#and all the fury towards a steven show
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confession
pairing: frank castle x fem!reader
summary: one confession changes everything.
warnings: swearing, angst, mentions of guns, bombs, blood & violence
word count: 5.5k
a/n: dun dun dunnnnnn. i hope y'all are hungry for drama, bc that's exactly what i whipped up. as always, feedback is welcomed/appreciated!
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The second you burst through the door to Billy’s office, three sets of eyes were immediately on you. A look of pure annoyance settled on Frank’s face when he saw that you had directly disobeyed his order to wait in the truck, and he instantly began to stalk over towards you while grunting under his breath.
“I told you to wait in the-“
Something in your eyes must have caught his attention, because Frank abruptly stopped dead in his tracks and the irritation plastered on his face quickly shifted into a look you weren’t familiar with seeing on his hardened features.
Fear.
The movement of someone hastily rising from their chair caught your eye, and your lethal gaze completely bypassed Billy’s evident look of surprise to land on the culprit of your imminent wrath.
“Y/N, oh thank God. Where the hell have you been? Everyone has been looking for you for-“
Crack.
The moment your fist collided with Steven’s face, pain shot through your knuckles, and you tore your hand away as if you had touched a hot stove top, clutching your hand to your chest with a tight grimace on your face as you groaned.
“Oh, fuck!”
Billy’s dark brows rose significantly up his forehead, and his jaw went slack in astonishment. Frank’s eyes nearly doubled in size as he gawked at you in complete shock. Below you, Steven was on the ground, holding his nose and groaning in agony as deep streams of crimson slipped through his fingers.
“Jesus fucking Christ! What the fuck was that for?”
“It was you, you son of a bitch!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about-”
“No I don’t, what the fuck is your problem? You on your period or something, that why you’re acting so fucking crazy?”
Steven’s words only fueled your rage and made you completely blindsided by your own anger. You weren’t thinking clearly, and when Billy came around his desk to stand beside you to assess the situation, you reached out to quickly pull his gun from his holster to aim it directly at Steven, whose expression of exasperation swiftly morphed into pure panic as he stared up at the barrel of the gun in your hand.
Billy immediately lept into action, grabbing onto your wrist tightly with his right hand to push the gun’s barrel away from Steven’s face while his left hand gripped onto your arm to lock it in place.
“Whoa whoa whoa, easy, darlin’.”
Behind you, Frank’s boots thudded heavily against the floor in a rush, and you soon felt the heat of his palm against your lower back through the thin material of your shirt. His other large hand reached over Billy’s to grip onto the barrel of the gun, keeping you from pointing it where you wanted to. Normally being so close to Frank that you could feel the tickle of his warm breath against your ear would’ve sent a shiver trickling down your spine, but the fury you felt seemed to singe every nerve ending that would’ve otherwise been affected by the juxtaposition of his gruff voice pleading gently with you.
“Easy, sweetheart. Gimme the gun. Whatever you think you wanna do right now, you don’t.”
“I want him to admit it.”
Steven swallowed thickly as you spit your venom at him through gritted teeth. Your eyes hadn’t left his once since they locked onto him when you stepped into Billy’s office. He wiped the blood lingering above his thin top lip with the sleeve of his shirt, staining the crisp white fabric a deep shade of maroon, and raised both of his hands slowly in a show of surrender as he stared up at you in trepidation.
“Y/N…whatever you think I did-“
“I don’t think. I know. You’re behind the Defenders of Freedom. All of this shit-all the people that have been hurt, all the people that have died-I almost died because of you.”
Steven let out a nervous chuckle as he shook his head slowly, moving to sit up on his knees as he stared up at you in bewilderment.
“What? That’s…that’s crazy. I was attacked by them. I don’t know why you would-“
Before he could utter another lie, you lifted your phone in your other hand that wasn’t still gripping onto the gun and started playing the recording you had, causing the entire room to go silent.
“Price! We got a fucking problem here! You said she was supposed to be alone, man. Well she’s not fucking alone! Someone’s fucking here and they’re-“
Cavella’s voice was cut off by the sound of bullets ricocheting around your kitchen. Steven’s eyes went wide with terror once you stopped the recording, a look of fear flashing through them that you had only ever seen Frank bring out in him. That look had power surging through your veins; to finally have that sense of strength over a man who had tried to make you feel small and brittle the entire duration of your relationship. It was intoxicating to be able to stare down into his petrified gaze.
Frank and Billy both immediately went rigid once the recording stopped. Billy’s look of concern for you all of a sudden morphed into an accusatory glare as he slowly turned his head to look down at Steven. One by one, he untangled his fingers from around your wrist and let go of your arm, turning to face Steven fully and stare him down as he towered over him.
“Frank, let go.”
“Bill-“
“Let her have it.”
“She don’t know how to use it-“
“She’s about to learn.”
The icy edge to Billy’s voice momentarily suspended your anger, and your lips parted slightly, noticing the look of pure disdain clenched in his jaw. Frank slowly came into view beside you, his large hand still clamped around the barrel of the gun, and when you turned to look at him, you could see the anger and concern clashing in his eyes. A muscle feathered in his jaw as he stared into your eyes, the internal battle displayed in the reflection of his almost like a play. You could see his hesitation to let go as much as you could see his own desire to follow Billy’s direction.
Glancing down at his own hand on the gun, his brows furrowed slightly, and he exchanged a knowing glance with Billy. Giving you one final look, he let out a deep exhale through his large nose, relinquishing his hold on the gun and removing his hand from your lower back to take a step backwards to give you some space. He immediately turned his body to face forward, staring down at Steven with a menacing glare while his index and middle finger twitched at his sides. Flickering your eyes over towards Billy, he gave you a subtle nod of encouragement before focusing his attention back on Steven.
Sucking in a sharp inhale, you fixated your gaze back on Steven and aimed the gun at him again with more confidence this time. It felt foreign holding a gun for the first time, and it was heavier than you expected, but the weight of the weapon in your hand was nothing compared to the weight of knowing all the hell you had endured the past several months were because of the man on his knees in front of you.
“I wanna hear you admit it.”
Steven’s eyes desperately flickered between the three of you. It was clear he wasn’t getting any sympathy from Frank or Billy, but he was still egotistical enough to think he had some kind of hold on you that he could use to his advantage. He shook his head quickly as he reached a shaky hand out towards you.
“Y/N, this is all a huge misunderstanding. Look, I asked those guys to look after you because-“
“I don’t want any bullshit, Steven. I want the truth. Cavella outed himself and Walker about being involved with the bombings. They weren’t there to look after me, they were there to kidnap me. Why? First you tried to have me killed, and then kidnapped-“
“Whoa whoa, no. That is not at all what was supposed to happen-“
“Then what was supposed to happen, Steven?”
“You weren’t supposed to antagonize them! The only reason you became a target is because you pissed them off! If you hadn’t been so fucking-“
Billy took a swift step forward and backhanded Steven across the face, glaring down at him with his lips set in a hard line.
“I would watch the way you talk to someone pointin’ a fuckin’ gun at you, dipshit.”
Steven clenched his jaw with a wince as he squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a frustrated exhale.
“Fuckin’ figures you’d be behind this shit. Bombs are a cowards weapon, and that’s exactly what you fuckin’ are.”
Frank’s voice was dangerously low and absolutely dripping with unfiltered hatred.
“I never hurt anyone. No one was ever supposed to get hurt at all. Look, Cavella and Walker had this group of vets that were already causing a lot of trouble. I…I thought I could use them to my advantage. I made them a deal that if they would do exactly as I said when I said, I’d fund them and keep them hidden and out of prison.”
“How exactly does a homegrown terrorist group advantage you?”
Steven sighed in frustration as he stared up at you, dropping his hands by his sides. The look of indignation in his eyes made your blood feel like molten lava in your veins. You had seen that look countless times when you were together. It was an expression he gave you when he felt like he was pointing out something obvious to you, or felt the need to mansplain something he thought you weren’t intelligent enough to figure out on your own.
“It would’ve helped me win the election.”
Complete disbelief was shot throughout your entire nervous system like a shockwave as you blanched at him with a curt, humorless laugh.
“You’re fucking joking. You murdered people-“
“No. I didn’t do that. Cavella and Walker were just supposed to blow up a few buildings and make a few stupid threats that I could use as a talking point for my campaign. They were gonna threaten me publically, and that was gonna gain me sympathy points in the polls. They already had a few guys lined up to take the fall for everything, and it was all gonna go down the week before the election. Can you imagine the votes I’d get for taking down a terrorist group? I’d win by a fucking landslide.”
“You are un-fucking-believable.”
“Look, I’ll admit, they got out of hand, alright? I told you, no one was supposed to get hurt at all. Politics is messy. Sometimes you do things you’re not proud of-“
“You’re really trying to excuse what you did-“
“I made a mistake, Y/N. I was trying to fix it-“
“How does kidnapping me fix it?”
Steven dragged his palms down his face in complete exasperation as he shook his head with a dry laugh.
“I knew a journalist was attacking them in the media but I didn’t realize it was you. I tried to tell Cavella and Walker you were off limits, but they didn’t wanna hear it. I mean, you taunted them relentlessly in the media. So, I agreed to let them kidnap you, but they weren’t actually gonna hurt you. I told them if they did, I’d pull their funding and expose them. They were just supposed to scare you into shutting up-”
Before you had a chance to react, Frank surged forward and struck his fist across Steven’s face hard, sending him flying two feet away from where he was sitting on his knees. When Frank moved to advance towards Steven to unleash more of his rage, Billy thrust his arm across Frank’s chest to halt his movements.
“Let her finish.”
Your eyes widened at the force Frank had knocked Steven back with. You watched as Steven curled up onto his side, his hand hovering over the fresh gash Frank’s knuckles had torn into his cheek, and you grimaced slightly at the pool of blood leaking past his lips. Steven let out a frustrated yell of pain while clutching at his face.
“Fuck! God…none of this even fucking matters anymore, alright? We have a bigger problem. Someone else knew about Cavella and Walker showing up to Y/N’s place and killed them, and I would think she would be more concerned that they’re still out there somewhere-”
“I did.”
Steven paused his furious rant to look up at Frank, his bloodied face twisted up in absolute confusion.
“What?”
Frank took a bold step forward, his eyes wild with restrained fury, and his top lip curled up slightly in a menacing snarl as he grit his words out at Steven.
“I killed ‘em.”
Steven blinked a few times in pure dumbfoundment. The puzzlement swimming in his eyes seemed to swirl like a hurricane into a pool of fear before settling into a tide of anger. As he glared between Frank and Billy, he pointed an accusatory bloody finger towards Frank.
“You…you ruined everything! I staged my car being blown up so Homeland would pull you away from her. If you had fucking done as you were told this would’ve all been over in two weeks! You weren’t supposed to be there-”
“Well that’s your fuckin’ stupid ass mistake thinkin’ I would ever leave her alone.”
Frank was beyond seething at this point, and the boom of his voice echoed in Billy’s office like a loud clap of thunder. But it wasn’t the volume of his words that made you shiver; it was the truth you heard in them.
Something about Steven’s argument piqued your curiosity, and you stared down at him with narrowed eyes.
“Wouldn’t exposing them also expose you?”
Steven scoffed at your question like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
“No, I’m not stupid. I paid them in cash. We only exchanged information verbally, or through a burner phone, so there was nothing tying me to them. If they even tried, I would’ve buried them in charges.“
Your brows furrowed slightly at his implication, letting out a dry laugh as you watched him spit out blood.
“You mean you would’ve falsified files to get them locked away to hide your own dirty secrets?”
“I’ve been doing it my entire career. You really think I haven’t lost a case because I’m that good? Come on, no lawyer has that string of luck.”
Every dark revelation coming from Steven’s mouth only made your blood blaze even hotter. You momentarily dropped the gun by your side, taking a few steps over towards Steven with a look of absolute fury in your eyes while you smiled humorlessly.
“I can’t tell you how much I’m going to fucking enjoy watching you burn for this. Guess I’ll be writing about you after all.”
Steve let out a deep laugh, showcasing his bloodstained teeth in a cocky smile as he looked up at you.
“Princess, have you forgotten who I am? Who my father is? None of this is coming back to me. I told you, I have no direct ties to those overzealous psychos. That little recording you have only proves I sent two officers to watch out for my ex-girlfriend that was in danger. There’s no proof I knew they were involved. And even with your two little witnesses here, it’s all circumstantial evidence. No one is gonna believe you. You have nothing.”
“I’d say we have a confession.”
Steven rolled his eyes as he turned his head to look up at Billy, that nauseating smirk plastered over his lips.
“Not exactly how a confession works, pretty boy. This would all be hearsay, if it even made it to court.”
Billy arched one of his dark brows, his deep obsidian eyes narrowing slightly with a sparkle of mischief shining in them as his lips stretched into a wolfish grin. He suddenly held up his phone that displayed a recording that was still currently going.
“Is it?”
Steven’s smirk instantly disappeared realizing that Billy had been silently capturing the entire conversation. Showcasing a victorious smirk of his own, Billy pressed the button to stop the recording and slipped his phone into his pocket.
Frank’s face was still contorted in barely contained rage while glaring down at Steven as he barked a command.
“Names. Now.”
Steven swallowed thickly looking up at Frank, glancing between him and Billy in a newfound alarm.
“Okay…look…I’ll give you everything. If…if we can work something out-“
Frank stalked over towards Steven and grabbed him by his neck, lifting him up like a rag doll and shoving him against the wall so hard, it indented the wall in Billy’s office.
“We ain’t workin’ nothin’ out ‘cept whether you leave this goddamn office breathin’ or not, you got that? Now you can gimme those fuckin’ names, or I’ll tear ‘em outta you.”
Steven gripped onto Frank’s arms with both hands tightly, coughing from the restricted airflow, his ridiculous shoes thrashing against the wall from where Frank had him suspended above the floor.
“Cavella…was in…charge. Walker…was his…partner…I-addresses. I have… addresses…phone numbers…left pocket-“
Frank reached into Steven’s pocket with his free hand, pulling the burner phone out to toss in Billy’s direction. Billy quickly caught it and opened it, and after a few moments of searching through it, snapped it shut with a nod.
“Got it.”
Frank let go of Steven's neck, letting him collapse onto the floor in front of his boots, the corner of his mouth curling up into a snarl as Steven was sent into a coughing fit trying to catch his breath.
“Pull the trigger, darlin’.”
All three of your heads snapped in Billy’s direction, but he was only looking at you. Your lips parted slightly in surprise, glancing between Steven’s horrified eyes and Billy’s calm ones.
“What? We…we have his confession-“
Billy crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against his desk, nodding in your direction.
“We got a confession, but he could say it was coerced, and we got nothin’ else to pin to him. There’s a very real chance daddy could save the day on this one. You wanna risk that?”
A crease of confusion furrowed between your brows, and Billy’s features took on a more serious expression.
“We’ll back you. It would be cut and dry self defense.”
A look of astonishment blanketed your face when you realized what Billy was offering.
He wanted you to kill Steven.
Your eyes immediately went wide, and you looked over at Frank, hoping to see the same shock that was shining in your own eyes, but you didn’t find that.
Frank was staring at you in that same clash of hesitation and wrath, but you couldn’t detect a single ounce of disagreement with Billy’s offer. A sudden chill nipped at the back of your neck, and you slowly started to shake your head. Frank took a cautious step towards you, reaching out for your hand still holding onto the gun.
“You ain’t gotta do it. Lemme have it.”
“Frank-“
“Give it to me, and go wait in the truck.”
Your brows knit together in perplexity and disappointment as you stared between him and Billy, shaking your head adamantly.
“No.”
“Sweetheart-“
“No! He needs to pay for what he’s done. He and the others need to rot in prison. They need to spend the rest of their miserable lives in a tiny cell, knowing they’ll never get out. That’s what they deserve. They don’t just get to die and get it over with. They’re not getting away with it-“
“No one said they were, darlin’. Give Frank the gun.”
“He’s going to prison.”
Billy stared at you for a moment with an unreadable expression. Letting out an exhale through his nose, he nodded his head slightly in acceptance and straightened out his tie.
“If that’s what you want.”
Clutching onto the handle of the gun tightly, you glanced between Billy and Frank, noticing the polar difference in their expressions. Billy seemed calm and collected while Frank looked like he was seconds away from unleashing his wrath on Steven. Despite the power the two of them held, the decision was yours.
“Call Homeland.”
»»——— ———««
Watching Steven getting hauled away in handcuffs should’ve filled you with a sense of relief, but as you sat in the large conference room alone and watched Homeland agents scramble around the building through the floor to ceiling glass walls, there was a feeling of unease twisting your stomach into anxious knots.
Your thoughts were interrupted when a woman with shoulder length chocolate curls and espresso tinted eyes pushed open the door to the conference room. Her gaze was somewhat intense, and captivating, but there was a tight smile on her lips when she approached you and held out her hand.
“Y/N Y/L/N, I’m agent Dinah Madani with Homeland Security. I’ve been working on your case.”
Reaching your hand out to take hers, you noticed she had a firm grasp. When you made the connection with her words in your head, a tiny smile tugged at the corner of your mouth.
“You’re Frank’s friend.”
Dinah lifted one of her perfectly arched dark brows in playful curiosity as a more candid and genuine soft smile graced her lips.
“Friend is a…strong word. But for all intents and purposes, sure.”
She gave you a knowing look, and you simply nodded in silent understanding as the tiny smile pulling at the edge of your mouth reached the center of your lips. Dinah took a seat beside you and leaned back in the chair slightly, letting out a deep exhale as her gaze flickered between the agents currently interviewing Billy and Frank before landing back on you with a softer expression.
“You know…what you did, it was brave. Incredibly reckless, to taunt two psychopaths with loaded guns and a hobby of blowing shit up, but brave. And extremely clever.”
That lingering sensation of dread crept up your spine again, causing you to shudder. The weight of the past few months, and the last seventy-two hours especially, bubbled in your stomach like bile threatening to erupt. There was a question that had been echoing in your head for the past forty-five minutes, one you were afraid to know the answer to.
“Is it enough?”
Dinah tilted her head to the side slightly as she stared over at you, her dark brows twinged with confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“The recordings…his confession…is it enough?”
Hearing the worriment that trembled in your voice, Dinah’s features softened as the blurriness of your apprehension finally became clear, and she understood exactly what you were asking. She reached a hand over to firmly place on top of yours and leaned in so that she was staring directly into your eyes while she spoke in a strong and confident tone.
“I will personally make sure this son of a bitch goes down, and goes down hard. I don’t care if his father is richer than God, Steven Price is going to pay for what he did. They all will. I promise.”
There was a quiet ferocity to Dinah, and you got the impression that she was a woman with zero tolerance for bullshit, but despite her intensity, she made you feel relaxed. It almost reminded you of your early interactions with Frank.
“Thank you.”
The blazing passion in her eyes cooled off the tiniest bit when you said that, and you got the feeling those were two words she didn’t hear often. Before Dinah could respond, the door to the conference room creaked open, and that fire was burning brightly in her eyes once again as she stared down the intruder. You thought she might have been glaring at Frank for some reason, but when you looked over your shoulder, you were surprised to see it was Billy.
He stood on the opposite side of the table with his hands in his pockets, looking at Dinah with a faint smirk on his lips that almost looked arrogant, and a rogue twinkle in his eyes.
“Madani.”
Dinah sat up straighter in her seat as she stared intently over at Billy, not even bothering to plaster a cordial smile on her lips.
“Russo.”
There was a tension lingering between the two of them like a dense and heavy fog, and your eyes darted between them in total curiosity. Billy cleared his throat and squared his shoulders as he gestured towards you with his chin.
“Mind if I have a word with her alone?”
Instead of answering him, Madani turned her attention towards you, raising one of her brows in silent questioning. After giving her a subtle nod, she looked over at Billy warily out of the corner of her eye and let out a heavy exhale through her nose, giving you a nod of her own and rising from her seat.
“I’ll be outside.”
As she made her way over towards the conference door to leave, her and Billy’s eyes were locked on one another in an almost strained staring contest. But while Billy’s eyes reflected amusement, Madani stared at Billy in a look that resembled…suspicion. Once it was just you and Billy in the room, you looked over at him in complete puzzlement with an arched brow.
“What did you do to piss off Homeland Security?”
Billy let out a dark chuckle as he rounded the long, deep mahogany conference table, unbuttoning his suit jacket to take a seat next to you.
“We uh…used to date.”
For some reason, that confession caught you off guard. It was hard to picture someone like Billy with someone like Madani. Granted, she was just as attractive as he was, but their personalities seemed so…different. Glancing down at your hands, you let out a dry and humorless short laugh.
“I guess you really fucked up.”
Billy’s sharp features contorted into a look of faux offense, but the grin on his lips gave away his true feelings.
“What makes you so sure it was my fault?”
Turning your head slightly to give him a pointed look, he let out a deep chuckle and nodded as he leaned back in the chair and glanced around the empty conference room.
“Fair enough.”
Staring down at your hand that you had punched Steven with, you noticed that your knuckles had begun to swell, and the skin was changing into the early shades of a bruise. So much adrenaline had been coursing through your body, you hadn’t felt any pain at all until now. You could barely tighten your fingers into a weak fist without feeling a sharp tenderness, and there was dried blood around the stitches in your palm from clutching the gun so tightly.
A gun that Billy had wanted you to pull the trigger on.
“I wasn’t going to shoot him.”
“I know. You couldn’t have even if you wanted to.”
Shifting your gaze to look over at Billy in total confusion, there was a small smile on his lips as he looked back at you. He slowly crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side while gazing softly at you.
“The safety was on.”
All of a sudden, everything clicked.
That’s why Frank let go of the gun.
He had seen that the safety was on and knew you couldn’t do any damage. A surprised scoff left your lips as you shook your head slowly while all these new pieces fit into the puzzle. But as you ran your fingers through your hair with your uninjured hand, there was one question that was still missing an answer. You turned your head to stare at Billy inquisitively.
“Then why did you say-”
Billy shook his head and leaned over in his seat closer towards you, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“I was just tryin’ to scare him. He spent months terrorizin’ you, I thought it was only fair we scare the shit outta him too. I’m sorry if I took it too far, darlin’. But, I knew you wouldn’t do it, even if the safety wasn’t on.”
The way he said that with such conviction struck something within you, and you sat up a little straighter as you furrowed your brows slightly.
“What makes you say that?”
Billy instantly picked up on the challenging tone lacing your question, and he let out a light chuckle while looking at you with one of his dark brows arched.
“Besides the fact you don’t know how to use a gun?”
He took a moment to let his teasing words linger in the space between you, letting out an amused snort at the way you pursed your lips and lifted your brows defiantly.
“Cause that ain’t you, darlin’. Besides, Frank wouldn’t let you do somethin’ like that. He woulda done it himself to keep your conscience clear.”
As if on cue, Frank pushed through the door of the conference room with an ice pack in one hand and a first aid kit in the other. He glanced between you and Billy, his dark brows slightly knit together before his gaze landed on you, and he gestured loosely with the ice pack.
“Thought you might need this for that right hook, Rocky.”
Billy threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh while you struggled to fight the grin that threatened to take over your lips as you glanced down at your slightly swollen hand. Billy stood up from the chair and buttoned his suit jacket, lightly squeezing your shoulder.
“That was impressive. Remind me to never piss you off.”
While Billy left the conference room to speak to some of the guys that worked for him, Frank took his previous spot in the chair next to you and set the ice pack and first aid kit on the table.
“Lemme see.”
Letting out a soft sigh, you slowly placed your hand into his larger one and winced as he gingerly brushed his thumb over your bruised knuckles.
“It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Are we lookin’ at the same thing?”
There was a faint teasing tone to his words, and as you lifted your gaze to meet his eyes, you realized it was because he had repeated your own back to you. You were suddenly brought back to the night at the bar when you had been in this exact same scenario with Frank, only now the roles were reversed. Now he was the one patching up your hand.
A smile bloomed across your lips like the first delicate bud in spring knowing that he remembered that. Frank always remembered the little things.
“Alright, fine. It’s bad.”
Frank turned your hand over carefully, swabbing at the dried blood around your stitches with an alcohol wipe which caused you to hiss from the sting, and elicited a quiet apology from him. To both of your surprise, you hadn’t ripped open your stitches. Frank applied some antibiotic cream to your stitches and gently placed the ice pack over your swollen knuckles, the icy chill instantly offering a little bit of relief to the throbbing under your angry and taut skin.
But it was the way that Frank tenderly held your wrist with his other free hand as he held the ice pack to your bruised knuckles that a heated shiver tumbling down your back.
“Be sore for a few days, but it ain’t broken.”
Frank lifted his head to look at you, his eyes faintly narrowed as he cocked his head to the side and studied you curiously.
“I thought you said you ain’t ever hit anyone before?”
A look of sheer puzzlement blanketed your own features while looking back at Frank, unsure of the implications behind his question.
“I haven’t.”
Frank’s thick brows lifted up his forehead a few centimeters in surprise as his deep brown eyes wandered over you, a soft chuckle leaving him as he shook his head slowly and looked back down at your hand.
“Coulda fooled me. Hell of a fuckin’ hit for your first try.”
His voice was dripping with pride, and that coupled with the tiny grin on his lips filled you with a giddiness that made the pain in your hand almost disappear.
But all at once, that giddiness disappeared when a chilling revelation washed over you like a bucket of unforgiving ice water.
The Defenders of Freedom had been caught. Steven was going to stand trial, and eventually be sent to prison.
And there wasn’t a reason for Frank to be your bodyguard anymore.
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#frank castle#frank castle x you#frank castle x y/n#frank castle x reader#frank castle x female reader#frank castle x fem!reader#frank castle x f!reader#frank castle fic#frank castle series#the bodyguard series#bodyguard!frank castle fic#bodyguard!frank castle series#bodyguard!frank castle x reader#the punisher#the punisher fic#the punisher series
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Steve’s mom comes home unexpectedly, by herself, unannounced, one glorious day after the world is saved and Steve’s family are all around. They’re out, shouting and splashing in the pool when they see her and everyone gets quiet.
Julia Harrington sees the kitchen- plates stacked in the sink, bags of chips and the bowls of fruit Steve insists they each take at least something from everyday to ward off scurvy. The floor might be slightly sticky.
She sees her perfect dining room, the polished mahogany table strewn with dice and figures and maps.
She sees the living room, clearly slept in by more than one person. Her carefully installed conversation pit has been completely covered (too risky for Max to maneuver around in her wheelchair). Several other pieces of furniture have been moved or stored for the same reason, she’ll find.
She sees the group of people her son has allowed into her home. The Wheeler girl of course, and that other odd girl who neither she nor Richard had understood Steve’s infatuation with. Those unruly children he insisted on looking after. They’d assumed it was an attempt to win back the Wheeler girl by a misguided show of paternal talent- as though Steve would ever be driving his own children anywhere but home from the hospital.
And the boys, oh the boys. There was the oldest Byers boy, the first person Steve lost to. One she doesn’t know who looks like some misplaced hippie. And the one from the newspaper who may not be guilty of murder but is still certainly guilty of not belonging in her house.
She sees all of that while the rest of them seem to hold their collective breath. Steve was mid-chicken fight with Eddie on his shoulders, Will on Jonathon’s, when his mother approached the pool and everything froze, Eddie slipping quietly off and down into the shallow end as Steve turned. “Mom— ”
“Steven— ” A hint of the flavor of everything she’s about to say in the tone of her voice when she says her son’s name. Steve swims to the edge of the pool, it’s easy to forget how fast he can be in the water when he tries, hoists himself out and walks towards his mother hands out, placating. “Please can we just talk for one second?”
But Julia drops her bag, stares at Steve. Suddenly the ice is gone, the fury is gone, she gazes at Steve’s scars. Sees, for a moment at least, past what has been wrought upon her house to what has been wrought upon her son. “Oh what- what happened?”
#does this give her a free pass? no it does not#wake up call? lil bit maybe possibly#this turned out longer than i expected#stranger things#steve harrington#stranger things hc#stranger things au#steve has bad parents#steddie#eddie munson#stranger things fic
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He's my son, not yours! Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
This is based on a Transformers Rescue Bots crossover with Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes created by the brilliant @gelu-the-babosa-multiversal, check them out for more! This particular story is based on a discussion we've been having recently, hope you enjoy!
After meeting the Rescue Bots, Charlie never thought his and his kids' lives couldn't get more...exciting. They already had their hands full of between rogue or malfunctioning technology, a colorful collection of criminals, and of course, civilians who needed rescuing.
But then the Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes, showed up at Griffin Rock.
They had temporary stationed themselves in a small base and their boss, Nick Fury, who had actually aided Optimus in introducing the bots to Charlie in the first place, didn't give Chief much information on why they were, just that hopefully it wouldn't negatively impact the island.
So far, things to be fine, they were aware of the bots, so that was nice, and they seemed to get along with the Burns and the Greenes.
One of them in particular, Captain America, especially left an impression on Cody. The boy always seemed to want to be around him, always had stars in his eyes at the sight of the war hero, and the captain always seemed more than ready to give the boy the attention he wanted. It was amazing how well the bonded in the short amount of time they've known each other.
It wasn't long until most people started calling him the Captain's kid. Steve nor Cody seemed to be mind though. In fact, it's been rumored that Captain America actually loves it when hearing Cody being called his kid.
If Charlie didn't know any better, he would've thought the captain was trying to be a second father to Cody.
"Hey, Cap!" Tony, AKA Iron Man, exclaimed. "Your sidekick's here!"
"My what?" Captain American, also known as Steve Rogers, asked in confusion.
"Captain America!" Cody's voice echoed through the base. Steve smiled as he saw the young boy run towards.
"Cody!" The captain greeted. "It's great to see you again. What brings you back here?"
"Cody wanted to see you again." His father, Chief Burns responded. "And Fury wanted to speak with the bots and the rest of the team about something. Is it okay if Cody stays with you until it's over?"
Steve nodded with a smile. "Of course, Chief Burns. I don't mind at all."
The police chief smiled back. "Thank you, Captain. Shouldn't take too long." Then he faced his son. "Be on your best behavior, Cody."
"I promise, Dad!" Cody, promised. Then Chief walked off to wherever the meeting was being held.
"Hey, kid." Tony called out. "Wanna join in a little experiment I'm working on? I can guarantee it'll be more exciting than whatever Cap can do." Steve rolled his eyes, recognizing the teasing tone in Stark's voice. Tony already knew what Cody's answer would be.
"Thanks, Mr. Stark, but I'll stay with Captain Rogers." Cody replied. "We're going to-"
"No need to hear the detail's, kid." Tony interrupted. Steven frowned at the interruption, but Cody didn't seem to mind. "Just go have fun and don't give the old man a hard time."
"Let's go, Cody." Steve declared, then he led Cody away before Stark could say anything else.
"Are we still going to work on your motorcycle?" Cody asked eagerly.
Steve smiled and nodded. "Indeed, son. Your dad ever have you help him with car maintenance?"
"A little bit, at first." Cody admitted. "When we had time, he let me help with his old police car. But then the bots joined us, so we don't do that kind of thing anymore. But we do help wash the bots when they're in vehicle mode."
Steve nodded. Admittedly, he was still caught off guard about the idea of sentient vehicles from another planet, but after meeting the bots and hearing about the from Cody and the rest of his family, he could see they were good bots who did their duties as rescue workers well.
"Well, consider this as a way to brush up on those skills." Cap declared. "Then the next time you show your father, he'll know you haven't forgotten what he taught you, and maybe even learned something new."
Cody smiled at the idea. "Yes, sir!"
Fortunately, for the Burns family, the meeting didn't take too long, it was mostly about if they saw anything unusual, at least more unusual than they normally would see, and what they needed to do if they did.
The moment it ended; the older kids wanted to stick around the base a little longer, hoping to hang out with the Avengers for a bit. Unfortunately, they needed to get home as soon as possible.
"Its just still a bit unfair that Cody gets to hang around here, while we can't." Kade grumbled.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, but today isn't a good day, we have work to do back at home. I promise you can hang around here when there's time."
"Hey, where is Cody?" Graham asked.
"I left him with Captain America while we were at the meeting." Charlie replied. Kade let out a quick annoyed huff, only to be quickly silenced by an elbow in the arm by Dani. "You three head back home. I'll meet you all after I get Cody."
The three did as they were told, leaving the base as Charlie went to look for Cody.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to find his son. He was still with Captain America, but the boy was sitting on the captain's motorcycle, revving it up while Steve watched with a smile.
"You've got some competition, Chief." Iron Man's voice popped up out of nowhere.
"What are you taking about?" Charlie asked.
Tony then pointed at Cody and Steve, and both men watched as two blonds laughed about something and Steve ruffling Cody's hair.
"If you're not careful, Cap could take your place as Cody's dad." Tony declared with a teasing grin. "People around here are already saying he's Cap's kid."
Chief Burns rolled his eyes. "I think I'll be fine."
Stark shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Then he shouted. "Hey, Cap! Time to give the kid back!"
The two blonds looked towards Charlie and Tony. Cody smiled, got off the bike, and rushed to his Dad. "Hey, Dad. How was the meeting?"
Charlie shrugged. "Nothing major happened. You didn't give Captain Rogers any trouble?"
"None at all." Steve replied with a grin as he joined the group. "You've got a well-behaved young man here." He added as he ruffled Cody's hair again. "And a clever one as well. You ought to be proud of this one."
Chief Burns smiled. "Trust me, I am." Then he said to Cody. "Why don't you head outside to meet Chase. I'll join you shortly."
The boy nodded. "Okay, Dad." Then waved to the Captain. "Thanks again, Captain Rogers!" Then he ran off outside.
"Keep up the good work, son." Captain America replied before walking off as well.
"It's already happening." Tony quietly teased.
Charlie rolled his eyes before leaving to join Cody. He knew Tony was teasing, but it was starting to get on his nerves a bit. There was nothing to worry about. Despite the nickname as Captain Roger's kid, Chief Burns knew everyone knew Cody was his son, not Steve's.
Hope you enjoyed reading! Nothing dramatic yet, I want to try to build up to it, but the seeds have been planted, I assure you. Hopefully, you won't have to wait long for the next part to be posted. Wish me luck!
#He's my son not yours#TFRB x AEMH#my writing#Transformers#Rescue Bots#Transformers Rescue Bots#Avengers#Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes#TFRB#AEMH
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Idling || 8
Previous drabble here.
about this: MK system/fem!reader. Likely an inaccurate and dramatized portrayal of DID. Discussions of self harm, graphic depictions of self harm, and blood.
You, Marc, and Steven plot how to communicate with Jake.
*
Being awake all night destroys your sleep schedule, but neither you nor Marc nor Steven seem to mind when you find yourselves crawling into bed together with the gray early afternoon light flooding in through the window.
“I’m so sorry you were hurt,” Steven murmurs, softly tracing a thumb across the apex of your swollen cheek. When you had looked at it in his bathroom, you had just barely been able to see a blue tint to the skin, hinting at the impressive bruise that would later form.
You cup a hand over his own, enjoying the warmth of his palm against the ache. When the man in the alleyway had hit you, you had felt it in your teeth. Then you remember the wet warmth of his blood splattering across your bare legs when Jake slit his throat and your stomach rolls. That had left a mark on you that would also show in time.
“I’m okay,” you say. Physically, you are. Emotionally, you feel like a barely concealed mess, struggling to hold it together even when it feels like you’re watching the person you love most unravel before your eyes.
Neither of you choose to be the little spoon, deciding instead to embrace each other and fall asleep that way, uncomfortably warm but desperate for each other, holding on as if you were each other’s only lifejacket in a roiling ocean.
Briefly, you wake at one point to find Marc snacking, his eyes dark and distant even as he watches you. Your face throbs. Reaching up gingerly, you feel that your eye is swelling. His expression dips into even more dangerous territory. Once he comes back to bed smelling of toast, you both fall asleep again, and neither of you wake until the sun is setting once more.
Marc jolts you from sleep by shouting, rolling until his body presses you into the mattress protectively. All around you, the room seems to shake, wind rustling your hair even as you cling to Marc’s shoulder, shouting into his neck, “What’s happening?”
“Khonshu, stop!”
All at once the wind dies and the furniture stops its trembling. You don’t, adrenalin making your body shake like a leaf in the wind even as Marc rolls out of bed—unaffected by this supernatural display of fury—and begins to point his finger towards some spot nearer to the ceiling than the floor.
“You manipulative son of a bitch, I don’t care where your sidekick is!” Marc shouts.
Great, you think, eyeing the empty air Marc is shouting at. More conversations I only get to see half of.
“Yeah, well now your game is over. Release us, all of us, or—“ Marc pauses, face darkening with whatever the invisible god replies with. “—or I’ll contact the Ennead…good standing? They can hardly stand you at all!”
You slip from the bed, knees still weak from the fear of being woken so suddenly and violently. When you put a hand on Marc’s shoulder, he barely spares you a glance. “Marc,” you try. “Translate for me here. What’s going on?”
“No need,” a baritone voice booms.
You suck in a breath, only barely repressing the instinctual urge to scream. They had warned you about Khonshu—described him as best as they could during their rare moments of willingness to recount the old god and their servitude to him—but nothing could prepare you for it. The sheer scale of him, the unearthly wind that rustles his wrappings, the massive skull which reminds you of a scythe ready to cut the both of you down like stalks in a field.
“Now that I have regained the favor of the other gods, I am once again powerful enough to show myself at will,” Khonshu says.
Marc’s eyes flicker between you two. “You—can see that thing?”
“The ten foot tall fossilized bird? He’s hard to miss,” you gasp, breaths coming fast and shallow.
Marc’s head bows, forehead pressing against your shoulder. Maybe it’s with relief: he isn’t alone in this nightmare anymore, is he? He’s finally been given third party confirmation (from someone who isn’t a cult leader) that Khonshu exists. Your racing heart feels fit to break. How much more fear does Marc carry inside himself that he hasn’t yet spoken of?
You reach for his hand and squeeze his fingers. “Fill me in. What’s going on?”
“My Moon Knight did not answer the call to justice,” the bird says. Agitated, he strikes his staff against the wooden floor, and the books on Steven’s shelves rattle dangerously. “Where is Jake Lockley?”
“Gone for good, if we’re lucky,” Marc grits out.
“Is that good?” Marc’s expression grows stormier, if possible. You rush to explain, adding: “You know better than I would. Before I met you, I didn’t know anything about DID. Can alters—I don’t even know what word to use. Dissolve? Disappear?”
Marc rubs at the furrow between his eyes. “I don’t know as much as you might think. Whatever I could read on the internet. I checked out a couple books on it from the Chicago Public Library once. I’ve got a hell of fine waiting if I ever go back.”
“Discuss this on your own time,” Khonshu bellows. “The sun has set. This time belongs to me. I grow tired of dealing with your fractured mind, Marc Spector. If Jake Lockley doesn’t present himself to me before sunrise, tell him that our agreement is no more.”
The god disintegrates into golden sand blown into the void by an unfelt wind.
“That doesn’t sound good. What does that mean?” you wonder aloud.
“I don’t know.” Marc glances at the mirror. He begins a fiery back and forth with Steven; it kills you to only be privy to half the conversation, but you keep quiet. The last thing they need is you inserting yourself into an already tense discussion; especially when Steven’s opinion on the next step should hold much more weight than your own.
“No. That’s not an option…okay, first of all, what gave you the impression that this bastard is even open to negotiation? Was it the casual alleyway homicide or the months of secretly using our body like a murder puppet? No, buddy, you listen! If there’s still a wall between us and him, who the hell would he have to negotiate with in the first place?...” In the silence of Steven’s answer, Marc’s eyes flicker to you for the briefest moment. If you hadn’t been watching him so closely, you might have missed it or excused it as a trick of the light. Jaw clenched, he glares into the mirror. “Out of the question…it isn’t a matter of trust, of course I trust—them.”
“Don’t do that,” you mutter. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here. You aren’t even good at it.”
Marc holds up a finger, like you’re some child tugging on the sleeve of his shirt and interrupting a grown-up conversation. “Just, give us a minute, will you?”
It’s on the tip of your tongue to snap at him, to say that you can give him plenty of minutes and then storm out. But god help you—you love him. And you know that whatever the next twelve hours bring, he shouldn’t have to face it alone. So instead, you let your jaw shut with a click of your teeth and you focus on counting your breaths, letting Marc’s voice melt into the background. Your face throbs with every heartbeat, so you begin to keep count.
“—hey.” You open your eyes, unaware that you had closed them. Steven is there, face solemn. He reaches out and cups your cheek in his burning palm. “Are you alright?”
“Not really.” You hold up your thumb and finger, the space between them small. “Maybe this much alright. Which is probably still more alright than you.”
“Spot on, you are. Always are.” He sits on the bed beside you, the mattress sloping with his weight until you lean into his body. He smells freshly showered. Jake must have done that while you were at the station answering questions. When you catch a whiff of cigarette smoke, you shiver. It’s probably just in your head. “Don’t take this the wrong way. But Marc convinced me that maybe it’s best if you aren’t here when we try to make contact with this new bloke in our brain.”
“Et tu, Steven?”
“I’m only thinking of you, love,” he says. “It’s not going to be so easy as sending up a smoke signal or sending this Jake a text. He comes out in less than ideal circumstances, doesn’t he?”
You pull away from him to stare, eyes raking over the exhausted lines of his handsome face. “What the hell are you two planning? To nearly get yourselves killed and hope that Jake pops up at the last second like a mole in an arcade game?”
“What, and let him level a city block to save us? No!”
“Then what?”
The look he gives you is so tenderly sad, the silence dragging on so long that you know it must be bad, a truly terrible idea, and the worst idea you can think of—
“I won’t let you hurt yourselves,” you whisper to him. Grabbing his hand, you pull it from your cheek and squeeze it tight, his fingertips turning dark from lack of circulation.
“I don’t think he’d let us,” says Steven.
“I don’t think it would work, anyway. What you and Marc think lures him out…I think you’re wrong.”
Steven blinks. “If you’ve got an idea and you’re holding back, by all means—“
You take a shaky breath, and then you tell him.
*
Jake runs until his legs give out.
He gets nowhere.
A dense fog clings to the ground twenty or thirty yards in front and behind him. Beyond it, who knows what exists. Nothing, probably. Nothing here is real, Jake thinks, clutching at his hair. Not even me.
Despite the distance he must have traveled, every so often he finds the cab appearing from the fog ahead of him, ever-idling at the curb, smoke drifting from the exhaust. No matter what turn he takes, he always ends up there. The cab. The apartment.
He glances up at the building where Marc grew up and spots a curtain twitching, long dark hair of a woman gone in the blink of an eye. The sight of her makes his stomach roll, palms damp even as they clench into fists, prepared for violence.
“No me puedo escapar de ti, mamá,” he mutters to the ghost of her. His first failure. Turning away, he resolves not to look anymore lest he see her again.
Running is useless, but he isn’t prepared to sit inside the warmth of the cab again. He can’t bear to hear the pain he has caused Marc and Steven.
And you.
He wasn’t sure if they had told you about their time in Khonshu’s service, but when you looked up at him from the dirty London alleyway, you had done it with recognition. Familiarity that he hadn’t earned and didn’t deserve.
Jake didn’t always murder petty thieves. He killed discriminately—in self defense. Other murderers. Rapists. People who sold other people like cattle. But those thieves from the alley had chosen the wrong woman to target. He isn’t delusional enough to believe he holds any claim to you, no matter if you hold and caress and kiss the body he shares with two others—but you are important to his headmates.
And the thief had hurt you.
No. Jake feels no remorse, except that he had not arrived sooner and that you had gotten blood on your dress.
Jake turns his back to the cab, rests against it and lets his body slide down to the ground. He wishes for sleep, the blissful unawareness he gets when the Body rests.
A sound jerks him from his self-pity, the shrill ring of a telephone. Across the street from him rests a payphone which had not been there just a moment before.
Dread curls in his gut. It’s for him. He knows.
The plastic of the phone is damp and cold when he lifts it from the hook and holds it to his ear without speaking.
“—looking for Jake,” spills out your voice. “If you’re there, please come…forward. Front, I mean. Please front. I am looking for Jake. If you’re there—“
Jake hangs up the phone.
It begins ringing again, almost immediately. This time he leaves it, stalking back towards the cab. He won’t go back. Marc and Steven are better off without him. He takes his seat again, closing his eyes and letting his head rest back against the driver’s door. The phone rings for so long that it becomes white noise and he is only jerked from his thoughts when it stops, the silence deafening.
His shoulders drop. How long had he expected you to try, anyway? It’s finished. Now he can relax.
Except his heart has begun to race. Fast, then faster, his chest heaving to keep up. Then he realizes that it isn’t his heart that’s pounding. It isn’t his growing panic and fear. It’s…the Body’s.
Jake is so rarely called to front that it always feels like the first time: the rising sense of wrongness, the bitter taste of fear in the back of his throat, the heart—one thing they all share—feeling like it is about to beat out of his chest. Something terrible is happening.
He told himself that he wouldn’t go back into the apartment. He knows what waits there. Reality, memory, fantasmas. He isn’t ready to face a world where Marc and Steven—and you—know that he exists. He isn’t ready to be seen.
But he is needed. And he will die doing what he was made to do. Protect the Body. Protect the System. Protect You.
Letting out a heavy breath, he picks himself up and turns back to the apartment. The door is open, just a crack.
It’s as good an invitation as any.
*
And he isn’t sure what he expects when he blinks hard to clear his vision. Fronting to protect Steven and Marc usually means violence—violence being inflicted on them, violence that he must inflict. He’s come to the front in a stifling uniform in Iraq. In a truck driving along the precarious curves of the Alps. On a rooftop in Cairo with a throbbing headache.
In the flat.
His face is wet. His throat is raw. His wrists throb where they are secured with handcuffs behind his back, tethering him to one of the wooden support beams. Instinct has him pulling with all his strength, deepening whatever wounds Marc and Steven have already received in their own struggle, but in an instant he goes unearthly still. Looking at you.
You, sitting cross legged on the floor across the room, knife held loosely in your shaking hand, the blade poised to do yourself more damage. Blood drips from the wounds on your arms, three parallel marks each grow deeper. In nothing but the moonlight streaming through the window, the blood dripping into your lap is black like oil.
It makes sense then, what had frightened Marc and Steven so much.
“Hi, Jake,” you gasp through your tears. “Thought that might get your attention.”
*
Next drabble here.
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Okay, so as soon as I saw our pal our dude our bro Jake Lockley trapped in his sarcophagus, I knew I had to look up the meaning of the color red in Egypt because, I mean, it's obvious it wasn't picked by chance.
And guess what I found.
Apparently, colors were usually paired in ancient Egypt, with, and hear me out, red complementing white. Now, I wonder in which ancient-egypt-themed series we just saw two different alters trapped in coffins, one of them white and the other red...
So, let's look up what a quick Google search has to say about how each color was perceived in Ol' Egypt.
White (Steven):
White (Ancient Egyptian name "hedj") was the color of purity, sacredness, cleanliness and simplicity. Tools, sacred objects and even priest's sandals were white for this reason.
Egyptian artists used white to depict radiance, joy, wisdom, and light.
The Egyptians believed that white represented pure cosmic light and divine grace.
It is pretty obvious why this color is associated with Steven. Out of all the alters, as far as we know he's the one with the biggest knowledge of Egypt (and therefore, the "priest" out of them). He's the emotional core, the heart of the group, the happiest one. I don't know what direction the show is planning to take with Mr. Knight and him, but as of ep. 4 I would say that the safest bet is that he's going to become the more detective-like alter, since he has already proven his knowledge, intelligence and hability to solve puzzles, which I think would fit with the idea of "wisdom" in the long run.
Now, the associations with Red (Jake) are very interesting:
Red (Ancient Egyptian name "deshr") was primarily the color of chaos and disorder – the color of the desert (Ancient Egyptian name "deshret," the red land).
Red was also the color of destructive fire and fury and was used to represent something dangerous.
Through its relation to the desert, red became the color of the god Seth, the traditional god of chaos, and was associated with death. The desert was also regarded as the entrance to the underworld where the sun disappeared each night.
As chaos, red was considered the opposite to the color white.
While red was the most potent of all colors in Ancient Egypt, it was also a color of life and protection – derived from the color of blood and the life-supporting power of fire. It was therefore commonly used for protective amulets.
I think it can be summarized as "red: chaos, danger and life, protection", with a light allusion towards death and the underworld sprinkled in as well. Now, I think this REALLY clues us into how Jake is going to be in the TV series. There is a theory going around that Jake would be a Protector alter, which, according to did-research.org (which I hope is a good source, please correct me if I use missinformation!) are "alters that protect the body, system, host, core, or other specific alters or groups of alters. Physical protectors might take or try to prevent physical abuse or become aggressive in an attempt to defend against physical abuse". Jake seems to be a physical protector for now, since the little we have seen of him (that has been "confirmed" and not just theories) he has been fronting when sensing that the other alters are in danger, either fighting against the thugs or taking a cab (hehe) back to the airport.
Therefore, I think that the decision to make his sarcophagus red is a GREAT one. It not only symbolizes the chaos and violence that he can unleash, but also aludes to how that violence serves a purpose of protection against the dangers the system may face.
One last point I would like to mention is how red also symbolizes death and the underworld. Right now, the body has been shot, and Steven, Marc and Jake have been trapped in what appears to me a mental hospital. I personally believe the theory that right now they are traveling to the underworld, not alive but not completely dead yet either. As soon as the episode finished, I started thinking about the possibility that, while Steven & Marc are trying to revive (and now there is an incredibly wholesome goddess with them that could help with that), Jake might be the one fronting and keeping up with the fight (maybe the bangs were not him trying to scape, maybe he was moving while knocking some skulls together) and therefore creating a "bridge" between the still-living body and Steven & Marc, journeying to the other side. A bridge that might help them go back to life, perhaps?
Well, this ended up being WAY longer that intended, and I'm afraid it's almost 2AM here, so. I'm so sorry. Petrawood out.
Please, if I got any detail wrong about the show, colors or DID PLEASE do tell me!
Edit: btw, for those of y'all who love Jake as much as I do, I wrote a 2k word meta about him because at this point not even Khonshu could stop me! I'm actually quite proud of it, so here it is if you want to check it out!
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My Everything
Tony Stark x Male Reader
Title based off Ariana Grande’s “My Everything”
It wasn’t requested. I’ve decided to do an angst fic again lekdkekdkr. Tony and reader have been married a very long time and he’s also an Avenger. Civil War happens and he’s obviously on Team Iron Man, Steve killed him and so Tony goes crazy and kills everyone there and turns basically into a villain because he lost his sweetheart. The hardest to kill were Peter and Rhodes.
Angst: TW!!!!! Gore, murder, death
“Boss, M/N needs help immediately, he’s going to die!”, when Tony heard those words, he was immediately at your side. “Oh my god”, his voice breaking as his helmet retracts and his eyes filled with tears at the sight of your body laying motionless and in a pool of blood, “W-who”, “Steve”, you croaked out. “STEVE!?”, you wince at the volume and he regrets it, “You’re gone be fine honey, I swear”, you both knew he was lying, you took a direct hit from his shield to the head, the you tried to get up but Steve stopped you, beating you with the shield.
“I think… I think this may be it Tony”, you give him a weak smile, tears are running down his face. “No sweetheart, we’re gonna get you fixed up, like me. Gonna have matching arc reactors.”, he gives a weak chuckle. “I love you Tony”, it takes all of the little strength you have left and you kiss him one last time and go out hearing him say, “I love you too M/N”.
When he hears you take your last breath, a gut wrenching sob fills everyone’s ears. They all stop, looking around to see who and what made that sound.
Suddenly Steve is shot and his arm is torn off, he falls to the ground screaming in agony and a pool of blood quickly following. “ROGERS!”, Tony’s helmet retracts to show fury and tears in his eyes, “You took away M/N”, his voice filled with distraught, “He was everything to me, he kept me happy, he kept me… sane”, Tony aimed his gauntlet at Steve’s leg and shot it off.
Steve passed out, ‘You better still be alive by the time I’m done here’, Tony thought turning his attention to the horrified Avengers.
Bucky lunges toward with fury, Tony grabbed his head and began squeezing, and squeezing, and doing it harder, and harder until, SQUELCH. He dropped the lifeless body and was ready to fight, and not hold back.
They all began to run towards him, he used anything and everything to defend himself, The Hulk turned back to Bruce and began running away. Tony shot his gauntlet at him, leaving a hole in his torso.
Everyone else was pretty easy to defeat, except Wanda, ‘Pesky one she is’, he thought right before he used Vision to make her vulnerable, and was able to snap her neck with ease.
Poor Peter and Rhodes, Tony got emotional at Peters pleas, “Mr. Stark please, my aunt can’t handle another loss please, I have so much to look forward to please Mr. Stark I swear I won’t say anything please”, he was on his knees, sobbing. Tony felt bad when he shot the kid in the head, at least it was quick and easy.
And Rhodes, he had to make it quick and simple, he couldn’t have done it if he hesitated, a simple shot to the head too. And everyone was gone, his sweet precious M/N was gone too, everyone. Almost everyone.
Steven Grant Rogers, murderer of M/N L/N. He was crawling away, with his two limbs left. Tony walked over to him, grabbed his head and threw back onto the concrete. “M/N was everything to me, he never did anything wrong to you. He helped you adjust, he helped you and Bucky reconnect. And you him back with MURDER?!”
Tony began beating his face, the metal of the gauntlet causing more damage. But the end of it, Steve’s face looks like it’s been through a cheese grater.
This was Tony Stark’s villain story, he went around the world to find another M/N L/N.
God help the souls that looked like M/N, they would be kidnapped, if they weren’t like his M/N, he took pity. Never killed, remembering how his sweetheart dies in his arms. Instead he sent them back to their families. But still keeping a close watch on them.
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Of Kings and Beasts - Eight
Pairing: King!Bucky X Princess!Reader X King!Steve
Summary: Born a bastard of the King of Orlen, you’re thrust to the West to marry the Kings. However, the greeting you get is anything but warm, and your life with the King is far from enjoyable. He knows it isn’t your fault his husband is gone, but that fact alone won’t prevent him from taking it out on you.
Warnings: Angst, Injuries, Fluff,
Word Count: 3.6K
A/n: I’m alive! I know, it’s been like 4 months. I honestly didn't know how to ‘come back’ so this is it. I’ll be answering asks and messages tonight, but things are going okay. I work 54 hours a week so I’m not writing as much as I’d like to but I’m trying!!! I love you all so much, and I hope you enjoy this!
THIS SERIES CONTAINS SMUT AND DARK THEMES THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME AUDIENCES!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
Series Masterlist
The doctor lies unmoving on a medical cot, stitches across his throat to close the gouge that was meant to end his life.
“Do we have any idea who is behind this? Or why?” Steve asks quietly, eyes darting between his most trusted man and his husband.
“I do not know who is behind it, but I think they are aware that we know.” Steve’s brows pull together at his husband’s words, and he waits for him to continue.
James huffs out a deep breath, glancing around the small room as if checking for any listening ears.
“Doctor Banner found an incision on the base of my skull. Someone has performed an operation on me without my knowing. I’m assuming the Doctor found something out, and while on his way to find me he was ambushed.”
Steve’s still stuck on the fact that his husband has been tampered with.
“What do you mean someone performed an operation on you?” James shakes his head. “I’m not sure what they did, but I have reason to believe that it is why I have been so hostile towards... our wife.” He fears saying your name. He doesn’t want anything to trigger the beast.
“How long have you known this?” Steve demands, angry that James would keep something like this from him.
“Since the day she went out into the snow. I was not sure who I could trust. I still know not. But one thing is certain: someone means to kill our wife and destroy our marriage, and it is someone close to us.” Regret instantly fills the blond king and he excuses himself without another word, head swarming with thoughts that include nothing but pain and punishment.
His feet take him down the spiral staircase, his hands wrenching open the cell door and grabbing the prisoner by his collar.
“Who is it that sent you?! Tell me! Now!” The man is confused for a moment before a yellow-toothed grin splits his face.
“You will tell me now!” Steve pulls his fist back and slams it against the man’s face, but the prisoner only laughs manically.
“Who is it that intends on hurting my wife? On ruining my marriage?” The man shakes his head, blood dribbling down his chin.
“The only one who ruins your marriage and hurts your wife is you, your majesty. But from what I hear through the walls, your bloodline ends with you. The great Kings of the West will be nothing more than fairytales. Their whore wife, a forgotten name. And that will be your doing.” Steve’s vision clouds and he unleashes his fury upon the prisoner, beating him to a bloody pulp until his face is hardly visible.
The King stumbles back, chest heaving and fists covered in blood, while the man slumps to the floor, wheezing and gasping.
“Cut off one head... two more shall take its place,” is the last thing the man utters before collapsing in a pool of his own blood.
Steve stands there, furious and dumbfounded. He’s so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t realize he isn’t alone anymore until a cool hand is on his shoulder, turning him around.
“What happened?” James asks, his eyes on the dead man on the floor and then on his husband’s bloody fists.
“Your assumption is correct. Someone has orchestrated this and we are being toyed with. Where’s (Y/n)?” The mention of your name has James squeezing his eyes shut as the beast bares its fangs.
“I know not. But you haven’t time for that. Thor and Anthony should be here within the hour. You need to make yourself presentable. We will tell them of our problem and see if they can offer any assistance.” Steve doesn’t want to meet with the other Kings. No, he wants to find you and get on his knees and beg for forgiveness, of which you may or may not grant, but he’s willing to beg and plead in front of his entire kingdom if he needs to.
“Come on. Let’s go get you cleaned up.” James ushers the blond out of the dungeon and to his chambers, his mind racing as he tries to piece the mystery together.
~*~
Your eyes trace over the trails etched in the book in your grasp, trying desperately to memorize them.
You’re so engaged in your reading that you don’t notice the man in front of you until you’re walking into him.
“Oh!” You stumble back, the book falling from your grasp as you lose your footing. The man is quick and grabs you around the waist to prevent you from falling.
“I am very sorry, Your Majesty. You must forgive me, for I was not paying attention to where I was walking.” The man has a deep, booming voice, his accent different than the ones you’re used to.
“It’s quite alright. I was hardly paying attention myself.” You look up at him and your eyebrows raise.
He’s an absolute Adonis of a man.
With beautifully kind blue eyes, a warm and inviting smile, and long locks of blond hair that are pulled back into a half-bun.
“It must be an interesting story that you were reading then?” He questions, hand dropping from around your waist as he stoops down to pick up your book.
“You could say that.” You’re nervous. You know not who this man is nor where his allegiance lies.
“This is a book of maps. Have you a journey planned?” He seems just genuinely curious but you’re defensive nonetheless.
“Might I ask who you are and why you need to know?” He raises his brows then chuckles.
“I suppose we have not been introduced, although I have heard many things about you. I am King Thor, of Asgard. And you are Queen (Y/n). Born of Orlen but wed in Acadia. The Kings eagerly awaited your arrival, I must say. And you are every bit as beautiful as they said.”
You shake your head bashfully.
“May I know where your journey will take you? It will remain a secret between the two of us. You have my word.” You ponder this for a moment, but he looks so kind and so genuine, you can’t stop yourself from telling him.
“Well if you must know, I’m leaving.” He huffs a breath of surprise.
“Leaving? But for what purpose? You are a queen.”
You laugh softly at that, the tugging up of your cheeks making your cuts burn.
“A queen, yet I am treated like a prisoner. You must forgive me for speaking so plainly in your presence, but I fear that I have lost any sense of... propriety in this place. My husbands may have spoken highly of me, but that was before they met me, I suppose. Now... I am nothing more than a thorn in their sides.”
Thor shakes his head, not believing a word coming from your mouth.
“That cannot be.” You sigh heavily and tug the collar of your gown down, showing him the dark bruises around your neck.
“From his Majesty, King James. And King Steven gave me these.” You show him the bruises on your arms next.
He’s absolutely appalled.
“And I assume they are the ones responsible for these?” One of his warm fingers traces across the marks on your cheeks and you nod.
“I do not blame you for wanting to leave. You must feel stifled.” You nod, taking his outstretched arm and allowing him to lead you down the hallway.
“It... has not been an easy transition. I have not even seen my kingdom yet. I know not what it has to offer nor if it is thriving. I have not met my people or even seen my lands. This place is supposed to be home to me, but it is no more than a prison with hot water and soft sheets.”
Thor’s quiet for a long moment and you regret every speaking. Just as you’re about to tug free from his grip and lock yourself back in your chambers, he turns to you.
“We cannot simply allow you to not know what your kingdom has to offer! I am making it my duty to show you the beauties of Acadia.” Your eyebrows raise.
“But surely you’re here on business? You mustn’t have time for something as tedious as that.” He takes your hand and brings it up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against your knuckles. “A chance to get to know the Queen? Show her that her Kingdom is not all bad? That is not tedious. The Kings can wait. They have Anthony. I will take you through the Kingdom and show you all that there is to see.”
~*~
Thor is true to his word and shows you every nook and cranny in the Kingdom. From the poorest parts to the wealthiest.
“This is the village orphanage. I often come to volunteer my time, however business has kept me away for far longer than I’d like to admit.” You pull your cloak tighter around yourself at the biting chill of the wind, a frown on your face as you look at the run-down building.
“Do the kings not know the ruins of their Kingdom? Surely something can be done to fix this building. The children must be freezing.” You’re reminded of your own experience in the cold confines of the north tower in Orlen. The small chamber you were locked in whenever your adoptive mother did not want to see you.
“The Kings often busy themselves with their work. They are conquerors. They have not the time for such trivial tasks. It would be the duty of a queen to fix the Kingdom, here at least. They are my friends, and they are good at taking, however it seems they know little of giving back.” You nod at this, knowing firsthand how much they can take and not give back.
“I wish I had known that the kingdom was in such ruins. I would have made it my priority.” He looks at you for a long moment, wondering what on Earth could cause the Kings to treat you so poorly.
“If you would like, I can help you to arrange some repairs? Perhaps we can make it your project? Have you in charge of it. It could be your first official duty as Queen.” You smile but shake your head sadly, turning away from the orphanage and back towards your horses.
“I doubt the Kings would approve of something like that. I’m sure I will have their wrath to face for having kept you from your business for so long. I fear what they will do to me, if I am quite honest with you. Steven was lovely before but... he has... I know not how to explain it.” Thor comes up behind you and places a gentle hand on your shoulder.
“I will ensure that they do not bring any more harm to you, Petal. You have endured far more than should be expected of you. You have little to gain, and yet you remain here for them.” You shrug, walking with him to your horses.
“My situation were I to leave would not be very different. I have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. I am alone both in the Kingdom and outside of it.” Thor hates the truth behind your words.
“Come, let’s get you back to the Palace before you catch your death.” He helps you up onto the horse then gets on his, mind full of everything you’ve told him and all that he needs to discuss with the Kings.
~*~
He walks you to your chambers, having told Wanda to draw a warm bath for you. As he reaches the wooden door, he pauses and smiles warmly at you.
“I very much enjoyed our time today, Your Majesty. I hope to spend more time with you during my stay. But unfortunately, I must go.”
As he’s turning to leave, a voice calls your name. The way you stiffen has Thor grinding his teeth together in frustration.
“Your Majesty,” you greet, bowing your head to your husband while your hand inches to your door.
“May I speak with you? Please?” You open your mouth to reply but Thor cuts you off.
“Actually, Steven, I believe you and I have matters of our own.” And just like that, The booming blond ushers your husband down the hallway. Steve’s blue eyes stay on you, his head turned to look over his shoulder as much as he can until they round the corner and render you out of sight.
You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding and enter your bedroom, smiling tightly at Wanda as she helps you into your bath.
~*~
“You were with (Y/n) all day?” Thor shrugs, “would it matter if I was? It seems that I am the only friend she has.” Steve grinds his teeth together but huffs a breath out through his nose.
“I understand that I have been unfair, but all I want is to make things better between the two of us.”
Thor shakes his head, thick arms crossed over his broad chest as he looks between the two kings. “That can wait. What is it that you needed to discuss with me so urgently?”
Steve sighs and looks over at James as if trying to figure out where to begin.
“We believe that someone is trying to sabotage our marriage to break us apart and overthrow our rule. And it must be someone close to us. James has been... tampered with. And I was made to question the loyalties of my own wife. My anger and haste for answers have... brought forth a beast I had hoped to keep hidden from her. And I fear I have played my part in the sabotage of my marriage.” Thor thinks about how helpless you sounded, how absolutely broken down you seemed and can’t help but agree with Steve’s words.
“If someone is plotting to overthrow your rule, they must be close. Close enough to know of any decisions being made. It would be wise to deceive them.” James furrows his brows in confusion. “Make it seem as if they are winning. Send away your wife and tell no one the truth.”
Steve’s shocked at the suggestion.
“Send her away? To where? And with whom? We cannot very well abandon her when people mean to kill her!” Thor purses his lips for a moment before smiling.
“She won’t be alone.”
The other two Kings stare at him as if he’s grown a second head.
“You mean to stay with her? And protect her?”
“Your wife is a spitfire, that much I can tell. She may come across as a woman of few words, but she has a raging soul that cannot be so easily tamed. She wishes to leave you, plans to.”
James’ shoulders cave and Steve’s face crumbles.
“She told you this?” The brunet asks, voice hoarse and weak.
“Not in so many words, but the desire is there. She is unhappy. If she would agree, I would take her to Asgard to be a wife of my own, however, her heart is loyal to Acadia.” The two kings each glare at the big blond man, angry at the very thought of someone taking their wife from them.
Thor continues, unbothered by their anger.
“Which is why she should be sent away. I have a cottage at the border of Asgard and Acadia. My men will be around and you can send men of your own. I will stay with her until she is comfortable and then I will take my leave, but for her safety and her sanity, she must leave the Palace.”
The silence in the room hangs heavily over all three men for a long while before Steve nods.
“Very well. If it is truly in her best interests, then fine. But I will not shun her without giving her a proper explanation.” Thor bows his head as Steve rushes past him, heading towards your chambers.
He knocks once then slowly pushes the door open, desperate to see you and grovel at your feet.
You’re seated on your bed, a book in hand and a shocked expression on your face.
“Your Majesty,” you greet softly, bowing your head.
“No, (Y/n) none of that. I was... out of line. I will never be able to apologize enough for everything I have done to you.” You say nothing but your heart hurts at the fact that Thor clearly told him something.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Your Majesty,” you say stiffly, moving your gaze back down to the book in your lap.
He sits on the edge of your bed, his eyes on the scratches decorating your delicate face.
“We have been unkind and unfair to you, my darling. I hope that one day you will forgive us, but until then, there is something we must discuss.” You have no idea where this conversation could be going, and that thought alone scares you.
“You will be leaving tonight.”
Your face must display the confusion and fear you feel at his words because he’s quick to clarify.
“Joining Thor and staying in a cottage where our kingdoms border. There are people here, people close to myself and James that wish to do you harm.” He takes your hand gently between both of his and presses a soft kiss to your fingers.
“It pains me to do it, but I know you need it as well. You’ve been deprived here. No friends and no family. We’ve treated you terribly and not as Queen should be treated." You keep your eyes cast down towards your lap, unable to bear seeing the King so distraught in front of you.
He sniffles and places another kiss to the back of your hand.
“I hope that you will return soon, but if you must take time then I understand. When you do decide you are ready to return, we will both be waiting with open arms.” He pauses for another moment before speaking again, his voice softer than before.
“I had hoped that James would join me but he... he is not well. But he misses you dearly, of that I am certain. The days will darken with your departure.” He presses another kiss to your knuckles then slowly rises to his feet.
“No one is to know the true reason for your departure. You mustn't tell anyone, for I fear you will not be safe if you do. Can you promise me that?” He asks, his eyes full of desperation and sorrow.
“Yes, your majesty.” His heart cracks at the fact that you’re still not addressing him by his name, but he realizes it will take time for the bond to be rebuilt between the two of you.
“Wanda will pack your things then you will be met by Thor and he will take you somewhere safe.” He cups your cheek gently, sniffling and trying to fight tears.
“I am so very sorry that your own home is a place that causes you pain.” With that, he turns on his heel and exits your chambers without so much as another glance, the pain he’s feeling evident in the tightness of his shoulders and the stiffness of his walk.
It’s not five minutes later when Thor is at the door to your chambers, sliding a thick wool cloak over your shoulders and pulling the hood up to cover your face.
“Just a precaution, Your Majesty. And the wind has a bit of a bite to it. But a carriage is waiting.” You nod your understanding and follow him silently out of the palace that has been no more than a prison to you.
Steve and James watch from separate windows as you climb into the carriage, not sparing a single glance back at the palace. But they cannot find it in themselves to blame you. What you have been forced to endure is far worse than anyone should have to. Especially someone as delicate as yourself.
A dark cloud falls over the kingdom as their queen is whisked away, brought to a safe haven that their kings couldn’t provide, by a man who is not even a member of their kingdom.
~*~
The journey to Thor’s cottage is a fairly quiet one, far too many thoughts racing in your mind and feelings in your heart.
“You are unhappy to be leaving the Palace?” Thor asks, confusion evident in his voice. You sigh heavily and shake your head, turning to look at him.
“It is a relief to be able to speak freely, however, I cannot help the guilt that I feel. It is my duty to do what the require of me, regardless of whether or not I enjoy it.” Thor shakes his head, a frown on his handsome face.
“No human should ever have to endure that. Regardless of their duties. You will not be shunned by the kings and even if you were, I’m sure Orlen would accept you back with open arms.”
You chuckle once, the sound dull and lacking humour.
“Orlen could not care any less about me if they tried. I’m not a princess to them. Merely the bastard of a King. One who was convenient to use in a trade agreement. My father would have me beheaded if he knew I was running from the kings.”
Thor is rendered speechless by this new information, his heart heavy for you, the delicate princess who deserves a far better fate than the one gifted to her.
#king!bucky#king!steve x reader#king!bucky/reader#king!steve rogers x reader#king!steve/reader#royal!au#bucky x reader royal au#stucky x reader royal au#bucky x reader royal au#steve rogers dark au#bucky x reader dark au#Dark Series#Steve x reader dark au#steve rogers x reader#Steve Rogers/reader#bucky barnes x reader#bucky x reader
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FATWS One Shot #1 - Back to the Beginning
Word Count: 1644
Warnings: Cursing, Mentions of Intoxicated Automobile Accident, Steve Being a Slight Puppy
Setting/Characters: Directly after Captain America: The First Avenger, New York City; Reader, Director Nicholas Fury, Captain Steven Rogers
A/N: Here it is! The first One Shot that goes along with my FATWS Series! Keep in mind; it doesn’t take place during FATWS. There are NO SPOILERS in this and there will be NO SPOILERS in any of the One Shots. I do recommend still reading the Series, though, to understand the Reader more. These are more like…prequels to the Series. And it won’t be a series. It’ll just be a collection of One Shots based on what I think is important and what you guys wanna see. I also WON’T BE DOING A TAGLIST FOR ONE SHOTS! (Only those in my All Works Taglist will be tagged!) I’ll be adding them to my FATWS Series Masterlist under a ‘One Shot’ section, so you’ll be able to find them there, and I’ll also be tagging them with #fatws series oneshots. Feel free to send in requests for what you wanna see. I’ve gotten a few already, so I’ll be writing those tomorrow. I’ll say that they’ll all be shorter like this one, but...knowing me...we’ll see.
(Also, I’m aware of the theories that SHIELD chose the woman because the resemblance to Peggy, but just ignore that for this.)
As always, not beta’d so please excuse mistakes! Be kind to yourselves and each other! Enjoy and stay tuned!
FATWS Masterlist
cjsinkythoughts Masterlist
You knew. You knew the moment his eyes raked over your form. You knew when he looked over his shoulder at the radio playing some baseball game from 1941. You had done your homework, just like you did with every mission you worked. Granted, this one was a little different, but when Fury called you in personally, you couldn’t say no. You told them your uniform was wrong. You told them the game was too close to when he went under. You told them.
So you weren’t surprised in the least when he smashed through the wall, running out of the room. You didn’t necessarily regret pushing the button; you did it because you knew your cover had been blown, not because you were threatened. But you regretted calling out Code 13, not realizing that they’d chase him out into the middle of Times Square of all places.
Before you could head outside, wanting to know what happened, Fury’s name flashed across your vibrating phone.
“Y/L/N.”
“We’re heading back.”
An eyebrow raised, showing your confusion. “That was quick.”
“He’s fine, if you’re insinuating what I think you are.”
“I’m not insinuating anything, sir.” It was a lie, of course. You wouldn’t put it past Fury to slow down the Captain anyway he could, especially if the Man Out of Time was putting up a fight. “Sir, with all due respect, I tried-”
“I know, Agent. When We get back, we’ll set up in Conference Room C. I want you to join us.”
Your eyes narrowed, free hand on your hip. “You only called me in to ease him into this whole new century thing-”
“And he’s not eased.”
“It’s not my fault, Fury. I told your guys that it was wrong-”
“I know, Agent. Introducing him to the new century obviously went less smoothly than we anticipated.”
“Ya think?”
“Conference Room-”
“C. I heard you the first time. I’ll be there. Give me a few minutes.” He hung up without any farewells, making you roll your eyes. The director had pulled you off an assignment - in the middle of it - and promised you could get back to it once you finished helping him with the Star Spangled Man problem; help Captain Rogers integrate into the new times. But it was starting to seem that Fury didn’t just mean when he woke up.
You quickly changed, switching the old fashioned uniform for the tighter SHIELD-assigned one, before heading up to the level with all the conference rooms. You understood doing this in New York instead of the HQ in DC - the captain was from New York and, as much as it changed, some things would be familiar - and you definitely understood not doing this on the Helicarrier since Rogers didn’t even know about smartphones yet. And you definitely weren’t complaining; you had an apartment here in the City that you hadn’t slept in for months now.
Glancing at the room plaques, you paused in front of ‘C’. You took a couple breaths, relaxing yourself just as you did before any mission, before opening the door and stepping in.
Fury and Rogers were sitting at the table on opposite ends, the blonde looking around warily, eyeing the few agents lining the walls. You shot Fury a look, disapproving of the firepower in the room.
“Captain. Director.” You nodded to them in greeting.
Roger’s eyes snapped towards you, recognition lighting up his features. “You-”
“Agent Y/N Y/L/N. Sorry about the act.”
He nodded hesitantly, watching you as you sat down a couple seats from Fury. “I have some other business to attend to, so I’ll make this quick. To help you adjust, it’s been decided to assign an agent to help you for the next few months. Agent Y/L/N, here, will take that position.”
You blinked, turning to Fury, not expecting that. “What?”
Fury ignored you, standing up and setting down a file on the table in front of you when he passed. “The file has what you need to explain to him. Start now.”
“Fury.” You snapped, eyebrows furrowing as you stared at the file. Looking back as the door opened, you scrambled to stand when you realized he was leaving. “Fury! Excuse me.” You pardoned yourself from the captain, chasing after the director without waiting for his reaction. “Nicholas!”
That got his attention, his stride pausing. He spun on his heel, an eyebrow quirked. “Agent-”
“You didn’t mention anything about months helping him. I thought you meant, at most, a week!”
He crossed his arms tightly across his chest. “You’re the first person he saw when he woke up. You’re the best option.”
“First off,” you mimicked his position, popping your hip for good measure. “Even though I was the first person he saw, I deceived him. Why would he trust me? Second, why me? I understand having me for the little show you put on. I get that. But me? Of all people? You know I don’t do personal stuff.”
Fury narrowed his eyes. “You’re on this, and that’s final. He needs to know politics and technology. Settle him into the apartment in the file.”
You gaped as he turned around and started towards the elevators at the end of the hallway. “What about-?!”
“Your mission is being taken care of!” He called over his shoulder. “Politics and technology!”
You huffed, stomping your foot, frustrated, well aware of the fact that you were throwing a mini tantrum. You worked behind the scenes, acting as someone other than yourself. You didn’t help 93 year old super soldiers settle into new houses, teach them about current politics, and explain what cell phones were.
Walking back into the conference room, you found it empty besides Rogers, who was looking through the file, eyebrows knit in confusion. “Sorry about that.” You apologized, moving around the table to plop into the seat next to him.
He gave a half hearted shrug, glancing over at you. “It’s okay. He didn’t tell you the plan. I don’t blame you for being annoyed.”
“Yeah…it’s nothing personal. I’m not annoyed at you, and it’s not because of you. It’s just-”
“You don’t do personal stuff.” At your quirked eyebrow, he tapped his ear. “I could hear you.”
You cleared your throat, feeling slightly embarrassed at being heard. “Oh. Right. Enhanced hearing. Um, so, I guess you’re already starting without me.”
The tips of his ears turned red as you gestured to the file he was scanning. He dropped it, moving it over to you. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” You shook your head. “It’s your schooling. However you wanna do this, whatever pace you want, we’ll do that. Fury just wants you to know-”
“Politics and technology.” He shot you a small smirk. “I heard that too.”
You chuckled a bit, nodding. “Right. Okay. Let’s see here. Nickie said there was an apartment they got you…”
“Page six.” He informed you as you flipped through the pages.
You hummed, looking at the small apartment, perfect size for one person, right here in Manhattan…in the same building as yours, you noted. “Of course.” You rolled your eyes. You’d basically be his babysitter, and you knew neither of you wanted that.
“What? What’s wrong?”
You sighed, shaking your head. “This is my building.”
He blinked, looking down at the picture of the apartment. “Oh. Well, if you want I can request a change-”
“No, no. It’s fine. I just - I wish Fury told me.”
“Can-can I ask you a personal question?”
You shrugged, thumbing through the rest of the file. They basically wanted you to give him a government lesson starting with the fifties and then go over military technological advancements - a lot of Stark Industries stuff. “You might as well. We’re gonna be spending quite a bit of time together.”
“Why don’t you do personal?” You stopped your reading, tapping a finger on the table as you chewed on your cheek. “Sorry. You don’t hafta share if it’s too personal. I get it. I was never really into sharing my emotions, either.”
Turning your head to him, your lips pursed thoughtfully. His head was ducked, his blonde hair previously parted and styled was falling into his eyes, which were trained on his linked hands in his lap. His forehead was still creased, but it was more contemplative than confused as it was previously.
“I specialize in undercover operations.” Ignoring the way he whipped his head to you, slight surprise in those blues that you were answering his question, your head dropped back to the files, trying to act nonchalantly. “Before that I grew up in foster homes. My parents died when I was little. Drunk driver. No one survived. I was…two. I think. Maybe three. I learned to keep my head down to stay out of trouble; be the kid whoever had me wanted me to be. Anyways, I’m used to playing other people. I’m not really used to being myself.”
The room was blanketed with a silence that wasn’t uncomfortable. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, either, but it was welcomed as Rogers processed what you had just told him. His voice was quiet, almost shy, when he spoke up. “You can be yourself with me…if you want.”
You looked over at him again, your lips turning up slightly as you met his sincere gaze. “Thanks. You can be yourself with me too, Captain Rogers.”
“Let’s start with you calling me Steve, Agent Y/L/N.”
Your features broke into a bigger grin as you nodded, accepting his terms. “Alright, Steve. I don’t really have a preference. Just don’t call me Agent. I get flashbacks to every conversation with Fury.”
Steve laughed and you couldn’t help but enjoy the way his eyes shut, his nose scrunching up. “Alright.” He agreed with a beam. “I think I can avoid that, honey.”
All Works Taglist:
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New York High Rise {3}
Series summary; What does Steve think of what just happened? Well, not only will his next client get to know but also a dear friend of the mob boss.
Pairing: mob!Steve x mob!reader
Rating: Mature
CHAPTER NO/ONESHOT: Chapter 3/5
Word; 6.2k
Warnings; canon type violence, death, anything you could expect from a mafia!au
Author; @the-goddess-of-mischief-writing
A/N: I just want to warn anyone, this chapter revolve around Steve and contains graphic scenes so if anyone feel like they may get triggered, I have now warned you. If you choose to read anyways it is YOUR choice.
SERIES MASTERLIST
Steve was fuming. He could practically feel the steam rising from the top of his head. This time, compared to earlier, it wasn't because of the feverish warmth inside the club. Nor the sunny season's air outside. It was because of the folder resting on the table.
The Canine boss could still hear the echoing slap the orderly stacked papers had done when landing on the table. Even your words reverberated in his head like an annoying tune he couldn't help but mutely sing in his mind.
This was not how he'd thought this meeting would go.
Steve had planned to get his will through, to expand his empire from Brooklyn to the most successful part of New York, Manhattan, your territory. But no. You'd decided to be as stubborn as a mule and as stuck up as the bureaucrats that he needed to handle in exclusive deals.
Now he understood why so many said your empire wasn't the usual kind, rather something new. You'd built your syndicate from the best, or worst in regard of how the Canine for the moment saw you, of two worlds.
"Bitch", you were long gone, so the growled curse aimed at you went unheard. However, the walls around Steve caught the profanity he uttered whilst snagging the folder from the table and pursued to head out of the room.
Only the guards stationed outside the corridor leading to the conference room was still in the club. Yet, the Canine boss paid them no mind as he stalked out of the private area, making them scramble to follow him. The rest of his party, even those previously undercover, must have either retreated for the night or waited outside. Concerning how Steve himself hadn't left yet, he suspected at least his most trusted team was waiting by the car.
Passing through the lobby, the mob boss frightened some of the staff lingering about. Not only thanks to the authority he always carried himself with but also his visible darkened features. However, Steve's attention didn't stray to the people following him with wary eyes. Instead, he looked straight forward, focusing on his guards where they lounged around the black Chrysler he'd arrived with a few hours earlier.
Seemingly, they had enough of an engaging conversation that they shared some laughs. But that changed the moment Steve stepped through the door a bouncer held open for him.
Usually, the Canine boss' hard exterior dissolved somewhat among his men, seeing how they'd become good comrades. Although now, when the dark-blonde man came out of the club looking like he could kill someone, their easy smiles and carefree stance immediately smartened up. Backs straightened and jaws clenched upon seeing the fury Steve not only emitted with a scowl but his whole body.
"How did it go?" One of the guards questioned, more out of courtesy than curiosity, concerning it was clear how it went. As suspected, he got nothing more than a glare from Steve, seeing how his anger hadn't flickered out the slightest, only heightened when feeling how his fingers clutched the folder in his hand even tighter. Your folder with your contract.
"Where's Barnes?" Some flinched by his bark of a question.
"He's still inside...", the rest of the answer fell on deaf ears as the blonde rounded the car, not caring too much where his head bodyguard was for the moment, only that he would hurry up to finish whatever he dealt with.
"As soon as he's back, we go", the driver, who had noticed the Canine boss and stepped out of the vehicle to hold open the door for him, didn't even get the chance to do what he intended. Steve all but tore open the backseat door and climbed into the car. Leaving the chauffeur to stand there and look at his boss in perplexity, as the Canine didn't more than touch the black leather seat before he slammed the door shut again.
That Steven had a temper everyone in his vicinity knew. But how he now acted reached not only a new level but contrasted heavily to how you'd appeared.
You'd left about ten minutes ago, looking indifferent to how everyone in Steven's patrol had seen you when first entering the designated conference room. That guard of yours had led you to the car parked mere ten feet from their own boss'. There, your chauffeur had greeted you with a smile and a few quiet words none besides you were meant to hear. Neither was your response, that likewise was accompanied with a smile, able to be distinguished.
As you stepped into your transport, none of the men trying to read your expressions noted anything more than a similar politeness Steve could show them once in their company. However, when comparing it to the state of their own boss once he exited, it was clear that the meeting didn't favour the Canine boss, but rather the Feline. And though none who had accompanied Steven knew what the two of you'd discussed concerning the meeting had been a closed-door discussion, they knew their boss hadn't brought anything with him earlier. So when spotting the portfolio that the mob boss had held in his hand, it only sealed the deal further.
That was why none of the guards nor the chauffeur intruded on the solitude Steve had sought inside the car, merely waiting for the right-hand man of the Canine boss to return so they could head to their next stop.
And it was good none did either, seeing how Steve mulled over everything that had happened with curses leaving him every five seconds. Additionally, anyone who would've opened the opposite backseat door would have got your folder smack in the forehead, seeing how the blonde man had thrown it as harshly and as far away from himself that he could, once in his own confinement.
He didn't need to hold the damned contract you'd offered him, even less open and study it, to know he would read it in your annoying voice. And that aggravated Steve even more.
It annoyed him that your voice echoed as a constant reminder in his mind. It annoyed him that you'd prepared a contract, which so obviously cried you hadn't even come here to listen to him in the first place. It annoyed him to such a fucking degree that you'd played him by a mere act of forced courtesy rather than a gentlemen move, to use your own words, that it felt like he could just tear the contract to shreds.
Still, he didn't.
The blonde man seethed, turning his head to look at the folder. 'If you don't sign it and have it delivered to me, I know you've declined my offer and this war will be ended in another way.' He knew you were serious about that, so perhaps that was why he hadn't left it behind in the conference room. Nonetheless, it had taken a great effort for Steve to push away every ounce of pride in his body to grab ahold of it. And when he finally held the stiff cartoon folder, it had almost felt like it burned him like some crucifix. No, it burned like a sign of defeat.
Joseph Rogers would never have done it, never admitted when he was defeated.
At the thought of his father, Steve's hand fisted where it rested on the armrest dividing the two seats in the back of the car. What would he say? He probably wouldn't have said anything, just walked out as you had done to him. A vibration deep in his chest made a low sound leave him at the realisation you actually played the game his father always had and Steve himself only thought he had.
Fittingly, or unfittingly in his own mind, the door connected to the other seat opened with a click to interrupt the abusive thoughts of his father.
Although pulled out of his mind, Steve didn't glance to see whoever plucked the folder occupying the seat beside him before they climbed in themselves. There was only one person that first and foremost would dare to be in his presence right now. On top of that, also knew he was the only one who didn't need to repeatedly ask for permission to join him.
Not even when he saw the person shift in his peripheral, from simply holding the folder to actually waving it slightly to catch his attention, clearly wanting to ask him a question, did Steve look towards them. Although, he did speak up.
"Not a word, Barnes", the Canine boss raised his fist, so it was levelled with his cheek as he said this. By now, his nails had dug into his palm and there was no question small crescent moons would be dented in his skin.
"Maybe I should've stayed, after all", the sentence was followed by a chuckle, the sound making Steve snap to watch the man sitting beside him.
"Didn't I say you should keep your mouth shut?" The blonde stared at the brunette. Who, unlike earlier, now had pulled his hair into a low bun in the nape of his neck. However, no matter the fury the Canine's cold blue eyes conveyed, Bucky Barnes saw no real threat.
"You often do, but you have so far not put a bullet in me", Bucky shrugged with an easy smile.
The mob boss remained silent as his head bodyguard leaned forwards far enough to knock on the wall beside the still open windshield that could separate the driver from those in the back seat.
"Close it up", Steve honestly thought the brunette would've given the chauffeur, who now had taken his place behind the wheel, directions of where to go. Gauging by his act, he must have done it before getting into the car. Hence, the driver did nothing but nod to signify he heard what the guard said before closing the visor, leaving whatever Steve knew Bucky wanted to talk to him about for only him to hear.
He felt the car rock to a gentle start, the road underneath the vehicle sending small vibrations throughout Steve. Tilting his head, he saw the scenery blur as he didn't concentrate on anything specific they drow by.
Despite the initial silence of the car ride, the blonde saw how the man beside him shifted, angling his body just slightly more his way. The minimal change of where Bucky attention laid told the mob boss he would initiate a conversation. And as on a cue, Bucky spoke. "So what happened? 'Cause clearly you scared half of your squad enough for them to want to take a week off".
He didn't redirect his gaze, fearing that his now fisted hand would connect with his friend's jaw if he didn't control himself. What happened? The question taunted in his mind, enough so that Steve clenched his jaw. Everything that shouldn't have happened.
"You have the folder", he gritted out, continuing to aimlessly stare out of the window, now concentrating on how the scenery changed from the narrow streets the nightclub had been located in to instead manifest the glittering sunset reflecting off the water in East River.
Beside him, he felt how Bucky shifted and shortly afterwards came the sounds of papers starting to be turned over. The head guard sat silent as he read the contract that not even the Canine had looked through.
The lack of verbal confirmation of Steve's evident loss in this meeting spurred the blonde, whether he wanted or not, to glance at the brunette.
Bucky's brows were furrowed. Consequently causing the grooves on his forehead, which always appeared when he pondered something, to become extremely visible. His features remained this way as his eyes scanned over the rows stitching together the contract. Then, for some reason, they changed.
From an expression showing the brunette tried to fathom the situation that had made Steve considerably harsher to anyone in his close vicinity, his face now fell and a smirk began to toy with his lips. On top of this, he let out a low whistle turning to the next page.
The smouldering anger in Steve's chest flared up to the same intensity it had burned with earlier. Back when he had sat in silence and glared at the folder inside the club. He ground his teeth together, feeling how they caught in each other's pointy edges.
"What?" He demanded to know what the man all of a sudden found so entertaining. Yet, the answer didn't come immediately. Instead, Bucky sat there with the same expression pinning his face while finishing the document in his grip.
Not until the brunette had closed the binder and waved it similarly to how he'd done when entering the car did his gaze meet Steve's. His eyes, also blue but slightly greyer in colour, was crinkled in the corners. The amusement, or whatever caused the mob boss nostrils to flare in agitation, was only further displayed by the shake of his head.
"She's good".
"What?" Bucky almost hadn't finished his nearly wordless reply before Steve barked his requirement of an explanation.
"Whether you want to admit it aloud or not, I know you think about it in that analysing brain of yours", the brunette begun, pushing the folder underneath the mob boss' arm on the armrest. Steve, who followed the act with disdain, shuffled in his seat directly afterwards so he wouldn't be touching the contract which you formerly had been carrying around.
Watching the blonde's action, Bucky only continued, now even less worried his words might be wrong and evoke further anger from the Canine. Of course, he might still get mad, though Bucky knew he at least was right. "She is good, Steve. If not shown by this contract, which I suggest you read, then at least how she's gotten to you".
The blonde man elected to ignore the last part of his bodyguard's sentence. Hence, only questioning the first part. "Why should I read it?"
Arrogance was a trait many shared once someone stepped on their pride, but never had Bucky witnessed such amounts of it exhibited by the Canine boss. His nose twitched in the corner as if the mere thought of opening the papers offended him. The mistrust in his voice showed he didn't believe what just was advised to him, nor that the words of you being competent could be true. All signs of denial, a damaged pride.
"Sometimes I wondered how you even could've come this far to rebuild your father's empire when you're so stubborn to see the truth at times", the comment made Steve cock his head.
"Is that a threat or a call for resignation, I hear?" Bucky simply rolled his eyes and turned to fully face the man, now giving him his undivided attention.
"I may have been here from the day you called me and asked me to join your plans, but believe me, working outside this world for some time, especially in the field I was in, you learn to see who is good at their job and not".
Although Bucky had known Steve ever since they were kids, essentially because their fathers had been partners when the Canine empire was worth more than its own power in gold, the two had fallen out of the regular touch they'd kept after Joseph had passed. Steve had remained close to his mother. While Bucky returned to have both his feet in the ordinary world.
His name had never been brought into the discussion of conviction or any kind of youth crimes, essentially thanks to his father never being proven guilty of the few charges raised against him. Another favour his old man thanked the former Canine boss for. For Bucky, it made things easy to find live his life as if he didn't know what went on underneath the city he walked in.
He went to school, took a degree in law. Which his father before passing as well, considered humorous. Though, Bucky didn't start working directly even if offered jobs. He'd been young and not really knowing which direction he would go. He had no mothers footsteps to follow, seeing how she'd passed before he even had a memory of her. His father shoes still felt too big to fill, so he decided to follow a path he felt natural.
Bucky joined the army. Not more than a few years and two trips. Nevertheless, it was easy pocket change concerning two factors. His father had urged him to take the same martial art classes as Steve's father had done to him. He'd also lived with one foot in the syndicate and the other outside during his whole childhood. The concept of order, planning and warfare wasn't anything alarmingly new to him.
Then he'd begun to explore more, starting to step into the low tier position as an intern at different firms. It was easy to get in, concerning his degree and quickly, he gained enough working experience to get a promotion. His former boss at the advocate company may have thought Bucky was a natural talent or a genius from school. But, it was all thanks to his upbringing he possed the requirements a higher position demanded.
It's mainly thanks to his years working within the judiciary before reconnecting with Steve and began working as his head guard Bucky knows you fall into the group of people who are good at what you do.
The blonde had sat silent this whole time, never breaking away from Bucky's stare. It made the brunette believe that his friend would settle whatever resent he had towards you personally and at least read through the arrangement you assembled for the greater of his empire. Apparently, he was wrong.
"But now you're not working with that anymore", Bucky actually let out a low scoff of annoyance.
"I'm working as a head personal guard for someone I'm swaying on keeping alive at the moment, I know. And I do this because we both know I'm better at the combat part than you, ever since we were kids", despite the jab, it was the mention of how the man, despite being roughly the same size as Steve, always had been slightly better at fighting then himself that made the blonde bite his inner cheek. "I also know that I'm still damn good at what used to be my former profession. Which, you actually also should know concerning you never shoo me out of the room when discussing with your official advisors of the plans to come", when he finally ended the point he wanted to prove, he cocked a brow at Steve, who now had furrowed his brows.
Bucky saw the ire still lingering in the blondes' eyes, making them go cold rather than warm. Nevertheless, he said nothing. The Canine boss simply gave the folder, which hadn't moved from its settlement no matter how much the two men gently had rocked with the turns of the car, one last glare before he altogether turned away as much as his seat let him.
The head bodyguard was close to letting the comment of how similar the mob boss, who'd made a name for himself lately of being indifferent to everything standing in his way, was to a rebellious child. Yet, in the end, he didn't, knowing the car ride would become even more atrocious than it already was set to be.
As suspected, the whole drive from the club to the luxurious hotel, where the Canine boss' next stop was, went by in complete silence. And, when they finally pulled up outside the building, the car had almost not stopped before Steve opened the door without a word. The brunette couldn't but let out a huff and follow the man out of the vehicle.
As Bucky tracked a few steps behind the blonde mob boss, he nodded to a few of the other bodyguards to follow as well. Whatever he might have remarked about considering to keep Steve alive was very much said as a dig at the moment to remind the man he might be written as his subordinate, but he was true to nature working side by side with him. After all, Steven was his friend and Bucky didn't desire to get his blood on his hands.
When the little party of Canines neared the entrance, both men stationed on each side of the doors opened them without further ado. Either they thought Steve looked like someone fitting to live here, or they could've been paid to do so. The brunette figured it was the latter concerning the overall safety measures, not only this hotel but the district in general upheld. Although, he didn't question it way too much as he now concentrated on the slightly denser crowd of people in the lobby.
Not only did they blend in quite well, concerning the people living at this hotel was flanked by at least two bodyguards each. Bucky also noticed how some of the former rigidity in Steve's shoulder lessened as he weaved through the lobby.
Though anyone else may find it excellent that the physical aspect of the blondes former irritation trickled off, it unsettled Bucky even further. Thus, having grown up with Steve, he knew that the silent seething anger was worse than the outgoing one. This, in other words, didn't bode particularly well.
However, even though the brunette had a raising suspicion, along with fear, that this visit the mob boss had decided to do after his meeting with you wouldn't have a good outcome, he had no chance to voice his worry. Essentially because the elevator they'd taken to reach the floor they were heading to now stopped.
Bucky was first to exit the elevator. Checking that the coast was clear before looking back to the Canine boss. He tried making the blonde meet his gaze, now seriously doubting if Steve was fit to meet the partner he'd had an escalating problem with the past weeks. Yet, the blue-eyed man kept his attention straight forward and didn't even spare his childhood friend a glance.
A thousand things were running through Steve's mind as he headed down the corridor, spotting the door his business partner was on the other side of.
He knew Bucky tried gaining his attention with the repetitive looks he threw his way. His most entrusted bodyguard and friend could read him like an open book. Thus knowing the silent facade that he'd put up was just that, a facade. Still, he continued to ignore him as he'd done ever since their conversation was over half an hour ago.
As the party stopped before the door, Steve decided to give the inclining nod to one of his other guards to step forwards and knock on the door.
Following three rapid knocks, a call of 'no cleaning' followed by a similar set of knockings later, footsteps could be heard near the door from the other side. A few seconds after, the door swung open, revealing a man currently trying to fasten his cufflinks.
"I said I didn't...". Even though the brunette's eyes had been cast down as he'd began to speak, the second they flickered up to watch, what the man must have assumed would be a hotel maid but rather was the Canine mob boss, he trailed off in his sentence.
"Good day Mr Jefferson", if the man's body hadn't already gone rigid, his shoulders bounced up even closer to his ears after Steve's greeting.
In a hurried attempt to smarten up, he completed his attempt of fastening the jewellery pin.
"Mr Rogers", he breathed out almost shakily while pulling a hand through his hair, some of the strands sticking to his scalp while others simply fell forwards once more. "Why do I owe the pleasure?"
Without answering, Steve stepped forwards, forcing the man to open the door wider.
As he walked into the pad, the blonde gazed around it uninterestingly. It was lavish. Probably like most rooms were in the hotel.
"I'm here to talk with you". Steve answered his associates question the second he heard the door closed. Taking the liberty, he sat down in the couch group occupying a vaster portion of the entry room's space. "Sit", with a wave of his hand, the Canine motioned to the sitting place at the other side of the dark oak table.
Jefferson, who glanced warily at the guards that had stationed themselves around the room -one by the window, another two directly behind Steve and the last lingering by the door out to the corridor- had no other choice than to follow the mob boss' directions.
Sitting down at the edge of the seat, he swallowed around the lump in his throat.
"How's business going?" The mob boss asked as he leaned against the couches backrest. One arm was slung over the ridge, fingers tapping against the material, while his other hand rested on his thigh.
"Bussines is going well".
"Good, always nice to hear companies you invest in are going strong", Steve hummed, noticing the minimal shift Jefferson did as he said this. "How's my money going?"
"Ah... t-that question is a little more complicated...".
Even though the brunette continued to ramble about all the different reasons his payments were late, or not even that, non-existing, the Canine boss didn't listen. He knew he was being screwed over by the man opposite him. He'd gotten the information weeks ago that the CEO of the company he's worked with since the beginning of the year wanted to change sides.
At first, it had been more of a rumour and he hadn't been able to dig up where Jefferson's company was heading. Then it became clear they would switch partners to one of the other godfather's around New York. However, even if Steve thought he didn't like how they tried doing so in the shadows while still upholding their deal, the worst thing was when he got to know who they shifted their alliance to. You.
Seeing how much unfavourable publicity you'd given his empire in the last few months was aggravating. However, listening to the man talking his ear off as if Steve hadn't already figured why exactly fifteen percentages of the profit capital was rolling into your account instead of his was the last drop.
Without even noticing it himself, Steve's hand that had rested upon his thigh raised and were tucked into his suit.
The metal handle he gripped wasn't cold anymore, not after having rested so close to his heart for over an hour. Nor did it get cooled down as he hastily pulled it out of its holster and aimed it at the man opposite him.
"I don't like rats, Landon", the use of the man's first name rather than surname would've made him quiet if the gun aimed his way already hadn't silenced him. "Pray you don't get reborn as one in your next life as well".
On the firearm, a silencer was mounted. So the characteristic bang sounded much more like a pop. Therefore, the noise of the gun was even less intimidating than the ricochet. However, neither of the telltale signs of a shot made Steve flinch, not even as he watched the bullet penetrate the space in-between his former associate's eyes, did he react.
As the mob boss stood, Jefferson's upper body slumped forward, hitting the table with a heavy thud and ugly clap as his head was the first thing that connected with it. No tears were trickling down his cheeks. Only a red streak that steadily created a near-invisible puddle on the mahogany table.
"Steve!" The silence and peace Steve found in watching the body was cut short by Bucky's voice.
The Canine glanced to his side, regarding how his head bodyguard rounded the couch and stood before him with one single step.
"What the fuck was that?" The brunette exclaimed, hand motioning to the dead body.
If any other person than Bucky would've done the same thing in this instance, they either would've ended up joining peaceful Mr Jefferson, or they wouldn't work within the Canine empire anymore. However, concerning that it now was his childhood friend staring at him in disbelief, Steve made sure none of the options was carried through.
"Problem-solving", Steve answered, about to take a step forwards but were stopped with a hand planting itself on his chest. He looked down before looking up with a cocked eyebrow.
"That ain't how we solve shit!"
"Not we, but I", Steve said, gripping Bucky's wrist, ripping it away from him. "You see, now both our problems are solved. He doesn't need to fear his cover being blown and I don't need to lose more money". That was all Steve said before taking a step around the brunette, whose eyes had narrowed considerably.
As most of his colleagues trailed after their boss, Bucky stayed back just a second longer, looking at the lifeless body giving a new sheen to the table whilst staining the carpet underneath. He'd known Steve had taken your conference badly and he also knew it hadn't been a good idea to have this appointment so shortly afterwards, especially when it was connected to you, but in such a different way. Still, he hadn't believed it would take this much of a turn.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
"Damn that fucking thing!" Steve roared, not thinking when he swept his hands over his desk. Everything from pencils, an empty coffee cup and other things crashed to the floor. However, it wasn’t solely that which now was littering the ground. The papers of your contract had flown out of the folder as well.
Staring down at the mess of shattered glass and paper from his standing position. The Canine boss felt a sneer enter his features. Ever since returning home late last night, he'd been locked inside his study. Primary because it was the place no one dared to disturb him in, but also because he didn't feel like arguing with Bucky.
He knew that after the stunt, as he knew his friend and bodyguard would label his approach to the Jefferson problem, the brunette wanted to speak with him. Yet, with the residue anger of not only a restless night, one Steve had powered through thanks to copious amounts of coffee. But also the subject now taunting him on the floor, a conversation with his right-hand man would lead nowhere.
He and Bucky didn't often get into fights, but Steve was convinced this was one of the matters that could force such a confrontation. He'd still not gathered his bearings enough to admit that he needed to yield. Because that was what he would need to do.
The mob boss switched from watching the scattered pieces of the contract to instead stare straight into the oaken surface of his desk as he now leant on it, knuckles turning white from how strongly he held the countertop. By now, he'd read through the four-page agreement. Something that was a step in the right, or in Steve's regard wrong, direction.
He didn't want to admit it. But as Bucky had mentioned yesterday, it was a top-certified contract. He couldn't find any loopholes. No grey-zones. No area that he could play you on.
Steve knew that you would be hard to crack, but he hadn't anticipated this.
Despite knowing that you and the Felina empire had overtaken his father's grip on New York, he had underestimated you. A woman running the empire you did was so uncommon he thought you would have some weak spot regarding how you had no one else to look up to. Nor did you have any previous family connections to the underworld. Which honestly made your success even more astonishing.
Almost so much it was questionable if you had done it yourself.
Steve had assumed you hadn't. Someone else must be the brain behind the operation, simply using you as a puppet. However, it seemed he'd made a tremendous mistake by assuming just that. It wasn't anyone else running your empire. You were involved in every little part of the well-oiled machine.
Once more, the canine boss let out an irritated noise, sounding more like a growl than a harsh sigh in his own ears.
He pushed off from the countertop and, in one motion, had side-stepped his chair. Now, with the room behind him, Steve stared out of the windows lining the wall furthest from the entrance. His arms had crossed over his chest and remained there as he stared out at the bay not far away.
Ferries and other boats travelled the waters. Breaking the tension and creating small waves. If it wasn't for this, it almost would've looked like they travelled through the city. Regarding how not only New York's but also Brooklyn's dusk lightning reflected in the water.
When the Canine boss finally felt the sight before him lessened the tension in his shoulders, a knock came from the door.
If his features ever had lightened, the sound immediately beckoned a furrow to take its place. Even more so when the door opened without him having given the person on the other side permission.
He knew who it was, Bucky.
"What do you want?" Steve's voice was cold, harsh.
"I want to speak with you", instantly, the mob boss noticed how his friend's voice didn't carry that joyous tone when he spoke to him as just that, friends. Bur rather the more levelled one, the professional one.
"I won't speak about Jefferson".
"Neither is that why I'm here", glancing over his shoulder upon hearing the rustle of paper, the Canine boss saw his guard pick up the pieces of the contract from the floor. He arranged them before putting them back into the folder. Contrary to how Steve would've caused the map to give away a whack when flinging it onto his desk. Bucky's hand followed through the whole movement. His fingers even resting upon the grey folder as it laid placid on the middle of the counter.
"I'm here to talk about the real problem", Steve turned to face the brunette. He didn't say anything. Still, Bucky knew that having gotten this much attention was a sign he either was about to be shot or given a limited amount to talk.
"I know this is hard for you, Steve... actually scratch that, it is hard for everyone who's supported you. But I'll be damned if you let everything we've worked for go to waste because you don't have it in you to lose a battle in favour of winning a later war"
All of a sudden, Bucky's face twisted as an unexpected crash echoed. His fist had smashed onto the table. Enough for the countertop to rattle.
“I love to give you the most personal advice I've ever had”, he started, not even holding back his pent up frustration. “Sign that fucking contract, pal". The canine boss' blue eyes narrowed as he met the stormy grey ones of the man before him.
"Get out", Bucky clenched his jaw and straightened himself.
"I'll be waiting for the call to come and pick it up", was the last thing the brunette said before swiftly turning on his heel and heading to the door.
Steve followed his oldest friend with his eyes until the door echoes shut behind him. Even after Bucky's footsteps were long gone, did the Canine boss stare forward. He did it simply because he didn't want to let his eyes flicker down to the contract, now turned to the last page where the paper waited for his signature.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
A day later, Steve still stared at the folder resting un-signed on his desk. It was out of pure spite he hadn't signed it. To keep your victory at bay.
Two days later and he felt how the clock on his wall ticked louder than before. How the voices in his head escalated from whispering to shouting at him. 'Sign that fucking contract, pal.'
Three days later and Steve felt how time was running out.
Even if he didn't want to admit it aloud. To not sign would be foolish. Sure, he had the resources to continue this war. Hence, the short extra time the meeting and his delay in signing the contract had abled him to recoup. But still, his empire was lacking a significant piece his father's syndicate had, time. He needed more time to grow but wasn't given that. So yes, he could continue this battle, but he could not win it.
Therefore the mob boss gripped the pen and pressed the ink dipped tip to the dotted line.
His signature was darker than usual. More colour bleeding onto the paper. The curves of the letters were not as smooth as regular either. Instead, straighter, pointier. Forced.
Steve didn't look at his name shining back at him once he raised the pen and put it back in its stand. Instead, Steve stood and dialled a number on his phone. One tone was all it took before the person on the other end picked up.
"Get it out of my sight, Barnes", was all he said before instantly hanging up. The call had lasted four seconds. Even so, Steve deleted it from the history of his 'latest' list.
Shoving the phone into his pockets, the blonde man stood from his chair and headed to the office doors. He didn't look back once at the folder left behind on his desk. Not even when he closed the doors behind him.
Series taglist: @njrronaldo7 @fanfic-love-show @gabycamargo22 @fckdeusername
#steve x reader#mafia!Steve x mafia!reader#mafia!steve rogers#mafia!steve x reader#mob!boss steve#mob boss steve rogers#mob!boss au#mob!boss#mafia!reader#mafia!au#mafia series#enemies to lovers#platonic relationships#Bucky Barnes#James Buchanan Bucky Barnes#mafia!bucky#mob!boss bucky#Steve Rogers#steve rogers fanfiction#steve rogers x reader#MCU#MCU fic#marvel#mcu fanfiction#marvel series#faniction#fanfic#fanfiction series#mob!steve x mob!reader
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keep me as your finish line.
stevetony. avengers assemble. rated t. fake/pretend relationship. 4.9k words.
for the fall backwards: an avengers assemble flash exchange hosted by @cap-ironman and @ishipallthings
also on ao3.
*****
Like most shenanigans of this sort, it happens on a Tuesday.
“—was saying! But Sam told me— Hey, what’s that?”
Tony follows Steve’s line of sight, pointed towards a small glimmer coming out from the cracks on the sidewalk. Steve edges closer, getting down on one knee to pick it up.
“What is it? A dime?”
“Nope,” Steve replies, holding his hand up. “Not even close.”
It’s a ring. It’s a pretty thing, a band of silver with a small diamond nestled in the middle.
“Why, Steven,” Tony begins teasingly, “you’re going to propose to me in the middle of a sidewalk?”
Steve’s grin widens. “Carpe diem.”
“How romantic.”
Tony’s about to drag Steve up to his feet when a flash of light stills him.
There’s a crowd gathered around them, holding out their phones and they grin manically.
“Say yes!” someone calls.
“Say what?” Tony asks.
“Say yes,” Steve replies, infuriatingly calm. “They want you to marry me.”
Tony freezes. The noise around them grows louder.
“Well, Shellhead?” Steve murmurs, his grin plastered back on. “Marry me?”
Tony should say no. He should haul Steve to his feet and tell everyone to scram, tell them that this is all a misunderstanding. He should toss the ring far, far away and make a run for it.
“Yes,” he whispers instead.
*****
Tony breaks the silence halfway through the elevator ride.
“Well, that was something.”
Steve chuckles. “I’m never picking a ring up ever again.”
Tony lets out a hollow laugh of his own. “The board’s going kill me.”
“No, they won’t.”
“Yes, they will,” Tony insists. “Me a part of a fake public proposal? The stocks are going to plunge, the board will be on me even more than usual, and the media—”
The media. The public.
Steve.
Oh god.
“Steve,” Tony begins, “I—”
The elevator doors open. They step into the common area.
There’s a banner that’s stuck to the ceiling with arrows that says, ‘CONGRATULATIONS ON THE ENGAGEMENT’, in block letters. Heart-shaped balloons hang from every corner of the room. Cupcakes with icing in Captain America and Iron Man colors are stacked high in the middle of the dining table.
“Surprise!” Sam cries out.
Clint whoops. Thor blows on his party horn.
Oh god. The team.
How could he forget?
“We are not telling them,” Steve murmurs.
“Yes, we will,” Tony hisses back.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Tony would’ve argued back if Hulk hadn’t gathered them both into his arms, squeezing them with his massive, massive arms.
“‘Bout time you got together,” he says cheerfully before mashing Steve and Tony’s faces together.
That’s how Steve and Tony have their first kiss.
*****
They don’t end up telling them.
Tony doesn’t know why they don’t. It’d make sense to. They’re all friends. They’d understand how stupid the whole thing is, even if Tony has to suffer at the hands of their teasing.
But then Thor claps Tony on the back and regales the team with every instant Steve and Tony would wax poetic about each other and Sam shoves congratulatory cookies into his face and Bruce shows up to offer his congratulations and Tony just can’t bring himself to say anything. At least not yet.
Steve is perfectly content with keeping up with the charade, sticking by Tony’s side and openly holding his hand and nuzzling his cheek and looking at Tony as if he’s his whole world.
It doesn’t make sense. Steve’s the paragon of righteousness and truth. He never lies. Why he would start doing it now, over something dumb like this? It’s beyond Tony.
“About time you kids came out with it,” Clint says between mouthfuls of cake. “Felt like you kids were taking forever to tell us.”
“Which you didn’t,” Natasha points out, arching an eyebrow.
Steve rolls his eyes, wrapping his arm around Tony’s waist and pulling him close. “We figured you guys would just hound us about it.”
“Hey, I can behave.”
“Sure you can,” Steve says before brushing his lips against Tony’s cheek.
Clint makes a retching sound. “You know what? I’m glad you guys kept it on the down-low. Don’t think I could take any form of PDA from either of you.”
God, if he only knew. If all of them only knew.
*****
The thing about being fake engaged while living with friends is that they have to share the same living space.
Which means sharing the same bed.
“I can take the floor,” Tony says as he exits his bathroom. “I’ve slept on worse.”
Steve’s gaze falls on him. He’s already dressed down in a tank top and shorts. Tony does his best to avert his gaze.
“Don’t be stupid. It’s big enough for the both of us.”
Tony glances at his king-sized bed with doubt.
Steve rolls his eyes and beckons him over.
Like a moth to a flame, Tony follows.
*****
The next morning is total chaos.
Tony’s phone is overwhelmed with messages and missed calls. His inbox is full of lengthy emails. The press is divided. So is the board.
Fury asks to see him, to see them.
The team has gathered in the communal kitchen when Steve and Tony head down in rumpled clothes and bed hair. The grins they send them are wolfish.
“Good night?” Clint begins, waggling his eyebrows.
Steve beams, draping his arm around Tony’s shoulder. “Very good night.”
And it’s too much. Too sudden. Too everything.
So like any sane person would in this kind of situation, Tony hides.
*****
Steve forces his way into the workshop on the fourth day.
“You can’t hide from me forever,” he says. “The team’s worried about you. I’m worried about you.”
Tony ignores him, fixating on the hundredth tabloid headline about him and Steve on the screen in front of him instead.
Steve closes the news with a wave of the hand. “Hey,” he says softly, “you alright?”
Tony doesn’t say anything for a long moment. “It’s a mess. The whole thing’s a mess. Imagine when everyone finds out that this is all fake. They’ll kill us.”
“Not if we stay engaged.”
Tony whips around to face Steve. “You can’t be serious.”
Steve nods, solemn. “Oh, I’m serious.”
“JARVIS, run a—”
“I’m not a Skrull,” Steve huffs. “Or an LMD. Or under the influence of magic. Or mind-controlled. I genuinely do think we should stay engaged. At least, for now.”
Tony stares at him in disbelief. “God, do you hear yourself right now? Does it make sense to—”
“Yes.” Steve pulls up the holograms again, scrolling through. “Look. Everyone’s happy—”
“Not everyone.”
“The team’s happy for us. Fury isn’t pissed for once. The stocks have been soaring since the news. If you haven’t been reading trashy tabloids and right-winged articles, you would know that a lot of people are supportive. In fact,” Steve opens a new article, “a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community are excited. The announcement’s helped a lot of people come out, or at least be more accepting of their own identities. It’s good for the people.”
Tony exhales heavily. “I’m not saying it isn’t. God knows that everyone needs all the support they can get. It’s just that we shouldn’t. It’s not right. I may be pan but you’re—”
“I’m bi.”
Tony blinks. “You’re—”
“Bisexual,” Steve affirms.
Tony files that information away for later. He’s one step closer to having a mental breakdown and processing the revelation that Steve’s bisexual wouldn’t help matters.
“Regardless, this isn’t a life or death situation. I can deal with the company and the press and—”
“You’re my friend. I can help.”
“What if you find someone you—”
“I don’t think I will,” Steve says firmly.
“Steve, I—” Tony sighs, wiping his face with his hand. “What about the team? Shouldn’t they know?”
“The fewer people that know, the better.”
Tony blinks. “Are you crazy?”
Steve grins. “Nope.”
“Well, jury’s out on that.” Tony groans, slumping in his seat. “God, we should’ve told them it was all a misunderstanding.”
Steve smiles, squeezing Tony’s shoulder in reassurance. “It’ll all work out. You’ll see.”
Tony highly doubts that.
“You’re not going to wear someone else’s ring.”
“You can make me a new one.”
“I figured you’d say that. So, you know.” Tony climbs up to his feet, pulling one of his desk drawers open and reaching inside. “I didn’t lock myself up for no reason. Here. It’s not vibranium but uh, hope you like it.”
Steve takes the ring out from the velvet box gingerly, as if he’s afraid it’ll break. “You’ve always had my heart,” he murmurs as he examines the inscription on the silver band. “Wow.”
Tony’s breath catches at the reverence in Steve’s tone. “Figured you’ll like that kind of sappy thing.”
“I do,” Steve says and god he sounds so happy, so touched, so— “Here’s yours.”
It’s a simple gold ring, with a familiar scrawl engraved on the inside.
You’ve given me a home.
Tony almost breaks down.
*****
read the rest of ao3.
#fallbackwardsexchange2021#capimuniversemedley#stevetony#stony#superhusbands#avengers assemble#steve rogers#tony stark#universe medley fest#*fic
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𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃-𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 & 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃-𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐊𝐄 [𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒]
PAIRINGS — private investigator!Steve Rogers x journalist!fem!reader
SUMMARY — You get paired with a SHIELD private investigation firm, looking into the notorious underground gang HYDRA, and despite numerous warnings from the Captain you just can seem to stay out of trouble
WARNINGS — lots of swearing, violence, murder, physical assault, kidnapping, angst, mentions of/allusions to sex, it gets spicy at the end (15+?)
NOTE — Okay wth this has been in my drafts for AGES honestly idc if it doesn't get attention (but I high key do I'm hella insecure about my Steve fics especially) because I'll be reading this fic over and over again so whatever [also I'm very sorry but angry Steve is very hot I don't make the rules] (also some special tags for @mystic-writings who came up with the title and @roger-that-cap because I love her <;3)
"A-A reporter? Inspector you've gotta be joking," Steve protested, standing up from the seat behind his desk, and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Sorry Rogers, you're out of luck,"
"What do you mean out of luck, there must be some law we can use to prevent them from sending one over," he insisted.
"That doesn't sound like something Steve would do," Fury chuckled and shook his head. "And trust me, Cap, I've already tried."
"When are they getting here?" Steve sighed, defeated and flopped back down on the chair.
Fury checked his watch and raised his brows, "Should be here right about-,"
"Miss you can't go in there that's the-,"
One of the detective's voices was interrupted by the door swinging open to reveal yourself, standing there, bag in your arm, ready to work.
"It's alright," Fury assured. "Please come in Miss (L/N),"
"Thank you," you smiled and took a seat across from the Captain's desk.
"Wel,l best you two get acquainted, you both know the circumstances and if there's any questions or concerns please don't call me I'm a busy man," Fury nodded and left the room.
There was an awkward silence that filled the air after he left and your eyes drifted to the silver plaque on his desk reading clearly in all capital letters CAPTN. STEVEN ROGERS.
"Are you going to say something?" you asked and he shrugged.
"What is there to say?"
"I don't know, maybe hi, hello, nice to meet you?" you queried and he didn't seem to show a hint of emotion. "Fine then, hi, I'm (Y/N) and I'm an investigative journalist so don't worry I'm not here to critique you or your team. Now you go,"
"Name's on the plaque," he nodded. "And I don't like reporters,"
"Well, Steve-,"
"Captain,"
"What?"
"It's Captain Rogers,"
"Well then Captain I can assure you the feeling towards detectives is quite mutual, I'm sure we'll get on just fine," you said sarcastically.
"Just stay out of the way, don't touch, read, hear, see, go anywhere, or even smell anything you're not supposed to, okay?"
"No promises, Captain," you said cooly, getting up to leave the office and go set up at the small desk they had cleaned for you.
Once you left the room Steve pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.
"Stark! Romanoff! In here please!" he called and there was a shuffle before two detectives made their way inside the office and closed the door behind them.
"What's up Cap?" Tony asked and Steve leaned forward, arms resting on his desk.
"The reporter, what do you know about her?"
"I've crossed paths with her before," Natasha nodded. "She helped fill in the blanks for the Peterson case,"
"From what I've heard she's the kind that likes to dig deep, gotten into trouble quite a few times for it,"
"With the firm?" Steve asked.
"No, she's got bad blood with a few gangs, dealers, maybe a murderer or two. We've had to get her out of a few tight squeezes."
"So a trouble maker and a bit of a daredevil that tests the line,"
"But she does get the job done," Natasha noted.
"Alright thanks, that'll be-,"
Steve was cut off when the phone rang and he groaned.
"What is it with today and getting interrupted," he muttered and picked up the phone. "Captain Steven Rogers, SHIELD Private Investigators what can I do for you?"
There were some pauses while Steve listened to the information the dispatcher was giving him and writing it down.
"Okay thanks, we'll be there right away," he hung up the phone and stood up. "Alright, get the gang, we've got a murder on Fletcher Street,"
The two detectives nodded and left the room going to debrief with their colleagues to see who would take the case.
Steve on the other hand made his way to you and tapped the desk rather hard to get your attention.
"Up you go, we've got a murder and you're coming with me,"
"A murder?" you asked, grabbing your phone and a notebook. "Already?"
"It's New York sweetheart, what do you expect? Someone stole a tricycle from the cul-de-sac?"
"N-No," you shook your head and followed him out of the precinct and into one of the vehicles issued by the firm.
Before he started the car Steve pulled out a cigarette pack from his pocket and used the lighter in the cup holder to light it.
"Could you put that out?" you asked and he seemed to ignore you, continuing along the drive to where the crime scene was. "Those are terrible for you, you know?" you offered and he still seemed to ignore you.
So instead you grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth and put it out in the ashtray.
"Hey! What the fuck!" he exclaimed looking over at you once you hit the light. "Those are expensive!"
"Yeah, and second-hand smoke is also worse than actually smoking a cigarette so maybe you ought to consider that,"
Steve instead, rolled down the window and lit another cigarette, puffing the smoke outside.
"With all the research there's been on smoking I can't bring myself to understand why someone such as yourself would continue to do it,"
He didn't answer and continued to smoke all the way until you reached the scene.
"You might want to be careful," Steve finally spoke once you got there. "I don't know what your tolerance is to these things but it could be gory and just because I might not be a fan doesn't mean I won't warn you."
"Of course, but I think I'll be okay. You don't spend time as a lab assistant in a morgue without getting used to seeing dead bodies."
Steve nodded and you stepped out of the car following him towards the apartment building. He flashed a badge that allowed him access across the police tape but you were stopped,
"Miss you can't come in here," a uniformed officer insisted.
"She's with me," Steve sighed and the officer nodded,
"Of course Captain Rogers,"
He lifted the police tape and allowed you in, heading up the stairs to the apartment.
When he opened the door his two head detectives looked startled and immediately came to his side, trying to either ease him in or push him away.
"Steve," Natasha cautioned, "I don't think it's a-," he pushed past her anyways and came to see the body laying on the ground in the living room. If possible his face dropped even more, his eyes unable to move from the cold limp body of the elderly woman.
He bent down a moment and almost reached out to touch her, but stopped himself just before his hand reached hers.
He then stood up and swallowed hard before saying,
"I need some air," and leaving the room and going back outside.
"What was that about?" you ventured to ask Natasha, the detective you were already familiar with.
"He knew her," Natasha explained. "We all did,"
"I-I'm sorry for your loss," you said softly. "What's her name?"
"Margre-Peggy. Peggy Carter." Tony said and you nodded.
Taking a quick look at the body a few things stood out to you, they seemed familiar almost, like you'd seen this MO before.
"Wait," you whispered to yourself. "I-I think I know where I've seen this before,"
"What do you mean?" Natasha asked.
"A gang called HYDRA, similar to this Neo-Nazi shit going around. This was them. I'm sure of it,"
"You know much about them?"
"A bit, I'll see if I can dig up anything else, but from my understanding, the Captain already knows a fair amount already,"
The two nodded and you were about to examine the scene more before the apartment door opened and you heard your name called.
"Come on, we've got to go,"
"But-,"
"No buts I have to supervise you and there's somewhere I need to go so come."
You nodded and met the Captain at the door heading back to the car.
He picked up his phone and dialled a number, Natasha's voice coming up on the speaker when she picked up.
"What do you need, Cap?"
"You and Tony take the lead on this, for now, this is big fish so I'll have to put together a team but right now I have to go and tell the family."
"Of course, but are you sure Steve?"
"Yeah..." he paused a moment. "They should hear it from me."
"Alright. Don't work too hard."
"No promises," he hung up the phone and turned on the car.
You didn't dare speak a word as he drove down the streets until they reached another neighbourhood and parked outside of another apartment building.
"Should I stay or...?"
"You can come, I'll have to question them after so you can take notes or whatever it is that you do,"
You nodded and got up walking now into this building. Steve knocked on the door that read 308 and it was answered by a man of average height and neatly cut brown hair.
"Steve, this is unexpected. It's been a while."
"Yeah I know," he nodded. "I-Is Sharon home?"
"Yeah, please come in,"
The man let you enter the apartment and offered you seats on the couch while he went to go fetch what you assumed was his wife.
The lady that came into the room was blond, with sparkling eyes that had a hint of mischief in them. She happily greeted the Captain and sat down next to him.
"It's been a while, Steve, what's brought you around this end of town?"
Steve bit his lip and looked down at his hands, wringing them in his lap.
"Look Sharon, I-I wish I could've come with better news but... it's Peg,"
Sharon's face became dark and she shook her head.
"No, Steve no,"
"Sharon I'm sorry," he apologized, taking her hand in his own and allowing her to come closer and bring her into a hug. "I promise you I'm not going to rest until they're stopped. Okay? You have my word,"
"What am I supposed to say to Lily?" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion and tears. "How do I tell her that her.... she was her grandma,"
"I know," Steve sighed. "I-I know,"
"Mom are you okay?"
The two then turned their heads to the small girl exiting the hallway and looking at the adults.
"Uncle Steve what are you doing here?" she said but her face was carefree and bore a smile. She ran up to him and jumped into his now empty lap, giving him a bone-crushing hug.
"Hey pumpkin," he said softly, hugging her back. "Wow look at you, you've grown,"
"And look!" she exclaimed giving him a toothy grin.
"You lost a tooth, well that means you're getting your big kid teeth,"
She nodded and hugged him again, having missed the Captain of the private investigator squad it seemed.
"Hey Steve," she whispered, you could barely hear her, but it seemed as though she only wanted him to know what she was saying. "Why are mom and dad sad?"
"It's cause I had to tell them something sad," he said, and she pulled herself away to look at him. "What happened?"
"It's about Nana," he said looking at Sharon to see if he should give her the watered-down version of some sort of lie parents would tell their children or the truth. And right now you sensed that the poor family wouldn't be able to handle the truth so Steve steeled himself for a story.
"Is Nana okay?"
"Yeah Nana's fine, she's just... she had to move away to a really far away place."
"Will I see her again?"
"I don't think so pumpkin," he shook his head. "But she told me to tell you that she loves you very very much," he tried to keep his voice from wavering. "And she's going to miss you a lot,"
The small girl became saddened and you could feel she was trying to hide her grief so that her parents wouldn't worry. Such a weighty task for such a small girl, but she couldn't help it. A few tears fell from her eyes and Steve wiped them away with the heel of his palm and pressed a kiss to her cheek before holding her close.
Contrary to what you first thought of him maybe he wasn't so hardened to everything, maybe it really was just reporters that he disliked but you knew there was something more to it. You weren't sure what yet, but you'd figure it out eventually.
Lily's father came and took her from Steve's arms, going to distract her by playing a game in her room or perhaps turning on the TV.
Steve then turned again to Sharon and cleared his throat,
"Do you know of anything she could have been looking into, something she possibly found out to make them come after her?"
It seemed he wasn't the only one who noticed it was the doing of HYDRA.
"I-I can't remember, she retired ages ago, but you know Peggy, she couldn't stop working."
"Yeah that's Peg," Steve chuckled.
"If she was doing anything she wouldn't have told me because I would have stopped her," Sharon explained. "But you know where she keeps her notebooks, in the box-,"
"Behind the piano," Steve nodded. "You think something would be there?"
"If anywhere that has to be it,"
"Alright, I think that's it for now, but if there are any developments we'll let you know, but I think you should take some time off okay? Spend time with Frank and Lily, I'll even write something up to get you a couple of extra days."
"Of course, thanks Steve," she smiled softly and gave him one last hug. "And tell Fury to be careful, if they went after her they'll be on his tail. And yours."
"I know," Steve nodded.
"Seriously Steve. Please be careful,"
"I'll try Sharon, really,"
Steve gave you a look and you both stood up and said your goodbyes, leaving the household.
Steve stood outside the car while you got inside, lighting another cigarette and taking a long drag.
"Um Captain?" you asked and he sighed exasperatedly.
"What?"
"I was wondering if we might make a stop by my place, I might have something that can help with the case,"
"Sure," he nodded. "Just give me a minute,"
"Of course,"
You waited patiently until he came back into the car, rummaging around in his CDs before finding what he was looking for, he took a minute, glancing at it and you managed to get a look at the title on it, Peggy's Mix, and popping it in.
"Where do you live?" he asked.
"Just a few blocks from here. Take a left up there and a right on Front street,"
Steve nodded and followed your directions, waiting for you inside the car while you grabbed a few books and files from your home.
When you came back and headed to the firm your first step was to go over to Natasha and ask her for her evaluation of the crime scene so you could examine it against the data you had.
"Do you have anything we don't?" she asked.
"Maybe, I haven't gone through this in a long time, HYDRA is one group I tend not to mess with, but people I know have,"
Natasha nodded and came by your desk to see what information your books and files held.
"They date all the way back to the Second World War," you said. "That's how Carter knew about them, no?"
"Yeah, she's been on the lead ever since then and trained Steve to take over before she retired. They were pretty close,"
"Yeah, I could tell," you noted and flipped through one of the files before smirking, knowing you had found what you were looking for. "This is what I recognized it from," you showed Natasha. "Like most gangs, they have different ways of killing different people, if you're on the inside its execution, bullet to the back of the head,"
"But when it's an enemy,"
"You send a message." you nodded. "There's got to be something at the scene telling us who they're looking for next because if they were on her scent they're probably on someone else's as well,"
"It's probably a safe bet it's Fury or Cap," Tony came by, also picking up a book and skimming through it.
"That's what Sharon said," you noted.
"How is she?" Tony asked.
"Honestly, if I had gotten the news I would've been worse."
"She's an agent, hides it well," Natasha nodded. "What about this?" she pointed to a symbol in the book. "One of the books on the shelf had this symbol,"
"Do you have it in evidence or is it still at the scene."
"It's at the scene, but we still have officers there, I'll make a call to get someone to bring it in," Natasha explained and walked off to her desk.
Tony on the other hand stayed behind and you wondered if he might know a thing or two about the Captain, but you thought it best to save it for a little later when you had fully gained their trust.
"Do you maybe have any files on HYDRA I can look at?" you asked. "Like other cases you've worked in this area associated with them?"
"Sure, we'll have a few files in the record room, I'll grab them for you,"
Sitting at your desk you opened up your computer and opened up a blank document, making notes about the case and the general topic of your article, if you didn't want to get mixed up with HYDRA before you really didn't want to now, but that was the case and you'd be damned if you didn't follow it.
Tony came back placing a few files on your desk and in return took a couple of yours to look over with the evidence they gathered.
After typing only a few bullet points your phone buzzed and you pulled it out of your pocket, a small smile coming to your face when you saw the caller ID.
"Hey, Wanda,"
"Hi is this a bad time?"
"No I'm just at work I can multitask, it's okay," you nodded. "Do you need anything?"
"Yeah, I'm just shopping right now and you put something on the list and I have no idea what it is,"
"What is it?" you asked.
"Aloe water? Like what's that even for?" she asked and you laughed.
"It's to drink, I'll have it instead of juice sometimes. You can find it in the ethnic aisle," you assured her.
"Oh okay," she said but you could tell she was skeptical.
"Buy an extra bottle or two we can have it with dinner tonight, I swear you'll like it,"
"As long as it's not like that other thing you made me try," she shuddered. "Did not like that,"
"No I swear this one is good," you laughed. "I'll see you back home,"
"Okay see you later, stay safe,"
"Trying," you sighed. "Bye,"
You hung up the phone and put your attention back to the files and your computer.
"Boyfriend?" Tony asked and you laughed heartily.
"Nah just my roommate, we rent a townhouse together,"
"Townhouse in New York, that seems like a rare commodity,"
"It is," you nodded. "Work out asses off to pay for it, but it's home. How about you?"
"Inherited a place from my parents. Dad had big money," he shrugged and you nodded.
Steve came out of his office and walked towards both your desks and glanced over at the files on yours, frowning when he came to realize what they were.
"Where did you get these?" he asked, having barely started and his patience already wearing thin.
"I-I-,"
"These are confidential files, how the hell did you get them?"
"I gave them to her sir," Tony quickly piped up and that seemed to calm him down a bit but he turned back to you, still very clearly upset.
"I don't think you know what we're dealing with," he said lowly. "So let me make this very clear. HYDRA is not a joke, you go barking up the wrong tree and it's our fucking asses on the line, you hear? So do what's good for you and don't go reading up on things you're not supposed to, understand?"
"Actually no," you shook your head and stood up. "In case you haven't noticed barking up the wrong tree is kind of my job, and I would very gladly be transferred to another firm but we both know right now that isn't possible so why don't you be cooperative instead and that way this can all be over a hell of a lot quicker,"
"Stay out of it," he hissed and walked away, leaving his two senior detectives stunned.
"What the hell is it with him," you groaned, sitting back down in your chair. "I don't suppose he treats everyone like absolute trash," you asked looking over at them and they shrugged.
"Nope just reporters," Natasha nodded.
"Just my luck," you sighed and went back to your work, hoping for the day to be over soon.
—
"So how was work?" Wanda asked, serving you some food for dinner.
"Fine, I guess," you shrugged. "The Captain of the squad's a bit of a jerk though,"
"Oh really?" she asked. "Tell me about it,"
"Well according to Romanoff and Stark he's just got a bit of a thing against reporters although I don't know why. But he's not completely heartless which is what confuses me,"
"Why centre all your aggression towards reporters,"
"Exactly," you nodded. "We'll figure it out eventually. Doesn't help that the case is extremely dangerous,"
"Oh seriously (Y/N) not again!" Wanda groaned and took a sip of the aloe vera water. "Damn this is good!"
"I know right," you chuckled and she pointed her finger at you even though her mouth was full,
"Nuh-uh, don't change the topic on me like that," she shook her head. "What is it this time? Dealers? Murderers? Gangs?"
"Gangs," you nodded. "HYDRA,"
"(Y/N) no!" Wanda exclaimed. "HYDRA is dangerous, you can't do this!"
"Woah, woah, how do you know how dangerous they are, this is an underground gang, barely anyone outside the police department and these private investigators know about them,"
Wanda pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head,
"Wanda? How do you know about them," you said carefully.
"I was 19 and stupid okay," she said quietly. "My parents had just died and Pietro and I wanted revenge. We joined HYDRA, but got out soon after once we realized what the hell it really was."
"Wait, you were inside the gang!"
"Keep your voice down!"
"How the hell did you get out?"
"They had a fall in the ranks there was a bit of catastrophe and whatever so we slipped out in the chaos with the help of some of the investigators at SHIELD,"
"How long has it been,"
"At least 6, 7 years,"
"And they haven't come looking for you?"
"Heard they were under new management afterwards, so no,"
"Wow," you sighed and dropped your fork on your plate. "Can you tell me what you know?"
"(N/N) I'm not too sure that's a good idea," she shook her head.
"But no one will know it's you, I can cite an anonymous source and this could help the case! This could get that damn Captain to like me!"
"And why does it matter that he likes you?" she questioned.
"I want his respect because I deserve it," you said seriously. "Come on, they killed a perfectly innocent elderly lady,"
"Peggy Carter right? She was not innocent,"
"Okay but she was old, come on Wanda give me something,"
Wanda sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"I have to think about it okay, talk to Pietro, see what he thinks,"
"Okay I can live with that," you nodded and started to eat again hoping your friend might be able to give you a hot tip or two on the gang you now so desperately wanted to catch.
—
"Morning (Y/N)," Tony greeted you a few days later, handing you a coffee.
"Stark you're a saint," you chuckled and took the coffee from his hands.
"All in a day's work," he joked. "Anything new for me?"
"Actually yes," you nodded. "I have an anonymous source who's given me some details of what goes on inside HYDRA and what their leadership looked like a while back."
"Wow, that's like a jackpot,"
"I know," you nodded. "Should Romanoff be here for this?"
"Yeah probably, and I'll get the Captain too,"
You prepared your notes and waited for Tony to come back but he called you into the Captain's office instead.
You made your way there, nerves slightly overcoming you hoping the Captain wouldn't be unreasonably angry for any reason.
"So (Y/N) tell them what you told me,"
"Well," you started. "I have an anonymous source who's given me some information on how HYDRA's worked in the past and what their leadership looked like."
"How do we know it's legit?" Natasha asked.
"They knew things that haven't been released to the press. They joined after their parents died around 6 or 7 years ago to get revenge on the terrorist that killed them but didn't realize what they were getting into. When HYDRA went through a transfer of power it got chaotic and they slipped through the cracks,"
They all nodded, the Captain listening especially closely to what you had to say.
"Anyways, they said HYDRA was like a council, they had eight heads so that if one died or was compromised the others would be able to hold the fort and replace the missing piece."
"So it's not one big mob boss or something?" Tony asked and you shook your head.
"They've been doing experimental tests for a while on brainwashing techniques and so on so they don't have to kill their enemies but use them instead as assets, but they don't always do that as we're pretty well aware,"
"This is news," Natasha said, "it could explain how they've gone undetected. If they have people on the inside..."
"They don't even have to try," Steve filled in the blank. "Stark, Romanoff, you two look through old cases, see if you can find any missing officers that could have somehow gotten into HYDRA's hands and look at the few where we haven't had 100% positive IDs. You'll have to go down to the coroner's office for that."
The two nodded and left the room and you were about to do the same before he stopped you.
"No, you stay here,"
Your tense shoulders fell with a sigh and you closed the door and turned around to him.
"What now?" you asked.
"I know that story," he said carefully. "Hard to forget, two teenagers caught up in the wrong stuff, wanting to get out,"
"What are you saying?"
"That's Wanda Maximoff's story. How do you know her?"
"How do I know her? How the hell do you know her?" you asked surprised.
"In case you don't remember I'm the superior officer here and I'm asking the questions,"
"Oh my God, fuck off," you scoffed. "I'm not some common criminal scum off the streets so stop treating me like I'm the cause of all the problems in your life,"
"I asked you a question (L/N), it would do you good to answer it,"
You shook your head at him, "She's my roommate, and I'm assuming you're the guy that helped her and Pietro get out. Can't imagine how someone like you would be able to do that, being without a heart and all,"
"You're on thin ice (L/N)," he hissed. "Thin fucking ice,"
"Good, if I wasn't on your nerves I'd be doing something wrong," you spat and walked out of the office slamming the door shut behind you, marching over to your desk before sitting down and massaging your temples.
"It's too early for this," you complained.
"He go hard on you?"
"Do you even have to ask?" you sighed. "What's even the story? What could have possibly happened to make him hate reporters so much?"
Natasha and Tony looked at each other before Natasha decided to answer and you paid attention because she seemed to be serious.
"It was back when he was a detective," she said. "We used to do a lot of work with investigative journalists, but one decided to get into a lot of trouble after not listening to Steve and poke his nose where it didn't belong," she chewed her lip. "When they went in to deal with it, Steve and his partners along with a whole tac-team, they..." she could barely bring herself to say it. "Steve was the only one who made it out. He was in a coma for months and when he woke up his best friends were dead. It's the worst tragedy SHIELD has ever experienced."
Your look softened and you sat up properly in your seat.
"Really?" you whispered and they both nodded. "All because of one reporter?"
"Funny how one choice can take dozens of lives," Tony said reflectively, fiddling with his pen.
"Wow," you frowned. You would have never guessed it was something this bad. The short fuse, the distance, it was probably just a coping mechanism. You couldn't imagine losing that much. But at the same time that didn't excuse the way he was treating you. You were different, or at least you hoped you were, so now you had a new goal. Gain his trust, because if you wanted his respect you were going to have to prove to him that he wasn't going to lose anyone else over you.
"Yeah," Natasha nodded. "We don't really talk about it though, so just keep it to yourself okay?"
You nodded, "Of course,"
You stood up and took your coffee with you, making your way to the small platform on the roof for some fresh air.
When you walked out there you saw Steve standing near the edge, smoking a cigarette and looking out at the city below.
He turned around and noticed you standing there.
"S-Sorry, I'll just go downstairs,"
"It's fine," he said quietly and turned back around. "Public property, do whatever you want."
You nodded and carefully came out, sitting on the ledge and slowly sipped your coffee.
"I'm sorry," you apologized, causing him to turn and look at you. "Sometimes I push people's buttons on purpose, get them worked up. Don't even realize it half the time."
There was a moment of silence before you heard a quiet,
"It's okay,"
"I think I should say thank you too, you saved my best friend as it would turn out. I don't know what I'd do without her,"
"Wanda's a good kid. So is Pietro." he nodded, taking a drag.
"Yeah, they are," you bit your lip and stared back at the building.
There was another short silence before you continued again.
"I hope we can work together. I think we could help each other a lot,"
He turned around and smushed his cigarette in the ashtray.
"We'll see," he nodded and walked away into the building.
You smiled softly to yourself and chuckled.
Indifference, that's better than blatant hate. I'll take it.
—
"It's late, shouldn't you head home?"
"Huh?" you looked up tiredly and saw Steve standing by your desk looking down at what you were doing. "Oh, yeah I guess, but there's just something that doesn't feel right and I'm trying to figure it out,"
The Captain nodded and walked off a bit, you assumed to head out, after all the workday was over and it wasn't like a police department where they were doing shift work.
Instead, moments later you heard a small clink on your desk followed by the sound of a chair being dragged on the ground. You looked up again and now in front of you was a steaming cup of coffee and Steve was sitting across from you, holding one of his own.
"Tell me what to do," he said to you and you frowned, incredibly confused by his behaviour.
"E-Excuse me?"
"Tell me how I can help," he rephrased and you blinked a few times and nodded.
"It's just these three cases," you passed him the files hesitantly and turned your computer around so you could show him your notes. "They're different from the rest as you can see here and I'm trying to find out why, I think that might be a key to helping us figure out where they meet,"
Steve nodded and sipped his coffee starting with one of the files you gave him while you typed away at your computer, formulating the article.
"What about this," he asked. "They left a calling card here," he pointed to the evidence file where there was a photo of the crime scene.
You turned and looked at the image and nodded,
"Would that suggest an outside job,"
"Like a killer for hire?" he confirmed.
You nodded.
"Yeah, could be," he nodded. "Either that or someone's getting cocky,"
"Wait, look at this," you said pulling out the other two files and examining them, "These are all undercover officers,"
Steve looked at them again and nodded.
"What difference does it make in this case?" he asked.
"They're sending a message. HYDRA is very methodical like that, now I just need to figure out what it is,"
You took the files from him, scanning through the evidence and typing things up on your computer. As time went on, you slowed down, the caffeine not affecting your system. Your movements were lethargic, to say the least, until your eyes couldn't stay peeled any longer and your head slowly fell onto your desk, eyes glued shut.
Steve shook his head and let out a low sigh. Carefully he picked you up and moved you to his office, placing you on the couch there and draping a blanket over you.
He'd spent enough late nights there himself to spend some of his own money and get a decently comfortable couch.
Steve then reached for his phone and dialled a number he had memorized, stepping out of the room and waiting for the phone to be picked up.
"Steve? What's going on it's late,"
"Hey Wanda, I just figured I'd let you know (Y/N) fell asleep here, she'll be fine but I don't want to wake her up it's already late,"
"So she's growing on you then," Wanda chuckled across the line and Steve sighed again.
"Not sure if that's the right word,"
"So you still hate reporters, then,"
"Yeah, that's not gonna change," he shook his head.
"Just, give her a chance," Wanda said gently, "I know she can be a lot, she's passionate and doesn't shut up sometimes, but she's really not that bad. I think if you got to know her you'd like her a lot,"
"What makes you say that?" he asked.
"You're kind of similar when it comes down to the fundamentals. Just pay a little closer attention, you'll see. Plus, who else would stay hours past their own shift following probably a dead-end lead. I only know two people and if I'm not mistaken they're both in that building you're in right now,"
"Alright, I'll loosen up," he nodded. "Just be careful, things might get a bit crazy soon,"
"Okay, thanks for the warning. Night Steve,"
"Night Wanda,"
Steve hung up the phone and sighed going into his office and sitting on his chair, kicking his feet up on the desk. If he was lucky he'd get a good four hours before the next shift started, hopefully, that would be enough.
—
When the morning sun peeked through the blinds your eyes blinked open to see your unusual surroundings.
You saw Steve, hunched over a computer a large cup of coffee next to him,
"So you're awake," he mumbled and you nodded, pushing yourself up on the couch.
"I fell asleep?"
He nodded and continued typing on the computer.
"Coffee?" he offered, still not looking up.
"S-Sure," you nodded and took it from his hand. "You stay up?"
"Slept a few hours," he said, resting an elbow in his desk. "Figured out a few things though,"
"Really? What?" you asked and stood up, coming over to look at what was on the computer screen.
"It was a killer for hire and it was this guy," he turned the screen to you. "Escaped from max security prison and still hasn't been found. He's on our most-wanted list but it would make sense if we didn't find him because of HYDRA,"
"Huh, yeah it really does match his MO doesn't it," you nodded.
"Yeah that's what I noticed, I was cross-referencing the MO with known bounty hunter sorts and that's how I came across it,"
"You know you're not half bad," you joked, looking at him with a sly smile.
"Didn't make Captain for nothing," he said and you swore you saw the corner of his lip turn upward.
"I'll go update Stark and Romanoff," you nodded and made your way out of the office and back to your desk.
"Someone was here early," Natasha chuckled.
"Or very late," Tony chipped in.
"Late, but it wasn't for nothing, we found something,"
"We? As in you and Cap?" Tony asked, disbelieving.
"What? Was he taking a breath to stop screaming at you?"
You laughed heartily, welcoming the teasing. It meant they liked you and that was a good sign.
"No it surprised me too," you said quietly. "I'd bet my dollar that it had something to do with an outside source,"
"I mean he has been yelling at you less this past week right? Maybe he just calmed down?" Tony offered. "Plus I don't think he has anything against you,"
"Well, he might have a bit of a thing against me. I mean I did tell him to fuck off and that he was heartless and that I might've enjoyed pissing him off,"
"Okay so maybe he has a little something against you, but it could be getting better,"
"Maybe he started smoking crack," Tony offered.
"Wow, appreciate the vote of confidence," you rolled your eyes. "Anyways the point is we found out that the three undercover agents that were deep in HYDRA were all killed by the same guy. Cap found a lead on who it could be, some assassin who escaped from a max security prison."
"So a new lead," Tony grinned. "That's great we'll get on it right away,"
"And I'll dig a bit deeper, see if I can find anything else that might be of use,"
Fishing your phone out of your pocket you came across a few messages from Wanda.
Steve gave me a call and told me you fell asleep at work. I'll drop you some breakfast in the morning. Love you <3
You smiled and chuckled to yourself, looking over at your desk and seeing a small bag, no doubt left by Wanda earlier before she went to work.
You opened the bag and saw two breakfast sandwiches in there and a note on one of them saying,
Give this one to Steve, say it's from you. Just trust me.
Shrugging you figured it couldn't do any harm so you grabbed the sandwich and headed over to the office.
"H-Hey, can I come in?"
There was a small tired huff in response and you walked in, placing the sandwich without the note on the table.
Steve looked up and examined the sandwich, seeing its contents.
"This is my favourite, how did you know?" he asked curiously.
You smirked internally, Wanda was cheeky that was for sure.
"Just a hunch,"
"Well... thanks,"
"No problem, Captain," you nodded and we're about to leave before,
"(Y/N),"
You turned back curiously and looked at him.
"Yeah?"
"I-I think you can call me Steve now,"
"Steve," you nodded, testing it out. "It's got a nice ring to it,"
"Just-,"
"Don't go, do, say whatever or anything I'm not supposed to. I know," you nodded.
"Actually, I was just going to say stay safe."
"Huh," you chuckled. "You too Steve, you too,"
—
Right about now you were really wishing you had listened to him. If you had just kept your nose out of where it didn't belong you wouldn't be in this situation.
It wasn't uncommon for an investigative journalist to be, how would you put this lightly, on the brink of imminent death, but that didn't change the fact that every time it happened it just seemed to get more frightening.
You remembered before you left, things had seemed to escalate so much so that Wanda left to go stay with Pietro in Maine until things cooled down, not that HYDRA didn't have ties everywhere but it was safer than New York. You had just uncovered a possible old location for the HYDRA meetings that struck you as odd because it was basically in plain sight, but when you went there you discovered it might not be as old as you thought. If only they had put a do not disturb sign, not that it would have stopped you.
And now here you were, in a place no one would probably find you, spending what was most likely the last days of your life in a cell, away from everyone, getting a whack every so often for information.
You hadn't told them anything yet. At least you could pride yourself in that.
You wondered if anyone was looking for you, and even if you took comfort in the fact that they might have been you didn't get your hopes up on them finding you. There was only a slim chance of that, a very very slim chance.
—
"What do you mean she's gone?" Steve asked. "She had a few days off and she's never late for work."
"We don't know what happened," Natasha admitted.
"And you haven't heard from her?'
Tony shook his head, "We checked in with her roommate too, she's staying with her brother in Maine, but hasn't had any communication from her."
"Damn it," Steve said lowly, "Something must have happened," he frowned. "I told her to stay out of trouble! Why does this happen every single fucking time!"
"What do you want us to do?" Tony asked. "We've gotta look for her, right?"
"Of course we do," he sighed. That fall in the pit of his stomach would never leave. It had stayed with him since he lost Bucky, Sam, and Thor, but right now it seemed like that pit was a black hole, swallowing everything he ever had control of inside. Why did he care so much? You were just another reporter, he knew you'd bring him trouble. He had been less than kind to you, but Steve wasn't a bad person, or at least he'd like to think he wasn't. So why was it now, even considering past events, he was ready to try and give it all up again, even if it meant only seeing you one more time. "Send out one team to trace her steps and another to ask around and see if anyone's seen her anywhere. Finding anything new on HYDRA is backburner right now because if I'm right she might very well lead us to them."
—
"And you're sure this is where she was going?"
"Positive, and from what we looked at they would have taken her here from over there," Natasha explained, pointing to different spots on the map.
"Alright, get a team," Steve nodded. "We're going in and this time we'll be the ones coming out."
SHIELD was an odd sort of squad of private investigators in the sense that over certain things the government gave them jurisdiction to make arrests and take out threats when necessary. This was one of those times where they were going to execute that power.
They gathered all the gear they would need and headed our covertly to the location. Steve rounded up some of the members and turned on communications so the others who were in position could hear.
"Plan is we go in, neutralize the threat with the ICERS praying that they work and get (Y/N) and anyone else who's held there against their will, got it?" Steve asked and the rest nodded. "Good, if these don't do the trick then we might have to take a more lethal approach, just be aware,"
The group nodded again before they surrounded the building, Steve found a small crack he could peek through and saw you, hanging by your arms with the help of a chain, still alive by the looks of it. They weren't too late.
"Any last words?" the man who was standing in front of you asked.
"Actually yeah," you nodded and spat in his face. "Fuck you and fuck HYDRA."
The man slapped you straight across your face and you hissed at the sharp contact. Before you could say anything else he tied a piece of cloth around your mouth preventing you from speaking or at least coherently speaking.
"We've got to move in soon or they're going to do something," Natasha noted urgently.
"On my mark," Steve whispered. "Three, two, one... now,"
A select few highly trained SHIELD operatives entered the building from all fronts and managed to successfully neutralize the targets, including the man that was preparing to kill you.
A wave of relief washed over you and at that moment you couldn't be more grateful for their impeccable timing.
While the rest of the team took care of HYDRA, phoning in the proper authorities to come to deal with it, you urgently tried to tell them something but were unable to on account of the gag.
Steve noticed this and quickly came up to you removing the cloth from your mouth and very quietly you whispered.
"HYDRA is in SHIELD,"
There it was, the click, it all made sense. How they knew to stay away. The fact that they seemed to always be ten steps ahead was because they knew.
"Stop!" Steve called quickly and everyone froze.
He pulled out his phone and dialled an emergency number, most likely Fury, someone he could trust, to deal with it while he got you out.
"Fury, you need to lock down the building now."
There was a short pause before Steve scoffed.
"I don't care what you think, lock it down now! They're inside," he hissed. "Call the government, the police, we've been compromised."
Steve hung up the phone and looked around at the team he had brought with him.
He had vetted them all himself, he made mental calculations to see if there was anyone he couldn't trust but they all seemed fine. He checked quickly by sharing a look with Natasha and Tony who seemed to concur with him before he turned back to you. Undoing the chains that held you up and allowing you to make the short fall to your feet and tightly wrap your arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," you whispered, over and over again. You wanted him to trust you and this was probably the worst thing you could do for that.
"Hey, i-it's okay," he assured you, one arm hesitantly wrapped around your back and the other gently stroking your hair. "It's alright no one got hurt,"
"I know but I'm sorry," you whispered and held him tighter.
"Come on let's get you home," he said softly and you complied, standing up properly with his help and making your way out of the base after Steve passed the reins to Natasha. Everyone needed to be screened again, the government had to be informed and most of all they had to figure out what the hell were the other institutions HYDRA had infiltrated.
But that wasn't Steve's priority, right now he was going to take you home and make sure you were alright.
When you got into the car, you curled your knees up to your chest and leaned to the side. If they had been even a second later you could have died. You were supposed to die that night. Not to mention the dull ache around your entire body from attempting to get information out of you.
By this point, Steve knew where you lived and the drive to your home was made in somewhat comfortable silence. When you walked up to the door and searched for your keys you remembered they had taken them from you, but Steve was one step ahead, taking the spare out of the mailbox.
"Wanda told me in case," he explained and handed them to you, allowing you to open the door. "M-Maybe I should stay," he suggested. "I can sleep on the couch, be here in case you need something,"
"Would you?" you asked softly and he nodded.
"Go get cleaned up and get some sleep okay," he instructed and you listened, making your way to your room upstairs, hoping that given everything you'd be able to get at least a wink of sleep.
—
Tossing and turning you looked over at the clock, 2:27 AM. With a loud huff, you pushed yourself up and rubbed your eyes, massaging your temples. You were exhausted but your body didn't want you to sleep. So instead you decided it might help if you got some fresh air, or even just walked around a bit.
You turned on the lights near the stairs and started to make your way down when you remembered Steve was on the couch. You quickly shut off the lights, cursing yourself that you forgot before you heard a,
"Too late, I'm awake," from the couch and you sighed, coming down the stairs and turning on the living room lights instead. Steve pushed himself up on the couch and patted the spot next to him, encouraging you to sit, at that point you didn't have time to argue and wonder why he was so relaxed. "Can't sleep I'm guessing,"
You nodded and pulled your robe around you tighter.
"Did they... did they do something to you?" he asked carefully and you shrugged.
"Nothing I haven't gone through before. They wanted information so they tried to beat it out of me,"
"And did you-,"
"No. You might be trained to investigate and fight your way out, but I'm trained to not leak information."
He nodded and took a good look at you. Your eyes were darkened, lost whatever spark they had before, that passion and pride in what you did.
There was a small scratch on your face from where the man hit you, he must have been wearing a ring. Not to mention the bruises he had seen earlier on your arms and legs.
His hand instinctively went to assess the damage, examine the cut to make sure it wasn't infected and you stayed still as his hand gently held your face.
"What's the assessment doctor?" you asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
"You'll live," he nodded and you smiled.
"I'm surprised you're not mad at me," you scratched your neck nervously.
"I am," he admitted. "I just figured you don't really need to be yelled at right now,"
"But you will later,"
"Probably," he said truthfully and you chuckled again. "You look tired," he said, "why don't you stay down here with me?"
"On the couch? There's barely any room,"
"That's thanks to Wanda's throw pillows," he said, discarding them to the floor. He then opened his arms to you and you carefully place yourself in them, allowing him to pull you down on top of him, while he laid down on the couch.
Just the feeling of him there seemed to calm you down, level you out and allowed for your eyes to slowly droop until they fell shut and permitted you to fall into a deep deep sleep.
—
"Hey look who's back! You look good (Y/N)," Natasha grinned and patted you in a friendly manner on the shoulder.
"Well as good as I can be," you chuckled and straightened your skirt.
Quite a few of the detectives came and welcomed you back, and the commotion caused the Captain to come out of his office and see what all the fuss was about.
Your eyes clicked for a moment (e/c) to blue.
The whole room went silent waiting to see what he would say, after the long hours of transfers of power, constant screening interviews to ensure HYDRA was safely out of the firm had taken its toll, but he gave you a nod with a hint of a smile and said,
"Good to have you back,"
He then popped back into his office and you turned to Tony and Natasha and bit your lip curiously.
"I'm legitimately scared he's going to blow any minute," you admitted.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Tony shook his head with a chuckle.
"I swear he's mad at me," you said. "I don't know why he's not saying anything though. It's scarier that way,"
"I'm with you on that," Natasha agreed.
"Yeah, I'm just going to take it easy and hope that he calls me to his office to yell at me before the day's out,"
Unlike your wish, when the day came to a close there had been no yelling matches of any sort but you still stayed until the building went dark and almost everyone had filed out of the building.
You made your way slowly into the office and noticed Steve lighting a cigarette, indoors.
"Can I come in?" you asked and he nodded.
You slipped in and closed the door, leaning against it, the only bright light coming into the room from the embers of his cigarette.
"What can I help you with?" he asked.
"Yell at me,"
"Excuse me what?" he frowned, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.
"You're mad at me, so yell at me. It's no good keeping everything bottled up,"
"(Y/N) I don't want to yell at you," he insisted.
"I don't care, you're angry and I want to hear it now," you said assuredly.
"Fine," he sighed. "You want angry?" he raised his brow and you nodded. "What the fuck were you thinking. Going out and looking for leads and evidence without any backup or telling people where the fuck you were for that matter," he began to raise his voice. "You could have gotten yourself killed! I've seen people get killed because a nosy reporter couldn't listen to orders once and you could be sure I damn well didn't want to see it again!"
"So why did you come?" you asked calmly. "You could have just left me there, loss of one life to protect many."
"I-I..."
That seemed to catch him off guard.
"And why did you stay, Steve?" you asked. "That night why did you hold me and pretend like everything was okay?"
"I-I did it because I... I care for you." he shook his head. "Everything in my gut is telling me not to but everything in my heart is telling me the exact opposite."
You walked slowly to Steve as he took a long drag from his cigarette, avoiding your gaze.
"Steve, put that out please, you'll run yourself into an early grave,"
He listened to you, placing it in an ashtray before looking straight back at you and asking,
"And why does it matter to you?"
You paused a moment, looking down at your feet before looking back up at him.
"I suppose I care for you too," you whispered.
That was all the confirmation he needed to wrap a hand around the back of your head and place the other around your waist, pulling you in for a deep kiss. You could taste the ashy flavour of the cigarette on his lips while his tongue delved into your mouth. You were his new nicotine, his addiction, his drug.
Your hands were wrapped around his neck and soon his had travelled to your waist, lifting you up and placing you on the empty spot on the desk.
Your fingers desperately worked the buttons of his shirt as his kisses trailed down your neck, only pausing to pull your blouse up over your head and discard it on the floor.
Steve had just gently bitten down on the skin of your collar bone when the door flew open and Tony walked in, looking at some papers, addressing the Captain like it was no big deal.
"So I was thinking with this-ohoho," his eyes went wide and he raised his hands in defence. "You never said anything about this. This is clearly why he's not yelling at you,"
"Tony!" you exclaimed covering yourself up, jumping down to grab your shirt from the floor while Steve redid his buttons.
"Ever heard of knocking Stark?" Steve asked and Tony chuckled nervously.
"You know what, it can wait until tomorrow, this however apparently can not, you can expect at least half of our floor to know by lunchtime,"
You squeezed your eyes shut and muttered a few profanities as the detective walked away, Steve on the other hand wrapped his arms around your waist once more, pressing more gentle, less passionate kisses along your temple, close to your ear.
"Steve," you whispered, your eyes still glued shut.
"What? You still want me to yell at you?"
"N-No," you breathed a light chuckle. "No," you repeated with more assurance, raising a hand to cradle his face, lips still gently resting on your temple."It's just I'd rather not go through whatever that was again,"
"Understood," he nodded, pressing one last kiss before moving away.
"Does this mean you like reporters now?" you asked with a cheeky grin.
"Oh no, I'm afraid that's not going to happen."
"Well anything is possible," you shrugged. "I mean I bet when Fury came to you that first day and said there'd be a reporter at the firm you wouldn't have guessed you'd be making out with her in your office."
"I suppose not," he smirked. "I really wanted to not like you (Y/N) I hope you know that,"
"It's okay I really wanted to not like you too," you said, slipping your hand in his. "But after tonight I might direct that to Tony,"
"That's a grand idea," he nodded. "Very grand."
"So...do you wanna come over? Or was the mood killed?" you gave him a cheeky smile and he smirked, quickly, bringing you into one last quick kiss.
"We'll use the siren on the way there,"
Steve walked eagerly to the building exit, you trailing behind him,
"Steve the cars don't have sirens!" you laughed.
"When there's a will there's a way (N/N), remember that," he winked and you rolled your eyes, jogging behind him, still completely flabbergasted on how you ended up with an investigator. Of all people, it just had to be him, but at this point, you really weren't complaining.
TAGLIST —
Permanent:
@hesvoid34 @katrina765 @awaywithtime @mystic-writings
Marvel:
@kelieah @amortensie @ladyeliot @lxve-hermione @multiyfandomgirl40 @sebby-staan
Steve Rogers:
@wirdbeimaufhebengebunden @averyhotchner @sylvie-writes
#steve rogers#steve rogers x reader#steve rogers x y/n#steve rogers x you#steve rogers one shot#steve rogers fluff#steve rogers angst#steve rogers imagine#steve rogers fanfiction#steve rogers fanfic#steve rogers fic#captain america#chris evans#marvel#mcu#avengers#marvel x reader#marvel fic#marvel fanfic#marvel fanfiction#tony stark#wanda maximoff
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how about 17 and something sk8? whatever you feel would fit the song 💞💞
17: other friends - steven universe movie + matchablossom
i'm the loser of the game you didn't know you were playing
let's play another game this time i get to win
lives on the line
winner takes all
ready or not
let's begin!
[i'm just going to apologize for this now...]
~
Kojiro huffed, leaning back against the cliffside behind him as he watched his so-called friends laugh in the distance. Funny, S used to be his favorite place in the world, but now, he would rather be anywhere else.
Kaoru's laughter burst into the night, light and joyful. The sound that used to be a blanket of comfort now sounded disgusting. It used to be that Kojiro was the only one who could make him laugh like that—he used to be the one to bring that laughter to life.
But now? Now it was Adam. Some newbie who just wandered in off the streets. He was the new, interesting, pretty, shiny skater. He was better than both he and Kaoru without a doubt, and that sparked something in Kaoru—something he didn’t like, didn’t recognize.
Because one loss against Adam was enough for Kaoru to turn his back of him—on his best friend since elementary school. Was enough for him to look at Kojiro with something akin to disdain.
In one race, Kojiro went from being Kaoru's skating partner, his best friend, one of the founders of S, their new underground skating rink, to being Kojiro, the guy that wasn't fast enough.
He didn't know what Adam was playing at—he could see through that wide smile, he could see through the kind eyes and the dulcet voice. He was a charmer and a talented skater, nothing more.
Kojiro watched as Kaoru—ever the one aversive to touch—slung his arm around Adam's shoulders, initiating contact.
He watched as Adam nuzzled his head against Kaoru's, their lips inches apart.
Fury was blossoming in his chest—a fury unlike any he'd ever experienced before.
It wasn't fair.
He was the one who was always there for Kaoru; he was always there.
He was the one who’s been in love with Kaoru since middle school. Not just some guy who walked in off the streets.
He was always there.
Adam saunters in one day with bold words grand ideas and suddenly Kojiro was merely a shadow from his past, someone he once met on the playground and never saw again.
It was as if he now knew Adam his whole life.
Everything they had planned as children vanished into thin air. It was no longer the two of them against the world, it was Adam against Kojiro. It was Adam and Cherry Blossom against Kojiro.
(Cherry Blossom—the new version Kaoru. Kojiro hated Cherry Blossom.)
Because that's all it was: when Kaoru became enchanted by someone else, when he found someone funnier, better, someone more dangerous and exciting.
Pssh, well, he can be dangerous and exciting too.
He would win back everything he lost. He would challenge Kaoru.
Because no, he doesn’t want to race against Cherry Blossom, this new persona that consumed Kaoru's very being.
He wanted to race Kaoru.
Better yet, he wanted to destroy Kaoru. Show him just how wrong he was.
"Kaoru!" he shouted, finally standing up. He stomped towards him and his other friend. "Kaoru: I challenge you to a beef. Winner becomes the king of S."
~
in case it's not as obvious as i wanted it to be, this is an au where ad*m still isn't a great person, but rather than being physically dangerous, he gets an attachment to kaoru and a disdain for kojiro (like in canon) but like. to the extreme and charms kaoru away from kojiro like. completely. he wasn't a violent skater, just a Huge jerk. and then kojiro transforms into "joe" and becomes the new ad*m lol. idk this is kind of complex, but it was fun iuhygfcgyhuio
send me a ship and a number 1-100 and I’ll write a drabble based (loosely) on the corresponding song from my 2021 top 100.
#kaylynn tag#wow you picked an Angsty song haha#this isn't my best work ever#and i kind of feel bad because i love joe with my entire heart#ad*m is still a terrible person in this tho btw he's not a hero or anything#i hope this is alright tho!!!#not my best work but i'm trying to get out of a funk haha#hope you enjoyed lol#sk8#corey writes:)#corey rambles:)
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Ancient Bloodlines
Pairing: Loki x Emy Nightstar (OC)
OC Summary: Emy is the newest Avenger. She specializes in Magic and close range attacks/ weapons. Her heritage is unknown to her as she was left at an orphanage door step when she was a young girl with only the memory of her name. She goes by her nickname Emy but has never told anyone her full name as its a reminder of her being abandoned. Emy can see through any illusion and Magic no matter how powerful they are or how strong the magic is and is unaware of this. Her powers include Telekinesis, Elemental Control, True Sight (as stated above) Enhanced healing and Shifting (she wont discover this till much later in the story). She loves to read, listen to music, play violin, sing, and draw.
Story Info: Takes place after infinity wars. Tony and Natasha are alive Steven comes back from the future after giving back the infinity stones. Vision is alive and living with Wanda in the tower. Thor and Loki live in the tower with the rest of the Avengers and for the sake of the story Himedall is alive and living with the rest of the Asgardians on earth in New Asgard (you will find out why later)
One last thing: Please do not repost my work on any other site or social media, however reblogging on here is fine. I work hard on all of my fanfics and it’s disappointing when people take my work as their own. I am the creater of all my OCs such as Sora Nightstar, Emy Nightstar, and Lithium Nightstar. My inbox is open for any and all requests as i am a multi fandom writer. Let me know how you like the story and i will do my best to answer any and all questions. As always i encourage any and all feedback as it helps with my writing. I hope you all like it!
The Beginning
They say that your parents are there to teach you the rules of the world, but what happens when you have no parents? Who will teach you then? The world is cruel but people are crueler. Ive learned this first hand when the person i trusted most in this world left me on the door step of the St. Trinity’s Orphanage. I was 9 when my mother told me she didn’t want me anymore and i guess I couldn’t really blame her. I mean who could love someone who couldn’t control the powers that grew with each passing year. Someone who started fires out of thin air when they had nightmares, conjured whirlwinds when startled, unfurled earthquakes when angered, spring forth rain showers when sad, and levitate objects when riddled with anxiety. I will never forget that day for its seared into my mind like its own person brand echoing with every beat of my heart. A monster thats what she called me, her own flesh and blood was a monster in her eyes, and i could see the relief when she ran from the solid oak door finally rid of the burden she had to put up with throughout the years. An abomination she cried as she reached the cobblestone sidewalk eager to be rid of me and by the pace she was going at i could tell she had more spring in her step than on the walk over from the bus we exited from. Unnatural she bellowed as she disappeared around the corner a ghost of a smile springing from her lips as she disappeared. These where the last words i would ever hear from my mother, if thats what you would call her.
Emy’s POV
Tonight was just like any other. Crisp cold air submerged the city in a blanket of dark and silence while it settled into your bones. I never minded the cold in fact I welcomed it, it reminded me of the cabin i found one year after running away from one of the many abusive foster homes i was forced to stay with. I’ll admit it was one of the times I was able to avoid the social workers for longer than a week and the happiest I had ever been in my life up until i was captured by Hydra. When I had a flair up with my powers, which usually ended up being fire, i would immediately get sent back to St. Trinity’s but this time i ran before they had the chance to toss me aside. The staff there used to place bets on how long i would stay with a family, they would joke saying i was cursed or jinxed but i knew the truth, no one wanted me. Once the parents found out about my abilities I was sent packing. I was labeled as a flight risk and a danger to others which only deepened my anti socialism.
Walking through the streets of New York i pull my dark purple jacket on and my dark brown hair in a pony tail as I get closer to my destination. Because i don’t feel the effects of the cold weather Tony, being such the dad figure he is, has made it his priority to make sure i still wear one just incase so here i was walking home in black ripped up jeans, a black v neck T-shirt, black and purple checkered vans and a light weight dark purple jacket. With my headphones in my ears and “I like it heavy” by Halestorm blasting I make my way to the place i call home, Stark Tower. Walking through the front doors i make my way past the receptionist who always greets me with a bright smile. As I walk towards the elevator I give her a small smile back and a head nod. After entering the elevator and pressing the button for the penthouse I start to reflect on how i got here.
By the time i was 15 Hydra found me in that cabin and took me away. I went from hopping from family to family to being used as a science experiment, constantly being poked and prodded just so they could get a reaction out of me. As a child my powers where very unstable mostly flaring up with my emotions, its no wonder that Hydra caught wind of me its not like i was hiding it very well or more so that i couldn’t hide it. They tried to wipe my memory to gain control of me “a blank slate” is what they wanted, but for some reason, they failed as I wasn’t susceptible to their conditioning methods no matter how much time i spent in the chair. However, I could tell they were scared of me I could see it in their eyes. This didn’t last long though as they used what they called their perfect weapon code name Winter Soldier to beat me into submission. After that first meeting that left me with a broken arm and a fractured ankle i started to obey, since then Ive met the Soldier a couple of times but if he remembers me he dosent let on and I dont blame him, he has been in that chair so many times Im genuinely surprised he can even remember how to walk. He is stronger than the others as most of the other test subjects had turned to vegetables after the 4th mind wipe, he was on his 10th the last time i saw him with Hydra.
Another test was done on me and this one was different. They used a teseract? If thats what they called it I can’t be sure nor did I care all I could feel was pain like as if someone injected lava in my veins. After they injected me I started screaming after a while I couldn’t even hear myself anymore, my throat was so sore and horse from the constant roar of my agony I just wanted it to end. How long was I out for? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Years? They didn’t keep clocks there or at least not in the dungeon like cell they had me in. When the fire faded i was left with this numbness and after further tests I realized that I was immune to fire. I can literally stick my hand in fire and i will be left untouched and unscorched. They did the same test with freezing temperatures to see if they could subdue me at least in some way. I must have been out longer than just a couple of days as during the tests i didn’t recognize any of the Doctors. In that moment I realized something, if they were trying to contain me then something must have happened to the soldier. It was time to plan my escape.
Back in my cell i could hear footsteps approaching me and then stop short. One of the scientists frantically trying to talk some sense into someone just out of my line of sight. “She is immune to anything we throw at her sir. We have done every test we could there is nothing left for us to do.” One of the goons in a lab coat stated to what i assumed is a higher up. “Bolden If her powers keep growing at the rate they are it could be days in which she will be unstoppable and with the soldier gone we dont have anything that can keep her in line. She broke Mandy and Rays arms the last time we tested her. She is getting too strong.” Brining a hand up to his chin the higher up Bolden stepped out of the shadows and looked at me with deep interest before he turned to looked at the man and scoffed. As he walked away i felt a cold chill ran down my back as I anticipated what was to become of me; I knew it was nothing good i had already broken their rules. His next words only confirmed what I feared. “ Its simple. Break her spirit or kill her Doctor. And when i say break her i mean in anyway means necessary.” His sadistic laugh is the last thing i remember before everything went black.
Its been 2 years since i have escaped and now I’m living in the avengers tower. I don’t remember what happened after that night in my cell its all a blur of red, screams, and gunshots. When i woke up next i was in a 6ft crater where I was being held captive without a scratch on me. Trees were uprooted and fallen over as if a bomb went off. Luckily the Avengers showed up not long after me waking up and took me to their base where i met Directer Fury. With his permission and 24/7 surveillance provided by Tony Stark via FRIDAY and training sessions to get my powers under control i was allowed to join the Avengers and fight for good. Little did i know that by agreeing to this I would end up in the path of a certain God or Gods who were also taking residence at the tower.
With the sound of a *ding* the elevator shook me out of my mind and back to the present. As i exited the elevator I pulled my head phones out of my ears and was instantly met with the sound of Tony losing his mind. “Where did she go? She knows she can’t be out this late. She could be taken again! Its 5 minutes past her curfew!” Rolling my eyes I roll my headphones up and shove them in my pocket and round the corner. “Tony it takes 5 minutes to get from the lobby to the penthouse calm down. I bet she will walk through that door anytime now.” Came the sweet voice of reason of none other than Pepper Potts. “I’m Home.” I said in a deadpan voice as i walked by the couple only for Tony to stand up and intercept me by placing a hand on my upper arm. “Where did you go and why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” I looked at him and raised an eyebrow pushing his hand off me. “Tony its Wednesday. I have training with Strange on Wednesdays and I had Friday alert you as I was leaving but you were in the lab with Bruce.” Not sure what to say next Tony mumbled a small apology. “Sorry I was just worried about you. I know you are grown enough to make your own choices as you are 25 but I just want to make sure you are safe. How was the training with The Wizard?” Sighing and shaking my head just wanting to go the library and read I decided to just let it go. “Strange is a hard ass that much you already know. It wasnt bad actually I think I’m warming up to him. I didn’t spontaneously throw him to the wall when he snuck up behind me as i was going over the ancient texts so i call that improvement.” I said sheepishly while side stepping around him. “I’m gonna go to the library now and grab some light reading before bed you guys have a good night.” With out waiting for a response I quickly made my way towards my new destination only to have Tony saying something about guests in the house but I ignored him.
Pushing open the library door I make my way to the poetry section to grab my usual copy of Edgar Allen Poe that I read before bed. As my had reached for the spot i knew i put the book in i find that its not there. “Wait what? Where is my book? I know I put it back here before I left for training so where did it go?” Frustrated I stomp back over to the entrance and rip open the door ready to go on a murder spree while shouting down the hallway. “CLINT! You better give me back my night time book or I’m breaking all your arrows again! No one reads in this tower but me! How stupid do you think I am!?” Straining my ears I listen for any type of movement but was met with dead silence. After a minute I finally hear movement through the vents coming from the west part of the tower and I take off sprinting. Sliding around a corner I barely miss colliding with Steve and Bucky who look like they were on their way back from a mission. Offering a quick apology before I continue my pursuit I hear Steve yell “Hey! No running in the tower!” Not faltering in my hot pursuit of the Hawk thief I continue to zip through the tower ignoring the Captains words until i was almost to the vent that lead to the 2 level family room. Using the railing for the steps leading down to the family area to give me more height i jumped as close to the vent as possible and conjured my signature Scythe to slice through it while twisting in the air kicking the vent free and off its track. A shocked and terrified scream resonates from the vent as the culprit falls to the ground with a thud and a grunt. I landed in a crouched position and slowly straightened to my full hight. “What the hell Emy?! When did you learn to do that?!” Clint yells as he sits up rubbing his left shoulder that he landed on. I started stalking towards him with the blade of my scythe scrapping across the ground as i went while giving him a death glare. “Give me back my book Barton.” At the mention of his last name his head snapped up to me fear replacing the pain from his fall. “Oh shit last name not good.” Scrambling up on his feet he turns and runs towards the common room that connects to the elevator with me hot on his tail and my scythe trailing behind me in my right hand.
“Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!!” He yells as he makes it fully to the room only to fling forward as i jump and kick his back tired of all the running. Twirling my weapon around I place it at his neck sneering at him. “I will not ask you again.” I said placing pressure on his neck with my blade. Sensing a fast moving object coming from my left from the kitchen I move my head back 3 inches as what looked like a hammer flew by me embedding itself in the wall. Turning my head slowly in the direction of the flying object, I confirmed it was indeed a hammer that was thrown at me. Irritation flared through me as i released Clint from the end of my scythe and turned fully to the kitchen to face my attacker. There stood 2 men that i did not recognize, one tall oak of a man with blond short hair, blue eyes and tan skin in blue jeans, a red T-shirt ,and grey jacket. the other shorter man made me stare at him and faultier for a second as he was so different from anyone i have ever seen, dark blue skin covered his entire body with darker almost black symbols and piercing red eyes, long black hair with black jeans, a green dress shirt and black jacket. Tearing my gaze away from his own curious one i looked between both men before i clenched my jaw letting my irritation settle back in. “Which one of you threw that hammer.” I said venom dripping with every word. “Whoa its ok Emy thats just Thor and Loki they are the asgardian Gods that live here in the tower part time when they are not in Norway.” Clint said standing up quickly. Not moving from my position i narrowed my eyes and flicked them over in Clint’s direction. The ground started to shake as my irritation and annoyance grew to anger remembering what i was doing before being interrupted by the Gods. Throwing his hands up in surrender he then quickly reached into his back pocket and retrieved my book. “Ok ok dont blow a fuse Em.” He said while tossing me my possession stopping me from causing an earthquake. Catching it in the air with my left had I inspected the book to make sure it wasn’t damaged before I let go of my scythe, with a wave of my hand it disappeared back to the pocket dimension I keep it in then looked back at Clint as the tremors stopped. “Touch my things again and i will be wearing your guts like my mom’s pashmina.” I said to the thief before walking out of the room and disappeared down the hallway not giving the Gods a second glance. As I entered my room i could hear a silky voice ring out from the kitchen. “Well isnt she interesting.”
Part 2 coming soon
@nickkie1129
#loki x y/n#loki odinson#loki series#loki#loki x reader#loki x you#loki (marvel)#loki laufeyson#marvel#avengers x reader#the avengers#clint barton#tony stark#doctor strange#thor odinson#steve rogers#bucky barns#pepper potts
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Pub Food and Southern Delights
Summary: Henry was many things. Deceitful being just another trait, and it is one that you cannot tolerate.
Pairing: Dark Henry Cavill x Black reader
A/N: This is my first attempt at something dark. I’m not going to lie. My intentions for this are pretty heavy. Please, let me know what you think!
Warnings: Character Death, Murder/Suicide. Dubcon (later chapters) and I’m sure some other things. 18+
Chop. Chop. Chop. Your hands mechanically diced the red onions. The strong scent of the root caused your eyes to water and the sight of the oak cutting board to blur. You paused taking a step away to the sink, and wetting a cold paper towel to press against your eyes.
You were stowed away in an unnecessarily large kitchen dicing vegetables for the evening’s dinner. State of the art stainless steel appliances, concrete counters, and ash wood cabinets surrounded you. The combination should have given off a warm and inviting atmosphere, but the gleam and too new look of the appliances left if too sterile and cold. Much like the relationship you found yourself in. Pretty to look at, but lacking in real substance.
You leaned against the sink, the cold press of the metal pushing into your lower back and heaved a sigh. Tears that were initially caused by the onion were blending with tears caused by utter defeat.
How had you been so blind? How could you have let it get to this point?
On and on your mind went around how you allowed yourself to end up in the situation. In the beginning Henry was amazing, an absolute Godsend. He’d been the perfect mixture of gentleman and brute with just the right amount of freak you needed to keep you satisfied.
Henry had swept you off your feet easily. All sweet charm and dazzling smiles. You’d been a goner the first time he’d pushed that pitch-black hair back winked at you.
He was able to provide for you in ways you that you had only read about in romance novels. A powerful CEO, he was as rich as he was handsome, and he loved to lavish you with those riches.
Focus. You mentally chided yourself and pushed away from the sink to return to your task.
Henry maintained a love of pub food. Bangers and mash being one of his favorites. You needed tonight to go off without a hitch, hence you bringing out the big guns by way of one of his favorite meals. The onions started sizzling along with the bangers in the skillet. Your mind drifted reliving instances over the past year and a half that lead you here, particularly the events of three days ago.
#
You could still feel the nervous hope budding in your chest, barely there, but enough to keep you moving. The voice of the GPS announced that you had reached your destination a full five minutes before, yet you remained in your car trying to muster the courage to walk inside.
You had moved to open the door several times, but you could not keep your hand steady enough to grip the latch. It was a miracle you made it there at all. The glass and metal doors of the police station were less than 200 feet from you. Given your location it was not a terribly busy place. Which was exactly what you needed. You had driven an hour to get here. Hoping and praying that it was far enough away that you could get the help you needed to escape.
After a few more minutes of mustering up courage and shaking off the feeling of eyes following you, you finally pulled the handle on the door. It opened farther than it should have considering you had only popped the latch and put no real weight into opening it.
It only took a moment for your mind to register the long fingers curving around the frame, knuckles white in their grip. The rest of him filled your view. First his black loafers shined to perfection, pressed charcoal grey trousers came next as your eyes traveled up the length of him, before his black wool coat came into view, your head whipped up the rest of the way. You barely registered the suit jacket and navy button down exposed beneath his open coat.
Fearful brown eyes clashed with icy blue that were cold with fury.
‘No! No! No! No!’ You mentally chanted, and felt the distinct stinging at the back of your eyes. You scanned the parking lot wondering if you could make a run for it. It was of no use. A sleek black town car was parked behind yours.
Henry must have registered your debate on fleeing and all but growled “Just get in the car.” Your eyes returned to his, and you could not stop the tears from flowing. You were so close, so remarkably close, and it was ripped away from you. Within seconds your shoulders were shaking, and you were sucking in air trying to keep from howling with the loss of your chance at freedom.
You heard Henry release a sigh, and then he said in a softened tone “Come get in the car, darling. We can talk about this at home.”
That car was the last place you wanted to be. That car would take you right back to the lie you were desperately trying to detangle yourself from. Henry leaned into the car, and unfastened your seatbelt before drawing you from the driver seat. Steven, one of the members of his security detail, caught your eye for a moment his gaze was sympathetic, and he gave a barely perceptible nod to Henry before taking your spot in the driver seat. He was complicit, they all were. They knew and would do nothing to help you.
Henry’s hand was on your back, scalding where it touched you. You wanted to worm away from it, but it stayed gentle guiding you to the black sedan. The blacked-out windows of the backside passenger door reflected the sad sight you were. Your eyes were puffy, and your make-up streaked with tear tracks. More urging from Henry had you sliding into the backseat.
#
It was the quiet snapping of the peas in your hands that called your mind back to the present. The smell of the bangers and onion was mixing with the aroma of the biscuits baking in the oven. This was your normal M.O., blending your cultures, and likes together. He loved those biscuits. It was a recipe taught to you by your grandmother. Shown to you with patience in the happy warmth of her kitchen and dulcet tones of her voice. You missed that time. Missed that place. You longed to be home, back in the states surrounded by the safety and protection of your family.
That wasn’t a possibility. You knew that without a shadow of a doubt now.
The food at this point was all but done. You left it warming in the oven while you set the table for two. The six chimes of the grandfather clock from the foyer let you know that Henry would be home in the next fifteen minutes.
You looked down at the porcelain plates, their elegant waving pattern with gold trim. They screamed affluence, privilege, and old money. You wanted to hurl them to the ground, pull the ivory white tablecloth to the ground and send the flatware skidding across the floor.
You must have stood there fantasizing for a long while, because you heard Henry calling your name, and announcing his arrival. He strode into the dining room, and the air immediately charged with tension.
The doorway realistically was wide enough to accommodate two people side by side, but Henry always took up more room than he should. The weightiness of his presence filled the space between you in a suffocating manner.
Four days ago, you would have easily returned the smile that he offered. You could feel the wrongness in your own. The muscles in your face ticked up uneasily when they attempted to remember how to move.
He winced but the smile easily returned to his. Liar. “You look beautiful.” He said and closed the space between you. He was close enough that you could feel the heat from his body warming your face and the smell of his cologne filled your nostrils. Even with the knowledge you had now of who he truly was, you still craved him. Craved this.
You sighed and could not help but lean into him. You felt the familiar pressure of his mouth against the top of your head, and you let your arms wrap around him, squeezing gently. You would allow yourself this small pleasure. His arms wrapped around you in the same way yours had him.
You felt his voice rumble in his chest when the words hit your ears. “We’ll get through this. Now that you know, it will be so much easier between us.” He paused and you could see he debated on if he should say the next words. “Everything I do.” He paused again. “Have done, was to protect you, keep you safe.”
It was the same thing he had said that night you found that all your text messages and emails were being shadowed onto his phone. Seeing that had solidified something you feared was happening throughout the course of your relationship. The nail in the coffin had been him showing up at the police station. That day the wool had been completely and irrevocably stripped from your eyes. The tracker on your car made it clear that his money was put towards more than helping your complete your master’s degree. What scared you the most was the realization of how isolated you were. Time zones away from your family, a long drive from your friends, and without a job you were dependent on Henry. He knew it. He wanted it that way.
“I understand.” You said looking up to meet his eyes, and you did understand. He believed what he said which is why you had to finish this tonight. You patted his chest and said, “Why don’t you get washed up for dinner and I’ll finish setting the table.” He flashed that brilliant smile again and pecked you on the lips.
#
You were going to miss that smile. Henry was very free with it tonight. It had been coming easier since he no longer had to hide the duality of his nature. Yours on the other hand had all but vanished.
“It looks delicious.” Henry said and helped push your chair in before sitting himself down. “Are those your grandmother’s biscuits?”
You nodded and motioned to his plate. “Dig in.” And dig in he did. You wondered how many bites it would take before he started to notice something was off.
In three short bites Henry looked up at you and asked, “Did you do something different with the gravy?”
You answered pleasantly “I did. Do you like it?” Your tone held something that should have sounded like a smile but was too icy. “I took something from the garden that I thought might add a little something extra.”
He hadn’t stopped eating while you spoke. He was maybe five or six bites in before a light sheen broke out across his forehead. You watched him and took small bites of your own food. At first it was the shake of his head.
“Is it spicier than normal?” He asked and you looked up to see his cheeks were tinged pink.
“No.” You answered with a subtle shake of your own head. “Shouldn’t be.” Followed by a bite from your own plate.
His only answer after that had been a hum of acceptance. Not a solid two minutes later he started coughing, and you started talking.
“I just want you to know that I understand. I understand that you would never let me go.” Henry’s eyes snapped to your face while he pulled at the tie around his neck desperately searching for reprieve of the coughing fit, he was experiencing.
With a heavy sigh you continued “I just hope you can understand that I could never accept that.” Your head shook no, and your grip tightened on your fork. “This isn’t normal, Henry. It’s not normal to alienate the woman you love from the world and keep her locked away.” Your eyes never moved from his red face. Your eyes saddened hearing him gasp for air and seeing the veins in his neck and forehead protrude as he fought to catch his breath.
“This was my only way to be free.” You finished on a whisper, quieting as Henry quieted opposite you at the table.
The plate of food in front of you blurred. The meal really was delicious, you didn’t want anything less for what you anticipated to be your last. You were amazed at your own resolve to carry through with the plan. You set calmly and ate large forkfuls of the bangers making sure to scoop up enough gravy.
You soon followed suit with Henry. Your skin felt flush, your breathing becoming labored followed by the strong urge to cough.
#henry cavill x black reader#dark henry cavill x black!reader#henry cavill x reader#au henry cavill#ceo! henry cavill#cocowrites
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FATWS One Shot #2 - The Beginning of a Family
Word Count: 1804
Warnings: Cursing, Mentions of Human Trafficking (once, it was a mission Reader did), Minor Character Injury
Setting/Characters: The first half-ish of The Avengers in 2012; Reader, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Thor, Mentions of Loki, Phil Coulson, and Clint Barton, OC!Agent Anderson
A/N: Here’s One Shot Number 2! I was thinking of making it longer and adding the actual Battle of Manhattan, but I dunno if I’m gonna do that. I just wanted these to be One Shots of first meetings and other smaller events. I didn’t want to do scene-for-scene two parters. If you want me to, I can, I don’t mind doing it, I just wasn’t planning on it. I’ve kinda been slacking today, which is why I haven’t cranked out more than this one, but I’ll see if I can finish one more for tonight. Tomorrow’s another late night for me at work, BUT! Tomorrow night FATWS comes out! So I will be doing the next Episode! I also don’t have Friday off this week, so the Parts might bleed into Saturday, but they will come this weekend!
Reminder that this has nothing to do with FATWS the show, but I don’t have a title for my FATWS Series, which is what these are based off of, so this is what they’re called for now! If you have any ideas for names, feel free to send them in! I’m just too lazy to come up with something clever for the whole Series.
Thank you so much for reading! As always, not beta’d so please excuse any mistakes! Be kind to yourselves and others! Stay tuned and enjoy!
FATWS Masterlist
cjsinkythoughts Masterlist
You were exhausted, coming back from an assignment that lasted a little over two months. It’d been your first one since you were assigned to help Steve adjust, and you were guessing they’d keep you on desk duty for a few months before sending you back out again. Which frustrated you to no end.
But then you got back your personal cell phone from a fellow agent and, seeing you had a few voicemails - which you never had - you flipped it on.
“Hi, Y/N.” Your lips turned up at the man you started growing close to over the past year. “I-I know you’re on a mission right now. I mean, you just left last week. Anyways, I just…I hope you’re doin’ okay. You probably won’t get this until later, but…still. I hope you’re safe. I, uh, I got that book. The one you were joking about me getting. The U.S. History for Dummies one. It goes farther back than I need to know, but I still read all of it. It helped. I wish you were here though. But I know you’re working. And that’s important. Um… I guess I’ll see you in a few months.”
The phone beeped before the next message played. “I took your advice. I got a sketchbook and some other stuff. There’s a ton of new supplies. I’m kinda excited to try them out. Maybe they’re not new but they’re more accessible now than they used to be. And I found a gym. In Brooklyn. It’s kinda run down - a hole in the wall type place - but they don’t do memberships and they don’t care how long you stay as long as you pay for your time. So that’s nice. I guess. Anyways…hi. I don’t think I said that earlier. It’s Steve, by the way. But you probably guessed that. Um…that’s all. I just wanted to let you know. Stay safe, honey. Abbyssinia.”
You listened to the next couple ones, all along the same lines. Steve telling you about his day; about the dog he was allowed to pet on his run or the different coffee he tried this morning at your previous suggestion. You snickered a little, shaking your head. You would never guessed that Hitler hitting, Nazi punching Captain America was so…soft. Cute.
His last voicemail was from earlier that morning, and it made her brow furrow. “Hey, honey. I, uh…God, I really wish you were here. I was told you’d be getting back last week, but then they said it might be another couple weeks because something happened? I hope nothing happened. Please be okay. I’ve really missed you. I know it’s only been a year, but…you’re the only familiar thing I have right now. I guess Fury was right to choose you since you were the first person I saw. There’s a, uh, problem. Fury’s got a mission for me. Some guy named Loki stole the Tesseract. Which was HYDRA’s secret weapon. That blue cube thing. I was just getting used to laptops and fast food and this…it’s just a lot. Overwhelming. You were always good at making things less intimidating. I’ve gotta go. Some SHIELD personnel are picking me up now. We’re going to…somewhere. I’m sure you would know, but they haven’t exactly told me. Hoping to see you soon, Y/N. Please be safe.”
You frowned at the information, looking up at one of your fellow agents, Anderson. “Hey.” He turned his head towards you from his conversation with the copilot. “Is something going on at HQ?”
“The Helicarrier.” Anderson corrected. “Fury just called it in. Something with the Tesseract. And some guy’s mind controlling people. He’s got Barton, apparently. The director is bringing a few people on board; Banner, Stark, Romanoff. Rogers, too, I heard. He wants you to be there ASAP, so we’re going there now.”
Letting out a sigh, you rubbed your eyes and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go see what’s going on.”
*************************
Fury met you as you walked off the jet, lugging your duffle bag over your shoulder. You were still in your clothes from the mission; a human trafficking ring in Guam. Dirty, torn up jeans along with a white tank top hugging your torso and a flannel, unbuttoned, over your shoulders. One of your sneakers had a hole in it, too, and you were walking with a slight limp from the dislocated kneecap you got a few days prior.
“Agent.” He nodded in greeting, passing you a file. “The others are waiting. We just brought in Loki.”
You chewed your cheek, narrowing your eyes as you scanned the information in the file. It had personal files of the others, but you didn’t need to look through those. You knew Natasha very well, considering she taught you half the things you know, along with Barton. You knew Stark - of course you did - especially after you helped set Natasha up to be his secretary a while back. Banner you were also knowledgeable about, seeing as you went undercover to find him when he first took off and had been part of the tracking team on him ever since. Thor you had learned about after his fiasco in New Mexico from Coulson. And, last but certainly not least, Steve Rogers, who you knew better than any file could explain.
“Walk me through this; Thor and Loki are the real Thor and Loki? Like, from Norse myths?”
“Apparently so. You know about the New Mexico incident with the two last year, don’t you?”
You nodded, pinching your lips together tightly. “Well, yeah, but I thought…I dunno. I guess it just didn’t click. So,” you tucked the file under your arm securely, raising an eyebrow at Fury. “We’re fighting a god? An actual god?”
“With an army of aliens.” He confirmed.
“Wonderful.” You huffed as the two of you turned a corner, making your way onto the bridge, just in time to hear Stark talking to Banner about him turning into the Hulk.
“Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube.” Fury butted in. You crossed your arms behind Fury, leaning on your good leg. “I was hoping you might join him. Before you do, this is-”
“Y/N! You’re back!”
You shot a grin to the blonde, who perked up upon seeing you. “Hi, Steve. Just in time, too, huh.” You nudged Natasha slightly. “Hey, Nat. Sorry about Clint.”
She shrugged. “I’m just glad you’re here to help.”
“I’m sorry.” You looked over to find Banner frowning contemplatively at you. “Do I know you?”
You opened your mouth to answer, but Fury beat you to it. “Formalities later. Y/L/N, we’ll bring you up to speed-”
“I’ll get there, sir. How are you boys planning on tracking down the Tesseract?” You questioned, nodding in the two geniuses’ direction.
“I’d start with that stick of his.” Steve suggested, turning to look at the duo as well. “It may be magical but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.”
“I don’t know about that, but it is powered by the Cube.” Fury stated. “And I’d like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”
A tall, broad as hell blonde looked at Fury, confused. “Monkeys? I do not understand-”
“I do!” Steve jumped in, pointing at Thor, before leaning back in his seat at the silence that came after his exclamation. “I-I understood that reference.”
You chuckled and shook your head, winking at Steve when he smiled bashfully at you. As the two scientists - was Stark a scientist? - started heading out, Steve hopped up, padding over to you.
“You’re back early.”
“Late, technically.” You shrugged, letting him pull you in for a hug, your hand rubbing his back. “I got your calls.”
He pulled away, his ears turning red. “Oh, yeah. I, uhm-”
You sniggered. “It’s fine, Steve. You can call me whenever you need to. I’m just sorry I couldn’t answer you sooner.”
“You were working.” He shrugged half heartedly. “Did it go okay? Are you okay?”
“Yes, Steven. I’m fine.” You rolled your eyes just as a yawn threatened to escape your lips. “If not a little tired.” You tapped on the star against his chest. “Nice suit, by the way.”
“Ha ha.” He grinned, eyeing your own clothing. “You’re matching me.” He tugged on the red, white, and blue flannel hanging from your arms. “You also look like shit.”
You snorted. “Wow. What a gentleman. Let’s get this whole Loki situation over with so I can go to bed, yeah?”
He chuckled a little with a nod. “Sounds like a plan, honey.” The two of you started out of the bridge. “You should shower first, though.”
“You’re a bully, you know that?”
“I’m just sayin’!”
“I’m just sayin’!” You mocked with a huff. “Leave me be, Rogers.”
His laughter was cut short, making you look over at him curiously, only to find his slitted eyes studying your movements. “Why are you limping?”
“Relax, Captain. I just dislocated my knee. It’s fine. Shit happens on missions, you know that.”
“Is that why you came back late?”
Shaking your head, you lead him to one of the private rooms the Helicarrier had so you could shower and change. “No. I just needed a little more time. That’s all. Now let’s focus on the problem at hand. We can talk more later.”
He hesitated, leaning against the doorway and watching you set your bag on the small cot. “Okay. As long as you’re alright.”
Your heart jumped a bit at the concern laced in his tone, the apprehension in those blue eyes - which you found out had some green in them - making your breath hitch slightly. “I am.” You spoke softly with a firm nod of your head, trying to assure him and his worries. “I promise.”
“I’m gonna go check on Banner and Stark, then. Come find me when you’re done.”
You cleared your throat to recover yourself, throwing him a cheeky grin. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
He rolled his eyes with a smile, before turning and walking out, leaving you alone and confused.
What was that? You’d never had that reaction to anything. Your heart doesn’t race whenever someone walks in the room. Not like it did with him. What the hell did that even mean?
You shook your head, clearing your throats. You didn’t have time to dwell on that now. You doubted it was anything more than a fluke. You were just tired and seeing someone familiar, who was genuinely excited to see you was like a breath of fresh air after your operation. That’s all. Yeah.
With that decided, you headed to the shower, head spinning with new thoughts of this problem with the God of Mischief and that stupid blue cube.
All Works Taglist (Open):
@happygoreading @bibliophilewednesday
#cjswriting#fatws series oneshots#falcon and the winter soldier series oneshots#fatws series oneshot 2#fatws series#the beginning of a family one shot#steve rogers x reader#kinda#💛🧭#❤🐦💙🦾⏪
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rainbow || Bucky Barnes x Reader
Prompt: You can only see color once you meet your soulmate. During Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bucky shoots Fury, and Steve and the reader chase him. The reader makes eye contact with Bucky and realizes he's her soulmate.
This idea belongs to @abitofeverythinggg. I hope you like it.
---
"Y/N, I need you to get to Captain Rogers apartment immediately. Code 312. Don't let anyone see you enter. Once you're in, find a spot, hide, and stay put until you receive further instruction."
Agent Maria Hill, always a pleasure listening to her voicemails. As instructed, I left the safehouse I had been positioned at and made my way to the captain's apartment. I left all my devices at the house, and continuously checked my surroundings to make sure I wasn't being tracked or followed. Slowly, I felt the nerves build up.
I hadn't left that grey house in 117 days under strict instructions from Fury himself. They had said I needed to disappear. No contact with anyone other than Maria, and under no circumstances was I to go on another mission. Why pull me out to go stalk an empty apartment?
I made my way up the fire escape on the back of the building and kept as quiet as I could. Finally, reaching the captain's apartment window and forcing it open, I crawled into the apartment. Following Maria's instruction, I found a spot and hid until I got further instruction.
Clarity didn't come until hours later when Nick Fury himself entered and graced me with his presence. He saw me immediately and raised a finger to his lips, making sure I kept quiet.
I noticed his injuries as soon as he was in front of me. I wanted so badly to ask what happened, but I kept silence as he had instructed me to. He quickly typed something on his phone and handed it to me to read.
'Not a very good place to hide if people can see you, Agent Y/L/N.'
Rolling my eyes, I erased the message and typed one of my own.
'Maybe I'd be more concerned with being seen if I knew what I was hiding from.'
I returned the phone with a sarcastic smile, Nick read the message and put his phone away. No answer. Apparently the plan of action tonight was to keep me in the dark.
We then heard movement in the hallway outside and voices talking. Fury raised his hand and signaled for me to follow him, which ended with him sitting on a lounge chair and me standing next to him.
Soon, the voices stopped and a few minutes later Captain Steven Rogers entered the apartment through the window. Three people through one window in 24 hours, that's got to be a record. He picked his shield up and scanned the room. His eyes landed on Nick and I, still cautious about the situation he found himself in.
"I don't remember giving you a key," the captain says to Nick.
"You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out."
Steve Rogers echoes my thoughts and replies, "Didn't know you were married."
"A lot of things you don't know about me," says Nick.
"I know, Nick. That's the problem."
The soldier turns on the light and takes in Nick's injuries. Fury signals for him to be quiet and turns the light back on. He writes a message on his phone, just like he had done with me earlier. I get a glimpse of what it says before he turns the screen to the captain.
'Ears everywhere.'
"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash."
He writes another message and shows it to Steve.
'SHIELD compromised.'
Compromised? That explains the need to get me out of the safe house. Wouldn't want something so dangerous falling into the wrong hands.
"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asks.
Nick responds by saying, "Just my friends," and shows Steve another message.
'The three of us.'
"Is that what we are?"
"That's up to you," Nick answers.
Suddenly, three shots fly through the wall and hit Nick. Steve and I run to look through the window, and I see a figure standing on the roof of the building opposite us. Steve quickly drags Nick to the next room and I consider pursuing the assassin. Instead, I follow Steve to check if Nick is okay. I kneel next to him and he opens his hand, containing a flash drive, towards Steve.
He looks at both of us and says, "Don't trust anyone."
I see his eyes roll back and suck in a deep breathe. I reach out to check Nick's pulse, but my actions were interrupted by someone breaking into the apartment. We run into the living room again and see a woman standing in the doorway. I see a flash of silver on the rooftop opposite us and walk closer to see what was there. The shadow with the silver arm starts running and I hear Steve shout that he would be going after the suspect.
He runs passed me and smashes through the window and into the office building opposite. I've been called irrational and impulsive, and I often tried to defend myself, but I was proving those accusations true. I ran after Steve and followed him through the doors and walls of the building, desperately trying to catch up to the man on the roof.
As soon as we caught up, Steve throws his shield like a frisbee at the assassin. The shield does nothing to stop the man, he catches it with a metal hand and looks over his shoulder towards us. We make eye contact for a few seconds and he looked like he had frozen.
Whatever had shaken him up didn't last long, and he threw the shield back towards us. As I watch Captain Rogers catch the shield, I notice something. The shield isn't black and white anymore. I look down at myself and realize all the shades of grey I had become so familiar with have transformed into an array of colors.
FLASHBACK BEGINS
"Mama, what's it like to see in color?" I asked.
She paused her cooking to look at me sitting at the kitchen table. Her surprise over my question didn't last long and she sits down next to me.
"It's magical, Y/N/N. You get to see the world for what it truly is, for the very first time."
I smiled, satisfied with her answer, but she continued.
"Seeing in color is amazing, but that's not what's most special about it. The magic is not all in the color. When your black, white, and grey, becomes more of a rainbow - you've found your soulmate. The person you are meant to love, and the person made to love you."
She pauses and a single tear rolls down her cheek.
She holds out her pinky to me and says, "I need you to promise that when you meet your soulmate, you will stop at nothing to keep them close to you. Don't make the same mistake I did. Do you understand, Y/N?"
I nod my head and wrap my pinky tightly around hers.
"I promise, mama!"
END FLASHBACK
When the confusion finally wears off, I run to where the captain is standing. We stand on the edge of the roof looking down into the street below, but the assassin has already gotten away. My soulmate just got away from me.
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