will. Please, make sure to tell my dad I have to postpone our meeting until later, something has come up."

She held her breath, hoping her 'friends' wouldn't find anything wrong in her words that could get her brother killed. She knew FRIDAY was one of the smartest AI's on the planet, and even if she wouldn't know exactly why Heather’s words were off, she would know to share them with the right people.

FRIDAY processed her words for a long heartbeat. "Very well, Ms Parker. Have a good evening."

The AI opened the elevator for them, and soon they were dropping down into the parking garage. The three led Heather to a nondescript black SUV, and within moments they were pulling into late night traffic. The two men were in the front seat, Cheshire and herself in the middle row. Once the Stark Industries building was out of sight, Heather’s voice was like ice. "How do I know that your boss will release my brother when they get what they want?"

"You have my word," Cheshire promised coolly. "I have no intention of breaking up a family."

"Right," Heather drawled, unimpressed. "I suppose you won't tell me what they want until we arrive."

"And spoil the surprise?"

Heather rolled her eyes. "Mmhmm. Listen, I've been going nonstop for about twenty hours now, so I'm going to get some sleep. I'd appreciate it if no one stabbed me before I got to see my brother."

"You've got it, sunshine. Pleasant dreams," Cheshire cooed at her smugly.

Heather glared at her hard enough that she could see the woman stiffen. "I meant what I said, Cheshire. I don't care what happens to me, but if anything befalls my brother, I won't rest until everyone responsible is dead. You have my word on that." With that said, she leaned back in the leather seat and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the mental images of yet another loved one lying in a pool of blood at her feet.

Harry didn't know what was happening, and as someone who was usually in the loop, he did not enjoy the feeling.

He'd been on campus, leaving a party much later than his mom would have liked him to be, but he didn't have class the following day, and he'd been in a festive mood.

He had gotten a girl's number from the party, which didn't happen often to a Parker (or a Reilly for that matter). Her name was Sabrina, she was an art major, she loved dogs and wanted to paint a wall mural somewhere in the city - and he had her number!

Harry had been so happy walking back to his dorm that he hadn't paid his spider sense any mind until rough arms were dragging him down an alley.

At first, he'd thought it was a mugging, but then his three assailants were trying to shove a chemical soaked rag over his mouth and nose. He'd taken a deep breath of the stuff before his head caught up with what was happening to his body.

He threw two of his attackers off with just a fraction of his enhanced strength, and punched the third in the jaw. He turned to run for help when the chloroform seemed to catch up with him, speeding through his system from his rapid heartbeat. He staggered, tripping over a garbage can and landing roughly on his hands and knees. He opened his mouth to call for help when he was tackled from behind, knocking the air from his lungs.

Harry flipped onto his back, trying to aim a punch at the man's throat but his slowed reflexes meant the hit just glanced off of his attacker's shoulder. The man retaliated with a punch to Harry's temple, bouncing his skull against the concrete. Harry blinked the stars from his eyes as the other two men pinned him down and forced the rag over his face again. He tried to hold his breath, but the man straddling him had a knee pressed against his diaphragm, making him more and more aware of his need for oxygen.

Harry kicked his legs weakly, desperately, trying to tug his arms free but soon his lungs burned for air. He took in a desperate gasp and instantly felt his head swim as darkness took over his vision.

When Harry woke up sometime later, he was bound to a metal chair bolted to the floor, cotton in his mouth and sticky tape sealing his lips. He took several minutes to clear the fog from his brain and take stock of his situation. The room was dark except for a single light bulb hanging above him, its weak light only illuminating a ten foot radius. He was alone, as far as he could tell, and that made him more nervous.

He very carefully flexed his muscles and knew instantly he could free himself. Clearly, whoever had grabbed him didn't know his secret. So, that eliminated the Spiderman angle, or at least the Stinger angle. So why was he here?

Outside of his extra curricular activities with his dad and occasionally his sister, there was nothing remarkable about Harry. He'd gotten into college on a soccer scholarship, he made average to good grades, his parents weren't rich, and he wasn't in any kind of fraternity which eliminated the odds of this being a hazing gone way too far.

He couldn't even say that Harry Parker had enemies. He was generally well liked by most of his class - even Malcolm Washington, the little prick, didn't rank any higher than a traditional sports rival. Stinger had enemies, that was for sure; ones he'd inherited from his dad, and ones he'd made on his own just from fighting the good fight.

But if these people wanted Stinger, why tie him up with regular rope and leave him unguarded? That didn't make sense.

Suddenly, a door Harry hadn't noticed before opened and someone cast in shadow from the light outside stepped in. Harry squinted against the bright light, eyes struggling to adjust from the dark. It looked like whoever it was had a long metal object in their hand, and a spike of panic went through him.

The shadowy person approached deliberately and Harry willed himself not to outwardly react, even when his heart threatened to bust its way out of his chest. The person paused just outside of the circle of light and took the long metal object, which Harry finally recognized as a tripod, and set it up in front of him. They placed a smartphone onto the tripod so it faced Harry, and stepped back further into the shadows.

Harry narrowed his eyes in confusion, but with the wad of whatever-it-was shoved in his mouth, he couldn't ask what the hell was happening. He didn't have to wait long, though.

A video call came across the screen and the shadowy person answered it. Harry at first stared back at his own disheveled reflection in the camera before the call connected, and suddenly he was staring at his big sister's pale face. Her voice came over the tinny speaker, furious as her gaze switched from him to someone off-screen. "I don't know who your boss is, but he's made a very big mistake. If anything happens to him, heads will roll." He’d only heard her sound so angry a few times before. It wasn’t her Scarlet Spider voice, not exactly, but it was very very close.

"Like I said," A mystery woman responded. "I knew you'd come willingly."

Harry’s confusion only deepened as he watched a myriad of emotions cross his sister’s face. Who were these people? What did they want from Heather? It couldn’t have been ransom, she didn’t have any more money than his parents did.

He’d found that strange when he was younger, since his sister was friends with not just one but two billionaires, but she’d explained to him that she wanted to earn her own way through the world - not rely on charity or favors. While she had accepted the scholarships that put her through college from Wayne Foundations and Stark Industries, she’d made their respective CEO’s promise to actually consider other candidates’ essays, instead of just picking hers because they knew her. Wayne and Stark had assured her that she’d won them fair and square with the handful of other candidates. And then Heather had gone and interrogated Pepper Potts and Dick Grayson to make sure it was actually true before accepting them.

“-you’re coming with us willingly, remember?” The mystery woman on the call said, forcing Harry to halt his scattered thoughts and focus on what was happening.

Heather surrendered her phone and smartwatch, looking like she was swallowing a lemon as she did. He knew why too. Her watch had a distress beacon built into it for civilian emergencies. Without her watch, the likelihood of someone finding them had dwindled significantly. She turned back to the phone and met his gaze through the feed, a familiar look of steely protectiveness in her eyes before the call was cut off.

When he was younger, he’d found his sister’s protectiveness annoying at best and overbearing at worst. He was his own person, with his own powers, and could take care of himself. If he wasn’t worried about blowing his status as enhanced, he could bust himself out of here right now. He hated that he was being used as leverage against his sister for… something.

He couldn’t begin to imagine what they would want from her. Sure, Heather knew a lot of people, but most of those connections were strictly through the mask. The few she knew that were of public knowledge - Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, a few of the X-Men - nobody outside her inner circle had any idea how deep those connections went. As far as the world at large was concerned, she and Dick Grayson had met at a charity event as teenagers and remained friends, Tony Stark was her boss along with thousands of others, and her fiance was a retired member of the X-Men. Not exactly blackmail material.

The shadowy figure had left at some point during Harry’s musings, leaving the tripod and phone behind and cutting off the outside light. The dim lighting and bareness of the room once again set his nerves on edge.

Harry wasn’t one to spook easily, but his spider senses seemed to be stretching out taut as a bow string, searching for danger or stimulus of any kind. He was restless and wished he could get up and pace the room.

Heather had explained to him that the spider sense was a kind of precognition. It was an extension of what most people referred to as a sixth sense; the creeping feeling you got when you instinctually knew something was wrong, but multiplied by a hundred.

When the sense had finally come to him fully, he’d been so nauseous with vertigo he laid in bed for three days, choking down clear liquids and saltine crackers only to throw them back up a few hours later. Heather had stayed by his side the entire time, coaching him through reining in the power until it didn’t overwhelm him.

“It’s a muscle, Harry. Think of it like your diaphragm,” Heather had explained to him in a soft voice. He’d had his eyes pinched closed as tight as they would go, his head exploding with sounds and colors. He could hear traffic from outside their apartment like it was right beside him. He could hear every baby crying, and every neighbor in their building as they cleaned or talked or watched television or vacuumed or made dinner.

It was too much, it was all too much.

“Breathe Harry. Come on, little brother, breathe. Focus on the sound of my voice, on my heartbeat and nothing else. Your spider sense is trying to find danger that isn’t there, constricted as tight as if you were holding your breath. Let it relax, let it acknowledge that you’re safe, and then reel it back one breath at a time.” Heather and pressed her forehead to his as she sat on the edge of his bed, taking his hand and guiding it to the pulse point in her neck. “Breathe, one two. Breathe, one two. That’s it little brother.”

Harry closed his eyes now and focused his breathing, focused on the pounding of his heart that sounded so loud in his ears. Slowly, his spider sense uncoiled itself from around his throat, his breaths evening out as his brain reasserted control. Yes, he was in a bad spot. Yes, he and his sister were in danger. But it wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle together.

His spider sense returned to it’s normal hum at the base of his skull - a snake ready to strike when danger reared it’s head, but also content to let its prey come to it. It was his constant companion, as much as it was for his sister, and their fathers before them.

Harry opened his eyes, frowning at that thought. His fathers. He rarely thought about his birth father, Ben, these days. Peter was the only father he’d ever known, though the man wasn’t always worthy of the title.

To his credit, Peter had really stepped up during Harry’s high school years, becoming a more prominent presence in his life than he’d ever been previously. Did it make up for the years Peter had squandered, too lost in self pity and hatred? No, not really, but the effort was appreciated.

Yet despite Peter’s shortcomings, Ben didn’t weigh on Harry’s mind the way he knew the man did for his older sister. Heather would probably never recover emotionally from the loss of their biological father, and the bitterness she had towards their stepfather ran deep. Oh sure, she’d taken steps. She’d attended therapy sessions, surrounded herself with friends who understood - at least to a degree - what it was like to lose a parent, even if it wasn’t in quite the same way as she had. She had made a kind of peace with the tragedy that stole Ben away from them before Harry was even born, but it was unclear whether she’d ever really forgive Peter’s role in her trauma. Despite her personal feelings, she didn’t seem to begrudge the close bond that Peter now shared with Harry and their younger sister Audrey.

“I don’t want you two to grow up to become jaded like me,” She’d told him once when it was just the two of them. “There’s only room for one black sheep in this family, and I’ve laid claim to it. You and Audrey should have the dad that I never really got.”

“It’s not like he wasn’t there,” Harry had argued at the time. He’d been eighteen and certain he knew how the world worked.

Heather had been twenty-three. Her smile had been so sad, just remembering it hurt. “Not in the ways it mattered,” was all she said.

Harry was twenty-one now, and while he better understood his sister’s perspective, he also knew that this was something they’d never truly see eye to eye on.

Harry's thoughts continued to wander as he waited in darkness. He wondered if his roommate Josh had noticed his absence. If he'd called his parents. Was his dad out looking for him now? He wondered if he'd see his mom again, or get to hug his adorably bratty thirteen year old sister one more time. Just as his thoughts were really beginning to spiral, the door opened again. He jerked his head up, squinting as he was once more blinded by the light.

"Harry!" Heather cried, running to him. She cupped his cheeks gently as she examined the bruise he could feel on his temple, eyes glittering suspiciously. "Are you okay?"

Fine, he tried to say, only to remember the gag.

Heather turned her head to glare at her escorts, while keeping a reassuring grip on her brother's broad shoulders. "Let him go. You've got me here, you don't need him anymore."

"Unfortunately, he will have to remain our guest for a little longer," Cheshire said, and Harry suddenly recognized it was her voice he'd heard on the video call. "Do as my employer asks, and he will be released."

Harry felt more than saw the tremble of rage that slid down Heather’s spine, his spider sense warning him of the very real harm his sister was capable of when provoked.

She seemed to give herself a five count to control her anger, before turning back to him. She smiled forcefully, leaning down to wrap her arms around his shoulders and bury her face in his neck. Only he could hear her as she breathed, "don't worry. Peter will be here soon. Play along until I can get us out of this."

Harry leaned his head toward her in response, grunting softly in acknowledgement. She pulled back enough to kiss his cheek and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, baby brother. Everything will be fine, okay?" She carded her fingers through his dirty hair, seemingly on the verge of tears, but he knew her well enough to see they were fake.

He played along, nodding with wide eyes, letting his Adam's apple bob nervously as he looked between his sister and the muscular guards. Playing the part of a scared victim was almost too easy. Mary Jane had given all of her children acting lessons to help maintain their secret identities. She always joked they would need it, since Peter was a terrible actor.

[ao3feed-petermj]

Faith in yourself will save everything.

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/HzFEZGj by BlackCat0416 Peter knew that when he lost everyone he cared about, his world came to a halt. He had nothing left to lose. Perhaps that’s why he once again asked himself the question: could death in one dimension mean birth in another? Scientists don’t even consider it a theory, but that had never stopped him before. So, taking a step into the abyss from which there is no return, he begins to learn how to live anew. Words: 11370, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Harley Keener, Peter Parker, Michelle Jones (Marvel), Ned Leeds, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark, Aunt May Parker (Marvel), Happy Hogan, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Original Characters, Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Eugene Thompson Jr. Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds Additional Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker is Trying His Best, Peter Parker-centric, Peter Parker Needs a Break, Peter Parker Has Issues, Teen Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Not Beta Read, Romance, Comfort, Friendship read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/HzFEZGj

[ao3feed-moonknight]

The Children of the Moon

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/MV9WvzC by WhiteWidowBlackWolf Tony Stark has an older daughter, Genevieve Maria Selene Stark. And boy has life put her through it. Its quickly approching on 5 years since Thanos snapped half the universe away and murdered her husband, Loki and their unborn child. To say things haven't been easy is a severe understatement. So like a good Stark, she threw herself into work and thats how she found herself paired with two unlikely fellows neck deep in a mission that involves magic, monsters, and evil scientists. And at the heart of the issue are six innocent little kids who are quickly runing out of time to be saved. While still struggling with her own demons, is it possible to still be the hero everyone sees her as or will she surrender to the darkness trying to eat her whole.... After all is there even really a point to life if your heart stop beating and froze over? Words: 2642, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 12 of WOLF IN THE SHADOWS Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Ghost Rider (Marvel Comics), Moon Knight (TV 2022), X-Men (Movieverse), Werewolf By Night (2022) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M Characters: Original Female Character(s), Moon Knight (Marvel), Jake Lockley, Johnny Blaze, Man-Thing (Marvel), Jack Russell (Marvel), Werewolf by Night (Marvel) - Character, Khonshu (Marvel) Relationships: Jake Lockey & Reader, Ghost Rider & Reader, Ghost Rider & Original Female Chracters, Johnny Blaze & Original Female Character(s), Moon Knight (Marvel) & Original Female Character(s) Additional Tags: Post-Thanos's Snap (Marvel), Reader is Tony Stark's Daughter, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, What Happened During The 5 Year Gap, Between Avengers: Infinity War (Movie) and Avengers: Endgame (Movie), All Work & No Play, Reader Has Powers, reader is an avenger, Action/Adventure, Suspense, Alternate Universe, Marvel Alternet Universe, mcu - Freeform, Past Tramas, Past Relationship(s), Swearing, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt, Established friendships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Child Abuse, Grief/Mourning, Angst and Tragedy, Magic-Users, Witchcraft & Science read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/MV9WvzC

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Shades of Darkness. The Other Side of The Mirror.

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/zvfsikN by 3DBABE1999 ... ... Set in a Universe where both The Marvel and DC Universe Characters all exist together. The Avengers and The Justice League are protectors. That's who they are. Isn't it? Sometimes even they don't know. When a New Vigilante appears and neither The Avengers or The Justice League know anything about them, everything they think they know about themselves will be put to the test. Gotham is basically just another Borough in New York City like Hell's Kitchen and Queens. Words: 154, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, Black Widow (Movie 2021), Captain America (Movies), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017), Deadpool (Movieverse) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clark Kent, Diana (Wonder Woman), Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Sam Wilson (Marvel), Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Matt Murdock, Frank Castle, Wade Wilson Additional Tags: Identity Reveal, Spider-Man Identity Reveal, Female Peter Parker, Warning: Skip Westcott, Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Homeless Peter Parker, Orphan Peter Parker, Human Experimentation, Hydra Peter Parker, Hydra (Marvel), Genetic Engineering, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Medical Examination, Medical Trauma, Science Experiments, Mad Scientists read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/zvfsikN

[mudaship39]

Rivals enemies and foils of the Asian Pasifika and Afro Latine Native demigod and alien pasifika main character

Charlotte Anderson one of the rivals enemies and foils of the Asian Pasifika and Afro Latine Native demigod and alien hyrid main character Kanai Makoa Latu/Attahua Kamalani Latu (one of the main characters of my precontact post land back bipoc disabled and qtipoc futurism project). Charlotte Anderson she is cishet female. She is an allistic neurotypical and abled bodied. She is white non native and American Caucasian. She is a metahuman. She is 6’3”. She has long and medium hairstyles of Dutch and French braids. She has hairstyles of medium and long ponytails. She has green eyes and is a red head. She is an atheist.  She has older and younger siblings.

She is a democrat and white liberal. She speaks English, Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, & Arabic. She is old money. Her family comes from American, Earth, & Terran dominion and hegemony. She’s a former super soldier. She loves being human. She is xenophobic of aliens. She is distrusting of alien hybrids and demigods. She went to Ivy League in Mercury. She is a doctor and surgeon. She has bionic enhancements and cybernetic implants.

Lucas Bartholomew Chamberlain. He is a cishet male. He is white and non-native. He is European Scandinavian Swedish and Norwegian. His real name is Johan Peterson. Lucas was an attempt to Americanize and Earth centric himself as a politician of the Terran political system. He is abled bodied, allistic, & neurotypical. He is 5′11. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a crew cut hair style. He has a lean and athletic body type. He is 160 pounds. He is Roman Catholic.

He speaks Swedish, English, German, Spanish, & French. He is conservative and alt right. He is upper class rich. He is an intergalactic scientist, inventor, & engineer. He has a masters in biomedical engineering and PHD in xeno biology. He went to college off planet to Ivy League University on the planet Titan. He played high school varsity baseball and men’s collegiate football. Johan comes from a super wealthy family that owns various iron and diamond mines and refineries across the galaxy. They mine asteroids and comets in space for space ore as well. The parents are still alive but both were only children. He is also an only child. He has holographic military tattoos of the Earth and Terran Dominion military as a Earth Space Marine Corps veteran. He has holographic military tattoos on his forearms.

He is a former super soldier. He was an officer in the Earth and Terran Dominion military. He was a colonel. He is a scientist, inventor, & engineer. He built weapons and tech for the Earth and Terran Confederation. A lot of the superweapons the Earth and Terran Dominion used for their war crimes were built by him. Like the Star Crusher a weapon that doomed the entire Regulus System to be vaporized by a supernova. To show the universe the might of the Earth and Terran Dominion military. It is why the Sol Vega and Polaris System all surrendered overnight. After seeing only a tear in the fabric of space was left. The screams of billions wiped out in an act of intergalactic genocide can still be heard across space and time. He is an intergalactic politician. He is a politician who is a remnant of the Earth government and Terran Confederation government as a former senator of the Earth High Command representing the United States.

He is an intergalactic businessman and business mogul who is the CEO and chairman of several intergalactic businesses. He is a trillionaire. He is a capitalist and plutocrat who hoards wealth on a cosmic scale. He is like billionaire Jeff Bezos but on steroids. He is rich by intergalactic standards that outshines Tony Stark, Oliver Queen, and Bruce Wayne. Unlike these heroes this supervillain and anti-villain is not a philanthropist or humanitarian. He pretends to be a philanthropist that gives money to charity and holds fancy balls while using donations to increase his wealth. He has a carefully crafted and built facade and pretense. He has a mask of being kind, compassionate, humble, open-minded, progressive, charitable, modest, & tolerant. He is actually cold, selfish, egotistical, bigoted, arrogant, intolerant, boastful, envious, bigoted, over confident, greedy, & pretentious. He is transphobic to Kana’i/Attahua’s Indigenous third genders of mahu and fakaleiti as someone Norwegian Scandinavian mirroring how his people treat Indigenous Sami. He is ruthless, unkind, & cruel as a supervillain and antihero. He has a god complex. He likens himself to demigods and gods of antiquity. He likens himself to the greatest men who ever lived. He believes himself to be the hero and champion humanity deserves.

He views humans as weak. He hates that he is half human. He joins the super soldier program for this reason. To get rid of what he deems as human weakness. It is why he marries Daphne, a superhuman with bionic enhancements and cybernetic implants. He is a former superhero. He has delusions of grandeur. He is a megalomaniac. He is a supervillain, antihero, & anti-villain whichever serves him best. He has no allegiance to anyone or anything but himself. This personality was made worse when he found out that he is a demigod. He is a metahuman with superhuman: strength, speed, durability, & intelligence. The queer and trans Asian Pasifika and Latine Native superhero Kana’i Makoa Latu/Ataahua Kamalani Latu is his archenemy and rival. He/she/they is his arch enemy as he/she/they and Joanna Jacobson exposed him for who he truly was. Lucas Bartholomew Chamberlain is a former disgraced member of the superhero conglomerate Sentinels. He uses his background as a scientist, inventor, & engineer. He/she/they are a metamorph, changeling, & shapeshifter as an alien hybrid and a water elemental as a demigod. He is a demigod child of a European goddess of death. He has power over fire and decaying things. Powers he used to his advantage when conquering planets for the settler colonizer regime. He also uses forbidden dark magic against him/her/them in their battles. When he uses the power of death his eyes blaze jade. When he uses the power of fire his hand burn crimson.

He wears divine armor as a demigod. The divine armor has a long red gaudy and pretentious cape. His armor is red, black, & gold. He wears a black domino mask and green face mask. In his demigod form his short hair turns into a short dutch braid.

Lucas as a former politician was the mastermind behind many of the actions of the Earth and the Terran Confederation. He used his power, influence, control, & power to hurt people. So many of the cruel actions that Earth and the Terran Confederation did with their colonialism, imperialism, neocolonialism, & occupation was passed by him as a politician behind the scenes. Lucas as an inventor, scientist, & engineer in the shadows built many of the weapons that Earth and the Terran Confederation used to maintain their hegemony and dominion. He was one of the leaders of the Forces of Evil. He left them when they no longer served his goals.

[marvel-smut]

Hey loves, I'll get to requests after putting out this very next piece, I figured since New Recruit is apparently my top post I'll write an additional chapter! I've been working on it all day today and it should be out very soon 😌

[jessybarnes]

Untamed

Pairing: Bruce Banner x Reader 

Rating: 18+ Minors DNI

Tags: NSFW TITLE CARD, SMUT, angst, fluff, seducing, mentions of masturbation, mentions of using sex toys, lingerie, fingering (female receiving), cum eating, finger sucking, Bruce transitioning into the Hulk (not sure if this is a trigger, but I'm not taking chances), kissing (both Bruce and Hulk receiving), handjob (Hulk receiving… again Idk if this is a trigger but noting it anyway cause after some research I've learned that even his cum is green.), making out, biting, hickeys, fucking against a wall, choking, implied all night fucking, and I think that's it. 

Word Count: 4,129

Beta and Title Card: Yours Truly 

Written For: My amazing bestie and beta, Tiffany. <3

Being married to an Avenger had its perks. You got to live in Tony Stark's swanky tower, you had your own team of expertly trained bodyguards, and the best part of it all? You stole the heart of Bruce Banner. The two of you met under unfortunate circumstances, but it was still the best day of your life. 

You'd been caught in the crossfire during one of their missions, a monster took you hostage to use as leverage for their escape. The thing had a knife held against your throat, threatening to kill you on the spot if any of the Avengers moved an inch. You looked into their helpless eyes. Captain America, Hawkeye, Thor, and Iron Man all stared helplessly back at you contemplating how they were going to save you. 

In the distance, Natasha was holding her upturned palm to a furious Hulk. He was grunting and clenching his fists as she took a tentative step toward him.

"Hey, big guy. The sun's getting real low."

He trained his eyes on her, as his anger started to dissipate. Just before he was about to give in he heard you scream.

He snapped his head in your direction, a loud, angry roar shaking the surrounding buildings as he ran towards you. Cars, signs, sidewalk benches, nothing was safe from his wrath. It all happened so fast. One moment your captor was pressing the blade harder against your skin and the next you were in the Hulk's arms. 

At first, you were startled, his big green eyes scanning your body as he held you in his large green hand. He was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring, as he spoke.

"Hulk save you."

You smiled and were about to respond but Captain Rogers beat you to it.

"That's good, buddy," he set his shield down and slowly walked towards the two of you. "Why don't you put the lady down now, okay?"

The Hulk tightened his grip on your waist and snarled, "NO! Hulk keep pretty lady!"

Steve went to speak again, but you turned around to look at him.

"Wait. It's okay. Let me try something."

They all watched in wonder as you brought both of your hands to his face, your thumbs brushing his hard skin.

"Thank you for saving me," you smiled. "If it's okay, I'd like to meet Bruce too. He's a part of you, and in a way, he saved me as well."

He held you for a moment longer, taking time to mull over your request. Finally, he set you down on a nearby barrier and transitioned back into the well-known scientist. 

You smiled as you recalled the fond memory. You and Bruce had been married for two years, and he made you the happiest woman in the world. Sure, it was difficult when he'd go on missions, but that wasn't what bothered you the most.

What you really wanted was for him to make love to you. Ever since the start of your relationship, all he'd ever done was kiss you. Sometimes he'd go as far as fingering you, but it never went further. He was terrified to do anything else because he didn't want the Hulk to accidentally hurt you. He'd never forgive himself if that happened, and he made you fully aware that being with him meant no sex. 

You didn't have to have sex to be happy with him. It wasn't a deal breaker, but you couldn't help but want to feel him inside of you. God, you bet he made the prettiest sounds. You had plenty of toys to keep you satisfied, and you'd be lying if you said you hadn't made yourself come to the thought of him fucking you into oblivion.

Natasha and Wanda helped you try and seduce him a number of times, but that always ended with a heavy makeout session and a very, very aroused Bruce. 

That's what the three of you were doing now. Planning yet another attempt in getting him to fuck you. You were dressed in short lacy lingerie, a pair of stockings with little black bows at the bottom, and your favorite pair of black pumps.

"I don't know about this, guys. What if someone sees me on the way down to his lab?"

Nat grinned and crossed her arms. "Don't worry about that. I've got it all taken care of. Steve and Bucky are out on a mission, Sam and Clint are in the gym doing their weird juice cleanse workout, and Thor's in Asgard. That only leaves Tony, Vision, and Rhodey to worry about. Wanda, you're taking Vis on a date, right?"

She nodded. "Yep! Typical dinner and a movie, but it'll be fun getting some fresh air."

Nat turned her gaze back to you and smiled. "That leaves the two iron wonders, which by the way, I've decided to take on a supply run."

You sighed, playing with a strand of your hair. "Okay, let's do this. Get me to the lab." 

Surprisingly, you made it there without being seen by anyone. The girls gave you a little nudge toward the door before blowing kisses and waving goodbye. Once you were alone, you took a moment to watch Bruce through the glass.

He was concentrating on some new prototype, his teeth worrying his bottom lip as he silently worked. God, he was so beautiful without even trying.

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door and walked past the threshold. There was no going back now.

"Oh, hey honey! Is it already time fo-"

The words died on his tongue as soon as he looked at you. The test tube in his hand clattered to the floor, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Y-Y/N…"

You smirked and sauntered towards him, slowly running your hands over his chest. "Hey, baby," you breathed. "I thought you could use a break." 

He swallowed thickly and let out a shaky breath. "What um… what're you d-doing?"

You brought his hands to your hips, his fingers making the barely-there dress bunch up to reveal your ass. "Bruce, touch me…please."

He closed his eyes and moaned. "You know I can't. I-I can't risk hurting you, Y/N."

You brushed your knuckles against the stubble on his cheek and smiled. "You won't hurt me. I trust you...both of you."

You grabbed his right hand, "besides, feel how wet I am." He gently circled your clit, a desperate whine falling from your lips. "See baby? See what you do to me without even trying?"

Bruce gripped your waist tighter, his breathing becoming erratic as he slowly continued sliding his fingers between your folds. You were close, so close to cumming already. All the built-up sexual tension, seeing him like this, was almost too much. 

Almost.

Just before the coil of arousal inside you snapped, he pulled away, his hands coming up to grab his hair. "Fuck, baby, I… I can't. He's too strong, and if I ever lost you because of him… god, I can't even think about it."

You hated seeing him distraught like this. Bruce was an amazing, kind, loving man who gave you the world. The Hulk may be destructive, but he was still gentle with you. He'd never once hurt you, and in your heart, you believed he would hold true to that promise even during times like this.

You pulled him back into your embrace and kissed him like it was the last time you'd ever get the chance. He sighed against your mouth, his tongue sliding against yours slow and sweet. 

He eventually pulled away, still holding you close as he looked at you with hooded eyes. "Y/N, it takes all of my strength every day to hold myself back. I want to, god, do I want to, take you apart, make you come over and over again."

His fingers curled a strand of hair behind your ear and you bit your lip. "Baby, can you hear me out? I… I think I may have a solution for both of us."

He sighed. "Yeah, honey, go ahead."

You moved him to his chair, pushing his shoulder lightly so he'd sit down. His hands found purchase on your hips as you straddled his lap.

"Bruce, I know you won't hurt me. I know the Hulk won't either because he's never shown any aggression towards me. Give me this, try for me, just this once. We can start slow and if you feel like you're going to lose it then we can stop. You have total control, baby." You kissed his lips softly. "Please?" 

For a few seconds, he just looked at you. His brown eyes raked over your entire body. He swallowed, blowing a deep breath out of his nose as he held you a bit tighter.

"Okay. Okay, I'll try."

Your eyes widened, "thank you, baby. You have no idea how much this means to me."

He moved his calloused hand slowly up your thigh again, his fingertips tracing small circles on your clit. Your eyes rolled back, his darkening with unbridled lust.

"Fuck, Y/N, you're so pretty like this. Watching your body shake, those sweet little moans and whimpers, I swear I'm the luckiest man in the world." 

You began moving your hips, the sounds of your wetness echoing in the small space around you. "Oh, Bruce… baby I- …please. Oh, please don't stop!"

He quickened his pace, the newly added pressure of his fingers causing you to fall forward and grasp onto his shirt. He groaned, low and deep, his breath hot on your neck as he kissed your sweat-slicked skin.

"C'mon, baby girl. Come for me. Show me how pretty you look." That was all you needed, his command sent you over the edge, his hand and your legs becoming coated with your release. 

If Bruce wasn't holding you up, you'd have fallen to your knees. He peppered sweet kisses along your jaw to your lips, rendering you breathless.

"Gorgeous. God, baby, you're breathtaking."

Words failed you but that didn't stop your wandering hands. They eagerly began undoing his pants trying desperately to feel more of him.

"Whoa, honey. Hey, hey, hey, slow down. I know you're eager, but we gotta go easy. I don't want him to hurt you, remember?" Reluctantly, you stopped, but then an idea popped into your head. 

"Bruce? Can um… can I ask you a question?"

He pulled back, his thumbs brushing your upper arms, "you can ask me anything, Y/N."

You bit your lip and looked at the floor, suddenly nervous your request would end this whole thing before it even started. "Do you promise not to get mad at me?"

Bruce immediately wrapped his arms around you, "sweetheart, you're the only person I'm not angry around."

You blew out the breath you'd been holding and closed your eyes. "Can I talk to him?" 

He stiffened. "Y/N, I-I don't think th-"

"Please. He won't hurt me, Bruce. He never has. Please, just… please."

Just when you thought he was going to shut this whole escapade down, he slowly stood up. "Promise me you'll run if he gets out of hand."

You nodded and watched as he closed his eyes, his skin, hair, nails, everything turning green while he doubled in size. At first, Hulk was confused. His big eyes look down at you with interest. He huffed and held his hand out for you to take it. 

"Hey, big guy. Can you sit down for me against the wall over there? I wanna talk to you."

He tilted his head and haphazardly stomped to the opposite side of the room before plopping unceremoniously onto the floor making the lab equipment around you rattle.

"Thank you. May I sit on your lap?"

He looked up at you, his large hand gathering the thin material of your outfit between his fingers. "Y/N pretty. Hulk like clothes."

The corner of your mouth turned up into a crooked smirk. "Why thank you, honey. Can I sit down?" You gestured to his huge thigh and watched as he nodded. 

You straddled your hips over one of his legs, because it was impossible to do both, and cupped his face.

"You know how much I love you and Bruce, right?"

He blinked, "yes, Hulk know that."

"Well, I'd like to show both of you how much I love you, but I want to make sure you're okay with everything first."

He waited, the fingers on his right hand holding your waist.

"I want to be with both of you, in a more…intimate way. I wanna make the two of you happy because I love both of you with all my heart."

A low grunt rumbled through his chest. "Hulk love Y/N. But what intimate?" 

You scooted closer and smiled. "Can I kiss you?"

He nodded again, and you slowly leaned in, pressing your lips against his gently. At first, he didn't react, his whole body still except for his steady breathing, but then you felt him kiss back.

You pulled away to see his reaction and moaned when you saw the heat in his eyes.

"How was that, baby?"

His grip on your hips tightened a fraction. "Hulk want more."

You giggled and took his other hand. "I'll give you more, love, but first, I want you to feel how excited I am. You have to be careful with me though, okay?" 

"Hulk no hurt Y/N. Hulk be gentle."

You curled his fingers into a fist, save for his middle one, and brought it to your soaked pussy. "Do you feel that? Feel how wet I am here?"

He slid his large digit back and forth, watching curiously as you bit your lip, and then pulled his hand back to look at his finger. "Yes, Hulk feel."

You maintained eye contact as you sucked and licked your arousal from his skin. "Do you wanna try?"

He wasted no time, a little more sure of himself as he collected more of your juices. He inhaled your scent, a low growl reverberating in his chest as he tasted you. 

"Y/N good. Hulk need more."

You kissed the inside of his wrist and looked at him lovingly. "We can do more, but you really have to be careful, okay? Just one of your fingers is a lot for me to take, so you'll have to go slow."

He sighed softly and gathered a bit of your hair in his hand. "Hulk go slow. Always careful with Y/N."

You brought his hand between your legs again, but this time you guided his middle finger to your entrance. Bracing yourself, you sank down on him and whimpered from the slight stretch.

"Y/N okay?"

You licked your lips and let out a shaky breath, "yeah, baby. I'm fine. You feel so good."

Switching your position, you maneuvered yourself so your back was against his chest. He looked down at you, his free hand tilting your chin up.

"Hulk like when Y/N feel good."

You pulled him down for a chaste kiss and spread your legs so they were draped over his big thighs, "carefully move your finger, okay? Slowly in and out." 

As soon as you felt him pull out and push back in, a breathy moan fell from your lips. "Yeah, baby, just like that."

The sound of his soft grunts, the feeling of his toned muscles rippling against your skin, the way he brushed the sweet spot inside you, it was all so toe-curlingly good. Your second orgasm was building rapidly, making you whine desperately.

"Y/N feel wet. Hulk stop?"

You shook your head and moaned. "No, please don't stop. You're - oh, god! - gonna make me cum. D'you wanna see me do that, baby?"

He adjusted slightly, and suddenly you could feel his very large, very prominent erection pressing against your back.

"Yes. Hulk see Y/N" 

You canted your hips upward, meeting every thrust. "Go a little faster and do this with your finger."

You crooked yours to show him and he obeyed immediately making you cry out. "Oh, my god! Yes, oh, right there… don't stop please baby I'm so close!"

He huffed and grabbed your hand with his free one.

"Oh, fuck baby…yeah, oh, shit! Gonna cum… gonna come oh my g-FUCK!"

You squeezed his hand, your whole body convulsing as your walls fluttered around him repeatedly. He pulled out of you and examined his finger as you recovered from your moment of bliss.

"Hulk do good?" 

You turned around in his arms and kissed him again. "You did, baby. Thank you. Can I make you feel good now too?"

You let your fingertips ghost over the large tent in his shorts and watched as he closed his eyes and growled. The noise alone would scare anyone away, but not you. You knew he'd never harm you.

"Yes. Hulk feel good too."

Carefully, you freed him from his shorts, marveling at his impressive length and girth. "You're so big, baby. Being so good for me." He watched you spit in your hands and snarled when you began to stroke him. 

"Is this okay, love? Does this hurt?"

He threw his head back and panted. "No hurt. Feel good."

You smirked and began twisting your hands as they slid over the shiny green head.

"Remember, honey. Try not to hurt me, okay? I know it feels good, but when you cum you gotta try and stay still for me, alright?"

He gritted his teeth and brought a big hand to your cheek. "Hulk never hurt Y/N. Promise." He let out another choked cry. "Hulk feel funny...here." he pointed to his lower abdomen and you kissed his lips sweetly.

"That's good, baby. It means you're close. Just lean back and close your eyes for me. Let me make you feel good."

He listened and you watched his chest heave and his fists clench. 

"That's it. C'mon. Show me, sweetheart."

A few more strokes were all it took, a loud guttural roar filling the lab as thick ropes of cum coated your hands and his chest.

He stayed like that, panting and twitching, while you looked for a towel to clean him up. Grabbing one of the extra lab coats, you knelt in front of him again and planted a sweet kiss on his forehead.

"You're incredible, baby. I'm so proud of you. Bruce will be too. I knew you'd never hurt me."

He rubbed your sides affectionately as you cleaned him and your hands up. "No way hurt Y/N. Hulk love you."

You kissed his lips. "And I love you, baby. Can I see Bruce now? I wanna tell him how proud of you I am."

He gave you one final smile and closed his eyes, his body slowly becoming smaller until a sweaty Bruce lay slumped against the wall. 

He blinked a few times before he frantically ran his hands over you, looking for any sign of injury.

"Bruce, hey, calm down." You laced the fingers on both your hands with his and looked into his worried brown eyes. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me, okay? In fact," you held up the lab coat that was now covered in sticky green liquid. "Things went more than okay."

He looked from you to the coat a few times before crashing his lips to yours. His kiss was possessive, nowhere near gentle as he explored your mouth eagerly.

"You were right, baby. I shouldn't have doubted you, but I was just so scared. I can't ever lose you."

You sat back on your haunches and grinned. "I know, honey. We can talk this over later, but right now I need you inside me." 

Bruce stood and pulled you to your feet, immediately pushing you against the wall. "You're perfect. Absolutely perfect, Y/N. I love you so damn much."

He kissed, nipped, and licked at your neck, littering a trail of purple-ish marks anywhere he could reach.

"Fuck, Bruce…"

He hummed and tore the front of your lacy top down the middle. "You're so beautiful, sweetheart. Smooth skin, perfect body, gorgeous face, amazing personality, you're an absolute work of art. I'm so lucky to call you mine. 'M gonna fuck you over and over again until you beg me to stop." 

A needy whine filled the small space between the two of you, your hands fisting in his hair. "Please! Please…want you so bad!"

He spun you around, pressing you against the wall as he undid his pants, kicking them off to the side. "Spread your legs, princess. That's it, brace yourself against the wall too."

You did what he asked and sucked in a sharp breath when he hooked your left leg over his thigh and pressed the head of his cock against your slick hole. "Don't you dare be quiet, you hear me, Y/N? I want every single person in this tower to know you're mine."

Your response died on your tongue as he slammed into you, setting a steady pace. 

You couldn't stay quiet even if you wanted to. Nothing compared to the way his cock made you feel. No toy, no vibrator, not even your fingers felt this good.

"Oh, Bruce! Oh, my fucking god!"

His left arm hugged your middle holding you up while his right wrapped around your throat, squeezing deliciously. "Good girl. Love hearing you scream for me. God, your pussy feels so good, warm and wet around my cock, pulling me in every time I slide home."

You clenched around him and he bit your shoulder. "Fuck! I gotta fill you up, baby. 'M sorry, but I'm not gonna last when you feel this good." 

Your left hand began rubbing your clit in time with his thrusts. "'S okay, Bruce… I-I'm close too. Feels - oh, fuck! Oh, my god! - s-so good!"

He was relentless now, the delicious drag of his cock against your walls was hard and fast. "Oh, fuck! That's it, princess. Yeah, that's right, squeeze me just like that. Come on, Y/N…let go with me."

His words were like a trigger, your third orgasm shooting through you like a bullet as he stilled inside you.

The two of you didn't move for a few minutes, the labored sounds of your breathing the only sound around you. Finally, he pulled out and turned you to face him, his lips colliding with yours in a passionate kiss.

"Fuck, that was…that was amazing."

Bruce caressed your cheek and smiled fondly. "Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you for being patient with me and with him too. We wouldn't have made it this far without you, and we owe you everything." 

You kissed him slowly, taking your time to feel him against you. "I love you, Bruce. I'll always help both of you with anything. You both complete me, in every way, and I can't imagine a life without you guys."

He held you close, his fingers sliding up your back and into your hair. He opened his mouth to respond, but F.R.I.D.A.Y. cut him off. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt Mr. and Mrs. Banner, but Mr. Stark requests entrance to the lab."

Your eyes grew wide in fear of him seeing you naked. "Tell him to give us five minutes please, F.R.I.D.A.Y.."

"Of course, Mrs. Banner." Bruce threw you his clean lab coat, tossing the other one in the trash before pulling on his clothes. 

"Let's take this upstairs, Y/N. I'm not even close to being done with you." He winked and a jolt of arousal shot straight to your core.

"As long as you promise not to go easy on me, baby," you smirked. He swatted your ass and walked past you to the door.

"Oh, princess, now that I know you're safe with me I've got so many plans to take you apart over and over again. You're gonna be putty in my hands when I'm done with you."

Your teeth sunk into your bottom lip as you looked at his hooded eyes. Literally and figuratively, you were fucked. That was just a bonus though because you had everything you wanted. Bruce was yours in every sense of the word. 

Tony walked past you shaking his head, "there better not be a mess in there!"

You giggled and followed Bruce into the elevator. "No promises, Stark!"

Yeah, you thought to yourself, this is finally the start of our forever.

He glared at the closing metal doors, the sight of you and Bruce kissing being the last thing he saw. He smiled against your lips and you saw the happiness in his eyes.