#what are you up to in prison ross?

[which-hospital]

just thought to go back and rewatch something after last night’s episode, and…

I! need! to! lie! down! Every so often Casualty will completely accidentally, unintentionally happen upon something with this family’s whole situation and I’ll feel physically ill about it for a week.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Break Free

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.8k

Warnings: angst, prison!wanda

Summary: Four new prisoners get admitted into the Raft, and you now have four new clients as the resident psychiatrist. Wanda is an interesting person and the more you get to know her, the more you understand the position she’s in. She’s a hero even if she doesn’t see it.

Squares Filled: "I won't let you be hurt anymore." for @scarletwitchbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3

x

When you got into the psychiatric field, never did you think you would be at one of the most dangerous prisons on Earth. The Raft houses the most dangerous criminals known to man. They started letting superhumans into the prison since it’s the only safe place to put them.

Never did you think you’d ever see any of the Avengers here, either.

You’ve seen some of the worst humans known to man, so why the hell are heroes locked up here? They didn’t do anything wrong. It’s no secret that the Accords were put into effect, and you know some of the Avengers signed it and others didn’t. Everyone heard about the fight at the German airport.

If you were on the team, you wouldn’t have signed it, either.

Thaddeus Ross walks with you down the hallway where the Avengers are staying. You’re the on-call psychiatrist where you work with each prisoner one-on-one and provide them with a bit of therapy and medication to help them. Since they’ve just arrived, Ross is introducing you to them since they are now your new clients.

“We will be giving most of the other prisoners to Dr. Farrow so you can focus solely on our new guests.”

“Are you sure this is the best option? They didn’t do anything wrong.”

Ross stops walking and looks at you with an unreadable expression.

“They violated the Accords. They’re criminals.”

He won’t listen to reason so you don’t say anything more of the matter. Everyone knows who the Avengers are but Ross takes you to their cells to do introductions anyway.

“Meet Sam Wilson a.k.a the Falcon.” Sam paces the entire cell and only pauses when he locks eyes with you. “Steve Rogers right-hand man. If he gives you any trouble, don’t hesitate to punish him how you see fit.”

“Real mature,” Sam rolls his eyes and goes back to pacing.

Ross takes you from his cell to the next.

“Clint Barton a.k.a Hawkeye.” Clint looks at you but doesn’t say a word. He’s known for being stealthy and not making any noise. He’s not a big talker which is going to be a problem for you. “He’s one of the most notable spies besides Black Widow. Don’t let him manipulate you.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Clint bites out.

Ross takes you to the next cell.

“Look, I have a family. They’re going to be worried about me. I’ll do whatever, just get me out of here.”

“Scott Lang a.k.a Antman. He’s a talker. Won’t shut up. Wouldn’t blame you if you skipped his session every once in a while,” Ross scoffs.

“Come on!” Scott begs, but Ross ignores him.

The final cell he takes you to is the one you’ve been looking forward to the most.

“Wanda Maximoff.” She is sitting on the ground with a straight jacket on and a blank look on her face. She looks so broken. What have they done to her? “The witch.”

“Why is she in a straight jacket?”

“We can’t allow her to use her magic. Be careful with her. She’ll get in your head.” Ross takes you back to his office before you can say anything else about it. He must know that what he’s doing is wrong, right? “You’ll be given two hours with each person a day while also tending to some of the other prisoners. I don’t care who you start with but plan your time however you’d like. Any questions?”

“Are you sure they belong here?”

“Yes. They’re criminals. They went against the Accords that over a hundred countries had signed.”

You don’t think the Accords should have ever happened, but you keep your opinions to yourself. You start the day by having sessions with the other prisoners because you’re unsure how you’re going to go about treating the Avengers. They have nothing that needs to be treated but if you don’t do your job, you’ll get fired.

After lunch, you decide it’s time to talk to the Avengers. You wanted to start with an easy one, Scott, but you find yourself in Wanda’s cell with her.

“We didn’t get to meet last time but my name is Dr. Y/N. Can you tell me a little about you?” Wanda doesn’t speak. She looks at you but you don’t think she’s seeing you. She’s distancing herself from the situation. “Wanda, don’t do that. Don’t disassociate.”

“What do you know? You have no idea how I’m feeling,” she says and looks at you.

“You’re right. I don’t, but I do know that disassociation hurts more than it heals. I’ve been doing this a long time, Wanda. I want to help people and understand them better. I believe in the power of medicine which is what I give out.”

“Do you think I need help like that?”

“No. I don’t think what they’re doing to you or the others is right.”

“It’s fine,” she sighs and looks down.

“No, it’s not. It’s not humane.” She looks at you. “I don’t think you did anything wrong here.”

“They seem to think so.”

“For now, don’t think about them. Think about us. It’s just you and me in this room. I just want to get to know you.”

“Because you have to.”

“Because I want to. I could just sit here and pump you full of so much medicine you’ll forget your own name or I can get to know you and understand you as a person.” You hate that she’s in a straightjacket. You fight the urge to take it off her but then Ross will blow a fire under your ass for doing it. “Your choice.”

Wanda doesn’t say anything for five minutes as she contemplates her options.

“What do you want to know?”

“Let’s start with your interests. What do you like to do in your free time?”

“Before… Sokovia… I loved going to the movies with my brother. We’d sit in the back and make fun of the characters.” She has a faint smile on her face from the memory. “We’d do everything together.”

“You must miss him.”

You’re no stranger to what happened in Sokovia.

“He was my best friend.”

“What about afterward? How did you cope with the loss of your brother?”

“I didn’t. My home was ruined. My parents were gone. My brother was gone. I had no one left. I was living in a place with strangers. I usually kept to myself. I liked playing guitar. Tony got me one. I watched a lot of TV.”

“What were your favorite shows?”

“The Dick Van Dyke Show. My family and I used to watch those when I was a kid. It makes me feel close to them.”

“What made you feel safe?”

“Vision.”

“What will make you feel safe now?”

Wanda looks at you in surprise. She didn’t expect you to ask her that question. Normally, prisons don’t care about the comfort of their prisoners but you do. She looks down at the jacket wrapped around her and you nod in understanding. She flinches back when you approach her but she doesn’t move away from you. You step behind her and undo her jacket so that her arms aren’t restricted. You take the jacket off her and lay it over your arm.

“I can’t do much but I can do this. You don’t deserve this.”

Wanda looks up at you with unshed tears in her eyes. Your phone rings and you look at the message Ross sends you.

My office. Now.

“I gotta go. I look forward to talking to you again.”

You leave her cell and make your way to Ross’ office. He doesn’t look too happy and you have a feeling it has something to do with the jacket still over your arm.

“Who gave you the authority to remove her jacket?”

“Me. I did what was best for my patient. Isn’t that why I’m here? To help them become the better versions of themselves? Isn’t that why you hired a psychiatrist and not a psychologist so I could prescribe them medicine if needed?”

“Yeah, but--”

“Then let me do my damn job. No one who isn’t clinically insane deserves to be in a straightjacket.”

“I don’t like your tone, Y/N.”

“You want to fire me? Go ahead. Good luck finding someone who will want to come out here.”

“You’re dismissed,” he says through clenched teeth.

You’re the only one here who doesn’t put up with Ross’ bullshit and he knows it. Everyone else is afraid of him but you won’t let him control you like he does everyone else. You respect yourself too much to let him.

Scott is the easiest to talk to since he won’t shut up. You ask him one question and he’ll go off on a tangent that has nothing to do with what you asked him. Clint is more reserved and will only give you one or two-word answers. It’s clear he isn’t interested in talking with you. Sam is more talkative than Clint but loves to compare this to his experiences with the Air Force. Wanda is the only one you connect with on a personal level. There’s something about her that’s pulling you to her, and you know it’s not her magic.

The next time you see Wanda, you’ve brought her something to eat. She is lying in her bed when you enter, and she sits up to greet you.

“I don’t like what they serve. I brought you something from my personal stash,” you wink at her.

“Thank you,” she smiles.

You sit down on the other side of her bed and share your food with her even though you let her eat most of it.

“Tell me, do you like your powers?”

“I’m kind of stuck with them so I have to, right?”

“That’s not what I asked. Do you like them?”

“Sometimes, no.”

“How did you get them?”

She knows you know how she did but talking about it helps the mind come to terms with what happened so that it may start to heal from it.

“Do you want the short version or the long version?”

“Whatever version you’re comfortable with giving.”

“My parents were killed by a bomb hitting our complex. The bomb came from Stark Industries. Pietro and I grew up to hate Stark and anything that he did. We attended every protest against him, did everything we could to try and stop him from making weapons and destroying cities for his selfish purposes.

“Hydra saw us and gave us an opportunity to strengthen our country. They gave us a way to fight back those who had too much power. They had Loki’s scepter. Apparently, I was born with the ability of magic but it was so weak that had I not been with Hydra, it probably would have diminished into nothing. The experiments they did allowed the mind stone to reactivate that side of me. It gave me my abilities.”

“Did you want to volunteer for their experiments or do you think Pietro had to convince you to?”

“I think we wanted to matter. I think we were looking for a reason for why all the bad things were happening to us.”

“Do you think you’d do the same thing if you had the chance?”

“No, I don’t,” she sighs. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you do what you do? Why prisoners?”

“I believe in helping everyone regardless of what they’ve done. Some prisoners think prison is a rehab and use that to get better. Some don’t, but I believe in the power of medicine. I just want to help people.”

“And us?”

“I’d use medicine if I thought it would help. Honestly, I don’t think you guys have done anything wrong. I don’t think you guys deserve to be here. You’re heroes in my eyes, especially you.”

Wanda looks into your eyes and tries to understand what you’re thinking. Her cell has power-dampening technology in the walls so she can’t use her magic. She glances down at your lips. Time stops and the only thing that matters is Wanda. She barely moves an inch when the alarms go off and the red light flashes in the hallway.

“Shit, I gotta go.”

“What’s happening?”

“A prisoner escaped. Finish the food. I’ll be back for it later.”

Wanda watches you leave and she doesn’t realize she’s smiling until she sees her reflection in the glass. Ross got a handle on the prisoner who escaped. One of the nurses came by to administer medicine for him but they didn’t know that the prisoner doesn’t like to be touched without warning. He knocked her out. You’re the only one who knows this about him since he’s worked with you since he came here.

That took the next three hours of your time, so it’s nearing dinnertime when you’re finished. Wanda deserves more than the slop they serve, so you’ll fix her a plate from the nurses’ station. You’re plating the food when you hear commotion come from the other nurses.

“What’s going on?” you ask.

“Tony Stark is here.”

You drop what you’re doing and head over to the command center where you spot Tony talking to Ross.

“If Sam’s going to talk to anyone, it’s you, Tony.”

“Yeah, let me see what I can do.”

Steve and Bucky are men on the run, and Ross is searching for them since they violated those stupid Accords. Ross thinks if Tony talks to Sam, he’ll tell him where they are. Tony leaves Ross’ office and you rush to catch up to Tony.

“You’re not on Ross’ side, are you?” you whisper.

Tony pauses and looks at you. He doesn’t know who you are and he doesn’t trust you to reveal his true motives.

“Get back to work before you get in trouble.”

Yeah, he’s not on Ross’ side. Tony and Steve are best friends. He’s here because Steve needs him. If he is going to get Sam to tell him where Steve is, then he can’t let Ross know. Tony has a plan. You’re not sure what it is but you’re going to use it to your advantage. If this goes sideways, you’ll get fired but if it works, you can get Wanda out of here. You rush over to her cell and open the door without letting it close.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

“I need you to trust me for the next ten minutes. Come on, I’m getting you out of here.”

“What?”

“I don’t have much time. Tony is here talking to Sam. I don’t even know if this is going to work but I have to try. You don’t belong here, Wanda. None of you do. I won’t let you be hurt anymore. Come on.”

Wanda jumps out of bed and follows you out of her cell. She feels her powers heighten inside of her now that she is no longer under the influence of the power-dampening technology. All eyes are going to be on Tony so you’re banking on none of them seeing you and Wanda escaping.

You hold her hand the entire time you’re running with her to where Tony’s helicopter is. Of course, there are guards patrolling the area and moving shipments in and out of the area. If you go now, you’ll be spotted and she’ll be in even more trouble than she already is.

“Shit, that’s a lot of guards. I really didn’t think this through.”

“I got this,” she whispers.

She uses her magic and puts each and every one of the men to sleep. They all fall to the ground like dominoes, and you know you’ll have even less time to get her on that helicopter.

“Yeah, that works,” you nod. “Come on.” You run with Wanda to the helicopter and practically shove her inside. “Keep your head down and don’t let Tony see you.”

“Wait, what about you?”

“I have to stay and make sure they don’t find you. Don’t tell me where you’re going but I’ll find you, okay?”

“No, it’s too risky. You have to come with me.”

You pull her in for a hug and run your hand down her back.

“I have to help the others. It’s what I do, remember?” You pull away but keep your hands on her. “Wanda, you deserve to be free. Now, go before Tony comes back.”

You’re about to leave when she pulls you back into her. This time, her lips plant themselves on yours. You kiss her back feverishly, not knowing when the next time you’ll be able to do this again. You pull away seconds later and run away so that Tony doesn’t spot her. He comes walking out moments later with Ross on his heels.

Wanda peeks her head out one of the windows and looks at you. You give her an encouraging nod and disappear back into the prison. You have to have faith Friday disabled the audio and video but you’re prepared for the ugly alternative.

In case Ross figured out Wanda is gone and you helped her, you have to get the others out as soon as possible. They don’t belong here. They’re heroes and it’s time people start seeing them as that.

x

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[icarusredwings]

I rewatched Deadpool 2 and took notes.

Disclaimer: He's mentally ill and does mentally ill things (GASP, who would have thought?). Also, violence. A lot of violence. It's really long. Like.. really really long.

The very first words he says is "fuck wolverine"

Then blows his own head off with a shit ton of gasoline. Wonder if he had insurance on that appartment.

He started taking worldwide cases

He also admits to knowing "8th grade spanish"

"Passion of the christ. Then me." Says the man whos marvel jesus now.

I wonder how much wade owes cab guy.

Cab guy killed bandu Lmao

"What is it?"

"My IUD"

"A bomb??" Tell me why he was lowkey excited for it to be a bomb?

I love how serious he gets talking about how scared he is to be a dad.

This empire joke traveled from the first movie too.

"Pretty sure it doesn't work that way but we can try" yes.

When making toaster strudles its almost as if he could sense them coming despite it being so silent. This kind of makes me think that Logans not the only one who just jumps up sometimes.

This man really just said "Fuck it" jumped out of a 2 story window, BOLTED after this guy as fast as he could, got hit by a car, rammed another car, and whole ass hugged this guy before jumping in front of a truck with him. I don't want to see anyone try to tell me he's one sandwitch drop away from jumping off a cliff.

Cinatography by Blind Al.

Directed by one of those guys that killed john wicks dog.

God I love Ryan Reynolds because you know it was him.

Wade stop peeing your pants in public.

Weasel "We still have bowie..." Yeah id lie to him too at this point.

"Yeah im fine"

Fucked up

Insecure

Needy and

Emotional. Kübler ross apprently.

"Buck no more speaking lines for you" and he meant that shit.

Al is so humble and sweet. Making tea and giggling. Tries to shoot him and then just hears him collapse on the floor. How many times do you think he collapses on the floor a week? Just to be drimatic?

"Sweetheart can you speak up? Its a little hard to hear you with yhat pity dick in your mouth" Oh so shes his mom. Al is his fucking mom. Hands down. And the best one.

I love how he decided to do an entire bag of cocaine before dying. There was no reason for it and honestly was a waste of cocaine until you realize that these cocaine is wades whiskey. Shots dont work for him really, probably because hes already done it so much, but its the same way how Logan chugs that bottle before wade kidnaps him. Its easier to blame it on a substance then accept those were your actions.

Ness is so cute. The poster behind her has "I love you wade wilson" scratched into it. Its nice to know that his version of heaven is literally just a cozy Saturday morning with his wife.

Colossus just walking in to find wades body parts everywhere and put him in a bag like old dirty clothes lol

"Why cant I fucking die" tone was SO serious.

The fact that theres an x men rule book and its lowkey thicker then a bible. I bet you scott and Logan made 80% of those.

"That asshole was me" oh the tears. Baby boyy.

Wait isnt cable literally scotts son.

Im never going to understand this fucking time line jesus christ

Mutant rehabilitation?? What is he a drug addict? That kid is clearly in pain dipshits.

"X men trainee" is so funny

"Please stop cheating on me"

Daniel the pedophile looking ass

Bro casually signs ryan reynolds on the wolverine cereal box and then destroys his knee caps.

"Those guys hurt you??" It was at that moment, wade went ape shit.

Wade having fun in prison is so him. But come on imagine going to prison just for standing up to an abused child. Not to mention, His face when he immediately realizes how fucked he is and that "oh shit I actually DO have cancer now and it SUCKS"

Is it just me or does Cable reminds you of forge with all his cool fix it abilities. Or is he just futurey.

He didn't say were not friends to make him upset but to draw attention to himself. Him just eye rolling when stabbed in the hand was so funny too because he was like "Ouch. God damn it. Ducking OUCH."

Hes literally pleading with russel to find someone else to peotect him or hes gonna get molested because he cant do anything. His entire power is replacing dead cells WITH new cancer cells. His entire body is dying 24/7 but never fast enough to actually kill him, always regrowing way too quickly. Cancerous is better then dead.

"Get away from me kid" yeah cause he knows hes trouble and he REALLY doesn't wanna watch this kid die.

"Who the hell tries to kill a 14 year old boy"

"Kids give us a chance to be better then we used to be"

Dopinder is so wholesome. I love him so much. No i dont care that he killed a guy. Hes the type of friend you call to take to the movies or the zoo once every year and hes stoked just to be invited.

Peter: I just thought it looked fun :D

Dopinder: FUCK

Peter is that one dad whos kids left the nest and now he needs friends and a hobby so searches for the biggest weirdos he can find.

"Grab the boy- NOT INAPPROPRIATELY >:("

i love his crayon maps/plans

Oh my god weasel im not telling you anything ever again you snitch (same dude, cable is terrifying)

After crying over the love he has for his new team (x force) Wade confirms that he spent 10 years in special forces.

I love how supportive wade is with Peter despite him just being a normal dude only for him to immediately die LMAO

He just cassually lets his impulse win in which he steals a moped.

Oh i just noticed Dominos vitiligo. I always loved vitiligo charaters. Theyre so unique and barley ever given movie roles. Like why not?? Why wouldnt you want someone so beautiful? Im pretty sure she just has make up but it would be cool if not.

Something else is that cable just starts yeeting criminals out onto the street lol

"Theres nothing I cant kill" Let me intorduce you to the man whos on a constant road to dying but can never actually get there.

Im assuming cable wants to kill russel because he unleashes a big bad guy or something.

*cassually snaps neck back into place* Oh god that hurt!

Oh I was right! It was Juggernaut :)

Wade: *gets excited about being PHYSICALLY ripped in half*

"Rub my legs mama 🥺 I got growing pains"

"Oh noo! No no no Dp not again!" We love you Dopinder. Do not ever stop caring. "This shits happened before!?" Yes weasel. Sometimes your friends get ripped in half. Get used to it.

Wade just moves her gun to the right position.

Wade talking about saving russel is so serious that it makes you forget that he has a tiny baby ass rn. I couldn't make a deal with someone woth tiny baby legs... just... no. Not to mention that those baby legs are made of cancer.

"50 years from now you're super fucking dead"

Wade standing outside of the xmen mansion with his phone and a picture of a boom box playing music for Colossus to come outside and help him save russel is something i can see happening to Logan. They have a fight and he storms off to the mansion only for wade to stand outside like that.

"Hi Wade🎀✨️" "Hi Yukio!🥹 you guys make a super cute couple 😊 where was I? 🤨"

"So you wear a helmet so your brother cant read your mind?" "Yeaaahh" average kid conversations.

"Lets fuck some shit up is my legal middle name"

Okay sir edgelord.

Apprently wade has a gluten sensitivity

What is it with wade and metal men??? My man has a type.

"Im just gonna use this brick and maximum effort" Same wade. Same.

Yaayy!! Go yukio! Eveyone loves yukio.

"Thats how we do it in mother russia" What? Shoving an electrical cable up their ass and then put them in a pool? Damn. Ok.

That "I never should have never left you in that prison" with the hug? Man hed be a decent dad I think.

"Dont be ive been trying to make this happen for awhile" okay someone supervise him 24/7. Hes on the active watch list.

Wade: *is dying* Hi Yukio :D

Yukio: Hi wade :)

"R-dog" Oh my god hes too cute.

Them carrying the racist joke all the way til the end made me cringe but that was the point.

His last words being "do you wanna build a snow man?" Is such a deadpool thing.

I was NOT expecting to cry at the end of this stupid ass movie, AGAIN

"Dont fuck colossus" VANESSA KNEW

THE FUCKING COIN

"Is there a knife in my dick?" "There's a knife in your dick."

Oh I just didn't even notice she has heterochromancia! <3 Aahh!!

PFFT DOPINDERS SECOND CONFIRMED KILL

"WERE DEFINITELY NAMINF OUR KID CHER"

"Dont scratch!" *shoots himself 8 times* "Love you! Bye."

Wolverine: ???

[happy74827]

Prisoner of Love

[S6! Mike Ross x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: Making the effort to explain himself, Mike certainly has a lot on his plate, including breaks, not just from jail.

WC: 3205

Category: Slight Angst, Slight Fluff

This was an intrusive thought that I just wrote up last night… so, enjoy! (thanks for your wonderful feedback @yoursacredqueenmother)

『••✎••』

“Mike?”

You were in utter shock to see your friend Mike standing in front of you. Your best friend, the one person who always seemed to be there for you no matter what had turned out to be not only a complete fraud but also now a criminal. You were in such a state of disbelief that you hadn't realized you were standing there, looking at him, with your mouth agape and eyes wide.

After you said his name, you didn't know what else to say. Mike stood there with his hands on the door frame, not wanting to take one step forward and risk coming inside your apartment. He looked nervous, his head darting all over, trying to avoid eye contact with you. His breathing was quick and short as if he had just run a marathon, and his lips were pressed into a fine line, which meant that he was thinking of something to say.

Mike was arrested, he was in jail for two years because of a plea deal, and now here he was, standing in front of you only weeks later like it was any other day.

The silence was killing you. Mike still wouldn't make eye contact, and you were starting to feel the anger boil up inside of you. You felt betrayed. You had spent almost four years working at Pearson-Hardman with him and Rachel, and you considered yourself friends with him and his “on a break” girlfriend, so this came as a huge shock to you. You never saw him as a fraud, never would have suspected it in a million years, but here he was—a liar, a con artist, and now a fugitive.

Mike finally looked up at you, and the first thing he noticed was the tears forming in your eyes. Seeing you cry hurt him, but not as much as the words that came out of your mouth.

"Go away."

His eyes gave away the fact that he clearly was expecting this, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. The blue turned a dark gray, the way they always did when he was upset, and his eyes fell back down to the floor.

"Look, I— I’m not here to make excuses. I know that I just… Don’t you even care to know why I’m here? What happened to me?" He asked, finally finding the strength to keep eye contact.

"Could be more bullshit," you said, folding your arms across your chest and leaning against the door. You didn’t want to admit that you did want to know what happened to him. You were concerned; of course, you were. That was part of the reason you were so upset with him. Even after all that he put you through, the worry for him was still there.

"Can I at least explain myself?" Mike asked, and you rolled your eyes at his question.

"You already did, Mike. Well, everyone except me, apparently. You, Rachel, Harvey, Jessica, Louis. All of you knew about this, but I didn't. And why is that?"

"I told you I didn't want you to get involved," Mike replied. “You don’t deserve to go down for my mistakes. It was selfish of me to do that, I know that, but I thought I was protecting you."

"Yeah, well, you just stabbed me in the back instead," you said.

"Can I come inside? I only have so much time before—"

"Oh, so you’re protecting me again?" You asked, not waiting for an answer. "By breaking out of prison and coming to my place. I don't even want to think about what would happen to me if someone found out I'm hiding a fugitive!"

"I’m not—” Mike took a second to compose himself and start again. He couldn’t blame you for being so mad, not after everything he did. "I didn’t break out. I got released… sort of. It’s a bit messy, but to sum it up, I’ve got six hours with an ankle monitor."

"Then why are you here? Why not with Harvey?" You asked. "Or Rachel? I'm sure she’d be glad to see you, and she's better equipped to handle this."

"’Cause we need to talk. Now, can you let me inside, please? I’m feeling a little exposed out here," he said, his hand motioning towards the outside hallway.

Jokes. Of course, he would use jokes at a time like this.

“… Fine. You have an hour, tops. Then you have to leave," you said, taking a step back to let him inside.

Mike wasted no time stepping into your apartment, and as soon as you shut the door, his hands were on your shoulders, and he was pulling you into him. Your eyes went wide, and you had no idea what was going on. It was only when you felt his wet cheek against your own that you realized he was crying.

"I missed you," Mike said. “So so much."

It was like your brain went on autopilot, and suddenly, your arms were around him, and you were squeezing him tight. It was like nothing had changed. It was like no time had passed since you had last seen him, and it was so overwhelming that it had brought tears back to your eyes.

"I missed you too," you said, your voice quiet and barely above a whisper.

Mike pulled away from the hug but still had his hands on your shoulders. He was smiling at you, and his eyes were no longer that dark gray they were before but back to that bright blue.

"I’m sorry I never got to explain why I did what I did," Mike started, his voice a little shaky. "I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I couldn't. I didn’t want to put you in that position."

"But you were able to tell Rachel, Donna, and even Louis?" You asked.

"To be fair, Rachel figured it out on her own, and Donna knew from the moment I started working at Pearson-Hardman."

"What about Louis?"

"That was a whole different thing," Mike said, chuckling a bit. "He was a bit… theatrical, to say the least."

"But that still doesn't explain why you were able to tell them but not me."

At this, he looked away from you, his head turning and looking out the window. The night sky was beautiful, the way the full moon shone, and how the city lights made everything glow, including his face. The reflection of the moon against his skin made his eyes stand out, and the streetlights made him look like he was glowing.

"I knew you would understand," he finally said. "You would be the one person to listen to me and actually give me a chance, and I was afraid of that. If I had told you, I would've been afraid of what would've happened, and I would've probably ended up convincing myself to leave."

"Leave and do the right thing," you said.

"Maybe. But it doesn't matter. I'm here now, and we're talking," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile. “I’m making up for it now."

"Yeah, yeah," you said, rolling your eyes. You couldn't help but smile as well.

"But, there's one other reason why I didn't tell you. And it's not because I didn't trust you, because I trust you more than anyone. It's just that I— I—" Mike stopped himself, taking a moment to figure out his words. His eyes were looking everywhere, but at you, and the more he avoided your gaze, the more concerned you became. "I just, I wanted to protect you. Because I—"

Before he could finish, a knock came from the door. Mike looked at the clock, and the time read 2:04 AM. Who would be visiting at this time? You didn't have to wonder long as Mike's watch started to beep, and the knock became a more forceful bang.

"Mike, let's go!" Someone yelled from the other side of the door. A very familiar voice, too.

"Who is that?" You asked.

Mike ignored your question, instead walking towards the door. His hand was on the knob, and he took a deep breath, preparing himself.

The door flew open as soon as he opened it, and a very angry Harvey Specter stood on the other side.

"Where the hell have you been?" He asked.

"Calm down, Harvey. I was with her," Mike said, motioning towards you. "We were catching up."

"Catching up? Mike, do you not care about getting out of this mess or not? I told you I had a plan, but if you go running off on your own, it's not gonna work."

"Oh, is this another one of your great plans? The ones I get left out of?" You asked, moving past Mike and standing between him and Harvey.

Mike practically face-palmed himself when he heard you speak up. This was definitely not the way he planned things to go. Just as he finally was on the path of making things right, things went downhill once again.

"I would be happy to explain the details of the plan to you if someone," he glanced over at Mike, who looked down at his feet, "cared to follow it. Now, can we get going? The car and Cahill are waiting."

"Five minutes, Harvey.”

"Mike,” Harvey said, his tone showing how frustrated he was becoming.

"Five. Minutes."

Another minute was wasted with the two men staring each other down, and the air was filled with tension. It was a stare-off, and neither seemed like they were going to back down. You stood there, watching and wondering whether you should make an escape or not, but were too intrigued to move.

Harvey broke the silence with a sigh, his head dropping.

"Fine. But if you aren’t downstairs in five minutes, I'm dragging your ass down whether you like it or not."

And with that, Harvey turned around and walked away with that sense of confidence he always seemed to have. You watched him until he turned the corner, and when you turned back, Mike was smiling.

"What are you smiling about? Your best friend is still mad at you," you said. It came out more sarcastically than you had hoped, but you didn't really care at this point.

“Are you? Still mad, I mean," he asked, ignoring your snarky remark. “It seems like you aren’t."

"I am. I still feel hurt, but I can't stay mad at you. You know how much I suck at staying mad at people," you said.

"It’s a problem, yeah."

"Hey!" You exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder.

"Well, it is. You have a tendency to let people walk all over you and forgive them for the shitty things they do. Which, might I add, is not always the right thing to do."

"So, I shouldn’t forgive you? Logic isn’t really logicking, Michael," you said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"It is, and that’s not a real word," Mike laughed. “Besides, Michael? When did that start happening?”

"You’re the one with the photographic memory. Shouldn’t you know?"

Now you were both laughing. Like the good old days, the two of you would sit in his office or at his apartment, cracking jokes and laughing about the most ridiculous things: movies, TV shows, music, whatever.

You missed this. You missed him.

"I have to go," Mike said, the smile not leaving his face.

"Yeah," you said, the same sad smile on your lips. “Hey, is uh… is prison any fun?"

"Why, you wanna come visit?" Mike asked, chuckling a bit. You could tell he was faking his laugh, though. He was putting up a front, trying to seem like everything was okay when it clearly wasn’t.

"No, I mean… You’re okay, right? Harvey’s been talking about this Gallo guy, and it seems pretty bad," you said.

"I’m okay. I’ll be okay," Mike said, placing his hands on your shoulders. You couldn't help but notice how cold his hands were, and he couldn't help but notice the sadness in your eyes.

"Don’t look at me like that," he said.

"Like what?"

"Like that. The thing that you do when you know that something bad is going to happen," Mike said.

"You can't know that for sure," you said, your eyes not meeting his.

"But I do. Look at me."

You lifted your head, and his eyes bore into yours. It was almost as if he was trying to look straight into your soul.

"I will be fine. I promise. As long as you're not mad at me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, Mike," you said, staring into his blue eyes. They were brighter than ever despite the situation.

Mike's hand reached up to cup your cheek, and at first, you thought he was just wiping away a tear, but he didn’t move. He just kept his hand there, and his gaze never left yours.

"Mike..."

He was staring at your lips, and his eyes had a look in them you had never seen before. It was almost like a hunger, a longing for something.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice just as quiet.

"What are you doing?"

Mike moved his head closer to yours, and the distance between you was getting shorter.

"Mike," you said again, and he finally looked back into your eyes. The longing look was still there, but this time it was more prominent, and there was a slight fear. “What about Rachel?"

Mike's thumb stroked your cheek, and he let out a long breath, closing his eyes.

"She knows."

"Wha—"

But you couldn't finish because, in a split second, Mike's lips were on yours. His kiss was soft, and his hands were pulling you in closer. Your arms found their way around his neck, and one hand ran through his hair, which was much shorter than before. It didn’t take long for him to part his lips and allow your tongue to meet his.

Your heart was racing, and the butterflies in your stomach were going crazy. This wasn’t like any of the other kisses you had before, not like the quick, rushed kisses you shared with your ex or the ones that felt like dead weight against your lips.

This kiss was perfect. A well-crafted masterpiece that was made to make you feel loved. You didn’t realize just how badly you needed a kiss like this. You didn't know that was what was missing, but now that you had it, you realized how empty you were without it.

And when the two of you finally pulled apart, Mike was smiling. It was a big, genuine smile that lit up his face and made his eyes bright. It was a look that could light up a dark room.

"Rachel and I talked a lot while I was inside, and we decided that... that she deserved better. I couldn’t give her the life that she deserved. She was still stuck with me, even when I was away. We were both miserable, and it was time to put an end to it," he said, and a sad smile made its way onto his face.

"So…”

"She's okay. Really. She also knows about how much you mean to me, and she's okay with this."

"Really?" You asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She also told me a wonderful piece of information about how you apparently love me."

"You did not just—"

"I did, and now we have to talk about that."

"Nope," you said, popping the 'p.' "You have a prison to go to and a plan to complete. So, get going. You've already wasted enough time."

"Aw, but I love talking about how much you like me," he said, a teasing smile on his face.

"Out."

Mike's smile widened, and he gave you one last quick kiss.

"Okay. I'm going."

Mike took a few steps towards the door, but then turned back to look at you. He didn't say anything, but instead just stared. He didn't have that hungry look in his eyes anymore, but a more content look.

Like he was taking in the last few moments he would have with you. A picture in his mind to cherish, and to remember you by.

"Mike?"

He took a deep breath, and looked at the floor, preparing himself for the next few moments.

"I don’t regret anything. And, if I had a chance to go back and do things differently, I wouldn’t change a single thing. Except maybe not getting caught," Mike said, his laugh coming out dry. "But, besides that, I don't regret any of it. Everything that happened, the people I've met, and the things I've done. The only thing I regret is not telling you sooner… about my feelings. How much I care for you. But, I want you to know that, I would do everything a million times over. If I knew that, in the end, it would lead me here, to this moment, with you, I would do it.”

He paused, and took another breath. It was clear he was struggling with his words, and the way he was looking at the ground showed that he was trying his best not to cry.

"I just wanted to tell you all of this before I go because I don’t know what will happen next. When I see you next, you know? I'm I just— I needed you to know, and I hope that, wherever I end up, and whatever happens, I’m glad we worked things out. At least, a little bit.”

You just stared. You knew Mike could feel your eyes on him, and that he probably didn’t like the silence, but you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything. Instead, you just took in everything that was him.

He was standing in the doorway, his hands in his pockets. He looked so casual, despite the fact that he was about to go off to prison… well, not at that moment— but soon. It was like it was a normal day, and he was just hanging out with his friends.

His blue eyes were no longer on the floor, and instead were back on you. He gave you one last small, sad smile, before turning around and leaving the apartment.

You watched as he turned the corner and disappeared from your view. It was quiet, the only sounds were your own breathing and the sounds from the city below. You could hear the cars driving by, and the faint sound of sirens in the distance.

Everything was so different now. Everything was so strange.

Before, your world revolved around Mike. No matter what, he was always there. He was the thing that held you together and what tore you apart. And, for the past couple of months, everything had fallen apart. You were in a state of chaos, and nothing was right.

And yet, in just a matter of minutes, everything changed.

You weren’t sure if everything would work out, and you weren't sure what the future held. But, at least now, things were back to how they should be.

Or as close as they could be.

[meidui]

the way tony is so ruthless when he's fighting steve in siberia but then steve actually goes down and tony tells him to stay down but when has steve ever stayed down and this time tony just stands there watching him get back up and we don't get to see tony's face because the iron man helmet is on.... he was probably feeling the most convoluted compound of hurt and hatred and anger and admiration and oh my god i'm going to chew through his titanium gold alloy

i give this movie so much shit but the choice of showing robert's face versus only showing the exterior of the iron man armour in the sibera fight scene is so good because when we see his face either exposed or with the hud (did you know) (do you even remember them) (i don't care, he killed my mom) (so was i) (that shield doesn't belong to you, you don't deserve it, my father made that shield), he's being very human and sympathetic, and to me it kind of shows how steve is also seeing *tony* and we're reminded that tony is steve's friend and a protagonist as well, but when his face is hidden (for example when he blows off bucky's arm and during the whole sequence between "so was i" and steve finally disabling the suit) it's like he's being poised as the villain in the scene but then the helmet comes off in the end and tony's all battered and broken under there too just like steve is and aahhhhhh

what would it actually take for them to break up forever?? i think NOTHING because tony tried to kill james bucky fucking barnes and steve not only never faulted him for it, he sat down and wrote him a letter where his first words were "i'm glad you're back at the compound, i don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself" and the last words were "if you need me, i'll be there"???? and tony's bruise hasn't even healed yet when ross calls about the raft prison break and he doesn't think twice about covering steve's ass????? WHAT THE FUC K IS WRONG WITH THEM

[literaryavenger]

Captain America: Civil War - 3

Summary: The Winter Soldier gets triggered and it's up to Steve, Sam and you to make sure that Bucky doesn't get killed, doesn't kill anyone and doesn't get locked up again.

Pairing: Avengers x Reader, slight Bucky x Reader

Warnings: Descriptions of violence. Language. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 3.1K

A/N: Just to be clear, Bucky x Reader is my endgame, which is why I was so looking forward to get to Civil War because I knew I could get some scenes with Reader and our thicc Civil War Bucky.

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

You get to the FBI bunker and get out of the SUV as Bucky’s pod is carried away by a forklift.

You and Steve both look at Bucky and, as Steve looks away, Bucky’s eyes meet yours for a second before he looks away again. All you can think about is how broken he looks, almost ashamed of his current situation.

You walk with Sam, Steve and T’Challa towards Sharon and a short man in a great suit.

“What's gonna happen to him?” You can’t help but ask.

“Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition.” the little man says.

“This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander.” Sharon informs us.

“What about our lawyer?” Steve asks.

“Lawyer. That's funny.” Ross says. “See their weapons are placed in lockup. Oh, we'll write you a receipt.”

“I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that.” Sam says as they walk away with your gear.

You see the man carrying your gear playing around with a particular gadget. “I wouldn’t touch that, if I were you.” You warn him.

Almost as if just to piss you off the man activates the gadget and gets electrocuted, falling to the ground as you start laughing with a quiet "Dumbass".

As some other agents go to help the idiot you turn back to the group, Sam is grinning too and Sharon and T’Challa seem amused but Steve and Everett are glaring at you.

“What? I told him not to touch it!” You defend yourself, but it’s very clear you’re amused and have no regrets.

You all start walking, following Ross and he starts talking. “You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now, do me a favor, stay in it?”

“I don't intend on going anywhere.” T’Challa says as Natasha joins your little group.

“For the record, this is what making things worse looks like.” She says looking directly at Steve.

“He's alive.” Steve answers as we approach Tony talking on the phone. You have to give it to Steve, at least he's consistent.

“No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. And, Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup.” Tony says on the phone.

“Try not to break anything while we fix this.” Natasha tells you all and you roll your eyes at her.

“Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.” Tony ends the call.

“'Consequences'?” You ask as you raise your eyebrow, your tone and facial expression clearly skeptical, not believing for a second that he’s serious about this.

“Secretary Ross wants all three of you prosecuted.” Tony answers. “Had to give him something.”

And, there he is. You chuckle quietly and could swear you saw a smirk in Tony’s face for a second.

“I'm not getting that shield back, am I?” Steve asks.

“Technically, it's the government's property.” Natasha says as she starts walking away before turning to you and Sam. “Wings and gear, too.”

“That's cold.” Sam says and you groan in annoyance; you love your gear.

“Warmer than jail.” Tony yells back while walking away with Nat and you roll your eyes.

You sigh deeply and turn to the two gentlemen next to you.

“Well, this is great.” You say sarcastically and, before they can say anything, some agents escort you and Sam to the office Ross spoke of, from which you can see the security cameras on Bucky, while Steve gets taken to another room for what you assume is gonna be questioning.

-

You and Sam are seated at the table next to each other as you see Bucky’s prison pod get connected to a pipe and the light inside it dims for a moment, just as Steve comes into the room where you and Sam are.

“What did they ask you?” You ask Steve as he comes to a stop in front of the glass where he can keep an eye on Bucky.

“Nothing, I was talking to Tony.” There's a pause where none of you talk, just watching Bucky before Steve quietly says. “Wanda’s being detained at the Compound.”

“What?!” you say loudly, startling both men. “What do you mean, she's detained?!”

“I think Tony doesn't want another accident to happen, so she's currently confined to the Compound” Steve elaborates.

“Fucking Stark…” You mumble under your breath, shaking your head in disappointment as you see Tony joining Natasha in the control room with Ross. You ignore Steve’s glare at your cursing and focus on Bucky in the screens in front of you even though you can't hear anything. 

Your heart breaks a little for him at the way he’s being treated. After all Bucky’s whole situation wasn’t his choice, just a surprising amount of bad luck in the past 80 years.

After a minute Sharon enters the office you’re sitting in, handing us some papers. “The receipt for your gear.”

“‘Bird costume’? Come on!” Sam whines as you snort and laugh as he glares at you before glaring at Sharon.

“I didn’t write it.” She says defensively, then pushes a button that stops the restriction on the audio from Bucky’s cell and allows us to hear it on the little screen in the corner.

“I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions.” you can hear the psychiatrist say. “Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky.” Bucky says calmly. 

It’s the first time you hear him speak clearly and your eyes are glued to the screen. His voice is deep and gruff and you can’t help but find it attractive. You take a moment to really look at him and you think to yourself, for a brainwashed psycho assassin that’s almost 100 years old, he’s really quite handsome, isn’t he?

You’re brought back to the present by Steve’s voice. “Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?” He’s standing in front of the monitor, looking at the blurry photo of Bucky that was released on the news.

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Sharon answers.

“Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding.” Steve continues. “Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

“You're saying someone framed him to find him?” You say with a frown, trying to follow his train of thought.

“Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.” Sam points out.

“We didn't bomb the UN.” You point out absentmindedly. 

“That turns a lot of heads.” Steve adds.

“Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would.” Sharon says before trailing off and all of our attention drifts back to the screen where Bucky is being questioned by the psychiatrist. 

“Yeah.” Steve says quietly.

“Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?” the doctor asks.

“I don't want to talk about it.” Bucky says quietly.

“You fear that… if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry.” The doctor taps his tablet to see something and you frown, everyone else’s expressions mirroring yours. “We only have to talk about one.”

Suddenly the lights go out in the bunker and you all look around confused. You can see people freaking out in the control room, Tony using FRIDAY through his glasses and Natasha looking around.

You look at Sharon and she simply says “Sub-level 5, east wing.” And you, Sam and Steve rapidly exit the room and head towards Bucky.

You arrive outside the chamber, red emergency lights flashing all around and agents slumped on the floor, all out cold.

You hear a feeble “Help me” and see the psychiatrist on the floor, clearly conscious, asking for help. Steve steps towards him and enters the room where Bucky's pod is, you barely enter it and Sam is right behind you at the threshold.

“Get up” He says and harshly grabs the doctor, shoving him against the wall. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“To see an empire fall.” Is all he says.

Suddenly there's movement behind you and you quickly turn around just in time to avoid Sam getting thrown into you and he lands against the pod instead. 

You barely have time to react when you feel a punch in the stomach and stagger backwards against the wall, knocking the air out of you. You slide down on it and take a second to compose yourself as Steve starts fighting Bucky.

After what feels like a second Bucky sends Steve down an elevator and walks away. You groan and quickly get up, going to the elevator first.

“Please be alive, Rogers!” You shout down, as you try to look down.

“I’m okay!” He shouts back and you let out a breath of relief. “Find him!”

You don’t waste a second and run after him, catching up to him as he’s beating up a guard.

You put yourself in the middle of it after Bucky gets the better hand on the agent and takes his baton, you kick Bucky on the stomach but he barely moves.

At least you have his attention now and, when he looks at you, his eyes seem empty and void of any emotions. That’s not the same person you saw before. Those are not the same eyes you met when you got to the bunker. 

You hesitate for a second and that’s enough for him to get the upper hand, grabbing you and throwing you over a table. He has a gun you assume he took from the other agent and aims it at you but, just as he’s about to pull the trigger, he gets disoriented by a stun-burst from Tony,that makes you cover your ears, then there’s a flash of light and then Bucky and Tony are fighting.

You take a moment to breathe and suddenly Tony’s on the ground and you go to him to make sure he’s okay while Natasha and Sharon take care of Bucky.

“Are you okay?” You ask him, worried, helping him sit up.

“Just dandy.” He says breathlessly.

Both of your attentions go to Sharon when she gets slammed into a table next to you and you both go to her. She’s conscious but before you can say anything, she points to something behind you and you turn around to see Bucky getting tackled off of Natasha by T’Challa.

You get up and go to Natasha as she’s taking in deep breaths after Bucky almost choked her, you help her sit up before turning around but both Bucky and T’Challa are already gone.

When you turn back to Natasha, she’s already looking at you. “Go” is all she says and you know she’s right, you should go before you get detained again. 

You nod to her and all but run outside, where you see Sam just standing there in the middle of the running crowd. You go to him and, when he notices you, he shows you a hoodie that you assume to be the psychiatrist’s.

“I lost the doctor.” He confirms your theory.

“I lost the soldier.” You tell him and he sighs, as you both look around.

“We should get out of here” He says after a moment, looking at a group of guards.

You follow his line of sight and when you notice the guards too, you say “Yes, we should.” and you both start almost running, putting as much distance between yourselves and the FBI as you can.

-[Time skip to when they’re in the warehouse because I’m lazy and don’t want to make up all the stuff in the middle]-

While Steve and Sam wait for Bucky to regain consciousness you go to look for a first aid kit.

You’re all mostly fine, but Bucky has a cut in the forehead that Steve informed you occurred when he hit the windshield of a chopper, which is why he is unconscious.

It takes you a little time to get back to the abandoned warehouse they’re hiding in because of the pain in your torso, which you’re pretty sure is because your ribs are bruised.

By the time you’re back Bucky is awake and his metal arm is free. You hear him talking as you get closer to the room they’re in and the last thing he says is “You’d never see them coming.” before the three men notice you.

You completely enter the room, standing next to Sam but your eyes don’t leave Bucky, rightfully wary of the man.

“Don’t worry, he’s back to himself.” Steve says when he notices your careful and calculated moves.

“I am worried. He also tried to kill me as himself.” You say, looking away from Bucky and to the two men next to you.

“I wasn’t trying to kill you, I was trying not to get captured by you.” Bucky addresses you directly for the first time ever with an accusatory tone.

“Semantics.” You answer, looking back at him and narrowing your eyes. Your defiant, but admittedly childish, answer seems to surprise Bucky but it gets a chuckle out of Sam and a groan out of Steve.

“Just… please.” Steve says to you, almost begging you. “Help him.”

You roll your eyes and groan, mumbling an annoyed “Fine.” while cautiously moving towards Bucky. As you kneel in front of him and open the first aid kit you can hear Steve and Sam talking, but pay them no mind.

“You know I’m a supersoldier, right?” Bucky asks you quietly.

“Supersoldiers can bleed too.” you say while looking down and not at him, looking through the stuff in the kit. “The image of an unconscious and beaten up Steve in a hospital bed comes to mind.”

He knows you’re talking about Steve’s conditions after the whole Project Insight situation in DC, and you can tell he feels bad about it as he instantly looks away from you.

“Sorry,” you say with a sigh “That was mean.”

He seems to perk up a little at your apology and looks back at you.

“It’s okay.” You look up at him. “I kind of deserved it.”

You smile a little at this, and start to take out the stuff you’ll need as you say “You kind of did.”

You go to clean his cut but wince slightly, you almost forgot about your injuries. You take a deep breath and start carefully cleaning his cut and the blood off his forehead.

“Did I hurt you?” He asks you quietly, seemingly concerned that you’re in pain.

“Don’t worry.” You tell him just as quietly. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Sergeant.”

“I bet you can, doll.” You almost feel like you imagined the nickname, but you’re positive you saw a grin on his face for half a second.

You can feel his eyes glued to your face as you take care of his cut, silently watching you work. You almost feel like he’s memorizing every detail of your face, like he’s trying to figure out everything about you right in that instance. 

When you’re done you take a second to look into his eyes, expecting him to look away, but he holds your gaze and you feel your heart skip a beat by the intensity of his stare. After a moment you slowly get up, your eyes still locked on his and take a step back.

When you finally turn around you see Steve watching your interaction with a very curious look and, when you meet his eyes, he raises an eyebrow at you. You roll your eyes and ignore his silent question, getting closer to him and looking around for Sam, who you see just outside the room on the phone.

“Who’s he talking to?” You ask Steve.

“Don’t know” He shrugs. “Just said he knew a guy.” 

A second later Sam gets closer as he ends the call.

“Alright, thanks, Scott.” He says and hangs up.

You raise your eyebrow at him. “Scott? Really?” You ask smirking and he groans, rolling his eyes while Steve just looks at us confused at why you’re so amused by this because he still doesn’t know about the time Scott breached the Compound and kicked Sam’s ass.

-

“I’m just saying, this isn’t really the most practical getaway car…” You say as the four of you make your way to meet Sharon in an old Volkswagen Beetle.

“It’s low profile” Steve defends his choice from in front of you, Bucky in the backseat to your right and Sam in front of him in the passenger’s seat.

“It’s really not, Steve.” you say back as Steve groans, prompting a snicker from Sam and, surprisingly, from Bucky too. You’re about to point out that this old car sticks out when Steve parks and gets out to talk to Sharon.

You can’t hear what they’re saying but you can see them looking at the Buggy for a second before Sharon opens the trunk of her car. Your joy about seeing your gear is a little overshadowed by Bucky’s voice as he talks to Sam.

“Can you move your seat up?” He asks, surprisingly polite.

“No.” Is all Sam says, being the petty bitch that he is. You roll your eyes at him, you get that the last time a car was involved with Bucky in the mix it didn’t go great, but still.

“Here, switch with me.” You tell Bucky and pull him to the middle seat, then climb over him to slide into his seat, being sure to smack Sam in the back of his head as you go and smirking at the loud “Ow” he lets out. You look back at Bucky and see him blushing slightly and you can’t help but smile.

When you look back at Steve and Sharon you can see them kissing and you let out an amused giggle. It looks like Captain Virgin finally got some.

They talk for another second before Sharon goes to her car and Steve turns to the three of you as you all smirk and you even wink at him. You can see him groan and roll his eyes before grabbing your gear and putting it in the trunk of the Buggy.

When he gets into the driver’s seat the only thing he says is “Not one word.” while the three of you quietly laugh but don’t tease him further.

He drives off and you look out the window, knowing that the hardest part is about to come. Whatever comes next sure won’t be as fun. 

Requested taglist: @sapphirebarnes @aki-ham

[traveler-at-heart]

Finding Home

Summary: This is a series imagining what it was life for Natasha after joining S.H.I.E.L.D. - First few chapters feature a platonic relationship but maybe it will develop. Who knows! Let's enjoy the ride :)

Warnings: Mentions of trauma, past violence.

Part 1

“You can’t be serious”

“I am always serious, Barton”

Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t know what else to do, how to make this situation any better. Take down an enemy, that’s easy. You just shoot an arrow.

This required more than an arrow.

“She helped us kill Dreykov. What more proof do you want, Fury?”

“I want training. And regular sessions with a S.H.I.E.L.D. shrink. And constant surveillance”

“So I’m a babysitter now?” Clint looked out the window.

“You made a decision, Barton, and now it’s time to stick by it” Fury said in a tone that made it clear the conversation was over.

“Yeah, but I was expecting a little more help from your side” the man grumbled. They both stared out the window.

“I already did. Secretary Ross wanted to prosecute you”

—

Clint left Fury’s office, aware that Natasha was following him. He was used to it by now. Without speaking to her, he walked to one of the tables in the cafeteria, resting his head on his hands.

The redhead stood by the wall, looking around as if she was ready to escape.

Maybe she would, and then he’d be so screwed not even Fury could help him.

“What’s wrong?” he heard a voice say. Clint lifted his head and saw you, smiling at him.

“I have a headache”

“And a shadow” you nodded to Natasha. As one of Fury’s apprentices, you’d heard about her already. The young woman before you was stunning in a way that was hard to ignore.

Her green eyes examined you as you leaned forward, offering your hand to introduce yourself. She kept staring and Clint chuckled.

“Scary” you said, not taking offense in her guarded demeanor. “So, what now?”

“I don’t know. I need to clear my head” the man stood up. “Wanna come to the gym with us?”

“After you”

—

Natasha was beautiful, yes. But now you understood the Black Widow monicker completely.

In a matter of minutes, she left Clint completely defeated.

Good thing she was on your side, right?

“Agent Y/L/N” Fury walked up to you as you left the gym, still thinking about Natasha’s incredible technique.

“Sir?”

“What do you make of Romanoff?”

“Well… she’s... I don’t think I have the words. She doesn’t need training, that’s for sure. In fact, she should be training our people”

“I need to know if I can trust her first. The way I trust you, and Barton, and Hills”

You crossed your arms, because Fury already knew what the plan was gonna be. And all you could do was listen and accept it.

“The secret Penthouse. I already told Maria to give you access and everything you need. Natasha stays there with you. Earn her trust”

“I can’t lie to her, Fury, and neither can you. A golden prison is still a prison” he rolled his eyes and you tried to hide your smile. It was always fun to annoy Fury with your morals.

“This is what I imagine it would be like to work with Captain America. And it ain’t fun, Y/L/N”

“I’m not saying I won’t help”

“But you’ll do it your way. Fine. No one listens to me anymore”

“Maybe you’re going soft”

—

Fury requested daily reports, which was to be expected. Except you only saw Natasha once and she barely spoke to you.

You cooked all three meals, trying to guess what she’d liked, knocked on her door to let her know it was time to eat, and then she’d wait for you to finish to come out.

Same with training. She hit the gym at break of dawn. You only saw her whenever you drove her to Doctor Taylor’s office, who was assigned to her case and then later, before dinner when she’d answer your questions about her work as a Black Widow and gave you all the information she could remember about Dreykov’s operations.

A week after moving to the penthouse, Fury and Maria showed up.

“We’re just checking”

“I sent you everything she’s told me. She’s being cooperative”

“That’s not enough” Fury said. Natasha came out of her room in that moment and you looked over your shoulder. “Let’s see what you’re made of”

“I already told you she doesn’t need training”

“Of course. I meant you, Agent” he pointed at you. “You said Romanoff should be training us. I know she can kick Barton’s ass. What about yours?”

Natasha did. You were thrown around in ten different ways, always discovering a new weak spot that you’d never thought about before.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s young promise, panting and sweating on the gym’s floor. Begging for your life.

The last time Natasha knocked you down, you stayed there. You couldn’t take another round.

“Train together. Every day” Fury requested and you nodded.

To your surprise, Natasha offered her hand to help you up.

You smiled and took it. Fury was gone before you could say anything to him.

“Make sure you ice that punch” Maria pointed at your split lip and you sighed.

“Thanks, Hill”

As the warm water of the shower soothed your muscles, you kept going back to Natasha’s flawless movements. Of course you had read her file. The Red Room training included all kinds of physical demands and oddly enough, ballet.

To reach that level of perfection and control, Natasha must have worked out endlessly, without rest, without room for error.

Without a life. Or a childhood.

Knowing you’d be sore the next day, you took painkillers and went to the kitchen to start with dinner.

To your surprise, Natasha was already there.

“I’m sorry” she said as soon as your eyes locked. Before you could ask, the redhead clarified. “I didn’t mean to hurt you”

“Oh. It’s not your fault that I’m out of shape”

“You’re not… I’m just…”

“Better” you said, laughing. There was the glimpse of a smile on her lips.

“I can help with dinner if you want to. That pasta you made the other day was good. You’ll just have to tell me how to prepare some stuff”

“Sure. We’ll make it together” you offered, standing behind the kitchen counter. “Just don’t tell my mom I gave you the secret ingredients for the sauce. I’m supposed to share it only with the girl I marry”

When you were met with silence, you thought your attempt at a joke had gone unnoticed. Instead, you found Natasha looking at the knife you were offering so she could chop the tomatoes.

“Are you sure you want to give me a weapon?”

“What? You’re gonna chop these with your ninja moves? Come on, Nat. If you wanted me dead, you could do it with a pencil. That much is clear”

“Ok” Natasha nodded, taking it and following your instructions. You cooked in silence, until she spoke again. “No one’s ever called me Nat before”

“Sorry. Is that ok?”

“I think so”

“Alright” you nodded, smiling at her.

—

For a week, Natasha put her entire focus on your training and a new, pleasant routine developed.

Training, prepping meals, doctor Taylor, more training, dinner. Small talk here and there. Natasha never asked you personal questions, but you volunteered information about your family.

Clint stopped by and you could tell that Natasha trusted him more than anyone, including you. It was only logical, considering he was the one who put his ass on the line for her.

Maybe things would move along if he was the one here, instead of you. But Fury trusted you with this, and you had to follow his lead.

He always had a reason for eveything.

—

The autumn rain hit the penthouse windows. Natasha looked out, her head resting against her knees.

“Here” you offered a cup of hot cocoa. It was a lazy day, and you’d rather spend it making cookies than getting your ass kicked.

Sitting next to Natasha, she looked over at you as you took a sip of your own cup.

“What?” you asked when she smiled.

“You have whipped cream on your nose”

“Oh, you think that’s funny? Here” you leaned forward, getting some cream on her cheek.

“сука” she said playfully.

“I love it, let’s learn Russian curse words instead. That will please Fury”

“So, we don’t have to train today?” Natasha asked in a small voice. It almost sounded like… a child, asking if she could skip school.

“No, never if you don’t feel like it. Ok?”

“Ok” she nodded, looking out the window.

But your eyes, they remained on her. Hoping, wishing, you could help Natasha build a life worth living. Part 2

[specterllaw]

Dad or Harvey - Dad! Harvey and Reader and Mike Ross x reader

You were scared, you sat in an interrogation room, your hands shaking so bad you couldn't even call your step-dad yourself, you had to have a deputy do it. You were taken in for suspected murder suspect and you weren't even sure why. Your dad was a big time name partner lawyer and he was a feared lawyer by alot of other firms in the city, your mom, Donna married him almost three years ago and you and Harvey had been at each other's throats ever since.

You could hear Harvey's shouts from the other side of the door and you immediately broke down, why'd you have to call him? He was gonna be livid at you. "How dare you speak with my client without me being present! I am her attorney and you will not pull this stunt again or I swear I will have your ass in front of a judge before you can even say murder!" You heard Harvey scream before the door swung open "Let's go" He demanded giving you a cold harsh glare, you nodded standing up quickly grabbing your phone from the deputy rushing out behind your step-dad, terrified of what would happen, you were freshly 18 so he could kick you out if he wanted to, you always felt like he hated you anyways. As you both sat in the back of the car you kept your eyes trained on your shoes "What the hell did you get yourself into, y/n?" He asked looking towards you, sniffling you looked at him, trying to make yourself as small as possible "I-I don't know....M-my classmate was killed..and they said I did it..-I didn't do it! I swear Harvey!" You whimpered going to grab his arm but you stopped yourself, in the three years of knowing Harvey you knew he never liked physical touch by anybody but your mother. It shocked you whenever Harvey wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug "It's gonna be okay, y/n" He whispered kissing your head before you felt the car stop "I'm gonna leave you with a close friend..his name is Mike Ross..He works for me he's gonna keep an eye out for you while I go get started on your defense okay?" Harvey explained opening the door before taking you to an apartment and leading you to the couch "Leave the door locked, only your mother, Mike and I have a key so you'll be safe until he's home" He said to you kissing your forehead before leaving quickly to his office.

It had been a week since Harvey started your case, you had been staying with Mike since then and you both were enjoying it alot, Harvey on the other hand was a mess, working basically days and nights. He now stood in front of his window in his office, trying to hold back tears, having to turn his back as he watched you talk with your mom and other people from the office, you slowly approached his office, walking up to him slowly but still keeping your distance "Harvey?.." You whispered slowly glancing over to see a file on his desk, opened with your name on it, and at the bottom in big bold letters 'Defendant must pay 420,000 dollars to vicitim's family and serve 35 years maximum in New York state prison'.

"I'm gonna be blamed for it aren't I?.." You whispered looking at him, he kept his eyes on the window taking a drink from his whiskey glass before taking a shaky breath in "Not if I can help it.." Harvey whispered, anger laced his voice but you could tell he was about to start crying "Dad...It's okay..You don't have to fight anymore..." You whispered "No...no...Y/n..no I'm going to fight this. You didn't do it and I'm going to make sure you don't go away for it." He said trying to keep his stern rude tone but it was cracking "Harvey.." You tried to argue but he turned towards you grabbing your shoulders "Its okay, y/n..You're gonna be okay" He whispered hugging you tightly before looking at you hiccuping a bit to suppress a sob, he rushed off, somewhere you didn't see leaving you alone in your dad's office.

"Hey stranger" You heard a familiar voice call out to you, you turned around smiling at him as he walked into the office "Hmmm...I dunno..You look pretty professional behind that desk Ms. Paulson" Mike smiled towards you acting like his hands were a camera "I told you Mr. Ross, ever since my mom married Harvey it's Ms. Specter" You reminded again walking over to him smiling "What's up? Ready to go?" You asked tilting your head whenever his expression and body language changed "Y/n..." He started rubbing his hands together "Oh god..Rachel doesn't want us sharing the apartment anymore does she?" You asked panicked, they had only been on one date but you respected Mike and Rachel. "N-No no..Sweet that you care though but I actually....stopped seeing her..I realized I liked someone else" Mike smiled looking at his shoes "Who?.." You asked smiling softly, Mike could only smile back, he could see the care in your eyes, and he knew he made the right choice. "Shit she's looking over right now" he gasped looking away, you did the same before fixing his hair, suit jacket, and tie before patting his chest "You look amazing, go talk to her" You offered motioning to the door "I am" He whispered looking at you nervously "Y/n..You're amazing...the way you care and love and appreciate so little and give so much-" You cut him off by kissing him softly cupping his cheeks "I like you too, Mike" You smiled pulling away before messing up his hair "Heyy! My friend just did that so I looked good talking to you" He defended trying to flatten his hair down "I like messy hair Mike instead" You whispered kissing him again, biting his bottom lip teasingly before pulling away. Mike brushed his hand over yours as Harvey walked back in "I know how we're gonna solve this cas- Mike. Y/n. What're you two doing?" He asked crossing his arms "Harvey..." You said defensively before he smirked at you "In my office kid? Really?" He asked raising his eyebrow towards Mike "I oughta kick your ass" Harvey added on before sitting down "So Y/n you were on the phone the time of the murder correct? So, how could you swing an aluminum baseball bat with one hand and murder someone with only one hand?" Harvey asked you "It'd be impossible...I read I don't work on my muscular physique" You commented looking at him in shock "You found it, dad" You whispered in shock, he smiled standing up giving you a tight hug "Now, You're gonna stay with Mike until the end of trial for your safety, and no funny busy or I swear to god, Mike" Harvey threatened as he rubbed your back feeling your body shake lightly with sobs, relieved you wouldn't have that weight on you anymore.

I'm definitely doing a part 2

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now |

Part Twenty-Two

Matty Healy x reader

Summary: She’s just trying to get by, really. What with being a single parent to her four year old son whilst simultaneously trying to kick start a successful career as a radio presenter. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted though, friends close by, a mum who’s merely a phone call away, and of course her baby boy. What else is there to wish for? But then, it’s not long before her relatively normal life gets upended and turned on its head, and she’s suddenly forced to deal with situations she’s never even thought to imagine.

What happens when one mention of a certain controversial singer on her show sends a flood of unexpected challenges her way? 

Authors Note: hi… I’m back? Idk if anyone noticed I dipped lmao, but! Back with another update of this fic and it’s a deep one, left off on uneven ground last time so here’s me clearing that up:) sort of.

Warnings: emotions. <maybe not needed but like, lots of emoting so. Quite a few references to Matty’s past, drug-use/overdosing, previous acts of slight violent and the usual stuff w him and this fic I guess (all mentions are brief)

ALSO back and forth changes of pov between Mouse and Matty so keep an eye out x

> Last update: look back here if you'd like!

Masterlist

Thing was, waking up had never come very easily to Matty. Even as a longtime insomniac.

Sleep came and went in staggered stages. He struggled with falling into it and then struggled with staying there in that languid state. It was almost as though his body was held prisoner by his mind and the thoughts which seemed to forever war there.

The drugs had fixed that, mostly. Stopped his heart. His lungs. And then finally, his brain. Leaving him in this tranquil haze, floating somewhere in between everything and nothing, muting those militant thoughts, blanketing his rampage of never-ending emotions. 

It was the numbness that he had craved. The nothing.

By the time he’d been shipped off to his first stint in rehab, he was utterly clueless as to just how terrifying it could all seem without it. What with the crutch no longer there. Reckoned he still had scabs that wouldn’t properly heal from all the time he’d spent scratching in that tiny box room they’d given him. Never really sleeping and only ever blinking awake. 

It sort of felt like that now. Opening his eyes to find that the world had tilted sideways once again, the wall slanted and the television opposite morphed longways. He sniffed, feeling the heaviness that immediately encompassed his head as he fought to force himself up onto his elbows.

It was quick, the sudden pressure that ripped through the joints, and he hissed as he peered down to find that the skin had been shred to bits, now blotted with flakes of rusted blood that had to have come from the night before.

“Here.”

Matty blinked blearily, swallowing around a lump in his throat before casting his eyes up slowly to find a glass being shoved towards him. He took it, skin prickling at the sudden chill he was met with and face scrunching up in distaste. 

He didn’t move to take a sip though, even with how dry his mouth then seemed, instead rubbed at his tired eyes before he dropped his hand completely to find Ross already settled on the adjoining armchair. Matty realised a beat too late that he must’ve passed out on the man’s settee, just as a forlorn feeling settled somewhere in his stomach, the evident reminder of the promise he’d been given the morning before hitting him.

‘You can even head back here after if you want.’

He’d wanted. He was forever wanting when it came to her. But he could hardly even recall making it through Ross’s front door, let alone contacting her at any point last night. Brow furrowing over how much he would have had to have drunk. 

“Time’s it?” Matty forced himself to ask, voice more guttural than he was used to, grogginess seeping into the edges of it as he settled himself a little better on the settee. He took a small sip of the water, testing the weight it would leave in his lead filled stomach before taking a couple more larger gulps. He settled it down on the console beside him after and then chanced another glance over at Ross, who looked as much a state as Matty felt. “Hm?” He tacked on when he was met with a bland look.

“Just gone one.”

Matty’s brows shot up at that, before he slumped further into the settee cushions. His head now ached something awful and he felt flushed to fuck, sweat causing the back of his tee to stick to the curve of his spine. “Shit.” He muttered unhappily, the familiarity of a migraine already setting in.

The word was met by a drawl chuckle. And look- Matty had known Ross for far too fucking long not to automatically hone into the odd quirks or reactions the bloke tended to favour, which was why he was already frowning when he squinted back over at him.

Ross had since turned his head against the back of the armchair, enough so that Matty could now see the darker sheen that sat beneath his lidded eyes whilst Ross’s gaze flickered over him. He didn’t say a word, merely chucked Matty’s own phone his way.

Feeling his forehead pinch, Matty forced himself to grit his teeth against the flare of pain that shot through his ankle when the thing purposefully missed his open hand and hit the bone of his ankle. “Fuck’s wrong with you?” He snarled at the oversized twat, picking the poxy thing up before rubbing at the offended joint.

Matty wasn’t offered up much of an answer though, what with Ross silently shaking his head at him. So he rolled his eyes in addition, lifting a finger up towards his face to rub at an eyelid before he finally managed to flip his phone the right way around and get a good look at it.

[HOMESCREEN]13:02

News 21 mins ago Back on a bender, Healy?The 1975 frontman was spotted out last night in an argument which quickly escalated and ruined a certain band member's birthday celebrations…

Twitter 28 mins ago Topic - music@/The1759: Matty captured in a deal gone wrong down in London?? Nahhhhh we all saw the relapse coming but this is just insaneeee...

BBC News - UK & World Stories 43 mins ago Matty Healy takes family bonding to whole new levels Hit singer spotted with girlfriend's son in an altercation whilst out in London earlier this month!

Messages 1hr ago Hann Ring me when you see this

The Independent 12:09 Singer, to the international band known as The 1975, was seen multiple times over the coming weeks in a variety of altercations that hinder his so-called sobriety, one of which was pictured and also witnessed by the young son of the frontman’s most recent fling. ‘Mouse’ as dubbed by her radio show, MouseOnAMic, has yet to comment on the behaviour concerning both her boyfriend and child, we continue…

News 11:44 This is how it starts! Matty Healy’s road back to rehab? Police were called in to break up a celebratory party held on the stretch of Soho in the early hours of this morning. Many faces were pictured amongst the masses, but most noticeably was singer Matthew Healy of The 1975, who was seen outside of a nearby club arguing with another man holding a bag..

Had you ever felt the floor just slip out from under you? 

Or maybe even the way that the Earth seemed to suddenly stop spinning, enough so that you could feel every little thing that was happening inside of your body? 

The swell of oxygen being forced out of your lungs. 

The rush of blood attempting to find the place of impact, susceptible to the sudden pain that’s been felt. 

Or even, the pulsing beat of every desperate squeeze your heart made in the very tips of your fingers?

There was a sudden sickness that clawed at the cage that bound Matty's chest together, thickening the walls of his throat and heavy enough that he had to inhale so deeply that the air demanded the bile to retreat back, back, back... Until his gut was the only thing churning and all he’d been left with as the most bitter aftertaste.

It was everywhere. Plastered all over Twitter, mentioned in every news outlet around for miles. Just there. Taking up the screen of his phone- and every other fuckers- without so much as a warning. Pictures, stories, accusations…

Evidence, a part of his twisted mind whispered.

But it was. A trail of wrongdoings which had led right back to that very day he’d spent with Teddy.

Teddy- 

God, how the fuck could he have been this mindless? This fucking blind. How had he messed up so badly?

It didn’t feel immediate, the way he moved to grapple his phone, scrolling in search of her name, for her contact, but it was. It was just instinctive. Thoughtless, how suddenly overwhelming the need to hear her voice was. To make sure that she was alright. Not wondering over whether she’d still be there waiting for him- no matter how heavy that thought now weighed on his dreaded mind. He simply needed her to be alright. And for Teddy to be none the wiser. For him to be okay. Just okay.

He remembered bits and pieces. It was slowly coming back now. An old face. Being offered something or other. He’d refused. He remembered he told the guy no. He’d been tempted, fuck had he been so tempted. But he knew better. Deep down. And he remembered saying no. Remembered pieing the guy off, having a light laugh, backing away. But then there had been a throw of hands, a split lip, the ringing crack of a jaw that had made his mind spin with flashbacks of Luke. Of the roof. Of his face hitting the cold empty pavement.

Matty could vaguely recall shouts and calls. George’s wide eyes. Ross’s hands gripping his arms. Hann already on the phone.

Tempted.

He’d been tempted.

It was that thought which played on an endless loop in his head whilst the ring of his phone echoed out into an otherwise silent room.

A flash of faces rattled across the forefront of his mind; expressions, voices, the need to please, a need to entertain.

She didn’t answer. The line went dead.

So he tried again.

Then a third time.

“Fuck.” Matty muttered breathlessly to himself, the panic in his voice breaking up the quiet that stretched between one ring and then the next.

She didn’t answer.

She didn’t answer.

–

Thing was, I’d always known it had been coming. As pessimistic as I was.

But hope was a fickle fucking thing. It made me cut the tip of my tongue on the front of my teeth to keep from ruining perfect moments with thoughtless words. It found its way into the little things I had done and still did. It allowed me just a second to smile, for no other reason than simply being. Than belonging.

Because that was what hope did.

It was also the very thing which had forced me to let my guard down, for those walls of mine to slip. It had granted him entrance into the life I’d so steadily built for myself on rocky foundations and borrowed time. 

It had broken me so easily and effortlessly. Wrapped me up in nothing but an empty pang of regret that rang out for miles and miles.

I stared blankly up at the ceiling laid out above me, counting down the minutes until Teddy finally woke once more. Only this time it would be from the sun rising up over the overpass, rather than his mum slipping in to curl up beside him in the early hours of the morning when it had all grown too much. Her need to know that he was okay, her helpless guilt and the pain which had felt all-consuming.

I wondered over the times Matty had been in here with him, putting Teddy to sleep, laughing together, telling him drawn out stories and singing old melodies. I wondered what he’d been thinking in those dotted moments. If he’d been thinking anything at all.

I questioned how stupid I had to have been, how blind to not have seen it. The lies, because he'd done it so effortlessly. The web he had spun, just in an attempt to deceive me. All laid out before my fucking eyes. And he hadn’t even had the decency to tell me to my face. No, instead I’d had to watch it all unfold alongside the rest of the world.

My tongue licked over my lower lip which had since been bitten raw, having dragged it between my teeth in both panic and pity. Because even though I was angry, a bigger part of me still cared. Still continued to worry. Because oh, how I worried. And wasn’t that the most depressing part?

Here I was, concerned about him, whilst he was out doing whatever, fucking whoever, taking whatever. I’d seen the fucking pictures. I’d seen them all. Scrolled and scrolled until I’d come up to the last fuck-off headline. Until his face had morphed into somebody else, and then someone else’s after that.

The reasonable half of me, the half I was attempting to stamp down and drown out, also knew that what you saw online wasn’t always what it appeared. But still, it looked too much like my biggest fucking fear being brought to life to care enough. I simply wished to have him here, so that he could either explain himself to me or so that I could use him as an object to simply scream at. To rally against.

Because I couldn’t believe he’d gone and done the very thing I'd been so terrified of. That he had done it, and that he then had lied to me. That he had chosen to drag my fucking son into it. Into his fucking mess of a life! After-

After everything I’d given to him.

The thought made me question how much I was worth. How easily I could be tossed aside and shit all over.

A hand tightened around my wrist then and my tired eyes startled over to where a matching set now peered right back at me. Though these eyes were accompanied by a sleep filled smile and not haunted like mine.

I reached up to run a hand through Teddy’s soft curls, thumb brushing over his hairline before it trailed its way down the slope of his tiny nose. “Morning, lovely.”

My chest tightened at the hold Teddy found on my arm then, tucking himself up under it so that he could bury his face into the crook of my neck, those little hands of his coming up to clutch at the fabric of my shirt. I chuckled softly, unable to do much else with the surprise that coursed through me, and hugged him back.

“You okay?” I murmured into his hair, pecking the crown of his head and willing the tightness in my throat to go away. I wouldn't cry, not now.

“Sleepy.” Teddy answered me and I felt him smile against my skin when I chuckled quietly, dragging him even closer to me.

“You know what? Me too.”

His little hand started to gently pat my back then and it broke my heart that little bit more, “Stay here, ‘kay? Keep sleepin’.” 

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, enough so that I was too scared to even speak, so instead I merely nodded, hoping that he’d feel it and somehow know.

“‘Kay.” He repeated after a moment in a hushed whisper, fingers clutching at the back of my shirt, “Love you.”

I bit down on my tongue hard enough to warrant some bleeding, the taste of bitter metal slowly filling my mouth whilst I willed myself to be strong. To not cry, not in front of him. Never in front of him.

“Love you too, baby.”

–

He’d wanted to go charging over there.

Mid panic-attack, itching for a drink, or a fucking fix. Fucking anything to keep his mind from imploding the way it currently was.

He wanted.

He so desperately wanted.

He’d shucked on his boots without much thought, paying heedless wonder to Ross’s words, his desperate attempts to get him to listen. ‘Cause it was all for nought.

His chest burned with a fearsome ache that could light pyres. It was all that he could focus on to get him through the front door of Ross’s flat and out into the hallway. There was only one other door on his floor, on the far end. Though it was empty, Ross having bought it out, loaded enough now to not have to fret about futile things like neighbours. 

“Matt! For fucks sake, Matty!” Matty heard Ross stress before fingers were catching around his upper arm, the grip too tight, too overwhelming, stopping him in his stride.

Not even thinking Matty wrenched himself away, hard enough that it put a good distance between him and the bassist, pinking the skin of his bicep. His mind was working overtime, tick tick ticking. He was overstimulated and buzzing with an unfound energy that wasn’t unlike a bout of withdrawal shakes.

“The fuck happened last night?”

The sound of his own voice surprised him, forced his shoulders up and his gaze to widen, to hone in on the only other occupant that took up the narrow hall.

“What the fuck happened, Ross!” Matty demanded again, stomper now, inching slowly back over towards Ross and the still swinging door he’d just torn open. 

Ross was staring back at him, reminiscent of days Matty had spent denying his ever increasing drug use, or the multiple overdose scares they'd been forced through. Matty could feel his pulse jumping beneath his skin now, hands shaking to the rhythm of it, but he could not for the life of him take a breath, so focused on Ross and his unmoving form until-

“What didn’t happen, Matty?”

The sting came then. Not just the metaphor for the way Ross’s words had gone and slapped him across the face, no, the sting that threatened to close his throat and wet his eyes. What didn’t happen.

“I need to know, Ross. ‘Cause my head-” Matty raised a trembling hand, dragging the limb down over his face before he was just stood there shaking his head, “It’s fucked. My head's fucked and I, I can’t. I can't remember even getting here. Can’t remember leaving that fucking club or fucking curling up on your sofa! I don’t know what could have happened for me to have fucked up this much.”

A long pause dragged between them then, Ross watching him like an injured stray he wasn’t sure whether or not to lure closer and take home. Whilst the hallway continued on in its stoney silence, not a peep being heard from anyone or anything, only allowing Matty’s hard and fast breaths to break it up and echo out along the walls. Taunting him.

“You didn’t take anything.”

It was both the worst and best thing Ross could have said. Matty’s shoulders slumped with the weight of it and he dipped his head down between the bones of his collar in lieu of an answer. He hadn’t taken anything. But, maybe if he had then there would be a fucking excuse, a way to annul all of his shitty actions. The choices which had inevitably led him here.

“You didn’t take anything,” Ross repeated after antoher stretch of time, eyes flickering back and forth over Matty’s sad face, “but you did fuck off for a while after. Found you slurring and pissed beyond belief down some back alley of another club a mile off. You,” He paused there- stuttered with uncertainty in truth, but Matty fixed him with a terrified look, whole body ceasing with it. “You were with some girl, Matt. She was as gone as you but she said she’d only wanted to help.”

A girl.

Right.

Right, yeah, no that made sense. He’d gotten drunk, she’d just stepped in to help. He, he wouldn’t have-

“And that’s it? You’re sure?”

Ross continued to stare back at him for a second or two, then his body slumped with a sigh, “I don’t know, Matty.”

“You don’t know?” Was his incredulous retort, “What the fuck am I meant to do with that, Ross? Did anything fucking happen or not?” Matty demanded, thoughtlessly taking another step closer. Ross, true to his nature, didn’t move away, merely stood his ground.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.” Ross reiterated with a sharp edge, as close as he’d ever get to shouting Matty knew. “You’re the only one who was, Matty. You go figure it out.”

Matty scoffed angrily, fisting his trembling hands at his side before they could lash out. “Yeah, and how’d you figure I do that then, hey?”

Ross took a breath, hand coming up to rub at his tired face. He shrugged and Matty could see just how exhausted he seemed with everything, with him. “All I know is you’d worked yourself up into a right state before you did your vanishing act, mate. Said something about Teddy, then about messing things up. I tried to talk some sense into you, I mean, we all did. But man, you were hellbent on fucking it all up completely.”

Ross’s throat bobbed and he looked off to the side, out of a nearby window that showcased the looming clouds above, before his gaze trailed back over to Matty’s defeated form.

“One second you were there, and the next you were gone.”

Matty couldn’t seem to find a reply to that.

Could only stand there. Questioning what the fuck he’d gone and done.

…

Hours passed, and then days.

Matty spent each minute trying to right his wrongs, to figure it all out. He’d called, he’d texted constantly. Basically barraged her with the little he had left to give. But heard nothing in return.

Hann had turned up in search of him later that afternoon he’d woken up round Ross’s and his entire life had been shot to shit. The man had practically boxed him back inside the flat and out of the hallway, forcing him to hole up there until the storm he’d created outside died down.

Not that it was much use. The storm only grew, more stories coming out, people stepping forward with fake tales and photoshopped pictures. Ross promised to talk to Mouse for him, but the most he’d been able to manage was an argument with Adi. Which hadn’t worked out all that well for Matty either as it turned out, seeing as how that had only proved to sour Ross’s already shitty mood, eventually putting the two of them on the outs.

Hann had tried too, attempting to contact Squeaks directly instead of through her mate. But had also come up with nothing. He’d been muttering away on the phone to Jamie since though, and Matty knew out of the five of them, it was probably him that Mouse would say something to. So Matty was avoiding him like the sodding plague, which was all too easy to do now that his phone was shattered to bits from a spiteful reaction to yet another unanswered call. 

He knew Jamie would tell it to him straight, see. That Mouse could just as easily end things through him properly rather than face to face, that’s if things hadn’t already ended between them.

So day three and Matty was basically bouncing off the walls, having already raided what little alcohol Ross kept in his flat the previous day and worked his way through the last of the smokes Adam had dropped round a couple hours before.

He was ticking with the need to move. To fucking escape the flat he’d been confined to.

He’d also had yet to hear from G either.

Which, Matty couldn’t lie was surprising. So when he wasn’t trying to talk his way out of the flat or make plans to set things straight between him and Squeaks, he was prying Ross and Hann for answers.

Not that it was worth the effort. Neither said a thing. Or well, they’d said the same thing, repeatedly. ‘He’s just busy.’

Busy his pasty fucking arse. If George was anything, it was a decent fucking mate. Even when Matty had messed up time and time again, he’d been there. Fucking found him that last time he’d been face down and coughing on his own bile, hadn’t he? G always came through.

Just not now, it seemed.

Matty’s head snapped up at the sound of the front door opening and immediately jumped up off the settee to round the corner to see just who it was. Then was all too quick to reel back, shaking his head in utter dismay as he walked his way back across the living room and out onto the balcony.

He heard a sigh sound behind him just as he wrenched open the door. “Matty...”

“I’m not doing this today.”

Matty threw himself down onto one of the deck chairs that had probably come with the place and cursed at the feel of dampness that instantly seeped its way into the burrowed joggers he wore. He tutted, sitting forward in the seat and reaching down to see that the chair hadn't managed to keep itself shielded from last night's rain. “Fuck sake.” He muttered under his breath but didn’t make a move to stand, figured he’d probably sat in worse.

He didn’t look back over either when the sliding door opened again and Jamie stepped on out to join him, though he did hollow his cheeks in irritation when said man tossed a pack of cigarettes into his lap and situated himself against the glass railing. “Gonna talk now?”

Matty merely opened the pack up, chucking the cellophane somewhere to the left of him and shaking two out. He stuck one between his lips and put the other back in upside down. Stretching out a hand, he used the other to tuck the pack into the band of his joggers, and then forced a snide smile when Jamie ultimately handed him his lighter. 

Two clicks and it was lit, he didn’t spare the man the favour of handing it back to him though, simply tossed it onto the end of the deck chair.

Jamie sighed once more, but Matty figured the older man was more than used to his ever changing emotions by now. Still, he knew he was acting the prick. It was just easier to be a prick and push Jamie away, than let the man fucking hurt him first. Not that he even would, it was just- Mouse, weren't it? Mouse and Jamie were mates, they spoke. They’d been fucking mates before even Matty had thought to even snag her number, before he’d attempted to even try to rid himself of the picture of her his mind had held onto. Jamie would tell it to him straight.

“She’s fuming.”

See?

Matty’s tongue darted out to wet his lower lip, catching on the front of his teeth and relieving the words with a sharp, albeit subtle sting. He swallowed thickly, eyes flickering quickly over to Jamie and then away again. “Like, bad?”

Jamie scoffed out a humourless chuckle and so in turn, Matty scowled, flicking the remnants of his fag ash out before turning to place the glare on the man.

“Yeah, as in on a scale from one to fucking ten, how pissed is she?”

With a heavy inhale- as though the question had been oh so demanding- Jamie looked up at the cloudy sky before eventually trailing his eyes back down again. “I don’t know.” Matty shook his head irritably, but Jamie just continued on, “But what I do know is that she’s messed up over it. Almost as bad as you, from the looks of it.”

And didn’t that just have Matty’s mind going down in a tailspin. He balled a hand up against his right thigh, letting his nails bite into the skin of his palm whilst his unblinking eyes casted themselves out onto the foggy sky rise of London.

A short scuffle sounded and then Jamie was sitting in the chair beside him, though he’d seemingly had the foresight to wipe it dry first. “Look, mate, it’s bad. But if you’ve done nothing wrong, then it’s something you can fix.”

“Nothing wrong?” Matty scoffed, the tick of his jaw keeping him from taking another drag of his cigarette. “Everything I do is wrong, man.” He let his head drop into his hand at that, the tremble of it more prominent now than it had ever been, “I can’t fix it, J. How can I? The fuck would I even start?”

The chill of the city air crawled up over the thin tee that covered Matty's shoulders, wrapping him up in it, but he could hardly feel a thing past the blur of thoughts that crowded the inside of his mind. Still, he shivered, jumping ever so slightly when Jamie’s hand came to settle on the top of his neck.

“Matty, listen to me.”

And that didn't help.

“All I’ve been doing is fucking listening! Listened to Hann, listened to pissin' Ross. Listened when they said not to go charging over there, to give her time, to give her fucking space! But they were wrong. If-” Matty hissed, rubbing at the sting that had settled behind his eyes, rubbing them raw, “If only I could explain! If I could just talk to her. I only want to make sure that she’s alright. To see her for myself.”

The breath of Jamie’s next sigh got swept up in the wind but Matty felt it all the same, but then the man’s hand tightened its hold on his shoulder and he felt Jamie dip his head in a gentle nod.

“I’ll work something out, yeah?”

And with those five words Matty’s head was snapping up, watery eyes honed in on his managers ageing face as though it held all the fucking hope in the world. And at that moment it fucking felt as though it did. Or it could have done.

“Yeah? Don’t fucking say it and then fall through on me, J. I can’t deal with that shit right now.” Matty told the man almost desperately, chest rising and falling aimlessly as he stared back at him.

Jamie simply chuckled, bracing himself with a smile. “When have I ever fallen through on you lot?”

[thelovetheystole]

Fully updated list with dates for all Robert mentions (plus other somewhat Rob related show content) we've had since Aaron's return in October 2023. Please note that the quotes are not exact as I just write them down from memory.

Pinned to my blog and I'll add more as we go 🤞

2023

○ October 18 - Aaron tells Vinny 'maybe I like the memories' after moving in to the second Mill flat

• October 27 - Rhona quips 'That worked out really well for Robert' in front of Aaron when he was talking about going after Craig

• December 13 - Victoria tells Aaron 'You sound like you're speaking from experience' when Aaron said she should wait for Jacob if he's the one. Followed by her then saying 'Speaking of the one, Robert's doing okay'.

2024

○ January 15 - Aaron's drunken pause to Victoria

• January 18 - Charity reminds Aaron of the time he and Robert were 'raising Seb together', * first Seb mention in years

• January 30 - Aaron rattles of all the 'ghosts' on his list to Mack, but Robert was the only on there that's still alive, * first time Aaron has spoken Robert's name since his exit episode in 2021

° March 1 - Aaron tells Vinny he will probably never have kids, so zero chance to pass on a faulty gene

• August 8 - Victoria tells John about their brother Robert, she also says to Eric that she's going to tell Robert about John, later Aaron has a very visible reaction to learning he's unknowingly hooked up with Robert's half brother and John looks at an old Sugden family photo at Vic's house

• August 9 - Aaron emotionally tells his mum that 'It's brought everything back - about Robert' and that he 'can't go there again'

• Aug 13 - Aaron says to Chas that he 'never would have gone there' if he had known John was Robert's brother

○ Aug 16 - Aaron advises Vinny that it's no use 'pining for someone who isn't there anymore'

• Aug 27 - Vic tells John 'It's nice to have someone in my corner, I haven't had that since Robert went away'

° Aug 29 - Victoria tells Aaron and John that this is 'messed up' and questions if Aaron wants to sleep with all her brothers

• Sep 2 - Vic tells Aaron him being involved with Robert's brother is 'a bit weird', Aaron tells her 'John won't replace Robert' for either of them, later John says he's 'not been auditioning as Robert's replacement'

• Sep 23 - Vic has found old family photos and wants to show John, mentions 'Rob and Andy' twice. Later, she finds out John's still seeing Aaron, and tells him 'You know Aaron is married to Robert, our brother?' (Yes, is, not was!)

• Oct 29 - Charity questions where Rebecca and Seb are after Ross brings Moses to an illegal fight *Second Seb mention this year, Charity also mentioned him in january

• Oct 30 - Ross talks about Seb a lot, while Charity asks if Robert knows about Rebecca's death. He just looks at her funny and doesn't answer, just says as far as he knows, he's still in prison

• Oct 31 - Robert is talked about throughout the whole episode, as is Seb, as Ross explains he went to see Robert in prison, where he signed papers for Seb to live in Bristol with Rebecca's aunt

• Nov 5 - More Robert and Seb talk, actual meaningful talk too, with Aaron reminicing of a time he had 'everything'. This one is extra significant because it shows Aaron looking at a photo of Robert and Seb on Vic's keychain 💛🍋

• Nov 6 - Even more Robert and Seb talk, Aaron tries to make out to John that just because he's thinking about Seb doesn't mean he still loves his dad. John doesn't believe him, and of course we don't either! Then John says rude things about Robert, which sets Aaron right off!

Link to my post with clues about John ⬇️

Links to my posts with Danny's quotes about Robert/Ryan from 2020-2024 (includes their social media imteractions and their pub meeting) ⬇️

[captaintoomanybattles]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤

(Not sure which blog would be best to send it)

Thank you so much for the ask! This is the blog I normally post fic on, so this is perfect.

Five favorite fics I've written:

Not a Perfect Soldier: This was the first long fic I finished, and I'm still really proud of it. Steve in canon has a lot of agency (even if I think SHIELD definitely tries to manipulate him), so I was fascinated with the idea of what would change if he started out in captivity.

In a world where HYDRA was wiped out in the '40s, Steve is found by the Army rather than SHIELD. General Thaddeus Ross wants a perfectly obedient super-soldier at his command, and to that end, he sets out to break Steve to his will. As Steve struggles to come to terms with all he has lost, his life in captivity is only made bearable by the presence of another prisoner-- another super-soldier known only as "Soldat". Then the Avengers strike a deal with Ross to "borrow" him for missions, and Steve is faced with a team who dislikes him, an organization he doesn't trust, and the question of what he's willing to do to escape Ross's clutches.

The Kind You Save: I love exploring the idea of what Steve would be like as the Winter Soldier, and what the Winter Soldiers would be like if there were two of them. I also love Sam Wilson, and it was really fun to write the relationship between the three of them!

When HYDRA sends the Winter Soldiers to assassinate the new Captain America, they expect the mission to be an easy one. After all, they're super-soldiers-- how hard can it be to kill one unenhanced human? As more and more of their attempts prove unsuccessful, however, the Soldiers' respect for Wilson grows, as does their suspicion that HYDRA's motives are not what they seem. If Sam Wilson is a good man, what does that make them…?

Six Blade Knife: Another fic with Steve and Bucky as Winter Soldiers. This is basically exploring how the Soldiers, conditioned to expect the worst possible treatment, would react to a kinder captivity with the Avengers. I started a WIP with this premise a long time ago but didn't really know where to go with it; I ended up sharing it with ZepysGirl, who helped me figure out an actual plot!

During a raid on an AIM base, the Avengers find a pair of cryotubes in a basement laboratory. When they release the men inside, they find that they are none other than the Winter Soldiers, the assassins so mysterious that most people in the Intelligence community consider them little more than a ghost story. However, as they learn more about the Soldiers, Sam and Natasha begin to suspect that the Soldiers may not have been operating under their own free will. Soldat and Kapitan wake from cryo to new handlers unlike anyone they've encountered before. Captain Wilson and Agent Romanoff seem to have no interest in hurting them, wiping their memories, or sending them on missions. As the Soldiers adapt to this kinder status quo, they must decide how far they are willing to go to protect their new handlers from their old ones.

Brave Soldier Boy (Comes Marching Home): This was a response to a bingo prompt featuring Winifred Barnes. Canon doesn't give us much information about Bucky and Steve's relationships with their families, so I really enjoyed exploring Winifred's point of view!

Ten years after losing her son in the war, Winnifred Barnes receives an unexpected visitor. The Winter Soldier needs her help with an important mission.

I Just Want You to Know Who I Am: This was based on a prompt from BulkyPhrase. It was really interesting to explore what might have happened differently if the serum made Steve look like Red Skull. How would that affect other people's treatment of Steve, and how would it affect Steve's conception of himself?

By the time Steve Rogers was selected for Project Rebirth, Erskine thought he had eliminated the side effect that turned Johann Schmidt into Red Skull. He was wrong. This story explores the question: What would change if the serum caused Steve to look like Red Skull?

[which-hospital]

guys i’m on my OH GOD TEDDY IS A REPLACEMENT FOR ROSS BUT JAN IS A REPLACEMENT FOR GAYNOR TOO train again, there’s this real hmmmmdjdndjdhddj moment:

in 33x22 Ross has to tell Jan that he isn’t like Gethin

ROSS: I’m not the same as him, I’m not like him.

JAN: I know, I know.

and then in 37x34 Teddy suggests he and Gethin might be alike and Jan absolutely shoots the idea down

TEDDY: He is my uncle, might have a bit in common.

JAN: You’re like chalk and cheese!

brain rotating them so hard rn

[coquitokisses]

Trusting Again | chapter 003: the truth

Word count: 3232

series masterlist • previous chapter • next chapter

📍Berlin

So after we arrived at the place, thankfully we weren’t cuffed anymore, but we weren’t in the clear either. We’re kinda in trouble.

“So we’re going to prison.” I looked at Sam and Steve as we walked to the place where they were gonna let us be in

“No, we’re not.” Steve answered

“Well this kinda looks like we are.”

“This isn’t prison.” Steve said

“I cannot believe my first time being arrested was because I decided to follow two idiots and go against the law.”

“Ow, what? You regret it now?” Steve pouted

I just rolled my eyes. “Shut up, this is your fault.”

“My fault?!”

“Yes! We should’ve let the CIA catch Bucky, why the hell did we even bother going to Bucharest? Look where we ended up, and where’s Bucky? Arrested.”

“Oh please.” Sam rolled his eyes “Even you said that this didn’t make any sense.”

“You shut up, tú lo que eres es un lambe ojos, I don’t wanna hear it.” I told him

“Hey, don’t talk to me in Spanish.” He pointed at me

“You’re a kiss ass.”

“Oh look who’s talking.” He looked at Steve and they chuckled

I sighed. “I hate you both.”

We saw Natasha walking in our direction and she approached us.

“You” she pointed at me “Aren’t supposed to be here.”

“Well if I would’ve known it was gonna get this bad, I wouldn’t have come.” I shrugged

“Liar.” Sam looked at me

“For the record, this is what making things worse looks like.” She said in a low voice

“He's alive.” Steve told her

We walked into the office and we saw Tony talking on the phone.

“Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences” Tony said while looking at us three “Obviously you can quote me on that cause I just said it, anything else?... Thank you, sir.” He said before hanging up the call

"Consequences?" Steve said

“Secretary Ross wants the three of you prosecuted, had to give him something.” He shrugged as he started to walk away

“I'm not getting that shield back, am I?”

“Technically it's the government's property” Natasha said “Wings too.” she looked at Sam

“That's cold.” Sam shook his head

“Warmer than jail!” Tony said

“Well, he's got a point.” I sighed “What the hell are we supposed to do now anyways? Die of boredom?”

“Well you can always play Stop with Sam.” Steve looked at me “I’m sure there are some papers and pens laying around somewhere.”

“That'll be great.” I looked at Sam

“Fine, but only because I'll probably die of boredom too.” he said

“Guess we'll be playing Stop then, wanna join, grandpa?” I looked at Steve

“I'm good.” He chuckled “Good luck.”

(...)

It’s been like an hour. I’m getting bored and I honestly want to leave. I just can’t be sitting around doing nothing, I get bored. We're now in the office, the three of us and Sharon, as we watch that doctor evaluate Bucky.

“Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?” Steve spoke breaking the silence

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Sharon shrugged

“Right.” Steve nodded “Its a good way to flush a guy out of hiding, set off a bomb, get your picture taken, get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

“You're saying someone framed him to find him?” I asked him

“Steve, we looked for the guy for almost a year after Austria and found nothing.” Sam told him

“We didn't bomb the UN, that turns a lot of heads.” Steve said

“Yeah but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him, it guarantees we would.” Sharon replied and then frowned kinda getting all the pieces together

“Yeah.” Steve turned to look back at the monitor

“Tell me Bucky, you've seen a great deal, haven't you?” Zemo asked Bucky

“I don't wanna talk about it.” Bucky responded

“You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop.” Zemo replied

I kinda don't like this.

“I got a bad feeling.” I whispered to Sam as I leaned my elbows on the table

“About what?” He whispered back

“All this.” I sighed “It’s just.. it’s kinda weird.”

“Don't worry” Zemo added “We only have to talk about one.”

And just seconds after that, the power went out and the whole office was dark. Sam and I looked at each other and we kinda already knew that something was not right.

“Bad feeling alright.” Sam looked at me

“What the fuck?” I said and Steve turned around looking at Sharon

“Sub-level five, east wing.” She told him and he immediately looked at me like telling me to go with him

“Just go.” I said

Sam and Steve both stormed out of the office and I stayed there for a few minutes. I saw that Tony and Natasha were walking towards the door and Sharon saw them too.

“Come on.” She said to me

I got up and followed her. When we got out, we were kinda in like a lobby or some shit and there was Bucky just punching anyone who tried to stop him.

“Forget it, I’d rather get arrested.” I said after seeing how Bucky fought with Tony, but the poor man ended up on the floor.

I was really thinking about turning around and going back to where I came from, but before I could even think about leaving, Sharon grabbed my arm.

“You’re not leaving.” She said

“I’m sorry, but who was the one who almost died last time when he appeared in Washington?” She opened her mouth to talk, but I didn’t let her “Exactly, this time I’ll watch everything from a very far distance.”

“But you’re trained better than me.” She looked at me.

“You’re working for the CIA.”

“Cat! You gotta help me.”

I just rolled my eyes. “I should’ve stayed in New York.” I said starting to go down the stairs and she followed me

He might succeed and kill me this time.

When we first got there, Sharon was the first to kick him and I had no other choice than to follow her. It didn’t take long before Bucky was throwing her onto a table, breaking it, and grabbing me by the neck with his metal arm and pushing me onto one of the other tables there. I tried to get him off me once he started choking the shit out of me, but it was obviously impossible to even push him away.

“You could at least recognize me.” I managed to say, words barely coming out of me, as I tried to breath and also get him off me

My sight was starting to get all blurry and then I finally felt his hand releasing my neck. I rolled off the table coughing trying to catch my breath and when I managed to get on my feet again, I ran out of there trying to look for Sam and Steve. I even went outside but there were too many people running and screaming that it was literally impossible to find someone. I just opted to get the hell away from there and ended up walking for almost 40 minutes, also, trying to not get caught by the freaking helicopter that was looking for us.

I arrived at what looked like a small bookstore and decided to call Sam because I had no idea where they might be.

“Hey.” He answered

“Are you guys okay?” I asked him “Where the hell did you go?”

“I sent you the location of where we are.” He said “Come quick tho.”

“On my way.”

I hung up and went straight to Sam's conversation, I saw the pin and realized it wasn't so far from where I was so I decided to walk there and I literally arrived in almost 20 minutes. It was like an old auto shop kinda?

I got in and I saw Steve, Sam and Bucky inside.

“Took you forever.” Sam said

“Y'all literally vanished.” I rolled my eyes “And also, I had to make sure nobody saw me, there's a fucking helicopter looking for us, did you guys know that?”

“Are you okay?” Steve asked

“I’m fine.” I nodded and then I looked over at Bucky

Now that I have him closer and he's not trying to kill me, I definitely noticed that he looked a little different than the last time I saw him. Starting with his hair, which is a little longer.

If it wasn’t because he's a super soldier, I would smash my fist straight into that perfect face of his right now.

“And we meet again, soldat.” I stood in front of him folding my arms “So much for not wanting to be found, huh.”

“Not that I was planning on running into you three, specially not you.” He responded

“Well look at us now.” I gave him the most sarcastic smile ever

“Alright, that’s enough.” Steve said and I just stepped away from Bucky “I see Cat made quite the first impression.” He looked at his friend

“You don’t say.” Bucky sighed

“Oh he did too, trust me.” I scoffed “You do know we all have a fucking target on our backs, right?” I looked at Steve

“He didn't do it.” He said

“Oh I knew that since the moment we saw the news.” I nodded “I just can't really comprehend why the fuck would you go through all this shit when we already have secretary Ross on our asses because of the fucking accords and now we also have the CIA looking for us!”

“No offense, but that's a little hypocrite coming from you.” Bucky said to me “Why do you care so much about following orders now?”

“Offense and listen, you really shouldn't be talking shit after what's been happening.” I turned to look at him “You should've listened to me when you had the chance.”

“You really wanna do this now?” He raised an eyebrow

“Alright, enough.” Steve sighed

“You know what? I kinda want to.” I stepped closer to him, completely ignoring Steve

Not that I wanted to ignore him, but I'm actually kinda mad so my mind is only focusing on Bucky.

“Then why don't you do it, agent?” Bucky said to me

I just sighed. “You really are starting to get on my last nerve, who would’ve thought.”

“Shut up, both of you.” Steve said in a more serious tone “That's enough.”

“What the hell are we supposed to do now?” I turned around looking now at Steve

“That's why we called you.” Sam said

“I'm not tryna put my ass on the line again! We got enough with the accords to also be dealing with escaping from the fucking CIA.”

“What? You regret it now? Cause if that's the case, by all means, go talk to Tony, I’m sure he’ll welcome you with open arms.” He said folding his arms

“Don't be ridiculous, I’ve always been on your side, but this is fucking insane.”

“And don’t you think I know that? I’m tryna think of what to do now.” He said and I let out a sigh

“I just don’t want us to end up worst than we already are.. if that’s even possible.”

“It is, we could be in jail.” Sam said

“Relax, it won’t happen.” He said and I just leaned on the wall without saying anything else. “Who was that guy?” He asked Bucky

“I don't know.” He responded

“People are dead.” Steve started saying “The bombing, the setup.. the doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you, I need you to do better than "I don't know".”

“He wanted to know about Siberia, where I was kept.” He said after a few seconds “He wanted to know exactly where.”

“Why would he need to know that?” Steve asked

“Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier.” he replied

“Woah, hang the fuck on.” I shook my head

“Cat.” Steve looked at me

“No, wait, I'm with her on this one.” Sam spoke “You're saying there are more like you?” He asked Bucky

“Yes.” He nodded

“Who were they?” Steve asked

“Their most elite death squad” Bucky replied “More kills than anyone in HYDRA history and that was before the serum.”

“They all turned out like you?” I asked him

“Worse.” He looked at me

“The doctor, could he control them?” Steve questioned

“Enough.”

“He said he wanted to see an empire fall.” Steve added

“With these guys he could do it.” Bucky nodded “They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize, they can take a whole country down in one night and you'd never see them coming.”

“Well this is just great.” I said with sarcasm

“This would've been a lot easier a week ago.” Sam walked over to Steve and I

“If we call Tony..” Steve started saying and I scoffed

“I don’t think we’ll believe us.” I cut him off

“Even if he did..”

“Who knows if the accords would let him help.” I said and Steve let out a sigh

“We're on our own then.” He looked at the both of us

“Maybe not.” Sam shrugged and we both looked at him “I know a guy.”

“So” I looked at Steve “What's next, Cap?”

“I need to make a few calls.” He said “And we need to get out of here.”

“We gotta stay low tho.” Sam said

“Yeah, very low.” I nodded

“I'll be right back.” Steve walked out, I supposed so that he could make "a few calls"

Sam walked out too and I took a deep breath. This is insane.

I looked at Bucky and then I sat on the floor in front of him.

“So” I crossed my legs “Being framed is fun huh.”

“You have no idea.” He sighed “How'd you know it wasn't me?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been tracking you.” I replied “…From a distance, of course.”

“Of course you have.” He said not at all surprised “Does Steve knows?”

“No, of course not.” I shook my head

“Why? Felt guilty?”

I let out a sigh. “A little.”

“He’s gonna find out eventually.”

“Yeah, I know.” I nodded “I’ve been thinking about telling him, but I just don’t know how he’s gonna react.”

I should tell him. I really should because maybe we wouldn't be in this mess right now if it wasn't for me.

“You have a certain look on your face, agent.” Bucky said in almost a whisper “What is it?”

“I just.. I think I better tell him now.”

“He's not gonna be happy.”

“I know.” I sighed “But I have to.. better late than never.”

I looked back and saw Steve standing next to Sam, who was actually talking on the phone.

“Steve.” I cleared my throat and I stood up from the floor “I, um.. can we talk?” I said and he looked at me “I kinda need to tell you something.”

“Yeah, of course.” He nodded “Wanna go outside?”

“Well I don’t want the police to see us, so here it’s fine.”

I was really anxious. I didn’t even know how to start.

“What is it?” He asked when he saw that I was pretty impatient

“Okay, I’m just gonna say it.” I sighed “Remember when I went with Sam to Europe? To find Bucky.”

“Yeah, what happened?”

“Okay, well remember that we did found him, right? We told you we were in Austria.”

“Yes, Cat, I remember everything, where are you going with this?”

“I didn't lost him.. I, uh..” I bit my lip nervously “I let him go.” I finally confessed, he looked at me a little confused

“What are you talking about?” He frowned and then looked at Bucky “What is she talking about?” He pointed at me

“I was the one who talked to him that day.”

“Yeah and if I remember correctly, he got all defensive and threw you across the room, you were all bruised and even had a cut.” He said “What do you mean you let him go?”

“I talked to him, he said that he needed time and I just.. I simply decided to let him go.”

“Simply decided?” He raised an eyebrow

“Look, I’m sorry.”

“What the hell happened exactly for you to let him go like that?”

“Don't be mad at her, it's my fault.” Bucky interrupted us and Steve looked at him “I was just trying to remember everything on my own.”

“Stop.” I looked at him “I should've knocked the fuck out of you and drag you out of there.”

“Yeah, you should have.” Steve nodded “You realize that because you let him go we’re in this position now, right?”

“Yes!” I raised my voice “I made a mistake, I know and I'm sorry, okay? I didn't think it was too big of a deal at the moment, he just wanted to remember everything on his own and I thought that was okay.”

“Well it clearly wasn't.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t.” I sighed “But at least my intuition was right! He didn't do anything.”

“But look where we are now!”

“But that’s not entirely my fault now, is it?” I said “I mean, the fucker who messed with his head is the real responsible here, he could’ve done it even if Bucky was with us.”

“That’s not the point…”

“It is! It kinda is.” I cut him off

“Cat, you’re not realizing the consequences that your actions had.”

“I am! Trust me, I am realizing it and I knew what I was getting myself into when I made that decision.”

He clicked his tongue. “I just can’t believe you could do something like this knowing it would have consequences. I just..” he sighed “I can't believe that you, out of all people, could do this.”

“I know it was wrong but I just..”

“What?” He looked at me with his hands on his hips

I let out a sigh. “You're really mad at me, aren't you?”

“A little.” He nodded “And a little disappointed too, you were supposed to do your job and I asked you to do it because I knew you were the only one who would do it no questions asked.”

“I know and I'm sorry.”

“We could've prevented this.”

“I know.” I sighed feeling guilty as hell “I really am sorry.. trust me if I could go back in time and change what happened, I would.”

He let out a sigh. “I'll go see if Sam's done so we can get the hell out of here.” He said walking out again before we could say something else

I just sighed and then leaned on the wall. Bucky's eyes found mine and he took a deep breath as he sat straight.

“I'm sorry for trying to kill you.” He said looking at my neck

“It's fine.” I said “Not the first time anyway.”

“Sorry.”

“At least you’re apologizing now.”

“Apology accepted then?”

“I don’t know, I’ll think about it.” I sat on the floor facing him “I tend to hold grudges.”

“Well that’s not good.”

“Do I look like I care?” I tilted my head

“You got issues, you know?”

“Well.. that makes two of us.” I shrugged

“…Can't argue with that.” He shook his head and I chuckled

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[scotianostra]

Robert the Bruce was born in Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire on 11th July 1274.

Well where do we start with this one? I think the majority of us know about Robert and how he led us to victory at Bannockburn so I will put a bit background together of his immediate family.

His mother Marjorie, Countess of Carrick, I think nowadays the term we would use, and it's quite appropriate , is battle-axe. According to what has been written about her she held his father, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandaleprisoner until he agreed to marry her, it was through his mother that he drew most of his Scottish ancestry. The marriage must have worked for as well as Robert they had 7 more children.

After the Battle of Methven his wee brother Nigel de Brus was captured at Kildrummy Castle and was taken to Berwick to be hanged, drawn and beheaded for high treason, he was protecting Robert's wife, Elizabeth, his daughter Marjorie, his sisters Christina and Mary Bruce, and Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan and helped them escape, although they were later captured by Balliol's army and handed over to Edward I. Nigel was executed for high treason by being hanged, drawn, and quartered in September 1306 at Berwick-upon-Tweed by the English. Two of his other brothers, Alexander and Thomas were also judicially murdered at Carlisle on Februaey 17th 1307 after being captured at Loch Ryan Galloway in 1207, after landing an invasion force consisting of eighteen galleys trying to take land from Dungal MacDouall, who was a supporter of the Comyns,.

Arguably the most famous of his siblings was Edward Bruce, if you have been paying attention you will remember his part in fighting with Robert at Bannockburn, he later went and fought in Ireland and indeed became King for a short time but lost his life in the Battle of Faughart, the, it's said the victor John de Bermingham then took his head to England to be put on display before Edward II.

Robert's sisters, Christina and Mary, as I said earlier were captured after the siege at Kildrummy, along with Isabella MacDuff, now Isabella crowned the Bruce at Scone, it was tradition that the MacDuffs performed the crowning of Scottish monarchs, Isabella arrived the day after Robert had been crowned but the Bruce agreed to second crowning as otherwise some would see the ceremony as irregular, not being performed by a MacDuff.Isabella was imprisoned in cages for four years of Isabella, Edward Longshanks is said to have commanded "Let her be closely confined in an abode of stone and iron made in the shape of a cross, and let her be hung up out of doors in the open air at Berwick, that both in life and after her death, she may be a spectacle and eternal reproach to travellers."

The sisters faired a wee bit better, Isabel Bruce became Queen of Norway as the wife of King Eric II., so escaped the First War of Scottish Independence. Christina and Mary, also captured after Kildrummy, were sent into solitary confinement at a Gilbertine nunnery at Sixhills in Lincolnshire. Mary Bruce was given the same treatment as Isabella MacDuff, but held at Roxburgh Castle.. The sisters sspent eight years as English prisoners, and returned to Scotland in October 1314 as part of the ransom for the Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, who was taken prisoner after the Battle of Bannockburn.

There is not a great deal of detail about the other sisters, Margaret married one Sir William de Cairlyle. Lady Elizabeth Bruce married Sir William Dishington of Ardross, in Fife, and finally Matilda, (Maud) Bruce married Hugh 4th Earl of Ross.

Robert was married twice in his life, first to Isabella of Mar, who died in 1296, , with whom he had a daughter Marjorie, from whom the Stewart dynasty was to trace its lineage. His second wife was Elizabeth de Burgh, with whom he had five children – Margaret, Matilda, David, John (who died in infancy) and Elizabeth. His eldest son succeeded his father as King David II of Scotland.

The photo shows Isabella MacDuff and King Robert I in “The Crowning of Bruce” part of an exhibition at Edinburgh Castle.

[specialagentlokitty]

Monica x brother!reader - brotherly love

Hiii, hru? I was wondering if maybe you could write a Monica Geller x younger brother reader in which the reader finds out about her's and Chandler's secret relationship and gets overprotective with Monica. Thanks! - @benjibing 💜

You were always so busy with your job that you never had much time to spend getting to see your brother and sister even though you lived in the same city as then.

But you had just started your holiday and before doing absolutely nothing you decided to go see them, so you stopped by Monica’s apartment hoping they were both there.

You flung the door open.

“Your favourite brother is here!” You shouted.

Hearing a scream and the sound of somebody falling over you snapped your head to the couch to see Chandler stood there looking guilty and Monica getting up from the floor.

“Well, this has been fun I’ve got to go.”

He went to walk past you, and you blocked his path.

“What were you doing to my sister Bing?” You asked lowly.

“Definitely… not kissing her…?” He whispered.

“(Y/N) wait!”

Before Monica could stop you, you had grabbed Chandler by the collar of his sweater, slamming him against one of the walls making him groan in pain.

“Okay! Okay I’m sorry I won’t even look at Monica again!”

“Chandler!”

Monica stormed over, placing her hand on your arm, giving your a soft look.

“Please put him down and let us explain.”

“No, I’m not having some guy making out with you, especially not Chandler. He’s Ross’ best friend he should know you don’t get involved with your best friends sister.”

“Please! Please just let him go!” She pleaded.

You looked at Monica and sighed, letting go of her boyfriend and he immediately hid behind her.

“Seriously? That’s a coward move.”

“You’re terrifying man!”

You went to step forward and Monica stopped you.

“Hey! Just sit down.”

You grumbled, sitting down on the kitchen chair and you looked at them, gesturing between the pair of them.

“How long as this been going on?”

“Since London…” Monica mumbled.

You slowly nodded your head.

“Does anyone know?”

“No, please don’t tell them. We’re not ready to tell anybody yet.” Chandler said.

You flicked your gaze to him, pointing to him and a chair, and he slowly walked over to sit down.

“Mon, can we have a few minutes?” You asked.

“You’re not going to kill him right? Because I really don’t want to visit you in prison.”

Getting up, you walked over and hugged her gently, patting her back a few times before you pulled away from her.

“I’ll come over in a few minutes, can you go keep Joey busy?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Monica walked over to chandler and kissed his forehead.

“Good luck…” she whispered.

With that she left, and you sat back down.

“Why my sister?”

“She’s.. she’s just amazing. Monica is the best woman I’ve ever been with.”

“How did it start?”

“It was supposed to be a causal thing just in London, then it progressed into a relationship but we’re trying to keep it just to ourselves.”

You slowly nodded your head.

“Do you love her?”

Chandler went quiet.

“Do you love my sister?”

“Yes! I.. I love her okay.. I love her so much she’s just amazing…”

You stood up, walking over to sit on the back of the couch as you carried on watching him.

“A lot of people have hurt Monica. She’s cried over a lot of guys, and I’ve had to beat down a lot of guys because of it.”

Chandler seemed to grow a little nervous, and he pushed himself away slightly on the chair.

“I couldn’t think of a better guy to date her.”

His face immediately lit up with a smile, and he stood up.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah man, I’ve known you a long time, I know you’re not a player like Joey, I know you won’t cheat on her.”

“That’s such a relief honestly I thought you were going to straight up murder me and this throw me over the Brooklyn bridge…”

You shrugged a little bit making his eyes widen.

“Look, I approve of you seeing my sister Chandler, but if you hurt her, if you make her cry, if you cheat on her, if you treat Monica less than anything than a literal queen that she deserves to be treated like I’ll find you, I’ll make your life a living hell. I’ll destroy every relationship you get into, I’ll run you out of every apartment, have you constantly looking over your shoulder.”

“No…”

You walked over, placing your hand on his shoulder as you smirked a little bit.

“I’m a cop Chandler… trust me I can find you anywhere…”

With that, you pat his shoulder a few times.

“Later buddy, I’m taking Monica, Rachel and Phoebe out for lunch! And don’t worry, you secret is safe with me!”

With that you left the apartment leaving Chandler rethinking all of his life choices.

He decided to go to his apartment in the hopes maybe Joey could help distract him, but your words hung heavy over him.

He knew you were protective of your sister, and what scared him even more is he didn’t know if you would actually follow through with your threat or not, but he wanted to show you that he was for real.

He was going to show you that you could trust Monica to him, no matter what it took in order to do that

[itsthestutterforme]

Wait For You (Steve Rogers x black!reader)

Summary: You haven’t seen Steve and his team since the Accords. So what do you do when they show up to your job asking for your help?

Prompt credit @raiurune : “I’m sorry.” “For what?” “For loving you,”

Notes: GIF is not mine, all mistakes are my own, angst, sad asf ending, story is set during Infinity War

**

The room fell to silence as Steve tells stares down Director Ross’ holographic gaze. “Arrest them immediately,” Director Ross tells Rhodey. “On it,” Rhodey says before clicking the button to end the meeting.

“It’s good to see you guys,” He starts, pulling Natasha in for a hug and Steve soon after. “Wow, you.. look like crap,” Rhodey starts, making the group laugh. He offers a seat to Vision and Wanda, seeing what he could do to take care of their wounds when Banner emerged.

The group moves to another room where they talk about what their next step is. There were aliens coming with a much greater army than the first attack on New York. They needed all the help they could get. There was a lot at stake and all that’s been on Steve’s mind since the quinjet landed at the Avengers Compound, was looking for you.

Had it been just a pass by, it would have been enough for him. But he needed to see you. Things between you are.. tense to say the least. Your relationship was elevating to the next stage before the Accords were introduced. You chose Steve’s side, naturally. But he made a deal with Tony to get you back in Ross’ good graces.

He didn’t want you to live on as a fugitive. Not after he knew how hard it was for you to get accepted into SHIELD’s academy. It didn’t matter if you were mutant. You deserved better. And so Tony and Rhodes took you in to sign the Accords and other acknowledgements and disclaimers. Legal tomfoolery stating that you legally belong to SHIELD and had to come at their beck and call.

And they abused that right for six whole months before you made an example of Ross in front of the entire board. And what was he going to do? Throw you in jail for exercising your freedom of speech? Slim chance. You had him by the balls at this point.

Today was your day off, so you were particularly annoyed with the blaring alarm that came from your phone. It was a call from SHIELD. You lifted yourself off the yoga mat, letting out a deep sigh when you saw it was Director Ross. You clicked the answer button, “Is something wrong sir?”

“Yes, there’s been a breach. Multiple breaches, actually.” The crease in your brow deepened when you heard the authority in his tone. “Is it serious?” “Yes, Captain Rogers and his team of fugitives just walked into the Avengers Compound. And we’re still running the logistics on the breach in New York and Scotland.” “There was a breach in New York?”

“Yes, Y/N. Do you happen to live under a rock?” “Well forgive me for doing yoga on my only day off, Director Ross.” You snap, not appreciating his tone. “We need you to come in to ensure that Rhodey arrests those fugitives. Put them in prison so we can focus on whether the breach in New York and Scotland.”

“With all due respect, sir. If there’s another invasion in the works, shouldn’t you want all the help you can get?” We’ll cross that bridge when we get it to. I want them behind bars. Now.” “On it, sir.” He ended the call and you were left in shock. This is not at all what you expected your day off to be like. Grabbing your briefcase and keys, you rush down the stairs of your apartment to call a taxi.

“So how long has it been?” Natasha asks Steve when he looks to the hall for the fifth time in fifteen minutes. “What was that?” Steve asks, slowly meeting Natasha’s gaze. “How long has it been since you seen her?” Natasha reiterates. “A little over a year,” he answers softly.

“Do you still..” “Always,” “She’ll come. No matter where she is. If she knows about what’s happening, she’ll come.”

Just as she said that, they heard her voice. “Rhodey, please tell me the world hasn’t gone to shit.” You rushed in, your eyes glued to your phone to read the most recent article about what happened in Scotland. “We can’t exactly make that promise,” Sam interjects. You freeze and slowly met everyone’s gaze.

Your eyes fixated on Steve and his on yours. “Hi,” you whispered and you saw Steve’s shoulders visibly relax. “Hey, sweetheart,” your heart sped up at the nickname. It wasn’t until you heard Vision groaning in pain as he leaned on the doorway that snapped you out of your trance.

“Vis, please lay back down.” Wanda pleads. You set your brief case on the nearest counter and took off your heavy coat, leaving you in your leggings and your fitness jacket. “What happened?” You asked as you approached Vision. “They want the stone,” he explains faintly. Your eyes fell to the wound on his side.

“I can try to heal you if you want or at least reduce the pain some.” “You can do that?” Wanda asks. “Yes, I would heal the artificial wounds of injured agents on missions. Let’s help him get on the table,” you took an arm and Wanda took the other arm.

Vision limps back to the table and slowly slides himself onto it. “It’s good to see you, Y/N.” Vision says, you couldn’t help the smile on your face. Even in pain, he gave compliments. “Just relax and take a deep breath, okay?” Vision nods and reaches for Wanda’s hand. The team files into the room as you rest your hand on Vision wound, your hand slowly heating up and bringing the fibers together.

The wound closed and Vision release a breath. He closed his eyes and his chest rose and fell in soft breaths. “That’s common after healing. The body needs rest.” You explain. “Thank you, Y/N. Really.” Wanda took your hand and gave it a squeeze. “Of course,”

You turned around to see Sam and Natasha watching you expectantly. Natasha came up to you first and wrapped her arms around you in a tight hug. “Love what you did with the hair,” she says. “I was about to say the same thing,” She pulled away and you reached for Sam, who gladly gave you a hug with a little shake.

“How is he?” You asked both Natasha and Sam. They looked at each other before Sam says, “He’s been love sick to say the least,” “Yeah, you might wanna go talk to him,” Natasha says with a smirk. You turned to look and already saw Steve looking at you, admiring you.

You approached Steve, stopping within an inch of him. “I.. know you must hate me after everything I di-“ you rushed into his arms, your head collapsing into his chest. “I could never hate you, Steve.” You said after a long pause. His arms tightened around you and you felt his lips press against your hairline.

“There’s so much I want to tell you,” he says softly. “Me too.. I wanted-“ your phone’s alarm blared and vibrated as it rested on the table. “It’s probably Ross checking in. You all have to leave before he sends agents here. If he hasn’t already.” You pulled away from Steve and advanced to your brief case. “And what about you?” Steve asks, following you.

“I can hold them off,” “And end up in prison,” Steve counter argues. “He’s right. We don’t know what we’re dealing with right now. It’s safer with us.” Natasha intervenes. “Where can we go that’s safe?” You asked. “I know a place,”

**

“This isn’t up for debate, Steve. I’m doing it.” “Like hell you are,” He says, trailing after you the moment you left the room. You offered to be the first point of contact between Thanos’ army and Wakanda. It’s essentially the best play you have to ensure your team will win.

“I’m not going to allow you to do this.” “What other play do we have? This is a war, Steve. You know better than anyone that there is no such thing than a war without casualties. I’m the best chance we have,” you continued to walk but Steve caught your hand.

He pulled you into the nearest room and locked the door. “Why are you so eager to sacrifice yourself?” “I could ask you the same thing. Why did you go into the ice, Steve?“ “To-“ “To save people. How is what I’m doing so different?”

“Because I’ve lived life, Y/N. I had a second chance. Your life is just starting,” “Wow, I cannot believe you really pulled the age card on me.” You scoffed and turned away from him. Your gaze fell to the floor as you rested your hands on your hips. You heard his footsteps near you but didn’t bother moving. “I’m sorry,” he says softly.

“For what?” “For loving you.” You turned around, nearly caressing your lips with his. You don’t move a muscle and neither does he. You pressed a chaste kiss on his lips to which he deepened. His hand gently held the back of your neck and you held his cheeks. Goosebumps erupted all over your skin, your body relaxing into his.

“I love you too,” you whispered against his lips. He leans down to press his forehead against yours, his hair caressing your cheeks. “I’m terrified, Steve. We’re running out of time and I’m scared we won’t be able to make things right before it’s too late,” You whimpered, tear swelled in your eyes.

“I’ll spend the rest of my life making it right. I’ll do right by you, and I’ll protect you until my dying breath. I promise.” He held your trembling form in his arms, gently rubbing your back to console you.

Little did he know, that was the last time he would ever get to hold you before you received a fate worse than dust.