#unlike natasha… poor girl

[esouliie]

and what if i say this was one of her best looks… yk besides the whole being locked up later… just moved to the states, full blown emo get-up transforming into a more subtle goth touch, that dark shadow around her eyes finally fading, that fucking corset my god and her ring stacks :3

ELIZABETH OLSEN as WANDA MAXIMOFF CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016) dir. Russo Bros

[notanactressyayy]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭. | natasha romanoff

. ݁₊ 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 . Natasha and you were the only 'constant' in each other's lives. poor you, to think you could get over her so easily.

. ݁₊ 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 . smut! i am not responsible for your content consumption! — making out, g!p Natasha, guided masturbation, orgasm denial, unprotected sex (p in v), choking, swearing, homesickness, fluff, reconciliation.

. ݁₊ 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 . english isn't my first language (🇧🇷) so i apologize for any spelling errors. been in love w Nat for a damn long time — i've been away for a while, but turns out i can't really live without her. i miss my red so much :(

Natasha Romanoff rarely had the chance to see the same face twice. She saw a lot of people throughout her life — as a spy, as a superhero, or simply as Natasha. The thing is: it was unlike she would return to a place she’s been before. It wasn’t uncommon for her to be on the run. Thus, she traveled around the whole world, and saw thousands, millions of different faces. Destiny made sure not to let her cross paths with the same individual again. It wasn’t only the diversity of people that she witnessed, though. This woman saw the world. She knew life’s ups and downs, and at some point in her life, she just got used to the idea that it would forever be like this: boring. Boring experiences, boring women, boring men, boring relationships. Nothing was ever exciting, thrilling. It felt like she was advanced in time, and the rest of the world wasn’t following her. This wasn’t a complete lie, she got her maturity at a very young age, which made her pay the price now, in adulthood. 

For a spy, the most important thing is to learn not to be caught off guard. But it seemed like life was never on Natasha’s side. And this time — it felt good. Oh, it felt so good. 

At first, she didn’t want to get high hopes. It would be just another temporary friendship to help her pass time, nothing more. However, you managed to surprise the red haired Avenger in the best way possible. When she decided to spare a little time of her life and get to know you more, it was really mind-blowing the side of herself she discovered. She never thought she could actually be.. giddy. Like a silly, hopeless romantic girl. That is what she became whenever it was time to see you. She got excited. Actually excited. She couldn’t see through you, read your emotions or body language, like she did with other people; It was a natural thing, sometimes she didn’t even mean to do that. But you, something within you, kept her at bay. Like you effortlessly turned Natasha into a normal woman. Somebody who could love. Somebody that wasn’t raised and enhanced to be a killer. Not that you went through anything like she did, but you weren’t naive. You showed her that people didn’t necessarily have to be traumatized to be aware of things, of reality, of the surroundings. And for her, you’re the most beautiful person in the whole world. Inside and out. She adored you. 

Opening up was never easy. Revealing the broken parts of herself wasn’t like having a simple chat. But patience is a virtue and thankfully, you followed that say just fine. Little by little, the secrets came out. Most of the parts you already knew — it’s not like she wasn’t a worldwide known superhero. What you mostly had to acknowledge were her feelings, the point of view of the little girl who was experiencing it all, and becoming a strong woman, with built up walls around her heart. Doing that was no problem. Natasha couldn’t be more thankful. 

She couldn’t be more infatuated. More in love.

She’d always remember that one day: in the bar with her team, and you — chattery, music, tons of drinks and laughter. Stolen glances. Stomach butterflies, wild. The moment Clint pulled Laura a little closer to himself, and Tony kissed Pepper’s cheek. How she used that as an excuse to pull you into her lap. Your breath getting labored. Eyelashes gently fluttering, to the point she could count them. Your gentle yet tight grip on her shoulders. Your goddamn eyes staring right into hers. And the part where everything would change: her own bodily reactions to all those little details about you. When you restlessly shifted on her lap, quietly gasping when something poked you through your dress. Eyes going wide at the bulge showing on her black jeans. 

From that point on, you belonged to her.

Or so, she thought.

The sex was great, but she was in conflict — she couldn't tell if the only reason for it to be that enjoyable was because you were both tipsy, almost drunk, or if it was really meant to be that way. It felt right, yes, to have you in her arms like this — naked, piles of discarded clothes laying by her bed.. the sound of your quiet snoring as you cuddled into her. It was also a relief to her. To have someone care for her, desire her, after so long, after forever. The night had been amazing. She was a mature woman anyway, wasn't she? She could sort her feelings out without messing up everything.

Wrong. By the morning, everything would change.

You stared at her as she got up and got dressed again, eyes still a little blurry from sleep, eyebrows ceasing into a small confused frown. "You're not staying?" you'd ask, sitting up and leaning against the headboard, bringing up the sheets to cover your unclothed body. "Ugh, my head hurts like hell,"

"Got things to do." she simply answered, cradling the side of your face and kissing your forehead. You could swear the look on her face was.. apologetic. She tilted her head towards the nightstand, where some aspirin and water waited for you. "Take these. I'll text you later."

"Okay.." you mumble, disoriented. As she leaves, you reach out, shoving the aspirin in your mouth and downing the pills with water. Was there something you were missing? Because all you could remember was how good her hands felt on you, the way they wrapped around you neck while she—

You shook your head, lying down again, and closing her eyes. All the fun and pleasure you had been given from the previous night was slowly vanishing and being replaced by a feeling of uncertainty and confusion. Natasha was an enigmatic person, okay, but you thought you knew her better. She had no reason to leave you just like that, especially when she had already vented about all her past experiences, flaws and failures. Nah, it was probably nothing, you were overthinking. Perhaps she indeed had something important to take care of. You closed your eyes as fatigue took over, and slept for a little bit more.

Natasha went back to her apartment — one of her apartments, and for the whole day, her thoughts ran like crazy. Her emotions were all over the place. She had just fucked her best friend, the one person she felt comfortable and at ease with. She considered her feelings carefully; this.. dinamic, between you two, had not been platonic for a considerable amount of time. But not being platonic doens't necessarily means being romantic. It could either be love, or lust. What happened the day before was carnal, once the two of you were way too much in a drunken haze to actually feel anything.

And, like always, Natasha didn't want to think about falling in love. She felt scared just by thinking about this. It was a new territory, one she wasn't willing to deep dive in. So she took her phone and deeply sighed, opening her chat with you.

"Yesterday was fun. But I need some time. I don't think this can work. Hope you're doing okay. xx"

That text just completely shattered you.

You had no idea what you did wrong. It was not like Natasha was pushing you away forever — but while being with her, the only thought running through your mind was: I wanna be with her. I wanna explore this with her. And Natasha didn't give a single sign that she thought the opposite. You felt... disappointed. With yourself and her. For hoping.

Yeah, getting involved with an ex kgb Avenger killer spy probably wasn't the best idea.

You wouldn't simply forget everything you shared together, so the easiest way here not to create a big tension was.. being fake. The two of you weren't stupid, you were aware of the unspoken feelings going on. But what happened that night should not happen again. So your friendship was what prevailed. A friendship like the start. But obviously, with a few changes. Natasha and you didn't lose touch — on the contrary, you were closer than ever. You spoke and flirted (a lot), but with one small rule, a rule that you subconsciously added to this.. situationship. No feelings involved. It would be singularly that. Friends, some casual hookups, and nothing else.

It didn't last, because that's not what you both wished, longed for.

Little by little, this turned boring again. Not that you were the boring one and she just didn't realize this before. Far from that. The thing was: Natasha and you were supressing your feelings, consequently, supressing all the thrill, the delicious tension that hanged in the air whenever she, once again, crossed paths with you. The russian wanted nothing more than just grab you and kiss you hard, pour all the emotions that she kept bottled up throughout her life into the kiss. But unfortunately, she couldn't. She had a duty to fullfil, as someone born, destined to save the world.

And with all of this, you and her settled a distance. You with your previous and trivial life, and her, saving little girls from bad guys, and bringing down cats from tall trees. It was truly shocking: one day, you lived for Natasha Romanoff. She was your everything and everything you'd ever want. In a blink of an eye, it ended. You followed your paths, like two completely different people, with different purposes.

Right person, wrong time.

Fool her, to think she could get over you that easily. Poor you, to try and put that inside of your head as well.

Sometimes, when normally doing daily tasks, you would catch yourself thinking about her — when you were going to watch TV and put your legs on the coffee table, instead of simply sitting. It was an habit of hers. Or when eating something with peanut butter. It was her favourite late night snack. When it rained. She liked to watch the rain. With somebody else's hands on you. It wasn't right. It was never right to have somebody else touch you. You were constantly thinking about your life before things with her changed — the memories brought comfort, a sense of nostalgia.. at some point, you weren't living in the present anymore. Just faking. Faking your feelings. Pretending it was okay to let her go.

This woman ruined you for everything and everyone else.

Natasha could relate to that. In a life that could be resumed in one word: a 'whirlwind' of a life, and you were her only 'constant' among all of this... she couldn't bear this anymore.

So she made an important decision.

The decision was today.

Today: she'd take you out again, praying that, if not reconciliation, she wanted at least to say everything she had to say. Because if life taught her one thing, was to make choices that she wouldn't regret in the future. And it was damn right she would regret choosing not to meet you tonight.

Sitting in the stool of the bar, in a more secluded corned, her eyes followed your figure as you approached — purse hanging on your shoulder, dress exposing your back and a little bit of your waist, eyes so awfully soft and gentle as you looked at her. It wasn't fair. A pang of guilt hit her hard. Oh, she regretted letting that go. She wanted you to be mad at her. But you were not. She shakily rises to her feet to kiss your cheek as you stand in front of her, thankfully not stumbling. Your eyes lock again, already in a trance. Just like that other day.

"How are you doing?" you ask. Natasha could cry. She missed that voice everyday. "Did I take too long? I'm sorry."

"No, no. Don't worry." she swallows hard. You both sit on the stools by the countertop. When the bartender comes, the redhead dismisses him. She wanted the two of you sober for this. "I'm... so much better now that you're here, honestly. How about you?"

"Amazing." you chuckle, tilting your head to the side and watching her. She didn't change a bit. Hair braided, black jeans, leather jacket. That was your Natasha. "I didn't expect you calling me here, to be honest..—"

"Me neither." she admits, in a whisper. Her tongue darts out to moisten her lips, eyes involuntarily starting at your mouth. She sighs and looks into your eyes. "But I had to... I can't get you off my mind."

Her sincerity never fails to amaze you. With each second that passes, the butterflies in your tummy return, to remind you of the past — feelings and sensations resurfacing. You bite on your bottom lip and look around the bar, quickly scanning to see if there was anybody paying attention to the two of you. Maybe a few eyes here and there, which didn't linger. Everyone else was too busy minding their own business — and it's not like you'd care if someone was staring anyway. Natasha turned some heads. You felt greedy for that. You were the one having her. The only one having her.

"You live in my head rent free, Natasha." you tell her, voice having a sultry edge to it. You slowly stand, walking closer.

You take her hands and open her arms — making it possible for you to straddle her thigh. She tenses almost immediately. Her head tilts up to stare into your eyes, arms circling your waist to keep you close, where she wanted. You shake your head when you see a small frown between her eyebrows — lips pressing against that small spot, coaxing a little exhale of hers. She missed you. Everyday. Every minute. She wanted that respect and care all the time.

"What are we even doing here?" she whispers, so quietly you almost can't hear it. Her hands cup your waist and gently roam up and down your sides, palms brushing against your bare skin every now and then, all thanks to the waist slits of your dress. Your face leans closer to hers, noses bumping — the smallest of touches, making you both crave what you once had. "Why didn't I just invite you to my place right away?"

"I don't know. Why didn't you?" you raise one eyebrow, fingertips caressing her jawline. Her hands give your waist a squeeze — and you almost moan. She swore she could hear it. It replayed in her head, the beautiful sounds you made for her. She wanted to hear them again. She was going to make you sound like that again.

It wasn't just a physical thing — your body and mind craved her touch, her presence, so much that just the mere thought of being on her bed again got you soaked. She felt something wet through the rough fabric of her jeans, and that got her brain spinning. She fell for you hard. So painfully hard.

"Let's get out of here," she groans, hands firmly grabbing your thighs and lifting you up — wrapping your legs around her waist and carrying you out the pavement. Her hardness pressed right against your core — you blushed, hiding your face on her shoulder, wrapping your arms around her neck.

In a heartbeat, you were back at your house.

Your place, because it was the fastest way, when taking the cab. No words were exchanged, not yet. The aching, burning need had to be taken care of first — before properly talking. Your back hits the wall hard as Natasha pushes you against it — her body trapping you between herself and the hard surface — hands hardly, possessively holding you by the hips. Desperately, even. Making sure you wouldn't slip away from her grasp. Her lips dance with yours, tentatively, yet naturally, tongues tasting one another after what felt like centuries. She felt so good, tasted so good.

"Nat..—" you moan against her lips, having her bottom lip trapped between your teeth, then releasing it. Your forehead against hers, eyes soft and filled with desire. Your hands hold her cheeks, traveling to her jaw. Needily, you press kisses to the side of her throat, breathing shaky, heart hardly thrumming. "I never stopped thinking about you..."

"Yeah?" she hums, grabbing the hem of your dress and lifting it up, bunching the fabric by your hips. Her fingers hook around the elastic of your panties and pull them down, pooling around your feet — making you gasp, and pull away from her neck. Eyes wide open. The air hits your heat, making you needier for her.

You almost mewl.

"God, I need you." Natasha utters. She grabs you again and smashes her lips against yours once more, now with so much more passion, more need, more anxiety. Her bulge presses against your now unclothed wetness, coaxing a tiny cry of need out of you. You breathlessly pull away from her, reaching down and fumbling with the buttons of her jeans — until she stops you.

"No—"

"Quiet." she shushes, maneuvering you back, until your body hits the mattress. She climbs onto the bed and stays in a kneeling position, hungrily taking you in. Messy, needy, all for her. Sober, like she wanted planned from the first time. "That dress goes off."

Her voice is commanding, yet not harsh — and her eyes betray her a little. Her eyes are almost pleading, that it is clear how much she needs this. To have you all to herself, to show you how much she wants that. Her underwear becomes even more tight as she sees your trembling fingers, pulling the dress over your head and tossing it aside, lips parted. Just by her look, you can tell she wants the bra off, too. So you reach behind your back and grants her silent wish, breasts now exposed to her sight.

"There you are..." she moans to herself, shamelessly taking in the sight of you. You're a work of art. With her hand, she coaxes your knees open, and parts your legs. "My... you're so wet. So perfectly wet."

"You're still with a lot on.." you quietly complain, feeling hot and shy at the same time. But her gaze is enough to wipe away the confusion from your eyes. She had a plan.

"Touch yourself for me." she breathes out.

Your eyes briefly widen with the unexpectedness of this statement. You had certainly done this before — touched yourself thinking of her — but the idea of showing this, while she watched, never crossed your mind. But it wasn't an unpleasant idea. It was actually... hot. Sensual. They darken, pupils blown wide as you make yourself comfortable against the pillows, eyelids fluttering as your legs spread a little more, palm resting on your stomach, then moving down. Deliberately, it reaches your sex, a shakily sigh leaving your lips when your middle and ring finger collect some of the slick coat covering your sensitiveness, using it to slowly rub your clitoris, getting you to gasp louder.

"Natasha..." you whisper, eyes falling close, thoughts wandering.

Wandering back to the start — when you first discovered your feelings for her, then the climax, when you both got in bed due the alcohol — then the aftermath, when you needed her so much, felt so alone at night, that your fingers were the only solution. Little wet sounds echo within the room as you rub circles on yourself, applying just the right amount of pressure, that it doesn't take long for the pit in your stomach to manifest itself.

"Faster." Natasha rasps out, taking her jacket and quickly throwing it away. She pulls her tank top over her head, then undo the buttons of her jeans — leaving the bed, just so she can get rid of all the uncomfortable fabric, and climbing it again. She crawls closer to you — eyeing you as you worked on your pussy, her hands caressing your thighs, adding to the stimulation.

"Please...!" you whimper, doing as you're told — rubbing yourself faster — slipping one of your fingers inside your entrance, almost cumming, that quickly. "Please, I need you..!"

"I need you too," she moans to herself, and harshly grabs your wrist, pulling your hand away. You moan loudly in protest — Natasha wouldn't tease you. Not today, when you both needed each other so much. She discards her undergarments, finally — groaning as she's set free. Your eyes lock on her hard length, which was practically hitting her abs now.

"Put it inside me." you beg, grabbing her shoulders to pull her closer. She hovers over you, bracing herself on her forearms, on each side of your body. Your fingernails gently graze her back. Natasha was feeling so much, so much more than she ever felt. Your eyes were sparkling so much, like you were crying — shimmering with the depth of your adoration for her. You grab her cheeks and press your lips to hers, in a gentle peck. Knowing her past, she didn't have to explain her reasons for what had happened. She was scared before, and you respected. "Go on. Love me."

She couldn't wait no longer. She lowers her forehead to your shoulder and places her hands on your hips — her chest against yours, as she lined herself with your hole, effortlessly pushing inside. Stretching you out, like she once did. Having the chance to hear that delicious sounds again.

"You're mine... shit," she groans, rolling into you gently, getting you used to the feeling first. You're so tight, so perfect around her. Natasha's overwhelmed. Her hands press against the base of your throat, squeezing firmly, yet leaving enough room for air. She's so hot. "That pussy is mine. You're mine. You're all mine—"

"Yes," you moan, wrapping your legs around her middle. You wouldn't take long to come tonight. Maybe she'd make you come over and over. She rocks into you, pace not too slow, not too fast. Just right. The right tempo to bring you both the pleasure and connection you so much needed. "Mhm.. fuck, Nat, missed your cock,"

"You're gonna take it over and over—" she comments — kissing your shoulder, roaming her hands up your body, her right palm cupping your breast and giving it a firm squeeze. Your head lolls back, mouth opening to allow a satisfied moan out. "I'm never fucking letting you go again,"

She accelerates, pulling almost all the way out just to slam back into you again — feeling her climax approach. She moves her mouth close to your ear and moans — her own sounds now mixing with yours.

"Natasha...! Fuck, you feel soo good," you gasp, a wave of pleasure washing over you as you get closer. She takes the hint immediately, cupping the back of your knee and pushing it up, allowing her a better angle. "Ah, gimme more,"

"My greedy girl," she groans, her head tilting back. Her cock twitches inside of you — precum already painting you white. She glanced down at where your folds swallowed her, eyes darkening impossibly more. "You're so goddamn tight... 'm not gonna last, moya krasivaya malysha,"

"Okay.. 'ts okay... Cum with me..." you beg her, tangling your fingers into her red strands of hair, pulling her down more, so her forehead rests against yours — the eye contact increasing the intimacy of the moment. She didn't know what to expect now. Didn't know what to think. Only that she had to fill you up.

"C'mon.. nhg, darling.. c'mon.. cum around me," she encourages, feeling her own legs shake as her orgasm washed over her.

She grabbed your hips hard and slammed into you — once, twice, three times, filling you up with her hot release. You squeezed your eyes shut as your body shuddered forwards, breasts pressing against her own as a long, strangled moan flowed out of you, nails digging into her back, pressing her body against yours as you finished. Your walls clenched around her cock, swallowing her more, not allowing her to pull away just that. "God.. I love you!"

Natasha blinks, not sure if she heard right. Her heart squeezes in her chest, arms wrapping around your body. Her back hits the bed and she flips you on top of her, still inside of you — but now, her member softened. The adrenaline was running wild, but you had calmed down a little bit. Just a little. Because this time, it wasn't pure sex. It was lovemaking.

Your face is buried in her chest as she brings up the covers, creating a cocoon of warmth around you. She buries her face into your hair and inhales deeply, staying silent. Just to process things.

"I love you, too. So so much." she murmurs into you hair. She felt terrified to say this. But once you're someone who she already showed her scars to, it's not that bad anymore.

"You do?" you ask expectantly, feeling tired, drowsy. Natasha smiles at that. She feels her eyes burning with heavy emotion. She nods.

"Yes... I love you so much." she confirms, softly stroking her hair, brushing some strands away from your sweaty forehead. "And I want you to be mine. Will you be mine?"

"You're asking me to be your girlfriend after the sex?" you chuckle quietly, but happiness was evident in your voice. Now you could sleep at peace. The first night of rest you'd have in a long time. In the arms of the woman you cherished, worshipped.

Natasha had won now. She was so fucking relieved. All because of a phrase.

"Of course I will, you idiot."

"I'm never, ever, ever letting you go again." the room is messy, smell of sex lingering around you. But now things were sorted out. By the morning, you could have a more direct, serious conversation. For now, you'd rest together, wrapped up in each other's arms, like it was always meant to be.

[literaryavenger]

Obsessed

Summary: Your crush on Bucky may be getting out of control.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Warnings: Dramatic Reader. Language. Angst. Fluff. My poor attempts at being Funny.

Word Count: 1.4K I'm physically incapable of making anything short.

A/N: I wrote this in like 2 hours and I don't even know what this is, just... Yeah.

Masterlist

This is terrible.

This is the worst thing that's ever happened to you.

This is the worst thing that's ever happened to anyone. It's just the most horrible, dreadful, awful thing that could’ve ever happen to yo-

“Would you stop staring at him for fuck's sakes!” Natasha's hissed words make your eyes snap to her and finally away from the metal armed Supersoldier lifting weights. Shirtless.

You don't know when Bucky stopped feeling self-conscious enough to allow him to workout in nothing but a pair of gym shorts, but it has become literal torture for you.

Needless to say, Bucky's current level of undress is making it impossible for you to concentrate on the stretching you're supposed to be doing before your sparring match with Natasha.

But your very thoughtful and not at all exasperated friend makes sure to keep your attention on her during the entirety of our match by thoroughly kicking your ass.

What a lovely best friend you have.

Anyways.

Your entire mood shifts with one not intentionally overheard conversation. Steve enters the gym and goes straight to Bucky, who was putting his weight set down.

“She’s here!” Is all the blonde says to his friend and your heart stops at the way Bucky’s face lights up with a smile, not needing any more information before following Steve out of the gym.

She’s here? Who the fuck is she? Does Bucky have a girlfriend? And most importantly, she’s here? In the Compound?

Natasha can almost see the gears turning in your brain as you make no attempts to move from the mat after she knocked you on your ass for the hundredth time today. You didn’t even seem to notice her hand offering you help to get up, your eyes still looking where Bucky was just a moment ago, staring at nothing in particular while your brain drowns in your overthinking.

Natasha sighs and decides to end the match here, kneeling down in front of you and placing her hands on your shoulders, shaking you gently to snap you out of it.

“Don’t overthink this.” She tells you when she’s sure she has your attention. “It’s probably just a friend visiting.” She tries to comfort you, but you both know that’s highly unlikely. 

Bucky has no other friends outside the team. He doesn’t know how to talk to civilians anymore after everything he’s been through, and gave up trying to after the hundredth time he saw fear in a person’s eyes just by recognizing him. So his friend circle now includes the team and the agents of SHIELD that are not intimidated by him. Point is, every friend he has already lives in the Compound.

So who the fuck is here just to see him? 

Natasha can see that this is a lost battle, your eyes barely concentrating on her as you start drowning in your mind again. All she can do when you’re like this is try to distract you and keep you out of your head. So she takes your hand and helps you up, leading the way to the common room to watch one of your beloved romcoms together, because that’s how much she loves you.

Big mistake.

“Y/N! Y/N!” The excited high-pitched voice came just seconds after you set foot in the common room. And that’s about the only warning you got before the excited 5-year-old jumped on you, your reflexes thankfully quick enough to catch her.

“Hi, Maguna!” You say while chuckling as the little girl hugs you. “You seem excited today. Did you get into the sugar cabinet again?”

Morgan giggles at your joke and shakes her hand before taking your face in her little hands and dramatically saying, “No! A princess came to visit uncle Bucky! A real princess.”

You frown, confused at what she’s talking about, before you look around the room and finally notice everyone else in it. Pepper and Tony are on the couch, looking at you lovingly as you interact with their daughter.

You love Morgan, she’s like a little sister. You never miss an opportunity to babysit her and you spend as much time with her as you can. She also loves you, out of all the Avengers you’re her favorite, much to everyone’s dismay. She calls them all ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’, but you’re just Y/N. You’re her big sister, you don’t need a title. Which is why you're the only one other than Tony allowed to call her 'Maguna'.

Then you notice the other people in the room: Steve, Bucky and… Shuri. The fucking Princess of Wakanda, standing in the common room of the Avengers Compound and just smiling at you as you carry Morgan.

You’ve never met Shuri, but you know she played an important part in deprogramming the Winter Soldier out of Bucky, and you’re grateful to her for it. She’s important to Bucky, and you can’t believe you forgot Bucky has Wakandan friends.

You put Morgan down on the ground again and the little girl takes your hand and aggressively steers you towards where Steve, Bucky and Shuri are standing, clearly thrilled to be in the presence of a real life princess.

“Hi, I’m Shuri.” She offers you her hand when you get close enough and you shake it with your free hand while introducing yourself.

There’s a bit of an awkward pause and you’re about to say the first thing that pops into your head when Morgan thankfully saves you by pulling on your hand, making you look at her. She tells you to come close and, chuckling, you kneel beside her so she can whisper conspiratorially in your ear.

“She’s a princess and she’s really pretty, but I still like you better.” She whispers and you can’t help but laugh.

God, you love this little girl.

You smile brightly at her and launch a tickle attack, her adorable giggles filling the room as everyone looks at you two with warm smiles.

Your attention is solely on Morgan, until you unintentionally hear the whispered conversation between Shuri and Bucky.

“So, this is the girl, huh? She’s pretty.” Shuri says and your heart skips a beat. 

You glance at them as discreetly as you can while still tickling Morgan, only to find Bucky looking at someone behind you. You turn around less carefully and see Sharon just entered the room, and she's also looking at Bucky with a smirk. You quickly return your attention to Morgan, but your mind is going a thousand miles a minute.

Of course he’d like someone more like Sharon. She’s pretty, she’s talented, she’s a total badass and she’s not afraid to go after what she wants.

She’s not a mass of anxiety in the shape of a woman that overthinks everything and becomes a flustered mess every time she’s even near Bucky.

It’s time to admit it to yourself: Bucky just doesn’t see you like that and you need to move on. 

Natasha is right, your obsession with Bucky needs to end.

What you don’t see is Bucky almost glaring at Sharon because he knows damn well why she’s smirking. She came in just before Shuri whispered to Bucky, when he was very intent on looking at you with heart eyes as you played with Morgan.

Just before you looked at him, Bucky noticed Sharon and he had to hold in a groan at her because he knows that she’s never gonna let him live this down.

Both Sharon and Steve have tried really hard to convince Bucky that you like him back and he should make a move on you. But Bucky, being as stubborn as they come, never believes them.

He obviously makes you uncomfortable, you’re always stuttering when he’s around and you avoid eye contact whenever possible. He’s just glad that you can stand his presence enough for the two of you to work together when necessary and to hang out with the rest of the team without problems.

So he just enjoys looking at you from a distance. He loves watching you play with Morgan and his thoughts always run wild with images of you playing like that with kids that are yours and his.

But he knows that’s never going to happen. Why would you like a damaged, PTSD ridden soldier that can’t even make it through the night without waking up from a nightmare? No, that’s definitely not your type.

Bucky accepts the truth: He doesn’t deserve you and you don’t see him like that anyways. 

It doesn’t matter that Sam thinks he’s obsessed, that won’t stop him from looking at you whenever he’s lucky enough to get a glimpse of his little ray of sunshine.

Requested taglist: @vicmc624 @matchat3a @nerd-without-a-cause @sapphirebarnes @cjand10 @mostlymarvelgirl @julvrs @blackhawkfanatic @lillianacristina @armystay89 @imdoingbetternow @spookyparadisesheep @elizalexwil @aceofhearts25 @dontworryboutitsweetheartxx-blog @justab-eautifulmess @buggy14 @thedonswife13

[redroomreflections]

Coming Home

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Gentle Hands Universe

Summary: Natasha comes home

W/c: 2k

The door creaked open softly, almost too quietly to be noticed, but you heard it—Natasha’s unmistakable presence filling the air like a wave of relief washing over you. You had waited for this moment for weeks, counting down the days until she would return, and now she was finally home. Though the tiredness seeping in your bones kept you from moving from your cozy spot on the couch. You drifted in and out of sleep, hoping to awaken whenever she came in.

Unlike before, when the sound of a door opening would fill you with dread, Natasha’s return was different. She always came home quietly, mindful of the girls—of you. She understood that late at night, Kaia’s sleep was fragile, that loud footsteps or slamming doors could wake her and unravel the calm of your evening. But it wasn’t just the silence Natasha brought; it was the care.

Keith had never been like that. You remembered how he’d come home loud and careless, throwing the door open with no regard for the sleeping child down the hall or for you, who would often be scrambling to pick up the pieces of a long day. Some nights, he wouldn’t even acknowledge you. No "hello," no "I missed you"—just his presence, heavy and indifferent, filling the space without offering comfort.

It wasn’t always the volume of his arrival that bothered you; it was the disregard. The way he could walk into the room and pass you by as if you were invisible, as if your exhaustion and efforts went unseen. There were nights when he’d come home, flop onto the couch, and leave you to finish the endless tasks of caring for Kaia without even a glance in your direction. The silence between you wasn’t peaceful—it was suffocating.

But Natasha… Natasha knew. She recognized your triggers, your unease, the way you tensed when the door opened, half-expecting that same disregard to greet you. And she made the effort. When she came home, she was thoughtful. Careful. Considerate.

Tonight was no different.

The door inched open slowly, the wood creaking gently, and through the crack, a figure crept. She stood in the doorway, her silhouette softened by the dim light of the table lamp, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on you. You were curled up on the couch, a blanket draped over your lap, Kaia’s favorite stuffed animal clutched loosely in your hand, with Kaia's head in your lap. Brynn had finally gone down for the night, and Kaia had fallen asleep in your arms an hour ago after insisting that she "stay up until Mommy comes home." You hadn't anticipated falling asleep too.

She closed the distance between you, kneeling to see the Lilo and Stitch band-aids adorning Kaia's arms and forehead.

"Hey," Natasha said quietly, stroking your hand to wake you.

You stirred, your eyes opening to the sight of her face, the red hair hanging loose around her shoulders. A soft smile spread across your lips, and you whispered, "You're home." You looked around, trying to find your bearings and then remembering.

Natasha smiled. "I’m home," she replied softly, her voice a balm to your heart. She brought your hand to her lips, pressing a kiss to your knuckles as her thumb gently brushed over your skin. "I’ve missed you so much."

She glanced at Kaia and asked, "Is she okay?"

You nodded. "She fell off her bike earlier. Nothing too serious. A couple of scrapes and bumps that she will be excited to tell you about. I told Sam she was too little for that thing."

"Poor baby," Natasha said sympathetically, leaning down to press a kiss to Kaia's temple. Then she sat back on her heels, meeting your gaze. "I'm glad you're both okay."

"Do you need a moment?" You questioned.

"No, I showered at the compound," She shook her head. "Just need to get out of these clothes."

She rose, and you followed, laying Kaia's head on the cushion. Natasha helped you slip out from under her, tucking the blanket in around her and leaving a kiss on her cheek before leading you into the bedroom. She stripped out of her outfit, her movements slow and precise, and then pulled on one of her own shirts.

"Sorry I fell asleep," you told her, "I was going to wait up."

"You had a long day. Don't worry about it," she reassured, "It's nice to see the two of you curled up on the couch."

You smiled, the image bringing joy to your mind.

"How were the girls?" She asked as turned to you.

"They were good," You said softly, stroking a stray hair from Natasha’s forehead. "Kaia had a bit of a meltdown when you left, but Wanda and Pepper were lifesavers. Brynn has been saying 'Mommy' every time she hears the door. They’ve missed you."

Natasha frowned, her shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry."

You cupped her cheeks, your touch drawing her attention.

"No, it's fine," You reassured, "We just missed you. That's all."

Natasha nodded and kissed your forehead. She wrapped her arms around your waist, pulling you close.

"Mmm," She hummed, delighting in your scent. She nuzzled your neck before kissing it. "I love you."

"I love you too," You told her, your hands running down her back. You kissed her jaw, then her cheek, and then her nose, before capturing her lips.

Natasha kissed you slowly, and gently, savoring your taste. Her hands slid down your sides, her fingers hooking in your waistband, and her thumbs traced the skin of your back.

"Mama!" Kaia called from the living room.

Natasha sighed, her lips curving into a pout, and pressed her forehead to yours.

"Mommy's home," You cooed, pecking her lips before walking toward the living room, where Kaia was now sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"I am still tired," Kaia whined.

You knelt on the floor beside her, pulling her into your arms, and whispered, "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't wake me, Mama," Kaia said sleepily, hugging you.

"Are you sure?" You asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Good, because I think Mommy is waiting to hear all about the bike ride and your band-aids," You reminded, and Kaia looked up excitedly, her sleepy demeanor forgotten. "She's here."

"Where is she?" Kaia questioned.

You smiled and looked up to see Natasha in the doorway.

"Right here," Natasha said, and Kaia's face lit up.

"Mommy!" She exclaimed, squirming out of your arms. She jumped off the couch and ran to her, and Natasha picked her up, spinning her around. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, my sweet girl," Natasha replied, kissing her cheek.

"Mommy, I do have so many bandaids," Kaia pointed to the one on her forehead, just above her left eyebrow. "One, two, three, four, five! I fell off my bike. I didn’t even cry though. "

"That's a lot of bandaids," Natasha remarked.

"And Mama said that I was really brave," Kaia continued.

"Of course, you were," Natasha agreed, and Kaia smiled.

"You gonna stay here now?"

"Yes," Natasha nodded, "I'm here. No more missions."

"Okay," Kaia hugged her tightly. "I'm glad."

Natasha's heart swelled with affection, and she kissed her again. "Let's get you to bed."

Kaia nodded, her arms wrapped around Natasha's neck. She looked at you and asked, "Can I sleep with you and Mommy tonight?"

"Of course," You nodded, rising to your feet. You followed them into the bedroom and climbed into the bed, and Kaia scrambled over Natasha to take the spot between you. She curled up against you, and you kissed her head.

"I love you," You whispered. Before either of you could think about closing your eyes, a soft whimper was heard over the baby monitor.

"She's awake," Kaia observed.

"It's okay, Kaia. We can take care of her," Natasha said, rising from the bed. "I'll go get her."

"I'm coming," Kaia decided, slipping out from under the covers and running into the nursery.

You watched her go, your heart feeling full, and then looked up at Natasha. "Thank you."

"For what?" She asked, sitting down on the bed beside you.

"For being here," You told her, kissing her gently.

She smiled. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." She said before she disappeared into the nursery. A few moments later, she came back with Brynn in her arms and Kaia hot on her tail. Brynn immediately reached for you, tapping at your shirt in question, before squeezing her hands open and closed.

"Okay, okay," You chuckled, taking her from Natasha. You pulled up your shirt and lifted her to your breast, and she latched on eagerly, sucking hungrily. You stroked her dark hair and then looked up at Natasha.

"Mama's so pretty right?" Natasha murmured as Kaia placed herself on her lap. It felt so right seeing the two of them watching you curiously. "And she's feeding our baby," Natasha said proudly, "What could be more beautiful than that?"

"You flatter me,"

"Well, it's true," She said.

"Mommy?" Kaia asked. "Did you catch all the bad guys?"

"I did," Natasha told her.

"Did they give you any booboos?" Kaia questioned.

"No, but it did take a lot of work."

"Like what?"

"Well, I'll tell you when you're older," Natasha reasoned.

"I'm older," Kaia argued, "I'm almost three years old!"

"When you're four."

"That's a long time from now."

"It'll fly by," You promised, and Kaia groaned.

"I don't wanna wait."

"You can wait," You said.

"Why?"

"Because sometimes things are hard to hear, and sometimes it's better to wait," You explained.

"Oh," Kaia looked up at Natasha. "Do you have hard things?"

"Everybody has hard things," Natasha answered.

"So do I," Kaia decided, "I have hard things."

"Like what?" You echoed her question form earlier.

"I don't know," Kaia said.

You smiled.

"That's okay, my sweet girl. Maybe you'll think of one," You said, "But for now, let's all get some sleep."

"Okay, Mama," Kaia nodded, and you handed Brynn to Natasha.

"Will you burp her for me, please?"

"Of course," Natasha took her.

You and Kaia settled down beneath the covers, and once Natasha was finished, she joined you.

"Do you think she'll be asleep soon?" Kaia whispered, looking up at her.

"I don't know, honey. But if she doesn't fall asleep, we can take care of her."

"Okay," Kaia said, "Because I think I'm tired."

"Go ahead and close your eyes," Natasha encouraged, and Kaia obeyed. She rolled over, curling up against you, and you held her close. Brynn rested her cheek on Natasha's chest, her lashes fluttering, as she looked over at you. She was moments away from falling asleep too.

You were surrounded by the ones you loved most. The girls had grown so much in the past year, and so had your relationship with Natasha. She was always there, a constant presence, and even when she was away, her love never failed.

She was different than Keith—she cared, she listened, and she loved. And even after all the pain he caused, all the damage, you wouldn't trade a single moment for a world where you didn't have the girls or her.

[traveler-at-heart]

Game, Set, Match

Summary: Natasha Romanoff is a professional tennis player, struggling to go back to the top and win the US Open. Reluctant at first, she allows a sports journalist into her life... and a bit more.

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!R - Ya know it, fluffy af.

A/N: I love tennis and this was basically written for me. But @canvascoloredin is also a fan and thought, ok well, let's post it, maybe someone else will enjoy :)

“Thirty all”

She’s catching up, do something.

“Forty, thirty”

“Deuce”

“Come on, Natasha” her sister yells from the box.

Advantage, Romanoff.

Game, set, match. Natasha Romanoff.

Everything that happens after is a blur. Natasha feels like she just played the final, but in reality, it’s just the first round.

“Way to go, darling” her mother compliments when she’s back in the locker rooms, but Fury is quickly behind, not holding back.

“Three sets against an amateur and you won because she got nervous and got a double fault. That’s not good” 

“I beat her, didn’t I?” Natasha averts her eyes, putting on her jacket to go to the press room.

“Barely” her trainer mumbles. 

Natasha’s heart beats fast as she sits in front of all the journalists. They were warned about the questions they could ask, but still. Natasha feels all eyes on her, judging her reaction and demeanor.

“Did you worry about losing control at the start of the third set?” a man in the front row asks.

“It was the defining moment of the game, so I felt like I had to push myself harder and control the rhythm of the match. Which obviously happened”

“How was it to go back after your break? Unlike other players, you didn’t participate in any tournaments between Wimbledon and this”

“I’ve been playing tennis all my life, really, so it doesn’t feel like a big deal to me. Just because I wasn’t playing to win titles doesn’t mean I didn’t train” 

Natasha hears Fury cough and has to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

Control your temper, he’s trying to say.

Well, maybe they shouldn’t ask stupid questions.

--

You’re sitting in the middle of the press room, eyes trained on Natasha. She’s looking anywhere but you. 

I guess this means she read my column.

The conference is coming to an end, so you raise your hand and the assistant points at you.

“We have time for one more” he concedes.

“That’s enough for today” Natasha shuts it down before you can ask. 

Yeah, she definitely read the article.

Natasha can’t wait to get out of there, thanking the press before sprinting out of the room. You consider following her, but a text from your boss stops you.

Go to LA Stadium, Wanda Maximoff just bageled some poor girl.

With a bit of luck, you’ll get an exclusive with Wanda.

--

The biggest crime of Shostakov

It was a Tuesday afternoon, well into the second week of Wimbledon, when the news broke out. Alexei Shostakov, retired tennis player, was arrested for fraud and tax evasion. While in custody, it was discovered Shostakov was in possession of drugs.

The famous Red Guardian, who once had won on that very same club, was now dragged away in a patrol car, stripped of his days of glory. For people who are well versed in the history of tennis, this doesn’t come as a complete shock. Shostakov was a notorious trouble maker, often breaking rackets, ripping his shirts open and getting expelled from a total of 15 matches during the entire run of his career.

No one seemed more affected by the news than his protegee and adoptive daughter, Natasha Romanoff. The favorite to win the world’s most important Grand Slam retired amid the breaking news. As a result, Wanda Maximoff’s path to the trophy was an easy one, taking the number 1 from Romanoff while she was at it.

If her career depends on Alexei’s ability to get back on his feet, Natasha Romanoff should retire now.

In her best form, Romanoff is stealthy, precise and absolutely lethal. Her movements reminisce those of a ballerina; one that gracefully dances across the court -doesn’t matter if it’s grass, clay or hard- to deliver blow after blow of brilliance. Natasha has raw talent, pure heart and an unbreakable spirit.

The biggest crime of Shostakov, is that he’s in the way of her greatness. Maybe it’s his ego or a compulsion to attach himself to a woman who has the capacity to break every record from the Open Era.

Whatever the reason, it’s clear she’s better off without him. For those of us who love this sport, and want Natasha to be the champion she was meant to be, this is an unique opportunity to watch her finally emerge from the shadows of the overbearing man.

The proverbial ball is in Romanoff’s court. In all her brilliance, the one thing Natasha rarely does is take risks.

It’s never too late to start.

--

“We’re finishing the second day of the US Open and we have some major upsets. Carol Danvers, number 3 in the world and only American in the top ten lost to Brit Peggy Carter” you say, holding the mic and looking at the camera.

“I understand there was some excitement on the man’s singles” you hear Maria say on your earpiece and you nod.

“Queens had a face off with Brooklyn today. Bucky Barnes defeated amateur Peter Parker, but get this! They played five sets, and Peter won every tiebreak. So it seems like we have some exciting new talent”

“We’ll keep an eye on him, for sure. Thanks for the report, Y/N!”

“A pleasure as usual, Maria. Greetings to everyone back on the studio” 

“And cut” Darcy, your producer says. You remove the earpiece and hand over the mic. As you turn around, you spot Natasha training. It’s obvious you’re staring when Darcy speaks.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, you know? You wrote what a lot of people were thinking”

“Well, seems like she doesn’t wanna hear it”

“It’s fine. I mean, it would be better if we could get a quote from her or an interview but if she hates you that much we can get someone else to do it”

“Or, I could go and try to talk to her?”

“So you have a death wish!”

“Didn’t you just say I did nothing wrong?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean she’ll listen. I am also legally obligated to tell you that your health insurance doesn’t cover injuries caused by tennis balls. Or rackets”

“Very funny”

--

“Relax your wrist” Fury instructs once again and Natasha ignores him, as usual.

She hates the press, the interviews, the hoops she has to jump through just so she can play tennis. 

None of it is optional and she has to follow the rules, something Natasha is particularly bad at.

“If you want to move to the next round you’re gonna have to listen to me”

Does she really want to move to the next round? Is there a point to all of this? She had lost her number one ranking and people were focusing more on her private life than her career.

Fury spots you across the court and smiles. 

You nod your head towards the man and he sighs, defeated.

“Can you talk some sense into her?” 

“Can anyone?” you say and he pats you on the back, leaving the court. The sun is setting and people are going home, ready to return tomorrow to watch the next round of players. You greet Natasha but she ignores you.

“You owe me a question” you try to joke, as she keeps hitting the ball so hard you think her racket will break in half. 

“I know who you are and I’m not talking to you” 

She looks hot when she’s pissed.

You push those thoughts away.

“Natasha”

“No, you and I are not on a first name basis. Not after you wrote all that crap about me without knowing me” 

“I only spoke the truth” 

“That my career is doomed and I should retire?” she finally stops throwing balls across the court and turns to look at you.

“Oh, my God! You didn’t even read it, did you?”

“I don’t need to. I know what everyone's been saying ever since Alexei was arrested. I know he was unconventional, but he was my trainer. He was beside me through the good and bad” 

“I get it, ok? He’s your family. And your trainer. That’s never easy and I understand how it can be hard to see things objectively. But,  Natasha, you are great in spite of him, not because of him”

That makes her pause.

“Nick Fury came out of retirement to train you. That’s how talented you are!”

The redhead serves a couple of times, staying completely silent.

“I’m not talking to you” she reminds you. 

“You’re the best player out there, Natasha. And right now you’re the only thing getting in the way of your success” 

--

Morning comes and so does the next match. Natasha is looking out the window of the suite, as people come and go around the busy streets of the tennis center.

Fury steps in, immediately aware of her nervous energy. If he asks if she’s ready, she’ll probably rip his head off. So, talking about something different might be the way to go.

“Her father was also a sports journalist,” he says, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

“Who?” 

“Y/N. Richard was a single parent, so he’d always bring her to the games, even as a baby. She behaved better than most people too” 

“Is he retired?” 

“Nope. Cancer. Four years ago” Fury sits in front of Natasha. “Didn’t expect her to follow his steps, but that girl really knows sports. She’s working with the local station, and also writes for Sports Illustrated”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Never hurts to have a couple of friends around,” he says, sipping from his glass.

“I’m not good at making friends” Natasha looks away.

“Yeah, I know. You’re good at tennis, so…” the man checks his watch and stands up. “Let’s kick some ass”

--

Natasha has to face Kate Bishop, currently ranked 24. Her game is the opposite of aggressive, but she’s famous for her impeccable aim. Natasha has to control the game from the start if she wants to win.

She serves first, and as she bounces the ball, preparing her stance, Fury’s words echo in her head. All the advice he has given her for the past months, advice that she has consistently ignored.

Then, as she throws the ball, her eyes meet yours. You’re sitting in the front row, leaning forward. 

In a split second, she makes a decision.

Natasha is ready to take risks.

She aims for the corner of the service box, hoping it will fall inside. Kate lunges forward, shocked at the speed of the ball.

“Ace” the umpire announces. “Fifteen love” 

Natasha sees you clapping and can hear Fury shouting “That’s it, you can do this, Romanoff”

And boy, does she deliver. Kate is running across the court. Natasha’s unforced errors are incredibly low. While the crowd usually loves long games, the redhead is a legend and they’re excited to see her prowess first hand. 

The game ends in 47 minutes, 6-3, 6-2.

Kate approaches the net and shakes Natasha’s hand.

“That was… incredible, Romanoff”

“Thank you, Kate” 

The kind words and the genuine admiration make Natasha relax instantly.

Of course, the crowd goes wild as the redhead lifts her arms, clapping and waving. 

She’s in such a good mood that she decides she’ll finally take your question. But as she enters the press room, you’re nowhere to be found. 

Still, she chats and even jokes around with the journalists present.

Once again, the entire family celebrates as if Natasha had already won the Grand Slam.

“Seestra, the crowd was going craaaazy, it was like a Taylor Swift concert” Yelena tells her excitedly as they eat. Natasha’s starving, so nervous about today that she didn’t even have breakfast.

They keep chatting, talking about strategy for the next game and wondering who will go against Natasha next. 

“Natalia, your father wants to talk to you” Melina interrupts, holding her phone.

“Why?” Natasha snaps, going back to her stoic self.

“He wants to congratulate you,” the woman insists.

“I’m not in the mood. Excuse me” she stands up, losing her appetite.

Out on the terrace, she watches people passing by, trying to think of anything else but Alexei.

Your words come back to her, and she starts to believe them.

You are great in spite of him.

“Hey, there you are!” you shout from the bottom of the stairs, waving. “Do you have a sec?”

Natasha nods, going down. 

“First of all, wow. Brava”

“You wanted something?” she rolls her eyes, but you notice she blushes lightly.

It’s quite the view, Natasha’s body covered in sweat from the physical exertion, her sculpted arms in full display.

That tennis outfit looks really good on her.

“Oh.. yeah. Do you, uh, have time to meet a fan? She’s a little girl and you’re her favorite player”

“Of course” 

“Awesome, come with me!” you take her by the hand.

Natasha tries to ignore the tingling feeling she gets as she’s dragged around the center. Some people recognise her, but you’re walking fast and they don’t have the chance to stop her for a picture.

“Hey, Ava!” you greet the little girl, who’s holding a big tennis ball and a black marker. “Natasha, meet Ava. She’s your number one fan” 

“Hi,” the girl says shyly. She’s about nine, her mother standing next to her and smiling.

“Hi, Ava. It’s so nice to meet you” Natasha greets. “How are you liking the tournament so far?” 

“Uh, it was great, and you were so awesome today!”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. Would you like me to sign that?”

“Yes, please!” her arms shoot forward, anxiously. 

“What other players would you like to meet?” Natasha says, as she signs the ball.

“Maybe Peter Parker… We met Carol Danvers, Bucky Barnes and also, Wanda”

Yeah, Natasha didn’t miss the way Maximoff signed the ball. 

From the number 1 player to the number 1 fan. 

So pretentious.

“That’s nice,” Natasha says, handing the ball back.

“Alright, let’s take a picture” you pull out your phone. Natasha kneels to be closer to Ava, and then places her tennis hat on the girl’s head.

“You can have it” Natasha smiles and is surprised when she gets a very enthusiastic hug. Her mother has to practically drag her away from where you’re standing, Ava turning around every couple of steps to wave at Natasha.

“Thank you, Nat,” you say, smiling.

“It’s not a problem. I didn’t see you in today’s press conference”

“That’s because it’s my day off” you say, surprised that she noticed your absence.

“What about that thing?” she points at the badge hanging from your neck that reads Press.

“That’s how I get in for free, duh” 

“Sneaky” 

“I can be” you shrug your shoulders and then turn back to your phone. “Hey, so can I send this to your PR team for them to post it?” 

“You don’t have to” 

“Fine, I’ll post it on my feed and tag you. Alright, gotta go. Have to cheer for Bucky” you say, taking her hand one last time. “Once again, thank you. And congrats. You were fantastic”

“I owe you a question” she calls when you’re walking away.

“I’m saving it for when you win the championship” you wink and she smiles, scratching the side of her neck nervously.

Later that day, her phone is blasting with notifications.

“Almost one million likes, Natasha” Yelena shows her the picture you uploaded of her and Ava.

“Is that good or bad?” the redhead shrugs her shoulders and her sister rolls her eyes.

“You’re so uncool!” 

However, she knows enough about Instagram to find your profile, going through your feed. Most of the pictures are from different games, some hangout with friends, the most frequent ones being Barnes and a pro that plays for the Yankees, Sam Wilson.

She’s about to close the app when two things that are equally horrible happen.

First, she likes one of your pictures from two years ago.

Second, she gets a message.

OfficialWandaMaximoff: Congrats on your win today <3

--

Bucky just lost the second set and is down on the third one. You keep refreshing the feed as you wait next to other journalists for Wanda Maximoff. 

Of course she’s in the quarter finals, that’s hardly a shock. Everyone’s waiting for her to face Natasha in the finals. When it happens, you’re obviously rooting for Nat.

Speaking of which…

@SportsBrooklyn: Good luck tomorrow! 

@NatashaROfficial followed you back

@NatashaROfficial: Do you only use Instagram or can you text like a normal person?

@SportsBrooklyn: Oh, right, text you to the number I don’t have!

Wanda walks in that moment and you lock your phone. Her auburn hair is tied in a high ponytail, and she changed to her signature red windbreaker and black pants.

You’re busy taking notes when your phone pings again. To your surprise, Natasha actually gave you her phone number.

@NatashaROfficial: If you share it with anyone else I’ll choke you

@SportsBrooklyn: Kinky ;)

The press conference ends and you practically sprint out to see if you can catch the rest of Bucky’s game.

You have to settle for the screens on the Champions Bar, comforted by the fact that Bucky seems to be ahead on the third set. As soon as he wins it, you stand up, knowing the break is the perfect time to slip into the player’s box.

“I’m so sorry” you say as you crash into none other than Wanda Maximoff. She grabs your arm to steady herself, smiling to ease you.

“That’s alright. You’re in a hurry?” she says, turning at the screen. 

“A bit, yeah” 

“I wish someone as cute as you was rooting for me” she smiles, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. She’s flirting? Oh boy. “I noticed you looking at your phone during the press conference. Barnes is a lucky guy” 

“Oh, we’re not…” 

“Here I was thinking he was smarter than that”

There’s a sense of urgency to go before the break is over, but you’re also completely confused. Why is Wanda Maximoff taking an interest in a local reporter? You’re vaguely aware that her eyes drift somewhere behind you from time to time, but before you can turn and have a look, she pulls your press badge and smiles.

“If you ever want an exclusive, just let me know, Y/N…” she reads the name from your press badge and walks away, leaving you completely confused.

--

Natasha watches the entire interaction from her small table. She needed a break so she decided to put on a hat and glasses, to get a drink without being recognised.

Wanda was all over you, giggling and looking Natasha’s way as much as she could, to let her know this was entirely to upset her.

All Natasha wanted to do was stand up and take you away from Wanda. You were too good for someone like Maximoff.

Wanda thought she was making Natasha jealous.��

She was right, but not in the way she would have wanted to.

--

“Maybe it’s time I retire” 

“You’re 28” 

“Might as well be 100 in tennis years” 

“Buck” you nudge him.

You’re looking out the Brooklyn Bridge, trying to cheer up your best friend after losing in the round of 16.

“You won the Australian Open this year” 

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. See? I’m senile” he mumbles, still grumpy.

“You did great, and you’re still in the top five, Grumpa. Ha! See what I did there?” he rolls his eyes and you smile, pulling him back to the street. “Come on, Sam is waiting for us to have some lunch” 

“Ok, but it’s on you because I’ll be broke once I retire” 

“Yeah, yeah” you roll your eyes, looping your arms together and dragging him to your favorite dinner. Sam’s already there, chatting around with everyone that recognises him.

All eyes turn to you as he stands up and practically shouts.

“How’s my favorite girl?” Sam greets you and then slaps Bucky’s shoulder. “Don’t make that face, man. You won the aussie one”

“That’s what I told him” 

Bucky takes his jacket off and orders a beer as soon as the waiter approaches you; even if it’s only noon, you let it slide.

You get a text from Darcy, asking if you’re watching the game.

Your mind instantly goes to Natasha. Did she lose? No, that can’t be. She was playing against Van Dyne, who was only there because of a wild card. You turn to one of the screens and ask the waiter to change the channel. 

“She’s winning” you say, still not understanding what Darcy meant.

“Why does she look so upset, then?” Sam points out.

Natasha is arguing with the umpire. You recognise him immediately.

“I hate that guy,” Bucky says, echoing your thoughts.

“Jarvis… something. Stone?” 

“Yeah, a total asshole. Wouldn’t give me a point I clearly won on Wimbledon because the other player was also a Brit” 

The argument ends and she keeps playing. Her forehand is killer today.

“Wow” Bucky says at the same time as you gasp.

“Man, I feel so dumb right now” Sam is looking between both of you, not knowing what caused your reaction.

“Just now? It’s more like, always” Bucky teases and Sam glares. He rolls his eyes and points at the screen. “Van Dyne hit after a double bounce. That’s not allowed. But Stone clearly doesn’t give a shit. He’s giving her the point”

“Natasha stopped playing because she saw it. He claims he didn’t so in his mind, she lost this one” you keep explaining.

“If Hope had a little bit of integrity, she’d concede the point or play it again”

“Well, she’s losing so she’ll take all the help she can get” you say. 

Natasha’s rage fuels her after this and she ends up winning, the second set a devastating 6-0.

However, the two men on the screen are being unsurprisingly critical of her. Your stomach turns when you hear the words “emotional” and “aggressive” thrown around.

Even if it’s a long shot, you try calling her. Phone’s off.

If you’re lucky, you’ll manage to see her once you get back to the stadium.

--

“Turn it off,” Natasha grumbles. Fury is watching the news in the living room. 

“I wanna see the highlights of other players. Prepare for what’s coming next. If you don’t like it, leave the room” he says with a dismissive wave of his hand.

After the game, Natasha did the mandatory press conference, went back to the lockers, destroyed two rackets, took a shower and then looked out the window for the better part of the day. 

She wasn’t in the mood to do anything and she didn’t want to turn on her phone. The temptation to read what the press and public had to say about her after today’s argument with the umpire was too big.

“Y/N, how are things at the US Open?” Maria Hill says. The screen splits, your image appearing on the right side.

“Exciting names on both sides for the semis. We have Thor against Banner, and T'Challa faces Namor for a spot in the semis. As for the ladies, Maximoff breezed through the match against Jean Gray”

“Well, I understand Romanoff didn’t have it so easy,” Maria says. 

From her seat, Natasha holds her breath. Yelena walks in at that exact moment, watching her sister closely.

“You know, I find it unbelievable that an umpire at the US Open could make such a poor call, not once but twice. First, with the hindrance call against Natasha and then by completely ignoring the double bounce before Van Dyne hit the ball” you say, clearly upset. “We’ve seen time and time again that some umpires are not up to the standards set by Grand Slams. And to my fellow journalists who like to throw around words like emotional, better save that energy for the men that smash their rackets just because they lost a point. As we all saw, Romanoff was in her right to demand fairness and she did it with the utmost respect” 

“Yes, I completely agree with you” Maria nods, clearly regretting even asking about it. “Well, let us chat tomorrow after we have the final for the men” 

“Of course, Maria,” you nod.

Natasha tries really hard, but she can’t help but smile at your words.

Yelena arches her eyebrows.

Well, this is interesting.

--

Natasha refuses to leave her room, arguing she’s not hungry. Melina, Yelena and Fury leave her alone, but the sudden silence becomes too much. There’s no noise to stop her thoughts from spiraling.

With a sigh, she turns on her phone. Two messages come through.

Y/N: Sorry about today. That umpire sucks :( 

Y/N: Bucky hates him too

Next thing she sees is a picture of Bucky and you holding your middle fingers to the screen with Jarvis’ face. Natasha chuckles at that.

She also zooms in, checking that your other hand is very close to Bucky’s. She feels a pang of jealousy that is interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Room service” a strange voice says.

“I didn’t order any..:” she says, but finds you smiling on the other side of the door.

“Gotcha” 

“What are you doing here?” the redhead can’t help but smile. You’re wearing a black leather jacket, a white tee and skin tight jeans. She’s torn between admiring your figure and paying attention to what you say next.

“Little bird told me you were very upset and you might need a distraction” 

“I’m gonna kill Fury” 

“Not Nick. Your sister. And are we gonna find something to eat by standing here or…?”

“I’m not hungry” 

“We’re going, Natasha. Go get changed” you push past her, tired of waiting around in the hallway. She’s taken aback by your forwardness. Her mother and sister would usually let her get away with anything.

“Where are we going?” she asks, hoping you won’t go all the way to her room and pick an outfit for her.

“Something casual will do” 

She changes as fast as she can, taking her phone and some money with her. You nod approvingly and then open the door, peeking around the hallway.

“This little field trip is not Fury approved so let’s be discreet about it” you inform her, taking her hand to lead the way to the elevator.

“Oh, yeah, this is super discreet” Natasha complains as you lead her to an electrical carriage. 

“Have a little fun, why don’t you?” you climb up, offering your hand. She takes and sits next to you. Natasha resists the urge to put a strand of hair behind your ear as you lean forward to give the address.

You feel her eyes on you, so you turn back, smiling and blushing lightly. 

It’s a short ride, and soon after you enter a small diner.

“Hey, Y/N” the owner greets you. “My, this must be a special occasion” she leans towards Natasha and whispers. “She’s never brought a girl over”

“Ok, Pat! Natasha is just a friend” you clarify, blushing in the process. Natasha laughs at you.

“Why? She’s pretty. You need to start dating” Pat says, leaving two menus.

“Don’t bother” you stop Natasha as she starts reading it. “She’ll bring us whatever she wants. But it will be worth it, I promise”

“Do you come here often?”

“My dad couldn’t cook if his life depended on it. But he was always good at finding the best spots to eat. So we came here all the time during the US Open and then later when Bucky started training”

Natasha nods and looks away. 

“So, you’re not dating Barnes either?” she says, looking anywhere but you. It’s embarrassing how much she cares.

“Uh.. no. He’s like a brother to me. His parents worked a lot so he’d tag along to games with us, and we grew up together” you wait until she turns to look at you. “Can I ask now?”

“Is this off the record?”

“Do you see my press badge anywhere?”

“One never knows with you people”

“Ouch, Natasha” the redhead laughs but you ask anyway. “Are you dating anyone? You’ve never been public about it”

“I’m not, no. I just don’t think I’d be able to find the balance. Between tennis and a partner. And my public and private life”

“Fair enough” you say. Pat approaches with milkshakes, cheeseburgers and fries.

“I hope you girls are hungry”

“Starving” 

“Fury’s gonna kill me” Natasha sighs, but then dips a fry in the milkshake and practically moans at the taste.

Your mouth is hanging wide open, and your teeth clash at how fast you shut it when Natasha turns to you.

“You’re right, this is worth it”

The rest of the night is spent eating and talking about everything but tennis. You learn that Natasha likes to bake in her free time, and that Yelena is taking a sabbatical before moving to New York to study at NYU.

After finishing your food, you both agree that walking back will be the best idea. 

“I’m so full” you complain as you enter through the back, too scared to be caught by Fury. Natasha walks in the opposite direction of the foyer. “Uh, what are you doing? I don’t want your coach all over my ass if you’re missing” 

“Have a little fun, why don’t you?” she echoes your words from before and you have no choice but to follow her. You end up on a tennis court, balls scattered around the floor.

“Do you practice here?”

“If I can’t sleep” Natasha picks up a ball and a racket and hands it to you.

“Can I help you?”

“Play with me”

“I can’t even serve, Natasha”

“Well, would you like to learn?” she says with a smirk and you can’t resist it.

“Fine. But after that, you go back to your room”

“Stance first” Natasha instructs. She corrects your posture and movements a couple of times, inching closer until she’s whispering instructions in your ear. The last thing she does is put her hands over yours to make sure your grip is tight. “Show me what you got”

She steps away and you miss her presence instantly. Trying to remember everything she told you, you toss the ball in the air and swing a little too hard. You trip over your own feet, but Natasha moves forward and catches you before you fall.

“You ok?” she says and you nod.

“How did I do, coach?” you steady yourself, holding her close to you. Your eyes travel to her lips, and you’re both out of breath from laughing.

Neither one can tell who leans first, but the fact is that you do and you discover, with great pleasure and no surprise, that Natasha is an excellent kisser. Her lips are soft against yours and she pulls you closer by your waist.

“Is this a new way of interviewing people, Y/L/N?” 

Oh, shit.

You break apart and turn to Fury, who looks very much not impressed.

“The only cardio you’re allowed to do until this slam is over is at the gym, Romanoff. Back to your room, now” 

“I’m not a little girl you can boss around,” Natasha protests.

“Come on, you should rest. We’ll talk later” you don’t want her to start arguing with Fury, not now that she’s finally listening to him. Natasha turns to you and nods, squeezing your hand one last time before going back to the hotel.

“I don’t want her distracted,” Fury says and you nod. 

“I wasn’t trying to… I won’t get in her way, Nick. I want her to win”

“Glad we understand each other. Now go home” 

He turns to leave and you wait for a little bit, trying to calm down after a mindblowing kiss. As you’re about to leave, you spot a yellow bracelet on the ground. You’ve seen Natasha wearing one before, but you’re too scared of Fury to go back now.

Tomorrow will be a new day for all of you.

--

“Keep your leg behind the ball” Fury instructs. Natasha has been listening to every single thing he says.

Yes, she’s nervous about the semis. And Fury’s the only one that can understand the feeling or help her play better.

“I want you focused,” he says as she walks to dry her hands.

“I am”

“You know what I mean” he says and as if on cue, you walk up to the court, waving. Natasha places the racket down and approaches you. “Practice isn’t over, Romanoff!”

“Five minutes” she asks, meeting you on the edge of the court.

“Hi”

“Hi” she says back. Her eyes go down to your lips and your heart flutters.

“Uh, you left… I think this is yours” you remember to speak, showing the yellow bracelet.

“Yes, thank you. Do you mind?” Natasha extends her hand and you put it around her wrist. “Yelena gave it to me before my first match. It’s my lucky charm”

“Well, good thing I saw it”

“Maybe you’ll be my next lucky charm”

“Oh? Am I supposed to be at every game from now on?” you smile, nodding when you’re done with the bracelet.

“I really wanna kiss you” Natasha blurts out and you blush. “But…”

“There are people watching and Fury doesn’t look happy either”

“He never does. Can I call you later?”

“Yes, you definitely can”

You want to kiss her so bad, damn it.

“Come on, go back, before Fury kicks me out of the court”

Natasha nods, squeezing your hand gently.

The way Natasha looks at you makes you all kinds of flustered, so you leave in a hurry before your desire takes over and you end up kissing her in front of all these people.

Once again, you run into Wanda Maximoff, only this time she doesn’t smile at all.

“She’s quite the player, right?” she says with a cold voice, her accent a bit thicker.

“Uh- yes. Natasha is a very talented pro”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant” she takes a step forward and looks you up and down. “Natasha likes to fuck around. But she always comes back to me”

“You’re… together?” your heart drops. Natasha wouldn’t lie to you about this.

Would she?

“Look, of course she wants to get distracted and she’ll use anyone that is dumb enough to fall for it. But don’t forget, she and I have history. And that’s stronger than whatever it is you think you have with Natasha”

No one is around to save you from this horrible conversation. You don’t want to argue with Wanda, because you’re still a journalist and it’s your job to be on the players’ good side.

But the reckless part of you wants to tell her to fuck off.

You sigh and look down. Wanda takes this as a sign of defeat and smiles, leaving you standing there.

It takes a minute for you to snap out of it, and you look around, desperate to walk away from everything that just happened.

—

“You’re seriously telling me you know nothing?” you ask Bucky for the tenth time.

“I don’t pay attention to rumors” he shrugs his shoulders, and you roll your eyes at him.

He’s sitting on your couch, the movie long forgotten. You nudge him with your foot and glare.

“Your best friend is a journalist, you should know better. You’re my insider into this crap”

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m just not on the loop of who dates who on the women’s side. But I am not surprised Wanda scared you. Heard she can be batshit crazy”

“She didn’t scare me” you mumble. The both of you sit in silence for a while, until your phones ping simultaneuosly.

Thankfully, it’s not Nat. Right now, you don’t even know what to say to her.

“Sam. Probably to brag about his date in that fancy restaurant” Bucky tells you, but his eyes widen as he reads the message. “Wow. You need to look at this”

He hands you the phone and you read the conversation. It’s your group chat and Sam just sent a picture of Jarvis Stone, who is having dinner with none other than Wanda Maximoff.

“What the actual fu…”

“So that’s why he was being a dick to Natasha” Bucky says. “You’re not telling her about this, are you?”

“No, of course not. She has the semis tomorrow and I don’t want to distract her”

You look at your phone and press send before you chicken out.

Y/N: Can we talk tomorrow?

YBelova: Sure

—

You’re waiting by the entrance to Arthur Ashe, looking around.  Even if Maximoff’s match is later, you are still dreading to spot Wanda.

“Hey” Yelena says and you jump like a coward. “Wow, relax, it’s me”

“I’m sorry to be meeting you like this. I didn’t want to bother Natasha, especially today… she has enough on her plate”

“It’s ok, you can trust me”

“I know I can… it’s not easy to ask this, but do you know if Wanda and Natasha had a… thing? Like a relationship”

“Are you asking as a journalist?” the blonde says, clearly on edge.

“No, it’s not like that! Natasha and I… we kissed. And then Wanda told me yesterday that Natasha is just fooling around because she always comes back to her… and that’s weird but then a friend sent me this. It’s from last night”

“That’s the umpire that was a jerk to Tasha” Yelena takes your phone, looking at it in desbelief. “That bitch is still pulling this shit”

“If it had been only about us, I would have waited until Natasha finished her match. But it seems to me, like Wanda is trying to play dirty here”

Yelena sighs and hands the phone back. She looks around and steps closer, lowering her voice.

“Yes, they dated. Kept it a secret. It was on and off, especially when they were playing against each other. Wanda didn’t like to lose and then, after a while, she began to mess around with Nat. She would have a fight with her before a big match, even if they weren’t playing each other. Made Natasha lose her cool and struggle. They really haven’t spoken since the AO”

“What do we do? I don’t want her to mess with Natasha. I won’t let Wanda get in her way”

“I’ll speak to Fury about this. He knows everything. I’ll let you know what he says”

“Didn’t know you two were friends now”

A voice calls from behind you.

“Seestra, hey!” Yelena steps forward to give you time to recover. “Y/N was just telling me about her time at NYU”

“Is that so?” the redhead looks between you two and you nod.

She stills makes you nervous and flustered.

“Alright, my presence is no longer required” Yelena complains, but still gives you a meaningful look as she walks away.

“I have to warm up, will you stay for the game?” she asks, stepping closer.

“Yes, of course I will. I’ll be screaming your name” you blurt out and then blush. “I mean, rooting for you. Didn’t mean it to sound like that”

“Sounds good to me” she says, coming closer. “Can I have a good luck kiss?”

You look at her smile, her beautiful green eyes. Think about all the times she’s been kind and funny and brave. And you also think about how someone played with her heart just for a stupid title.

So you nod and lean forward, kissing her gently.

Natasha deserves to win, not only because she’s the better player. She’s the better person.

“Go win this thing” you say against her lips and she smiles, pecking your lips one last time.

—

Natasha’s win is not a surprise to you, considering the level of her recent games. You still have to stick around for the Maximoff match, opting to stay far away from the press room once she wins.

So, it’s down to the two of them in the final.

You’ve never wished for Natasha to win something so much until today.

Work keeps you busy enough. Both of the men’s semis take a combined time of eight hours and you end up completely exhausted, seriously considering just sleeping in one of the locker rooms.

You haven’t heard from Natasha but it’s understandable. She’s playing for the championship tomorrow, and knowing Fury, he will be preparing her in every way possible.

As you get a cup of coffee from one of the last stands open, your phone pings again.

Natasha: Are you still here?

Y/N: Yes :(

Natasha: Meet me in court 17?

Y/N: Yes :)

When you finally get there, you find Natasha serving a couple of times, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

“Is Fury ok with you staying up so late?”

“I did everything he said today. I think I deserve this one thing” she smiles, walking towards you. “You look a bit tired”

“Jeez, thanks”

“I didn’t mean it like that. Ugh, Yelena is right, I have no game off court”

You laugh at that, taking her hands in yours.

“It’s fine, I was just teasing you” you say, looking as her eyes drift towards your lips. You both lean forward, sharing a kiss.

“Thank you” Natasha says.

“Uh, you’re welcome?”

“I don’t mean the kiss, no. Thank you for telling Yelena that thing about… Wanda”

“Oh”

Natasha walks with you to one of the chairs and you sit together.

“I haven’t spoken to her in months. And I don’t want to be with her. I need you to know that”

“But still… you said you’re not sure you want a relationship, right? It would be too much trouble”

“I think it might be worth the effort for you” she confesses and you smile.

“You do have game”

“I do?”

“Tiny bit. We’ll work on it”

She laughs, and you sit in silence for a moment.

“I made my debut in this court”

“I know”

“How…?”

You sigh. Since you’re sharing stories…

“After my dad died, I kinda took distance from the things we did together. That included all kinds of sports. It was a painful reminder. And then, as the USO was starting, I realised he had already bought our tickets. So I came here, walked around a bit. And then I saw you”

Natasha smiles, squeezing your hand.

“Your hair was shorter, and you were wearing a weird orange top with green shorts” you frown as you remember how awful it looked.

“My mom chose it for me!” the redhead buries her face in her hands and you laugh. You take them in yours as you continue the story.

“You were amazing that day. Controlled, precise… I forgot for a little while about how sad I was. And after you won, I came back everyday to watch you play”

“Thank you for telling me that. I wish I could have known your father”

“I would have liked that too”

There’s silence as you both think about your own journies, the things that brought you to this moment.

“Come on, we should go. You need your rest” you stand up, offering your hand to Natasha. She thinks for a moment before taking it, but instead of standing up she pulls you down until you’re sitting on her lap, your legs around her.

“Nat?” you gulp, blushing at how close you are.

“Tell me to stop and I’ll stop” she whispers, kissing your neck and squeezing your ass.

“Holy shit, no, don’t stop” you plead, tangling your fingers in her red hair.

“Locker room?”

“Lead the way” you kiss her frantically, hoping no one sees you.

Once you arrive there, Natasha smiles and your heart stops for a second.

“Ready to scream my name?”

—

There’s warmth. And a nice pressure. Some tingling on your back. Like a soft touch.

You open your eyes in an unknown room, trying to remember where you are. As you turn around you find Natasha fast asleep, her arm around your middle.

“Nat?” you call for her, hoping no one walks in any time soon.

“Five more minutes” she mumbles against your skin.

“Nat, wake up” you plead.

As it turns out, she only reacts when Yelena kicks the door, walking in on you naked under the sheets.

“Happy finals day seestra—-ah! Naked”

“Yelena what is wrong?” to your horror, Melina joins her daughter. “Oh, you two lovebirds!”

“WHY DOESNT ANYONE KNOCK HERE” Natasha screams, putting the sheets above her head.

“Sorry”  Melina says, dragging away Yelena.

“Yeah, sorry” Yelena echoes, sounding anything but.

As you both get dressed, the memories of last night come back to you.

After your rendezvous -and almost getting caught by security- you decided it would be better to continue elsewhere. You blush as images of Natasha moaning, kissing and pleasuring you also come back.

“Hey” she approaches you as you walk to the door. “You ok? You look a little…”

“Flustered?” you say, trying to hide your blush.

“Well, yes. I’m sorry about them walking in”

“Last night was… amazing”

“Yeah?” she circles your waist with her hands and pulls you closer. “How amazing?”

“Like winning all Grand Slams in the same year kind of amazing” your hands go around her neck and you pull her for a kiss.

“Wow, that’s big talk” Natasha comments agains your lips. And as she’s about to kiss you, Fury walks in.

“Romanoff! What did I tell you about that cardio”

“For the love of God, knock!” Natasha says, defeated.

“Don’t worry, Fury, I promise she was laying down for the most part” you wink at the man.

“Stay for breakfast” Melina invites as she’s setting the suite’s table with all the room service.

“This has been sufficiently awkward, thank you. And I also imagine you have stuff to do”

“You need to stay hydrated. How much liquid did you lose?” Fury says, going around the kitchen like a headless chicken.

“Fury, I haven’t seen her this relaxed in months. My sister will be fine” Yelena comments.

“Are you coming to the game?”

“Of course. I’m on press duty”

“Come to the player’s box” Melina says.

“Would that be wise?” you ask and everyone shares a look. “What I mean is, we want to make Wanda think her plan worked, right? If she sees me there she’ll know we are on to her”

“I don’t care what she thinks. I want you there” Natasha takes your hand and you smile.

“Alright. I’ll be there. See you later” you kiss her cheek and smile.

“Byeee” Melina and Yelena say, and you realise that Natasha will have to deal with their questions.

Well, if she can deal with the press, she can deal with her family.

—

The day goes by in a blur, and as the match approaches, you feel more anxious. God, how does Natasha do this? If it were you with the world watching, you’d probably break down the minute you step into the court.

“Hello there” Yelena greets as you meet at the player’s entrance of Arthur Ashe.  “Ever been here?”

“Just once, with Bucky”

It’s hard to forget the luxurious facilities where players can get food, special gifts, some physio or workout before their matches.

“He won last year, right?”

“Yes” you smile at the memory. “How is Natasha doing?”

“She’s done with warmup, she had something light to eat and she seems ready. She’s also been smiling like an idiot all day, even if Fury kept her away from her phone”

“I want her to win, so whatever it takes” you smile at the blonde, and follow her to the lounge, where Natasha is waiting with Melina. The redhead smiles as soon as she spots you and you kiss her on the cheek.

“How do you feel?”

“Like a complete wreck”

“You got this. Remember she prefers short games, she also doesn’t like to volley or come close to the net. And people say her forehand is killer but she goes too far behind her back, so use it against her”

“Y/N?” she interrupts your rambling. “All of that is fine advice, but I already have Nick on my back 24/7”

“Right, sorry”

“You know what he doesn’t provide?”

“Hm?”

“Good luck kisses”

“That’s right, it’s above my paygrade” Fury says. “Say your goodbyes now”

Melina and Yelena hug her, Fury squeezes her shoulder and then they give you some space.

“Go win this thing” you say, leaning forward and kissing her softly.

Natasha leans her forehead against yours and smiles.

She’s ready.

—

Natasha comes out first, and the crowd goes wild.

Wanda is close behind her; you catch her staring at you, clearly shocked that you’re next to Nat’s family.

“Who’s losing focus now?” Yelena says with a cheerful voice and you can’t help but smile.

The game begins and it is very clear that Natasha is playing aggressively. She has an ace on every game and there are hardly any break points for Wanda. It’s been 30 minutes and the score is 5-2.

“She’s cooked,” Fury says, looking at Wanda. You shake your head.

“Maximoff has an insane record after losing the first set, you know that”

And in fact, she does lose the first set. As always, the crowd loves to cheer on the underdog, so they go wild when Wanda wins the first two games of the second set.

“Come on, Tasha” you scream, and she looks your way, smiling. In no time, they’re tied.

“What are the odds on a tiebreak?” Yelena asks.

“It can go either way” you sigh, confirming that it will happen as they reach 6-6.

Natasha is playing fast and hard, giving no time for Wanda to recover.

But as she serves for the match, Wanda challenges the call in the most disruptive way possible.

It was in, but since Nat stopped playing the point goes to Wanda.

“That’s bullshit” Yelena says under her breath and you nod.

Sure enough, Natasha zones out and goes from match point to losing the second set.

“Dear Lord” Fury says, trying to keep a neutral expression.

“Maximoff looks exhausted, Nick. Natasha is doing great. She didn’t give away the second set. She’ll do this”

The third set begins, the first four games a close call. Deuce is called when they’re tied at 2, and you know that whoever wins this point will end up winning the match.

Every time Wanda has an advantage, Natasha comes back and breaks. Even when the Sokovian is serving, it doesn’t stop Natasha from pulling her back to 40-40. The Russian is a wall, and Wanda seems to lose hope as time passes.

And then, it happens.

Wanda has a double fault that gives Natasha the advantage. Followed by a double fault that gives her a break.

“Yes” Fury claps, trying to keep it together.

As the score approaches 5, your heart beats faster. Once again, 5-2.

Natasha serving for the match.

An ace.

The crowd goes wild.

The second ball goes out of the court when Wanda hits it.

Then, a double fault.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

It’s 30-15 and then 30-30. All Natasha needs are two more points to win.

She searches for your face in the crowd and you smile, nodding.

“You’re going to win” you say and she smiles.

Another ace.

The screens show the “championship point” sign.

Wanda doesn’t make it easy for her. She’s like a wounded animal that has nothing to lose, so she runs, she answers every throw with a groan, she comes to the net.

But when Natasha does her signature dropshot, Wanda tries to run, reaches too late and the ball bounces one, two, three times.

“Game, set, match, Romanoff”

“Fuck, YEEES” Yelena screams, standing up and cheering.

It’s all a blur, Natasha falling to the ground and covering her face. Walking to the net to shake Wanda’s hand, and then  the umpire’s.

After, she walks among the crowd, trying to reach her box. Yelena is the first to jump, their mother hugging them both and crying.

Fury looks like he’s about to cry as Natasha hugs him. You’re certainly crying happy tears as you watch them.

And then, she walks past him and picks you up from the ground, kissing you in front of the entire stadium.

“Congrats, Nat” you say against her lips.

“I’ll be right back” she promises when the security guard asks her to come back for the ceremony.

“You owe me a question”

“Save it for the next championship” she says against your lips and you kiss again, in spite of the guard’s insistence and with the crowd cheering you on.

—

It’s been six more slam titles, two years of tours around the world.

Natasha still owes you a question.

You’re saving it for a time when you’re both ready, and you’ll ask her to marry you.

[anika-ann]

Seven Minutes (S.R.)

Type: TWO-SHOT, independent, canon-ish

Pairining: Steve Rogers x reader    Word count: 8700

Summary: You’re not obliged to go to that party, but you go because it’s a rare occasion during which most of your fellow Avengers meet and have some fun together. Until someone suggests a stupid teenage game. Until you and Steve end up locked in a closet together and things take a turn you couldn’t have possibly predicted.

Maybe you should have. Whenever Tony or – god forbid – Loki gets involved, it’s bound to end up in a disaster. Only this time, the victim of the shenanigans might be your heart.

Warnings: SMUT, 18+, NSFW, (unprotected sex, fingering, glimpses of size kink and praise kink, soft hints of D/s, mirrors, possessiveness;), alcohol, a drop of angst, language (a lot)

A/N: written for @jtargaryen18 Halloween challenge. Prompt in the final notes. I toyed with it so much that it might have been cheating 😅 dividers by @firefly-graphics 💕

Part 1: Seven Minutes in Hell

“I thought about how there are two types of secrets: the kind you want to keep in, and the kind you don't dare to let out.” ― Ally Carter, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

The party had died down; or as Tony said, only the fittest had survived. Banner, drunk on Asgardian liquor, let out a sensible chuckle at the words and fell asleep as he was, sprawled over one of the couches in the communal area, which looked more like a war zone than an aftermath of a giant party.

It wasn’t the mess of empty bottles and glasses and cushions having been thrown around at some point. It was the skeletons. The fake blood. The few smashed pumpkins, literally beaten to a pulp. Luckily, the one single torn-off arm which some idiot had smuggled in despite the strict ban on those, based on the fact that at least half of the guests suffered some form of a PTSD, had been kicked under the bar and covered by a cloth as soon as you had found it. Tony, despite already finding himself in a drunken haze, agreed to kick the asshole who had brought it out. Steve had shot you a grateful look when you had asked Tony to do so. Bucky – thankfully – never learned about the tasteless joke ever taking place.

Unlike the space, the Avengers had an aura of comfort around them. Lying around, some chatting sleepily, chuckling every now and then, some talking animatedly with a few friendly nudges under the ribs, they lounged in the area and welcomed the 1 a.m. announcement by Friday with relative grace.

Except for Tony, who booed and proceeded to glare at every single conscious Avenger present, one by one; Natasha and Clint comfortable on one couch, Steve and you on the other, Thor filling out a huge armchair, Rhodey looking a bit small in the other in comparison, Wanda practically lying in a lounge pug with Vision hovering by her like a guard, Helen and Maria crossed legged on tiny tabourets, Sam and Bucky, having been fighting each for their space on the couch, now sitting carelessly with Bucky’s feet against Sam’s thigh. And then there was Loki, spinning slowly in his egg chair he had charmed up and kept up in the air with his magic, Pepper having reluctantly sat down in the other which Loki had graciously made for her with a snap of his fingers.

“Seriously, guys! Just… boooo! This party is dying! We need to shake things up!” he called out theatrically, standing in the middle of the Sleepy Hollow with judgement written all over his face. Then, he lowered his voice, a wicked smile twisting his lips. “Do you wanna play a game? I do.”

At least four distinct snorts sounded around the group at his poor impression.

“Really, Tones?” Natasha questioned, probably referring to both his acting skills and the suggestion.

“I do want to play a game. It’s called let’s go to bed,” Bucky groaned, rolling his shoulders and throwing his feet back to the ground, startling Sam in the process.

“The night is still young, Barnes,” Clint huffed despite his eyelids barely staying open as he kept twisting a rubber imitation of femur between his fingers. “You sound like an old man.”

“Oh? That coming from you really says something,” Sam pointed out, a good-natured smile curling his lips; at the same time, Tony hummed: “Or a kinky one.”

“I must say I agree with Stark this once,” Thor boomed, nodding thoughtfully as several voices groaned at the gleeful grin lighting Tony’s face. “There seems to be a lull to these revels and it is indeed too soon to retire to bed. The sun has not even risen yet!”

A single clap of hands and Tony was gesturing towards Thor. “See! The Asgardian agrees with me. I must be right.”

“I bet he’s already regretting his words,” Steve noted, drawing a small chuckle from you.

In all honesty, you would be inclined to agree with Bucky on this one. Going to bed sounded heavenly, but there was one huge disadvantage to bed compared to the Sleeping Beauty Castle the Halloween party had turned into: the company wasn’t nearly as good. You weren’t greedy – you wouldn’t need all the Avengers present to come cuddle you in bed. Just one would do. The one whose thigh occasionally brushed yours as you talked about anything and everything, all kind smiles and a slightly tipsy spark in his gorgeous blue eyes which were complimented by the treacherous midnight shade of his one-size-too-small shirt.

“Now, now, Captain. The other Asgardian agrees too,” Loki’s voice slowly sneaked in, something in his tone causing your heart to skip a startled and yet excited beat.

Loki was… a friend. After trying hard for redemption, he had begun to join the Avengers business on occasion, his magic always proving to be of enormous help. His humour was a little wicked and twisted, but his heart was not nearly as dark as people had believed – or even he himself had. You sensed Steve’s wariness towards him still and understood his reasons; and secretly, you revelled in the worry Steve expressed whenever you spent time with Loki, which the golden-hearted captain feared you did so with a little too much trust.

The only reason why you wouldn’t throw it back to Steve’s face that he was questioning your judgement was the fact he had admitted he did actually not do that, ever – but simply cared for your safety – and that fact that he attempted to be as respectful about it as possible. That and the heartwarming knowledge that he thought of you, one way or the other. Maybe him being the person who was giving out the gentlest hugs could have played a role as well. Or perhaps even that you had – like a silly, silly girl – fallen for him long time ago and would let him not only get away with murder at this point, but probably also ask him if he needed any help to hide the body. Because you’d either believe him it was for a good reason that he had committed the crime, his moral compass just about perfect, or simply because he deserved the most loyal friends and loved ones he could get.

The sudden heavy thud snapped you back to present, causing you to jump in your seat. Steve’s warm hand covered yours in an instant, gaze trailing to you to make sure you were alright. As he gently squeezed your hand, you glanced at him and shot him a grateful smile.

He let go as soon as your gaze returned to the source of the noise: a large closet now standing a few feet from the seating area.

“How about this?” Loki suggested, calmly beckoning to the piece of furniture having just appeared out of this air.

“Do you… want to play Seven Minutes in Heaven?” Wanda, suddenly wide awake at the stronger present of magic, questioned.

“Why not? I was under the impression Midgardians enjoyed this game during a party.”

“What are we, thirteen?” Sam asked, eyebrows creased sceptically.

“…going on thirty? Good movie,” Clint hummed, his grin showing pride at his reference.

“Ew, no-“

“Do you even know what Seven Minutes in Heaven is about?” Natasha asked, her expression intrigued; you had no doubt her mind had already begun to race as she tried to decipher the trickster’s motivations.

“Yes. I am quite pleased by the concept. If we play, perhaps I will be lucky enough to spend some private time with lovely Lady Speedy.”

Your eyebrows shot up as your gaze found Loki’s, a provocative smirk twisting his mouth. Interesting. Maybe even intriguing. Except it was not; at least not for the reason one might think. Loki was not at all interested in you. If he had, you would have known without a shadow of doubt. He wasn’t one for subtlety; if he had had an eye on someone, he would make sure to court them, persistently so. Or perhaps he would simply take.

No, Loki had not spent time thinking of you, much like you hadn’t spent time thinking about him.

There was only one Avenger whose company and love you longed for and had for the longest time – and you wouldn’t be surprised if Loki knew. What you hoped he had no idea about was the fact that you could have had it, once.

You could have had Steve, but you had mucked it up, too shocked to yes when he had asked. It had felt too fast, too surreal to be even happening – Steve Rogers asking you out for a cup of coffee – too good to be true.

Naturally, in a very Steve Rogers fashion, he had been too polite to disrespect your decision or let it negatively impact your blooming friendship back then; he had not made a single attempt to ask you out again since. In return, you had been too embarrassed to explain yourself – to explain that you felt like the luckiest girl on Earth, if not in the universe, that you would have jumped at the chance if he as much as hinted he was still interested – and in a very mature way, you never mentioned it again.

That was fine. You and Steve had become friends. Perhaps even good enough friends to mention it as an awkward memory; and only that, because you doubted that he was still carrying a torch for you. He had even briefly dated with Sharon Carter after the incident; he clearly moved on, because there was nothing to move on from. You had barely known each other back then. It wasn’t like you broke his heart or something. You just decided mess up what could have been a beautiful relationship.

Instead, you had a comfortable caring friendship. That counted as a win, yes?

And if you ended up in a closet with him for seven minutes now, you would, once again, acted like mature adults and… hug or something, yes? You would not give in into some stupid game and kiss him just because you’d have an excuse to do so. You would not be tempted to--- no. You respected Steve too much for that. You would never make anything to make him uncomfortable; if you had, you would not only not deserve to call yourself his friend, but even a decent human being.

And you were not thirteen anymore. You knew better. The awkwardness would not be worth it; the rejection would not be worth it. Losing the gift of Steve’s friendship would most definitely not be worth a few seconds of Heaven, of testing whether his lips were be as soft and gentle as you thought, if they tasted like you dreamed of. Knowing whether he would respond, whether he would kiss you, whether maybe, just maybe, there could be the faintest traces of seeing you differently than a friend and colleague.

No, the stakes were be too high.

“Hm… I think we should play,” Natasha said, earning at least five shocked stares, including yours.

“What?!”

“We should definitely not,” Steve protested, leaning forward with a very displeased frown, his eyes burning as he glared murderously at Natasha for entertaining the trickster’s whim.

“I mean… why not, after all? Two people in a closet, in cramped space? What is not to enjoy?” Bucky added, clearly changing his mind about going to bed. He was next at the receiving end of Steve’s disapproval.

“Ask a claustrophobic, I’m sure they’d come up with a reason or two,” you hummed, earning a sardonic ha ha from the dark-haired supersoldier.

“I mean… who knows. Could be magical,” Tony wiggles eyebrows.

“Are we back to 13 going to 30?”

Wanda, Pepper, Maria and Sam said NO with impressive coordination.

“I must say I am intrigued as I cannot quite see the appeal. It would be an enriching experience for me to understand. What is the worst that can happen?” Vision questioned.

“You did not just ask that,” Sam complained.

“Please tell me it’s just a closet and not some sort of a portal to Narnia?” Pepper chimed in, Loki’s smile surprisingly pleasant as he turned to her.

“It is simply a closet, my dear Lady Potts.”

“I don’t know, you guys, it still sounds like a pretty bad idea,” you chuckled nervously as you felt the air shift towards agreement to participate in this ridiculous game.

“Seconded,” Steve grunted by your side – but it was too late.

“Too bad, I’m getting an empty bottle,” Tony blurted out as he practically sprang after the nearest bottle indeed.

It was the perfect opportunity to walk away; it was the last chance to get out.

You didn’t.

Perhaps you didn’t want to look like a coward. Maybe you didn’t want to be a party pooper. You guessed you hoped they would scrape the idea after one round, because they would realize the game was lame and boring. Maybe, just maybe, a little part of you wondered if something interesting would come out of it – and you didn’t want to miss it.

Those were the things running through your head when you walked side by side with Steve, cursing the universe or some sort of physics cheat Tony had pulled or maybe Loki’s magic. Because of course it happened. Of course, the bottle pointed at you – and then on Steve.  

Could have been worse, you reasoned with yourself. Could have been… yeah you didn’t know who. Bruce who might turn in to the Hulk while in there was asleep, so he never was an option.But it was too late to back out now.

Steve, ever the gentleman, let you walk in first, offering a hand, a gentle smile on his face as he rolled his eyes at your friends being children. You squeezed his hand and smiled back, grateful – and calm.

Yes, being with Steve in such tight space with the knowledge what the game was about sent a few tempting thoughts into your head – but you’d be fine. You’d just chat, privately; you had done that countless times before, late night talks and maybe even your head resting on his shoulder when you got too sleepy to sit straight. You’d be fine.

Steve climbed up after you so you stood face to face, flashing you one last comforting smile. And then Tony closed the door behind you, leaving you in utter darkness.

Your first thought was that the inside of the closet was a lot smaller than it had appeared from the outside.

Your second thought was that perhaps that was not the fault of the closet or your eyes; the sheer width of Steve’s shoulders and other proportions of his body which had starred in too many of your dirty dreams and innocent fantasies alike were to blame instead.

Your third thought was that the air was becoming a little too hot and heavy to breathe a little too fast and that you weren’t certain you could last seven full minutes in this space where it felt you might as well already be wrapped in Steve’s arms. The subtle tones of his woodsy cologne, the heat radiating off his skin, the faintest light peeking through the door reflecting in his slightly ruffled hair and in his eyes, caressing his features the very way you always wished.  

Your fourth thought was, incidentally, less of a thought and more of an emotion – a red hot one at that. The flash of anger that ripped through you honestly took you by surprise, and hit you too hard to be ignored.

Because this was stupid.

This game was the stupidest thing possible that your friends could come up with. Steve was entirely stupid with his brilliance and courage and care and morality and outrageous handsomeness and most of all with giving you hope once that you could be good enough for him, that there was a glitch in the universe large enough that would somehow made the two of a potential couple. And you, oh you. You were the most stupidest of it all. To allow yourself to hope as well. To not let go of that fleeting seconds when the light of Steve Rogers was in your reach and you stood there like a dumbass without grabbing it, never speaking of it again then and yet still carrying a torch for him for two idiotic years.

Maybe if one of those things had been different – most likely of all, you – you could have been making out now. Maybe, you would feel his gentle touch in these shadows; or maybe hungry touch even. Maybe, because your friends were nosy assholes and drama queens, they would have banned you from participating in this in fear that they would have to disinfect the closet after you got full seven minutes in here.

Instead, all you had was a tentative brush of Steve’s hand to your elbow and the kind rumble of his voice, laced with worry.

“Hey, Shines. Are you okay?”

Ah yes. Another maddening thing: Steve’s sweet nickname for you. Where others called you Speedy – because of how quickly you had finished the intelligence test and made your way up in the Initiative – Steve had expressed his distaste in the nickname because just around the same time, he had learned about the modern term “speed”. Apparently, he did not like the idea of calling you something that reminded him of amphetamines. So instead, he had once admitted, he converted it in his head to the speed of light. And so Shines had been born.

The affection he sometimes spoke the single word with – the affection you longed for and mostly only imagined – was perhaps even more idiotic than your lack of reaction to his slightly shy advance two years ago.

For someone with your IQ score, you really were surrounded by stupidity and radiated it generously yourself.

The chuckle that escaped you tasted bitter on your tongue. “Why, sure. You?”

Even with the limited amount of light, you could see Steve’s searching gaze clearly. You could practically hear his mind whirling, wondering where the sudden ire had come from.

In an instant, you felt bad for snapping. Your trouble and your insecurities nor your anger at yourself were something he deserved to bear consequences for.

“I’m… fine,” he said after a while, kinder than you would have in his place. “Is there anything I can do to make the ‘sure’ better?”

Yeah, you thought. There were quite a lot of things; either put his mouth on yours – or elsewhere on your body, you weren’t picky – or maybe stop being so damn good of a person and being so damn loveable all the time when he didn’t mean anything beyond friendship by his behaviour.

You swallowed the once again bitter note and charmed a smile, your hand covering the back of his, still softly resting on your elbow.

“No. But thank you. I’m… sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” he replied, eyes still searching. And soft. So annoyingly soft and caring.

You lowered your gaze and gulped, not finding it in yourself to respond. What could you even say to that?

The problem with Steve was that even if you weren’t looking at him, you could still feel him looking at you. At rare times, it felt like a punch, if he got truly angry with you – when you did something he considered stupid and dangerous as if you hadn’t been quite inspired by his own bravery – but at other times, like this, it felt like a fluffy blanket and a warm cup of tea pressed to your hands when the blues came knocking on your door.

No words were spoken for a long minute. And then, like you should have known they would, Steve’s arms carefully pulled you to his chest and wrapped you in a hug which felt just like his gaze a moment ago; except this feeling was real. He sucked up all your anger and frustration you into his chest with ease, breathed in once, then twice and unlike you, he simply let it go, allowing you to soak in his affection instead. 

You could cry at the sweet gesture. Sweet, sweet Steve: deadly force, righteous passion, beautiful soul and infinite kindness locked in a body of a gentle giant.

“Thank you,” you muttered into his shirt and you could hear the smile in his voice when he responded, arms tightening just a fraction.

“Any time.”

You felt your lips curl up in a smile too, allowing yourself to bask in the goodness he was. Strong embrace, but kind. Almost too hot to touch, like a sun, but somehow still feeling like sunshine instead. Lips soft as they touched your hairline, fingers gently running through the length of your hair-

You stiffened. It felt too good; it felt like what you wanted but didn’t actually have. Steve Rogers did not kiss you; not your cheek, not your lips, not your forehead or the crown of your head.

Or at least he never had before.

“Steve?”

His smile was a little bashful as he retreated, his hand sliding down your hair, holding your chin in gentle hold you could easily escape should you want to. But you didn’t. Why would you when his thumb caressed your cheek, eyes firmly holding your gaze even as his smile was slightly shaky?

You didn’t dare to stop whatever this was; because this was what you wanted. Whether this was Steve giving into the game only or anything else, you’d take it. Because you didn’t start it, you didn’t force him into something you wanted. He initiated it; he held you as if you were something precious all on his own. If this behaviour expired in a few minutes, well. At least you would have a sweet memory to cherish, wouldn’t you?

“I’ve been thinking of you.”

Your eyes must have been wide – even ridiculously so – at the admission, your heart like a thunder in your chest and in your ears. You… certainly you must have misheard. You must have misinterpreted what he was trying to say. That was not right. Was it?

“…you have?”

His smile widened, eyes full of good-natured amusement. “I’m always thinking of you, Shines. I’m honestly surprised I’m keeping it so subtle that you are this shocked by the revelation.”

You licked your suddenly dry lips. You must have breathed in something. You had too much to drink. Tony sneaked some edibles into the refreshments – yes, that had to be it.

But then the even more rational part of your brain chimed in: you could never dream up something as detailed. And Steve would have been immune to the drugs. He hadn’t drunk too much of the Asgardian liquor from Thor’s flask either.

You were both perfectly sober at this moment – as insane and surreal as it felt. Did Steve really…? You swallowed the slightly hysterical giggle trying to claw its way up your throat.

“You wouldn’t… you wouldn’t make fun of this, would you?”

Steve’s eyes grew serious even as they remained kind.

“No. I wouldn’t,” he assured you, the slightest hint of offence in his tone. “You’re just… you’re everywhere. I try to focus on work, but you’re always on my mind. That smile, those pretty eyes. This… this drive and passion you have and turn it into hard and good work and kindness. Those gorgeous, gorgeous lips…”

You licked again them on instinct, not missing the fact that Steve’s gaze flickered down at the motion.

No way. No way.

You had hit your head. This was a fever dream, this… this was all you wanted and needed, it couldn’t possibly become true all of sudden. Right?

But if this was a fever dream, you might as well enjoy it. If it was reality, even the better. Because Steve Rogers was serious in matters of heart – he was most definitely not pranking you. So if he was saying he had been thinking about you, you had no reason to doubt him.

There rarely ever was a reason to doubt Steve Rogers.

“I… I think about you too,” you reluctantly admitted, his lips suddenly so, so close you could feel his breath when he spoke only one word in response.

“Good.”

The first touch to your lips was nothing but tentative; nothing but temptation and yet everything you could ever want. His hand cradled your face like precious porcelain and his kiss was like one of an artist asking his muse to allow him into her favour. Warm and soft; his lips were as soft and gentle as you had always thought they would be. The tender brush of his fingertips to your face however made your first kiss all the sweeter, as did his smile and the sparkle in his eyes when he released your lips. The giddy feeling burst inside your chest with intensity you couldn’t possibly contain.

“Yeah, I’m… I’m gonna have to agree with good,” you whispered; and before you could feel silly, Steve’s low chuckle echoed in the limited space, his thumb tapping your lips.

“Yeah.”

That was the only warning you received before his mouth were back on yours, letting you taste that smile of his; his arms, still around your waist, pulled you closer against the hard planes of his chest, the sensation reminding you that you could in fact too do more than simply lay your hand on him. He appreciated your initiative with a content hum, the vibration against your lips sending pleasant shivers down your spine and into your belly. When he deepened the kiss, his touch on you growing firmer, angling your head to his liking, you felt like you could melt from the inside, all nerves on the most beautiful fire.

Your startled sound when your back bumped into the wall of the closet drowned in Steve’s mouth, your parted lips but an invitation for him. The sensations were quick to rise into your head like a heady wine and suddenly only seven minutes in whichever alternate reality you felt as if you had entered seemed unfairly short. Your fingers flexed in the material of Steve’s shirt, his large palm sliding to your hip and squeezing. His hips rocked ever so slightly against yours and the semi-hard bulge pressing against your core had you whimper his name just as his lips moved to your jaw.

“Love hearing my name like this from your lips, Shines,” he whispered like a secret into your skin, teeth grazing your sensitive flesh and nearly causing your knees to buckle. I’ll say it as much as you want, you wanted to say, the words stuck in your throat, only a breathy Steve coming out again, much to his apparent delight. “That’s it. Wanna hear it more… but not here.”

The flash of a rationality was brief; before it could take, his lips were back on yours and you felt yourself falling, leaning into his touch, hands wandering over his exquisite body, hips rutting forward at the beautiful, beautiful groan your touch elicited from him.

I did that. He wants me, he wants me like this. I want him. I need him.

The simple thoughts occupied your brain, a last portion of coherency you managed as his palm slid to your ass with purpose and pressed you against his hardness in a promise of what was to come. You decided that you could die a happy woman right there and that you needed his mouth on your more than you needed oxygen; you grabbed onto his face, pulling his lips back to yours, rewarded by a deep kiss and both of his hands grabbing your hips, fingers digging into your flesh with a little too much vigour.

You succumbed to the pleasure of his touch, head spinning, the world passing by in a blur.

It didn’t matter how you got into his room next; it didn’t matter, not when his hands were on you again, an absurdly polite can I? as his dextrous fingers slid the strap of your dress off your shoulder, a kiss to every inch of the newly revealed skin, leaving nothing but hunger for more in their wake.

“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart,” he praised as he mouthed at your skin, the new endearment causing your heart to tremble, stomach fluttering pleasantly. “The times I imagined this, imagined you… turn around, Shines.”

You’d swear that you would let Steve Rogers get away with murder; but asking you to turn away from his hot lips, that was toeing the line of insanity.

“Steve-“

“Shhh… I’ve got you,” he cut of your protests, strong hands simply spinning you around.

He rewarded you for the lack of resistance by placing his hand over your stomach, skin hot even over the thin fabric, pressing you back against his chest and his more than evident arousal, lips attaching to the column of your neck, sliding the other strap of your dress down. Instinctively, you leaned your head back, exposing your throat to him, a small but sharp nip of teeth sending a fresh wave of arousal into your core.

Long fingers slid up your throat, turning your head so his lips could meet yours again, demanding and yet so giving, hand inching from your belly down your thigh, toying with the hem of your dress and causing your breath to hitch.

God, you needed him. You wanted him in every way possible, but if this was what came before he’d take you out, you had zero problem with that. You needed to feel him.

The please escaping your newly freed lips sounded almost pathetic to your ears, but Steve clearly disagreed with your assessment.

“Oh sweetheart, you sound so pretty like this… and look at you,” he rasped, nudging you to actually look ahead, only for you to realise you were now facing the tall mirror of his closet, gaze setting on your own face, dominated by the kiss-swollen lips and pupils blown up by lust. “Gorgeous… and you’ll look even more beautiful when you’re coming apart for me. First on my fingers and then…”

You shuddered when his fingers finally slid under your skirt, caressing the lace of your thigh-highs, chest vibrating against your back with an appreciative hum. Your gaze strayed to Steve’s face, only to find his eyes laser focused on your face in the mirror, flashing darkly when his fingertips found the soaked fabric of your panties and pressed.

“So wet for me, Shines. I can’t wait to feel you wrapped around me. Can’t wait to make you mine… you want that, don’t you?” he whispered, your lips parting wordlessly and at the very moment, he pushed the offending fabric to the side and dipped his index finger in your slick. He stroked a few times, coating his fingers in your essence and entered you with two with laughable ease. You pushed your hips forward on instinct, already needing more.

“Steve, oh god-“

“Fuck, look at you,” he rasped, free hand pressing your back to his front, hardness digging into our ass. “I can’t wait to see you take my cock. You’ll be as pretty as a picture…”

Vainly wriggling against his strong hold because that was exactly what you wanted, you caught his smile in the mirror, his lips pressing softly against your temple as his fingers begun pumping in and out of your tight channel, stealing the breath from your lungs. Resigned and secretly thrilled by his dominance, you leaned against his chest, letting your head fall back against his strong shoulder, praying he’d give you more soon.

Instead, he pulled his fingers out altogether, painting your inner thighs with your slick, stepping back, leaving you cold and empty.

“St-“

His hand landed gently on your shoulder, his other hand easily sliding the zip of your dress down your back, letting it fall to the ground. Standing in front of the mirror in nothing but your stockings, soaked panties and lace bra, you shuddered under Steve’s hungry gaze; but at the same time, the adoration and admiration shining from his gaze even made your stomach flip and stopped your hands from self-consciously covering yourself at least a bit.

You weren’t shy. You weren’t ashamed of your body; but goodness, Steve’s eyes trailing the length of it, taking in every inch of bare skin and appreciative of how the fabric hugged the parts still covered made you feel like a goddess. A muse.

His gaze was hypnotic as his eyes met yours in the mirror again, his smile soft before it earned a lustful edge.

“You’re a piece of art, Shines…” He stepped back to you, lips attaching back to your neck and his fingers pushed the panties down and let them slide down your legs, hand sprawling over your pubic bone and teasing your core with his fingers again. “And I’m going to appreciate that in every way I know… but you’re gonna watch. I wanna watch you as you fall apart for me, and I want you to see how beautiful you look when I make you mine. Can you do that, sweetheart?”

You didn’t think. You nodded at the promise of pleasure, instantly rewarded by three fingers stretching you, one of your hands landing on his wrist to keep him inside, the other grabbing at his head behind you. You felt his smile against your neck before he sucked on your skin, setting a punishing pace, this time letting you meet his advances. The sight of his large hands over you was insanely erotic; his size and strength captured in a repetitive picture, your muscles contracting as you tried to encourage him to give your more. The pleas seamlessly blending with his name were falling from your lips as the pressure inside you built and built, the wicked curl of his fingers nearly having you reach for the stars.

“Oh my god, oh my god, Steve-“  

“Watch, sweetheart,” he reminded you feverishly, the blue of his irises nearly swallowed by his blown pupils, dark, pleased and unabashedly on you taking his fingers one moment, on your face contorted with pleasure next, the sheer hunger in his gaze aimed at you only adding fuel to the heat in your abdomen.

You tried to keep your eyes on your pair, you truly did, just to please him, just to gain more. It earned you a whispered praise to your ear, a sucking kiss on your throat and circling motions on your clit.

That had you were done for. Your eyes fluttered close as you clenched around Steve’s fingers with a breathless cry, ecstasy exploding inside you and lighting your body on fire.

You could feel Steve’s burning gaze on your still, but he didn’t push you again, didn’t deny you just because you didn’t give him what you couldn’t at the moment, too wrapped in your bliss. Of course, he didn’t. He was still Steve; much filthier than you imagined, but still himself. Warm and safe, holding you close when his motions slowed down, prolonging your pleasure, still supporting your weight when your legs nearly gave out. Chuckling silently with an adoring soft kiss to your jaw when you breathed out a thank you, thinking about the fact he caught you, probably sounding as if you were thanking him for absolutely ruining you with his fingers only, not so subtly showing you that you might not survive when he’d turn it up a notch and actually took you.

“You’re beautiful, doll,” he whispered into your hair, carefully pulling out his fingers as not to hurt you. “Even more beautiful that I imagined.”

You shuddered, unable to respond with words, turning around and chasing his lips instead. He obliged and kissed you sweetly, wrapping his arms around you close, only now having you realize he was still fully clothed himself. And that the way his had cock pressed against his slacks must have been painful at this point. For that reason alone – that he put your pleasure before his, as you knew he would – you would sink to your knees in an instant if your core wasn’t already throbbing for him.

“I want you,” you said against his mouth, revelling in his smile and the playful nip on your lower lip he graced you with upon your admission.

“Good. Because I need you. I need to see those pretty lips parted for me and unable to speak anything but my name when I fill you up so well you’ll never even think about another man again,” he said slowly, letting every heavy syllable sink into your skin and have your already racing heart nearly give out – and letting your lips loose.

“Yes. Please.”

When you suddenly found yourself in the air, held firmly in his arms and carried to the bed, you couldn’t find the shame in you to be bashful about your needs.

Because when he sunk into you and delivered on his promises, you felt like you entered another plane of existence. When his hands grabbed onto you, his body an art piece you could feast your eyes on and touch, you suddenly understood his need for a mirror, for a glimpse from every angle, the absolute beauty of your bodies together as one, of seeing him lose himself to pleasure of his own.

His chants of endearments, praise and mine echoed in your ears, your lips indeed only remembering to speak his name, whisper it and scream it. When he lifted you to your high two more times, filling you with his spent to make you his indeed, you knew that you would be his forever; you had been for a long, long time.

“You’re mine, you’re mine, you’re mine…”

“Yours, I am yours.”

Blinking your eyes open, you slowly realized you never knew darkness could feel so violent to your eyes. Steve’s deeply concerned gaze was firm on you, frown settled in his brows, both hands on your biceps holding you as if you were about to pass out any second.

His relieved breath brushed over your face, shoulders sagging.

“Thank god, Shines. I was starting to get worried. Are you alright? It’s like you went to a completely different place for a moment there.”

Why were you standing? You had been just lying down, the heat of Steve’s skin seeping into yours from your back and his arm wrapped around your middle as you had fallen asleep.

“What?” you rasped, feeling the ghost of the soreness in your throat as you nearly lost your voice having screamed his name. You blinked again as the image of his beautifully red parted lips trembling with your name flickered in front of you, disappearing just as fast – replaced by him growing worried by the minute.

In a closet. You were in a closet. The sound of idly chat and chuckles dimmed by the walls of the closet reached your ears. The party was still in a sleepy swing; a stupid game was still on.

The realization was like a bucket of icy water dumped on your heated body, all-consuming confusion swallowing all your thoughts.

But… how? You--- that wasn’t- you had been to Steve’s room. He had—- he had kissed you, right here, a dream coming true when he admitted he was still thinking of you and was ready to act on it, his hot soft lips, his hands, deliciously long thick fingers, wickedly dextrous as they sneaked between your legs, opened you up for his--- he had stretched you so good, in every way imaginable, his gaze so dark as he watched you both in the mirror, so sweetly and devilishly delighted at filling you up to the brim, making you his-  

“Okay, that’s it, Shines. We’re out of here-”

“No!” you blurted out, horror seizing you at the mere thought of coming out to the light right now. With you face flushed; with your core painfully empty and slick even as the aftershocks of your orgasms, having felt so real, turned from echo of pleasure to mortifying all-consuming shame. “No, no, it’s fine! I’m fine. I just… I must have had too much to drink and zoned out.”

“You didn’t drink that much,” Steve opposed swiftly, his gaze so unnerving, and could he just stop, stop looking at you like he cared, so sweet and nice and so frustratingly not yours even if the affection in his gestures felt all the same as in whatever fucked-up dream experience you just had just been through. “We should-“

“Please, don’t-- they’re never gonna let us live this down if we bail,” you argued lamely, unconvincing even to your own ears, feeling tears burn in your eyes and desperately trying to stop them from showing.

“Fuck that. It’s just a stupid game.”

‘Fuck, look at you. I can’t wait to see you take my cock. You’ll be as pretty as a picture…’ echoed in your ears, so crystal clear you would have sworn it had happened – but what other evidence did you need that it was just a wild creation of your mind?

Steve didn’t love you. Steve didn’t want you this way. It had never happened. You were still in this closet in the dark, blinded by the light his persona, this time annoyed since the light only hurt your eyes.

And you heart. Your stupid little foolish heart.

“…yeah. Yeah, just a stupid game. Just… so so stupid,” you muttered, no longer talking about the game – and unable to stop the tears from coming anymore.

You laughed bitterly, understanding nothing, but not caring, even more irked at the alarmed expression on Steve’s face when he noticed the few glistening drops rolling down your cheeks.

“Shines… what is it? What can I do to make it better?”

His hands, having been burning a brand onto your biceps, shifted, one caressing your arm, the other rising to your face; and you couldn’t take it. You couldn’t take the touch, not when it meant less than what you wanted and needed, not when his fingertips brushed your cheek as if it was something precious to him – not when you knew it wasn’t.

You stepped back out of his reach hastily, your back hitting the wall; but not without catching the flash of hurt on his face when you rejected the affection and comfort he was offering.

“I’m sor-“ The words died in your throat, the sudden almost electric shift in the air making your hair stand on end.

As fast as if you snapped your fingers, Steve was no longer looking at you.

In fact, he wasn’t looking at anything.

Your stomach dropped.

“…Steve?”

Your whisper was tentative, but your step forward was not. Heart thundering in your chest, your eyes roamed his suddenly expressionless face. What the hell was happening?

Gulping, you reached out for his hand with yours; but as you squeezed, his hand remained limp by his side.

“Steve, can you hear me?”

Frustration and shame swiftly forgotten, your fingers slid to his wrist, feeling for his pulse. It fluttered under your touch like a hummingbird; but with how fast your own heart was beating, it might have been that you could feel your own.

You went to a completely different place for a moment there, you recalledhis words, real words, right after you found him observing you with concern rather than pulling you to his bare chest after an intense session of fucking.

Whatever had happened to you, be it blamed on alcohol or anything else, was clearly happening to him now. That or you accidentally triggered some kind of a flashback with the way you had reacted. If you had, you’d never forgive it yourself; but you’d have time to feel like an asshole later. Now, Steve needed your help. Fast.

Except you had no idea what was actually taking place in here, let alone how to solve it.

“Yeah, fuck this game.”

You were not going to stay here another second. Not when Steve, sweet kind Steve who deserved the world, was stuck in some strange trance you might have caused.

You were just about to bang on the door of the closet with all your might when a gasp for air had your head snap back to Steve so quickly you almost gave yourself a whiplash.

Your hands were on his arms to steady him before you could think about it twice. Relief flooded your body when his gaze unmistakably found yours, even if he stared at your wide-eyed, clearly rattled by whatever had just happened.

“Shines?” he rasped, blinking a few times as if to adjust his sight to the darkness again, following the lines of your arms to where you were holding onto him with confusion. You swiftly dropped your hands, his frown only deepening at that.

“Sorry. Are you okay?”

“I--- I think so?”

The uncertainty in his voice and the suddenly unreadable emotion in his face made a lump grow in your throat.

“Yeah, the fact that this sounds more like a question than an answer really tells me you were right,” you stated, feeling small as you saw Steve had trouble finding his footing. As his friend, you had the privilege to see him vulnerable more often than the general public, but that didn’t mean the fact he seemed clueless and slightly lost now was still unsettling. “We should get out of here, right now. You were staring blank ahead for at least a minute. You really scared me, Steve.”

His eyebrows shot up as he learned that was what happened.

“I was…? That’s what-- you scared me too. You were staring into space before too... What happened to you in that time?” Steve queried, gently despite obviously being affected himself. “Do you… do you remember any of it?”

You let out a small distressed noise, heat of shame flooding your body all over again.

Yeah, no. You were not going to tell him what exactly happened, regretfully only in your head.

You rarely lied so blatantly, less so to Steve, but these were desperate times. You’d rather keep at last some of your dignity.

You licked your lips. “I… I just zoned out. And then suddenly you were here, asking if I was sure I was okay. You?”

His eyes searched your face for a moment as if he could sense your lie – or at least lack of complete honesty. Yet, he didn’t press, swallowing loudly instead and giving you a shaky smile.

“…yeah. Yeah, same. That was… strange.”

No kidding. You believed him losing consciousness the way he had was strange indeed.

Except when you zoned out, you dreamed of a world where Steve railed you into oblivion while watching you both in a mirror. Until now, you thought that shoving you against a wall and hauling you up in those enormous arms and railing you like that would be more than enough to satisfy your cravings, but apparently you were wrong. But never mind that, right? You could be flexible… flexible enough, in more ways than just one. God knew sex with a man as fit as Steve might require some stretching.

You licked your lips again, mouth feeling dry at the memory. And yet. It wasn’t all a memory. He still was so close, watching so intently. Almost as if… no.

You laughed without a trace of humour.

“Yeah, well, maybe Stark laced the walls with something when he was closing the door-“ your voice trailed off, eyes growing wide as you entertained the wild thought. “Actually, you know what, I wouldn’t even be surprised.”

Honestly, it would be a perfectly plausible explanation. In fact, you wanted that to be the explanation; it shifted the blame. You and Tony could share the blame for the inappropriate images still flashing in your mind at least.

Not to mention that theorizing was the most welcomed distraction you could get in the tiny space growing hotter by the minute, full of Steve’s masculine scent seeping into your skin and making your underwear even damper by the second.

“Hm…” Steve hummed, intrigued, his concern melting into outrage. “Loki suggested the game and made the closet. Whatever happened could be on him.”

You frowned at the implication, instinctively protective of the god of mischief; Tony was the kind of guy who would pull this kind of shenanigans using precisely the fact Loki might end up being blamed while he’d laugh his ass off.

“Tony didn’t exactly protest, maybe he just jumped at the chance.”

“Hold on a second… do you think they would team up? To deliver some sort of an advanced Halloween prank?”

Your first instinct was to say no. The thought was absurd. Loki and Tony tolerated each other at best, Tony being one of the people having the hardest time forgiving Loki for the destruction he had once caused… when it suited him. Other times… well.

“I’m…” you hesitated, “I’m not sure, actually. But I know I’m not laughing.” For sure.

Steve face was serious as he observed you, worry creeping into his expression again – you only hoped he forgot all about your earlier outburst, even as you were aware that was very unlikely.

“Can’t say I do. Once we’re out, this game is over.”

“Yeah, good idea,” you agreed instantly. “Are you sure that you’re okay?”

He seemed a little flushed, a little shell-shocked still. Then again, you imagined you did too. At least you hoped you did; you hoped Steve couldn’t read you like a book… and you hoped Wanda was smart enough not to enter your mind while you were in here.

Oh god, Wanda.

“Yeah… but that’s only cause it’s not a terrible imposition to be here with you of all people,” Steve said lightly, a ghost of a genuine smile curling up his lips, an unvoluntary smirk passing over yours at his choice of words.

“Well, I’m honoured not to be a terrible imposition to you, Captain,” you sassed, unable to stop the warmth spreading in your chest. “I suppose there are worse people to get stuck with.”

“Such a compliment,” he threw back readily, eyes twinkling. Minutely – and you would swear it – his gaze flickered to your lips.

You heart started racing. You only imagined it. There was no way. Was there? Or…?

“Shines, I… there’s something I think I should tell you,” Steve said slowly, voice turning surprisingly soft.

You blinked, the feeling of déjà-vu hitting you like a train. You had to be dreaming again. There was no way he said those words, not so tenderly, not-

The door opened so suddenly you had to squint against the flood of light; light as harsh as the truth, overtaking all of your senses.

You stumbled out of the tight space with a deep breath, the colder air sobering you up fast.  Whatever Steve was about to say, it didn’t matter; it was probably your mind playing tricks on you again and if it wasn’t, it was probably just words of consolidation he came up with at the spot, an attempt to sooth whatever had bothered you before. Nothing more.

Because whatever you had fantasied about in the closet, it was just that: a fantasy. True, one you weren’t aware you had, but a fantasy nonetheless.

Steve had long moved on from asking you out two years ago. Whatever could have been, you had missed your chance then; he was just being friendly. He tried to offer comfort, because that was what he did. Even when you hurt him by your rejection of it, even when he was rattled himself by whatever he had experienced, he tried to comfort you again what could be two minutes later, because that was what good friends did.

Not a terrible imposition – that was what he said, after all. Even as you knew he probably chose the words on purpose to distract you and amuse you, it was not exactly a declaration of love. There was nothing but friendship between you, not from his side and that meant you would keep it that way unless you were ready to risk it all.

Which was going to be never.

As Steve firmly announced that the game was over, contrary to the booing from several Avengers, you wondered what it would take to rename the stupid activity to Seven Minutes in Hell.

Part 2

Steve Rogers masterlist 

Complete masterlist

Thank you for reading 🥰 I hope you had fun! Leave feedback if you have the energy and time, we love interaction in this house💕

I suppose this is where you could end it, but you won't find the what the heck actually happened and how - and what will happen next 👀 I hope to post part 2 soon since it's almost done 🎃 If you enjoyed and wish to be tagged, let me know :)

Prompt: 7 Minutes in… Where?: You know the game. Only when you and your significant other are locked in the closet for 7 minutes, you’re transported somewhere else.

Many thanks for Jamie for hosting this challenge and stirring this sleepy fandom to life 🥰

[rubylarkspur22]

Random Crossover Idea: Demon Slayer/Barbie in the Nutcracker

Ye Olde Nostalgia kicked in, and refused to let me leave the topic alone.

So! I did what anyone would do when they have plot bunnies without a proper plot. I'm gonna post some random idea vomit, and anyone who stumbles across it and gets inspired is welcome to use the idea vomit with appropriate credit(i.e. tagging me here, or gifting on AO3).

Plot Ideas:

Tanjirou as Clara, Kanao as the story's version of the Nutcracker/Prince Eric. I am a sucker for TanKana, and it honestly kinda fits in my opinion.

Kanao's a doll instead of a nutcracker. I feel it fits her vibe a little better. Plus, it gave me another idea for her! Along with being turned into a doll, if she ever comes back to life, her mouth is sewn shut. Because I'm evil, apparently. Also, it creates fun communication hijinks.

Said communication hijinks includes Tanjirou giving her a notebook, and the poor girl being able to communicate with only him because she only remembers how to write in Japanese. Which isn't used in her fantasy kingdom. So poor Tanjirou has to play interpreter for her to the other members of the group. (Which absolutely includes him reading some choice words she wrote, looking her directly in the eye, and saying "I get the sentiment, but I am not translating that.")

Kanao initially belonged to Nezuko, given as a gift when she was younger. With the financial situation the Kamado family is in, Tanjirou and Nezuko decided to regift doll!Kanao to one of their younger siblings. But, due to age, she needs some touching up. Tanjirou offers to handle it(either Nezuko has a broken hand, or she's swamped with other sewing projects), and this plot gets underway.

The Mouse King is Douma. Who else could I pick, after Kanao got put in the position of Prince Eric? How'd he get the throne? Coup, that's all I got. Kanao got out alive, but got cursed. So he shows up, shenanigans occur, Tanjirou becomes tiny, and the plot goes forth with our intrepid duo searching for the... It's a bit cheesy, I think, but Sun Prince.

Kanao is a feral sword ballerina. Let her kick a** in a tutu, Natasha Romanov Style! She deserves it! Meanwhile, poor Tanjirou just got handed a sword and told to swing it at Douma's soldiers, and he's looking around like "Why did I get a sword? Why am I being trusted with weaponry? I am literally a teenager who's never seen battle. I need an adult!"

In other words, our boy has no battle experience, is very stressed, and needs help

Sanemi and Genya as Major Mint and Captain Candy. I don't know why, but the vibes came to me. Genya still has his gun.

Again, feel free to use any or all of these ideas. And if you do, I'd love to see/read them! In the meantime, have some doodles I did of Kanao, and some art I did of Kanao and Tanjirou.

Local Teenager Dragged Into Fantasyland Revolution by Feral Sword Ballerina, more at 10.

Honestly, with the nostalgia trip I'm on, I might do more of these. Unlikely to become fics of my own, but I could end up doing more of this "Spitballing Ideas For Others To Use" sorta thing.

[sneakydraws]

if natasha and andrei had Actually gotten married, what do you think their marriage wouldve looked like? especially if the whole anatole fiasco did or didn’t happen in this alternate universe.

cant decide on weither to say did or didn’t because either way it’d be an interesting thought.

hi hiiii omg once again so honoured to be the wap men expert!! i'll be real i fully assume it would have ended up much like andrei's first marriage...

natasha is unlike lise in that she isn't in the least artificial or fond of shallow chit-chat (which is part of what draws her to andrei) but i think the "housewife whose whole life is her family, uninterested in politics, society affairs or high minded ideas" persona she grows into as an adult would have become just as tiresome to andrei as lise's charming socialite persona had. not only because he likes people whom he can spar verbally with a bit, but also (largely, even) because he would not have been able to avoid being disillusioned with ANYONE whom he'd put on a pedestal as tall as the one poor natasha ended up on. i've talked about this before but i think andrei is drawn to people he thinks are better than him and idealises them terribly, which then inevitably leads him to crash and burn once the object of his affection proves to be just another oridnary human. this is why i don't think it really matters whether the natasha we see in the epilogues rings true to the young natasha of the rest of the book - even if tolstoy imagined a more flattering future personality for her, i don't think it could have lived up to the ideal in andrei's mind. natasha's failed elopement with anatole was exactly this, but if it hadn't been anatole it would have been something else, and even if there hadn't been any massively dramatic event to bring her down in andrei's eyes, he would have been disappointed sooner or later whenever she'd fail to be the manic pixie dream girl in his mind.

now that you mention it, i can totally see a scenario wherein they marry, andrei - be it gradually or suddenly - realises she's not all he built her up to be, he sulks and distances himself from her instead of putting in the effort to get to know and appreciate her as she is, thus creating a situation not unlike that with lise. natasha, hurt and confused as to why he's so cold to her, would then be as susceptible to seduction as she was when andrei left her alone during her engagement, so i could totally imagine an affair with anatole happening then!

[msfcatlover]

I finished my Death Mask (Red Hood) Steph playlist, if anyone's interested.

Only took multiple months, am I right? So, if you've got... oh gods, like 6.5hrs... check it out?

(I also have the playlist with all the songs I ended up cutting in this one over here. So if you have even more time and just want a strong dose of RH!Steph vibes, open that up and hit shuffle.)

Full list under the cut, in case youtube decides to take some of the videos down or rearrange my list---or if you want to rebuild it in your playlist player of choice---broken up into rough time periods to make it easier to read.

Introduction through Death:

Trouble by CRMNL || Take It Like A Girl by Khamsin, Molly Moore, Win Woo || Giants by Neoni || That's My Girl by Fifth Harmony || Raising Hell by Kesha, Big Freedia || Make It Look Easy by Valley Of Wolves || Enemies by The Score || Oh My Dear Lord by The Unlikely Candidates || A Little More Time by Natasha Blume || Reflection (Hollow Knight OST)

Resurrection through Return:

Goddess by Cepheid [cover] || Secrets Kill by Ely Eira || Come Alive by Ely Eira || Be My Guest by Azari [cover] || Who Am I? by Besomorph, RIELL || World On Fire by RIELL || Gossip by Måneskin [cover] || A Good Song Never Dies by Saint Motel || Who Are You? by SVRCINA || Hanahaki Syndrome by Shiki Miyoshino || Shadow Shadow by Azari [cover] || The Devil Wears Lace by Steven Rodriguez || Pink (Freak) by Elliot Lee || Thumbs by Sabrina Carpenter || Feed The Machine by Poor Man's Poison [cover] || Make A Move by Icon For Hire || Dirty by grandson || Devil Inside by CRMNL || That's How You Make A Villain by emlyn

Return through Identity Reveal:

Ready For War by 2WEI, Joznez, Kataem || BURN by 2WEI, Edda Hayes || Know My Name by Tru Genesis, DJ Form, Corinne, Sean BE || Champion by Neoni, burnboy || Too Loud by Icon For Hire || Way Up by Jaden || Godsent by Smash Into Pieces || Paranoia by Neoni || Royalty by Egzod, Maestro Chives, Neoni || Good People Do Bad Things by David Thomas Connolly || GOOD FOR HER by MOTHICA, emlyn || Shut Down by BLACKPINK || You Were Wrong by Icon For Hire || Little Girl Gone by CHINCHILLA || All Eyes On Me by CRMNL || Pomegranate Lips by Derivakat || Night Of Your Life by WAR*HALL || Everything or Nothing by Willyecho || How You Like That by BLACKPINK || See You In Hell by Amy Harriet

Reveal through Tower fight:

I'm Gonna Show You Crazy by Bebe Rexha || I'M NOT SORRY by Neoni || One Woman Army by Porcelain Black || Calling All the Monsters by China Anne McClain || Monster by Willyecho || Choke by I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME || They Don't Care About Us by Michael Jackson [cover] || The Road To Hell by TheUnder X Matthew Grant, Ellis Island || Villains Aren't Born (They're Made) by PEGGY || WONDERLAND by Neoni || Rituals by Jiovanni Daniel || Angry Too by Lola Blanc || Devil's Worst Nightmare by FJØRA

Tower fallout:

Go To War by Nothing More || Laplace’s Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!) by Will Wood || Motherland by REACH || Play Dead by Ellise || Aimed to Kill by Jade LeMac || Twisted by MISSIO || You Can Run by Adam Jones || Tomboy by Destiny Rogers [remix] || Whisper Whisper Whisper by Azari [cover] || Outlaw by Neoni || Wild Lands by Koethe || What's My Name by China Anne McClain

Spite-Flirting With Tim (Oracle):

Hot One by Leyla Blue, Baby Tate, REI AMI || Inferno by Bella Poarch [cover] || A Little Wicked by Valerie Broussard || DICTATOR by REI AMI || plot line by emlyn || you make a woman wanna... by emlyn || Here Come the Wolves by Lola Blanc

Fighting the family & Running the Alley:

Pretty Distraction by SkyDxddy || Stronger by The Score || Bloodshot by Sam Tinnesz || Let's Do This by Outskrts || Go For Gold by Autumn Kings || Hey Brother by Jakob Samuel|| Don't Stop The Devil by Dead Posey || Legend by The Score || What's Up Danger by Blackway, Black Caviar [remix]|| Welcome to the Party by Diplo || Do It Like A Dude by Jessie J || My Name Is... by Once Monsters || Queen of Kings by Alessandra Mele || Monster by Besomorph || I Like It Loud by Cash Cash || Confident by Demi Lovato || Looking at Me by Sabrina Carpenter || Immortals by Fall Out Boy || Up In Flames by Icon For Hire || Can't Get Enough by Jaxson Gamble || Do Right, Fear No Man by The Last Knife Fighter

Saving Jason, Having Hard Conversations, & Reuniting with the Family:

Deadly by Ellise || Cuttin' the Cord by Lunarcode || Soldiers by Sam Tinnesz, GoldTop || So Close To Me by Marc Boudreau || Dynasty by MIIA || Monster by Beth Crowley || It's Alright by Mother MotherGhost Town by Neoni, Layto || The Kid I Used To Know by Arrested Youth || Broken Boys & Bitter Bitches by Ellise || DDU-DU DDU-DU by BLACKPINK || Poison by LuLuYam || life's a bitch by TAELA || Give and Take by Poor Man's Poison || SHIT SHOW by UPSAHL || Lay Your Weapons Down by Ilse DeLange || Chasing The Sun by The Wanted || Hold Back The River by James Bay || Better Than One by The Score

.

(Holy shit, sorting/fixing these took like 3hrs, and I started by just copy-pasting the playlist's text directly to tumblr...)

I’m actually super proud of a couple of these transitions, or how I chose to build the mood in certain sections

[thescarletwitchsapprentice]

Yandere!Wanda Maximoff with an ADD!autistic!s/o

*Not my GIF.

I know I made a post about a Yandere!Wanda with an ADD!autistic!s/o, but I didn’t do general headcanons, which I want to see. Some of this may contradict “A Pure Soul,” but it’s my headcanons, so yeah. And this is probably more of a general thing, idk?

(CW: Sensory overload, self-harm mention, suicide mention, I don’t condone IRL yandere behavior, ableism mention, anti-vaxxer mention, Autism Speaks mention)

Note: Reader is 18+.

Oh, Wanda....poor girl’s lost way too much for comfort.

She’s absolutely desperate for love and affection, but she’s scared to open up, in fear of her new loved one dying. 

So when you, the newest Avenger, arrive she catches feelings for you instantly. 

And she’s terrified.

So terrified that she ends up ignoring you for the first week or so.

She’s in denial for a few days, but begins to fully see so much to love about you.

The way you smile, the way you laugh, how you space out when you’re bored, so much.

She realizes that she can’t ignore these feelings, but she’s so desperate to keep you safe as well. 

So she figures why can’t she do both?

Unlike Nat, she doesn’t have to hack into your phone or anything to know about you. This is where being a telepath comes in handy. 

In a matter of a few days or so, she knows everything about you. 

Yes, she even knows you’re autistic and have ADD. 

But she doesn’t dare bring it up. You don’t know she’s a telepath, and she doesn’t wanna creep you out.

Once she gathers her senses, she finally introduces herself and apologizes for not doing so earlier.

“I’m so sorry. I guess I take a while to.....make myself more open to others,” she tells you.

“Hey, it’s no problem! I’m the same way. It’s nice to finally talk to you!”

Hearing your voice directly is one of the best things EVER for her.

Literally like music.

She wants to hear it as much as possible.

And she wants to be around you as much as possible.

So she starts taking any chance to be around you.

You need some help with training? Wanda will be the first to volunteer.

Need a battle partner? Wanda’s got your back.

She’ll invite you to have dinner, watch a movie or a sitcom, play a game, even go out on surveillance with her.

If anyone asks during surveillance, she suggests that you two pretend to be a couple. Sounds like a solid idea, so you go with it.

She’s definitely hoping that it’ll be real eventually.

But what about others who take an interest in you?

Well, there’s one thing that distinguishes Wanda from typical Yanderes, actually a few, but the biggest one is this; she’s extremely reluctant to use deadly force, despite having the capability to do so. 

That means you won’t really have to worry about her killing your loved ones or people who flirt with you. 

Just them becoming traumatized or catatonic.

Like Natasha, the severity of the punishment is determined by the severity of the crime. 

If it’s a simple wink at you, Wanda might be able to brush it off. If not, she’ll probably send a thought at them to distract them away from you.

If it’s a nice compliment, it depends on how often and how flirtatious. 

If it’s once in a while and sounds friendly, but not too friendly, Wanda won’t mind. It boosts your self-esteem, and she wants you to be happy.

If it’s too often or too flirtatious, a nudge away or a slight manipulation does the trick.

If it’s flirtatious gestures, a small talk with them while you’re away tends to do the trick.

But then.....what about the worst-cases?

You’ve gotten catcalled and harassed a few times, and that definitely angers her. 

Expect the one who did it to go missing for a few days.

Will they come back? That depends. She might make them catatonic or she might send them away. Killing’s not usually her style.

As for the Avengers? Well, there’s not much she can do that won’t go unnoticed.

She can have a little talk with them and she’s able to use her powers to stop them from flirting with you, but that’s about it.

Nat may have her eyes on you, but honestly, Wanda would probably be able to deter her using her fear projection, or at least negotiate some sort of a deal. Perhaps even a polyamorous relationship?

Steve? He’s on her side, despite the rough start. He has to tread a bit carefully, though.

Bucky.....she’s hesitant to let you be around Bucky. Of course he needs that type of affection; he was brainwashed by HYDRA to be a freaking weapon! She knows too well what HYDRA can do to someone and it honestly hurts her heart that Bucky had to go through that. 

But she’s scared he might get too clingy. 

A hug every now and then with her nearby? Fine with her.

Maybe even a small cuddle on his worst days. 

She’ll sometimes join in.

Actually she usually will.

And then there are some she just can’t bear to tell off harshly.

Like Peter Parker. 

Oh, sweet and smol boi Peter Parker; he’s too precious for this world.

Peter is basically the human version of a golden retriever puppy; lovable, playful, sweet, and loyal.

He doesn’t want much out of you, just to be your friend.

Like honestly, he’s so freaking pure; you just wanna protect him at all costs.

He just loves that there’s finally someone as sweet as he is and wants to spend as much time with you as he can. He’s happy, you’re happy, and he’s happy that you’re happy. 

He’s the definition of a Hufflepuff, let’s be honest.

Seriously, Wanda would not have the heart to be harsh with him; he really does mean well.

She would just try to work out a schedule with him. 

Bruce is another one.

The big green Incredible Hulk is just a big old teddy bear and you have such a sweet nature. Poor guy needs some hugs every so often. 

She trusts you to be around Clint; he’s like a father figure to her.

Thor? He’s basically a giant golden retriever just like Peter. 

Vision? Another sweet boi. More like a big brother.

The only person, aside from Bucky, that she’s wary of is Tony, especially given their past.

If he tries to flirt with you, Wanda’s not hesitant about glaring him down, or in the worst-case scenario, place him in a fear projection again.

One night the fire alarms accidentally go off while you’re all sleeping.

And you wake up PANICKING.

You can’t find your ear protectors, (special headphones for minimizing loud noises) so you drop to the floor with your hands over your ears, crying. It’s absolute hell for you, and it actually causes you physical pain.

Then you see a wisp of scarlet and you begin to calm down.

The noise mutes and you hear nothing, except for the soothing tones of a lullaby in a language you don’t understand.

It’s beautiful nonetheless.

Once everything’s calmed down, you look to see who helped you.

It’s Wanda, of course.

She asks you why you’re so sensitive to loud sounds and bright lights and things like that, but in a caring and concerned way.

You finally tell her that you’re autistic, and you also entrust her with the fact that you have ADD. 

She takes the questions a bit at a time, starting with “What can I do to help make this place more sensory-friendly for you?”

And it’s not in a condescending way like most. 

No, she genuinely wants you to feel safe and comfortable.

So that only helps you open up more.

You tell her what you know about yourself, unbeknownst to the fact that she already knows.

She honestly just wants to hear it from you. She loves your voice SO. DAMN. MUCH.

No one, except possibly your family, has cared about you so much, and it’s overwhelming, but in the best way possible.

You begin to trust her so much more.

As in you might even start to trust her more than you trust yourself.

She goes through with what makes you feel most comfortable. She always has sensory-friendly snacks nearby, any stim toys or fidgets.

Wanda knows what clothing material makes you feel overwhelmed, and will go the distance to assure that you don’t have to feel those textures.

She LOVES hearing you info-dump/passion rant about your special interests and hyperfixations. You get such a twinkle in your eyes and you just look so adorable!

She’ll avoid reading your mind when she senses you’re going to info-dump/passion rant because she wants you to tell her facts about the things you love. Not just because of your voice, but also because she wants you to be listened to and she wants to learn something new from you each time.

You love that look of genuine surprise she gives you when you tell her something she doesn’t know.

If any of your stims are self-harm, she won’t get angry or force you to suppress them; instead she’ll help you find safer alternatives. 

Honestly it’s amazing what lengths she’ll go to to make you feel most at ease.

And you’re now catching the feels for Wanda.

As in big time feels.

As in “you-can’t-imagine-anyone-else-you’d-rather-be-with-for-the-rest-of-your-life” kind of feels.

You tend to try to be upfront and honest about communication. You don’t really see the point in lying.

So you....kinda just come out and tell her.

And she’s over the moon. She even admits her feelings for you.

So naturally you two become a couple. 

And you fall more and more in love with her each day.

And she falls more and more in love with you each day.

It’s just.......perfect!

I mean, Wanda’s just the absolute sweetest, isn’t she?

Well......to you, yes.

Other people? Not so much. 

Now that you’re in a relationship, she’s determined to make it clear to everyone else that you two are together.

If someone’s trying to flirt with you, Wanda’ll find some way to discretely use her powers to show the other person “If you so much as make eye contact with them, I will make sure you sleep with one eye open in life and in death.”

They don’t even approach you to tell you that she’s scaring them. You’re too smitten by her and they’re scared that if they approach you, she’ll take them out while you’re looking the other way.

And don’t get me started on ableists.

I’m gonna get started on ableists.

She’s extremely passionate about neurodivergent rights. Why wouldn’t she be when you’re the absolute light of her life?

So after she’s learned about the history of ABA therapy (aka autism conversion therapy) and how traumatizing it can be, she’s ready to kill a bitch. 

Autism Speaks, TACA, autism parents, NEXT for Autism, anti-vaxxers who blame vaccines for causing autism? (I’m looking at you, Jenny “I Don’t Mind Getting Botox Injections But God Forbid My Son Gets A Shot To Keep Him From Getting Deathly Ill” McCarthy) When she becomes fully realized as the Scarlet Witch, they. are. screwed. 

Technically she could probably make them pay even without being fully realized, but as the Scarlet Witch, they’re certainly screwed.

And honestly, you’re not entirely mad about that.

And then one day when you’re out, someone makes extremely ableist remarks to your face, even saying how the world would be better off without you. (which is not true.)

Whoever said that to you is going to become catatonic.

And then their friends push you to attempting suicide.

Thank God Wanda stops you.

She stays with you in the ER for those 72 hours and then makes sure you’re not going to be a danger to yourself.

And those friends of whoever she made catatonic? They’re not just gonna become catatonic; oh no, they’re gonna become straight-up shells of who they once were.

You two go through all of that shit on the Raft, Infinity War, (spoiler: you got dusted instead of her) and Endgame.

She’s long known that the world isn’t safe for you, but this settles her decision on keeping you safe.

So one night she comes into your room and casts a deep sleep spell on you.

She flies you off to a secluded cabin in what used to be Sokovia and applies everything she knows about what makes you feel most at ease.

Wanda also places a barrier around the land, as well as a strong cloaking spell. She wants to be sure no one will ever find you, nor will you ever run away.

You’re her precious angel, and no one will ever take you from her again.

[warwickroyals]

XLV: FRATERNAL "BONDING"

Beginning | Previous | Next

Transcript under the cut - Click for HQ photos

AUTHOR'S NOTE: You know how out of character it is for Phillip to hug someone? Poor, Alex, though I can't help but feel bad for him. Also Coraline? Natasha? Damn, it's been so long since those characters were even mentioned! I feel like

PS - Nick has a lot of anger towards Phillip that has been seething since he left. Being abandoned by another paternal figure could not be easy for him.

PSS - I have been sitting on a huge spoiler for this entire arc, and I'm about to let it go next chapter. Get ready for tomorrow . . .

All likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! Thank you for the support 💜

[NICHOLAS] All I’m saying is that it’s very ironic that you rushed all the way over here just to defend

him. I mean, you two are basically the same person if you really think about—

[ALEX] That’s literally just a lie, you’re just making shit up on top of that—

[NICHOLAS] Fuck. Stop talking when I’m talking, he’s just a forty-year-old brunette version of you.

[ALEX] No, I’m not! I mean, no offence, sir, but that’s literally not true.

[NICHOLAS] Stop saying “literally” like that! No shit, it’s not literally true, it’s a metaphor, genius.

[ALEX] See? You see what I mean? I can’t say anything without him just attacking me!

[PHILLIP] I’m not trying to take anyone’s side, Nicholas.

[NICHOLAS] Oh, really? That’s news to me. You’ve had a lot of things to say to me and comparatively little to him.

[ALEX] He doesn’t need to say anything to me!  I already know that I messed up. I’m sorry, what else do you want?

[NICHOLAS] You’re treating this like you flunked math or something. You can’t just “Oh, sorry, my bad” a baby away.

[ALEX] This is all so pointless. Kamryn won’t even talk to me anymore, her dad has her under, like, house arrest.

[NICHOLAS] Her funeral, I guess. Unlike you, Alex, I actually thought she was halfway intelligent.

[PHILLIP] Okay, guys, this is beginning to get unbearable. Both of you need to shut up for—

[ALEX] I can’t believe you. You’re jealous, just admit that—[NICHOLAS] Jealous of what, exactly? Of me, of us. You pretend to be so unbothered but you’re so Goddamn jealous that I have someone I care about. And you have no one.

[PHILLIP] Alex, what did I just say about shutting the fuck up?

[ALEX] Well, somebody needs to tell him. He doesn’t care about Mom or me or anyone but himself. Now he’s salty because he’s all alone. I mean, who else is there? Natasha? The girl would have dove off a cliff just to reach his bed and he somehow still managed to mess that up.

[PHILLIP] Okay, that’s enough. You’re brothers, your father is gone, supporting each other should be your main priority.

[NICHOLAS] Coming from you that statement is a joke. Save me whatever speech you’re about to give about fraternal love. Uncle: where have you been? This is the first time in like six months that we’ve even seen you. You’ve missed two Christmases. Last year you were in a psych ward for over two weeks and Sam only found out about it because one of his friends made a joke about you being at a halfway house. You want to talk about my priorities? What about yours?

[NICHOLAS] You’ve been trying to leave this family from the moment you were born. That’s the issue with you, with both of you. You just do and never think about the consequences. You can always leave if you fuck up too grossly. What about me? I can’t leave, you know, and it’s really funny that you bring up Dad—[ALEX] Man, you need to chill out—He’s not just gone, he’s dead. And unlike you he didn’t even have a choice. He didn’t leave willingly like you.

[PHILLIP] What . . . What exactly do you mean?

You know what I mean. It should have been you. You’re not exactly addicted to life, are you?

You’re a terrible person, Nick. There’s nothing you can say that will provoke me, all you’re doing is proving Alex right. Is that what you want?

[NICHOLAS scoffs]

[PHILLIP] Oh, that it’s funny now? You’re proud of that? You’re a manipulator, you’re cruel, and you take people for granted. You act this way and then wonder why you keep finding yourself alone. Yes, I’ve done the same, terrible things and you can resent me for that, but you’re supposed to be better. Okay? Act better. Do better.

[NICHOLAS] Whatever. I’m out of here. This is pointless.

[ALEX] Maybe he has a point. I mean, he’s wrong, but he’s right at the same time. I know I’ve messed up, I— I feel stuck. I don’t know what to do with myself and . . . it’s been like that for a very long time. And now it’s so much worse.

[ALEX] After Dad died, Nick told me that he would still choose to have our dad for the same amount of time over, like, another dad who would live forever. Because our dad was easily the best dad in the world. Back then I thought I agreed with him, but now I’m not sure. I—I—I can’t do this. Grandfather wants to send me to Scarborough and I really, really don’t know how to tell him no. I’ll be disappointing him all over again. I want to be there, I want to be a good dad, but if I get enlisted, I won’t be able to. Sorry, I’m kind of a mess right now.

[PHILLIP] Alex, you don’t have to apologize for anything, alright? I’ll talk to him, I’ll get him to change his mind.

[TEXT] Thanks for reaching out. Sorry for avoiding you, I didn’t know how to face you even after all this time. Now that we’ve graduated I think it’s best we go our separate ways. I wish things were different but they never will be. I’m sorry Nick, but I only want what’s best for us

[PHILLIP] It’s okay, you’ll be fine. And Nick does not have a point. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

[youngbugandtonystank]

I don't really try to over think things in the MCU because it is fictional but, it did not really made sense when everyone in the world turned on Peter when he was accused of killing mysterio and being spider man. But when Wanda mind controlled an entire town nobody did a thing. And it is highly unlikely that no one from Westview did anything about it. I don't know what they could have done but there must be some people who wanted justice I guess.

It just does not seem fair that Peter suffered while Wanda got off without consequences.

Btw I love your blog!

And you know it's about to get worse in MoM. I just knooow they will try to justify her actions there too lmao and I kinda know (or have the feeling) how they'll do it, this could go two ways: 1. they're going to say it is her destiny as the Scarlet Witch to get corrupted and mind-controlled by the multiverse darkness and that's why she did the things she did: ‘It's your destiny to destroy the world!’ 

And then the 'Poor Wanda, brainwashed like Bucky all of her life, now Tonky stans need to shut up' hahahahahah 

But, I'll argue that every single thing she did was by her own volition and she actively participated in those decisions without taking full responsibility for them. In fact, Wanda believes everyone gets away with stuff and instead of thinking along the lines of a good person with moral psychology, she firmly thinks she should be able to do it too and not get repercussions for it ‘you break the rules and become a hero, I do it and I become the enemy’. The amount of cringe I’ve gotten from some of yall claiming this equals to Taylor Swift’s quote of ‘A man does something, it's strategic, a woman does the same, it's calculated. A man is allowed to react, a woman can only over-react’ YALL TAYLOR NEVER ENSLAVED AN ENTIRE TOWN, NEVER KILLED ANYONE OR COMMITTED SERIOUS CRIMES this why her quote works, because she’s an actual good person hahahaahahhasdfgh tf is wrong with yall

Monica tells Wanda that the people she mentally tortured and enslaved for months will never know what she (wanda) sacrificed for them and Wanda actually NODS at this LMAOOOO the writers were on crack in this part. This means she believes she didn't do anything wrong. Just because someone else did it doesn't give you the right to do it too, if you're a good person (given this is how they want to portray Wanda, as this poor innocent girl) then you'll learn from their mistakes (Tony, Strange, Natasha, etc) and become a better version yourself.

Wanda is a mythical being with very unstable magic that runs on the oldest electromagnetic radiation in the universe. Her powers are influenced by her emotions and almost all of her decisions were driven by them. Even if the Darkhold manages to corrupt Wanda, it was her decision to take the book and study it without consulting with someone like Strange first; someone she said knew was coming to talk to her. Apparently in the MCU, therapists never came back from the snap or something, and sure, a therapist could not help Wanda’s control over her magic but they could help her control her emotions, which is essentially the mechanism of her magic. 

When she mentioned the 'endless nothingness' she said she felt in WV, I just kneeeew they were going to do this (justify her actions by giving the responsibility to outside forces) because that's exactly what Hell (dark dimension ruled by Dormammu) in the MCU is; a realm of never-ending darkness. This is exactly why I think they're going to blame all of her actions on her being corrupted by some dark force. Basically, mentally, Wanda is in Hell. This is why I told yall that her supposed mentors; Steve and Clint failed her. Instead of getting her the help she needed, they pushed her to fight and not accept basic responsibilities/boundaries or get mental help, but what else can you expect from Steve (thought going back in time was better than therapy) or Clint (decided it was a good time to kill people instead of helping the world in better ways while his fam was dead)?

And the other thing that could happen is what Kate Herron; Loki's director, said about He Who Remains' involvement in the Infinity Saga. She believes the Kang variant did script everything in the MCU up until the last movie: "I suppose well, by our show's logic, yes, because he says like, ‘I paved the road, you just walked down it.’ I guess in theory, yeah, he would’ve scripted that because by our show that’s what we’re saying. Everything has been predetermined by this one character, even if up to this point we’ve believed the characters have had free will." In others words, the Kang variant did script the entire Infinity Saga, meaning Tony Stark was destined to die and he used Peter Parker to lure Tony into his death. Meaning Wanda was meant to do all those things to open a door to the multiverse and let the monsters in. 

Could be either of those. (thank you!)

[loving-bucky-is-easier]

and it happened without warning

the one where they get another date

an addition to for one of your kisses (i'd risk it all)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Fem!Recruit!Reader

Word Count: 761

Warnings: 18+, minor spoilers for the original fic, language, brief mention of past trauma and injury, fluff

Minors–this is not for you. You are responsible for your own media consumption. Please be discerning. Do not interact.

A/N: This is a "post-it note on top" addition to for one of your kisses (i'd risk it all) for my Paper Anniversary celebration. More responses for this fic can be found here. Thanks so much for the request, @veraocruel!

“Fuck, no, no, no, I’m sorry,” Steve stammered, wiping frantically at the tears that had begun to spill over onto your cheeks.

But you smiled, catching his wrists in your hands. “Steve,” you assured, “it’s perfect.”

You turned back to face the setup he’d presented you with in an empty room down the hall from the hospital wing.

(“Where’re you taking me, Rogers?” you giggled, feet shuffling along with his. You brow bumped into the hand he held suspended in front of your face, obscuring your vision.

His other hand rested gently on your waist. You probably didn’t need to be steadied any more, but you certainly weren’t complaining.

“Aw, c’mon, honey,” he grinned, his chuckle softly ruffling your hair. “Where’s the fun in that?”)

A white tablecloth hung off Steve’s desk, which he’d relocated from his office into this room, in the corner closest to the window. The last rays of the setting sun glowed orange through the glass paperweight sat in the center of the table, a substitute for a candlestick holder that sent multicolored shards of light refracting on the white cloth and onto the floor. A tealight sat on top of the glass, already burnt out, a thin wisp of smoke rising to the ceiling.

Two chairs were sidled up to the desk, a pile of unopened takeout containers in front of them. Sloppy red Sharpie scribbles on the foam and cardboard announced their contents. You recognized the names of two of the dishes–you’d ordered one not even two weeks ago, and the man standing anxiously behind you had ordered the other, sitting across from you at a little table with a white cloth and a candle not too much unlike this one.

“Too cheesy?” Steve asked sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. “I know it’s a pretty poor substitute for—“

You shook your head, wiping the last of your tears. “A do-over.”

“It was the least I could do. I wish I could actually take you somewhere, but–”

“Steve, I love it.” You turned to face him again. “You didn’t have to go to all the trouble. I think the time you’ve spent over the last couple weeks definitely adds up to at least a couple dates.”

He scoffed. “Cafeteria food on the floor next to your hospital bed does not count.”

“It was like a picnic!” you insisted.

But you couldn’t help but remember the panic that had been coursing through your veins the last time these aromas had hung in the air around you, and your heart sank for what felt like the millionth time. “Besides, after everything, I don’t think I really…”

Steve closed the space between you, cupping your face in his warm hands and tucking your hair behind your ears. “Stop. We’ve played this out. You’re gonna say you don’t deserve it, and you’re wrong.”

You shrugged, not meeting his eyes. “Well…”

He ducked his head, surprising a giggle out of you with a kiss to the tip of your nose.

“I won’t hear slander against my girl, not even from her own mouth.”

That was an understatement.

The one and only time a well-meaning agent had approached your hospital bed with cuffs, he had all but collapsed under Steve’s glare. And when he left your side for barely an hour to “shower” per Natasha’s insistence, you could hear him instead berating his way up the chain of command in offices all over the building.

“C’mere.” Steve pulled your back flush against his chest and wrapped his arms around you. He pressed a kiss to the edge of bandage on your shoulder, then to the one on the back of your neck before resting his chin atop your head.

You sighed contentedly, leaning your head back on his shoulder, and surveyed the recreation of your date again, swaying slightly to a song you didn’t think was playing.

You watched as the last sliver of sun descended below the horizon, a hazy orange glow bathing you and your rescuer. Warmth like the sun and warmth like his touch and warmth like safety that you’d been without for years.

You caught a glimpse of the two of you in glass of the window. Of the wrinkles in your clothes. The bags under your eyes. The yellow and green discoloration holding tightly around your throat.

“God, your girl brought a helluva lot of trouble,” you muttered.

But your eyes found his in the reflection, and the adoration in his eyes was enough to convince you as he said, “She’s worth every bit.”

I have discontinued my tag list. To be notified when I post a fic, follow @loving-bucky-library and turn on post notifications.

[xoxoavenger]

Overprotective

pairing: Peter Parker (Tom Holland) x Banner!reader

summary: Peter Parker and Y/N Banner are dating. But, Y/N's overprotective family of Avengers doesn't know, because, well, they would freak.

word count: 6441

warnings: none

masterlist

Y/N technically didn't have a family. Not blood, anyway. They probably left her there, a toddler with hands that could melt metal. They may have died, but that was unlikely, as the toddler had a blanket and a stuffed elephant wrapped around her, catching the fat tears running down her cheeks and into her lap. A pink binky was stuck in her pursed lips.

The recipient of the baby still to this day had no idea why he was chosen. It isn't like he had any family either, so the baby wasn't related to him. And the baby didn't have a family either, so the recipient felt like he needed to take the poor little girl in. Her name was written on a small card of paper, but the man decided he wasn't going to use the last name. They both needed a family, and they would be one.

So, Y/N and Bruce Banner became a family.

She was still young when he was doing experiments, but she helped him through them, helped him stay sane. She went with him to Kolkata when he wanted to help instead of hurt. She went with Bruce when he was recruited to be in the Avengers Initiative, and even though she had powers herself and begged and cried to be apart of the mess, she was left with Jerry, who taught her how to play Galaga and showed her what the sunset looked like when you're high in the air.

Y/N was afraid the whole time that her father, the only family she ever had, was dead.

Aunt Nat had been the first one she had bonded with, and at this point, Natasha was basically her mother. She knew that there had been something between her father and the red head at some point, but she was unsure what happened, and she was too afraid to ask. Aunt Nat had taught her important things that her father couldn't, like how to paint her nails and die her own hair so she didn't have to spend money on it. She taught her which bras to wear on which dates, and what type of makeup to put on for what event. Y/N learned how to braid her own hair in multiple different styles, but also how to wear it down in different styles.

Aunt Nat taught her where to put her knife, and possibly guns, depending on the outfit or dress. She taught her where to hit a person depending on how bad she wanted to hurt them.

The next person she connected with was Tony. Tony gave her the best of everything she needed; computer, phone, clothes. Tony invited her to all the best parties, taught her how to use her looks to her advantage. He had Pepper teach her how to run in heels, how to appear innocent in order to lure the enemy in.

Tony made her heels with weapons built into them, for the tight dresses that couldn't conceal many weapons. He made a nail polish that changed color to detect a drug that had been added to her drink, taught her which drinks she should drink together, and which drinks boys may try to order her to mess her up. He taught her physics when she couldn't sleep, as well as teaching her how the Iron Man suits were designed and built.

Y/N had gradually gotten close to Steve. She didn't quite know when they got close or how it happened, but there was something about Steve. He let her fall asleep on his shoulder during movie night, and he helped her make cookies on the weekends. He taught her how to make the cakes he would make with his mother in the 40s, and she taught him how to make the cakes she found on Pinterest.

Steve taught her how to hold her hands when she punched, which punches would hurt the worst and which ones would knock her opponent to the ground. He taught her how to wrap her knuckles before fights, how to keep her powers under control while she hit the punching bags.

Clint was spent more time with his family than he did at the tower, but the two of them were still close. Clint taught her how to shoot a bow, and the two had nerf gun wars, which annoyed the whole of the tower. No one was safe from their crossfire, especially in the common rooms. This did not exclude, however, personal rooms which they used to hide in and bribed the owner not to tell the other.

Clint taught her how a man - or woman, he didn't care - should treat her, and that if they treated her less than perfect, she should drop them immediately, because there were plenty of other fish in the sea and Y/N is the biggest, so everyone wants her. Clint taught her that she should never settle, that there was always someone more perfect until she found the most perfect, and she would know them when she saw them.

Thor wasn't around much, but when he was, Y/N showed him her new favorite movies and songs. Thor taught her how to play multiple Asgardian instruments. The two of them shared food from their worlds, and Thor even got her drunk on Asgardian mead once, which made Bruce go crazy. Thor had apologized profusely to the family of two, one of them laughing and the other running multiple tests to make sure she didn't have alcohol poisoning.

Thor taught Y/N that true heroes didn't need super powers - even though she had them - to be a hero. Real heroes, heroes like Thor, taught children how to play crazy Asgardian instruments, and gave them alcohol on accident and freaked the hell out at three in the morning when the girl fell off the kitchen counter where they were dancing (she was fine, not even a minor concussion).

Y/N finally had a family when her father joined the Avengers. And as much as the team had taught her and become her family, her father taught her the most important things; her father taught her all the knowledge she gained before she met Tony (that of a first year university student), how to dance and sing at the same time, how to love herself as she was. The two of them worked for weeks on a special material that could contain her heat, so when she got too much adrenaline she didn't set things on fire. Bruce was her first ever family member. He was the first person she ever loved; he taught her what love was.

And all these people were the most overprotective people she had ever met. She had never brought a boy to the tower - well, she tried once. The security system stopped her before she even got to the stairs. In order for a boy to come into the tower, he had to have a full background check and meet at least three of the Avengers. It was a dumb rule, but it was put in place after she tried to sneak the boy in the one time.

That rule made it insanely easy for her to fall for Peter Parker, the newest recruit. They couldn't tell anyone, though, especially not Bruce and Natasha. Natasha, mostly. She wanted kids so bad, and because she couldn't have them, Y/N was the closest thing. She would kill Peter if she knew that the two were together and didn't immediately tell her.

"Today is the day, I can feel it." Peter said into her ear, making Y/N giggle and squirm at the feeling of his breath against her neck. She opened her eyes and noticed it was already bright outside, meaning Natasha was most definitely up.

"Y/N! It's time to train! Rise and shine!" Natasha banged on her door, and Y/N stretched, rolling over in Peter's arms. She grabbed onto him, making him smile. He brushed Y/N's hair out of her face, and then kissed her. "I know you're awake! If you don't get up I'll shoot the door off it's hinges!" Natasha hit the door again, and Y/N groaned.

"Can't we just take one day off!" Y/N yelled back, and Peter rubbed his hands against her back. It felt so good in his arms; she never wanted to leave. Peter obviously didn't want her to leave either, as Y/N could feel him bringing her closer to him.

"No days off! Get your lazy ass out of bed!" Natasha yelled, and Y/N groaned, feeling tears prick her eyes. It was stupid to cry, this was something so small and meaningless, but she never got to spend time with Peter. They were always sneaking around, finding different times when they could sneak a quick kiss or whisper 'I love you's to each other. They tried to spend the night together as much as they could, but Tony needed Peter and Nat or Bruce needed Y/N, which lead to early mornings and Peter sticking to the side of the building in his underwear, one hand stuck to the glass wall and the other holding his clothes as he tried to find which window led to his room.

"I can go later!" Y/N yelled back, moving to bury her head into Peter's neck. He kissed her head, entailing their legs even more.

"Five seconds and the door is coming off!"

"I'm naked!" Peter had to hide his laughter bubbling up, and Y/N kissed him.

"I don't care! Three seconds!" Natasha yelled, and Y/N sighed, kicking her legs and making Peter wince as she hit his.

"Oh my God, I'm coming!" Y/N cried, getting up and grabbing random clothes. She threw the shorts and underwear she saw at Peter, who put them on before hopping out the window and moving.

"Finally." Natasha said when the younger girl opened the door. Y/N rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. She was in a terrible mood, her nice morning with Peter being ruined yet again. "Don't give me that attitude, Y/N. You wanted to be apart of this team, now you have to put in the effort." Natasha told her, and Y/N continued to pout.

"Why can't we do this after noon?" Y/N asked, and Natasha looked at what Y/N was wearing.

"You're wearing Peter's shirt." Nat said, and Y/N looked down to see that she was, in fact, wearing Peter's shirt. Another thing Y/N had learned from Natasha was how to lie.

"Yeah, we had a movie night in the common room late last night and I spilled hot chocolate on mine." Not too much information, but still risky, because she wasn't sure if anyone had been in the common room last night. Natasha raised an eyebrow, smirking. Y/N's heart leapt.

"So, our boy Peter was shirtless? While you watched a movie?" Natasha asked, walking into the room to sit on the bed. Y/N's cheeks turned pink, and Natasha raised both eyebrows, and Y/N licked her lips.

"Aren't we supposed to be training?" Y/N asked, moving to her drawers to grab appropriate clothes.

"You know he likes you?" Natasha mentioned, and Y/N froze.

Play dumb.

"Who?"

Okay, that was just idiotic.

"Um, Peter." Natasha's smile could be heard, even though Y/N's back was turned. She grabbed the leggings out of the drawer, and then moved to a higher drawer to grab the matching bra. She turned around and faced Natasha once more, who was smiling like a crazy woman.

"Oh, right." Y/N sighed moving to the bathroom to change. She left the door open, as Natasha liked to talk to her too much to have her close the door and miss those couple seconds.

"I think you like him too." Natasha said, and Y/N thought quickly, scoffing as she pulled off her shirt.

"As if! He's a little too nerdy for me." Y/N said, pulling the sports bra on.

"He's Spider-Man, Y/N. God, you need to be a little less picky." Natasha said, and Y/N shook her head as she smiled.

"He's not my type." Y/N argued, putting the leggings on. She walked out to see Natasha sitting on her bed, perfect as always.

"Oh? Then what is your type? Because apparently, it isn't tall, strong and handsome." Natasha said, and Y/N rolled her eyes. She turned to go to her closet, grabbing a loose t-shirt. She grabbed socks and her training shoes before looking at Natasha.

"Let's go." Y/N smiled, and Natasha just looked at her, not moving.

"Your bedhead looks suspiciously like sex-hair."

"Oh my God." Y/N walked back to her bathroom, running a brush through her hair before tying it up in a pony-tail.

"Now we can go." Natasha said, walking out of the room. Y/N followed, frowning when she saw Tony in a doorway pretty far down the hallway. Y/N realized it was Peter's room, and she tried to keep her facial expression neutral.

"The kid not wanting to wake up?" Natasha asked as they approached Tony. He sighed and shrugged, knocking on the door again.

"Kid, if you don't wake up and open this door in the next two seconds I'm benching you!" Tony yelled, and Natasha and Y/N shared a look. Y/N hoped Peter was about to make it back into his room.

"Hold on! I'm not dressed!"

"Oh, so now you're awake!" Tony yelled back, rolling his eyes at the girls. Peter opened the door, gym shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt thrown on.

"That is quite the bedhead, Peter." Y/N pointed out. She knew that if she pointed it out, Natasha wouldn't put two and two together as easily, because why would Y/N point out Peter's hair if she had been the cause of it?

"I just came back from patrol, the wind, ya know." Peter said, and Y/N made eyes at him, because the dumbass wore a mask, so his hair wouldn't have gotten mused in the wind. The other two didn't notice, or they didn't say anything, and the four of them made their way to the elevator.

"How was everyone's night?" Tony asked as they waited in the elevator. Y/N jumped in, because if she didn't and Peter spoke first, then their cover would be blown.

"Good. Peter and I had a movie night in the common room." Y/N said, and Tony raised his eyebrows as he put his hand behind his back.

"Really? What time? Your father and I were there pretty late." Tony mentioned. Y/N knew Peter was looking at her, but Y/N couldn't look at him. She was working hard to keep her secrets under wraps, and looking at Peter would make it all fall down.

"It was late. Really late. We couldn't sleep." Peter answered, and the elevator doors opened. The four made their way to the training room.

"Y/N told me she spilled hot chocolate on her shirt and you gave her yours." Natasha said, and Y/N breathed in sharply as she heard Tony whistle.

"And then what happened? Did you make love under the stars?" Tony asked, and Y/N tripped over herself, Peter catching her. The two looked at each other, Peter smiling, and Y/N shook herself.

"Can we ever just train?" Y/N asked as they walked into the training room. She immediately went to the box in the corner of the room where they kept her special tapes, the one she made with her father so she would stop setting things like boxing gloves and bags on fire.

"That would be boring." Natasha remarked, setting herself up.

~

"You told them you spilled coffee on your shirt?" Peter whispered as they sparred each other. Y/N kicked out and brought him to the floor with her, pinning him down.

"It was actually hot chocolate." Y/N mumbled, smirking.

"Creative." Peter mentioned, putting a leg up and flipping them over.

"Can we be done?" Y/N yelled, still underneath Peter. He chuckled, letting her up. Y/N moved to unwrap her hands, back turned to everyone.

"We are not done yet."

"We're not?" Y/N asked, turning toward Tony and Natasha. She turned, and immediately turned back around. Peter had taken off the tank top, which left little to the imagination anyways, and with the shirt off Y/N was reminded of last night (which definitely wasn't in the common room), and then this morning (which was cut short by the workout they were currently at). She took a deep breath. If they weren't done yet, then two could play at the game Peter was pushing.

Y/N took her shirt off, leaving her in the matching sports bra she had put on. She turned back to Peter, who was blatantly checking her out. Her eyes then moved to Natasha, who had a smirk on her face.

"I would like to be able to work out and not see naked minors, thank you. Put your damn clothes back on!" Sam said as he walked into the room.

"We aren't minors." Peter took his shirt and wiped the sweat around his neck and face off.

"I still don't wanna see your naked ass body walking around." Sam told the boy, walking over to the treadmill.

"We're done here anyway." Tony said, and Natasha's eyebrows raised, looking at Tony as if he had just slapped her.

"No we are not-"

"I am not making two half-naked, horny minors-"

"Not minors!"

"Horny?"

"Work out right now. Especially not when one of them has a father who could walk in at any minute!" Tony continued, despite the fact that Y/N and Peter both interrupted him.

"Great, goodbye!" Y/N said as she unwrapped her hands. She ran out, following Peter and forgetting her shirt in the workout room. She ran to their spot, which was Peter's small office/lab he had been given. No one went there unless they needed something, and the windows - unlike the windows in the man lab - were one way, meaning no one could see in.

"Y/N! Why are you going so fast!" Bruce grabbed onto his daughters shoulder, stopping her sprint. Y/N turned, smiling as her father retracted his hand when he realized she was sweaty.

"Gotta take a shower. Love ya, Dad!" Y/N yelled as she began to run down the hallway again.

"That isn't the way to your room!" Bruce yelled after her, and Y/N turned around, jogging backwards.

"Shortcut!" She quickly supplied turning the corner to Peter's lab. She made it to the dark windows, pulling on the door, which didn't budge.

"Peter let me in!" Y/N yelled, leaning against the door. Peter opened it, and Y/N fell forward, into Peter's arms.

"Movie night? Really?" Peter asked, pulling her into the lab and shutting and locking the door.

"Yes, well, my aunt is a world class spy who was trained in the red room, so I couldn't just stall. I had your shirt on when she came in." Y/N said, and Peter shook his head, moving one hand to her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her, and she put her hands on his biceps, still leaning on him. He moved his hands to underneath her butt, and then picked her up. He moved her over to one of his side desks, and wiped everything off of it. Y/N separated from Peter to laugh, and let him set her down on the desk.

"I'd rather cuddle and make up sleep, but this is a close second." Y/N muttered as Peter kissed down her throat. He froze, looking up at her.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Peter asked, and Y/N smiled. They went back to kissing, and Y/N moved a hand to his chest, crossing her ankles around him. Her heart rate increased as Peter moved his lips to under her ear, then down her neck. Y/N sighed, smiling as she held onto Peter's bicep tighter. Her eyes fluttered closed.

"Ow, ow, ow, OW, OW, Y/N!" Peter yelled, pushing her hands away from him. Y/N sat up straight and opened her eyes to see Peter checking his chest and bicep, where two hand shaped burn marks were simmering.

"Oh my God, Peter, I am so sorry." Y/N moved her legs up to her chest, hands clutched close. This had happened before, and Y/N felt terrible every time. She had a hard time controlling her powers when her heart rate escalated like this, when she wasn't focused.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm fine. Doesn't even hurt." Peter assured her, walking closer to her spot on the desk. He grabbed her forearms, prying them away from her body. He ran his hands up her arms, to her hands. He interlocked them, kissing the corner of her face.

"I don't want to hurt you." Y/N whispered, looking up at him. He moved one hand to her face, thumb swiping across her face.

"Did you know that I heal faster than anyone you know? It only hurts for a second." Peter told her, and Y/N looked at the mark on his bicep.

"My dad actually heals faster."

"Fine, I'm a close second." Y/N pointed at the marks as Peter spoke.

"It's still there." She remarked, and Peter rolled his eyes.

"Can you just stop?" Peter smiled, kissing her lips. She pulled back, smiles on both their faces. She loves how Peter made her feel secure, loved, like the most beautiful girl in the world.

"I love you." Y/N said, pushing his hair out of his face.

"I-"

"Open up!" Bruce yelled, banging on the door. Y/N and Peter shared a look, blinking at each other for a moment.

"Peter? I need to talk to you!" Bruce yelled, and Y/N didn't waste any time unhooking herself from Peter and hopping over the desk. Peter stared at her for a second, worried she'd hurt herself.

"Answer the door!" Y/N whisper-yelled, and Peter scrambled to the door.

"Mr. Banner, hey!" Peter said, looking at his girlfriend's father. He blinked at Peter, taking in Peter's sex/workout-hair, his shirtless body, and finally, the handprints burned into his skin.

"Why are you shirtless?" Was Bruce's first question, and then he shook his head. "Why are there handprints burned into your skin in the shape of my daughter's hands?" Bruce asked, and Peter blinked.

"We just came from a work out. We sparred a little bit, she burned me, it's fine." Peter covered, and Bruce nodded.

"Right, um, okay. I'll come back later. Maybe after you showered and put on clothes." Bruce turned, and Peter shut the door.

"I am very proud of that lie." Y/N popped out from behind the desk. Peter shook his head, smirking. He made his way to the desk, grabbing Y/N's hands and helping her out and then back on the desk.

"It isn't your lie to be proud of!" Peter hit her arm jokingly, walking to step in between her legs. Y/N wrapped her ankles around his waist.

"Would you like another burn mark?" Y/N asked, hand raised teasingly.

"I think I'm good with the two I didn't order." Peter looked back down at his chest and arm, the marks still red.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Y/N asked, finger tracing the hand print on his chest.

"Could you, I don't know, shut up and just kiss me?" Peter asked, putting a hand on her cheek. He grabbed her other hand, which had been on his chest still, moving his hand to hold her's.

"Could you, I don't know, stop asking stupid questions?" Y/N put her arms around his neck. Their lips connected, the two of them moving closer together.

"Hold on," Peter pulled himself away from her, hands skimming her hips. "Someone's coming and I didn't lock the door." He finished, and Y/N looked around. They were both half naked with no way of covering up, the contents of Peter's desk were on the floor, and the burn marks - despite Peter's attempt to calm Y/N's worries - showed now signs of healing.

"I love you." Y/N said, kissing Peter quickly. He looked at her, unsure of what her plan was as she walked to the door.

"Fine, Peter, but I won that damn - oh, my bad." Y/N yelled as she opened the door to see Steve standing with a broken drone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Steve asked, and Y/N turned to scowl at Peter, who was looking lost. Y/N wasn't sure if that was something he was putting on or if he was really lost. Y/N figured that if Steve noticed the hands on Peter (he most definitely would) and the items discarded on the floor, he would think there was a fight and he wouldn't even mention anything to Bruce and Natasha - and God forbid, Bucky. If the ex-russian spy spent more time around the kids, he would immediately know the two were together. Natasha is, without a doubt, a world-class spy, but she was the one that taught Y/N to lie. By doing this, Natasha had taught her niece how to lie to the world's best spy. Bucky probably knew all the tricks and the way around them in the way that Y/N didn't know how to fix yet.

"No, I was just leaving." Y/N spat, glaring at Peter. She pushed past Steve, who stared at Peter.

"That looks bad." Steve said simply, gesturing to Peter's chest.

"I deserved it."

~

Y/N was reading when she heard the knock on the window. She jumped up, locking the door before she went to open the window.

"What took you so long?" Y/N asked as she kissed Peter before he was even through the window.

"Tony needed me," Peter started, making his way through the window as best as he could as he kissed Y/N at the same time. "And then Clint needed help with his arrows." Peter moved his hands to her thighs to pick her up, which is something he enjoyed doing, due to his super strength. "And then your father wanted to-"

"Oh God, please don't talk about my father while we're making out." Y/N groaned, hands on his face. He smiled sheepishly, leaning in to kiss her again quickly.

"Sorry." He mumbled, and she giggled.

"What did Steve want?" Y/N asked, and Peter rolled his eyes, going back to kissing her.

"Something about his drone, I don't remember." Peter walked around, trying to find a solid wall or something to put her against, but instead he tripped over her bed, sending them both tumbling onto the bed.

"Ow, ow, Peter! Ow!" Y/N cried as Peter fell on top of her. He couldn't get his hands off her thighs quick enough, so his top half fell right on her.

"I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry." Peter said, hands moving by her head to hold himself up.

"It's fine. It's payback, I guess." Y/N giggled. She grabbed his shirt to push up, immediately looking at the faded marks.

"There's the healing factor." Y/N said, tracing the faint handprint.

"You've burned me so many times, Y/N, it's not a big deal." Peter told her, wiping the hair out of face.

"Y/N? Why is your door always locked?" Y/N's door handle jiggled as Natasha pounded on the door.

"Ugh!" Y/N groaned, and Peter dropped his head into her shoulder. "Damn Russian."

"Maybe," Peter kissed her neck, and she relaxed back into the bed. "If we're really quiet," Peter moved to her other shoulder, kissing that side too. "She won't notice we're here."

"I know you're in there!" Natasha screamed.

"I'm sleeping!" Y/N yelled back, trying to bite back the giggle forming as Peter began to kiss her neck.

"If you aren't at the door in thirty seconds I will bust it open!" Natasha yelled. She paused for a moment, and everything was silent. "We're dying our hair today." Natasha added sternly.

"Are you kidding me?" Y/N cried, and Peter pushed her hair out of her face.

"I'll see you tonight." Peter moved to slip back out the window. Y/N straightened her clothes and her hair before moving to the door, opening it.

"So, I was thinking, we should do something crazy this time." Natasha said, hair dye in hand.

"We always say that, and then we get all ready and then we think 'What would Bruce - my father - think?' And the answer is always that he'll kill us." Y/N went into her bathroom, Natasha not far away from her.

"I am not afraid of your father, Y/N."

"I am." Y/N began to look at the boxes. "Bleach, purple, green? Nat, what the hell?" Y/N asked letting Natasha start to set up the bleach.

"Right, so I was thinking I could go with a lighter red, and you could-"

"I'm thinking you go full blonde and I die my hair with red." Y/N picked up the red hair dye.

"I like the way you think."

~

"Hey, Y/N - Y/N?" Steve did a double take as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Steve. Aunt Nat and I are making pasta for team dinner tonight." Y/N smiled, looking to Steve. Her hair moved, shoulder length and blood red.

"Right, and you guys did your hair." Steve stared.

"We did. We also made garlic bread." Natasha said, checking the oven.

"Holy hair." Bucky said as he walked in, also staring at the two girls. Sam walked in after, all three boys now stopped at the door.

"Are you just going to stare, or are you boys going to set the table?" Natasha asked, and the boys nodded and grumbled as they grabbed silverware, placemats, plates and glasses.

"I like the hair, girls." Wanda said as she walked into the room, taking a seat.

"Thank you." The two said in unison.

"Okay, the pasta is ready." Y/N said, turning off the burner. Nat ducked under her to take the garlic bread in the oven.

"Aren't we going to invite Tony and your father?" Steve asked, making Y/N and Natasha share a look.

"They probably wouldn't come anyway." Y/N supplied, moving the pasta to the big bowl sitting on the counter.

"Don't start without - what the fuck did you do?" Tony asked, stopping in the doorway.

"Move out of the - Y/N Banner, please tell me that is a wig." Bruce moved to see the two girls. They looked at each other, two very different expressions.

"It's a wig." Y/N said, wide eyed.

"You let her do this?" Bruce turned to Natasha, who was smiling.

"It was her idea." Nat put the bread on a wooden piece, and the two moved to the table.

"Dinner is served." Y/N smiled, despite her father still fuming.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late, I," Peter trailed off, eyes locked on Y/N's new hair.

"Just in time, Peter." Y/N smiled, but Peter was still staring. It seemed he did not care that Y/N had just spoken to him, the words gone and floating away.

"I think you broke him." Tony remarked, and Peter finally responded.

"What's," He cleared his throat. "What's for dinner?" Peter was still looking at Y/N, at the way her hair made her eyes pop and left her collarbones on show. A necklace with a small diamond on it, one that Peter had gotten her. He thought he would be upset about the fact that she cut her hair to her shoulders, but he couldn't have been more happy about the haircut.

"Pasta." Y/N smiled, putting a serving spoon in the pasta. Everyone sat down except the youngest two. There were two seats next to each other, and the two sat down.

"Dig in." Y/N said with a smile. Bucky and Sam immediately started a fight about the garlic bread, while Tony dug into the pasta. The rest waited patiently.

"Are you gonna eat?" Peter asked, hand on Y/N's thigh. She had jeans on with a nice top, changed from the clothes she wore with Nat while they died their hair. Y/N turned to look at Peter, who had not taken his eyes off her.

"Chef always eats last." Y/N wanted to kiss him, but she knew that was a bad idea, as her father was sitting right across from them.

"Hey, kid, are you ever gonna actually look at the food to eat it?" Tony asked, and Peter finally looked at the food.

"You made this?" Peter asked as he served Y/N and then himself. She nodded, grabbing her fork.

"Are you alright, Peter?" Bruce looked at Peter concerned, and Y/N tried not to let her eyes widen.

"Maybe his brain can't handle the fact that-"

"This pasta is really good, thank you for making it." Peter cut Sam off, deciding not to look at Y/N. Everyone went back to eating, Y/N and Peter trying not to look at each other.

It was an awkward dinner for the two, but everyone else enjoyed the food the girls with freshly died hair had made.

~

"So, who's picking the movie tonight?" Tony asked as the Avengers cleaned the kitchen up. Y/N was told she couldn't help, so she sat on the counter as everyone else, besides Natasha, cleaned.

"Movie?" Peter asked, heart popping. He just wanted to sneak to Y/N's room and love on her because her hair - her hair! What possessed her to do that? It looked so good. Better than so good. It made Peter's brain stop working, his heart beating too fast, his body going numb. It felt like he had been stabbed - but in a good way.

"Is that a problem?" Natasha asked with a smirk, making Y/N want to smack Peter over the head. Could he be any more obvious?

"No, no, I-I just didn't know we-we were watching one t-tonight." Peter stumbled, and Y/N resisted the urge to face palm, because Natasha definitely was about to figure everything out, which would lead to everyone figuring out.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Steve said, eyeing Peter. He was acting strange; he might as well have just said 'I'm dating Y/N, and her new hair is causing my brain to go haywire.'

"I-It's fine. I just didn't kn-know." Peter quickly went to the lounge.

"What a weird kid." Y/N said, rubbing her lips together.

"It seems like he kinda likes y-"

"Oh he does." Natasha cut Bruce off, and Y/N rubbed her hands against her jeans anxiously.

"That must be upsetting for him, then." Bruce said, and Y/N nodded. Her father obviously had no idea about their relationship, which wasn't the worst thing, but she wasn't ready to tell everyone yet and have them freak out.

"Must be." Y/N shrugged, deciding to hop off the counter. "I'm gonna go help Peter pick out a movie." Y/N left the room, the other superheroes finishing up.

"Strange kids." Bucky muttered under his breath.

"You're real sly, Peter." Y/N muttered, kneeling down next to him in front of the tv.

"You didn't tell me you were gonna fully redo your hair!" Peter defended, crossing his arms.

"Spur of the moment decision." Y/N supplied with a shrug, and Peter shook his head.

"I don't want to be here for a full movie." Peter whined, unfolding himself to lay back dramatically.

"We'll watch Dumbo, then. It's the shortest Disney movie." Y/N grabbed the remote and picked Dumbo, loading it up.

"What would I do without you?" Peter smiled up at her, admiring her new haircut. Y/N rolled her eyes.

"Keep it in your pants for another hour, Spider-Man." Y/N smirked.

~

After the movie, Peter followed Y/N to her room, not even caring to go to his room first. As soon as the door shut, Peter's lips were against her's, hands running through her hair.

"God, I didn't know you could get prettier, but then you did." He muttered against her lips. Y/N smiled, letting the blush creep onto her face.

"You made that very clear during dinner." Y/N said, and Peter went back to kissing her without a response. He took his shirt off quickly, and then the two fell onto the bed. Peter put a hand under her shirt as he removed his lips from her's, moving them down her neck.

"Hey, Y/N, you forgot - oh my God!" Tony yelled as he opened the door. Y/N pushed Peter away, and he fell off the bed.

"Tony, please, I-"

"FRIDAY, it's time for the 'No Grandchildren' protocol." Tony said, and Y/N almost shrieked out of mortification.

"Mr. Stark-"

"Does your father know?" Tony asked with a smirk, and Y/N shook her head, mouth open in shock.

"I knew it! Yes!" Natasha yelled from the hallway. Y/N jumped off the bed, pushing past Tony to get into the hallway.

"Knew what?" Steve asked as he walked out of his room.

"Y/N and Peter are dating!" Natasha announced, and Bucky walked out of his room.

"Was that not common knowledge?" He asked, looking at the growing group.

"You knew?" Wanda asked, joining the hallway party.

"I thought everyone knew!" Bucky defended.

"What the hell is going on?" Bruce asked, walking into the hallway as well.

"Your daughter is dating the spider." Sam said, and Y/N almost went for his throat until she realized what had just happened with her father.

"You're dating Peter?"

"You just walked out of Nat's room." Y/N accused, to which he went red.

"I'm the adult here, Y/N."

"I'm an adult too."

"Yes, but you're my daughter. I shouldn't find out you're dating Peter because Tony caught you together." Bruce defended, and Y/N sighed.

"You're right, and I'm sorry." Y/N said before taking a deep breath. "But I shouldn't find out you're with Natasha because you walked out of her room." Everyone's eyes went wide.

"Who I see isn't your business."

"I'm your daughter."

"Okay, everyone to their rooms." Tony said, and Y/N rolled her eyes as she walked back into her room. Peter began to follow her.

"Mr. Parker, you are not allowed access into Y/N's room without permission." FRIDAY said, and Y/N's eyes widened. As if tonight couldn't get any more mortifying.

"Own room, Parker!" Natasha yelled, and Y/N turned to scream into her pillow as everyone went back to their respective rooms.

A couple minutes later, there was banging on the window. Y/N looked up from her 'Pillow of Despair' to see Peter. She smiled, opening the window.

"Thank God you're here, I-"

"Mr. Parker, would you like me to ask a member of a team for permission to be alone in Ms. Banner's room?" FRIDAY asked, and Y/N groaned.

"No, I'm leaving." He mumbled. He stole a kiss from Y/N before he went back out the window.

"Snitch."

[fanficimagery]

Lost and then Found pt. I

Imagine being taken by HYDRA. After years with them, they set you loose on someone you haven't seen in a while. Unfortunately for HYDRA, you weren't as susceptible to their mind experiments like they thought.

Words: 8.6K Author's Note: Major trigger warning! There will be a bit of talk about non-consensual pregnancies and some failed pregnancies from said attempts. Also I didn’t want to post this, but this upcoming week is going to be stressful for me and I honestly don’t know how much writing I’ll get done. Please read the bottom note for help on hopefully part 2 of this.

Tag list: @aya-fay @70s-chic @sipsteacasually @kaitlyn2907 @scarlettwitch99 @thingsforimagination @b1sexualtonystark @living-that-best-life @alexnicolaidisss @l0ve-0f-my-life @eliwinchester99 @mimilh @rosesloml  @meredeph @lexy9716​ 

The team had been hanging around various floors of the tower when FRIDAY alerted everyone that they were needed in the meeting room ASAP. And when FRIDAY sounded urgent, the team knew it must be serious. Leaving the gym, Steve and Bucky run into Clint and Natasha who had been coming out of the locker rooms.

"Any idea what's going on?" Bucky asks Nat.

She shakes her head. "FRIDAY wouldn't cough up any more information. I contacted Tony, but he just urged me to get my ass moving."

As they wait for the elevator, the doors slide open and they nod to Wanda who's already standing in the back corner. With her arms crossed over her chest, she nods to each of her teammates as they file in. Ever since she had lost Vision, she hadn't been quite herself and everyone knew to give her whatever time she needed.

In the meeting room, the atmosphere is immediately tense. Sam is at the table and as a testament to how serious the situation is he doesn't even crack a joke the second he lays eyes on Bucky. Everyone takes a seat, with the exception of Tony who's still pacing at the front of the room with a tablet in his hand.

"Tony," Steve calls out. "What's going on?"

A moment passes and then Tony stops at the head of the table, looking up. "This." He swipes up on his tablet screen, sending a video hologram to the middle of the table so everyone can see. "This came in about fifteen minutes ago."

The video plays and the team watches on in shocked speechlessness. The video shows a young girl who couldn't have yet been a teenager be strapped down to a gurney and injected with several different vials. They listen as the poor girl screams and thrashes, and sobs about burning on the inside.

The video cuts out before popping up again and shows the same girl, a little older this time, and having a mouth piece shoved into her small mouth before a contraption is lowered around her head. Eyes dart to Bucky and no one says a word as his metal arm whirs when he watches the young girl go through something very similar to what he went through. As she screams, the video cuts out again yet again.

Everyone had been so focused on Bucky's reaction, that no one paid any attention to Wanda as her eyes widened when the video came back for a third round. The girl on screen is definitely older now, her baby fat has all but vanished, and she looks defeated. Her hair hangs in limp strands around her face and there's a collar around her neck that Wanda knows gives off one hell of a shock to the person wearing it when they disobeyed orders. An older male walks into view and the girl cowers away. She winces, her hands flying up to the collar around her neck. "Begin," a voice then sounds. The male lunges for the small female and she tries her best to fend off his blows, but she ends up beaten and bloodied within thirty seconds. At the end of the fight the man is given instructions and then he walks over to the girl, kneeling down and biting her around the wrist. She screams, the man takes a bullet to the back of the head, and the video cuts out.

This time when the video comes back, the girl looks a little more steadier on her feet and less beaten down. She looks ready for a fight. Towards the end of the clip she has bloodied, pointed fingertips. She's shoved back into a chair and that's when her emotionless mask drops, begging to not be wiped. She screams as they start the procedure and then by the end of it there are no more tears. There's just an emotionless female awaiting orders as the video cuts out.

Finally the last clip shows her fighting like she's been doing it for years, taking down one attacker after the other until she's the last one left standing. There's a sharp whistle and the girl stands at attention, and the video zooms in on her stoic expression before cutting out altogether.

"Who sent this, Tony?" Steve readily asks.

"Don't know. I have FRIDAY chasing an IP address that just keeps pinging in every part of the world."

"Do we even know who she is?" Natasha asks. "And what the whole point of this video was?"

"No. Not a cl-"

"Her name is Y/N." Everyone looks to Wanda who can't take her gaze off her hands in her lap. "She was already there with HYDRA when Pietro and I showed up so long ago."

"Willingly?" Clint wonders.

Wanda shakes her head. "When we had gotten there, she had just turned nineteen. She was already stronger than the average human, but we never truly saw what she could do. She was different." She finally looks up, expression sad. "HYDRA was not all that we thought it would be, but by then there was no turning back. We'd seen Y/N around base, but she was always so stoic and never spoke to anyone. But when we had one on one time with her and the guards would leave us under her care, it was like a switch had flipped within her. She was so much lighter and she spoke to us like we had been friends since we were children."

"Why didn't we find her the first time we met you and your brother?" Tony then asks.

"She had been gone for weeks by then. They told us she was killed on a mission they sent her on, and that me and Pietro were going to be the new fists of HYDRA."

"The last video was stamped a week ago," Bucky says. "HYDRA lied."

Sam huffs. "Of course they did."

"They must have seen you, your brother, and Y/N getting friendly. They couldn't have their best weapons socializing and turning against them," Bucky says.

Clint sighs. "So what's the plan?"

"We get her back," Wanda says, leaving no room for Tony or Steve to say otherwise. "She was forcefully taken, unlike Pietro and I. She does not belong with them."

"It's been years, Wanda," Natasha says softly. "She might not be the same girl you knew."

"But what if she is? She is the only family I have left."

For a long moment no one says anything, so Tony takes it upon himself. "Then we look for her, but you're responsible for getting through to her. She'll only know you, not us."

"Fine."

Steve and Tony talk a bit more about being prepared for when FRIDAY tracks down their target, and then everyone is being dismissed.

Wanda takes a moment, letting everyone get up and walk out first, when Clint walks up behind her chair. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he leans down some to say, "Y/N is not your only family, kid. We're your family too." Wanda's heart cracks just a little and she reaches up to cover Clint's hand with her own to let him know she understands. "Just keep that in mind in case we don't find Y/N or she's no longer who she used to be."

Wanda gulps and then nods. "I will."

Working for HYDRA has been absolute hell. Ever since you had been taken as a little girl you were hell-bent on getting out of there which meant doing anything and everything to be in their good graces. Obviously you didn't learn to do so until you were sixteen and had most of your emotions under control.

They experimented and tortured and even tried their mind wipes like they did on their beloved Winter Soldier, but surprisingly your mind was never empty like they hoped to be. Of course, though, you kept that little detail to yourself wipe after wipe. But after everything that went on while you were in their grasp and after whatever they turned you into, you realized you couldn't quite leave and turn yourself loose on the public while you had no control over what you could do.

So you stayed and obeyed like a good little soldier, and attempted to train their new little puppets. Only being left alone with Wanda and Pietro became the one thing you started looking forward to up until they told you the twins didn't survive one of the trials. You had been heartbroken and devastated, but you couldn't let them see. So you nodded, let them move you to another facility and began anew.

You lost yourself within HYDRA, honing your skills and becoming someone even the other soldiers started to become wary of. The mind wipes became less and less the more obedient you became, but then they had a new mission for you- a mission which made your loathing for them hit an all time high.

You've been sitting in solitary for weeks now, biding your time until you could break free and get the hell out of dodge. All morning you've been antsy and it only becomes worse when you can feel the tension mounting all around you.

The door opens and you immediately snap to attention, but the guard that comes in does not have a lunch tray in his hands. Instead, he has a uniform which he readily tosses at you. "Get dressed. You've got a mission."

You quietly snarl at the guard after catching your suit and his hand immediately goes to the electrical prod at his side. "Careful," you drawl. "You wouldn't want your superiors to find out you injured their most prized possession."

His right eye twitches and he lets his hand fall limp. "The clock's ticking on your life, bitch, and when it's up I'll happily put you down."

"We'll just see about that."

The guard turns around and stomps away so he's standing just outside your door, and you hurriedly strip to get dressed in the apparent new uniform. The material for the pants are thin and fit like a glove, but you've worn these before and you know they're impenetrable to blades. Your boots are standard issued, but the long sleeve shirt- the shirt gives you pause because of the padding that's been added to it.

Once you're dressed and your hair has been tied up, you march up behind the soldier and readily clasp your hands behind your back to await orders.

Emotionless mask in place, you're led out and about the base. Everyone seems to be in a tizzy and the smell of gunpowder and blood is thick in the air. You can hear the gunshots and shouting from behind closed doors several rooms away, and you're not surprised that that's exactly where you're led.

The General meets you outside one room in particular and he dismisses your guard with a wave of his hand. You bite your tongue to keep from smiling at the fact the guard grumbles at being dismissed so easily.

"Ah my dear Y/N," the General coos. "Come. We've got several mice trapped and we need you to rid us of them once and for all." You blankly blink at him, nodding once to let him know you understand your mission.

The second he turns around to enter the code for the room, your shoulders drop just a bit and you attempt to put yourself in the mindset of fighting once again. The door slides open and you follow like an obedient little soldier, only to stop short at the sight of the assembled heroes standing on the opposite end of the room. One in particular stands out, her scent hitting you like a freight train and you have to try your hardest not to show an inkling of knowledge about who she is.

You stand next to, but an inch or so behind, the General's left side with your hands still clasped behind your back and feet shoulder width apart as you stare straight ahead. You're trying your damnedest to focus on the red, white, and blue shield Captain America is holding out before him, and not show any recognition for Wanda who is desperately calling out to you in hopes of recognizing her.

You block out what the General is saying, no doubt gloating about your skills, and zone back in just as he gives what he thinks is a command you're programmed to obey. With your right foot planted, you take a step back with a left and flick your wrists out at your sides so claws unsheathe themselves. You can hear several heartbeats pick up speed and you finally meet Wanda's gaze. She seems to still as you offer her the faintest of grins and send her a wink, only to twist on your right foot a moment later and send your clawed left hand into the throat of the General.

The Avengers all tense and prepare for a battle as the General gurgles on his own blood, and you lean in close to his ear so you can say, "Your first mistake was taking me from my family when I was just a little girl." He tries to pull your hand from his throat, but he is no match for your strength. Growling, you squeeze your hand that's still embedded in his throat. "And your last mistake was reintroducing me to Wanda, and giving me hope." Just as the alarms start to blare, you rip the General's throat out and let his limp body fall.

"Y/N?"

You glance up, smirking at Wanda and her wide-eyed expression. "Hello, little Maximoff." You flick your hand free of some of the blood and then smile at her companions. "Avengers." You nod at them in greeting.

"You remember."

You blink at her, not bothering to answer the obvious. Instead, you can hear walkie talkies going haywire outside the room and you turn around to glance up at the windows where you know others are watching. You mockingly wave at them with your bloodied hand and start pacing in the middle of the room, putting Wanda and the Avengers at your back. Looking up at the window, you let your smirk drop into a scowl. "You think you can take me from my family, torture and brainwash me, and then sic me on the only other family I've ever known?" You yell, seething. Cracking your neck, you let your rage take over and feel the bones shift uncomfortably in your face. Even your eyes burn and you know they're flaring an electric blue. "You're fools for thinking you could control me."

You feel a soft pressure on your wrist and immediately turn to growl at the person who dares touch you, but you lower your head in shame when you see it's just Wanda. She softly gasps and you try to turn away. "What did they do to you?" She asks as she gently grasps you by the chin to make you face her once more.

"What they do best?" You mumble, sharp teeth catching on your bottom lip. "They turned me into a monster."

Wanda's voice catches in her throat, but before she can say anything you're facing the door and stepping in front of her to shield her. Seven soldiers rush in, electrical prods gripped tight in hand.

"Why don't they have any guns?" You hear one of the Avengers ask.

"They must want her alive," someone else answers.

"If you don't stand down, we're going to have to resort to drastic measures," one HYDRA agent says.

"Then resort to them," you growl, "because now that I know Wanda is alive you're gonna have to kill one of us just to separate us again."

Wanda steps up next to you then, hands slowly rotating at the wrists as red energy floats around them. "And trust me, I am not so easily killed."

You can sense the Avengers all stepping into line behind you, but you don't bother looking at them. Instead, you focus on the threat in front of you and the fact they have more people gathering outside once the first line falls. Then from one second to the next, there's a silent command that sends the HYDRA agents into fight mode.

You break off from Wanda, drawing a few agents towards you. Your fighting skills come into play and it's easy for you to either block or withstand the shock of the electrical prods. However, the agents are not so lucky since you're going in for the kill. If you're not kicking in knees and snapping necks, your claws and teeth are digging into throats and ripping out flesh. You're roaring and snarling, and scaring most of the agents you come into contact with, but there are a select few which are all too happy to disobey orders and engage you in physical combat.

You take quite a few hits to the face and sides, and for a moment you're worried, but you have to push through and worry later.

You're not sure how long the fight lasts, but all you know is hat the last agent you claw until he's gurgling on his own blood is the last one to go down. Panting and heaving, electric blue eyes scan the room. All the Avengers are still standing, most of them don't even look like they participated in the fight, but all are watching you with wary eyes.

Wanda steps in your direction and you growl, but then stop the moment her hands go up to show you she means no harm. "It's over," she tells you, her accent heavy and reminding you of so long ago when you first took her under your wing. "If you want to leave, you need to calm down. My team has no idea who you are and you being so hostile makes them nervous."

"Team?" The word rumbles through your throat as your gaze jumps from person to person. "But where's Pietro?"

When your gaze lands back on Wanda, she's smiling softly. But that smile soon wobbles as she shakes her head. "He died a while back. I'm sorry."

You shake your head as you take a step back and Wanda quickly closes the distance between the two of you. She wraps her arms around until you lower your head to her shoulder and you sniffle quietly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. He died a hero," she says. "We saw the error of our ways and the Avengers took us in." You finally allow yourself to wrap your arms around her, breathing her in and calming your rage. When you feel yourself sag against her, you finally pick up your head and smile as she runs a finger down the bridge of your nose. "There you are."

"M'sorry."

"For?"

"For you having to see me that way. I didn't even know you were alive and then they just told me to dress and take care of a mice problem they had. I didn't know it was the Avengers."

"It's okay," Wanda assures you. "You did the right thing."

"Um, I hate to break up this crazy reunion, but we need to go."

You glance at the man with wings and nod. "That would be a good idea. They'll send more soldiers soon."

Captain America glances at Wanda. "Get her to the quinjet. We're gonna do a sweep of the base before bringing it down."

Wanda gives him a nod and then she's urging you to follow her. You follow her through the winding hallways and an elevator ride up to the surface, and you huff a quiet laugh when you see the destruction left in the Avengers' wake. Off in the distance there's a jet and Wanda wastes no time in leading you up the ramp, and onto a seat.

"Just wait right here." She rushes towards a door and you're surprised a small bathroom sits behind it. She grabs what appears to be a hand towel from inside and then walks over behind the cockpit of the jet, grabbing a bottle of water from inside a bench seat. Then walking back over to you, she gestures to your face. "You've got a lot of blood."

"Oh." You take the towel and water, and quickly wet the towel to start wiping off your face and hands. There's nothing you can do for your clothes, so you leave them be.

As you wait for the others to return, you fidget in your seat and exhale softly as you catch Wanda's gaze. "What made you guys hit this specific base?" You wonder. "They're usually very careful about the comings and goings so they didn't attract the wrath of the Winter Soldier."

Wanda smiles and takes a seat across from you. "Bucky has been going on a world tour of tearing down HYDRA bases in his free time. We think HYDRA got tired of it and wanted to lure us into a trap, so they sent us a video of you."

You frown. "Why me? And what video?"

"They wanted me to rush in and not be at one hundred percent, hoping I'd make a mistake," she says. "Bucky and Natasha believe HYDRA saw us getting close, so they separated us and told us the other had died so we'd follow them faithfully. And when they sent that video, I was stunned. I wanted to rush in and bring you home, but the team made me take a beat." Having stood up halfway through her explanation, Wanda had retrieved a tablet and tapped away at it. Handing it to you, you find a paused video on screen.

Pressing play, you watch yourself be tortured and experimented on, and taught to kill. You wrinkle your nose at how young you were and how sickly you were at one point until they found a method that took and made you what you currently are. You're so caught up in the video that you aren't paying attention to your surroundings and are surprised to see the Avengers walking up the ramp.

"Done already?" Wanda asks.

"All we have to do is detonate once we're up in the air."

Wanda exhales in relief and you meet the gaze of several Avengers who don't know what to think of you after seeing you rip through the HYDRA soldiers like it was nothing. To break the ice, you say the first thing that pops into your mind. "So that was fun."

Iron Man snorts as he walks on by, heading straight for the cockpit. "Great. Another murder-happy supersoldier."

"Uhh, I'm not a supersoldier," you say. The rest of the team glances at you and you go on to explain. "On the video, you all saw the man bite me. Right?" There are various forms of acknowledgement. "Well that's what turned me into what I am. A bite."

"A bite from what?" Black Widow wonders.

You shrug. "The best I can come up with is a werewolf."

Hawkeye snorts, but at your no nonsense expression he sobers up. "Oh. Uh, those exist?"

"I'm assuming so," you say. "I get extra rage-y during a full moon, so I'll probably have to be chained up when the next one comes around." Wanda looks startled at your confession, but you flash her a small grin. "It's fine. I'm used to it by now."

Everyone takes a moment before either taking a seat or steadying themselves, and then there's lift off. The quinjet rises higher and higher until it hovers mid-air. Captain America walks towards the cock-pit and after giving the all-clear you can hear a distant boom and concrete caving inward.

"Well that's another base down," Captain America says.

Exhaling in relief, you allow your eyes to close and relish the feeling of being free. Your moment of peace, however, is short lived when you feel eyes on you. Opening them, Captain America and the Winter Soldier are sitting across from you now. Wanda has taken the seat next to you and you smile as she lays her head on your shoulder.

"I know you've been through a lot, but we have some things we'd like to discuss," the good Captain says.

You nod. "Ask away."

"They wiped you over and over," the Winter Soldier says matter of factly. "Why didn't it take?"

"I honestly have no idea," you admit. "The first time, it took. I didn't know who I was or where I was."

"How did you break out of it?"

"Something one of the doctors said triggered a memory from when I was younger and it just snowballed from there. I started remembering, but a few months after that I was wiped again. The second time didn't take quite so well, but I still forgot. I just knew there was something missing and slowly but surely it started coming back," you say. "But then after I was bitten, the mind wipes completely stopped working. It hurt like hell and I learned to fake it until I could find a way out of there."

"We didn't find much on you," the Winter Soldier says. "Their computers were already self-destructing, but we did manage to find a book where they wrote down your trigger words. You don't mind if we say them to make sure you're telling the truth?"

Wanda's head immediately snaps up, no doubt ready to tell them to back off, and you grin at her protectiveness. "It's fine." She then turns to look at you in shock and you wave her off. "Honestly, it's fine. They don't work. I should seriously win an Oscar for best actress."

Hawkeye and the Black Widow stand on either side of Captain America and the Winter Soldier, and he slowly reads the words aloud after opening the book. "Blue. Full moon. Bitten. Beta. Wolf. Red."

Everyone seems to hold their breath and the corner of your lips quirk into a grin. "Still doubting me?"

Captain America huffs. "That's unbelievable."

"You've fought aliens and Asgardian princes, Captain. My broken mind should be the least unbelievable thing."

"Steve. My name's Steve," he says. "And you're not broken." Your grin falters as you blink at him in surprise. "And this is Bucky." The Winter Soldier nods at you and you return the sentiment.

"Clint," Hawkeye says.

"Natasha."

"Sam."

"And I'm Tony Stark, but I'm sure you knew that."

"Uh, sure," you slowly muse. When he squawks and turns around his seat, you huff a small laugh. "Of course I know who you are. I know who you all are thanks to HYDRA and their obsession with you. I just wasn't privy to the fact that Wanda was part of the team until now."

They take your word for it and now that with the knowledge that the trigger words do nothing to you, it seems to bring some ease to the group and everyone finally settles in. According to Wanda the jet ride is going to take a bit so you might as well make yourself comfortable.

About twenty minutes into the ride, you shift uncomfortably in your seat. You chalk it up to the fact the seats aren't really that comfortable to begin with, but when you move to stretch your back a little you feel a pang just to the right side of your abdomen. The pain causes you to still and when it lingers you close your eyes to concentrate on your hearing. Unfortunately, the roar of the jet's engines prevents you from hearing anything.

You abruptly stand up which causes every gaze to snap to you, but you pay them no mind. You feel a cramp suddenly take hold on your lower abdomen and you bend at the waist, breathing through it.

"Y/N?" Wanda calls out.

"Something's wrong." With those two words, you feel the tension in the jet amp up. Your hand goes to your side, rubbing there and then following towards the cramp in your lower abdomen. "Something's really wrong."

"What's going on?" She asks.

You whirl around, eyes burning and you don't even care that they're flaring blue at your friend. "Your magic. Can you feel things with it? Or people. Anything?" You ask in a rush.

"I- I don't know what you-"

"Can you feel someone's conscious or whatever! I need- I just-"

"Okay. Okay," she slowly stands up. "I can. Now tell me what's wrong."

You immediately grab her right hand and set it against your abdomen. "Tell me if you can feel anything." Your eyes burn again, this time with unshed tears. "I can't listen for a heartbeat over the jet's engine."

As your words sink in, Wanda's eyes widen. "You're pregnant."

"Holy shit," you hear someone mutter behind you.

"It hurts." You finally allow the tears to fall. "It's not supposed to hurt."

"How- how far along?"

"Three and a half months. Please, Wanda, I can't-"

Without further prompting, Wanda's eyes glow red. You glance down and see her hand glow red as well, her magic then slowly encircling your abdomen. After what feels like an eternity, she slowly smiles. "There it is." Her gaze darts up to you and the red fades away. "I can feel him. Or her."

You choke back a sob, your hand flying to your mouth to muffle it. Wanda immediately embraces you and you sink into the comfort she's offering you. Then after a moment there's a hand on your shoulder that doesn't belong to Wanda and you lift your head up to see Sam.

"Hey girl, mind if I check you out? You fought awfully hard back at the base and given your condition I'd be more at ease if I knew everything was good."

Your brow furrows. "You're a doctor?"

"No, but I've got some training bandaging people up for the real docs. The most I can do for you right now is check for tender spots so I can report back to the doctor at the compound and insert an IV."

You look to Wanda for her opinion and she nods to let you know it's okay. Then looking back at Sam, you nod. "Okay."

Clint immediately pulls down a cot from where it was folded against the quinjet wall and Sam gestures for you to lay down. He instructs you to lift your shirt and you do so, lifting it until it's bunched beneath your bust. "Okay so I already see some bruising."

His fingertips touch the side of your abdomen and you automatically growl. He freezes and you wince. "Sorry. Instincts."

He chuckles. "It's okay. Given what you apparently are and the circumstances, that's to be expected. Am I good to proceed?"

"Yeah." You inhale shakily. "You're good."

Sam continues his brief examination, pressing here and there around your abdomen for any tender spots. You wince at one particular push and he quietly apologizes. When he's done, he leans back. "You're definitely gonna have to be checked out as soon as we get to the compound."

"Understood."

"But I'd like to get an IV started if that's okay. With you being pregnant and under HYDRA's care, I rather get some fluids in you that I know haven't been tampered with."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's fine."

You sit up and Wanda walks over to sit next to you on the cot, taking your hand between both of hers to offer you some semblance of comfort. Steve gets up to go speak with Tony and you ignore the quiet conversation they're obviously having about you. You can feel various stares on you, but you keep your gaze dead ahead and manage to keep from fidgeting or lashing out.

You don't know when, but you end up dozing off against Wanda. Then the next time you're conscious, you're being gently shaken awake and you watch as everyone starts to disembark the jet.

"We're home," Wanda murmurs. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah."

Slightly stretching, you're apprehensive about any sort of pain flaring but it never comes. You're thankful for it and then stand up to walk side-by-side with Wanda. Arm hooked through hers, you follow her off the jet and into the sleekest building you've ever laid eyes on. Sam is waiting for you, alongside a woman who smiles kindly at you. She introduces herself as Doctor Cho and you readily follow after her.

The labs make you apprehensive, but Wanda and Sam assure you everything is fine. Doctor Cho has you change into an unflattering medical gown and she talks through everything right before she does it so you're not caught off guard. All in all, being poked and prodded by this woman is a lot more pleasant than when HYDRA's doctors did it.

After a while, Doctor Cho comes back with a tablet in hand. You can see she wants to ask for privacy, but you immediately let her know that you're okay with Wanda and Sam hearing everything. Since you're staying wherever Wanda is, it's only fair the others know what's going on with you so there are no secrets.

Smiling, Doctor Cho glances at the tablet before looking up at you. "So everything seems to be completely normal," she says. Sam and Wanda exhale in relief. "Sam mentioned some bruising around your abdomen when he first walked in, but there is no sign of any bruising whatsoever. You and the baby seem one hundred percent healthy given everything you've through."

"I heal fast," you quietly admit. "I'm not sure why it took so long for me to feel the pain, but I panicked because of the baby and I wasn't thinking straight back on the jet."

"As an expecting mother, it's normal to panic. I had first hand experience with Mr. Stark's wife a few years back. Panicking is normal, but you just have to remember to breathe and take it one step at a time."

"Easier said than done," you mumble.

Doctor Cho chuckles. "Well for the next few weeks, I want you to take it easy. I'm not putting you on bed rest because of your accelerated healing, but I don't want you doing any strenuous activity."

"Don't worry," Wanda muses. "I'll make sure her butt is planted on the sofa at all times."

"Well okay then," Doctor Cho says. "I have some clothes for you if you want so you don't have to get back into that suit."

"I'd like that. Thank you."

"And if you're up for it, I'd like to see you again next week so we can make sure you and baby are still heading on the right track. I'll even order in some prenatal vitamins and a few others that you're lacking."

You nod. "Okay. That sounds good."

Reconnecting with Wanda had been easy. You were happy that she and Pietro got away from HYDRA when they did, even if Pietro didn't get to enjoy his freedom, and she was sad that you had been under HYDRA's thumb this entire time. But a little wine (for Wanda) and a lot of grape juice (for you), and the two of you were chatting like you hadn't missed any time at all.

After that, settling in at the Avengers' compound was a lot easier than you anticipated. Everyone, with the exception of Tony and Clint, lived just behind the compound in a new building that had been erected not too long ago and it was a lot more homely than you were expecting. You had moved in with Wanda for the meantime, keeping to her quarters so as to not step on any toes. But on the rare chance you decided to stretch your legs, you were surprised that the others would cordially start a conversation with you to see how you were doing.

Then after several visits with Doctor Cho where she continued to tell you that you and baby were doing extremely well, Wanda decided to have a family dinner in celebration.

"So who's all going to be here again?" You ask, already looking through the refrigerator.

"Just the usual," Wanda tells you. "I didn't want Clint and Tony to have to drag their families out here, but they do check in every now and then. They're happy you're settling in."

You snort, shutting the refrigerator door and standing straight. "Are you sure that's it and it's not because I haven't ravaged anyone to death?"

"Y/N.."

"I'm only joking." You grin. "Now can you please contact the others and tell them to hurry up? I'm starving!"

Grinning, Wanda takes her phone in hand and starts tapping away. She chuckles at something on her screen a few moments later, but before you can ask what's so funny you hear several individuals approaching. The aroma of the food hits you next and your mouth immediately starts watering. Steve, Bucky, Natasha, and Sam walk in- each and every one of them carrying various bags of takeout.

"Hey Y/N, think you got a little drool there," Sam says, gesturing to the corner of his mouth.

And without missing a beat, you say, "Not only am I a pregnant woman, Samuel, but I'm a pregnant wolf. I will eat you if you don't stop teasing me."

Sam gasps in offence as everyone else chuckles, and then they're setting the food down on the table to start unloading it as Wanda asks you to help her with utensils and drinks. But the second you turn back towards the table and see all the food laid out, you pause and take it all in. And then promptly burst into tears.

Everyone seems startled, but you're quick to get yourself under control. Sniffling and then wiping the tears away, you say, "I'm sorry. It's just that there's so much food!"

Steve is the first to chuckle. "You're crying because there's a lot of food?"

"Well yeah. You brought all this food and you're not expecting anything from me." Steve's smile instantly vanishes. "HYDRA would offer me nice things, but it always came at a price."

Sam whistles lowly. "Well that just took a turn for the depressing." A beat passes and then, "Come on, little momma. Come grab some grub."

Wanda smiles kindly at you and you finish making your way to the table. You end up with her at your side and Bucky across from you, and a table full of food laid out in front of you. Then the second Natasha reaches for pan fried dumplings, you reach for one of the largest burgers you've ever seen and a whole tray of fries. You groan at the first taste and proceed to finish it off in five more bites. You eat some fries and then stare at the remaining burgers with longing.

"Go ahead," Natasha tells you. "We have more than enough."

You sheepishly grin in her direction and grab another hamburger, devouring it without a care in the world.

But then when you eye the sushi and reach for it, you gasp when the chopsticks in Bucky's hand whack the back of your hand. "No. Raw fish is bad for pregnant women."

A growl unconsciously slips free and the whole table freezes. But then the situation you're in sinks in and you roll your eyes as you pull your hand back into your lap. "Then just say so, Barnes. Don't whack me. I'm not a damn dog." You're scowling at him, but then your words sink in when you see the corner of his lips twitch. "Oh shut up."

The whole table laughs and you shake your head, grinning as you then reach for a container of Chinese noodles that smell absolutely divine.

Later, stuffed full and laying across a sofa, the whole lot of you are relaxing as the TV plays some random TV show Sam had put on. A commercial comes on for pampers and you groan. "I am not looking forward to diaper duty."

Wanda chuckles, but it's Natasha who asks, "So you plan on keeping the baby?" You startle at the question, glancing over at her. "I mean everyone just kind of figured you wouldn't want to given the circumstances of when and where you became pregnant, so-"

"No, I get it," you tell her. "When HYDRA first told me the plan of birthing them a soldier, I kind of lost it. I pretty much went feral at the idea of forcefully having a baby." Gulping, you quickly sit up to explain all that went down. "They wanted to breed me," you sneer, "and they had to sedate me for their chosen soldier to just enter the same room." Immediately your nose tingles, everyone's anger wafting off of them in waves. "Unfortunately for them, they forgot to take into account that my metabolism burned through everything ten times faster than a normal human and I came to just as my pants were being unbuttoned. The guy barely had time to smirk before I ripped his throat out. With my teeth."

The men all stare at you in various stages of shock, but Wanda and Natasha both smirk. "Atta girl," the redheaded assassin muses.

"Killing their top candidate was a big upset, so they attempted to wipe me again," you say with a shrug. "But when the higher-ups got wind of an unscheduled wipe, they came down to see what that was all about. Needless to say, they were not impressed with their Doc's breeding tactics. Doc One took a bullet between the eyes and they brought in Doc Two who was a big fan of artificial insemination." Everyone winces. "Pregnancies one and two didn't stick, so they tried pregnancy three with a sample they had in the freezer. I don't know who the father is, but HYDRA was really ecstatic when month three came along and the two of us were still in good health."

"And you're okay with keeping this baby?" Wanda softly asks.

"I kind of have to be. This baby," you say while gently touching your abdomen, "is half me and half someone else who I'm pretty sure is enhanced. Even if I thought adoption was an option, I don't think I could live with myself knowing a piece of me was somewhere out there."

Everyone takes a moment after your story sinks in, thinking about all that you've been while in HYDRA's control. Afterwards, Steve clears his throat. "So before anyone goes overboard with baby stuff, we're gonna have to put you in your own apartment." He smiles when he notices he catches you off guard with that. "No need to overflow Wanda's apartment with baby things when we have plenty of room to spread out still."

"A-Are you sure?" You ask. "I was ready to start looking elsewhere for a place to live, but-"

"No. HYDRA will be on the lookout for you and that baby," Wanda says. "You're staying here where they won't dare to infiltrate."

You glance at each present Avenger, taking in their pleasant expressions and sniffing them out for any hints of deceit. Finding none, you allow yourself to relax and grin. "Okay then. We'll stay here."

Cohabitating with the Avengers is nothing like you expected. Everyone's guard is down while at home and everyone likes spending time together in the communal spaces when there's not a mission for them to be worrying about. Sam especially gets a kick out of seeing how your appetite holds up against the two supersoldiers and he's impressed that you can eat the same amount or sometimes more.

And when the full moon is less than a week away, it's not just you who's worried about it.

Tony flies in when they notice you're quick to anger and they quickly clean out the hulk proof room that hasn't been used in quite some time. Steve and Wanda take charge, asking what would make you most comfortable, and you admit that anything with your scent on it will do. But what catches everyone off guard is that you sheepishly request something with their scent on it as well and you have to embarrassingly admit that it's a werewolf thing. With you spending so much time with them, you've kind of latched on and your wolf considers them yours.

Everyone is game to get you whatever you need and within half an hour they've got your bed set up in the room, and blankets and pillows from those you'd been living with these past couple of weeks. Everyone takes care to not annoy you the couple days leading up to the full moon, and then you're encouraged to go ahead and settle in the room the day you snarl at Tony for making a puppy joke.

Wanda sits in an armchair in the room as you sit against your headboard, talking about anything and everything as you practice some of Bruce's meditation tips. The door to the room is open for now, and every now and then you can hear someone pass by to quietly check in.

No one needs to tell you when the moon's reached its apex because you can feel the change within you. Your breathing becomes a little heavier and your fidgeting is no doubt more apparent. Sweat starts to bead along your hairline and you curl your fingers inward so as to not shred any of your bedding when you feel your claws suddenly elongate.

"Y/N..?"

"Wanda." You inhale deeply and slowly release it. "I think it's time you go."

You hear the armchair creak under Wanda's weight. "What? I can-"

"Go." You exhale deeply once more, slowly glancing up and eyes burning blue. "You need to go."

A growl slips free and then Steve's immediately in the doorway. "Wanda, come on."

Your gaze stays glued to Wanda as she cautiously stands and she smartly walks backwards to the door rather than giving you her back. And the second the door slides shut, you're leaping out of bed and pacing the entirety of the room. Your agitation ends up getting the best of you and you end up ripping your shirt off, thankful that you had been talked into wearing a sports bra underneath.

The walls are opaque, but the second a voice comes over an intercom you're whirling around to glare at the exact spot where everyone is congregated around screens and keeping watch over you. "Y/N, you need to calm down. Your heartbeat is way too fast."

You snarl and a fist flies towards the wall. There's a loud thump, but they put you in a hulk-proof room for a reason. No matter how much strength you have, you won't make a single crack in the glass.

As you pace all around the room, you growl and roar out your agitation.

Fortunately for you, you have a fair amount of control and you never resort to harming yourself. You do, however, tire of pacing and your bed looks all too welcoming. So once you deem it safe enough to let your guard down, you crawl into bed and surround yourself with the various pillows and blankets of your pack.

The following morning when you wake up, Doctor Cho whisks you away for an evaluation to make sure the full moon didn't affect the baby. And once you're given the all clear, Wanda and Sam lure you into the kitchen with a promise of a hearty breakfast.

You're more tired than usual, but you manage to perch on one of the bar stools at the kitchen island, setting your elbow on the island top and setting your chin in the palm of your hand. Wanda starts to slice up some avocados when you notice there's an itch under your skin that's telling you you need to do something, but you aren't sure what. The feeling amps up as the time ticks on by, but before you can get up and start pacing in agitation there's an arm draping around your shoulders.

The familiar scent of Steve overwhelms you and you feel yourself automatically lean towards him. He chuckles. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I wanna snuggle the hell out of you," you mumble. Leaning away from him, you turn on your stool and part your knees, pulling Steve as close to you as possible. "Seriously, just hug me. I need to scent everyone again."

Sam snorts from his spot at the stove and Steve happily obliges you. Your arms wrap around his waist and you lay the side of your face against Steve's chest, a happy rumble slipping free as Steve embraces you back. "I don't know why you're laughing, Wilson. I'm cuddling all of you."

After about five minutes, you let Steve go and you readily drag Wanda into his vacant spot. She laughs, but hugs you back the moment your arms go around her. You shove your face into the side of her neck and you can't resist rubbing your cheek along her shoulders.

Sam ends up getting the same exact treatment right before breakfast is served up and since Natasha isn't really a hugger, she does sit next to you and allows you to at least drape one of your legs over hers underneath the table.

Afterwards, instead of heading back towards the apartment you share with Wanda, you eye Bucky who's sitting on the couch with a book in his right hand. And though he's been perfectly cordial with you since you've been brought in, you knew better than to just approach him out of the blue like you can with Wanda, Sam, and Steve.

Steve chuckles as he sees your hesitance, but he offers you no help in broaching the cuddling topic with his best friend. However, just as you enter Bucky's peripheral, he readily lifts his left arm that had been resting on the armrest. You sigh in relief and crawl in Bucky's lap, sitting sideways and laying your head on his shoulder. His metal arm curls around your back and his hand which he's holding the book settles down atop your knees.

You soak in Bucky's warmth and scent, and before you know it your eyelids get heavier and heavier.

The click of a phone's camera sounds and Bucky glances up to see Wanda pointing her phone at him. "What?" She feigns innocence. "It's adorable."

"She's exhausted," he says. "I'd fall asleep anywhere too if I had to go through what she did."

"I can take her if you want," Wanda says. "Float her on back to our apartment."

"No. It's fine," he's quick to assure her. "I wasn't planning on moving anytime soon anyway."

Wanda nods, hiding her grin as she walks towards the elevator where Steve and Sam are already waiting. Getting in, all three individuals smirk at Bucky cradling a sleeping pregnant werewolf in his lap.

"If she names that pup after Barnes, I'm throwing hands," Sam says.

Wanda laughs. "I don't think she's thinking about naming her child after a man she's only known for a couple of weeks, Sam."

"Well some would think that one would not sleep in the lap of someone they've only known for a couple of weeks, but here we are," Steve then says. "Unless it's a werewolf thing."

Wanda, Steve, and Sam take a moment to think about it before Sam says, "I got twenty that says those two end up hooking up before the baby bump makes itself known."

"What? No way." Wanda shakes her head. "I have twenty that says she's just extra cuddly because she's hormonal and just came down from the full moon."

"Guys," Steve admonishes them. A moment later, he grins. "Twenty says a real attraction grows and those two end up together."

"You're on, Rogers."

Author's Note: So you guys wanna give me baby name suggestions? And gender suggestions?

[fictitiousfoodie]

Yes Sir Pt 4

Hey all! We took a hiatus yesterday but are back today. Here is part 4. Do as told part 2 will be up by Sunday and we will have finished this series by then as well. Hope everyone is having a great week! I have request in my inbox that I would like to have out by Tuesday. 

As always no post this as your own! Loving reading comments so feel free to interact down below. 

Word Count 826

Warnings: None 

Thursday 10/7

Y/N stood there confused, turned on, and pissed off. Yes had said yes to understanding to hopefully pull the anger out of Loki. She had lied. The truth was she didn't understand, and she wasn't going to stop saying, sir and ma'am. She was committed now and would have to keep it up until she could slowly work it out of her supposed everyday vocabulary. She was way more turned on than she had cared to admit. She had never really done anything adventurous in the sex department. She had been sexually active for a while, but she never really got super turned on. She liked the guys she dated well enough, but they were a means to an end. She was turned on now, though. Instead of continuing on her original path to the library, she headed toward her room. She had to get herself off, and the sooner, the better. 

-----------------------------------------------

 The following day was easy. In fact, it was great. She was working with Natasha and Wanda all-day training and learning about upcoming missions. By the time they were done, the sun had set, and everyone had gone to bed. Y/N was exhausted. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Her muscles ached, and her head spun with information. She opened the door to her room and found Loki standing there. He seemed out of place. He was dressed in pajamas and seemed more tense than usual.

"Why are you here, Loki?" 

"I um.. well..." He started, plastering his showman smile on his face, "I wanted to apologize. I, um, shouldn't have grabbed like I did last night. I had no right to." 

Y/N was skeptical Loki was never sweet or kind without reason. 

"Thank you. - Did you look through my stuff? You aren't gonna find anything in here." Y/N stated, trying to mentally catalog everything she had brought with her to try and see if that statement was true. Loki's smile softened, and for a moment, relief flashed behind his eyes, but it was long gone before Y/N could see or register it. You see, while Y/N had been training all day, Loki had been thinking and ironically talking to Steve of all people. 

Loki had been sitting in a conference room watching the gym's security cameras, admiring Y/N skill with a knife when Steve walked up. "You know she's not from the south, right?" "I am a wear captain. Was there anything else you would like to point out?", Loki said sarcasm dripping off his tongue. Steve let out a huff of a laugh and pulled out the seat next to Loki. "Yea, there is. In case you missed it, she has no clue how you feel about her, unlike everyone else on the team. So you can't blame her for assuming your motives were to embarrass her. Try talking to the poor girl, then do all the weird shit you want." Loki didn't say anything. He gave a nod of his head in acknowledgment and continued watching the screen. As the silence stretched on, Loki thought about what Steve had said. He had told Y/N why he wanted to hear her call him sir. He assumed she understood the game they were playing. He would have to tell her and let her make the call from there. 

"No, Y/N, I didn't." Loki wanted to stay, but he could tell Y/N was dead on her feet. On the flip side, Y/N wanted nothing more than to get to know the man she was standing across from, but he seemed to want to leave. "I um..." Y/N started at the same time Loki blurted, "You looked great training today... I um mean you are very skilled with a knife." 

Y/N blushed slightly at the compliment that he had obviously meant to play off more. "Thank you I um learned out of necessity, I guess you could say," Y/N said, falling onto the bed. She was so tired, and her feet were killing her. She slowly sat up and started to take her shoes off. "Y/N, I wanted you to know the reason behind my idea for this deal." 

Y/N didn't care at this point, "You did it cause I am the newbie, and you are supposed to haze newbies and make fun of them." 

Loki felt his heart sink. That wasn't it all, and it made the way she was reacting to everything so much clearer. "No pet," he said in a soft tone. "It is because I want you to be mine." Y/N was almost entirely asleep. She could hear Loki speaking and understood what he said, but she couldn't find the energy to continue talking. Loki assumed Y/N had fallen asleep. He started walking towards the door. Before he shut the door behind him, he said quietly, "Sleep well, pet." He had almost entirely shut the door when he heard a barely audible whisper say, 

"Yes, sir."