#wanda is the strongest avenger

[wizardtributedauntlessmaximoff]

[rhcenyra]

WANDA MAXIMOFF APPRECIATION WEEK ❤️💥🥀

day 1 - favorite movie

[brw]

"you blocked someone just for tagging wanda maximoff as an xman instead of an avenger" AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN!!!

[missmarvelobsession]

https://pin.it/1539IsD

[antiheroapologist]

Sometimes I break,

but only I can put myself back together.

Only I can right my wrongs.

[this-is-chaos-magick]

Weeeeeeewe

[magnusmodig]

╰┈➤ VI TALKS ABOUT THOR/MCU / @veldinstar / ACCEPTING !

🔥

||. 😶 ......... Thor is the strongest Avenger, change my mind.

Runner ups off the cuff include: Dr. Strange, Wanda/Scarlet Witch, the Vision (who Thor partially created), but honestly for as much as I absolutely adore those three too, all of them rely either directly or indirectly from an infinity stone, whereas Thor's is all natural. ...Pun intended.

[buckys-little-belle]

Hi!! I love your story’s and am always looking for little and daddy Bucky story’s!! I was wondering if you could do insecure reader who’s bigger. She has bigger thighs a bigger tummy and face. Could you do reader is scared to sit on buckys lap or for him to pick her up and carry her around the house. She’s too scared she’s heavy and will crush him and his legs. or that he will drop her because she’s too big. She also never cuddles and sleeps with him in his room always sleeping in her room after he puts her to bed because she’s scared about her breathing or how she sleeps.

Bucky gets her to tell him why and then comfort. Just fluff fluff fluff. If your not comfortable writing this I totally understand!!! If you do could you ad paci use? Thank you!!! Sorry for the rambling…

Strongest Man Alive

Bucky Barnes x Plus Sized!Little!Reader (She/Her Pronouns Used)

Notes - This is not my best work, and has been in my drafts for MONTHS, it's something cute, and a little angsty at the beginning, but it does get super fluffy at the end. It's a little bit different than my usual writting style, so I apologize for that, but I do hope you like it and if not I'm so sorry! I hope I did this ask justice, and I hope everyone is having a good week!!! <3

Warnings - Talks of reader being self conscious for being 'bigger', kept very vague as she uses the words "heavy" and "squishy" to describe her body type instead of more concrete descriptions, the use of a pacifier is very brief as it's something I'm not used to writing, though I would be willing to continue, mentions of reader eating food "snacks" and "sandwich" though never specified, FLUFF at the end, but there is a moment of angst, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A COHEARANT STORY, it's from the drafts and I gave it a once over and I think it's 'good enough' so I apologize if it's terrible <3

SFW - Please keep all interactions with this post, and this blog, SFW.

. ☾ . ☆ . ☽ . ☆ . ☾ . ☆ . ☽ . ☆ . ☾ . ☆ . ☽ .

Y/n often spent their time at the Avengers tower sitting, standing, lingering around Bucky Barnes. It wasn't on purpose, the man just seemed to be the other half of some magnet imbedded deep in Y/n's heart. He just had some ability to pull her towards him.

Maybe it was the way he cut her sandwiches into perfect triangles, or the way his hand always found hers when she got scared. Maybe it was the way he seemed to be reserved around anyone but her that made her feel so connected to him.

He never sulked but always seemed to walk around with a frown stuck on his face, only ever changing it to a smile when she walked by his office or stopped by his room.

As much as Y/n felt like she was pulled to him, Bucky felt it multiplied by 100. His hands always aching to hold hers, his chest always feeling heavy when he began to think about her needing something and him not being around to help her.

The whole tower knew about Y/n's regression. Wanda and Peter often joined in, hanging out in little space and colouring in books Tony had provided, watching whatever new animated movie had just come out and sleeping over in makeshift tents in the living room.

Often other Avengers would help supervise activities, Steve loved playing action fighters in the common areas, Nat loved cuddle puddle on the couch, and Thor was always ready for a park day. Bucky on the other hand liked to stay in the shadows, buying stickers for the group of littles, making them lunch and dropping it off.

Bucky only stuck around if Y/n asked him to hang out with her. "Bucky can you hold my hand?" She had asked him when at the park, he of course grabbed her hand and helped her up the jungle gym.

"Bucky can you open this please?" She had whispered during a movie, her baggie full of snacks too difficult to manage on her own. He opened the baggie and held it in his own grasp, handing her a piece of candy anytime she had finished the previous one.

"Bucky will you colour with me?" She had yelled her ask one day when he was passing by the kitchen, Y/n sat at the island with markers scattered across the marble. He silently sat down and diligently coloured the page she had given him, helping her chase markers that had fallen.

He knew she was comfortable asking for what she wanted, and he knew she wasn't afraid of him ... so, it made his chest tighten every time she asked him to grab something from the top shelf instead of asking to be lifted like Wanda and Peter often asked.

He also felt off every time a little would come running out of their room after a nightmare, rushing into someone's room for a cuddle, yet Y/n's door never opened and neither did his.

Bucky was sure it was his fault she didn't seek him out for cuddles, he thought he had done something wrong when she never asked for a hug. Was it his arm? Was she scared he would turn on her? He couldn't figure it out.

That is until he realised she never asked anyone for a cuddle, or a hug. Nat, Wanda, and Peter would be all comfy on the couch and Y/n would be sat on the chair, a small frown on her face yet she never tried to find a spot next to her friends. And when she scraped her knee on the playground she declined Thor's offer of a "healing" hug.

"Y/n?" His voice was quiet but direct as he called out into the playroom, Y/n sat on the softly coloured rug, her stuffed animals scattered about.

"Hi Bucky!" She smiled, her pacifier tumbling out of her mouth and onto the ground.

"Hi." He sat down across from her, quickly pocketing the fallen pacifier before sought out the, now, dirty thing. "What are you playing?" His hands brushed a stuffed teddy, Y/n tilting her head in confusion as she looked around her.

"'m just dressen 'm up." She smiled at him, grabbing a stuffed unicorn and brushing it's fur back into place, shuffling closer to Bucky as she gathered a few other stuffed animals.

The moment her knees hit his she shifted back, so Bucky shifted his towards her again. Like clockwork she moved and left a small gap between them. "Y/n?"

"Mhm." She looked back at him, her smile one he could easily read through.

"Am I scary?" He asked calmly, not once loosing eye contact as she shook her head 'no'. "Do I smell?" He asked, this time with a laugh.

"No!" She giggled.

"Then why do you run every time I touch you." Instead of answering she bowed her head, hands running over the stuffed animal anxiously. "Why don't you hug Wanda or Peter?" He was worried that all the questions would make her want to run, but as she huffed and leaned into his space slightly he continued. "I know Thor was pretty sad when you declined his hug the other day." That one wasn't a lie, the man had gone on a rant about how he thought he had done something wrong, how he was sure Y/n hated him.

"I jus', I don' want them t' be mad." She admitted, huffing at the end of her sentence. "'m jus', 'm heavy, an' squishy. Wanda and Pete aren't heavy an' squishy." She admitted, eyes locked on the wall, the stuffed unicorn held a little closer to her body.

"What do you mean Baby?" Bucky asked, confused as to what she was alluding to.

"It's harder t' pick me up." She finally looked back at him, tears beginning to gather along her waterline. "And cuddling wif me wouldn' be th' same." She shrugged, trying to play it off like she wasn't bothered by her own words.

The tightness in Bucky's chest didn't ease up with his answer, his worry only growing. He had hoped it was an easy thing to fix, yet knowing Y/n didn't hug her friends, or him, because she felt too big made him hurt. "Baby," He began, not giving Y/n a second to doubt him, he picked her up and sat her in his lap. "you aren't 'too heavy' to pick up." He hated how quickly she curled into his chest, how clear it was that she was missing human connection. "I'm the strongest man alive, and you saying that you're too heavy is going to bruise my ego a bit, Baby." They both laughed, a few of Y/n's tears hitting the fabric of Bucky's shirt.

"I thought Steve was th' strongest man alive?"

"I let him win when we arm wrestle." Bucky admitted, causing Y/n to break out into a fit of giggles.

"'m gonna tell him!" She stood up, bolting for the door.

"Oh no you don't!" Bucky ran after her, lifting her off her feet in the middle of the hallway, Y/n pausing with a gasp, bracing for the two of them to fall, yet laughing along with Bucky as jostled her around, threatening to take her new colouring page off the fridge if she told anyone his secret.

After a pinky promise and some juice Y/n began to trust Bucky a little bit more. She let him pick her up at the playground, and gave him a hug before bed every night. She still worried her hugs were 'bad', that maybe no one would want to hug her because she wasn't 'little' but Bucky never once complained, instead asking for hugs in the morning too.

It took her a while to truly trust that Bucky wasn't lying when he said his back didn't hurt after picking her up, but eventually she became comfortable enough to run and jump into his arms, something she had always dreamed of doing.

It wasn't until a month later that Bucky woke up at 4 am to the sound of Y/n's hurried footsteps rushing to his door. Light creeping in from the opened door she didn't close as she ran to his bed. The sound of soft cries and whispers of "Nightmare" filling the usually quiet space.

Instead of letting her think too much about how she 'should' be cuddling, Bucky just scooped her up and tucked her into his bed, letting her know he'd protect her, and her stuffed animal. He liked having her in his room, it made him feel at ease knowing she was close.

After a few months of staying in Bucky's room, Y/n began to get out of her shell a bit more, hugging Wanda and Peter, and eventually accepting Thor's 'healing' hugs. She finally joined in during the weekly cuddle puddle, laughing along side Nat and her friends as they all got cozy on the couch. And for the first time ever she let someone else, the second strongest man alive, Steve Rogers pick her up. A pride filled movement the man would never forget.

Even though it took her a little longer than everyone else to be comfortable hugging and snuggling, she was happy to finally be apart of the group in ways she wasn't before. Bucky, the man who still often stayed in the shadows, helping from a distance, couldn't help but feel a little lighter every time he saw his girl get over her worries, knowing if anything got to be 'too much' she'd come running to him.

[a-spes]

| BUT YOU SHALL BE MINE - Drabble (1.006 words).

| Summary - you've lost. the final battle against the scarlett witch finally came, and you've lost. all the world's greatest heroes are dead, except you.

| Tags & warning - Scarlett witch x R, enemies, wanda is dark, everyone is dead (oops), a bit of angst with twisted comfort (don't even know if it can be called comfort honestly), description of dead bodies, mentions of blood/death/violence/heavy injuries.

| MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

You made a terrible mistake when you didn't die.

Not that it was your choice, you've just had a bit of luck. That's what most people would think, but in your opinion it was more of a sentence. It was nothing more than a cruel joke from the universe, because what's a life where everyone you cherish is dead?

You won't even be able to bury them because there is no bodies to pick up. Only dust, or bits of those you love. You wouldn't even be able to tell what belong to whom — Could that be Tony's arm? Or maybe it belongs to Steve? You are not even sure it's a arm. It could be a leg, or rubble. In that state, it's difficult to say.

But maybe it's better that way. You have never been the strongest one, you would've never been able to carry all their bodies homes. Steve could've, he has a super strenght. Stark would've invented something, or perhaps paid people to help him. But you? You have nothing special. No powers, no skills above the average, nothing except your luck.

You somehow always manages to get out of impossible situations. From being able to escape Nat' when she is angry to survive deadly situations, nothing serious has ever happened to you. You've always seen that as a gift, but it turned out to be a curse.

Your second mistake was to try to get up.

Maybe if you didn't she wouldn't have noticed your presence. You knew you should've hide between two corpse, no matter how disguting that idea was, because maybe you would've escape her gaze. But you couldn't think properly, and condamned yourself the moment you moved. A faint, and painful move, which earned you what? Nothing, because you weren't even able to do more than resting of your forearms before slipping, head first into the mud.

It was painful, and humiliating, but not as much as knowning that there was nothing you could do to avenge your friends. At least, they died as heroes, trying to save humanity, and even if they failed, that's how the world is going to remember them as. They will be martyrs, and you'll be nothing. No one would remember the name of the Avengers' shadow that died squirming on the ground like a worm.

Somehow, you still had that spark in your heart, the urge to fight, but it was useless. If a whole army failed to defeat her, how could you? Maybe your body knew it because it doesn't respond to your requests anymore. You could hardly move your fingertips.

When your vision darkened, you thought it was the end of your pain. It's not that you could see anything anyway. On kilometers, there was nothing but desolation. Bodies piled up, the ones of your friends. Smoke raising in the sky, making you cought violently. And that red mist, the reason for all your woes. It was all blurred because of your tears before the world fade away.

"Ah, look at you," the woman said. That's when you realize that you didn't lose your eyes, her shoes were just blocking your view. "You're covered in blood, broken and lost, but yet ...," she chuckled before resuming her sentence, "you still think you can do something against me. How cute is that," she said, her tone dripping with false pity. Or maybe it was genuine, which only make the situation more humiliating for you.

"You are brave one though," she added, not noticing that you weren't listening. You couldn't, even if you wanted. Your mind was fuzy, and you ears were ringing due to explosions. "The last one standing ..., you should be proud, you know, not everyone can last that long against me," which is why she has been surprised when she felt an ounce of life. She thought her battle was over, that all forms of life had been exterminated for miles around, but it turned out that one hero was still standing.

Not the strongest or bravest one, but still the last one to breath. She kneels beside you, surprised that the last awakened soul resides in such a fragile-looking body. But the woman wasn't oblivious, and she could feel that there was more than that behind those pretty eyes. She wanted to believe that if the last person standing was such an innocent woman, it wasn't by chance. She saw it as a gift from the universe. At that thought, a smile spread across her face. A sweet and caring one, as comforting as the hand she is now running across your cheek. The one you're leaning on, appreciating that ounce of sweetness in your ocean of pain, not having enough energy to care about the person who's giving it to you. Her thumbs brushing your tears away, soothing you as if she wasn't the cause of your pain.

"Such a pretty face ...," she mumbled, "so much potential wrapped in that fragile body," she continued, her words slipping out of your ears until she eventually straightens up. "You know what? The realm of the dead probably won't mind if I keep one soul for myself," she conclued, considering that the small whimper that escaped your lips was an acknowledgement of her statement.

With a flick of the wrist, she envelops you in that red glow you hate so much. Slowly, your body is torn from the earth where your friends lie for the eternity. The red mist takes all the pain away, but also your chances of salvation.

"It's okay, you can rest now, my little soldier," she whispers, and those are the last words you can hear before the world disappears. The last two living creature leaving this desolate land behind in a second, as if they've never been here.

| REQUEST GUIDELINES — ✧ — MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

| Tag list - @m0nsterqzzz

[upat4amwiththemoon]

Heyy can i request a wanda x fem reader oneshot where r is the queen of a nation which is similar to Wakanda and the avengers need this nations help for something (sitting on the throne looking badass moment ) and she is graceful and so badass like: sitting at dining table uses knife to point towards empty seat, “oh. sit, please.” R has powers and helps them out. Wanda being head over heals and finally them dating. I am sorry for the long request 😭

Mother Nature

Summary: A queen so powerful, myths have been written about her. An island so mysterious, no one knows where it is.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x female!reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 2505

a/n: listen…this got a little out of hand

Tags: @thought-of-you-and-me @rafecameronswhore @sayah13 @wandsmxmff @emsmultiverse @natashamaximoff69

masterlists | guidelines

Dragonstone is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean, just below Greenland and Iceland, but it’s not visible on any maps. Not many know of its existence, as the island is surrounded by such powerful magic, making it invisible to the naked eye. If anyone were to sail towards it, violent storms and currents will make even the strongest of ships sink. It has become a myth to the outsiders, an area such as the Bermuda Triangle, where everyone disappears into the nothingness. This keeps the island, and its population, in safety and peace. They have fought no wars, nor have they suffered in the hands of man made concepts.

However, the fights have started to get bigger, sometimes having the faith of the whole Universe in their hands. That much they figured out after Thanos. Which is why the Avengers know of Dragonstone, and its Queen, and how to get her help.

Everyone holds onto their seats as the Quinjet’s autopilot navigates through the dark clouds, often going through turbulence. “Are we sure this isn’t actually just some freak of nature spot? Is there anything here?” Tony grumbles as he tries to fasten his seatbelt impossibly tight. “We have very expensive cargo on board, and by that I mean me and my suit.”

“Fury seemed confident in his knowledge.” Steve reminds, slightly more calmly, though he is also nervous.

Wanda has her eyes closed. She tries to stay inside her mind, ignoring everything going around her. Air traffic has never been her favorite, but this is next level. The Quinjet does sudden dives and turns, throwing anything loose around. This is why Fury said to fasten everything to the walls and roof, but like usual, Tony didn’t take the advice to heart.

She can feel Natasha’s hand holding her own, calming her down slightly. Wanda doesn’t personally know Fury that well, but she knows Natasha thinks very highly of him, so she is pretty sure he wouldn’t lead them to their certain death. However, she can’t be sure, as this is starting to feel like a wrong way to the supposed island.

“Why couldn’t Fury come here himself? Or the Queen to us?” Kate almost shouts at a particularly violent spot.

“Because when we ask for help from royalties, we show them respect.” Steve states, his *all the younger generations have forgotten respect* personality every old person has shining through. “Did none of you learn this in Wakanda?”

No one gets to answer him, as the Quinjet starts going up, up, up full speed, making everyone yelp. After it has reached the correct altitude, it goes down headfirst. For a moment, the team is sure something has gone wrong, that they are plummeting towards their death. But right before it hits the water, the Quinjet turns the right way and continues flying forward, now in a completely calm climate.

They instantly calm down, letting out breaths of relief and relaxing their tense muscles. Natasha is the first one to get out of her seat, going to the cockpit and looking out the window. “Well, at least the island is real.” She calls out. The others start to pile up in front of the window.

At first glance, it looks like they’re flying towards a big pile of rocks, but at a closer look, they can see the rocks form big walls and even a bigger castle on the island. They’re in awe of the view. The water and air are so calm now that they’ve gotten past the barrier.

They stare out the window while the Quinjet lowers itself to the ground, right outside the walls. Once they step outside, they see two people waiting for them. “Welcome to Dragonstone!” One of them smiles. “My name is Sylvia and I’m the Queen’s advisor. And this,” she gestures to the person next to her, who is wearing an armor, “and this is Calen, they’re the head of protection in this island.”

They bow their head down as a greeting, not saying anything to the guests. The look on their face is serene and their posture is straight, like a proper soldier’s. Sylvia on the other hand shows more excitement through her body, even though her hands are behind her back, they’re still wiggling around, and the smile on her face is one that can light up a whole room.

“Thank you for granting us access to your island.” Steve speaks up, being the unofficial spokesperson when it comes to formal situations.

“Fury is an old friend of Gaia, any friend of his is a friend to us. Now, if you’d follow me, I’ll take you to the castle to meet our Queen.”

They start trekking the land towards the castle, first walking on the bare land and then moving to narrow walkways as they go inside the walls. Most of the walk goes by in silence, the team taking in their surroundings. They’ve never seen anything quite like this.

Wanda drags her hand along the stone fence, her fingers going along the bumps and ridges of it. She smiles. The magic of this island feels different than her own, but not in a threatening way, it feels like it’s dancing with her own.

Finally they get to the castle’s entrance. The huge wooden door opens inward, two other soldiers pulling it. Calen and Sylvia greet them as they go past them. “The Queen is in the throne room.” The latter tells the group, leading them through hallways before stopping in front of a door.

The door to the throne room is also wooden, but it’s a lot more decorated compared to the other ones. It’s carved from top to bottom with different pictures, making it look like a story. Calen pushes the door open, letting everyone walk through it before closing it again. At the end of the room, the Queen sits on her throne. The royal seat has been made out of purely white stone. The backside of it is tall and the sides are wide enough for the Queen to lay her arms there comfortably, but it still looks delicate.

“Gaia.” Sylvia lowers her head in respect and Calen goes down to one knee to bow. The Avengers, quite hesitantly, bow in some way too, bot sure of the island’s customs.

“There’s no need for that.” The Queen’s voice makes all of them rise. Sylvia and Calen take their respective places near the Queen, while the team stop in front of the stairs to the throne. “I hear you are friends of Nicholas Fury.”

Wanda stares at her in amazement. The way she looks so soft yet regal makes her heart pound faster than normal. She can see her chest moving up and down as she breathes, the armor like steel plate moving with it. The dark blue fabric is thick for colder weathers, but flowy enough to move easily. Wanda’s eyes move up to the top of her head. The crown on her head looks like it’s made out of steel as well. It makes her look sharp and strong. She looks majestic sitting on her throne.

“We are,” Steve smiles, “thank you for agreeing to meet us, your Highness.”

“Please, Y/N.” She states. “That’s the name my mother gave me.”

“Y/N. I’m sure you’re aware of a recently defeated threat from space called Thanos.” He continues once she nods, “unfortunately the other worldly threats don’t stop there. We’d like to ask your help to prevent these kind of attacks more efficiently.”

“Certainly.”

Wanda shudders from the way Y/N says the word. Her pronunciation, the slight rasp of her voice and how she rolls the letter r, make her feel dizzy. She is sure the look on her face is stupid, and lovestruck, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. The whole conversation going on is going past her. Only thing in her mind right now is something she really shouldn’t be thinking about, but she just can’t stop herself.

“Would you give me the honor of joining me for dinner today? We even have enough guest rooms if you wish to rest before your trip back to America.”

“We would be honored to join you.” Natasha answers. She has been glancing at Wanda during the conversation with a grin on her face, she can read her face easily, knowing what the witch is fantasizing about.

The Queen stands up, her dress falling perfectly to her feet. “I’m glad to hear that. I shall see you in the dining room in an hour, in the mean while, Sylvia will show you where you can refresh yourselves.” Sylvia nods and gestures for them to follow her. Wanda keeps her eyes on Y/N as she walks away, noticing a small smile growing on her face.

After an hour, the Avengers gather into the dining room by Sylvia’s lead, where Y/N is already waiting for them. “Gaia.” Sylvia says before leaving the room.

Y/N stands up, pointing towards the empty chairs. “Please, sit.” She says with a smile, sitting down once again when they get around the table. Wanda sits next to her. She can see the small details of her breast plate from this close.

The table is already fully catered with different foods and desserts. It works like a buffet, everyone takes what they like to their plates. “Can I ask you,” Wanda starts when her plate is full, “why do they call you Gaia, if your name is Y/N?”

“Gaia is a title of sorts. Every queen before me was called that as well, because we keep this island alive and safe. It means Mother Nature.” She explains with a gentle smile on her face, holding eye contact with Wanda as she talks to her. “It is an honor to be called Gaia.” Wanda nods, not able to look away from her stormy eyes.

“How does the next queen get chosen?” Tony asks.

“It’s more faith than decision making,” she pauses, looking for best words to describe how their queens get their role, “we’re born to it, but not in a traditional sense. We are born from the previous Gaia, they mold us from magic.”

“So, there’s no…” he moves his fingers around in a promiscuous manner, which makes Steve look at him disapprovingly. They’re in front of the Queen after all.

But she only finds the situation amusing. “No. Children born in a traditional way are random, and our queens need to be precise. They’re all women and they all have powers. They need to be born from magic.”

Although they don’t really understand the process, and none of them want to ask about the specifics of it, they still find it fascinating. It’s a whole new country with completely different customs compared to theirs. Wanda especially listens to her intently. Her smooth voice practically drilling its way into her brain.

“Can the queen have relationships? Even if they don’t have any part on the next generation of rulers.” The question makes Wanda’s head snap to look at Natasha, who has a wide grin on her face.

“Yes. There are no rules on relationship. The partner just has to know they have no rule over the island.”

Satisfied with the answer, Natasha nods, sending a discreet wink towards Wanda. Her cheeks turn a shade of pink. She tries to hide it by eating the food.

They keep a light conversation going while they all finish their food. Once the plates are empty and the stomachs full, they start leaving the table and go to their rooms. The Queen doing the same. However, she isn’t alone for long.

There’s a knock on her bedroom door.

“Hello, Wanda.” Y/N smiles, the door now open wide. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Wanda steps into the room, the door closing after her. She looks around the room, trying to keep her eyes off of Y/N’s thin night gown. A big bed is in the middle of the room, it has light blue veil over it and a white fur on top. A window, almost the size of the wall, is on the right side of it, but it’s already covered with dark curtains. Otherwise the room is quite plain. A wooden dresser. Mirror with steel decorations. What catches Wanda’s eyes are the tapestries on the walls. They’re bright and colorful, each one having its own story. “Beautiful.” She mumbles.

“They tell our history.” Y/N steps beside her. “Every queen makes one. These are the oldest ones, the rest are in the library, visible for everyone. One day mine will be there too.” She sounds proud when she speaks of her ancestors.

“Your mother, is she still alive?”

“No. The crown passed down to me when I was thirteen.”

“I’m sorry.”

Y/N turns to her with a smile. “Nothing to be sorry about. She’s with her mother and grandmother, and so on. And one day I will see her again, until then, I will make her proud by keeping the people on this island safe.”

However beautiful the idea is, Wanda still feels sad for her. She knows what it’s like to lose your mother young. But she doesn’t comment on it more, clearly it’s not something appropriate to discuss now. “The magic. It feels different here.”

“Yes, it’s not the same as yours. The magic is part of me as much as it is a part of the island. We’re connected. We can sense each other. I can control it and it can influence me.”

“That’s why they call you Mother Nature?”

“Sort of. There’s a long history there. But yes, my ability to control the sea and the air around us is a part of it.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to tell me some day.”

Her smile widens. “Maybe.”

Wanda smiles too. She notices how Y/N’s eyes twinkle in the dim light, as if they had their own light source. “You’re beautiful.” The words stumble out of her mouth. She had no intention on making any mind of move this soon, but she couldn’t help it. This felt like a right moment.

With a small giggle, Y/N looks down, trying to cover her warming cheeks. She doesn’t usually get nervous, but Wanda sounded so sincere. “I’m flattered you think so.”

“Do you think you could go on a date with me? Later, of course. Do you have any rules on that?” The nervousness starts growing at the bottom of her stomach again, the lapse of confidence leaving her body quickly.

“There are some rules, but nothing major. I could definitely go on a date with you, I’d actually really like to do so.”

Letting out a breath, Wanda nods. Her hands are moving her rings around. “Great. I- uhm, that’s great.” She laughs quietly. “I’ll leave you now. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” Y/N gives her a small wave, smiling widely even after the door closes.

[wizardtributedauntlessmaximoff]

[ramen8008]

Tony having a list of habits of the avengers that annoy him yet also altering the entirety of the compound to meet those habits.

Tony: You realize how annoying it is to have you in my vents?? Just let me breathe my 5 million dollar air in peace

Also Tony installing a proper scanner which doesn't ring any alarms if Barton is in the vents but instead just makes in a video compilation of each time he falls.

Tony: Thor I swear to the Gods. If you take one more Pop tart from me I wil-

Also Tony bulge buying Pop tarts for every time Thor visits.

Tony: Cap how do you not kn- No being frozen for 80 years is no excuse. This is vital part of history, No I don't care that it's "just a show" this changed lives

Also Tony installing a "Cap is confused again" Protocol on FRIDAY for each time there's anything Steve doesn't understand which might be basic knowledge to everyone else so FRIDAY can give him a summary of it all.

Tony: Nat you need to stop hiding weapons everywhere. I can't be going around finding machetes in the compound!

Also Tony providing her as much space she needs for her weapons in each room if that's what she needs to feel safe.

Tony: No! No magic. Wanda you go through my head again and I swear you'll regret it. My therapist quit, you think you can handle it? Nuh uh this is a magic free household young lady.

Also Tony installing a whole new simulation based training room so she can practice her magic properly.

Tony: Bucky, I know I'm rich but can you please stop crushing my equipment and cups

Also Tony very gently talking to Bucky about everything he is doing step by step as he checks up Bucky's arm. Giving him his own room with open windows so he doesn't feel trapped with every bit of little hobby he might pick up from knitting to painting to playing the piano. A bookshelf with the entire limited edition of The Hobbit and every 40s music he might like. And some more recent songs in case he decides to "stop being old".

Tony: Strange I need you to stop doing that shit. I understand you're a wizard but don't they have rules for that? Like no magic outside of Hogwarts until you're 17? None of that weird stuff in the tower... ever.

Also Tony creating a special meditating room for Stephen with Pink Floyd playing where he can just calm down for a while in the tower and somehow a room in the mirror dimension when he really wants peace and quiet.

Tony: Vision I know you're an AI who is very interested in human nature and I am flattered but I swear if I hear one more explosion because you tried to learn knitting or the piano I will find an off switch whether or not you have one.

Also Tony making every single hobby Vision wants to pick up possible in the best way. Providing him his own kitchen to getting him a piano teacher because he wanted to experience "learning by being taught"

Tony: Banner I get that you have everything under control which is great but my lab is not big enough for The Hulk

Also Tony making his lab big enough. Getting him his own lab. Making sure he had everything he needed to calm down when he couldn't control the Hulk. Labeling him as the "strongest avenger". Getting him a therapist. Making sure he never feels alone yet always has peace

Tony: Rhodey you need to understand that when I say I'm fine I'm fine. You act like such a party pooper you know that?

Also Tony who trusts Rhodey with his life and everything. Making sure Rhodey never feels lesser than. Who couldn't be more grateful that Rhodey stuck by him throughout everything and always stayed. Tony always turning to him for advice and no matter how much he acts like Rhodey is being a bummer always takes his words to heart.

Tony: Peter.... Don't walk on the ceiling! Oh my God don't die! What the hell kid please don't explode your homework again! Your aunt is going to KILL me! You mess with the suit again and I- No , you can't borrow my suit what do you mean? I told you to stay back, tell me what you interpreted that as? No the adults are talking.

Also Tony doing everything that kid wants no matter what. Making sure his suit is so safe that he might as well be immortal. Buying him everything he even remotely suggests to liking. He has his own room in the tower cause of all the time he spends in the labs.

"You want to test out this new thing with your webs but it requires this extremely expensive and toxic chemical? As long as you wear proper protection!"

"you said you had to write about a famous place you went to but since you haven't travelled much you were gonna write about the Stark exhibition or times square.....So I got you these world tour tickets. I think they hit every landmark , just message me the ones they don't and I'll handle it. And don't worry there are two so your aunt can go with you"

[midastouch013]

Her Caregiver

TO THE ANON: I'm so sorry, I lost your request, but I hope this meets what you had requested

Summary: Natasha Romanoff has always managed to keep her little secret a secret, but what happens when she gets jealous of how you care for Wanda?

Warnings: Little/Caregiver, Jealousy, Little Nat, Little Wanda

P.S. Sorry for being so late, there was this retreat and there wasn't any reception there. Plus, I'm not sure if this is exactly how Caregiver and Little fics work, but I hope you like it.

---

Natasha Romanoff sat in her room, her gaze drifting towards the stuffed animals arranged neatly on her bed. She had always been drawn to the softness and comfort they provided, a stark contrast to the harsh reality of her life as an Avenger. But there was something deeper behind her fascination with these childish trinkets, something she had never fully acknowledged until now.

She glanced at the door, her heart racing with uncertainty. She had been harboring a secret, one she hadn't dared to share with anyone, not even her closest friends. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, was a little.

The thought both terrified and excited her. Terrified because she feared judgment and rejection from her peers. Excited because she longed for the care and comfort she had never allowed herself to experience. But most of all, she longed for someone to understand her, to see past the tough exterior she presented to the world.

That someone, she realized, was you.

You, her teammate, her friend, the one person she trusted above all others. She knew you had a kind heart and a gentle touch, qualities she desperately craved in a caregiver. But how could she ever admit such vulnerability to you? How could she risk tarnishing the image of the fearless Avenger you admired?

Natasha sighed, her fingers tracing the edges of a plush bear. She wished she could be brave enough to ask for what she needed, to shed the weight of her secrets and be truly seen. But fear held her back, fear of rejection, fear of ridicule, fear of being deemed unworthy of love.

And so, she buried her desires deep within her heart, locking them away behind walls of steel. But even the strongest barriers couldn't contain the longing in her soul, the ache for connection that refused to be silenced.

And so, a series of events were to set that day, one that would make her have you, as her caregiver, maybe even something more.

--

In the quiet of the Avengers compound, a sudden disruption shattered the tranquility. Wanda Maximoff stumbled into the common area, her usually composed demeanor replaced by one of vulnerability. Sensing something amiss, you approached her, concern etched across your features.

"Hey, Wanda, what's wrong?" you asked gently, kneeling beside her as she curled up on the couch.

Wanda looked up at you with wide, tear-filled eyes. "I-I don't know," she whimpered softly.

"It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe here," you assured her, offering a comforting smile. "Do you want a blanket?"

She nodded, sniffling, and you quickly fetched a blanket, wrapping it around her trembling form. Wanda leaned into your embrace, finding solace in the warmth you provided.

Meanwhile, Natasha observed from a distance, a pang of envy stirring within her. She watched as you comforted Wanda, offering the kind of care and tenderness that the redhead secretly longed for herself.

As Wanda began to relax under your gentle ministrations, Natasha couldn't help but approach, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Is she okay?" Natasha inquired softly, her eyes flickering between you and Wanda.

"Yeah, she just slipped into her little space," you explained, shooting Natasha a reassuring smile. "She'll be alright, though."

Natasha nodded, but the jealousy still gnawed at her, a silent reminder of her own unspoken desires.

Feeling a sudden urge to help, Natasha joined you and Wanda, offering her assistance.

"Can I help?" Natasha asked, her voice gentle.

"Of course, Nat. Can you grab her favorite stuffed animal from her room?" you suggested.

Natasha nodded and disappeared momentarily, returning with Wanda's beloved toy. She handed it to Wanda with a soft smile, and Wanda's face lit up at the sight of it.

With Natasha's help, you continued to comfort Wanda, ensuring she felt safe and loved in her vulnerable state.

Later, when you and Natasha found yourselves alone, Natasha couldn't resist commenting on your compassion.

"Hey, I just wanted to say… you're really good with her," Natasha admitted, a hint of admiration in her voice.

"Thanks, Nat. I just want to make sure she feels safe and loved," you replied sincerely.

Natasha nodded, but there was a sadness in her eyes that you couldn't quite place.

"Are you okay?" you asked, sensing her unease.

Natasha forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

You accepted her answer, but couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Natasha's emotions than she let on.

As the evening wore on, Natasha's jealousy and insecurity continued to fester, gnawing at her from the inside out. Feeling overwhelmed, she excused herself from the common area and retreated to the solitude of her room.

Alone in the dimly lit space, Natasha paced back and forth, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions. She knew she shouldn't let herself succumb to her little space, that she needed to remain strong and in control. But the more she fought against it, the more the longing tugged at her heartstrings.

"I can't let this happen," she muttered to herself, clenching her fists in frustration. "I have to stay in control."

But the more she fought against it, the stronger the pull became, until Natasha found herself sinking onto her bed, her resolve crumbling like sand between her fingers. Tears pricked at her eyes as she surrendered to the overwhelming tide of emotion.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to no one in particular, feeling the weight of her own inadequacy bear down upon her.

Meanwhile, you couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of your stomach. Natasha's sudden disappearance hadn't gone unnoticed, and you knew that she was struggling with something deeper than she let on.

Determined to offer her support, you made your way to her room, the hallway stretching out before you like an endless expanse of uncertainty. With each step, your concern grew, mingling with a sense of urgency that propelled you forward.

Standing before Natasha's closed door, you took a deep breath, steeling yourself for what lay ahead. You raised your hand and knocked softly, the sound echoing in the silence of the hallway.

"Natasha?" you called out tentatively, your voice barely above a whisper. "Are you in there?"

Inside the room, Natasha's heart skipped a beat at the sound of your voice. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. But deep down, she knew that she couldn't keep her struggles hidden forever.

"Come in" she said softly, so soft that you almost missed it.

As you stepped into Natasha's room, your eyes fell upon her huddled form on the bed, her posture small and vulnerable. For a moment, you were taken aback, the sight of Natasha in her little state catching you completely off guard.

"Natasha?" you murmured softly, your voice laced with genuine surprise. "I… I didn't realize…"

But before you could finish your sentence, you noticed the way Natasha's shoulders tensed, her expression shifting from vulnerability to embarrassment. It was as if she had been caught in a moment of weakness, a side of herself she had never intended for anyone to see.

Feeling a pang of guilt for intruding upon her private moment, you quickly reassured her, "It's okay, Natasha. You don't have to explain anything to me."

But Natasha recoiled slightly, her gaze averted as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. She felt exposed, as if the carefully constructed walls she had built around herself had crumbled to dust, leaving her vulnerable and exposed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean for you to see me like this."

You approached her slowly, your movements gentle and deliberate as you reached out a hand to offer her comfort. "It's okay, Natasha," you repeated softly. "You don't have to apologize for being yourself."

But Natasha couldn't shake the feeling of shame that gnawed at her from within. She had spent so long hiding this part of herself from the world, afraid of being judged or rejected. And now, with you standing before her, seeing her at her most vulnerable, she couldn't help but feel a sense of overwhelming inadequacy.

As you sat beside Natasha on the bed, a sense of determination washed over you. You refused to let Natasha grapple with her inner turmoil alone, especially now that you knew about this vulnerable side of her.

With gentle determination, you wrapped your arms around Natasha, pulling her into a comforting embrace. She tensed at first, still feeling the weight of embarrassment and shame, but gradually, she began to relax into your touch, allowing herself to be held.

"I'm here for you, Natasha," you whispered softly, your voice a soothing balm to her wounded soul. "You don't have to face this alone."

Natasha's breath hitched as tears welled up in her eyes, the floodgates of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. But you held her steady, offering her the strength and support she so desperately needed.

With a trembling hand, you brushed away her tears, your touch gentle and reassuring. "Let me take care of you," you murmured, your words a promise of unwavering love and support.

As Natasha nestled into your comforting embrace, her vulnerability laid bare before you, you knew that she needed more than just words of reassurance. With tender care, you gently brushed her hair away from her tear-stained cheeks, your touch eliciting a soft sigh from her trembling lips.

"Shh, it's okay, Natasha," you whispered soothingly, your voice a gentle melody in the quiet of her room. "You're safe here with me."

Natasha's breath hitched as she struggled to contain her emotions, but with your steady presence by her side, she began to relax into your embrace, allowing herself to be held.

In a moment of instinctive tenderness, you brought your thumb to your lips, offering it to Natasha. At first, she hesitated, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, but you urged her gently, encouraging her to trust you.

"Here, Natasha," you murmured softly, your voice laced with warmth and affection. "It's okay to seek comfort in whatever way you need."

With a shaky breath, Natasha tentatively took your thumb into her mouth, her lips wrapping around it instinctively as she sought solace in the simple act of sucking. A sense of calm washed over her as she melted into your embrace, the rhythmic motion soothing her frayed nerves.

You smiled tenderly at her, your heart swelling with love and admiration for this strong and resilient woman who had entrusted you with her vulnerability. With each gentle stroke of your thumb against her lips, you offered her the comfort and care she so desperately needed, reaffirming your unwavering support for her.

And as Natasha nestled closer to you, her breathing slow and steady, you knew that in that moment, you had helped her find peace amidst the chaos of her inner turmoil. Together, you shared a bond that transcended words, a silent understanding forged in the crucible of vulnerability and acceptance.

With a contented sigh, Natasha closed her eyes, her grip on your thumb loosening as she drifted into a peaceful slumber. And as you held her close, you vowed to always be there for her, to offer her comfort and care whenever she needed it, for as long as she would have you by her side.

-----

As Natasha stirred from her peaceful slumber, she blinked groggily, the remnants of sleep still clinging to her mind. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized she was no longer nestled in your comforting embrace, a sense of panic threatening to overtake her.

Frantically, she scanned the room, her eyes darting around in search of your familiar presence. But to her dismay, you were nowhere to be found, leaving her feeling abandoned and alone once more.

A wave of sadness washed over Natasha as she struggled to contain her rising emotions. Just when she thought she had found solace in your care, you had disappeared without a trace, leaving her feeling more vulnerable than ever before.

With a heavy sigh, Natasha felt herself slipping back into her little space, her defenses crumbling as she sought refuge from the overwhelming sense of abandonment. She curled up on the bed, her thumb finding its way to her lips once more as she sought comfort in the familiar ritual.

But just as Natasha was on the brink of succumbing to her inner turmoil, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, drawing her attention away from her troubled thoughts. Hope blossomed in her chest as she heard the familiar sound of your voice, dispelling the darkness that threatened to consume her.

And then, to her immense relief, you appeared in the doorway, a warm smile gracing your lips as you greeted her with a tender gaze.

"Hey, Natasha," you said softly, your voice filled with warmth and affection. "I'm sorry I was gone for a moment. I just needed to use the washroom."

As Natasha took in your reassuring presence, a sense of calm washed over her, dispelling the last traces of her anxiety. She felt a surge of gratitude for your unwavering support, knowing that no matter how lost she felt, you would always be there to guide her through the darkness.

With a contented sigh, Natasha reached out to you, her small hand seeking yours in a silent gesture of gratitude and affection. And as you took her hand in yours, a sense of peace settled over her, knowing that with you by her side, she could weather any storm that came her way. As you sat beside Natasha, her hand in yours, a question lingered at the forefront of your mind. With a gentle squeeze of her hand, you summoned the courage to voice your curiosity.

"Natasha," you began softly, "do you know why you went into your little space earlier?"

Natasha's breath caught in her throat at your question, her heart racing with uncertainty. She had never intended for you to find out about this vulnerable side of her, and now that you were asking her about it, she felt a wave of apprehension wash over her.

"I... I don't know," she murmured hesitantly, her gaze flickering away from yours. "I guess... I guess I just felt overwhelmed."

You studied her carefully, sensing that there was more to her answer than she was letting on. "Is there something else, Natasha?" you pressed gently, your voice filled with concern.

Natasha hesitated for a moment, her mind racing as she grappled with her inner turmoil. But then, with a shaky breath, she found the courage to speak her truth.

"I... I've always wanted to hide my little space from everyone," she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't want anyone to know about this vulnerable side of me, especially not you."

The confession hung heavy in the air between you, a silent acknowledgment of Natasha's deepest fears and insecurities. And in that moment, you realized just how much she had been struggling, how much she had been hiding from you all this time.

"I'm sorry, Natasha," you murmured softly, your heart aching for her pain. "I had no idea."

But to your surprise, Natasha offered you a small smile, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "It's okay," she whispered, her voice filled with gratitude. "You couldn't have known."

A silence passed between you, and you could sense that she was debating on whether to tell you, so you stayed quiet, and waited.

As Natasha gathered her courage to share her feelings, she took a deep breath, her eyes meeting yours with a mixture of vulnerability and determination.

"I… I need to tell you something," she began softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

You listened intently, your heart pounding in your chest as you waited for Natasha to speak.

"I was… I was jealous of Wanda," Natasha admitted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "When I saw you with her, offering her comfort… I couldn't help but feel envious."

Her confession took you by surprise, a pang of guilt tugging at your heart as you realized the impact your actions had unknowingly had on Natasha.

"I'm sorry, Natasha," you murmured softly, reaching out to take her hand in yours. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

But Natasha shook her head, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "It's not your fault," she reassured you gently. "I know you were just trying to help."

You studied her carefully, a sense of admiration swelling within you at her honesty and vulnerability. Despite her struggles, Natasha had found the courage to open up to you, to share her deepest fears and insecurities.

"Natasha," you began tentatively, your voice filled with sincerity, "I want you to know that I'm not Wanda's actual caregiver. I was just there to offer her comfort when she needed it."

To your relief, Natasha's smile widened, her eyes sparkling with understanding. "I know," she replied softly. "And I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."

With a sense of relief washing over you, you reached out to squeeze Natasha's hand in yours, a silent gesture of solidarity and support.

"Natasha," you whispered, your voice barely above a whisper, "would you let me be your caregiver? Not just as a friend, but as something more?"

For a moment, Natasha's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in surprise at your heartfelt request. But then, to your immense relief, she nodded, a radiant smile spreading across her face.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice filled with warmth and affection. "Yes, I would like that very much."

[scarletlizzard]

During a training session with Wanda, she has repeatedly taken you down despite all your best efforts and calling yourself the strongest.

Wanda: Again? It's like you're not even trying! So much for 'Worlds Strongest Avenger'

Y/N, groaning: You know what?

Wanda, mockingly: What?

Y/N: You talk a lot of shit for someone with really kissable lips

Wanda: Kissable... what?

Y/N: Yeah! So you can shut up, get over here, and use them

Wanda: *shuts up and leans in*

[sunvmars]

fireworks | s.r.

pairing: steve rogers x fem!reader

pt. 2 | masterlist

word count: 3.7k

warnings: smut mentions, some light swearing and some fluff. oh, and i have no timeline in the mcu for which this takes place so keep that in mind. i also did minimal proof reading :)

summary: everyone but you and steve realize you like each other.

Before you were an Avenger, you were Steve's friend and roommate. For half of the year that you'd lived together, you considered Steve to be more than a friend- you were head over heels in love. The team noticed how you brightened when he was around. They noticed how you were always taking short glances at him at meetings. You were always the one tending to any of Steve's injuries on the jet after a mission. The only one who didn't notice your pining was Steve.

Steve would do anything for you just as you would him. You weren't sure if you would ever tell him. If there was even a possibility of him not feeling the same, you didn't wanna ruin your friendship.

But just like he didn't notice your feelings for him, you never noticed his for you. To everyone but you, it was obvious Steve followed you around like a lost puppy. During team dinners he was sitting right next to you. In training he always picked you to partner up with. When it was your turn to make dinner, he was always in there helping you. And on missions, Steve always made sure to be near you.

Not that you needed Steve to protect you, and he knew this, as you came from generations of the strongest witches. You were strong on top of having your abilities. So far, you've discovered you have telekinesis, you can read and control people's minds, and control elemental factors.

After Steve found out that you had special abilities, he'd pushed you to get you in contact with Tony Stark. SHIELD decided you'd be a great asset and got you set up in a room in the Avenger's tower. Soon after you moved into the tower and out of your shared apartment, so did Steve. In fact, he was only three rooms down from you.

That was almost two years ago. And today was the day before Tony's New Years Eve Party. You all but forced everyone to decorate the place. Not that you truly cared this much about New Years, but you were a sucker for extra time with the team. And that's how you ended up spending your evening putting up decorations and assigning jobs for who puts up what and in which area.

"Come on, Buck, it won't be that bad," Steve smiles, patting the brunette's back as he passes him on the way down the stairs.

"If you stop complaining, it'll get done faster," Sam adds, giving Bucky a blank expression.

A frown crosses your features, "this is supposed to be fun, don't look so miserable!"

You watch Bucky and Sam struggle to wrap a gold and black tinsel garland around the stair rail, your frown quickly being replaced with a smirk. Steve, little to your knowledge, watches with a smile as you giggle at them bicker over who's wrapping the wrong way. After a few seconds, Tony jumps in to break it up- only resulting in all three of them arguing.

"How many Avengers does it take to put a damn garland up?"

"Apparently more than three," Steve responds to you with a chuckle, "should I break it up?"

"Of course not. It's entertaining. Wanna come hang balloons with me?"

Steve nods with the same lovesick smile plastered on his face.

Soon enough, the whole living room was decorated- after hours of bickering between the team and multiple drinks, of course.

"See! That wasn't so bad," you declare.

"Speak for yourself," Sam says, side eyeing Bucky.

Bucky returns the glance, but remains silent.

"It wasn't horrible, but I won't be working with those two idiots again," Tony looks back at Sam and Bucky as he ruffles your hair and heads off to his room.

"I had fun," Wanda smiles, hoping to reassure you.

Nat gives you a slight smile, "it wasn't so bad."

After everyone goes off to their rooms, the only people left in the room are you and Steve putting up the unused decorations.

"So, Steve, do you have anyone in mind that you plan on going to the party with tomorrow?"

His face reddens just barely as he looks away from you for a moment to conjure up an answer, "I... No, not really. What about you?"

"I guess I could say the same."

You nod and attempt to cover the disappointment on your face. He only offers a hum in response as his lips curl up to form an empathetic smile. Your eyes linger on his for a little too long, both of you waiting for the other to fill the silence.

"Well, I should probably go put these back and head to bed," you blurt out, mentally cussing yourself out for not asking him to be your date to the party.

"Of course. Goodnight, y/n."

You turn a little too quickly and start walking towards the elevator. Once in your room, you change into pajamas and climb into your bed. Just a few doors down is Steve laying comfortably in his bed, and also berating himself for not asking you to go to the party with him. See, he has a plan to tell you how he feels tomorrow. He even found a balcony on the tower that gives a perfect view of the fireworks. His nerves are getting the best of him though. Sometimes he feels like you have the same feelings for him as he does for you, but he always dismisses the thought. He takes note of every move you make towards him. All the times you've hugged him and let your hands linger a little longer around him before pulling away. Every time your cheeks have brightened when he reassures you with compliments after a shitty date. Steve notices everything you do. And everyone notices how the two of you endlessly and hopelessly chase each other.

When you wake up, the first thing that you notice is the smell of pancakes. The second thing is the small box you feel by your feet. Your eyes hesitate to open, trying to adjust to the sunlight. Slowly, your body allows you to sit up. You pick up the small white box wrapped with a pink bow. Attached to it is a small card that simply reads, "From Tony." With a cocked brow you gently tug on the pink bow and allow it to come undone. The box opens to reveal a piece of folded up fabric.

It unravels to reveal a dress that's hardly an actual dress. Sure, it's not that bad, but it's a little much for a casual party. It's slightly below the knee length dress with thick off shoulder straps. It's red with a black mesh over it making it appear a dark maroon color. The cups are a practically see through black mesh, the back zips up to just barely above your ass, and it has a long slit on the side that looks like it'd stop right at your hip. Not that you needed his approval, but you wondered if Steve would like you in this particular dress. After wrapping the dress back up into the box, you make your way out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, y/n," Steve smiles.

He hands you a plate with a stack of pancakes, a few pieces of fruit, and a little cup of syrup on the side.

"Thanks, Stevie," you return the expression and make your way to the table after getting a drink.

Plopping down in your usual seat between Bucky and Steve, you start to dig in. A few minutes later and everyone's almost done cramming down their breakfast. If anyone's learned anything from the time's when Thor visits it's that he eats, he eats a lot and he eats it fast. First day he was there it was like a pack of animals fighting over the last drop of water out of a pond. Per usual, you and Steve shared small talk until you decided to go back to your room.

Within a few hours after breakfast, it was time to get ready for the party. For the last two years you've gotten ready for events like this with Wanda and Nat. Being the only girls in the tower, they were your best friends in the compound.

A sigh leaves your lips after carefully observing yourself in the dress one last time. You put a red bra on under it to make the cups look the same color as the rest of it. The dress left nothing to the imagination.

"Thoughts?" you ask as you step out of the bathroom.

Nat and Wanda exchange a glance.

"That's the one," they blurt out in unison.

"Are you guys sure? It doesn't feel like a little much for a regular, boring party?"

They quickly shut down your thought. After a quick pep talk, you take another glance in the mirror at yourself, you start to ponder it. They were right. It's beautiful and, to be honest, you wanted to tell Steve how you felt tonight so you had to look good.

"Oh, what the hell. Why not," you step into your closet to pick out a pair of shoes to go with the dress.

The three of you headed down to the living room only to split up after a few minutes of chatting. You went straight to the bar after exchanging a goodbye with them. As you placed your clutch on the bar, you leaned over the counter. Tony turns to look at you, shaker in hand and a smirk on his face.

"You actually wore it."

"You wouldn't leave me alone if I didn't," a small laugh escapes your lips, "you're cheap for somebody so rich. And it has kinda grown on me. So thank you, Tony."

"Ah, no problem kid," he pours the drink into a chilled glass, looking back up at you, "besides, it's not really a gift for you specifically."

Confusion racks your brain and you try to piece together what he means. Your bewilderment must've been evident on your face as Tony pushes the drink towards you with a grin.

"It's a gift for him," he nods behind you.

You pick up the drink and take a sip before turning to make direct eye contact with none other than Steve. His expression is almost stoic until he catches your gaze, offering a smile and wave. The gesture is returned by you before turning back to look at Tony's smug face.

"I knew you were up to something."

"Maybe soon enough you'll find out what that something is."

"He does not think of me like that."

"Sure," he scoffs as he makes his way to the end of the bar to grab more glasses.

After a few hours into the party, you're starting to feel socially drained and really just defeated. Two hours and you have yet to find the right time to pull Steve aside, and he's having the same problem. You'd hardly talked at all except for when he bought you a drink earlier in the night. Most of the conversation being made tonight was small talk with some people who sat next to you at the bar, and a few desperate men.

That is, until a man approaches you, "I'm sure you've heard this a lot tonight, but you're absolutely gorgeous. And I'd love to buy you a drink."

His hair is short and dirty blonde, he's got baby blue eyes, and he's definitely handsome. Although he's no Steve, and this isn't something you do often, you could use the cheering up.

"Thank you..?" your voice trails as you wait for him to offer his name.

"Lucas," he grins.

"Lucky for you, I'd love another drink, Lucas. I'm y/n," you smile and pat the seat next to you.

The two of you chat for the next hour and, unbeknownst to you, Steve has the perfect view of you from where he's standing. He can see the beautiful smile you're giving him and the way the man is looking you up and down. Soon enough, the jealousy coursing through him was all he could focus on. That should be him that you're smiling at like that, it should be him down there making you laugh, it should be his eyes practically undressing you. All it took to push him over the edge was the guy putting his hand on your lower back. Now he was even more determined to tell you how he feels.

It's getting late and right as you're about to tell Lucas that you have to go, his phone rings. He quickly excuses himself and leaves to take the call.

A few seconds later, your attention is grabbed by Steve taking the seat next to you. And God he looks even more handsome close up. He's got on a dark blue, fitted dress shirt paired with equally fitted black dress pants. The darker blue is a perfect contrast to his eyes and hair. The shirt brings out the definition of his arms in the best way possible. Thoughts that are the farthest thing from wholesome run through your brain before he even gets a chance to speak.

"Having fun," he smiles at you.

"A little. You ignoring me, Rogers? Haven't talked to you all night."

"Of course not," Steve chuckles, "you were talking to your arm candy. Who would I be to interrupt?"

"That was nothing. It definitely wasn't like that."

"Well, you talked for awhile. Seemed like you were having fun and I just wanted to wait my turn, that's all."

His choice of words makes you giggle, "We're adults, you don't have to standby like a kid waiting for their mom to get off the phone. It's not like there's a long line to speak to me."

And Steve can safely say he's surprised there isn't a long line to talk to a girl like you. You're looking absolutely gorgeous tonight although he's way too nervous to express it to you.

Steve doesn't like the thoughts going through his head at the moment. He tries not to think about you inappropriately, but in times like these it's not easy. You're leaned over the bar counter with your ass practically poked all the way out, the cutout on the back of the dress gave the perfect view of your back, and the fabric fit your figure perfectly.

"That dress is stunning on you, sweetheart," he smiles, taking a sip of his drink.

If it were possible for a heart to do flips, yours just did it.

"Oh! Thank you, Stevie. Tony got it for me."

"Tony, huh? I guess I'll have to thank him, then."

To be honest, Steve was being very blunt and it was making it hard not to kiss him right then. Sometimes you guys would jokingly flirt but something about his tone was hinting that he wasn't joking this time.

"Come with me," he flashes a smile at you, "I wanna show you something."

"Is it important? It'd be rude to run off on Lucas."

Another pang of jealousy makes his stomach turn. He wants to tell you to forget about him, but he knows he doesn't have the right to do that. You're just being your usual sweet self and he knows that. But he can't get rid of the image of the way Lucas was looking at you; he knows what kind of thoughts came with that look because he gives it to you all the time. Like when you're training and your shorts start to roll up to reveal more of your thighs. Or when you're in your suit on missions and your sweat makes it cling to your body. That guy was eye fucking you, and even if Steve hadn't said it to you yet, you were his.

"It's important, it's almost midnight, and I have a surprise for you that's midnight exclusive."

"Alright, alright. It's not like I'll ever see him again anyways," you sigh.

As soon as he sees the corners of your lips turn up, he takes your hand and leads you to the balcony on the top floor. There's no one else up there and he silently thanks the universe for that. Quiet electronic pop music can be heard coming for the speakers. You both sit down on the couch and turn to look at each other.

"So, what's the surprise?"

"Just give it a few minutes," Steve smiles gently at your impatience, "you'll see it after the countdown."

"You know I like surprises. Don't tease me, Steven."

"So," he starts, "I'm sorry you won't get your kiss with Lucas tonight. But I think you'll like my surprise."

"Me? Kiss Lucas? Oh, no, no, no. I don't like him like that. There's...someone else."

He wants to let out a sigh of relief but stops himself. His eyes stay on you as you're looking up at the skylights. The different colored lights on the balcony make your eyes light up, and it also gives him the perfect view of your cleavage. Guilt washes over him at the thoughts he's having again. Then he decides it's the perfect time to tell you- you're alone, it's quiet, and he simply can't hold it in anymore.

"Y/n?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Stevie," you say as your face lights up, "you're the best friend I could ask for."

He laughs for a second, thinking of how to explain, "no, not like that. I love you. I'm sorry if this ruins our friendship, but I've been wanting to say this for a while. I have loved you from the moment I met you. Isn't it obvious how infatuated I am with you?"

Your heart stops for a second and the speed at which it beats picks up. After this long, Steve is finally saying the words you've only dreamed of hearing. A few seconds go by and you still can't conjure up a response.

"Listen, I understand if it's alot to take in. I'll leave you alone for a bit if you want," he starts to stand up but your hand pulls him back down.

"Steve-"

A loud crash of thunder stops your sentence early. As if on cue, rain starts pouring from the dark clouds above you. The rain is pouring fast, soaking both of you after only a few seconds.

"Shit. Let's go inside, I don't want you to get sick."

He gets up again but this time you stand up just as quick.

"No! I have been waiting to see this and I'm saying it now."

Your tone of urgency makes him laugh as he waits for you to continue.

"Steven Grant Rogers I have loved you for the last two years. I love you isn't even good enough to express how I feel for you," your smile widens as you keep talking, "you are the only one I can bring myself to think of. I. Love. You."

You stare at each other for a moment, smiles never fading, and then he places his hand on your lower back to draw you closer, "I am-"

This time, it's him being cut off. The sound of people on the balconies below you counting down and cheering is too loud to talk over. Laughter erupts from the both of you and he takes this image of you in. Your hair is wet and sticking to you, the water is making your dress stick to you too, and you've just told him you love him too.

"Can I kiss you?" he yells when they get to 5.

"Please."

His free hand comes to rest on your cheek and he pulls your face to hips. Your lips connect in a slow, passionate kiss. The rain no longer bothers you. Nothing could ruin this.

The sound of fireworks makes him pull away and turns your bodies towards them, "this was your surprise. Best view in the house."

For the second time tonight, your face lights up because of him. He swears there'll be no better feeling than seeing himself make you happy.

"Oh, Stevie... It's beautiful."

"And you're breathtaking, sweetheart."

His hand rubs your back, tracing circles into your skin. The thoughts from earlier start to come back. All he wants to do is bend you over this railing, lift up that short dress, and show you how much he loves you.

You move in to kiss him again. This time, the kiss is needier. It's rough and desperate. A gasp escapes your lips and Steve takes this opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. His tongue explores your mouth as he tries to pull you closer. He finds it in himself to pull away, both of you trying to catch your breath.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little bad at that, haven't done it in a while."

"No, sweetheart- it's not that. Trust me. I'm just doing everything I can to avoid losing control. If I'm honest, I've been having horrible thoughts about you since I saw you in this," he admits, motioning down at your dress.

"Who says I want you to hold back?"

His breath catches in his throat before he can respond. He opens his mouth to try again but stops again when you start to reach around and unzip your dress with a smirk on your face.

"What are you doing..?"

"It's cold, and I'm wet," your eyes glance up to meet his, "and you won't make the first move, so I'm doing it for you."

He steps forward and grabs your hand to prevent you from unzipping it any farther.

"Absolutely not. If I'm gonna fuck you, I'm doing it where nobody will see you. I'm not letting anyone else see you like that. As much as I'd love to take you right here on that couch, you're mine, baby," his confidence is evident in his tone.

Steve scoops you up with ease as you giggle, trying to get down, "put me down, I can walk."

"And I can walk faster. I need you."

All you can feel is immense joy. He was finally yours, and you were his. As it turns out, Steve would have to thank Tony for buying you that dress.

[ussgallifrey]

(She Moves With) Shameless Wonder | 28

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

✦ Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

✦ Warnings: Canon divergence, domestic Avengers living in relative normalcy until things turn south, language, official team movie nights, political commentary, political discourse, protective Steve Rogers.

✦ Word Count: 6.2k

✦ Playlist: Here

✦ Cinematic Soundtrack: Here

✦ Author's Note: Hey! Here we are at Civil War. You might find a few things to be a clear change up from the original source material while others stay about the same.

[Master List]

The twins had really started to come into their own after a few weeks of training sessions at the Compound. With a state-of-the-art gym at their disposal and a plethora of willing trainers on hand, you had taken note of the subtle changes.

At first, they preferred to remain in their quarters on the south end of the residence, rarely talking to anyone outside of yourself and Steve (and Vision, at times). And, at the Captain’s insistence, they began a training regime to get them up to task. Even though they would not be participating in any active missions until they turned eighteen.

Pietro rebelled, at first, against Steve’s program. He was insistent on the fact that his enhanced speed was more than enough to take down anyone who crossed his path. And then he met your unmoveable shield and, after his ego took a minor beating, he agreed to try out a strengthening system.

Wanda’s training was one of a kind. Even though Natasha had offered to give her a basic rundown program of defensive combat skills and firearms training, she had declined at every turn. You were her trainer.

Or more accurately, her test dummy.

As you slam into the wall mats once again, you hold a thumbs up for her to see before waving your hand a moment later.

“Good,” you grit, fighting back the twinge of pain that blossoms from the base of your spine as you move back onto your feet. “That was better.”

A hint of a smile flits across her lips before she regains her composure, her misting red hands falling to her side.

“Great heights can work to your advantage. Most everyone you will come across will experience negative effects if you drop them from such a distance. Me included,” you add under your breath.

You had been at it for the better part of an hour now. Her magic was temperamental at times, but she was getting a better grasp on it as time went by. Being free of HYDRA’s hold had given her the chance to truly feel her powers; and reacquaint herself with them, in all honesty.

“Okay, let’s work on disarming.”

“No,” she groans, already taking a step back.

You can’t help but chuckle as you move toward the edge of the room.

While the rest of the team worked in the large gym down the hall, Wanda had been given access to this room. Every square inch was padded (for your benefit, really), and the walls were reinforced with the strongest metal Tony could acquire. If anything went wrong, the padding would act as an immediate barrier to whatever destruct force occurred during training.

Your workouts with the seventeen-year-old had started off small - focusing on moving objects across the room with accuracy. Followed by larger weighted objects. And then, onto training dummies. And eventually, onto you. The most sturdy person on the entire team who could handle a few rounds with the enhanced teenager.

Now, she could physically pick you up and chuck you against whatever target you laid out for her. Despite the occasional aches, you were incredibly pleased with the progress she was making.

“Come on,” you playfully push at her arm. “You know how he gets.”

She sighs, “He gets that face, like… disappointment but worse.”

With an arm wrapped around her shoulders as you steer her out of the room, you laugh in agreeance, “That’s Captain America for you.”

Arriving in the lavish gym, you find Pietro in the ring with the supersoldier. The teen’s got boxing gloves on, while Steve holds up the punch shields for him to hit. While Wanda moves to stand near the ring, you remain by the weight machines. 

He’s just about perfected Pietro’s movement now. His footwork has made great leaps and strides, and, if it was actually a real fight, Steve wouldn’t mind if the teen was using his enhanced speed to move around him. As it is, this is only part of his strengthening regime.

“That’s it,” Steve encourages, twisting to move with Pietro.

You watch the semblance of a dance that’s taking place between the two; between student and instructor. Pietro’s sweating bullets, his tank is drenched and his white curls are clinging to his forehead while the man opposite him merely smiles - not a sign of exertion to be found.

“Okay,” he smiles as the boy drops his gloves to his sides, chest heaving. “That was better than yesterday. You gotta work on your - ” he demonstrates a particular left jab and uppercut combo for him. “But we’ll focus on that later. Right now, I have to work with your sister.”

“You were brilliant,” Wanda beams as Pietro pushes his way through the ropes, dropping down beside her on the ground, “Eww, wait! No! Don’t - god, you stink - don’t!”

Steve huffs a breath of laughter as the boy moves to envelop his sister in a particularly sweaty hug. His azure eyes meet yours from across the gym, and while the other two occupants are distracted, he makes his way out of the ring and over to you.

You flash him a smile as he draws near, running a hand through his blonde locks.

“How’d she do?” he asks, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his track pants.

“Better,” you shrug, watching as Pietro zips around the treadmills to corner her near the mirrors. “Always getting better. I can see her confidence building up after every one of your training sessions with her, you know. Even if she’s going around calling you a hardass after.”

His brows rise, “Oh really?”

“I’m sorry,” you grin. “I think Captain Hardass was the exact term she used.”

Shaking his head, his eyes not leaving your face, he calls her name from across the gym with an immediate authority that has both teens freezing.

“I wish you luck,” you murmur to the supersoldier as Pietro suddenly appears at your side.

Wanda slinks over to the training mats on the opposite side of the gym as Steve begins detailing their exact workout for the morning.

“Cronus, she wasn’t kidding,” you groan as the boy begins heading toward the doors. Unable to help turning up your nose as you catch a whiff of his post-workout scent. “Go take a shower, kid.”

He laughs as you shove him in the direction of the locker rooms. With a shake of your head, you head out of the gym - entrusting Wanda’s training in Steve’s capable hands - as you head up to the main floor.

Life at the Compound had been a completely new adjustment period for you.

While you had been comfortable living with the twins, Steve, and Vision at your house in Vermont, it had been your house. This was a total changeup to your usual routine. In the residence section, you only had the team to worry about. If you ever moved outside of it, however, into the research building, the labs, or the hangar, suddenly there was a vast array of employees, scientists, and agents to deal with.

So, slightly similar to Wanda, you kept to your section of the Compound for the first few weeks. But, eventually, you found yourselves in the main living space on the first level of the residence building.

Tony had made the Compound feel similar to the Tower in the sense that everyone had their own space, but also common areas as well like the kitchen and lounge. Even down in Tony’s private lab, he had an offshoot room with a kitchen and living space.

It had been one of those nights, one of those too-frequent sleepless nights with Wanda and Pietro, that you found yourselves in various states of exhaustion on the plush couches in the lounge. Wanda had been curled up next to Steve, eyes slowly blinking as she tried to focus on Cher Horowitz. While you took up the armchair for yourself and Pietro made a makeshift bed on the floor.

Natasha had wandered in from Cronus knowswhere in a knee-length black cocktail dress. And she only blinked once, not a single question on her lips, as she silently joined the four of you for the remainder of the movie.

And as you had FRIDAY dim the lights once the show came to an end, the two teens fully asleep on the couch and floor, respectively, she had pulled Steve away for a conversation that was not meant for your ears.

But after that, one by one, on those particular nights, at least one other member of the team would happen to wander in on you and join in. Eventually, two would show up, and sometimes even the entire team would be assembled in the designated movie space. And at that point, it transitioned from late-night nightmare solutions to weekly movie nights and takeout.

When you wander into the lounge, tucking your hair over your shoulder, you find Clint and Sam locked into a taunting match on the white couch in front of the TV; a controller in each other their hands.

“Eat my shit, Barton,” he bites.

“Ooh. Taking the high road, Samuel?”

Wandering over to them, resting your arms on the back of the couch, you watch as Clint tosses a blue shell at Sam’s go-kart, laughing maniacally as he slips into first place.

“Ouch, tough blow,” you breathe out.

“Grab a controller,” Sam calls over his shoulder. “We can take him.”

With a laugh, you just rustle his shoulder and leave them to their game, “Think I’ll pass.”

In the kitchen, Natasha rests on the island counter with her phone in her hands - her gaze intense.

Snatching an apple from the fruit bowl, you roll around the counter to her side. Squeezing the fruit between your hands, you twist the center - successfully snapping it in half.

“What’s with the face?”

She hums in reply as you take a bite of the sweet fruit.

“It’s deadlocked again.”

Your brow rises, as you question around a mouthful of fruit, “Seriously?”

With another hum, she turns her screen to the left for you to see.

“No, don’t tell me Vis is the tie-breaker again.”

The redhead nods, a smirk turning up at the corner of her lips as you let out a long groan.

“But he doesn’t even eat it! How is that even fair?”

As she types out a text for the sentient lifeform to read, you shake your head. Cronus you hoped he picked Indian.

The weekly dinner and a movie night had been fraught at first - too many people with too many varying opinions on what should be ordered and worst of all, what movie should be watched. This led to the implementation of a weekly poll for both cuisine and film genre.

So far, Ghostbusters was in the lead with a solid 6/8 vote (Sam and Steve had teamed up in hopes of Remember the Titans). But, again, the team had been fully split between restaurants. Vinny’s Pizzeria was fully locked with Royal Palace, and while you were all for a good pizza and pasta combo, you had been craving the tandoori chicken and biryani for over a month now.

“Excuse me, Miss Athena; Goddess of Wisdom, Warfare, Handicraft, Amazing but Impractical Stunts, and - ”

“Yes, FRIDAY?” you interrupt with a hand to your forehead. Tony and his damn nicknames.

Natasha snorts, barely looking up from her phone.

“Sir has requested your presence in the lab.”

Biting into the second half of the apple you respond around a slice, “Tell him I’m on the way.”

Waving in the assassin’s direction, you take the left hallway down to the main atrium. From here, you can see the SHIELD agents doing their morning training regime out on the lawn.

Down two sets of stairs and a few left turns later, you’re in the immaculate white lab that Tony had been calling home for the past year. He’s hunched over a piece of electrical board with a screwdriver between his lips and goggles on his face.

“What’d you need me for, Stark?” you question as you move into the room - careful to keep a solid five feet between you and his project. You had learned your lesson from the last time.

He grunts in return. You watch as sparks briefly fly up from the wiring before he leans back on his rolling stool. Dropping the tool into his right palm, he lifts his goggles up onto his forehead and stares at you.

“We need to get Vision onboard before Cap wins them over with pizza again.”

With a laugh, you clap Tony’s hand in yours, “A matter of great importance, I see.”

“You don’t mess around with takeout Fridays, 007. It’s a sacred rite.”

“Mmm, pass the garlic naan?”

Steve chuckles low in his throat as he leans over to nab the basket from the coffee table, offering it over to you as you nab another piece of warm bread for yourself. His left arm drapes over your shoulders when he settles back into the couch cushions.

“Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless, here.”

“They caused an explosion!”

“Is this true?”

“Yes, it’s true. This man has no dick.”

Pietro snorts next to your legs on the floor while Tony giggles behind his hand on the chaise lounge.

“God, I love this movie,” Clint grins between bites of curry.

“You would,” Natasha intones beside him, sipping on her pink-colored drink.

Steve’s fingers tighten briefly on your left shoulder, making you turn to look up at him. His face is a swath of warmth and contentment. 

Ever since you moved to the Compound, it’s like another version of Steve was available to you every day. You were so used to seeing the Captain out on the field, on missions. But now, nearly every beginning and ending of your day had Steve Rogers in it in some shape or form.

The team had become a family, in all honesty, these past few months.

Moments like this - the simple domestic moments that were a rarity in the realm of superheroes and villains - were such a blessing. To be next to your best friend - to share a meal and watch an old movie together, that’s where the joy came from.

He smiles back at you before turning to speak to Wanda in a hushed voice. You smirk as he tries to explain a portion of the dialogue that was alluding her. To her right, sits Vision in a chair pulled from the table, he’s also listening intently as Steve explains the scene and why it’s considered amusing.

By the time he’s answered all of Vision’s questions - which is impressive, considering the fact that he’s never seen the movie before either - they’ve already encountered Gozer, and the Stay Puft monster is just coming onto the screen.

“Well, there’s something you don’t see every day.”

“I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood. Something that could never ever possibly destroy us. Mr. Stay Puft.”

“Nice thinking, Ray.”

“Okay!” Tony calls out, “Tell me the truth, are you in this one?”

You can’t help but snort as several heads turn to look at you.

It had been quite the revelation, three months back, for them to learn that you had been an accidental extra in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

“I was in Chicago when they filmed the parade scene! We didn’t know it was a production in progress. We heard music and thought, oh, let’s go check that out.”

Tony had rewound the scene to find your face in the crowd. Your colleague from the Art Institute had been beside you for the dance number - you were barely in the picture, but it had been enough to turn Tony’s new obsession into a full-blown problem.

“I’m not in every movie that has ever existed, Tony.”

You had been in exactly two movies the team had watched. Two. You had watched over fifty together now. That was barely even a percentage, surely.

But he bats his eyelashes at you and you can’t help but sigh.

“Sorry, Venkman. I’m terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought.”

The camera pans down to the screaming people on the street.

With a dull voice, you point at the screen, “Right there, by the cab.”

“You’re shitting me! Who has the remote? Pause it! Pause it! No, go back - ”

He’s up from his seat, standing directly in front of the TV to try and find your figure in the crowd. His finger runs across each face, then once more before he turns back to you with a glower.

The laughter bubbling out from your lips can’t be contained once you catch the broken look on his face.

“I told you, I’m not in every movie!”

“Ooh, that’s cold,” Sam grins, raising his drink toward you.

Tony stalks over to you, “That hurts, Athena. I’m hurt. Do you see the hurt on my face?”

You can feel the rumble of Steve’s silent chuckles as he tucks you in closer, trying to hide his face from Tony.

“I’m not in Ghostbusters, I’m sorry I lied.”

“Thank you,” he holds up his hands in annoyance.

As he walks back over to his chair to resume the movie, however, you add, “I think I might be in the sequel, though.”

“That’s it! Double movie feature!” he points at you accusingly, followed by a playful wink to let you know that he’s actually not that bothered by it.

When the movie resumes and the Ghostbusters attempt to blast the Stay Puft man to marshmallowy fluff, Steve leans over to you - his breath is warm against your cheek.

“Are you really in the sequel?”

You look up, only to find him but a breath away from your face.

“Maybe? I actually can’t remember if it was that or Look Who’s Talking. I know I was in the city when one of them was filming, and I think I was on the corner or something when they were rolling?”

His hand clutches at your shoulder, bringing you in closer.

“You’re awful,” he murmurs with a wave of warm breath along the shell of your ear.

You smirk, glancing from him, to the TV, and back again.

Settling back into his hold, you grin, “You like it.”

The knock on his office door has Steve looking up from the e-mail he had been religiously re-reading from Sharon. It was a rarity that he was ever disturbed by anyone outside of FRIDAY when he was locked away in here.

Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise him too much, however, to see Tony’s face behind the glass.

“Rogers,” he states as he pushes his way inside, pacing as he goes, glancing around at the various items on the walls.

Steve watches him for a moment before he settles his arms across his chest, rocking back slightly in his chair, as he asks, “Was there something you wanted, Tony?”

“Uhm, yeah,” the other man settles down on the couch across from him, balancing one leg over the opposite knee. “God, this feels very principal calling the parents here, but… the gist is, your ward is causing me a headache, Rogers. Or, more accurately, she’s causing Pep’s team a headache which means I get the migraine.”

He’s immediately on alert, leaning forward as he addresses the billionaire, “What’s going on?”

“Yikes, I’d hate to be your kid. So, basically…” he drones, getting off of the couch to begin pacing once again. “Someone has made themselves an unofficially official handful of socials.”

With Steve’s blank look, Tony rolls his eyes.

“Social media, Rogers. Christ help us all. She’s got the TrueView, she’s got the SnapTap. Basically, anything the kids are down with, she’s got. And, you know we kind of got that separation of kicking-ass life and personal life thing going on for us and… well, Wanda’s blurring the lines a bit. And she’s gaining attention with her rare posting habits.”

There’s suddenly a phone in his face, requiring Steve to look and scroll through a small trove of pictures. Nothing too incriminating, nothing too revealing. There’s one of her in the kitchen, clearly taken by someone else - Pietro, if he had to hazard a guess. Another of a sunset on the outskirts of the Compound. A pizza box with a shot of a movie playing in the background. He thinks he can see Clint’s boot in the corner of the photo.

“This seems like… I don’t know, typical teenager stuff, right?” he questions as he hands the phone over.

“It would be,” Tony clips. “If she wasn’t currently one of only two known mutant refugees in the country. You get that after… Ultron, the press hasn’t been the kindest? Well, we get her posting online and suddenly we’re looking at a PR nightmare. I know that isn’t really your realm, Cap. Not mine either, if I’m honest - ”

Tony grins as he sits on the edge of Steve’s desk.

“I leave that to Pepper and the company’s social media team. And while she’s fine with the official Stark Industry pages, regular Avenger accounts are another thing. They need regulation, approval of posts and what can be said and what can be shown or not shown and… a lot of shit, honestly.”

He finds his arms crossed once again as he looks up at the billionaire with wariness in his eyes.

“What is it you want me to do exactly?”

“Take her phone, send her to her room? Whatever it is pseudo parents do.”

He groans, averting his eyes, “I’m not their father, Tony. I’m about the farthest thing from it, actually.”

Tony scoffs, “Right. Is that what we’re calling Mr. Sensitive cuddle buddy now? Were you or were you not just spotted making Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes this morning for a certain teenage witch? Was it the other person who frequently dones star-spangled tights?”

“Enough,” he bites, challenging Tony to say anything further with his heated gaze alone.

Everyone skirted this topic quite brilliantly. But, like with many things, Tony had the incredible inability to keep his mouth shut.

To be clear, Steve did not view himself as a parent to anyone. But… he knew how attached the teens had become to both you and him over the past year. You were the designated safe people in their lives. And while Wanda let Natasha do her nails, and Pietro frequently joined Sam in his morning workouts, there was a familiarity there between the four of you. That couldn’t be denied by anyone.

So, sure. Maybe Steve was more protective of that relationship. He had every right to be.

They had been traumatized for the better part of their short lives. They needed stability and safety. He had watched as you opened your home to them without question. And Steve rarely strayed far from your side in those endeavors. So, yes, despite the occasional teasing behind his back - though it had died down in recent months - he knew he was basically a pseudo-guardian for both Wanda and Pietro.

Though no legal document ever had his name down as such, nor would it likely ever, he was as good as. Maybe not a father, but a mentor. A person they could rely on.

Tony holds his hands up in a sign of a truce.

“Got it, don’t question the bond. All I’m asking is for you to go and… get her to either take the accounts down or set them to private,” he stands up, straightening his tie as he heads toward the door. He stops, looking back at Steve for a second, “Kids will be kids, right?”

With the prevailing silence now returned to the office, the supersoldier drums his knuckles on the desk for a moment before he closes the laptop and heads down to the lower south hallway.

He tries to come up with the right words as he journeys down to their section of the Compound; the designated four rooms that they occupied along the curved corridor. Wanda’s is the first on the right, her room faces the interior section of the building. The door is ajar and he can hear the sound of sharp pop music coming from inside before he even pushes the door open further.

Leaning against the doorframe, he watches the girl lying across her bed with her face just a few inches away from her laptop. Her feet bounce in time to the music. The video, some kind of late show from the looks of it, shows a man in a maroon-colored suit lipsyncing to a song, much to the audience’s amusement.

“Get much closer and you’ll mess up your vision.”

She balks, pausing the video as she turns to look back at him.

“Could you get any older?” she questions in her slightly accented voice.

Yeah, even he admits that was pretty on brand for the ninety-year-old he was purported to really be.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Steve drags his fists into his pockets and moves to rest on the edge of the bed. Wanda sits up, knees to her chest as she looks over at him with a wary eye.

“Relax,” he smiles. “I just wanted to - ”

“Vision!”

He turns to look at the man who has fazed through the adjoining wall - floating just an inch above the carpeted floor.

“You called, Captain?”

“What… no, I… Sorry, no. I didn’t mean to call you down here,” Steve sighs.

The other man gives him a nod, a curious look in his eye, as his gaze then falls on Wanda. He tilts his head.

“Is this about the social media issue?”

“Vision.”

“There’s a problem with me?”

Oh my god, please just allow him to get out of this in one piece. He was not made for these kinds of conditions.

“Thank you, Vision,” Steve states with more bite than he initially intended to use. 

The sentient being seems to understand as he drops to the floor and proceeds to walk out of the room, thankfully closing the door behind him.

He looks back toward Wanda, “So… I was told you have socials?”

She scoots back, grabbing her phone from the bed and drawing it close to her chest, “Yes…?”

“There are… some concerns over it. Ideally… Tony would like to see you either delete them or - ” he holds up a hand, seeing the immediate rebuke she has prepared, “or, set them to private. Apparently, there’s a lot more to it when you’re a public figure.”

She looks down, picking at her nailbeds - the black polish chipping in the process.

“I didn’t ask to be a public figure.”

With a gentle smile, he says, “I know.”

“Why shouldn’t I get to have them? I have, what, maybe ten pictures and a few posts on there? Nothing incriminating! Nothing that could… I don’t know, jeopardize this, us.”

“I… it came from Stark Industries’ PR department. Pepper is all over that and… well, I’m not completely versed in this area. But, they think it would be safer if the profiles were privatized for now. Maybe in the future, I think, they were considering having official accounts. So… next year, when you’re eighteen?”

“Are you serious?” she sets him with a dead look in her dark eyes.

He lets her simmer for a moment more. His silence leads to her groan, followed by the furious typing of her thumbs on her screen.

“You are incredibly uncool now,” she grits, her eyes briefly meeting his.

“Uncool and a hardass. Wow, really racking up the accolades, aren’t I?”

Her lips curve into a smile, unable to help herself from the looks of it, as she tosses her phone up toward her pillows.

“There. The world has no idea I exist… online, anyway.”

He pats her knee before hopping up from the bed, “Thank you.”

“Yeah,” she mutters, unpausing her video once more. The sound of pop music fills the room. “Don’t say I never do anything for you, Captain.”

Smiling to himself, Steve leaves her to her videos.

Leaning back in his chair, he chuckles as Sam describes the details of his very outlandish sparring session with Nat.

“No, tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’m wrong. Damn near, so… I got her down, she’s down. And then bam! Up and over my back, choking me out with her thighs. I’m just saying… it’s witchy. Witchy shit.”

Nat smirks into her glass, “Not witchcraft, Sam. Just ingrained training regimens.” 

“Witchcraft,” he mouths in Steve’s direction.

A handful of potato chips are chucked in Sam’s direction, leading to a burst of anger followed by several bouts of laughter from around the table. Steve catches your eye from the seat beside Natasha, your smile is radiant as you playfully toss a wadded-up napkin at Sam.

“Hey. Hey!” His eyes fall on Tony, who’s seated on the chair near the TV. “Shhhh!”

Steve’s gaze moves from the billionaire to the program he has on - ACNN. One by one, the rest of the table’s occupants turn to look at the TV while Stark increases the volume for them all to hear.

“We have our political reporter, Marc Burns who has been listening in on all of this tonight. Marc, while we wait for our analyst to come on, what would you say is your biggest takeaway from the announcement today?”

“I think today we truly heard the emotion behind some of the prevailing arguments that have been rattling the nation. Particularly from Congressman Ulborne and what you’re hearing from the lawmakers is that now is the time, given the protests that have been happening around the country and the world, really, Margaret. Public sentiment against the Avengers has risen to an all-time high.

“And you heard of the challenges, but also the opportunities in going forward with this legislation. While the GOP is eased by their majority in the House, they also have a Democratic Senate to try to surpass.”

Easing his arms onto the table, Steve watches on as a news conference is shown with a man in a red tie speaking, quite passionately, at the cameras. His voice is an enigma as the reporter continues with his remarks.

“These are a set of bills looking to address accountability and responsibility in due part to both the Avengers and the recently rebuilt SHIELD program. While some lawmakers might see this as a challenge, many members of the House are viewing this as an appropriate response to the outcry from the public at large.”

While the man continues, the screen changes to a bullet-point list.

THE SUPERHUMAN REGISTRATION ACT 2016

457 pages

Improve transparency by creating a public registration form

Place restrictions on superpowered individuals/teams from entering allied nations and territories

Enforces criteria and requirements of superhumans to be able to fully utilize their powers under the direction of the US government

“However, you’re already seeing President Ellis and Democrats trying to seize on that topic coming into this next election cycle. And while the current Democratic nominee, Michael Ruebens has declared the bill a gross overstep of government overreach today on TrueView, members of his party are not quite in agreeance with the current presidential candidate.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he hears Clint mutter.

“The current Republican candidate went on to TrueView this afternoon and offered his praises of his party members. Saying: fantastic creation of Ulborne and Giavanno, seeking to hold known terrorist Tony Stark accountable for his actions. It’s about time someone held these so-called heroes to a standard.”

“God, he’s a gem,” Nat tuts with barely concealed malice in her voice. Steve nods in agreement.

He can see your knuckles gripping the table’s edge tighter and tighter as the segment continues on.

“I think we can all agree that Republican sentiment amongst this proposed legislation is strong, Marc. But, it should be noted that Senator Young, from California, was seen at an anti-superhuman protest this past weekend. One of the few Democratic members of the Senate to take such a stand.”

“Well, I think that really speaks to the pulse of the nation right now in the aftermath of Sokovia, and New York, and Africa, you know? The people want to know if these individuals have our best interests at heart and if they are the best people for the job.”

“Okay, well, after this break, we’re going to go ahead and speak to Senator William Sharpe to hear what the Democrats in Congress are truly thinking about this legislation. And at eleven, we’ll be back here with Kennedy Jones to discuss the latest Roxxon leak off the coast. We’ll be right back with more, at America’s Central News Network, ACNN.”

Tony flicks the mute button and turns back to look at the table.

“What the fuck was that?” Clint questions, pointing at the TV. “How long have they been holding that in their pocket?”

“Probably a lot longer than they want us to think,” you reply with a trace of bitterness in your words.

“I mean, that’s gotta go against some kind of law or some shit, right? We’re a private group, individual rights and all that.”

Steve looks at the faces of his team, from Clint’s pure incredulousness to Natasha’s silent rage. From Sam’s quiet disappointment to your… the table creaks under your grasp.

He reaches his hand out, covering your fingers. Your blazing eyes meet his gentle blues from across the table. An exchange of conjoined thoughts happens in the blink of an eye before Steve retracts his hand and you release the table from your grip.

The supersoldier focuses on the one person likely to have the answers.

“Tony?”

Dragging a hand across his face, the billionaire puckers his lips and stares up at the ceiling before any words leave his mouth.

“So… the gist of it is, public discourse is still in question. And before an election cycle where their stronghold on the House could be tossed in a different direction, we have Republican do-gooders trying to shove as much legislation down the hole as they can.”

Taking a breath, he sits up, resting his hands on his knees as he levels his gaze with Steve.

“Fact is, you got some Congressmen trying to work a piece of questionable legislation down into the Senate. If, by some miracle you get a few Dems to jump party lines and vote in favor of it, then yeah. It’ll hit the House and get moved along. But, it hits Ellis’ desk, and… we have a connection. You know… saving his life and all.”

“So, it’s dead on arrival?” Sam asks; a hint of hope in his voice.

“Uh, yeah. Basically. And if by some miracle the Senate can find it in their hearts to agree on something for a change - ” 

Nat chuckles into her drink.

“- and it goes to Ellis, then yeah. I’ll go and wine and dine the guy and get him to veto the thing.”

Satisfied with that answer, the mood of the room seems to shift back to its former self. But there’s a look on your face that brings Steve pause.

He waits until you’re both making your way down to the south hall to bring it up.

Walking side-by-side, your head is downturned, your thoughts almost audible to even the supersoldier.

“Talk to me.”

Your gaze lifts, meeting his face with a look of apprehension.

“What is it?” he questions in a softened tone.

You’ve stopped now, just a hall away from your final destination. Clear of any listening ears outside of FRIDAY’s constant vigilance.

“It’s not going to be the last, you know?”

With his perplexed look, you move to explain.

“After Sokovia, the public hasn’t fully turned back in our favor. With enough outcry and protests, I can guarantee more legislation like this will be coming through. Maybe even harsher ones.”

“You think we’ll be in trouble?” he questions with a slight lift to his brow.

With a pause, you cross your arms, “Not necessarily. I mean, Tony faced down Congress before when they were after the suit. He has an army of lawyers I don’t think any legal body would want to touch at his disposal. It’s just… I don’t know.”

Sensing your discomfort, Steve reaches over and pulls you into his arms.

He can feel the immediate sigh of relief that you exhale when his grip tightens ever so much.

“I don’t want anything to touch the team,” you admit against the fabric of his shirt.

Nodding in understanding, he tugs you even closer.

“I know. Neither do I.”

Glancing down the hall - at the double doors that lead to their rooms, to Pietro and Wanda’s rooms - Steve feels an immediate flash of protectiveness wash over him as he holds you close.

The thought that anyone, or any body of force, would try to disrupt their lives or the lives of the ones he cares about, is enough to keep him on edge.

But with you in his arms, he tries to dispel the thought.

Tony said he could handle it if worse came to worse. And Steve just had to believe that that sort of miracle could occur.

Pulling back slightly, just so you can tip your face up to look him in the eyes, Steve tucks a strand of your hair over your shoulder.

“You worry too much.”

With a warm laugh, you say, “I think I worry the right amount, considering the hecticness of our lives, Steve.”

Giving a nod, he relents with a fair point before you both head off in the direction of your rooms.

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