Apparently the multiverse is real
Chapter 2: The new it girl
Masterlist
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Pairing: the avengers x reader
Disclaimer: English is not my first language so you may find some funny words/sentences or broken grammar in here. I'll say sorry in advance but I've tried my best.
Summary: You accidentally travel to Marvel universe(not earth-616), but luckily you've got your phone with you. You may ask what do you mean luckily, just read this fiction.
Warning: mention of injuries, accident and death
"Yes, she is my daughter" Tony answers to one of the press
"If I may ask, where and who is her mother, sir?" One of the reporters raises a hand and asks
"I met her mother a long time ago, she's one of the scientists in my lab and tragically she died from an accident when there was the Attack in New York in 2012" Damn Tony is such a good liar, if he's not a billionaire already, I think he would go well in politic.
After that day that I had an agreement with Tony Stark. He managed all the paperwork, created my new identity, he made up about how I was a child prodigy like him, I got my (fake) master's in Physics and Engineering from MIT at the age of 16, after my (non-existent) mom died I moved back to live with him in New York. Now I live in Stark Tower with him and Pepper on the top floor. We didn't tell Pepper about who I really am, so now she's kinda mad at Tony that he had a daughter with another woman that she didn't know about.
As an exchange, he asked me the info about all of the strengths and weaknesses of his team members, The Avengers. He's doing the batman thing kinda stuff I just knew it. I didn't give him all of the info right now because I still need something left to negotiate with him, who knows, if he got all the info right now, he may cut me out of his life that easy, and I will be out there, no money, no clothes, nowhere to go again.
"So now she's going to live with you?" The press still asking Tony
"Yes and with Pepper of course" He answers apologetically while looking at Pepper
"So why do you want to make it official now, sir?"
"Because she is now the co-CEO of Stark Industries" And just like that, the press went WILD. But Tony couldn't care less. He walks out so I follow him. I guess he ran out of the script that he prepared.
Oh, and did I mention that I am now sharing a net worth, worth of $100 Billion. I gotta say that I kinda love my life here and maybe don't want to go back right now.
'Well, if I'm going to have a daughter, she's going to have everything as she wants, she's a Stark, you know?' I recall what Tony said when I asked him about co-CEO.
"You're going to be on the first page of every tabloid tomorrow honey" Pepper approaches me and gives me a reassuring grip.
"She can handle it, she's a Stark" Tony said and look at me with the look that only we can know what it means
"Yeah, dad's right, I'll be fine Pepper, you don't have to be worried about me at all, in fact, I think you two should go now before the restaurant skips your reservation"
"You know that I own the restaurant right?" Tony asks
"Yeah yeah just go already" I roll my eyes at him
"Are you sure you're gonna be alright, alone?" Pepper asks
"Yes, I'm fine, I'm planning on maxing out dad's card by shopping to kill my time anyway" I teasingly pull out a credit card that Tony gave me earlier and waving it in front of Tony.
Tony's about to say something but Pepper just grabs his arm and walks him to the helipad outside.
Aah, looks like it's time for me to explore the city.
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Tony did give me one of his cars and luckily he gave me Happy too. Cuz I don't think I can handle NY traffic alone.
Happy drove me to Soho and I did my shopping, I bought new clothes, bags, shoes, makeup, and toiletries.
I wonder if this universe has something called an influencer? I think I can be one. There're people looking at me and gossiping about me all the time that I go shopping. I thought the news would be out tomorrow but turned out some of the press did live interviews. So now everyone knows that I'm Tony Stark's daughter.
"Excuse me, can I have a photo with you?" One of the girls on the street asks me
"Oh okay.." I don't know what to say but I don't like to say no to people
And then all of the people around there start to ask me for photos until I can't feel my cheeks anymore. Luckily Happy was worried about why I go shopping for too long, so he came and rescued me from the crowd in time.
After that, I ask him to drive me to Queens because I really want to meet Spider-man, I'm planning on getting to know him and took some couple of selfies with him.
Going into Queens is impossible, there're long lines of traffic jams in every lane. I waited in the car for about 30 mins and couldn't wait any longer, so I told Happy to wait in the car, as I step out, I hear people scream, there's a cloud of smoke everywhere and then I see. There is a building in the corner that is on fire.
Maybe it was the fact that I know I'm in a comic book and I don't think I can die, all I think of right now is I need to help those people out of the building. So I run as fast as I could and surprisingly I arrive at the building in like 10 seconds, but it was 3 miles from my car, how did I get here so fast? Anyway, there's no time for that right now. I look up at the building and there he was, Spider-man, his right hand was swinging with his web while his left arm is holding a woman. He lands and drops her in front of me. Then he continues to go back inside the building, searching for more survivors. The woman that he saved, she looks at me and crying.
"Please help me, my baby's still inside that building. Please. Please" She's crying into my arm.
"Miss, You stay here ok? I'll go inside and look for your baby" I said and run inside the building. There's fire everywhere, on the floor from the ceiling. I run through every floor. And finally, I found a toddler, crying in his crib. I grab him, cover him with some wet cloth and run outside. As I reach the front door, I realized the ceiling is about to collapse, I know I'm not gonna make it. So I hug that little boy, curl myself, and bam! the ceilings collapse on me, but I don't feel pain. Yes, I can still feel the heat, but I think I must injure myself somewhere because of those ceilings. But no. All I can see are some little wounds that healing themselves.
I walk out the building in shock as everyone there staring at me. I hand the woman her baby. And I look at myself, discovering my new abilities.
"Woah, so you can heal yourself or something, that is so cool" I don't need to look up to know who is talking to me. It's Peter Parker aka Spider-man.
Taglist
@ayoelouise
@potatopfft
@welconme-notreally
@niccino-apino
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Aspiring Fires - an Ethane fic
Liane Felton x Ethan Lensherr (@gcthvile)
Mutant x Mutant
Referencing the Mother Mother song of the same name
Marvel OC x Marvel OC
"A little advice for aspiring fires
You'll get put out if you don't get a little wild
Try again, try again, getting it right
You don't got the due diligence to lose your mind
I'm losing my mind..."
"Your call is important to us, please stay on the line and one of our operators will be with you shortly." The call sang out once again as Liane tossed the phone in a fit of rage, the flying projectile being caught deftly by a concerned Ethan Lensherr as he entered the room.
"Something wrong?"
"It's fine, it's nothing, I'm just on hold and have been for....a while and no one is answering!" Liane growled, her eyes starting to change colour.
"Woah cool your jets, Wildfire, we don't want another Tower burning to rubble."
That remark earned him a very hard glare and very purple eyes trained on his green eyes.
"Too soon, noted. Look, does this place maybe have a website you can apply through? Or is this a first come first served type thing?"
"The second one. It took me this long to even get in the damn line. What has happened to health care in this country?"
Ethan frowned, looking at the phone as it played a very tinny rendition of The Can Can song on a loop and the caller ID said Clinic on it.
"Wait why are you calling the clinic? We have SHIELD health care for all our needs and last I checked, you look fine to me."
"It's...something else." She trailed off, her eyes darting to the left, her lips disappearing as she sucked in a breath.
Ethan put the phone down on the table and crossed his arms, looking right at the blonde liar. For a while he hadn't been able to notice the signs but as time went on he knew all her tells. The telltale signs that Miss Liane Felton was lying to your face all came down to her face betraying her badly. Her eyes will dart to the left, her lips disappear, the last sign would be if her nostrils flare.
"Lia?"
"It's fine Eth, I just need this..opinion!" She sputtered, her nostrils flaring.
"Aha! I knew it! You're lying, so tell me now, why are you calling a run-of-the-mill NYC clinic?"
Liane's response came out far quieter than Ethan had expected. It wasn't quite a whisper but it didn't really reach his ears.
"I'm sorry what?"
"sabougettingatherapist.."
"Little louder."
"IT'S ABOUT GETTING A THERAPIST! There! Are you happy? You know my little secret, I'm unwell, I need therapy but I never got it because my father said they were all liars and swindlers who stole your secrets and insecurities to write articles about you! But now I realise I kinda need one because of my trauma! So...yeah."
Liane had finally stopped and lifted her head to look at Ethan who was biting his lip, not in concern, but in trying to hold back laughter.
"Are you...laughing?"
"No..."
"Ethan!"
"I'm sorry but seriously? You think you're a mess? Look around cupcake! Look at me of all people! Raised by mutants in a school of potential heroes and villains, one father being a benevolent principal who can look inside your head any fucking chance he likes and another dad who can bend any kind of metal to his will in an instant?
"You think you know crazy? Just look at my brother Cole, he knows crazy all too well. And yeah he would probably benefit from therapy but are you gonna tell him that? Hell no! Or hey, Tony freaking Stark, he could use therapy badly, everyone here would benefit from getting a shrink. But we never dare say it for fear of being branded a problem or unstable. It's fucked up. And honestly...I couldn't be prouder of you for yknow trying." He smiled, picking up the phone now maddeningly blaring the can can music and ended the call.
"But if you were left alone in a room with a run-of-the-mill therapist then you'd find yourself in a mental hospital faster than I caught your flying phone just now. Humans do not get it and probably never will. But now you have us, okay?" He reassured, lifting up her quivering chin with his hand, taking a moment to admire her face.
"But...they're supposed to help..."
"They can help. In some cases. But in other cases...some of them are total narcs. Why do you think the rate of young people getting sectioned is so high? Therapists. Look, if you really are desperate for counselling maybe we can talk to Fury about it, see if there's some Robot Therapist Rei built or some kind of mutant therapist we could recruit...in fact..hold that thought."
Ethan scrambled to grab his phone, wiping the tears from his girlfriend's cheeks and giving her a soft peck on the lips as he scrolled through his contacts looking for a certain name and hit call. Liane smiled, taking a seat on the couch as a conversation ensued between Ethan and someone called Kendra? Petra? Ketra? Either way, he cared. And he hadn't ran for his life either. Turns out it really does take one to know one when it comes to crazy.
Hope you enjoyed! Is this inspired by a Mother Mother song because I've been on a kick listening to their songs again? Possibly. Here's the actual song if you're interested.
@jackiequick @blueboirick @mallowbee4 @meiramel @gcthvile @askstevella @thechoooooosenone @therealdaydreamstark @wizzzardofoz @finlayholmes @rickb-chaos @luna-d-marsh @ask-missparker
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Seven Days ~ Chapter Fifteen
Seven Days - Modern Tolkien AU
Firefighter Frerin Durin died in a fire set deliberately. But after he helps his brother, Thorin find happiness, Frerin is offered a second chance. He has to prove himself worthy by righting the one major wrong in his life. Otherwise, history will repeat and he will die for good this time. The catch? He has seven days in which to do this and isn’t even certain what his major wrong is.
At least, he doesn’t know for long.
Syd Prescott has known Frerin since high school. She spent one night with him and then he vanished from her life. Now, he claims he wants to make it up to her, to right was he realizes was his major wrong. But can she trust him? And can he prove to her that she can before it’s too late?
A/N - This story is the sequel to Miss Fortune, but is a stand alone story.
Summary: Frerin tells Syd the truth about his being given a second chance…
Pairing: Modern!Frerin x OFC Syd Prescott
Characters: Frerin, Syd, Tori, Tony DiBenedetto, Steve Wheeler
Warnings: None
Rating: T
Word Count: 5,084
Tag List: @tschrist1 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @arrthurpendragon @exhausted-humxn-being @rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sketch-and-write-lover @sherala007 @enchantzz @knittastically @notlostgnome @myselfandfantasy @medusas-hairband @guardianofrivendell @jotink78 @frosticenow @quiall321 @dianakc
If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!
Previous chapters can be found here.
Frerin reluctantly pulled his hand free to keep on the wheel as the roads grew slicker by the minute. Snow swirled in all directions and he breathed a silent sigh of relief when he angled into the lot behind the firehouse and parked next to Tony DiBenedetto’s Dodge Ram 1500. “It’s probably a good thing you’re agreeable to staying close to home,” he said, glancing over at her before he killed the engine.
“I’m pretty leery of the Parkway on a good day, never mind a snowy night.”
“Yeah? Why? I mean, we all hate the Parkway, but leery of it?”
She looked over at him. “My mom and dad were killed in a wreck on the Parkway. The summer after I graduated high school.”
“Oh, shit, Syd, I didn't know. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks but why would you? It was a long time ago, and the guy who hit them hadn’t slept in something like two or three days. Still, on a night like tonight? I’d rather not be on it.”
“Yeah, I get that.” He tugged the keys from the ignition. “Are you sure you want to be subjected to these guys?”
“How bad can they be?”
He just stared at her a moment. “Do you really want an answer to that?”
Even in the barely-there light afforded by the streetlights, he saw her cheeks redden. She blushed more easily than any woman he’d ever known and she’d kill him if she knew how it turned him on. There was just something so hot about how it took so little to make her cheeks go pink.
“I’m kidding,” he said, offering up a silent prayer to the Big Guy to not make a liar of him. Normally, they were all fairly well-behaved around wives and girlfriends, but no one was perfect and every now and again, manners were forgotten. Hopefully tonight would not be one of those times.
He climbed out and came around to her side as she did the same. Her hand found its way into his, a soft jolt rippling along his arm at the contact. He glanced down, wondering if she’d felt it as well, but she looked up at the rear of the station. It was a typical red-brick firehouse, the metal staircase at the back leading up to the second floor barrack. A door just beneath it led to the four-bay garage and as they stepped inside, Frerin squinted at the brightness of the lights after the darkness of the parking lot.
“Hey, Durin, what’re you doing here? Don’t you have a life—oh, sorry, man, didn’t see you had someone with you.”
Frerin smiled as Syd’s fingers tightened about his. “I’m here because I have a life, but apparently not a functioning brain. I left my wallet in my locker.” He looked from Tony to Syd. “Tony DiBenedetto, Syd Prescott. Syd, Tony. Don’t worry, his bark is weak and his bite weaker still.”
“You wish,” Tony shot back with a grin, which he then turned on Syd. “It’s nice to meet you, Syd. Your family owns the spook—er—mystical shop, don’t they?”
Frerin bit back a wince, but Syd just smiled and nodded. “We do and it’s okay to call it a spook shop. I promise you, we don’t get offended by that.”
“Oh, thank God,” Tony breathed. “My wife gets stuff from there all the time, so I really didn't mean it as an insult.”
“Okay, I’m just going to show Syd around, grab my wallet, and then get out of here before I find myself yanked on duty. Who else is on tonight?”
“Full house tonight. You’ve been warned.”
“Got it.” Frerin let go of Syd’s hand and let his come to rest at the small of her back. Heat from her body sank into his palm and the urge to just pull her into his arms and kiss her nearly overwhelmed him. But instead, he said, “I’ll give you the tour.”
“Lead on,” she said, smiling up at him.
He felt that smile clear through to the core of his being. Was this what the Big Guy wanted for him? What if the wrong he had to right had nothing to do with not calling Syd back in August, but everything to do with falling in love with her. Maybe the wrong was being with Lisa and not with Syd. He didn't know, but as he led her about the apparatus bay, where the engines were parked, and the equipment was kept, and answered her questions and watched as the other firefighters greeted her (and behaved) and how she smiled and easily conversed with them, he had the feeling that might have been it after all. He didn't know. All he did know was that for the first time in his life, he was happy. Truly happy. Content. He didn't feel the need to try to impress Syd. Didn't feel the need to brag about her—or more aptly, brag about sleeping with her. He wasn't worried about what other women were out there, and what he might be missing out on by settling down with one. In fact, it was just the opposite. As he watched Syd chatting away with Tony, Frerin realized he didn't want to leave her. Ever. He wanted to stay right there, with her, for the rest of his life.
He’d told Thorin he was in love with Syd. He’d told Tori the same. He wanted to tell Syd how he felt. But, what if he did and he scared her off? Then, come tomorrow…
His gut curdled and a sour taste flooded his mouth. A hint of panic gnawed at his insides. He was almost out of time. And he had no way of knowing whether or not he’d done what the Big Guy told him he had to do. He wouldn’t know, until it was too late.
“Frerin?”
Syd’s soft voice broke through his troubling reverie and he jumped. “Yeah? What?”
“Are you all right? You went pale for a minute.”
“I’m fine. Just—just tired.” He turned to her. “Why don’t I get my wallet and we can go grab a bite to eat?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I am. Just tired, like I said.” He bit back a sigh as he met her beautiful aqua eyes. He had to tell her. He wanted to tell her.
He just didn't know how she’d take hearing it.
That was the risky part.
“Are you sure?”
His heart began to beat what seemed like a thousand times a minute and his stomach was alive with butterflies. Or nervous knots. Or maybe they were the same thing. He didn't know. But his blood roared through his veins and his pulse pounded through his temples and his mouth went dry as he said, “Syd, there’s some—”
“Durin? What’re you doing here? Were’t you here when I came on this morning?”
Frerin swallowed the curse bubbling to his lips as he turned to Steve Wheeler. “Yeah, and I left my wallet here. Hopefully you guys will have a quiet night, but don’t count on it. It’s snowing like a bitch out there.”
“We can handle it.” Steve glanced over at Syd and smiled. “Hey, Lisa, right?”
Frerin’s gut kinked as Syd offered up a mild smile. “No, I’m not Lisa.”
“Oh… shit…” Steve’s eyes went wide. “I’m sorry, man. I thought you were—oh, I should just shut up, shouldn’t I?”
“This is Syd. Syd, this is Steve. He’s the resident dickhead.”
To her credit, Syd held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Steve.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Syd. And I’m really sorry about that. I didn't know Frerin was lucky enough to meet another cute girl.”
“Meet her? I’ve known this cute girl since high school,” Frerin said, breathing an inward sigh of relief as her hand found its way back into his and her fingers threaded with his. Those slender fingers tightened around his and without thinking, he squeezed back.
“And I’m only finding out about her now? That is a shame.”
Frerin grinned. “Yeah, too bad for you, huh? Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get my wallet and take my girlfriend out to dinner. See you, Wheeler.”
He didn't wait for Steve to reply, but gave a gentle tug on Syd’s hand and led her around Wheeler and up the stairs to the common area. As they crested the top step, she looked up at him. “Girlfriend?”
“Yeah. I mean, since neither one of us is seeing anyone else, it makes sense.”
“Do I have to call you my boyfriend? That sounds so seventh grade.”
He winked at her. “Yeah, actually. I want to be known as your boyfriend. I think that’s how you should introduce me to everyone. I don’t even need a name. Just call me the boyfriend.”
“Frerin.”
“What?”
“Frerin!”
He chuckled and then bent to brush her lips with what he’d meant to be a quick kiss. But then, to his surprise, she caught his face in her hands and what started out as a quick kiss morphed into a slow, deep, tender kiss unlike any he’d ever had before. Her thumbs moved along his cheeks, her tongue caressed his, and when she drew back, he couldn't help himself as he whispered, “Damn, honey… what was that for?”
“Because you want me to call you the boyfriend.”
He grinned. “Let me get my wallet. I’ll be right back. Don’t let any of these guys hit on you, okay?”
“I’ll fight them off if I have to.”
“There are axes on the trucks if you need one. I’ll be right back.” He gestured to the sofa. “Make yourself comfortable. It’ll only take me a minute or two.”
“I’ll be fine, Frerin. Go.”
He turned to make his way into the locker room and as he opened his locker, Tori said, “You didn't tell her.”
“Would you stop that?”
“Why? You didn't even jump that time.”
He glared at her. “That doesn’t mean I like you popping out at me, you know. And no, I didn't tell her. I have tonight and tomorrow and I will tell her.”
“Frerin, you must tell her. Before tomorrow. The Big Guy said—”
“I know what He said.” He reached up to the top shelf, where his wallet was exactly where he’d left it, then glared at her. “And I have to be careful with this, Tori. Imagine how freaked out she’ll be when I tell her I’m the walking dead.”
“You aren’t dead, Frerin. You’re as alive as everyone else around you.”
“Right now. But I was dead last Thursday and I’ll be dead this Friday if I don’t handle this right. He’s got to understand that.”
She sighed softly and his gut kinked. “What? Did I screw this up?”
“No,” she shook her head, “you haven’t. You figured it out pretty quickly, actually and I think you actually impressed the Big Guy.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Just reminding you, is all. You’ve only got—”
“Tonight and tomorrow. I know.” Frerin leaned against the locker. He stared down at the floor for a moment before looking back up at her. “Look, I don’t know if you can even answer this or not, but I don’t remember what it was like. Dying, I mean. Can you just ask Him, if I don’t get this right, to make sure it doesn’t hurt? I mean, I know that’s really chickenshit of me, but… not knowing it was going to happen the last time, on top of not remembering what it was like, was one thing. I don’t have that luxury now and I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t really weighed on me.”
Tori’s eyes softened. “I’ll see what I can do. I think He’ll be agreeable. He’s not looking to punish you.”
Frerin nodded, a sigh rising to his lips. “And, one more thing. If I mess this up, maybe my family could not suffer so much? It almost killed my mom. Maybe He can find a way to ease up their grief a little? Especially Thorin. He ends up in a pretty dark place.”
“Sure. Again, I’ll see what I can do.”
“One more thing and I swear, it’s the last.” He glanced toward the doorway, as if he could see Syd, which he couldn’t, of course. Not the it mattered. She was permanently seared into his brain. “I don’t want Syd mourning me, okay?”
“You’ve mentioned all of this already, and I asked the Big Guy, just for clarification. Frerin,” Tori’s hand came to rest on his shoulder, “if it goes wrong, she won’t remember any of this. It will never have happened. The timeline will be as it was before.”
That stung, the pang swift and sharp, but even so, he nodded. “So, she’ll remember I screwed her and then vanished.” He drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “It’s probably for the best that way. And maybe I can make sure she meets a decent guy, then—” those words hurt to say, as the thought of her with another guy kinked his guts sharply, but he meant it as he added, “she should be happy. I’ll have fucked it up, but maybe the next guy won’t.”
“Sure. We’ll both make sure, okay?”
He nodded, the lump in his throat making speaking impossible as he turned back toward the common area. He cleared his throat and whispered, “I love her. I want her to be happy, even if it’s not with me.”
He closed his eyes. They stung. His heart hurt. But at least he knew that his family would be okay. Thorin would be okay.
Syd would be okay.
“Frerin?” Syd’s voice floated toward him. “Are you all right?”
He peered over his shoulder toward the doorway to the locker room. “I should get back—” He turned to find Tori gone—“to Syd… yeah, if I fuck this up, I will never do this to Thorin again.”
“Frerin?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just had trouble finding my damn wallet, is all,” he came out of the locker room to find her leaning against the back of the sofa, “but I’ve got it now, so we can go.”
He’d lost count of how many times over the last five days that she’d looked at him with a furrowed brow and confused eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” He forced a smile to his lips as he slid an arm about her waist to pull her up against him. Selfish, but he wanted to put off the inevitable as long as he possibly could, because he had the feeling she would not react well.
“Frerin, you look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders,” she murmured, curving a hand against his cheek. “What is it?”
Her touch was so gentle, her thumb grazing along his cheek. His eyes grew so heavy with the caress, and if they were alone, he’d probably melt into a puddle at her feet. But, he heard the footsteps on the stair treads and so drew back and said, “We should just go. You’ve got to be hungry by now and I promised you dinner.”
“I’m fine.” Her hand went still on him. “Frerin?”
“There’s nothing wrong, Syd. It’s just a long week, is all.”
She didn't look as if she believed him and he held his breath as he waited for her to push harder. But instead, she rose onto her tiptoes and brushed his lips with hers. “If you say so,” she whispered before lowering.
“It is, really.” He eased his other arm about her waist. “So, let’s go grab dinner and then go home and get to dessert.”
The sparkle in her eyes heated his blood, as did her whispered, “Or we could just skip dinner and do dessert instead?”
Dominic’s was the Italian place to go to in Cranford Falls, and Syd looked over at Frerin as he carefully angled the Jeep into a parking spot. He still looked so serious—more so than she’d ever seen him look and while that didn't mean a whole lot, it still troubled her. She knew if she asked again, he’d just tell her nothing was wrong and he’d probably be annoyed that she couldn’t let it go, but she couldn't let it go. A sense of foreboding had crept through the Jeep, one that she hadn’t felt before, and her stomach fluttered, the way it did before she went to get a cavity filled or when she watched a scary movie where something awful was about to happen to the character she was rooting for.
He killed the ignition and pulled the key from the switch. The snow had thankfully stopped, but it as such a light, powdery one that it swirled with each gust of wind, so at times, the air was filled with sparkly particles blowing in all directions.
“Frerin?”
“Syd, nothing’s wrong. I told you, it’s just been a really long week.”
She pressed her lips together, drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, saying, “I know I keep bugging you about it, but I can’t help it.”
“You’re not bugging me.” He looked over at her then and offered up an almost-wistful smile. “It’s actually kind of nice, since the only women who ever really fuss over me are my mom and Dís. But, I promise you, everything is fine.”
“You’ll tell me if my fussing annoys you?”
He shook his head. “It won’t.”
“Why don’t I believe that?”
He grinned and winked. “Why would I lie about that?”
He didn't wait for her to answer, but thrust open his door and climbed out, so she did the same. Coming around the nose of the Jeep, she said, “True. Men live to be fussed over.”
“We do,” he caught her around the waist and tugged her close, “because we are sensitive and like to be cared for.”
“You’re so full of it.”
“What? You don’t think I’m sensitive?” He loomed over her, his eyes glittering in the soft halo of light cast by the streetlamp in the parking lot. “I can’t watch movies with animals in them because they make me cry.”
“What?”
“True story, honey. Ask Thorin if you don’t believe me. He used to pick on me mercilessly about it.”
“Do you really cry over them?”
“Yeah. Why would I make that up? It doesn’t exactly make me look like a tough guy.”
“I don’t know I’d say that. You’re still a tough guy, Frerin.”
“Good. At least I still have that going for me.”
The wind picked up then, stirring his dark hair into short peaks and sent more snow swirling about them. His eyes grew serious once more and that foreboding feeling swept through her as she realized his aura had begun to change. It was rare to see it actually happen, but it grew redder, while the green softened and the blue deepened.
“Frerin, something is going on with you. I can see it. I can literally see it. Please, tell me.”
“Syd, I—”
“What? What is it?”
He took a deep breath. “I’m in love with you, Syd. And I’ve been in love with you since I was fourteen years old and in the ninth grade and didn't even know what the fuck love was.”
That was the last thing she expected him to say and for a moment, it felt as if her heart had stopped beating, as if all of the air had been sucked out of the world at that very moment. She stared up at him, her blood roaring through her temples as she whispered, “What?”
“Yeah, I know. It’s insane, right? We’ve only gone out a couple of times, but… yeah, I am. And you’re looking at me like you’re afraid I’ve lost my mind, but I’m not crazy. I promise you that, Syd. I’m not. I was just… I was stupid and blind and didn't see what was right in front of me.”
“Frerin,” she swallowed hard as she met those soft blue eyes, “you know that’s nuts, right?”
“Why?”
“Because what does a guy like you see in—”
“Christ, Syd, don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t give me that crap about a guy like me. I know what I was. I was a selfish asshole who was too scared to call you because… because you’re too fucking good for me.”
“Oh, please. That’s a load of bullshit and you know it.”
“Syd, I’ve been fantasizing about you since I was fourteen years old.”
“That is not love.”
“No, but I’m not fourteen any more, either. I know what love is now, and it’s been staring me in the face for the last four months and I just didn't see it. And now I do and—and I want to see what comes next. With you. And with any luck, I’ll actually live to see my thirtieth birthday now, so—”
He realized his mistake as her eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Nothing, Syd. It’s—it’s nothing.”
“No, what do you mean, you’ll actually live to see your thirtieth birthday now?” She pulled free of him, stepping back to stare up at him. “What is this about, Frerin Durin? And I want the truth. And don't you dare tell me it’s nothing!”
“Syd,” he stepped back, breaking contact with her and she knew she wasn't imaging the pain in his eyes, “I don’t even know where to begin with this, so, I’m just going come out and tell you, okay?”
“Tell me what?”
His expression grew more serious than she’d ever imagined it could. “Syd, I know this will sound completely crazy, but I swear to Christ, I’m not making it up. I’m not lying. I’m not bullshitting you.”
“Frerin.”
“Okay. I—holy shit, I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Try the beginning.” She couldn't keep the annoyance out of her voice.
“Last Friday, when I came into your shop, I—uh—that morning, before I woke up in my own bed, in my own house, I was… I was—uh—I was dead.”
She just stared at him, a prickle racing along the back of her neck. “You were what?”
“Dead. Yeah, I know how it sounds, but it wasn’t December until I opened my eyes. It was June, maybe July, I don’t know. I just know it was summer next year. But time has no meaning on the other side, Syd, so it all blends together. But this December, this moment right now, never happened. None of the last week happened. I was killed in a fire, one set deliberately at my house. Your sister wasn't seeing Thorin. I brought them together because I was able to come back and ask her to help find out who barbecued me.”
“You were killed.”
“Yes.”
“In a fire in your house?”
“Yes.”
“Deliberately.”
“Yes. Someone thought I was sniffing around his sister—which I wasn’t—and figured he’d make it loud and clear what happened when a guy did that. He burned my house down with me in it.”
“But, you’re not dead now.”
“I’m not, no. I was given a second chance.”
“By God?”
“We call him the Big Guy, but more or less, yes.” Frerin rubbed the back of his neck slowly. “He gave me the chance to come back. To right the biggest mistake I’d ever made.”
Her belly fluttered, butterflies coming to life by the hundreds, judging by the way they battered about her insides. Only this time, instead of spreading aroused heat through her, they instead sent ice whooshing through her veins, leaving her chilled and numb. “What?”
“You, Syd. Not calling you was the biggest mistake I’d ever made. I should’ve and I really did mean to, but I really did chicken out.”
“And now, you want to what? Make it up to me?”
“Yes, exactly.” He stepped closer. “I love you and I have for a long time and I was an asshole for not seeing it sooner.”
“Are you insane?” She stepped back, bumping up against the side of the Jeep. “You honestly expect me to believe this? To believe you’ve come back from the dead in order to win me over? That’s just… I can’t even with that.”
“Syd, I swear to you, I know it sounds crazy. But it’s the truth. And I wanted to tell you, but how the fuck do I even begin to?”
“So, this is how you get women to go out with you? To sleep with you? You feed them—”
“No, not women, Syd. You. It’s you. It’s been you since I was fourteen—”
“Are you kidding me? I’m supposed to believe that you’ve been pining for me for sixteen years? And when I did go out with you and sleep with you, you up and vanish and then you come back a few months later with this?”
“Syd, look, you have to believe me.”
“Oh, do I? Really? Why? What happens if I don’t? What could possibly happen if I don’t believe this utterly ridiculous story?”
His jaw tightened. “I die again. Tomorrow night. Only this time, I won’t get another chance.”
“You’ll die.”
“Yeah. That’s what I meant by with any luck, I’ll actually live to see my thirtieth birthday now. This was the wrong I had to right. I had to win you back, to tell you how I feel and just hope you believe me.”
“Because if I don’t, you’ll die. Again.”
A sick feeling swept through her as he nodded. “Yeah, that’s exactly what will happen. I’ll die sometime tomorrow night, and you won’t remember any of it. Your sister won’t be with Thorin—at least not until the next summer—and I’m gone. For good. I won’t get another chance to fix anything. My family buries me and life goes on without me.”
She could only stare at him, her brain refusing to listen to this utter nonsense. He sounded sincere enough, but at the same time, he had to be talking nonsense to her. Did he think she was stupid enough to believe this?
“People don’t come back from the dead. We don’t get second chances and time doesn’t restart itself. There is no such thing as an alternate time line. And this is the shittiest thing any guy has ever done to me.”
“Shitty? Syd, I’m telling you the truth? And—”
“The truth? My family deals in this, remember? If nothing else, we would know whether or not it is possible to come back, as a fully-fleshed human being, and it is not possible!”
“Syd, listen—”
“And am I supposed to be flattered because you’re telling me this? Or are you telling me this to save your own fucking skin? Because I’ve had guys tell me some really out-there things to get me to sleep with them, and I’ve had guys who’ve sworn they’d die of blue balls if I didn't fuck them, but this is a first.”
“I’m not lying to you, I swear on my dog’s life. On my mother’s life. On my own fucking life, Syd.”
“Yeah. Sure. And you know what? I’d thought you really had changed, Frerin.”
“I have. I was telling you the truth when I told you the Frerin you knew in August is dead. He is. I’ve spent six months on the other side of the veil and I don’t know why, but I was given a second chance. And that chance was to make things right with you.”
He reached for her hand, but she jerked away from him. “Then why not tell me right from the beginning?”
“Because who’d believe it?” His expression grew pained as he let his hand fall back to his side. “But I swear to you, Syd, I just want to be with you. I love you and I have for a really long time.”
“You’ve been lying to me this whole time.”
“No, I just couldn't figure out how to tell you. And I was afraid this would happen.”
“So, you used me as well.”
He flinched, then shook his head. “No, Syd. I didn’t. I promise you, I didn’t. I’m being honest, one-hundred percent honest with you. Look, maybe Tori can back me up on this.”
Syd’s gut kinked sharply. “Tori? Who is Tori?”
“She’s… I don’t even know what either of us were. Ghosts? Angels? I’m not sure. But she was the first person I met on the other side and maybe you’ll believe her, if you won’t believe me.”
Syd just stood there, staring at him like she’d never seen him before as he looked skyward and called, “Tori? Now would be a great time for you to just pop in.”
She looked up as well, as if there was actually some chance an angel would suddenly appear and validate Frerin’s ridiculous story. And the moment she did, she felt like the biggest fool walking. Of course there as nothing up there but sky. This was all a lie. All some twisted bullshit story told to her by a guy who got his jollies fucking with her, apparently.
She jerked her head back down and glared at him. “You’re nuts. And I am not about to humor you, Frerin. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to fall for your act again.” She strode away from him, toward the sidewalk.
He hurried after her. “Syd, where are you going?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t really want to be around you right now.”
“Why? I’m telling you the truth, honey. Letting you get away was the worst mistake I’d ever made and now, I can right it and I want to right it. I love you.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Yeah, I know, look,” he grabbed her wrist to jerk her to a halt, “just stop.”
“No!” She yanked her arm from his grasp. “Leave me alone, Frerin. Go find another desperate simp to charm. Maybe she’ll be stupid enough to believe this idiotic story.”
“Syd—”
Tears blinded her eyes as she turned and stormed off, yanking her cell phone from her purse to call for an Uber. She’d never felt as stupid as she did right then, and she never wished so hard that she’d never met Frerin Durin.
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The Intern (Loki Oneshot)
Summary: Loki takes an interest in the latest of a long line of Stark’s interns.
Pairing: Loki x Reader (Can be read as platonic, if preferred)
Word Count: 2,809
Disclaimers/Warnings: None. Just a bit of fluff.
A/N: This wound up turning into something entirely different from the original concept. Just kinda went with what felt right. Also trying desperately to remember working with an Arduino board to make this at least semi-accurate.
Masterlist
Loki traipsed aimlessly through the Tower, his overly-friendly insomnia having kept him up past four in the morning again. Nothing seemed to help him sleep and he constantly grew bored laying around in his room waiting for exhaustion to overtake him. Wandering about seemed as good as anything. Sometimes he would come across something interesting. It seems now would be that time.
He rounded the corner and found himself gazing through the wall-length windows of Tony Stark’s lab. The armor-less Iron Man was passed out in a chair, head haphazardly lolling on a table. Usually, he was still working and would be until at least seven a.m. before Pepper would literally drag him to bed.
Movement at the other end of the room caught his eye. There you were, pulling a blanket out of the cupboard. You crossed the lab and placed the well-used cloth over Stark’s shoulders before returning to your work. Sliding your safety glasses on, you put all your focus into soldering some wires to a board.
What in the nine realms were you doing here at this hour? The sun hadn’t even reached the horizon yet. None of his previous interns ever started their days before nine. Albeit, they had barely lasted a week while you broke a record at just over a month, but the point still stood. Why were you here?
“Are you just going to stand there like a creeper, Loki, or are you going to come in and hang out?” you called out, not even bothering to tear your eyes away from the wiring.
Well, this excursion could prove to be interesting. Loki slithered through the doorway to stand opposite of you at your table.
“So what are you doing up this early?” you murmured. If it weren’t for you glancing up at him, someone may have thought it was more of a question for yourself.
Loki huffed a laugh. “I could ask you the same question.”
That elicited a quirky smile from you. “Woke up way before my alarm and couldn’t fall back asleep. Figured I’d start my day early.” You gestured toward Stark with the soldering iron. “This one over here is pretty lenient on the hours.”
“I would hope so,” Loki chuckled, “considering his own schedule.”
“A schedule that consists of planned energy drink breaks. Definitely one of the more interesting employers out there.”
“I suppose you could say that,” he mumbled, leaning heavily on his forearms propped on the table.
You set down the soldering iron in its stand and shut if off. “So I answered your question. How about you?”
“I simply could not sleep,” he nonchalantly replied.
“Hmm...” you hummed. “Lemme guess. A member of Insomniacs Anonymous?”
His chuckle reverberated through the room. This was probably one of the reasons Stark kept you around. You certainly had a particular snarky confident air about you.
Yet the corners of your mouth suddenly hung low and your brow scrunched together. “It’s more than that, isn’t it?”
“Pardon?” He was confused at your change in demeanor.
“It’s not as simple as you couldn’t sleep. There’s more to it.”
Loki’s lips parted in astonishment. Here you were in your first true encounter with him and you read him like an open book. What had you been told?
“I won’t make you say anything.” You held your hands up in a placating manner. “You probably don’t want to, and that’s okay. However.” You grabbed the notepad next to you and scribbled something on it, ripping off the paper and sliding it towards him. “If you’re ever bored and I’m not here, you can text me. I’ll probably answer.”
He reluctantly took the note that had your number written on it. “I cannot say I am very adept with these cellular devices.”
“Pretty sure you’re clever enough to figure it out,” you grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “But seriously, no pressure. The offer is always out there.”
“Wha?!” Stark snorted himself awake, his eyes shooting around wildly. “Rudolf? What’re you doing here?” He eyed Loki suspiciously. “You’re not going to scare away my intern, are you? That’s my job.”
You laughed, keeping Loki from spitting a venomous retort. “Good luck with that. You’ll have to try a lot harder if that’s what you’re going for, Stark.”
“Obviously. You haven’t run off yet. I’m surprised.” He took the blanket that was wrapped around him and began folding it. “Pleasantly surprised.”
“Sure, sure!” You waved him off.
Stark looked at his watch and swiped a hand through his purposely messy bed head. “It’s that time already. I better get breakfast before Pepper finds me... Alright!” He clapped. “Both of you, let’s go! Time for grub!”
Loki’s eyebrows shot up across his forehead. Was Stark actually having him join the two of you for breakfast?
“Yes, you too, Reindeer Games! One, I don’t want you in the lab alone.” That earned him Loki’s scowl. “Two, you seem to be behaving, so why not have you eat with us.”
You nudged Stark’s arm while shooting Loki an inconspicuous wink. “Awww, look at you! Already getting into Dad Mode and little Morgan hasn’t even entered the world yet.”
He nudged you back. “Yeah, yeah, yeah! Now come on. I’m starving!”
You continued to tease him as you followed him out of the lab with Loki close behind.
Loki lay in bed a few nights later, lost in thought. He could not get you out of his head. You had spoken with him like you would anyone else, deflected and stood up for him despite hardly knowing him. In the few years since he had been thrown to Midgard as punishment, Thor was the only one to show him a sliver of kindness, but even he held some hesitation. You did not. Your earlier interaction was genuine. He wasn’t sure what to make of it all.
In his perpetual deliberation, he had avoided the lab since that morning. Not that he didn’t like you. It was the uncertainty that kept him away, but that wouldn’t last much longer.
His phone settled lax in his hand, your name illuminating the screen. You had been right about him being able to learn how to text. Now it was a matter of completing the action. Tossing the phone to his other hand, he glared at the bright screen. His message had already been written. All he had to do was select “Send”. The clock at the top of the screen read two a.m. Surely, you would be asleep... But what if you weren’t?
With a huff, he pinched his eyes shut and hit the button, the swooshing sound seemingly echoing off the walls. The following silence was deafening. Luckily for him, the reply swoosh fell inline shortly after.
You: Hey, Loki. Can’t sleep?
Loki: How did you know who this was without me saying?
You: I can’t think of anyone else who would text me at this hour. ;)
Loki: I apologize if I woke you.
You: Nah. Already up. Trouble staying asleep. So what’re you up to?
Loki: Texting you.
You: Other than that, Mischief
Loki: Thinking.
You: Yeah? About what?
Loki: Possibly meandering through the Tower, again.
You: Liar ;)
Loki: Pardon?
You: You were obviously thinking about me.
Loki: What makes you say that?
You: You had to be. At least in the context that it would be better to text me than exploring.
Loki: Fair enough. Now, how do you know I am not planning to choose both?
You: You got me there.
—
Loki met you at the lab later that morning. The familiar sight of Stark was passed out, snuggling his face to a countertop, greeted you both.
Shaking your head, you huffed a laugh as you passed through the doorway. “Can’t really reprimand him when my sleep schedule is just as bad.”
Loki’s lips curled into a light smirk but didn’t speak a word lest Stark awaken and force him to leave. Despite your two hour texting session, he had been looking forward to joining you here.
“Thanks for meeting me here, by the way,” you called out to him as still stood just at the edge of the lab. “A little company while working is kind of nice. Gets too quiet when Stark finally shuts down.”
Taking a seat across from you, Loki quirks an eyebrow. “Would that not be considered a blessing?”
You stifled a chuckle as you flipped on the soldering iron and pulled out what roughly looked like a vambrace. The board you had been working on previously was molded to the shape. “If that happened by the end of my workday, yes. This early in the morning? Not so much. It’s boring if not a little eerie.”
“I see... So I am only here for your entertainment,” he feigned offense.
You gasped dramatically, “Me? Never!”
Laughing with you, Loki made himself a bit more comfortable as he watched you work. At the moment, you were adding tiny capacitors and securing them into place.
“If I may, what are you trying to accomplish?”
“Well,” you started, glancing up at him. “It’s a new piece of armor. Other than that, I technically shouldn’t say much else.”
“Right... Classified information?”
There was a twinkle of mischief in your eyes as you looked at him again. “It is a secret, but nothing quite as official as that.”
Loki leaned across the tabletop, supporting his chin in his hand. “So there is no harm in you revealing your project,” he tested.
“Harm? No. However, there will be disappointment on my end if you figure it out.”
“I accept this challenge,” he grinned playfully.
You smirked back,“As you wish, Mischief. I won’t make this easy for you.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Darling.”
The next several weeks chaotically blurred together. At first, you allowed Loki to observe your project as you worked on it. Once the vambrace began to take on a more unique form, you were hiding it in the mornings, opting to take on a different assignment when he was in the room. The design was strikingly Asgardian, leading him to believe the new armor was for Thor. He just needed to figure out what it did. He spoke with his brother on multiple occasions but was unable to glean anything from him. Either he had no clue or suddenly learned to lie well enough to fool Loki, the latter highly doubtful.
Apart from politely harassing you via text, Loki took to locating your hiding spots, something that proved difficult when the lab was almost always occupied by you, Stark or Banner at varying times. Stark was helping you keep this little secret, a sparkle in his eyes whenever he shooed Loki from the room when he was caught investigating. Even Banner was in on it, albeit reluctantly.
Then there was that Doctor Strange who was showing up every few days, joining you all in the lab much to Loki’s chagrin. By that point, Stark had banned him from the entire floor. The project must have been coming to a close if you all were trying to cover it up so desperately. But why Strange? Was he imbuing the vambrace with magic to protect Thor better? (Not that he really needed it.) His curiosity was certainly getting the better of him, going so far as to shape-shift as one of you three when Strange wasn’t around to get into the room. Somehow, Friday always knew and alerted the lab’s occupants who would send him back to the elevator.
It was early one morning as he was perusing the contents of the shared kitchen that you initiated contact with him. He was surprised since he had been the one to text you first lately to see if you would spill your secret.
You: Hey. Can you stop by the lab?
Loki: Oh? I thought I was banned.
You: Lifted as of a few minutes ago. So?
Loki: I suppose I might be able to grace you with my presence.
You: So kind of you, my King ;)
His heart skipped a beat at you calling him “your King”. You only used it in a teasing fashion when he was acting high and mighty. Even then, it still flustered him.
Loki made his way to the elevator, deeming it a bit devious to take the long way to the lab. You had made him wait all this time. It was your turn.
The doors reopened on the lab floor, revealing that his ploy to annoy had worked. You were leaned against the wall next to the elevator, waiting for his arrival.
“Finally! Come on!”
You audaciously grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the room with an impatient grin. Stopping him near your normal workstation, you demanded he close his eyes.
“Excuse me?” he responded incredulously, ripping his arm from your grasp.
“Please, Loki...” Your pleading eyes grew larger as you pouted at him.
Stark groaned, “Just do it, Reindeer Games, or I’ll cover them for you.”
Loki’s lips reared into a snarl as he glared at the billionaire before relenting and clenching his eyelids shut. Norns, how he hated those nicknames.
“Okay!” Excitement laced your voice. “Would you hold up your dominant hand?”
“Making more demands, Darling?”
“I did ask nicely this time.”
“That you did,” he chuckled a complied, holding out a hand.
“Perfect!”
He felt a metallic weight placed on his forearm before it was clasped together with a comfortable tightness.
“Okay. You can look now!”
The sight of the vambrace on his arm left Loki’s mouth agape. The main black of the piece was lined with gold Asgardian knot designs with runes placed in a handful of the empty spaces. Near his wrist, an artificial emerald was embedded in the armor. If he had to be completely honest, the aesthetics could rival much of the armor back home.
“Well, Kid. It looks like you rendered him speechless.” Stark nudged your arm.
Loki’s gaze shot up to the two of you. Stark was leaning against the workstation while you had hoisted yourself to sit atop it, nothing but grins on either of your faces.
“What is this-”
You cut him off, “It’s for you. We noticed after some of your missions where you had to use your seiðr more than usual, you’d end up exhausted before getting back to the Quinjet. The new armor should help with that. It’s supposed to amplify your magic without draining you.”
Stark shoved you lightheartedly, again. “The kid noticed. Told ‘em if they could come up with something that could work, I’d give whatever resources needed for the project.”
“So what do you think? I mean we still need to undergo more testing and calibrations before you can use it in the field, but-”
“You made this?” Loki locked barely tearing eyes with you. “For me?”
“Yup! Kid designed the whole thing!” Stark kept you from answering. “Minus the bits we had to bring Strange in for the wizard-y things, this was a solo run. Did a pretty good job. Not sure I could have done much better.”
“Stark...” you grumbled, clearly not used to the praise.
“This is...” Loki tore his gaze away back to the vambrace. “I don’t... I don’t know what to say.” His voice was just loud enough for you to hear.
“A ‘thank you’ would be a good start. Now maybe this little intern will get more sleep,” Stark blundered before checking his watch. “Well, it’s about time for my morning scolding. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me!”
With that he whisked himself out of the room and to the elevator, leaving you and Loki in a terribly awkward silence.
“Hey...” you started. “If you don’t like it, we can scrap the design. It’s not a big deal-”
“Thank you.” His pupils were filled with a sincere gratefulness that few had ever seen before. “This is... This is simply splendid.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?”
Loki spun on his heel to fully face you, his hands coming to rest on the countertop on either side of you. “I mean it, Darling. This... No one has ever done something like this for me before. I would be honored to be your test subject,” he ended with a smirk.
“Well, if that’s the case,” you grinned right back at him, “I’d say let’s get some breakfast first. There will be plenty of time to optimize the vambrace later.”
Pulling back enough to release you from his cage of arms, he gestured for you to lead the way. “After you,” he breathed.
Hopping down from the table, you held out a hand for him. Hesitantly, Loki took it while running a thumb over your knuckles as you pulled him to the elevator with you.
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Good intentions
Bucky Barnes x reader
Had to divide the story into four parts, and I’m working as fast as I can to finish the rest.
Please don’t hesitate to tell me what you think :) Especially if you like it.
Everybody's alive.
When Natasha catches your reaction to seeing a soaking wet Bucky coming in from the rain, your life becomes unbearable. Nat considers herself a decent matchmaker, but what happens when both her subjects are resisting her attempts?
***
Part 1: Matchmaker
Word count: 4412
It had been raining for weeks. Racing streaks down the glass. Soft drumming against the umbrella. Big, fat drops of water splashing against the pavement, sending shivers through my body whenever they hit my skin. Two in rapid succession on my neck – don't know how, though, my coat collar was pulled up as high as it could go, and my umbrella was larger than average. Then one straight into my ear, which made me squeak in disgust. This had to be an omen.
I shook my umbrella before stepping through the door. No need to be a savage, though from the look of it, I was the only one who cared. A quick nod good morning to Nesta in the reception while making a mental note to call down the cleaning crew. The state of the floor was appalling. Mud and dirt and water – apparently not everyone remembered to wipe their feet before entering the building. And umbrellas all along the wall, dripping on the tiles, creating puddles so large a toddler would happily jump in them.
A long sigh escaped. Time for a stern talk with Nesta again. This was supposed to be a good first impression, not an impression of someone's mudroom. My stomach twisted, this was just the latest in a long string of minor complaints. If she didn't improve soon, I would have to make a note in her file and I hated being strict. Still, it was a part of my job, just like running errands before eight in the morning and longing for the coffee I left in my office. I didn't have to like it.
The elevator pinged. “Hey, Y/N.” Natasha walked out with a smile on her face. Her hair was red again, like flames cascading over her shoulders. Damn, that woman really could carry any hair colour. I nodded and smiled back. “Good morning, Agent Romanov. You're in early. What can I do for you? Love your hair, by the way."
"Thanks. I was wondering if you could help me with something."
I shook off my coat and adjusted the bag on my shoulder. "Of course. What do you need? Let me just –""
The door blew open, banging into the doorstopper before closing behind a sopping wet figure and an umbrella that definitely had seen better days. "Good morning, Y/N. Hey, Nat. Have you seen Clint?" Bucky shook himself, sending a glittering spray of water everywhere.
"No, but check the roof."
The air was knocked straight out of me. I couldn't stop the tiny squeak that tumbled over my lips. The way his hair stuck to his face did things to me, not to mention how the water glistened on his metal arm. I hadn't felt heat on my face like that since I was seventeen and spilled juice all over my shirt in front of my neighbour Todd.
Swallowing the rest of the rude noises hovering in my throat, I forced a smile and nodded to the elevator. "Saw him by the coffee machine on the third floor earlier, Sargent Barnes." My voice was breathier that usual, and I cursed the weather for calling me out like that, while simultaneously praying to any deities listening that nobody noticed.
"Thanks." He marched to the elevator with a pace that would divide a crowd of people without a word.
Natasha looked between Bucky and me, a devilish smile spreading on her face. Once he was out of earshot, she bumped me with her elbow. “So, Bucky, huh?”
The heat crept up my ears and settled in my temples. Surely I was no more than two seconds from combusting? “What? I don’t… no, I mean –" I drew a big breath and steeled my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, what was it you needed my help with?”
Her eyes locked on mine. "Never mind that… You're a terrible liar."
A good point. I let out a small wheeze and scrunched my eyes shut. "Fine! Yes, Sargent Barnes is a tall drink of water. Is that what you want me to say? Well, yeah, okay. Maybe I do have a thing for him." The defeat was inevitable. Already my intestines were squirming. Nothing good could come from this.
Natasha looked like it was Christmas and her birthday all at once. "I knew it!"
I shrugged, ignoring the rising chill in my chest. How to best deescalate this before it got out of hand? "Well, you are a superspy after all. But please, PLEASE, don't say anything to him. I like my job. Besides, he's a fucking superhero. I'm just… me."
"Just you?" She shook her head lightly and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I mean, come on! Look at me!" Holding my arms out, I swayed from side to side. I never liked to draw attention to my body, but apparently she needed the extra visual.
Natasha arched her eyebrow. "I am looking."
She was good, but I couldn't to give up that easily. "Yes, and then you clearly see that I'm ordinary. People like him don't fall for people like me. He's too perfect for that."
"Perf… perfect?" She snorted. "Y/N, Bucky's a mess. He's basically a cucumber with anxiety. Damn, you really have it bad if –"
"I know he has issues. You all do. I'm the one booking everybody's therapy sessions, remember? I'm not talking about his trauma. I'm talking about the fact that he's sweet as a marshmallow and his smile could power a small European country if Stark only found a way to harness its brilliance –"
"And the fact that he's got those broad shoulders and could probably lift and throw a bus if he wanted…"
"And that," I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck to stop that annoying heat from spreading even more. That was a delicious picture, alright. "But I'm nothing special."
"Y/N, sweetie, what are you talking about? You know everything, who's supposed to be where, what we're doing, when we come and go – that's practically a superpower right there. Don't downplay yourself."
The laughter came out dry and humourless. She had to be kidding. Being organised and good at puzzles wasn't exactly rocket science. And besides, I didn't even have a good memory. Without my trusty calendar and phone I'd be running around like Hei-Hei.
"Appreciate your confidence in me, but I don't think so, Nat," I countered and repeated: "Please don't tell him."
She sighed. "I won't."
I tilted my head and put on my best mom-voice. "Promise me."
Her shoulders slumped forward, and she lifted her hand in the air. "I promise I will never tell James Buchanan Barnes about your crush." There was a small pause. "Partypooper!"
"Who's a partypooper?"
I yelped and spun around, looking into Tony's smiling face. "Oh my god, Tony, I mean, Mr Stark." Why did he have to be so stealthy? A big, flashy guy like him ought to be required to announce his arrival with trumpets and drums. Through my galloping heartbeats I noted the glasses were new though, and wondered what kind of new tech they really were. They suited him.
He smirked. “Not the first time a lady has said that to me. But you didn’t answer my question.”
Exhaling, I closed my eyes, just barely resisting the urge to pinch my nose – or maybe kick him in the shin as a diversion. This was going to hell with the express train. “No one. No one's a partypooper.”
“Really?” He turned to Natasha. “Nat?”
I shook my head vigorously, bringing forth all malice I had to my eyes, which I have been told is substantial.
"Y/N has a crush and –"
"Ooh, is it me?" He winked and wiggled his eyebrows.
That made me laugh. "What? Oh, god no." Then I immediately felt bad for my reaction.
"Okay, a little bit insulted, but whatever…"
"She won't let me tell Bucky that she's in love with him," Natasha continued as if she had never been interrupted.
Tony gasped, a look of absolute delight in his eyes.
It was as if the ground disappeared beneath me. A rush of adrenaline almost knocked me off my feet. "Natasha! You promised."
She shrugged and pointed at Tony. "I promised not to tell Bucky. Last I checked, that is not him."
This time I did pinch the bridge of my nose and exhaled deeply, then groaned silently. “Nat!” Even I could hear the desperation in my voice. “Sargent Barnes is a friend. Well, uh, a colleague. Of sorts. I do not -“
“So you didn’t just squeak and burst into flames when he came through that door, huh?” She pointed to the glass door with a grin on her face.
Yeah, this was definitely a torture-the-handler day. Though Natasha was right about my crush, of course, and I wasn't even sure it was just a crush anymore; it had lasted for far too long to be called a crush, I had to keep a professional relationship with all of them.
Truth be told I had had a crush on Bucky since the day we were introduced, but I remembered the exact moment I had fallen in love: it was a chilly spring evening about a year ago. The team had decided to go out to eat, Wanda had discovered a new restaurant downtown, and the food supposedly was to die for. I couldn’t remember what I ate, or if I even liked it, but I remembered the knitted cardigan Bucky wore, the one with the colourful pattern on it. It looked really soft, and I found myself longing to touch it. That wasn’t the moment, though. The exact moment that made me go “Oh shit!” was when I cracked some stupid dad joke, and Bucky unleashed his full laughter on me. Who knew that "Singing in the shower is fun until you get soap in your mouth. Then it's a soap opera," would be my doom? But the sound had stunned me, made me lose my voice for several minutes. If someone had opened my skull at that moment, the only thing they would have found was an empty space and a dial tone - my brain frantically trying to reconnect with my body. If I concentrated I could still hear the ringing in my ears.
I avoided him for a week afterwards - well, tried and failed; my work meant contact with the entire Avengers team at all times - but the mental distance hurt too much to keep up with it. Since then, I allowed the realisation to wash over me, causing me both joy and suffering. And I thought I hid it well. Not well enough, apparently, since Natasha sniffed it out. I resisted the urge to close my eyes and sigh again. However, I couldn’t stop my intestines from curling into a tight ball. She had brought Tony into this after all.
Tony’s eyes shone. It had been a long time since any drama unfurled in the compound. He was practically starved, and this… This was delicious.
Looking between them, I knew this wouldn't end well. "You know what? I'm gonna go set up the briefing. Room 705. Thirty minutes. Don't be late." Fishing the phone out of my pocket, I sent a group text to everyone with time and location. In afterthought the wording in the text might have been a tad too harsh, threatening bodily harm if they were late, but the start of the day warranted some sort of reaction leaking from my brain. I locked eyes with Natasha. "Not. A. Word!"
She nodded, but the grin never left her face.
Tony watched me frantically push the elevator button, and I caught him whispering, not knowing I could still hear him. Or maybe he didn't care. "So what's your plan?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you have a plan? You're the resident match-maker here, aren't you?"
Nastasha let out a small laugh. "Do you know why she refuses to do anything about it?"
Tony nodded. “Because she’s professional and a bit afraid for what the people at the top are going to say?”
“No. Well, probably that too, but she thinks Bucky is way out of her league. Something about him being a superhero.” She snorted.
“What?” Tony let out a barking laugh. “Why? Bucky’s like the most timid ex-assassin you can find. I mean, he’s basically a cup of soft serve covered in salt and liquorice."
“I know. We gotta get them together. So, uh, are you in?”
“Uh, yeah! What’s your plan?”
The room finally sealed itself around me and I heard nothing else than the back of my head banging against the mirror wall and F.R.I.D.A.Y. cheerfully announcing what floor I was going to.
Half an hour later I had to step out for a bit to fetch a new cable to the projector, and when I got back, almost everyone were seated. My chest hollowed when I spotted Tony and Natasha sitting together, looking very conspiring indeed.
The urge to either run from the room or break them up rose in my throat, but instead I pulled up a chair next to Sam and focused on my breathing. He was one of the most calming people on the team, and I shamelessly used him as a shield.
Other than the small scare in the beginning, the morning briefing went without hitch. Agent Hill presented the upcoming missions, and I marked my calendar accordingly. Apparently SHIELD had detected a new terrorist group forming in northern Europe, and needed eyes.
Natasha was a given, she could go undetected for longer periods of time, and could take care of herself if necessary. Of course, Clint would come with her. They were an amazing team together, and he would probably go anyway, even if he was assigned to another task. It was better just to let him.
Steve and Sam would step in if it came to that, but would have to keep under the radar until they were needed. Bucky would travel to Europe with the others, but I knew he would set off alone the minute they touched ground in Stockholm. He worked best alone, or so he claimed, and anyway it would be an advantage to spread out. Still, I made a note on my pad to make sure he had everything he needed, and then some. Who knew where his road might lead him.
Bruce and Tony would work together to develop a better algorithm for the surveillance. So far, the terrorist group had evaded SHIELD's best efforts to pin them down. I was actually surprised to learn they didn't even know their name, which made me suspect something big was coming.
The rest of the team was assigned to other, smaller missions, scattered across the States. That way they could easily be reassigned if the situation escalated in Europe.
During the meeting, I kept an extra eye on Natasha and Tony. They sat next to each other, and though I thought I saw them passing notes a couple of times, I didn't want to bring any attention to it. The rest of the group looked oblivious. A sigh of relief escaped me, and Natasha looked up. She nodded imperceptibly towards Bucky, who sat with a bored look on his face and a discarded towel by his feet.
I narrowed my eyes and shook my head, trying my best to stop my ears from buzzing. Suddenly aware of every molecule in the air and trying desperately to ignore the intense weight, I focused all my attention back on Agent Hill’s presentation. Still, Bucky’s presence lingered in the back of my head, and together with the imminent threat from Natasha and Tony, I felt like I was sitting on explosives.
When Maria finally closed her laptop and turned to Director Fury, everybody got up, chatting as if the meeting had been a regular parent-teacher meeting and not a brief on a possible terrorist organisation on the rise.
“Can you believe that people will do things like this?” an agent asked as we all filed out of the room.
“Well, faith is a strong persuader,” I replied with a shrug. “Some are willing to go far for what they believe in.”
“Yeah, but they’re wrong,” the agent continued.
“They’d probably say the same about us,” Sam said, and I nodded.
“There are always two sides to the coin. If not more.”
“But -“
“And then it’s up to us to figure out what to do. We have to look at the big picture. Not everyone is capable of that.” Sam tilted his head with a look of disappointment in his eyes.
The agent huffed and hurried off with a look on his face that either said that he was constipated, or that being schooled by a member of the Avengers was too much for a Wednesday morning.
“Not sure he saw the big picture, Sam.” I shook my head and smiled.
“Don’t think he could. Better hope he doesn’t get promoted soon.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. He’ll be on desk duty for years still. And I guess you have a little desk duty yourself right now?”
“Well, actually… I was hoping you could do me a favour.”
Uh-oh. That sounded ominous. “Of course. What can I do, what do you need?” My voice rose to mimic the retail job I had before I got lucky enough to join SHIELD's training and ultimately land my dream job.
Sam grimaced. "I gotta go to Louisiana. Just a short trip, couple of days maybe."
"Shit, don't think Director Fury would be too happy about that right now, not to mention the rest of upstairs. You're supposed to be on silent duty until you leave for Sweden."
"Yeah, I know that, it's just… Cass and AJ has been asking me to come visit. And Sarah's getting sick of their nagging. Also, I sorta promised on the phone yesterday. Didn't know there would be a world crisis today."
Smiling softly, I hid the urge to smack my face into the wall. This was going to take a lot of explaining and string-pulling. He was supposed to go no-contact for the duration of the mission, but I hated disappointing the boys. And Sarah was a good woman. She didn't deserve being let down, even though it technically wasn't Sam's fault this time.
"Sam, you're such a softie," I said after some consideration. "Go. I'll figure something out. Just be back before the weekend, okay? And –"
"Yeah yeah, and I'll come in at once if the situation escalates before we're scheduled to head out."
I gave him a crooked smile to disguise the trouble he had just handed me. "Sure. But I was gonna say bring back some of that pecan pie. I've been dreaming about that since last summer."
Sam let out a loud laugh and kissed the top of my head, melting my nervous soul to a gooey puddle. "You're the best. Thanks."
"Fly safe."
"I always do."
"Really now?"
"Oh so that's how it is, huh?"
"That's how it is. Say 'hi' to Sarah for me."
With a short wave, he took off down the corridor, leaving me quietly screaming and already doing the mental gymnastics to find a solution.
***
Departure time was in two days. Everyone was on edge, trying their best to prepare for any eventualities, both inconceivable and expected. After a short meeting with the departure crew to share the last pieces of intel, I felt empty and tired. Missions always affected me more than they should. These people were my friends; if anything were to happen to them, my world would collapse.
Apparently I wasn't the only one feeling a bit drained. No one was in a hurry to leave, and the conversation was hushed and weary.
"You know what we need?" Tony said loudly, slicing through the silence and winking to Natasha. He thought I wouldn't notice, but I did, and the suspicion grew in my chest. What now?
"Pizza!" they said in unison. "We should gather everyone, before we all go."
Tony nudged my arm. "My treat. What do you say?"
Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head. "…sure."
"Oh, don't be like that. We all need good pizza. Especially today, what with all this rain. Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y., you know that pizza bakery up the street, the one with the chicken one. Order pizza for everyone. Remember the one with pear, brie, and white sauce. Have it delivered to the lounge."
That did it for me. If he ordered my favourite, I'd be damn sure to eat my part. "When?"
"Uh…" He looked at his watch. "Noon. I'll send out a ping. Don't worry about it."
"Thanks. I do have a ton of things to do to make sure you guys don't die on this trip." I tried to keep it light, but now that the thought had settled in my mind, I had to fight off the tears. It was a miracle I managed to keep the tremble from my voice.
An hour later I tripped over the doorstep to the lounge, surprised to see it was empty except for Tony and Natasha and a huge stack of pizzas. "Where is everybody?" The door clicked behind me, sealing the silence in.
Natasha shrugged. "Late?"
At that moment the door opened again and Bucky sauntered in with a mischievous smile on his face. "Gimme the pizza and nobody gets hurt."
"Jeez, Buck. Remember your manners. There are ladies present." Tony grinned, but opened the top box and helped himself to a slice.
Bucky snickered and rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Y/N," he said with an over-the-top flourish. "I hope you can forgive my insolence." He gestured towards the pizzas. "Ladies first."
My heart did a somersault, but I managed to keep it cool on the outside. "Insolence forgiven," I replied, swallowing a hiccough that lodged itself in my throat, before taking a plate and sifting through the boxes until I found the right one. Loading my plate, I sat down, sinking into the soft cushions. Only thing missing now was some candles and a drink, and I'd be set for the day.
Natasha gave Tony a pointed look. Two minutes later he picked up his phone and half jogged out the door. That was odd. Tony never jogged.
I looked between Natasha and the door, the pizza forgotten halfway between the plate and my mouth. She looked anywhere but at me, but was saved from a confrontation by her phone ringing. "Gotta take this," she muttered. "Can't prepare enough for the trip." She smiled apologetically and left the room. That was a lie, of course. She had full control; all intel was already read and destroyed. And if something new had come up, I would have been notified too.
Suddenly the plate felt heavy in my hand. Maybe it was naïve, but I had expected Natasha and Tony to respect my wishes; after all I had made it absolutely clear that they should leave it, hadn't I? Their amusement and entertainment wasn't worth being an inconvenience to Bucky.
"What's going on?" Bucky asked when the door clicked behind Natasha.
"I… I don't know," I lied haltingly.
Bucky shrugged. "Oh well. Might as well catch up on some paperwork before the flight too. See you later." With one slice between his teeth and another in his hand, he left the room with a friendly wave.
"Sure. See you." I spoke to his back; the glass door had already closed behind him. The lump in my throat grew. Even though Tony had ordered my favourite pizza, I no longer had any appetite. My mouth was dry, and it was a struggle to swallow. In a fit of frustration, I kicked the table, smacking my toe in the process. The pizza slice slid from the plate and landed on my thigh. "Fuck!"
"Ooh, pizza!"
I spun in my seat. Steve had just arrived, and that made me feel a little bit better at least. He was always a laugh.
"Where is everybody?" He looked around and spotted my moping figure, holding an equally sad slice of pizza. "You okay?"
"I guess," I replied, trying to smile and failing miserably. "Everybody else left. The mission, yeah?"
"Right. I thought everything was planned and okayed."
I couldn't bring myself to fill him in on the situation. If he didn't already know, it was nice to have someone neutral by my side. "Yeah, I don't know."
Their scheme was becoming clear; making Bucky spend time with me alone. But it was a failure. Even he thought it was awkward, and he obviously didn't want to be alone with me. Not that I blamed him. If I was him, I'd do the same.
I glanced at my watch. 12.30. Just then Sam, Bruce, Wanda, and Vision spilled into the room, heading towards the pizza like a herd of hungry goats. Slowly my appetite returned too, and half an hour later the blow to my heart was a painful memory pushed to the back of my mind by excellent pizza and wonderful friends.
Later that day I ran into Tony on the way to the garage. He tried to slip past me, but had to stop when I blocked the door, arms crossed over my chest and puffing myself up as much as I could. "Seriously, Tony! What did you expect to happen, huh? That I'd just throw myself in his arms because we were alone? Because newsflash: I've got both self-control and decency. Do you really think I've never been alone with him before?"
At least he had the decency to look thoroughly chastised, and he mumbled something inaudible I thought maybe sounded like an apology.
No way he was getting away with a tiny one. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."
"It was Nat's idea," he said, trying a smirk that didn't work at all.
"I very much doubt that," I replied, dragging a hand over my eyes. "Do I have to call Pepper? I didn't think so," I added when he shook his head. "Do better! Now excuse me. I have a lot of work to do to ensure you actually don't die on this mission." With a final, exaggerated frown, I turned and marched out of the room, ignoring the samba in my chest.
Part 2: Eel infested waters
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Marinette: Stone Cold
Ok so i love this prompt but it took forever to get to. And as soon as I did its like suddenly I was swamped with everything. So frustrating. But I finally finished it. And I love it. @vixen-uchiha
Marinette was six-years-old when her parents died in a car crash. She had been at school when the vice principle, Mrs. Valmontes, stopped by and pulled her out of class. The little black haired girl had known something was wrong instantly as Valmontes had smiled just a little hard at her and much more gently than what she was known for.
Still, she had been really surprised to see Office Raincomprix, her classmate Sabrina’s dad, waiting for her in the principle. Marinette always thought he was really nice; always jolly and quick to lend a hand to the teacher at the end of the day if he got to class early to pick up Sabrina. However, he too, seemed rather despondent when Marinette entered the room. His partner, a rookie named Lorna, looked really sad too.
They took her down to the station where she was led to one of the back offices. Sabrina’s dad waited with her there. And then woman name Susanna LeFlont, who Marinette would later learn was a grief counselor. Then they told her.
Susanna held her as she cried and begged and called them liars, until she couldn’t cry anymore. And then they gave her a stuffed animal, and said they would try calling her relatives to pick her up.
They came back an hour later, saying they got ahold of her parents’ emergency contact…
Marinette’s Uncle Jareth Dupain.
She had frowned when they said his name because to her he had never been Jareth Dupain. No, he was always her cool Uncle Jagged. So it took her a second to remember that his real name was Jareth Dupain-Stone, her father’s younger half-brother. Marinette even briefly remember her dad mentioning having to change their emergency contact after his mom, Gina, passed away a few ago.
He was only 20 when Marinette born and he was always a budding Rockstar so he wasn’t around too much. And 6 years later he was the biggest rockstar in the world. Still, that didn’t stop him from rushing to the police station, Penny hot on his trail, and pulled his sweet niece into the biggest hug he could.
Jagged took his niece to the hotel room to get her settled and had Penny go back to the bakery to get some of her things. He didn’t think it was a smart idea to take her there yet; not when the wounds were still so fresh.
Still as the twenty-six year old Rockstar stared at the small form cuddled up to Fang, he realized for the first time that he was all Marinette had in the world; the only family she had left. The only family he had left.
So he knew, despite the lawyers taking days to contact him regarding who Marinette’s guardian would be, that it was him. Jagged was the person Tom had entrusted to protect and watch the most precious thing he had the entire world; his daughter. And he wouldn’t let his brother down.
Tom had always been the best big brother anyone could have. And when Jagged’s own father, Tom’s Stepfather (as tom’s own father had suffered a heartache when Tom was a teen), had walked out, Tom had stepped up. He showed Jagged, who was still called Jareth at the time, how to be a man. He believed in Jagged’s rockstar dream when Jagged didn’t even believe in them himself.
Jagged would do right Tom, by Sabine; he would do what they would do if the situation was reversed and they were given Jagged’s kid to care for.
He would raise Marinette as he own. And though he knew would never come close to being the father that Tom Dupain had been…
Jagged would damn well try to be.
…
…
Jagged Stone, Shattered Roses, Nightmare’s Hail Mary, Unmasked Dragon, True Born Rejects, and Emancipated Mirrors were some of the biggest rock band in the world. Whenever, they went on tour together, they were the epitome of what people thought Rock Stars were. They were loud. They partied all night. Groupies hung around everywhere. To them, it was paradise. When all the bands were invited to go on the Kings of Neverland tour, with Jagged Stone headlining, they expected very much the same as they were used to. Jagged always had the most Rockin tour bus. His parties were legendary. They came to expect it.
However, when Neon Savage (front man of the Shattered Roses), Austin Knight (Leader of Unmasked dragon and lead Guitarist), and Niklaus Bane (Lead vocalist of True Born Rejects) showed up with beers and all other sorts of alcohol the day before their opening concert for the tour, they came across something very unexpected.
Or rather someone.
A little Asian girl with pigtails in her Blue hair, a tiara on her head, in a rainbow tutu paired with a black too large Guns N Roses shirt, her hand on her hips, no shoes, and a rather large crocodile next to her.
“What’s with the ballerina?” Austin asked. He had dyed silver hair done in a stereotypical emo style, grey eyes, and too many piercings. He was slim and tall.
Niklaus sighed in relief, “Oh good, you see her too!” He had curly blond hair, dark brown eyes, and wore mostly black. He had ripped jeans and a red tie. The tie was as red as the whites of his looked. “Why is your hair blue?”
“Because Uncle said I could,” She answered and pointed a figure at them, “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Savage scoffed, “You got that twisted, kid.” He was a bulk guy, with long dark hair, and a severe expression on his face. His arms were covered in tattoos. He played in a metal band, and it was obvious. “Where’s your mommy?”
“Dead,” The little girl said bluntly. “I live with my Uncle Jagged now. This his tour bus, and you’re not supposed to be here.” She glared at them. “Fang, Stranger Danger!”
What happened next was a bit of a blur. One minute they were fine, the next they were being chased around Jagged’s tour bus by a rather vicious crocodile while pint-sized twerp laughed.
Lucky for them, their yells for help were overheard by Penny and Jagged who had been working in back, “What’s going on?” Penny asked as she ran in.
“Mates, what the h. e. double hockey sticks is going on?” Jagged asked right on his assistant’s tail.
Austin, who had jumped on top one of the shelves, gave Jagged a confused look, “Better question; what the hell did you just say?”
“Ooohhhh! There’s five bucks for the swear jar!” The little girl taunted.
Jagged glared at rockstar, “Watch it! A Kid’s in the room!”
Savage glared at his longtime friend, “Who the fuck do you think set Fang on us?!” He cast a dark look at the crocodile. “Stranger danger my ass! I’ve known you sent you hatched, you overgrown cheap pair of boots.”
“That’s ten buck for the swear jar!” The girl said.
“Ten bucks?” Austin frowned. “Kinda of steep for just two swear words.”
“I swear to God-” Savage growled but was cut off.
“Chill, mate,” Jagged said. “This is my niece Marinette.” He gave her a loving smile. She beamed up at him brightly. He had been taking care of her for a year now. “I told ya about her.”
“You didn’t say she was Satan!” Austin whined. Fang had bitten him, the slowest of the three, quite a lot, and he had a giant hole in his jacket.
“I’m not Satan,” Marinette huffed. “I’m a ballerina, princess, Rockstar on my way to a tea party with Duchess Rosy Sparkles, of the Unicorn Fairies. And guess what, you’re not invited!”
“Oh that’s just mean,” Niklaus complained.
“She sicked a mini dinosaur on us,” Savaged hissed.
“Yeah, well, now she hurt my feelings.”
Jagged sighed. The guys were some of his closest friends, and by the look up the “entertainment” they brought, they were ready to raze it up like always. But things had changed. Jagged couldn’t be that guy anymore. “Marinette’s staying with me from now on,” He reminded them. “No parties on the tour. She has a bedtime. And doesn’t need to see “us” at our finest, no matter how Rockin we are.” Jagged shrugged. “Spread the world, my bus is off limits.”
The rock stars grumbled a bit but didn’t leave. They could hang with Jagged without presence of booze, weed, loud music, and groupies. It would be a little weird but they’d managed. Jagged was their friend; they’d known him before any of them became famous and stayed close well after. They hadn’t been there for him as much as they wanted to after Tom died; too many commitments, too many required appearances in different countries that had taken them away. But they were there now. And if being there for one of their best friends meant regularly chilling with a six-year-old, then they’d deal.
Savage grunted, “Austin, get rid of the booze.”
“By ‘get rid of’, I assume you meant put back in my tour bus,” The silver haired guitarist corrected.
Niklaus raised his hand like he was a student in class, “I get the whole no alcohol thing; that stuff will kill ya. But what your feelings on pot?”
Jagged just sighed. It was going to be a long summer.
The three musician, and even the other Rockers on tour, slowly but surely got used to the seemingly near constant presence of a six-year-old around Jagged or running around backstage. And the swear jar was a serious thing. It didn’t count when they were singing on stage but off it and anywhere near Marinette and they found themselves forking over five dollars for ever swear word. It added up a lot. And quickly.
Jagged’s tour bus, instead of being the Party palace it used to be, now was the chill zone. It was also the cleanest of all the tour buses. No empty beer bottles everywhere. No one random passed out anywhere. No having to watch out for throw up. No rabid fans, as Jagged had increased his security to Tony Stark worthy levels.
All they had to do was mind their manners and remember that Marinette was very impressionable at her age.
“OH screw you!!!!!!” Savage roared as he jumped up and frantically mashed buttons on his controller. “I’m not losing!”
They had been babysitting Marinette all day while Jagged did an interview Buzzfeed.
Austin snickered, “Says you.” His character raced past Savage’s. Only for something to hit him and send poor little Yoshi spinning out of control. “Did you- did you just blue shell me, bitch?” He hissed at Niklaus.
“Nooo!” Niklaus said sarcastically. “Hey!!! Not nice, brat!” He told Marinette after a banana caused him to slip off the ice.
Marinette smiled easily, but there was a determined look in her eyes. Her hair was jelled into a faux-hawk courtesy of Ashley Crimson, from lead singer for Emancipated Mirrors, an all-girl punk rock band.
“Die, scumbag!” Ashley roared as her racer zoomed by. She was a vivacious redhead. Her and her bandmates got used to being some of the only girls around that weren’t either working for one of the rock stars or were scantily clad fangirls who do “anything” to get backstage.
“You’re going down, twerp!” Savage told Marinette.
“Bite me!” She snapped back just as Jagged and Penny walked into the tour bus.
Jagged crossed his arms, “What did you morons do to my sweet little niece?”
“Nothing!” Niklaus, Ashley, Savage, and Austin chimed together.
“Savage taught me to throw a punch, and or kill a man.” Marinette smiled happily. “I helped Austin set up a glitter bomb in Nightmare’s Hail Mary tour bus. Niklaus and I are banned from Chuckie Cheese. Ashley and I spray painted her ex boyfriend’s car. Cleo and I got arrested. We disturbed the peace!!” Cleo was a pink haired girl who played drummer from Nightmare’s Hail Mary. She had to rush off for her own interview. “Oh and we’ve only been Playing Mario kart for an hour but they each owe like a hundred bucks to the swear jar.”
There was silence as the words were processed.
“And not one of us taught her how to keep a freaking secret?” Ashley face palmed.
Jagged just sighed.
…
…
For the next few years that was Marinette’s life. Austin, Niklaus, Savage and Ashley became pseudo Uncles and Aunt to Marinette.
She spent most of her childhood on tour with her Uncle; going from to place, concert after concert. Marinette was homeschooled and didn’t mind it. Jagged went on tour with a bunch of different people over the years and she got to meet all sorts musicians; Clara Nightingale, Ed Sheeran, Adam Levine, Brendon Urie from Panic! At the Disco, Taylor Swift. Her favorite were the award shows though. Through them, she got to meet all her favorite actors. And was inspired to start designing on her own clothes after seeing so many fabulous looks. She got to model and do some acting. In her free time, she ran a very popular fashion blog/youtube channel.
The press had always loved her. To them, she was Marinette Stone (Jagged didn’t want her real name released to the media). She was always on the best dressed list, frequently seen with various celebrities, and could be found on the cover of various magazine.
However, when Marinette was eleven, she begged her Uncle to let her go to school with other kids. She was getting older and she wanted to have some type of normal childhood. It took him a year to agree. Her uncle Jagged had become quite protective over the years.
So Marinette went back to Paris. She cut her hair, used her given name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her Uncle bought a grand penthouse not too far away from her new school, and whenever he was gone her bodyguard, a sweet woman named Harlow who was former CIA, was in charge of her. She started at her new school with a smile on her face.
Not long after, she became the hero Ladybug.
Everything was great. She had friends, a normal social life, went to school with other kids her age. She wasn’t constantly being followed around by paparazzi. She still ran her fashion blog and had frequently updates. It was perfect.
It took two years for it to go bust.
The reason’s name was Lila Rossi.
And she was the biggest liar Marinette had ever met. And Marinette had grown up in the entertainment industry.
Lila made wild claims that the other kids just ate up. A simple google search could refute all of them. The ones Marinette could stand was always about Jagged. Like her Uncle, or an airline, would be reckless enough to let a kid race on to an airport to save a cat; not that Jagged had ever own one. Fang was territorial.
Lila made her out to be a bully, and slowly Marinette lost all her friends. Her only one left was Adrien, her partner Chat Noir. The blond and Marinette had modeled together a few times and he had recognized Marinette despite her new looked but he kept it a secret. Because of their history, Marinette developed a crush on the other and Adrien was quick to lose his crush on Ladybug once he found out it was his dear friend behind the mask.
When Marinette was exiled to the back, Adrien was quick to join her (much to Lila’s fury) and nothing could change his mind. Mostly because he was sick of Lila always touching him despite his vocal protests, and Bustier not doing anything about it.
Soon Marinette things started being messed up or destroyed; her homework, her sketchbooks and pencils, her jacket. She was tripped and called rude names. Her cellphone, (Well one of her phones. She had two; one she used as Marinette Stone. One for Marinette Dupain-Cheng; a number only her classmates had.) was filled with mean texts.
Bustier caved to demands and had her excluded from class trips and events due to being a negative influence; again Adrien decided not to go either, and Lila was Akumatized once he said this. Marinette hadn’t been surprised. Bustier always ignored the bullying and harassment clearly happening in front of her. Still, Marinette decided to start recording her classes a hidden camera on her desk, on the corner of the celling and even on top of the whiteboard behind Bustier. It was just in case anything took a serious turn.
Still losing all her friends because of a few promises and dreams of glitz and glamour had been a wakeup call. Her Uncle had warned her. Her Aunt Penny, who Jagged had married with Marinette was ten, had warned her. So did Savage, Ashley, Cleo, Austin, Clara, and Niklaus. They told Marinette to watch out for fake friends and gold diggers, coattail clingers and desperate wannabes; people who would sell out every secret she had to the paparazzi behind her back just for five minutes in the spot light. So called friends who would do anything to get ahead, to get famous.
And it was clear that’s who most of her ex-friends were. Even Lila learned the hard way. When she told Alya about her mom meeting with some important celebrity about their Go Green initiative, this wasn’t a lie as it would turn out. However, the glasses-wearing girl posted it online, despite Lila legitimately asking her to keep it a secret. Lila got in big trouble with her mom apparently.
The teacher, Bustier, was awful but she always had been. Marinette ignored it in the past because at least she had her friends. But if that witch told Marinette to be a better example one more time, it was over.
Everything came to a head after Marinette got expelled, granted she was brought back after evidence that it was impossible for her to have cheated surfaced, and the bluenette decided enough was enough. She finally gave in and told her Uncle everything.
Jagged was pissed. He cursed up a storm; enough to fill the swear jar ten times over and buy Marinette a car.
It took a while to get him to calm down. And to convince him that Marinette could handle it. She had a plan.
Still, she remembered that Uncle was a wild card.
Friday, during lunch, Marinette was eating in the cafeteria, when suddenly the lunchroom doors burst open, “Marinette,” Jagged called as he entered, trailed by a happy Penny and bodyguards “Where’s my favorite little fashion designer?”
Marinette just sighed.
Adrien smirked at her; looking way too amused. The jerk must’ve known. She had thought it was strange that he wanted to eat in the cafeteria. The two rarely ate on the school grounds, opting and preferring to go to local restaurants rather than deal with terrible food and pesky classmates. Still Marinette didn’t mind as long as they away from her classmates. And they did.
Kagami, Aurore, and Claude gave her perplexed looks.
The students in the cafeteria went wild. Girls and guys screamed, and tried to get pictures. Jagged ignored them and went straight to Marinette’s table, walking passed where Bustier’s student at lunch. Alya shook Lila’s shoulder and pointed at Jagged, and loudly asked if Lila could get her an interview. Lila looked horrified.
Jagged beamed when he reached Marinette, “There you are, you’ve been ignoring my texts,” He accused. Which to be fair, Marinette had been. Her Uncle had been coming up with way too many revenge plots to be healthy. “I decided I need a new look for the VMAs; something rockin, something tasteful, something to show remind the world the amazingness that the Rock Gods have blessed them with.”
“I’m at school,” Marinette told him.
He smirked, “Then Learn to answer a text,” The Rock star shrugged. “But fine; we can talk later. How about at my concert, yeah. You and your friends” he motioned to the kids at Marinette’s table, “Can have backstage passes. We’ll talk then. But I really want you to wow me. Maybe get a matching hat for Fang too.”
“Fang?” Adrien asked innocently. Still Marinette could practically hear see the script he was reading off of. “Is that your cat?”
Jagged gasped as if insulted, “Cat? Do you think I’d ever own anything as ordinary as a cat? Me? Jagged Stone?! I should be insulted, mate. I hate cats, always have. Never owned one, never will. Fang’s a crocodile. Marinette’s knows. Fang loves her.”
“That is strange,” Kagami shot Marinette a smirk which caused Marinette to nearly hiss at the betrayal. Kagami knew too?! “Lila said you did.”
“Lila?” Jagged asked. “Who’s Lila? I don’t know a Lila.”
“Lila Rossi?” Aurore offered. “The Ladyblog practically swears in an interview that Lila Rossi saved your cat from being hit by a plane or something.”
Jagged scoffed, “What a loud of bull! Any journalist that believes that is not worth the pen they write with.” Gasps were heard. “But I heard that rumor. Didn’t know where it was from. Thanks for letting me know who I should sue. This Ladyblog and Lila Rossi will be hearing from my lawyers.”
It was a photo finish as to who fainted first; Alya or Lila.
Lila went home right after that. This caused the reactions of the class to be split. Half the class still defended Lila; refusing to believe their golden ticket was lying. The other half was ready to burn her at the stake; they had carried her books, done her homework, wrote her notes, nearly everything for her.
Marinette just sat back and watched with amused eyes. If they thought this was bad, they hadn’t seen anything yet.
That weekend Marinette Stone released a video on her blog about bullying. She had been mentioning her own trouble with bullying for months and people had asked her for more information.
The title of the video was:
Bullying Stone: The Expose
In it Marinette revealed that at her school she went by Marinette Dupain-Cheng, her real name, and had a new look. She told about how much she liked school at first. And they what changed; that it all started when a new girl arrived and started telling lies about celebrities about Marinette. She told the story of how she was expelled; and just how many procedures were broken when it happened.
Marinette used the recordings she had of class, and even showed up the horrible texts she got.
“As you can see the teacher does nothing,” Marinette frowned. “It’s all happening right in front of her and she does nothing. In the next video, you’ll see someone being sexually harassed, in front of the teacher and she doing nothing about it. And then what victim blaming looks like. Again, as a reminder, all these videos and pictures are unedited.” She had offered to blur Adrien’s face but he declined, and even appeared in the video too and talked about his own experience.
At the end of the video, Marinette looked straight at the camera, “Anyone can be bullied; famous or otherwise. If you’re being bullied; speak up. Tell your parents, your Aunts, your Uncles, your siblings, your cousins, teachers who you know will actually do something about it. I waited too long to tell someone. I regret that. They thought what they were doing was hurting me. They thought I’d be miserable without them. They thought I’d cry and break and come crawling back to them. They thought wrong. You can bully Stone but it takes a hell of a lot more than that to break it.”
The video went viral in an hour. And people were angry. The people who knew Marinette and loved her were beyond furious. Jagged, even more so, as he hadn’t seen the videos before, read the texts.
Marinette Stone’s phone blew up with texts and calls. She was tweeted and retweeted thousands of times. And she got far too many, ‘You want me to kick their asses for you. I can kick their asses for you,” texts. But she had known she’d get them.
The Ladyblog was ripped for lies by celebrities who been lied about on site and fans.
Gabriel Agreste, Adrien told her, was pissed about what had been happening to Adrien, in front of a teacher no less. Lila Rossi fired. And if Lila ever had dreams about working in the fashion industry, they were over.
Savage, after berating her for not kicking Lila’s ass, told her he and the gang (Austin, Cleo, Ashley, and And Niklaus) was coming over for some Mario Kart and artery clogging fast food.
When the call disconnect, Marinette got a text from him.
Why did you sic Fang on them?
And that’s a five for the swear jar!
Marinette couldn’t stop laughing.
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What are the (Willy’s) crew’s personalities?
Jerry : In the first place he seems kind, friendly and fun to hang around, but when you know him, he is narcissistic, egocentric and manipulative. But he can be worried and he cares for his crew. He is also the kind of "boomer dad", like, bad jokes, always bothering... things like that.
Tony : He is an adorable shy smol bean, he is really emotional, even a drama queen sometimes. He is really kind, he doesnt really have a bad side tho, except he is pretty anxious and, since his trauma and his accident, he get schizophrenia, so sometimes he seems lost, and sometimes things he says doesn't have some or any sense at all. For the killing part, he just hallucinate his abuser or just someone looks like him, so he kill them and his whole family.
Fun (sad) fact : He get a car crash accident at a young age, that have get both of his hands broken, but with time he could use them again. But, when he is anxious, his hands shakes, and he can’t control that unfortunately, and when it is, Rafael is here to calm him down and take care of him.
Rafael : Such a flirty man. But a good guy too, really cool and fun to hang around, his English is not really perfect, but his strong accent makes it cute. He likes talking about Mexican culture, food, and language. He is really high for a Hispanic and have heterochromia, it makes him pretty special. Even if he is charming, but like everyone he have his dark side, he have some obsessional and jealousy issues, I can tell he literally a yandere. If he loves you, he will make sure you belong to him. He is overprotective too, if you dare mess with Sophia, Tony or even Camelia, he’ll make sure you see death as soon as he can, like Tony’s family abuser and Sophia’s ex boyfriend. Or he just kill for pure pleasure, he get his sadism since his father’s death.
Fun fact : He likes cooking, so sometimes he makes food for the crew in the end of the day, or for special case at the restaurant like “Mexican or Taco day”.
Other fact : His “flirting” and “charming” part, made him have an illegitimate child.
Oliver : Really active. Too much active even, you’ll be sure that kids would be exhausted at the end of the day with them. There is a kind of rivalry between them and Rafael, so just imagine a kind of “Cowboy vs Mexican fight” in the restaurant with kids (yeah I imagine that Ozzie it’s kind of Cowboy them or something like that). They have ADHD, so sometimes they forgets things, like, which table they have to serve right now. As for the killing parts, they have some kind of impulses, if they want to, they will.
Fun fact : He is from Louisiana, so cooking is his thing too, sometimes him and Rafael fight (again) for who will cook or who will cook the best-
Fact again : He is in a Polyamorous relationship with Tony and Rafael (argh yes I think about this ‘love hate’ relationship), so he gets in and out whenever he needs.
Sophia : The pretty girl, and the pure feminist of the group. She is awesome with children, she would play hide and seek in Sara’s forest, which she is extremely good in it. She is also Rafael best friend (I just can’t stop thinking about her bringing Rafael to shopping and she makes him trying dresses and things like that lmao). She is also really attractive, so she use that to kill cheaters, liars, and toxic men.
Fun fact : She would go see Rafael when she doesn’t feels great (like with her toxic boyfriend), he is her confident.
James : Mmmh the « always angry British » guy, he is the tsundere of the crew, like literally. He get flustered easily. He drink, even too much. So just imagine when he is at the bar with one of the member of the crew, or he even when there is a kind of party night (with the crew of course). But, he is cool, he likes talking and being in calm places, he loves medieval history too. Kills part, well, it’s mostly when he is extremely drunk, or really angry. He have angry emotional problem.
Camelia : The mom of the crew, she is sweet, but she have the serious mom mood, like if you dare to take a cookie without asking, you’ll get a rolling pin hit from her (mmh Rafael ? Yes, he get many hits, but he is high enough to run away easily). She can get dark tho, she is pretty manipulative, if a family isn’t great with her, she will drug them or put toxic products in their foods.
Fun (even cute) fact : She is a mom to Rafael, since he left his biological one at a very young age, she became quickly the mother figure to him.
Henry : The dad one, he is like a sweet dad, he is pretty serious, in his work and personal life. He gives good good advice to the young ones (so Sophia, Raphael and Oliver).
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Love and Medicine ~ 7
MASTERLIST
< previous chapter
Word Count: 4,400ish
Summary: Clint has feelings. You try not to cause too much drama at work.
You immediately began avoiding Steve after Gamora caught you two in the car. You need not need her, or anyone else, thinking that you were sleeping with him to get ahead. Having no desire to get ready for work, you laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, as your alarm buzzed.
Outside in the hall, Clint was nervously walked towards your door with two cups of coffee.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just ask her out?” Valkyrie suddenly asked, popping out of her room.
“Ah!” Clint jumped, slipping the coffees on him. “Val!”
“She’s right, ya know?” Scott added, stepping out of his room. “Just ask her out. It’s not like it will be awkward when she tells you no.”
“I hate you both,” Clint grumbled. He leaned into your door, able to hear to slam on the snooze button for the third time. “She’s gonna be late.”
“Maybe not.”
“We should wait for her.”
“Definitely not,” Val shook her head. “I’m not her mother, and you are not her boyfriend.”
“Not yet, anyway,” Scott added.
“Stop, both of you, okay?” Clint said, frustrated. “I told you I’m not interested.”
“Life is short, Clint,” Val said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Do you really want to die before you ever ask her out?”
“I do not want to ask her out.”
“Do you really want to die a liar?” Scott said.
“I’m not… I’m not dying.”
~~~
From the parking garage, you rushed towards the building. Late for work. As you wait for the elevator, you see Steve coming toward you.
“Crap,” you mutter.
“Crap?” Steve repeated, having heard you.
“Hi. I’m late.”
“Hi, late. You’re avoiding me.”
“You’re right. But I can’t do this right now. I’m late.” You hurried towards the stairs, only for him to follow you.
“Okay, but are we going to talk about this?”
“No.” You marched up the stairs.
“About us and Gamora and what she saw?”
“I don’t need to talk about it. I experienced it. Naked.”
“This is getting complicated.”
“Complicated for me. Not necessarily for you. I’m the intern sleeping with the attending. Gamora isn’t even speaking to me anymore!”
“Not that, that’s a bad thing. If I was a better guy, I’d walk away.”
“Yes, you would.”
“Do you want me to be a better guy.”
“Yes. Now,” you reached the level of the locker rooms, “I’m late. Please leave me alone and get to my job.” You opened the door. Steve caught it, keeping it open as you walked away.
“Take your time! Think about it!”
“Think about what?” Tony asked, walking over to Steve. He looked to where Steve was looking, watching her rush down the all. “Ooohhh… I get it now. Well, at least she’s talking to you.”
“The date go bad with Pepper?”
“It didn’t go at all. I was pulled into a surgery and completely forgot about it.”
“Yikes.”
“I think I’ve blown it.”
“Me too, Stark. Me too.”
~~~
“That was definitely worth being late,” Natasha sighed as she put on her pants.
“Thanks,” Bruce smiled shyly, doing the same. “Is this a… should we talk about this?”
“Yeah,” Natasha slipped her shirt on, “definitely. Just, I’m late.”
She rushed out of the on-call room and straight to the locker room, where you were getting ready.
“You’re late,” you stated.
“So are you,” Natasha responded.
“I know, and I can’t afford to piss off Gamora any more. Do you think she told anyone?”
“About you and Captain McDreamy?”
“Yeah.”
“No, he’s her boss too.”
“If they find out, what can they… Can they kick me out? Or—“
“No…. Well, I don’t think officially. You'll just get edged out, blacklisted, banned from his surgeries, passed over for chief resident. It’ll be humiliating, but you’ll live.”
“I have to end it. I definitely have to end it… I have to end it, right?”
“Y/N, shut up.” Nat headed out of the locker room.
“What?” You chased after her. “Did you seriously just tell me to shut up?”
“Oh, please. You got a hot doctor who like to make you open up, and say "ahh." It's the American dream, stop whining about it.”
“No. No good can come from sleeping with your boss.” You two arrived in front of Gamora.
“Natasha, you’re late,” Gamora stated, unhappy.
“So is Y/N,” Natasha replied, pointing at you.
“When we walk in this door, you will maintain decorum,” Gamora continued, ignoring Nat and you. “You will not laugh, vomit, or drop your jaw. Are we understood?” She walked to a door.
“Why would we laugh?” Val asked quietly.
“Oh, just you wait,” Peter replied.
The interns followed Gamora into a patient room. On the bed, there was a heavier woman with an extremely large tumor bulging out fo her side.
“Good morning, Miss Anderson,” Gamora greeted.
“Good Morning,” Miss Anderson, the patient, replied.
“What is it?” Scott whispered.
“Tumor,” Nat responded.
“Good morning, Millie,” Peter smiled, walking around to the other side of the patient’s bed. “How are you? This is Dr. Gamora and some of my fellow interns.”
“Dr. Quill, we refer to patients as ‘mister’ and—“ Gamora began to reprimand.
“I old him to call me Millie,” the patient interrupted. “Miss Anderson makes me feel old and fat, which I am, but why have to feel that way?”
“Good morning,” Dr. Banner greeted upon entering, eyes lingering on Natasha a beat too long.
“Millie, this is Dr. Banner,” Peter stated.
“Dr. Quill, give us the run down.”
“Millie Anderson is a 43-year-old woman who presented last night with progressive shortness of breath fo the past three months. Found to have a very large tumor of unknown origin pressed against her diaphragm. Stable vital signs. Scheduled for CT this morning, sir.”
“Thank you, Dr. Quill.” Banner turned to Millie. “Are you at all claustrophobic?”
“I’ve been housebound for the last year,” Millie replied. “How claustrophobic could I be?”
“Alright then. Dr. Valkyrie is going to take you up for a CT. It’ll give us a better look at the tumor, and we’ll know how to proceed.”
“Could someone tell my dad? He’ll worry if he gets back and I’m not here.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“And would it be possible for Peter to take me instead? I mean, he… he’s just so fun to look at.”
“Millie,” Peter laughed, clearly trying to gain favor.
“Sure,” Banner said. “Sure, Miss Anderson. Excuse me.”
Dr. Banner left the room, with Dr. Gamora and the interns following.
“How much do you think it weighs?” Scott asked.
“60 pounds,” Clint answered.
“More,” Val said. “She’s carrying a whole extra person.”
“This one’s going in the books,” Natasha said. “I’ve got to get in.”
“I almost did,” Val glared at Peter.
“I was on call last night when she came in,” Peter said. “I’m never leaving this place again.”
“Let’s move, people,” Gamora said. “Miss Anderson’ surgery, should we choose to proceed, will take most, if not all, of the surgeons off the floor. Which means you people will have to work extra hard not to kill anyone, cause we won’t be there to fix your mistakes.”
You and the others listened to Gamora’s orders while Natasha slipped away to talk to Bruce.
“I really want in on this,” she whispered to him.
“I thought we weren’t talking,” Bruce replied, eyebrow up.
“I’m not talking. I’m just saying.”
Bruce sighed. “Find her father, get a family history, and I’ll tell Gamora.”
~~~
“I know you both think I like Y/N,” Clint stated as him, Scott, and Val walked up the stairs. “But I don’t like Y/N.”
“What?” Val questioned.
“No. I like Y/N. Obviously, I like her. She’s my roommate. I just… I don’t have a thing for her.” Scott and Val shared a look.
“Okay,” Scott said.
“It’s just this morning… I know you two were probably just teasing. But I don’t want you to say anything like that to her. Because, you know, we live together and that’d be awkward.”
“Clint, stop talking,” Val ordered.
“Okay, then… It’s just—“
“Seriously, dude,” Scott stopped in front of Clint. “You’re making this all worse. Just stop.” Scott peered behind Clint where you were making your way towards them. “Or you could just be honest with yourself and us and ask her out now.” Clint looked back to see you almost there.
“What are you guys standing here for?” You asked. “We’re going to be late meeting Gamora.”
You and Val continued on your way with Scott watching Clint watch you.
“Liar,” Scott muttered, shaking his head.
The two guys caught up with you and Val. The four of you met up with Gamora in another patient room. Inside the room, a man is trying to walk but was having difficulty. Steve was also in there and a younger woman.
“Morning,” Gamora greeted.
“Mr. Jones, this is Dr. Gamora and her fine staff of surgical interns,” Steve introduced. Steve, yourself, and Gamora all exchanged glances.
“Welcome to hell, kids,” Mr. Jones stated.
“Who’s presenting?” Gamora asked.
“Edward Jones,” Clint stated, “is a 63-year-old man admitted for pain management for Dyskinesia. He's been stable since last night, and responding to the bolus injections.”
“Val, possible treatments?”
“For Parkinson’s disease?” Val questioned. “Um, deep brain stimulation has shown—“
“Not for Parkinson’s,” Steve clarified, “for spinal pain.”
“Oh, um…”
“Instraspinal catheter,” you stated. “That way, he can have constant pain medication.”
“Excellent,” Steve smiled. “This is Dr. L/N. She’s gonna prep you for the procedure and assist.” His pager beeped, causing him to look down. “Excuse me.” He left.
“You make yourselves busy,” Gamora said, following Steve out. “I’ll catch up with you.”
She followed Steve to the elevator. Where they end up alone.
“Gamora,” Steve greeted.
“Excuse me?” She responded.
“Well, that’s your name, right? It’s on your jacket.” She wasn’t impressed. “Alright, fine. Dr. Gamora then.”
“You think you're charming in that talented, neurotic, overly moussed hair sort of way, good for you. But if you think I'm going to stand back and watch while you favor her—“
“I don’t favor her. She’s good.”
“I’m sure she is.”
“You know, can I point out that, technically, I'm your boss?”
“You don't scare me. Look, I'm not going to advertise your extracurricular activities with my intern. However, the next time I see you favoring Y/N L/N in any way, I'll make sure she doesn't see the inside of on OR for a month. Just for the sake of balance.”
~~~
“Okay, Mr. Jones,” you said with a smile. “We're going to get you more comfortable, okay? I'm going to go downstairs and I'll be back up shortly.”
“Okay,” Mr. Jones responded.
“Okay.”
You left, with the younger woman from the room following you out.
“Excuse me,” the younger woman called out, causing you to turn your attention to her. “I’m sorry, doctor…”
“L/N,” you smiled.
“Dr. L/N. I’m Lucy, his daughter. My dad seems to like you. He’s always liked your type. Is that rude? I’m sorry. I’m so tired.”
“Is there something—“
“I was wondering if you would talk to him.”
“About?”
“Brain surgery. The doctor mentioned it, and I've read about it online. If it worked, it could help with most of his symptoms, not just his pain.”
“Is he a candidate? I don’t—“
“He is, but he's afraid of it. Surgery on his back, he can understand, but his brain...And there are risks. But his quality of life…”
“There isn’t any.”
“And, it keeps getting worse. I'm getting married next month. I already lost my mom. And I want him to walk...I want him with me. Maybe that's selfish, but...you don't know what it's like having a parent...Watching him…”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.”
You immediately left in search of Steve. You watched outside a room where he was talking to Gamora and Banner about Miss Anderson.
“Dr. Rogers,” you called as he walked out. “Mr. Jones, the Parkinson's patient, is he a good candidate for DBS?”
“Yes,” he replied, “but he’s not interested.”
“Okay, but I think it's worth talking to him again, pushing him.”
“We're talking about a brain surgery that is performed while the patient is wide awake, a risk of paralysis, a risk of death. And, the patient doesn't want it. It is not my job to push him into anything and it's definitely not yours.”
“Okay.”
“And since you’re clearly uncomfortable with my decision in this case, it's probably best you don't scrub in.”
“But—“
“It’s a minor procedure. You won’t be missed.” This took you by surprise. “I’m good here, Dr. L/N.” With your mind reeling, you walked away. Steve turned to Gamora, who had been watching. “You know that you’re a bully, right?”
“So I’ve heard,” Gamora replied.
~~~
You and Val were sitting in a corner of the cafeteria, eating lunch.
“It's just that he blatantly favors me in front of her and then blatantly dismisses me,” you complained to her.
“How do you know he was favoring you?” She asked, which you didn’t answer. “Look, you've got a brain. You got into this program. Just because Rogers wants to munch your cookies doesn't mean you didn't deserve what you worked for.”
“But he’s making me look bad. I have to end it.”
“Right.”
“It’s over.”
“Sure.”
“Is it true you get to scrub in on that tumor?” Peter asked Natasha, appearing out of nowhere with Val. They both sat down at your table.
“Don’t sit here.”
“You get to scrub in?” Val repeated. “How psyched are you?”
“On a scale of one to ecstatic, ecstatic.”
“It’s unbelievable,” Peter complained. “You know what I think? I think Banner wants to get into your scrubs.”
“Why are you sitting here?”
“He kicked me off that surgery for the same crap most of you pull every day.”
“You know what.” Natasha held up her fork. “If I stuck this fork into his thigh, would I get in trouble?”
“Not if you make it look like an accident,” you answered.
“Hey!” Clint greeted, coming up with Scott.
“Thank goodness,” Peter exclaimed. “I’m drowning in estrogen here.”
Clint sat down next to you, studying you. “You look… is everything okay?” He asked you.
“Rogers is a jackass,” you muttered.
“Really?” Val questioned. “I think he’s kind of great.”
“He reamed her out in front of Gamora,” Natasha said.
“Why?”
“Cause he’s a jackass,” you repeated.
“Well, bad days are… bad,” Clint said. “Maybe tonight, uh, if, you know, if you drink alcohol, I mean… we could, all of us, I mean, go out and rink alcohol… because of the bad day.”
Your pager beeped. “I’ve got to go.” And you left.
“Dude,” Peter laughed at Clint once you were gone.
Clint groaned and rested his head on the table. Scott panted his shoulder while the others laughed.
~~~
Steve had called you to Mr. Jones room. You stood near the door, watching.
“How’s your back?” Steve asked Mr. Jones as he checked him over.
“Still good,” the patient responded.
“Good.” Steve turned to Mr. Jones daughter. “How are you? Good?” She nodded as he turned his attention back to her father. “Can you lean forward for me? I just want to check something. Does that feel okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Right here?” Steve pressed along Mr. Jones’ back. The man grunts slightly and Steve looked up, finally noticing you. “Mr. Jones,” Steve took his hands off the man, “have you given any more thought about the other surgical options we discussed this morning?”
“What? Why would I? I already told you no. I'm letting you cut into my back, but that's not enough for you. All you guys ever want to do is cut.”
“Dad,” his daughter scolded, “just listen to what he has to say.”
“I already listened.”
“Sir, there’s a very small window of opportunity here,” Steve stated. “You know, once the Parkinson's progresses to a point of dementia, there's, you know, you're no longer a candidate for DBS.”
“And when I'm no longer a candidate, is that when you people will leave me the hell alone! What? Do I have to start drooling, and forget my name to get a little peace and quiet?”
“Alright,” Steve nodded. “I’ll check back with you later. Try to get some rest.” Steve left while you lingered a bit longer, just more in the hallway.
“Dad, you’re being unreasonable,” the daughter said. “The doctors are only trying to help you.”
“It’s my damn life, and it’s my damn brain,” Mr. Jones stated. “You want me to let them cut up my brain while I'm lying there awake, for what?”
“Dad!”
“I'll be at your wedding. I will sit in the back. Your uncle will walk you down the aisle. I know it's not perfect, but it's life. Life is messy sometimes.”
“I know that.” The daughter walked out and Mr. Jones looked at you.
“If she knows, then what the hell are we still talking for, huh? Why in the hell can’t she drop it?”
“It is your life,” you said, stepping further into the room. “But it’s her life too. And you have a chance to get better here. And all she's asking you to do is try.”
~~~
Mr. Jones agreed to the DBS. But you needed to hurry and find Steve, before the man changed his mind. You found him scrubbing in for Miss Anderson’s surgery with Banner and Gamora.
“Dr. Rogers,” you called.
“Yes?” He responded, looking over with his red, white, and blue scrub cap on and a mask.
“Mr. Jones has agreed to DBS. Only if we do it today. If he leaves, he won’t come back.”
“Don’t worry, Steve,” Bruce said. “It’ll take hours before we get around to the spine. I’ll page you.”
“Alright, then,” Steve said, shaking off his wet hands. “Let’s do it.”
Steve walked out of the scrub room while Bruce walked into the OR, leaving you and Gamora alone.
“Dr. Gamora. I didn’t know… I din’t know that he was my boss, when I met him,” you said. “I really didn’t know.”
“I don’t care,” she responded.
“Really? Oh, well, you sort of seemed to not be talking to me, so I—“
“You see this, what's happening right here? This is the problem with you sleeping with my boss. Not whether or not you know him before, but how it affects my day. And me standing here talking to you about your sex life affects my day. And the longer this little fling goes on, the more favors you get over the others, who are fighting tooth and nail just to make it through this program without any assistance. When those people start finding out what's going on and they don't want to work with you and talk to you or look at you, and they start bitching and moaning at me, the more it affects my day. So, no, Dr. L/N, I don't care what you know, or when you know it. Are we understood?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
~~~
“Neuro sponge,” a male nurse said, handing a sponge to Steve.
“How you doing, Mr. Jones?” Steve asked.
“Alright,” Mr. Jones responded.
“Drill bit’s charged,” the nurse announced.
“Where’s the girl doctor?”
“I’m right here,” you responded, stepping closer. “Can’t you see me?”
“I’m shaky, not blind. Anything goes wrong here, I’m blaming you.”
“Okay, in that case, I'll stay where you can see me. Now we just have to drill a hole and try to find the spot that controls the motor function.”
“You can't see my brain from there. Aren't you supposed to be learning something?”
“I’m good,” you grabbed onto his hand, “right here.”
“EEG waves look good,” the nurse stated.
“Okay, Mr. Jones. Just take a couple of deep breaths,” Steve told him. “Focus on the pretty girl. Okay, this is going to sound really scary, but try and relax. You shouldn't feel a thing.”
Then Steve began to drill into Mr. Jones’ head. After a few hours, Steve asked you to have Mr. Jones try and mimic you.
“Just keep trying, Mr. Jones,” you encouraged. “Mimic my motions. You can do it.”
“Oh, damn it!” His body was too shaky to mimic the motions.
“Take a breath and try again. The probe is almost in. You’ll know when we find the right spot.” Mr. Jones tries again, to find that he stopped shaking and was able to mimic you. “Well, how about that?” You smiled, though it was covered with a mask.
“There it is,” Steve said.
~~~
After the surgery, you and Steve brought Mr. Jones back to his room and met back in the hallway.
“I know you’re probably asking yourself why I took you off the surgery,” Steve said. “Gamora was on the warpath. I was trying to protect you.”
“You trying to protect me is why she's on the warpath,” you replied, the both of you heading down the hall. “You can't do me favors. You can't ask me to scrub in when I haven't earned it.”
“Okay, okay.”
“And you can't treat me like crap when I haven't earned that either.”
“Okay.”
“I can take care of myself. I got myself into this mess, and I’ll—“
“And you'll get yourself out?”
“I don’t… I don’t know that yet.” Steve’s pager went off as you arrived at the staircase. “Don’t let me keep you.”
“You did great work here today.” He smiled at you then headed off.
“Dr. Rogers,” you called after him.
“Yeah?” He turned around to face you.
“Sorry I called you a jackass.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did. Twice.”
Steve chuckled and continued on his way. Tony had heard and seen the exchange from behind. He came up beside you.
“You both are love sick idiots,” he said.
“And you aren’t?” You responded.
“Yes. But I blew it.”
“Dr. Potts will give you another chance.”
“How do you know? Did she tell you that?”
“No. I just know from experience.”
~~~
You decided to go to the OR gallery and watch Miss Anderson’s surgery. Peter was up there watching as well.
“Wow, it’s unbelievable,” you said, looking at the mess down below.
“Right,” Peter agreed.
“How did she live like that?”
“Watch what you say. You never know who's listening.” He looks down below, then laughed. “Look at Scottie. He looks like he's about to fall in.”
“Are you really as shallow and callous as you seem?”
“Oh, you want to go out for a drink later and hear about my secret pain?”
“Does that line ever work for you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Oh. Must be because you look like that.”
“Like what?” You laughed at him. “So is that a yes?”
“No. I can't. I’m… seeing someone.”
“Look, if you don't want to go out with me, just say so. No need to lie.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I don't want to go out with you. But I think I really might be seeing someone.”
Suddenly, Val entered the OR below. And you could hear everything that was happening.
“Mr. Collins, the post-op heart patient in 2114. I had to open his sternotomy bedside,” Val stated, almost panicked.
“You what?” / “What?”
Peter quickly left the gallery and you stood up to watch from the glass.
“He had cardiac tamponade. His chest films were clean this morning,” Val explained. “It just... It happened fast. He was in PEA. There was no time.”
“Go ahead,” Steve told Bruce. “I got it. We’re okay here.”
“Okay.” Bruce hurried out with Val.
“I need some retraction. Pull back on the retractor. And someone page Hill to help… Never a dull moment here at the medical center.” A blood vessel burst, suddenly, squirting blood all over Steve and Gamora. “Oh!”
“Oh!” Gamora exclaimed.
“Get right in there!”
“She can’t afford to lose this much blood. We need more blood.”
“Get me some suction here. I can't see what I'm doing. Clamp, clamp, clamp, please. Is there any blood in the rapid infuser?”
“We’re waiting on two units,” the female nurse stated.
“What do you mean, waiting?”
“Well, we didn’t anticipate this much blood loss,” Gamora replied.
“They’re on their way,” the nurse said.
“We prepped a double supply. We’ve used it all.”
“What did you cut?” Steve asked.
“Nothing. It just blew. She came in with too much damage. The artery walls are too weak. Ten units of o-negative.”
“I cannot see. Lang, give me your hand. Push right down here. Pull it towards you. Suction! Suction!”
“The pressure’s dropping,” a nurse stated.
“She needs blood. Where the hell is the blood?! Somebody grab that. Push it back, Lang. Come on.” Everyone is breathless as they move Miss Anderson more onto the table. “Oh, God. Just squeeze it off right there. Here we go… Some suction, please, in here, now. Come on. We're losing her now. Look at this. Look at this. Come on!” He started CPR, with the flatline of the machine going. "Oh, come on! Come on!” He continued with the CPR. "Come on!” After a few more times, Steve breathlessly stopped CPR. “Time of death is 11:42.”
~~~
Natasha found her way to an on call room after Miss Anderson’s surgery. She was stretching when Bruce entered.
“I'm not doing you any more favors,” he stated. “This was it.”
Natasha scoffed. “I've been holding up 50 pounds of tumor for the past 12 hours. My back's going to need traction, and the patient died anyways. And you think you did me a favor?”
“Look, I'm just… What is this… that we're doing here? What is it?”
“You need a definition? You really want to be that guy?”
He watched as she continued to stretch, then he locked the door.
~~~
You waited in the parking garage for Steve to leave the hospital. He walked up to you.
“I, um, know this place where they’re an amazing view of the sunrise and ferryboats,” you told him, pulling out some beers from your bag.
“I have a thing for ferry boats,” he smirked.
“I remember.”
He took a hold of your hand, leading you to his car.
next chapter >
NOTES: from now on the taglist when be added by a reblog. I will reblog it using my second account, @just-dreaming-marvel-2. Just so that my main page doesn’t get too cluttered.
If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.
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The Ambush
Existence in Real Time - Chapter 4
Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark! Reader
A/N: Hope you guys like this one, I would love feedback because I’m still a bit nervous writing action scenes so any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Love you guys so much, xx
Warnings: Mentions of blood
Summary: A night in takes an unexpected turn
Taglist
Regular Masterlist
Series Masterlist
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“I’m missing a piece,” (y/n) sighed, looking at the small pile of Legos on the table in front of her, “Did you steal it?”
Peter frowned, “We’re building this Death Star together, why would I hide pieces from you?”
“I don’t know, hubris maybe?” she sighed before peeking under the table for the missing piece, “Have you seen this one?” she tapped the picture of the missing piece on the guide in front of him.
He hummed, pursing his lips to hide his smirk, “Nope.”
“Are you sure?” she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
He nodded, “Yeah, haven’t seen it.”
“What did you do with it?”
“Nothing,” he chuckled, “You probably just dropped it.”
“I did not drop it, you stole it,” she accused, “Give me the Lego Peter.”
“I don’t have it,” he insisted, though his laughter was giving him away.
“You totally do!” she had begun to laugh too, “I thought we were building this Death Star together!”
“We are, I didn’t take it,” he continued to lie, “You just lost it. You ruined our Death Star.”
“I so did not, you stole it,” she peered over his work space, looking for the piece, “Where is it?”
“I don’t have it,” he insisted again, standing so she could search the area more thoroughly.
“I know you do, you’re a bad liar,” she glared, trying to reach for his hands.
He let her grab one, but held the other above her head, dangling the piece just out of her reach, “Oh would you look at that?”
“Give it,” she demanded, getting on her tiptoes to reach for the piece.
He laughed and shook his head, “No, I think I’m gonna keep it.”
“Peter!” she jumped to try and grab the piece, “Give it!”
He just kept laughing, wiggling the piece just out of her reach, “Ask nicely.”
“Ask nicely? You stole it,” she retorted as she tried to swat the piece from his hand.
He stumbled back to avoid her, but ended up falling onto the couch, “Hey!” he laughed as she leaned over him, trying to grab the piece from him still, “Get off me!”
“Give me the frickin’ Lego!” she had started laughing too, unable to really make an effort to fight him through her onslaught of laughter, “Come on, we’re never going to finish this Death Star if you keep messing around.”
“Kids,” Tony drew their attention, a playful smirk on his lips, “Do I need to separate you or can you share?”
(y/n) rolled her eyes and fell onto the couch besides Peter with a huff, “Peter’s a thief.”
“Well I’d love to teach Peter all about why stealing is wrong but Pepper is going to kill me if I’m late,” he glanced at his watch with a frown, “We’ll only be a few minutes away so you can call if you need anything and I’ll b-”
“Dad we are not bailing you out,” (y/n) cut him off, “Go be Pepper’s arm candy.”
“I am not Pepper’s arm candy,” he bit back, “Look these, things are miserable, and I’ll be stuck there all night, so just don’t hesitate to call.”
“We’ll be okay,” Peter assured, “Have fun arm candy.”
Tony shot his daughter a glare, “You’re corrupting him.”
She stuck her tongue out, which Tony mocked on his way out.
“Should we throw a party?” (y/n) joked, nudging Peter’s side with a smile.
“I think we should finish this and then go get some Thai food. That sounds much more fun than a party.”
“You’ve never been to a party,” she rolled her eyes as she finally snatched the Lego from his hands.
“I can’t imagine a party would be more fun than hanging out with you,” he hummed.
Her cheeks flushed almost instantly, “I’m not that special Peter.”
“Yes you are,” he knit his brow in confusion, “Of course you are, why wouldn’t you be?”
“I’m just me,” she shrugged, “The most special thing about me is my last name.”
Peter was taken back that she could think something like that, and as much as he wanted to pour his heart out and tell her how amazing she was, he didn’t really know how…
“Well I think you’re really special, and everything about you is special, not just your last name,” he blushed, “And I think anyone who doesn’t think that is fucking stupid.”
She giggled, “Thank you Peter, you’re really special too,” she glanced away from him for a second before leaning in and pressing a fleeting kiss to his cheek. She then moved back to the Legos, her normal smile overtaking her features, “So are we finishing this Death Star or what?”
He was stuck for a minute, stunned by the slight tingle left lingering on his cheek, left unable to move or respond. The sensation was nice, he’d never been kissed anywhere in any way, but the small peck on the cheek was enough to show him why everyone seemed to like it so much. It put butterflies in his stomach and made his heart swell with a sense of pride and warmth, but he doubted he would have felt that way if it had been anyone else.
“Yeah, yeah,” Peter cleared his throat as he snapped out of his trance, smiling before he moved to join her, “Let’s finish.”
。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆ 。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆
Peter and (y/n) returned from dinner just after dark, and Peter knew instantly that something was wrong. His whole body felt tense and all the hair on his body stood at attention, the same feeling he’d gotten the day the Avengers had broken into the lab. It was a sort of sixth sense that came from the experimentation that led to all his powers, though as far as he was aware it had been more of a side effect than one of his actual intended powers.
“Wait,” he grabbed (y/n)’s arm, stopping her from exiting the elevator, “Something’s wrong.”
She frowned, “What do you mean?”
“Something’s just wrong,” he frowned, “Just stay behind me okay?”
She glanced down at her phone, “I didn’t get any kind of security alert, I’m sure it’s okay Peter.”
“Something’s off,” he insisted.
“Well you can search the place if it makes you feel better but I’m cold and I have to pee,” she patted his chest before brushing past him, “Have fun.”
He rolled his eyes but did just that, heading first to Tony’s lab, assuming that would be the place for any sort of robbers to hit. It was empty though, and it was hard to tell if anyone had been in there since it was always a bit of a mess. He’d begun to more carefully inspect the room when he heard (y/n) scream. He went running from her room, the door was already open and she was pinned to the wall. It was the same man he’d seen in the video Tony had shown them.
“Get off her!” he snapped, tackling the man to the floor.
(y/n) stumbled a few feet away, calling for Friday to call her dad while Peter and the man began wrestling on the floor. Of course Peter had trained a lot in his life, but actually fighting was different. The adrenaline made his blood run cold and hot at the same time, and everything went so fast. Every swing was a blur, and he wasn’t even sure what his goal actually was. He’d just wanted to get him away from (y/n).
The man’s elbow connected with Peter’s jaw, knocking Peter off of him and allowing to jump back to his feet. Peter stumbled to jump back up and chase after him, but he’d already grabbed a hold of her again. Peter grabbed his shoulder, turning him around and punching him square in the jaw. He stumbled back into the wall and (y/n) took the opportunity to rip the mask off his face.
His hands shot to his face instantly, trying to cover himself, but Peter had already gotten a good look, he was certain he knew exactly who he was.
“Peter!” (y/n) attempted to push him out of the way but it was too late.
Peter was able to cover his face but the small, narrow, black blade sliced up his arm, allowing him to shove his way between them and out of the room. Peter swore and tried to chase after him, only to be stopped by (y/n).
“Peter sit down!” she snapped, her eyes wide and full of concern.
He clenched his hands, shooting a glare down the hall before allowing her to push him onto her bed, “I’m fine.”
“No you aren’t, you’re gonna need stitches,” she frowned as she examined his arm.
“I’m fine,” he insisted again, “I heal fast. Are you okay?”
She nodded, “He was just asking about passwords. Stay here, I’m gonna get a first aid kit.”
“(y/n) I’m fine,” he grabbed her hands, preventing her from walking away, “It’s not that bad, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she sighed, “Dad should be here in just a minute, I think it was the same guy from that video he showed us.”
“It was,” he confirmed, “I knew him.”
“From the lab?”
“Yeah his n-”
Peter was cut off by Tony, arriving in all his Ironman glory, “Where is he?” he demanded.
“Gone,” (y/n) stepped to the side so he could see Peter’s arm, “Peter got hurt.”
Tony removed his mask and looked over Peter’s arm carefully, “Well with his healing he’ll be fine, we’ll just wrap it. What exactly happened?”
“He was in my room when I got home, he grabbed me and started asking about your computer passwords. Peter tackled him and they fought for a minute, he cut Peter after I ripped off his mask, then he ran,” she explained, setting her hand on Peter’s shoulder, “Peter says he knew him.”
He nodded, “Yeah, it was the same guy from that video, I’d met him once before at the lab, his name is Harry. I don’t really know much about him, but his dad ran the place.”
Tony raised a brow, “Really?”
“Yeah, I don’t know his name, but Harry stopped by the lab once and I heard some of the guards talking about it.”
Tony pursed his lips, seeming to think some things over before nodding, “(y/n) help Peter wrap up his arm, I’ll be right back.”
She nodded and offered Peter her hand, “Come on.”
“You’re leaving?” Peter raised a brow, “What if he’s still here?”
“That’s what I’m going to find out,” Tony hummed, “You two just relax for a bit, I’ll clean this up.”
“Come on,” (y/n) tugged him along, leading him to the bathroom and making him sit on the edge of the tub while she fished out a first aid kit.
“(y/n) I can take care of it,” he assured.
“Peter your my friend, and when you get hurt I’m always gonna wanna help,” she explained before flicking the faucet on, “It’s just what you do when you care about someone,” she pulled his arm under the water, scrubbing the blood off as gently as she could, “You take care of them.”
“I know that, I want to take care of you too,” his cheeks flushed as he watched her wrap his arm with a bit of gauze, “But I’m okay, really, just as long as you are.”
She cupped his face and leaned over him, pressing a long kiss to his temple, “Thank you for everything you did back there Peter, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be overbearing or anything, I just worry about you.”
He looked up at her with red cheeks, swearing that every good thing on earth was hidden behind her soft smile, “You’re welcome,” he set his hands over hers, drawing them into his chest, “I worry about you too.”
She’d been very thorough in wrapping up his arm, and Peter had quietly watched her. He was sure he’d been fine in the morning, but the gesture was nice. They decided to wait in the living room for Tony to return, making quiet conversation until he returned almost a full hour later.
“I’ll let you kids go to bed soon, there’s just a few more things I want to ask about,” he turned to Peter, “Does the name Norman Osborn mean anything to you?”
He shook his head, “Never heard of him.”
“He owns Oscorp,” Tony continued, flashing a picture of the man to Peter, “Recognize him at all?”
“No, Oscorp sounds familiar though.”
“They’re one of the biggest tech companies in the world, most of their work focuses around chemical engineering,” Tony explained before pulling up another photo, “Recognize him?”
“Yeah, that’s Harry,” he nodded, “He’s got a few burn scars now, but it’s the same guy.”
“This is Harry Osborn, he’s Norman’s son, he’s been missing for about a year.”
Peter knit his brow, “I saw him at the lab just a few months ago, do you think they took him too?”
“I did, but I went over some of the files and sure enough, almost every piece of equipment we found at the lab was manufactured by Oscorp. We didn’t really think anything of it at first but… Well you said his dad was running the place right?”
(y/n) went wide eyed, “He was experimenting on his own son?”
“Maybe, I can’t say for sure yet, but that seems to be what’s most likely. Peter, do you have any ideas what kind of abilities he may have?”
He shook his head, “No, not really. I mean he was just as strong as me, and he had the same scarring both times I saw him so he probably doesn’t have any healing abilities.”
“Alright,” he glanced between the kids before sighing, “Get to bed, you two have had a long enough night.”
“Thank you dad,” (y/n) smiled lazily and stood herself up, wrapping her arms around her fathers midsection with a frown.
“I love you,” he replied, smoothing a hand over her hair before leaving a kiss in the same spot, “Now go get some sleep bug.”
“Love you too,” she squeezed him before turning to Peter, a tired smile hanging off her lips, “Goodnight Peter.”
“Goodnight,” he replied, watching her every step as she walked away.
He was nervous about it, he wanted to go with her and make sure nothing happened again.
“You should get to bed too kid,” Tony insisted, squeezing his shoulder, “Thank you for looking after her, what you did tonight was really brave.”
“Thanks, but I was just looking out for (y/n) really,” he felt his cheeks starting to burn again, “I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
“I know, but it was still brave,” he patted his back, “You keep that up and you’ll earn your own spot on the Avengers soon enough.”
next chapter
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The Helping Hand
Summary: Y/N Krast Illegitimate Daughter of Tony Stark. Product of an unwanted teen pregnancy. What would Howard Stark be capable of doing to assure his sons future? What will happen when Tony meets our Beautiful, young, genius, rich philanthropist.
Word Count: 3800 approx
A/n: Big steps today... Hope you enjoy. Also wanted to thank you all we've reached 39 followers. It is very much appreciated thank you for reading. Might post again this this week if not then next week.
Tw: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Drug use, Drug addiction, Teen Pregnancy. (If there are any I missed please tell me.)
Ch.9
Chapter 10: Civil War pt.2
Ch.11
"Why am I really here mom?" You ask still with your eyes closed. "Why don't you tell me… I know you don't want to go back." She says calmly. You can only sigh. "It's all going to hell, the team. I love them all, but they are tearing each other apart." She chuckles. You open your eyes and just look at her. "Well then why are you here with me instead of stopping them from tearing each other apart?" She teases. You change the subject. She lets you though. "My… dad? Did you love him?" You are not sure if you wanted the answer, but you asked anyway.. "Did I love him… tough question monkey." She contemplates for a while. "He was childish, and not in a cute way, at least not looking back… I used to love that about him." She looks back at you, her eyes connecting with yours. "He changed though… when we found out I was pregnant. We were scared and young… but he cared. More than I'd ever seen him care for anything else."
You can't help but tear up at her memories. Then the anger builds in yourself. "Then why didn't he fight for me?" Your sentence dwindles into a whisper. "Who told you he didn't… or that he hasn't?" Her words shut you up right away. She laughs at your confusion. "I'm assuming you're not telling me who he is?" She nods in agreement "It's not my place to tell you." Then again you ask another question. "Did he love me?" She looks down to you and smiles. "Oh… from the moment he first held you. You made the most peculiar sounds… and your tiny hands would grip our fingers" She sighs. "I wish I had more time with you then. I tried really hard… to stay awake." She clears her throat. "But I couldn't fight anymore… But you have to." You sit up looking at her. "I don't want to leave you alone." She shakes her head. "I'm never alone…" now it's your turn to shake your head. "Living your life vicariously through mine does not count." She laughs.
"I met Dave and Vivian" she mentions solemnly. You almost choke on your own breath at their mention. "They're here?" She nods enthusiastically. "They'll hear about this… one day you'll talk to them again." You groan. "Tell Dave… tell him that I'm sorry. Viv tell her that I'm taking care of all her sisters… all 5 of them." You chuckle. "Just tell them that I miss them…" She nods holding your hand. "God… you were supposed to make it easier to leave, not harder."
Tony sits at your bedside. "Why aren't you waking up?" He sighs. They've tried virtually everything and time was running out. "You can't leave me… you can't just waltz back into my life and die on me." He pleads with anyone who would listen. "You need to know that I'm your dad… you need to know that I'm your dad." He speaks into your hand. Your eyes wide open now. Having heard everything you instinctively pull your hand away. Soon you realize you can't breathe comfortably. It was an all around traumatic experience, tears soon started falling. Tony's initial shock prevents him from vocalizing your state. It isn't until Wanda walks in that she calls for a doctor. Tony stands in a corner watching you struggle with the doctors.
Soon the tubes are no longer preventing you from vocalizing your thoughts; you take advantage rather quickly. "Leave" is all you can say with your voice hoarse and devoid of any emotion. The only thing giving you away were the tears. "Y/n you need to hear me out…" you interrupt him. "I don't need to do anything… LEAVE." You grit out wincing in pain as the words leave your throat. Soon your vitals begin to increase at any alarming rate. Doctor's burst in again, ushering Tony out and sedating you. As soon as he walks out he is met by everyone's expectant gaze. "What happened?" Steve is the first one to speak up. "She found out… more like I told her right as she was waking up." Tony rubs his temples.
When you wake up someone is in the room you can tell. It's almost like you can feel them, without even opening your eyes you call out her name. "Nat?" You hear her walk towards you. You clear your throat. "He's- he's…" is all that comes out and she nods but doesn't say anything. That's when it all clicks. She wasn't looking at you… she was quiet, you only needed to look at her posture and you knew. You laugh. "You knew… didn't you?" Her eyes widened in surprise giving her away, except that it wasn't just her. "Oh… god you're all liars. You all played me. Im so stupid." Your laugh continues; it was cynical with tears rolling down your cheeks. "You're all hypocrites… You sit on your pedestal and preach trust and honesty…" You don't finish the sentiment. Sitting up and pulling at all the wires attached to your body. She reaches out for your hands but as soon as her hands land on your, you recoil at her touch. "Stay the hell away from me Natasha!"
You walk out the room leaving her behind using the wall to help you walk. You made it out to the waiting room and it just broke your heart even more. Their eyes on you, the pity radiating off them. Pietro can't even meet your gaze, much less Wanda. Steve took a cautious step forward, and when you didn’t step back he continued. As soon as he reached you he embraced you, everything came crashing down. The truth would have never hurt so much, and you still didn't know the whole story. You take this opportunity and ask Steve to take you to your room. He did as you asked the whole way there was silent until you made it to your room and he closed the door. “Y/n I’m so sorry…” you cut him off. “No you aren't.” you mutter quietly. It takes him by surprise and you take advantage of it. “You need to find him… you need to leave before you don't have the chance to anymore.” He can help but ask why. “Why are you helping me?” You turn to him, your eyes filled with unspoken words. “Because I care for all of you too much to stand by and watch you destroy each other. Leave now!”
“I need to take Wanda and Pietro.” He states and you nod. “I’ll send Clint for them later.” You can't help but to turn in awe of his statement. “Steve you can’t… you can't do that to his family.” You see the guilt in his eyes. “Tony has the government on his side.” Is all he says before he turns and walks toward the door. “Take care Y/n''. Before you know it you’re alone again with nothing, but your thoughts. Soon enough Vision comes phasing through a wall. “I thought you and Wanda talked about this.” You joke wiping your tears away. “Yes, well I thought you might appreciate the company.” He motions to your bed and you nod. He takes the liberty and sits down. “Y/n, I can't lie and tell you that I know what you feel. I comprehend many things, but emotions are the one thing I can't quite figure out.” He states matter of factly. “You played a crucial part in making me whatever it is I am, but what I'm meant to be is what you would say up in the air.” He mentions moving his hands.
“Vision you’re a highly intelligent being with access to all the knowledge you could ever need. I was a kid… a sick kid. His kid.” You state quietly. “I met my mom.” you speak up again. He looks at you trying to decipher what you meant. Your hands motion to your head. “Vision I think that I’m going crazy.” The words barely a whisper as they leave your mouth. “Y/n there are many things that we can't explain… You said this helped you in Vienna. Maybe it’s best not to question it now.” His eyes search for yours, and you nod. “We’ll be a pair of unexplainable beings.” you laugh lightly. Tony not so graciously bursts in as you're about to say something, Vision stands and nods at your direction, you let him go and Tony walks in. “I know that you're angry, and disappointed, and that you probably hate me… but I don't want you to hate me.”
“Yes, well you should’ve thought about that before you casually forgot to mention that You were my father for half a year. And that's assuming you just found out Tony. When did you find out?” He’s quiet at your question, which in turn answers your question. “How long did you know… how long did they all know?” You look at him shift in his place trying to regain himself, so you let him. “Not long after Sokovia… And I-i had my suspicions before that actually.” He states standing straight and looking into your eyes for any sign of emotions. “The team didn't find out until you had your first episode.” You could tell that he didn't want you to hate them too… Little did he know that that wasn't an option because you cared for them too much. “Is Maya Hansen my mother?” You ask taking him by surprise. “I-I um yeah she was your mother.” He says scratching at the back of his neck.
“Right, well I’ll be staying here for the time being. If that's okay with you of course.” Staying gave him hope and you knew that. Now you were lying to him using it as a weakness, all to help Steve. “Yeah, Of Course I can set you up with a more permanent living situation.” He says the excitement dripping in every word. You can only nod. “Hey.” You say as he’s about to walk out. He turns to face you. “She’s okay… and she doesn't hate you.” At first he didn't understand what you meant until he remembered what you said after your first episode. Right as he was about to say something you cut him off. “And for that matter… I don't hate you either.” You state quietly. “I’m hurt… I just need a little time.” He nods the light back in his eyes. “Can you tell the twins that I want to talk to them?” He nods and finally walks out of the room.
Although your words were true you couldn't help but feel guilty. Lying was something that you were not fond of, but neither Steve nor him will take a step back and think about what's best. If someone didn't step in they would kill each other… and whoever it is that comes out on top will never be the same. You couldn't let that happen so if that meant tearing them apart before they got the chance to kill themselves it’s a sacrifice you were willing to make. Then you heard a faint knock on your door and you knew who it was. “Come in it’s open” You say loud enough for them to hear. They walk in and they are a mess just spewing out words out of their mouths… and Pietro seems to be speed apologizing and you can't help but laugh. “We’re not talking about that right now you two… so you can stop doing that.” You say flatly looking at Pietro whose words were now actually comprehensible. “I’m assuming that neither of you have changed your minds on the accords?” You ask, raising your brows. Pietro nods in agreement, but Wanda's silence and lack of reaction are somehow louder.
“Wanda you want to share with the group?” You say confused giving Pietro a look and he just shrugs. “Wanda, you know that we cant sign those papers right.” Pietro asks. She shakes her head . “I’ve hurt people Pietro, maybe this is for the best.” You scoff. “Everyone in this compound has hurt people… Including me.” You turn to Pietro. “She has day two tops before Steve comes for you.” You say emphasizing the ‘you’ at the end. “I just don't want you to feel like you don't have an option, but Wanda you have no Idea what you're signing up for if you sign the accords” She nods. “That's what I wanted to tell you.” You nod and Pietro gives you a small smile. “Why are you doing this Y/n going against your father.” Hearing her say that sparks something within you guilt, anger, sadness. “Because neither of them are going to win, they are too blind to see that we’ve already lost what we value most... Each other.” Both twins are surprised by your honesty. “I’m just trying to preserve what's left.” She nods. “You signed the accords.” She mentions sadly. You nod, taking her hand in yours. “I don't have superhuman abilities, that can be used for bad.” Now you take Pietro's hand as well. “I will do my best to keep you safe. Tony might be my father, but he’s wrong. Take care of each other.”
“This sounds an awful lot like a goodbye.” Pietro quips sadly, you nod. “That's because it might be for a while. We have to keep this charade going till Clint comes for you both. Vision won't let you go without a fight.” You say. “To our luck we have something on your side.” You say smiling pointing at your chest. “I’m going to miss you both.” You smile and pull them both into a hug. They walk out. It's not long after that you hear steps outside your door but they never come in. So you sleep it off. Days passed and you haven't heard from Steve and you were starting to worry.
Then you walk into a busy bustling conference center Tony looks stressed. He looks up at you and he seems to take a breath. “Y/n are you okay?” He asks worriedly. “Some pain here and there, but I don't think it’s anything serious.” You state. “Where are you going and would you mind if I came?” You asked, he sets his phone down and gives you a look. “You um… You would like to come with me?” You take a seat next to him. “They captured Barnes and Rogers… along with his ragtag friend Wilson. We’re going to Berlin. Pack a bag we leave in 30.” You nod. “Where's Pepper I haven't seen her around?” He nods. “Well, um we’re taking a break. I told her I would walk away from all of this, but I can’t. This is me, not to say it's her fault it’s not.” You nod and give his hand an assuring squeeze. “She loves you, just let her know you love her too.” You say as you walk away.
The flight to Germany was rough… not only were you still tired from the surgery, but it was tense. Natasha and Tony were walking on eggshells around each other. And it seems that she is keeping her distance from you. You try to relax and sleep a little but much like your flight to New York nightmares plagued your subconscious. When you wake up you don't miss the looks that Tony and Natasha give each other. Then you remembered your mothers words, you closed your eyes again and tried to relax completely just when you were about to give up and you heard her voice. “This is where you use the gift that I gave you a while ago, look for the perfect opportunity.” Then it happens again "Zhelanie, rzhavyy, Semndtsat', Rassvet, Pech', Devgat', Dobro Serdechny, Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu, Odin', Gruzovoy Vagon." Those words. Followed by “Now is the time.” When you wake up Tony is now sitting next to you holding your hand. He goes to apologize, but you stop him and thank him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
After the plane landing Tony explains that he wants to talk to Steve alone you agree and take a step back. You follow Natasha to an empty surveillance room. “I want to apologize for the way I reacted when I found out.” You say when you sit down. “It was not fair for me to take out all of my anger on you.” You continue and you can tell that you fazed her, she was expecting the worst case scenario with you. So it’s not an understatement when she says that she was speechless. “I understand if you don't want to forgive me, or If you need time…” This is the part you weren't expecting. She lunges towards you and kisses you, her lips on yours and you freeze at the feeling. She pulls away hastily turning her back on you. You don't hesitate this time you pull on her arm back to where she was standing... and kiss her back this time your lips moving in perfect synchrony. It would be an understatement if you said that the kiss was quite literally magical.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.” You confess your forehead resting on hers. "And why didn't you?" She asks teasingly. "Well I was kind of waiting for that second date. I kinda have a rule." You say chuckling. In this moment you couldn't have been more happy. And there it is again that voice. "Natasha, Something is very wrong." Quite literally mirroring the incident in Vienna. When suddenly sirens are going off all around you. Your eyes meet Natasha's gaze… afraid of her reaction. "You have to tell me how you do that." She quipped making you laugh. Then you see The world renowned Winter Soldier in attack mode. Nat leaves you in the room going to fight the assassin that is endangering your lives. Almost as if it were instinct you hack into the intercom system and repeat the words that were seared into your memories. "Zhelanie, rzhavyy, Semndtsat', Rassvet, Pech', Devgat', Dobro Serdechny, Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu, Odin', Gruzovoy Vagon." You don't even have time to understand how it came out in perfect tongue. "Soldati."
You watch him loosen his hold on Natasha. The breath you've been holding is finally being let out. You see him mouth the phrase. "Ya gotov otvechat" Suddenly Steve and Sam are there and then the rest is a blur. You feel your eyes roll back and the muffled sounds of steps running frantically. When you wake up her eyes greet you, she was worried you could tell. Your eyes wonder her figure, and then her neck. The marks of his hands taking their toll on her. “Are you okay? What happened back there” She asks. “Sorry…” All you can mumble out your eyes pinned on the marks on her neck. She seemed to notice. She took your face in her hands forcing your eyes to meet hers. “It’s okay I’m okay” Is all she needs to say and you nod, leaning forward, and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. “I should’ve done something sooner.” Finally taking a look around you don't quite realize where you are. Nat seems to notice. “We’re at the compound… My room.” She mentions shyly. “How long have I been out?” She sighs. “A while, a couple of hours.” You nod apprehensively. “What happened after I blacked out?” You ask trying to remember what occurred in those hours.
“Well after your little speech on the intercom… he shut down. Whispered something along the line of ‘Ready to Comply’ then Steve and Sam took him from there.” You nod in relief visibly relaxing. Nat gives you a look. “I know what you’re thinking and it's not like that.” You state standing up. “My head tells me things… my mom tells me things. And I know that sounds fucking cynical but I'm telling you its true.” Nat tenses again her rigid exterior on again. “You said that last time.” She states bluntly. You nod slightly hurt at the fact that she doesn’t believe you. “Last I recall it also saved you last time.” She sighs but ultimately nods. “What side are you on? Because I’m having trouble believing that you are on my side.” She asks cautiously “That's because I didn't take a side Natasha, you knew how I felt about the accords from the beginning.” She’s quiet and you continue. “I’m trying to keep everyone from drowning” you take a deep breath. “I’m a pacifist Nat, and I don't want to fight with you… or anyone for that matter.”
She nods “Y/n, I have to go, can I trust you to make sure nothing goes wrong here.” You smirk at that. “D’you want me to lie to you?” You can see the amused look in her eyes. “No, we wouldn't want that now would we?” You shake your head in denial. “Well, in that case…” She cuts you off with another kiss. “We’re okay… regardless of what happens outside of that door. We can come back to each other right?” The last part was more a silent plea… to which you happily gave in. “I’ll be waiting for you.” She smiles genuinely and it’s truly a sight to behold, you feel honored to be the reason that she's smiling. “I’ll see you later then.” She states as she walks out of the room and you nod. As Steve had mentioned Clint showed up later that night. You didn’t have much to do with that by the time you’d made it down stairs. They were long gone. You could almost say the same for Vision, there was something about him now. “Are you okay?” Is the first thing that comes out your mouth. “Do you have reasons to suggest otherwise?” You shake your head. “I take it they left.”
When you finally left the compound… It felt great. Stepping away for just a minute was just what you needed. Unfortunately for you It wasn't long till you were dragged back in. It couldn’t have been three hours by when there was a knock at your door. The person standing on the other side did surprise you however. Pepper, it was her but something was different… She seemed sad. “Pepper, It’s nice to see you, what do you need?” You say while opening your door and moving to let her pass. “You need to help them…” It's all she says and you understand. “I’m trying Pepper, but they are too stubborn for their own good.” She nods. “How is he?” You take a deep breath. “He’s going stir crazy, but he's otherwise fine.” You state. “He does miss you.” She shifts her gaze, not completely comfortable. “He’s going to need you… I’ve had to do things that will hurt him. It’s going to hurt more when he finds out his daughter was working against him.” Now this made her look back at you, concern in her eyes. “He-he told you?” You nod and squeeze her hand. “I know where they are at...” It’s all that Pepper blurts out.
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Title: I wish i could forget you
Tony Stark was not supposed to be in the car when Howard and Maria Stark attended a Christmas holiday party for another company. In fact, Hydra had wanted him to stay home.
Unfortunately, Tony had ticked off Howard a bit too much, and so here he was in a tuxedo that was a bit too big, uncomfortably shiny shoes, and a temper that was close to blowing.
Thank god they were almost home.
When a car crashes, one almost can’t believe it. Tony can see the outside blurring, and he can hear glass crunching, and he hears things that he really doesn’t want to hear. He is fairly sure that Maria screamed.
A metal arm.
Huh.
Well, not the most typical. He also doesn’t think that the man knows he’s here.
Howard and Maria Stark are killed. Tony feels like shit because he couldn’t do anything. His forehead is bleeding and he didn’t want to move out of fear for himself, which seems selfish, but also maybe a survival instinct?
God, his bow-tie is still constricting air flow.
Once the man turns, Tony realizes that he wasn’t the target. They probably had no idea he was in the car, whoever “they” were.
He gets out of the car. The car door creaks, and the man whips around.
His eyes widen.
“You--what?”
The voice is surprisingly American.
Surprisingly? He’s not sure why it’s surprising, it’s not like an American can’t kill just look at history, but still, Kind of surprising.
"What, wasn’t supposed to be here?” Tony rasps out. He realizes now that he’s basically sent himself a death sentence as the man surges forward.
“What are you doing here?”
His eyes are piercing. Also very, very familiar with some photographs that Peggy has on her mantle and her desk.
James “Bucky” Barnes. Son of a bitch.
“What are you doing alive?” Tony asks. “I thought you were lost in a ravine in Europe somewhere.”
“What--huh?”
“Ravine. In Europe. You know who you are, right? Is this some kind of sick...what did they do to you?”
“I do not know what you are talking about.”
His eyes get cold again.
“Who are you?”
“I am the Asset.”
It is now that Tony realizes that every single shitty sci-fi book is probably right, and his disdain of “wacky science” and “magic” have all been for nothing, because here is Bucky Barnes, who apparently has no idea who he is.
Then Tony gets knocked on his ass. His body slams against the icy road, and Barnes is rushing towards a motorcycle.
And he’s alone. He can’t breathe, all the wind knocked out of his chest. He thinks he broke a couple of ribs.
-
No one believes him. At all. SHIELD brushes it aside.
“There’s no way Barnes could be alive. You were probably just seeing things,” they tell him. “Would you like us to find you a therapist?”
“No,” Tony says, and they ask why. He laughs, sipping on his water. “SHIELD has so much loyalty to itself, I’m afraid I’d be compromised.”
“Therapists aren’t supposed to divulge any information,” Nick Fury adds carefully. “And we’re a secret-keeping bunch. Nothing goes out that comes in.”
“Unless, of course, it’s necessary,” Tony drawls, staring at Fury. God, the leather outfit...that’s weird. “Then I’m out in the open, Nicky. And what fun is that unless I get to show off an outfit in full-coverage?”
“...I’ll have an agent escort you home. We’ll have guards overnight.”
“Don’t bother.”
“And why is that? Think you can handle it by yourself?”
“Fury, my family has made a career out of thinking a lot of things. You’re not being as detrimental as you think.”
He finger-waves, grinning and winking at agents on the way out.
-
Now comes paranoia. This is welcome, actually, because it’s allowing him to work up new security measures and hack into various security cameras around the world to see if he can find Barnes.
It’s like he’s a ghost. And fuck, maybe Fury was right. Tony doesn’t like that, but that may be it.
Merry fucking Christmas.
-
Years go by, and Tony keeps a tiny ear to any news about mysterious deaths that can’t be explained. A man that glows in lamp-light, has no identity. He’s not sure if it could be Barnes. God knows he’s no longer seventeen, and Barnes--it if it was Barnes--would be way older. He should’ve been an old man in 1991, but he wasn’t.
It kind of reminds him of the conspiracy theory that Walt Disney was kept cryogenically frozen, which is just ridiculous, because as far as he’s concerned, you’d need a bit more to you than just regular skin and bones.
And this is where it hits him.
Barnes was experimented on when he was captured by Hydra. Peggy told him that Rogers told her that he was repeating his dog tag number over and over, as if someone was trying to take him over.
Yeah, you’d need a bit more.
Like a fucking super soldier serum.
-
This then delves into Tony realizing that if Barnes is flash-frozen, then...well, could Rogers have survived? He always thought his dad was crazy, but a broken clock is right twice a week or however the hell that saying goes. He never used it, he wasn’t a broken clock.
(He was broken, but he’s not going to compare himself to a clock. Perhaps Model-T.)
-
They find Rogers. Tony realizes Howard did his math completely wrong for years, and probably never let anyone look at it because he was a World Super Genius. And a Colossal Dick.
Steve Rogers is one tough cookie to crack. Tony chips off some of the ice and puts it in a glass of scotch.
“Do you really think that’s the most appropriate thing to do?” Phil Coulson asks.
He’s shocked, but mainly because Tony has seen his Cap collection, and that man has so many limited edition cards and lunchboxes that it’s a bit crazy. But at least he knows how to decorate with it and not have it look like an absolute nutjob swept into his house and did it all in red-white-and-blue.
“Phil, my darling, when have I ever done anything the appropriate way?” Tony asks. He stares at the face that’s emerging out of the ice. “Besides, what else are you going to do with this ice, hm? Besides melt it all off?”
Steve is a miracle. Every scientist on earth wants to poke and prod at him.
Tony breaks him out of SHIELD in a week, because he swears to shit if one more scientist asks to take blood samples “to see how going under Arctic temperatures affects the bloodstream” (and also take DNA for cloning) he’s going to lose it.
Fury yells at him for two hours.
Steve flips Fury off from the couch, where he’s been channel-surfing for the better part of three hours.
“You’ve already corrupted him,” Fury scowls. “Rogers, we need to talk--”
“He’s retired,” Tony says.
(Steve is not, technically. Hasn’t said anything. But Tony is putting him on mandatory retirement for at least a year.)
“What’s...what the ever-loving fuck is that?” Steve asks.
An infomercial. For an automated chair. Mostly used for old people.
Tony grins.
“You wanna see how fast I can launch you out of one?”
“I’m going to say yes. Professionally.”
Ten miles an hour, and Steve goes flying across the room into a pile of pillows.
It’s not the end-all solution. God knows Steve calls him “Howard” and asks where a lot of nasty food is, and sometimes can’t tell the difference between what his brain is seeing and what is actually there.
But Tony gets him help. And Steve goes to art school.
It’s all very funny, actually. Steve rants about “modern art” and how “if he could kill any concept it would be abstract expressionism, what the fuck.”
Tony buys and then donates a Rothko in his honor.
Steve fumes, but finds it hilarious.
Then, there’s the attack on New York.
Norse god of mischief decides to end New York, blah blah blah.
Captain America reappears, everyone loses their shit, and Tony almost dies.
Then he gets four other roomies besides Steve, and he has to make a chore chart. Ugh.
-
Barnes reappears in France. Tony gets a fairly good image, and Natasha stills.
“You know about Winter Soldier?”
“Barnes? Yeah.”
“You know who he is?”
“James Barnes. At least, I think. He tried to kill me, wasn’t very successful at it.”
Steve overhears.
This leads to a chain of events that ends in Steve not coming to family dinner because he’d rather sit in his room and listen to Green Day or Glenn Miller or whatever the hell gets him even more upset.
“Listen, Steve, I’m sorry. But up until this picture? I was only about sixty percent sure I wasn’t full of beans.”
“Why is that the phrase you use?”
“What, full of beans? Bruce says I have to work on my cursing. Apparently, children are impressionable. Who knew?”
It’s not a total success. Steve still doesn’t like that Tony didn’t outright tell him, but Tony isn’t going to tell Steve that he has the mental stability of a single cashew.
So begins the hunt for Barnes. Which actually isn’t too bad.
He’s in DC. Not for any political clean-up, unfortunately. He’s trying to kill Fury. Tony doesn’t know why, at least until he looks up Pierce, who’s technically, mostly retired from SHIELD.
And yet still uses most resources that technically? He needs more than one authorization from multiple people.
God, people are getting bad at covering their tracks. Used to be harder to catch and see if someone was doing dirty deals.
(Okay, not like he can talk because Obie was...well, no use in discussing that now. He needs to focus.)
Nat and Steve are bad at lying. This kind of surprises him, because Steve is usually a successful liar. He’s convinced Clint that it’s not him who keeps eating his peanut-butter-fudge ice cream, but Thor.
And Natasha used to be Natalie Rushman. Then again, Tony was poisoned during that one, so that might just be on him.
-
Helicarriers go in the water.
Tony’s working on making sure most of the information doesn’t reach the general public, although he can’t stop it all.
Barnes falls off the face of the earth, and Steve wants to go on another treasure hunt.
“Let him come to us, or figure himself out.”
“This isn’t a college kid going backpacking in Europe for a year,” Nat snaps. “He’s...you know who he is, who he was, and what he can do.”
“Counterpoint: we don’t know if he secretly really wanted to see traditional decoration of Ukrainian Easter eggs,” Tony says. “God knows that I want to learn more about that.”
“Is everything a joke to you?”
"Only on federally mandated holidays,” Tony says with a shrug. “But let him be. Steve, it’s one thing that he didn’t kill you. It’s another thing that he hauled you up from the Potomac. I’m not sure I would’ve done that because who goes up alone to a helicarrier?”
“Historically nobody,” Natasha says. “Most people don’t have any helicarriers.”
“God, this situation sucks,” Tony says. “What if. We potentially. Ignore all of it and have spinach and artichoke dip? Hm?”
“With toasted bread?”
“I’m not an animal, Steve.”
“Your penchant for four a.m. coffee while you don’t realize you’re singing songs from the seventies says otherwise,” he responds.
“Well well well, if it isn’t the punishment of you getting the aux taken away for a week,” Tony taunts.
“Oh, come on!” Steve whines.
“Nope, just you having to listen to more of Bruce’s questionable tastes.”
“Fuck.”
-
Barnes comes stateside. The only reason Tony knows this is because Jarvis says that he may have spotted Barnes, but he’s not sure.
“J, you’re the most advanced system in the world, not to mention my son, and you like to hack into the Pentagon for funsies.”
“All of that could not have prepared me for this.”
Barnes is wearing a neon green tank top that is advertising Coco Beach in Florida.
“Can I laugh? Or is that sad?”
“Multitask, Sir.”
“Oh, true.”
-
Barnes is not in New York. Tony has to near-about put an electric fence around the whole state so that Steve doesn’t go on a road trip.
Hell, Tony doesn’t even trust him to go to coffee alone, but that’s a bit much.
“We have to wait,” Tony says.
Sam Wilson is a godsend. Also the funniest man Tony knows.
He is also emotionally healthy and very perceptive, so he has been noticing that Tony is nervous.
Because how do you face the man who killed your parents? Technically?
“Are you talking to your therapist?” Sam asks. “Just thinking you should.”
“Sam, we’re working on my issues from 2007. Believe it or not, it will be taking a full year.”
“I don’t like that I can never tell if you’re serious.”
“I know you remember the tabloids from 2007, I wrote a mesh vest. Clearly, I need so much help.”
Sam snorts.
“Maybe. Hey, I’ll catch you later. Clint and I are gonna go try and find some questionable shirts to crop.”
“Did his little protege convince you? Bishop, right?”
“Kate, yeah. She’s convinced our public image will go viral or something. Good luck with helping Steve and Nat with your super-soldier hunt.”
“Thanks. Let me know if you find a shirt with my face on it. I want it.”
Sam snorts.
“Will do.”
-
Bucky Barnes comes to New York in early May. The springtime is slowly but surely fading off, sun approaching more and more. Tony is enjoying coffee on a veranda, and then suddenly his waiter is nowhere to be found and he’s not entirely sure if his visitor takes credit or debit.
“Can I help you?”
“Maybe. Depends on if you’re gonna kill me or not.”
“I think Steve would be a bit broken up about it.”
“Do you care what he thinks?”
“On this situation? Yes. When it comes to culinary choices? No.”
There’s a ghost of a smile on his face. Tony’s trying extremely hard not to remember shattered glass and a motorcycle on ice.
“Can we, uh, table this conversation? For later. Espresso and all that, plus the added bonus of our shared history, so...”
“Shared history?”
“You don’t remember?” Tony asks. Bucky shakes his head. “Ah. Then this is truly a comedy of errors. Maybe. Um. Listen, I, uh...I gotta go. You need to talk to Nat or Steve or hell, maybe even Thor. Is Thor a good option?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Barnes, I can’t exactly face you right now.”
And then he jumps off a balcony.
A fucking balcony.
Jesus H. Christ, his therapist is gonna be so excited for their next session.
The suit wraps itself around him, and he can finally breathe, and he’s thinking about calling Pepper and see if she would like to schedule him a vacation for maybe anywhere but New York and Iowa.
“Why not Iowa?” Pepper asks. “They have good antique stores. I’ve gotten quite a few good finds for clothes.”
“I can do shopping retail literally anywhere else, absolutely not.”
“Spoilsport. Steve know you’re leaving?”
“I didn’t even really tell Steve what happened with my parents.”
“Oh, your therapist called. She sounded concerned, but also intrigued.”
“It’s because Sally almost became an employee of NASA and still has a soft spot for aerodynamics.”
“What exactly did you do when faced with Barnes?”
“Check the front tabloid page tomorrow, just tell everyone I’m out of town.”
“Got it. And Tony?”
Her voice is soft.
“Yes, dear?”
He can feel her rolling her eyes. Affectionately, of course, but rolling all the same.
“Be safe, and come back. You know Rhodey and I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
-
A week is spent in Malibu. He really is thinking about selling this place. But for now, it suffices.
Steve texts him.
bucky’s back. holy shit
be back in a week. radio silence.
got it. no more messages from me. thor tells me to tell you that he broke the sink
:((((
And that’s it. He’s sitting in the house for a week, has already called Sally once and explained how his suit works, and then listened to her talk about how “his reliance on the suit to help him escape unfavorable situations is not exactly the healthiest but also none of my clients have had to face someone who is of weird standing.”
It’s no secret that Tony doesn’t like Howard Stark. Who would’ve liked that sorry excuse for a father, a man who was so cold-hearted the Arctic looked like a tropical paradise?
Maria was...Maria was different.
She wasn’t a good mother. No, she was never a good mother. But she tried, and she didn’t deserve her fate.
And then there was the question of Bucky Barnes. Who wasn’t Bucky when he was there, but still so damn recognizable.
It’s kind of like when there’s a movie about a famous person, and another person plays them. Like Tom Hanks, essentially. Bucky played whoever the fuck they get Tom Hanks to play and it’s similar: you see the resemblance, but it’s not it.
So yeah.
There’s also the little tidbit that things get complicated when you involve personal feelings and rationality, and really? Tony misses New York. A lot. And he’s not going to let someone else overtake his life just because he’s uncomfortable.
So he flies back to New York.
-
He’s in a bad way, Barnes is.
“He remembered you,” Steve says. “What he did.”
“Ah, there’s that.”
“He doesn’t have to be here,” Natasha says. “I have a couple of SHIELD safe houses to choose from.”
“None would be adequate to house something like me,” comes the response.
Barnes looks remarkably shitty, as if he hasn’t slept in eighty years. And maybe he hasn’t.
“Jail would be more fitting.”
Tony rolls his eyes.
“You are literally the most dramatic person ever, and Bruce threatened to take over the government because Thor ate the last croissant. Put those on the grocery list, Steve
“We’re not gonna throw you in jail,” he continues on. “Not because you happened to be used as a goddamned Swiss army knife. I have issues, sure, but I’m not going to be going all Hannibal Lecter or whatever.”
“Who the hell is that?”
“Cannibal. I realized that that’s a terrible comparison, please forgive me.”
“Why a cannibal?”
“Couldn’t think of anything else but Anthony Hopkins, the actor. My mistake. Point is, we’re gonna have to go through some channels, and I’m introducing you to BARF, as well as a new person who’s gonna rock your world.”
“I’m pretty much well-acquainted with vomit.”
“No, not that,” Tony says. “Although we can cover that through my 2005 edition of partying if we really wanna dig up some old magazine interviews. No, I’m introducing you to something that’s going to change your life.”
-
After that, Tony doesn’t have much to do with Bucky’s life.
He serves as a permanent guilt trip, nothing says “well, shit” much like being a permanent guilt trip.
Sally tells him that they should talk it out. Do all that “and how do you feel?” questioning that makes his skin crawl and his eyes ascend to the ceiling.
I mean yeah, they share a living space. Tony has seen Bucky laugh and smile with Sam, talk with Bruce about a really interesting article about regeneration of plant cells or whatever, and Bucky enjoys videochatting with Wakandan royalty.
(It also helps that Shuri is blunt as ever, but so blisteringly smart. He’s reading her paper on regeneration of nanotechnology, and it just...it’s the Pieta of research, that paper.)
But he never speaks to Bucky. Well, he does. But it’s more along the lines of “hey Barnes” and “how are you?” which aren’t exactly the Most Thought Provoking Statements Ever Made.
Summer comes swiftly, and about near with a vengeance. Tony’s dealing with a heat wave and trying to figure out if going outside is even worth it, and then he and Bucky are alone in the kitchen.
Tony was debating getting a couple of popsicles from the freezer. Bucky is considering sabotaging Clint’s smoothie that was supposed to be special for tonight, but that he’ll most likely forget.
“Hey,” Bucky says. “Um, can we talk?”
Shit.
He’s been avoiding this, officially, for a month. Potentially more if you’re going to count a few choice events that have been brought up by his psyche.
“Sure thing, buttercup. What are we talking about. Economy, world crises, the great debate on financial advice?”
“Isn’t the third thing just the economy?”
“We can break it down over coffee.”
“Mm, maybe another time. No, I’m talking about us. About how I--I kind of ruined your life.”
Tony blinks.
“You didn’t ruin my life. If my life was ruined you’d be hit with so many lawsuits that I could make the rest of your life look like the third circle of Hell, or wherever it is that people go nowadays in Dante’s eyes. No, you didn’t ruin my life.”
“I still killed your parents.”
“If you hadn’t, someone else would’ve. Believe me, there were about fifteen others in line. Sometimes, myself included.”
“You can’t not take me seriously,” Bucky stresses. “I still did a terrible thing. I just want to make sure you know that you’re being too kind.”
“I most certainly am not,” Tony says. “Being too kind would have me feeding you grapes.”
Bucky’s face blanks.
“Don’t. I...I don’t wanna take advantage of your hospitality. I don’t want to remind you of what happened.”
“You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t wanted,” Tony says. “Believe me. And if you want to leave, you’re free to leave. I don’t want to make you feel like you need to stay here.”
“I...I want to make it up to you.”
“Then use BARF and review it,” Tony says. “I’m serious. I need user feedback, and you’re the best candidate for it. Also, please try to convince Steve to wear neon yellow. I just want to see if he’ll do it.”
-
Steve wears neon yellow. Tony laughs so hard he cries.
Bucky smiles.
It’s a nice smile, really. It’s wide and happy and wow. That’s all worth it.
And then BARF. Bucky just gives user feedback, nothing else. Tony doesn’t want to know anything else, but they start talking more.
Tony finds out that Bucky’s been doing crosswords to catch up on current events, and he’s bought taped recordings of World Series games.
He loves antique stores. He visits them and brings home little trinkets that he remembers in his own house, or what he remembered. He watched old commercials from the fifties and sixties, laughed as he remembered the Sears catalogs that would come in the mail.
“Me an’ my sisters would beg my mom for new clothes from the catalog, and she never would. Always sewed our pants and skirts so damn well, I probably could’ve used them for the next ten years.”
Tony laughs.
“Well, I can’t promise I can sew. But I could give you some armor that could last you twenty years, if you want. Steve told me you’re thinking about doing some distance missions.”
“Just observation, no armor required.”
“Sometimes it’s the simple missions that get the worst hits,” Tony says. “Believe me, I know how it goes. So, do you want some armor?”
Bucky smiles.
“Sure.”
“I’ll need feedback.”
“I’ll give it all I’ve got.”
-
Bucky is a goddamned dream to design for. He knows exactly what he needs, what areas are most likely to be pierced, and also has a flair for the dramatic: he requests an Iron Man helmet be embroidered on the back.
“You’re really just trying to be sweet on me, aren’t you?” Tony teases.
“My master plan to gain your fortune,” Bucky teases right back. “I’ll waste it all on champagne pools and the worst-looking but most expensive shoes I can find.”
Tony laughs.
“Sugar, that’d be incredible if you could spend all of my money on that. I’d commend you.”
Bucky smiles, and it shouldn’t be as nice of a smile as it is, but here Tony is with his opinions and his concerning thought that maybe he wants to see more of Bucky.
-
In the morning, there begins a routine. Tony is always up at eight o’clock. It’s a rare lull in Avenger-morning-routines: Nat, Steve, and Bruce are all done, and Thor and Clint won’t be in until ten o’clock at the earliest.
(What can he say? Thor’s a god and Clint...well. He needs a lot of beauty sleep.)
Tony makes coffee, and Bucky makes them both breakfast. Says that officially, it’s to test and make sure that his prosthetic is still performing under optimal conditions.
(They both know that’s not it.)
Tony always says he pours too much water, makes enough for two cups.
-
Steve calls them out on it.
“You two are being weird,” he says. “And not like Thor and Bruce trying to reenact that one show about ghosts and unsolved things.”
“That’s their form of courtship, don’t be fucking rude,” Clint remarks. Natasha snorts.
“What, us being weird?” Tony asks, pouring a bit more coffee into Bucky’s mug. He always uses too much creamer and then won’t finish his coffee unless there’s more. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s because you both do couple shit,” Bruce says, breezing into the kitchen. “Also, Steve, lovely to see that you have volunteered to be the next guest on Avengers: Unsolved. We’re planning on using you as a guilt-trip in order to access files about aliens.”
“Truth will be found!” Thor adds. “But also, yes. Bucky, I thought you were taking him on a date to the art museum on Saturday.”
Bucky turns red. So does Tony. It really is quite inconvenient.
“I mean, we could go on a date there,” Tony says. “If you’re okay with that.”
“You’re doing this in public?” Natasha asks, eyebrows raised. “Hm. Would not have called that.”
“You owe me fifteen dollars,” Bucky says. “Not you Tony, quit looking at me like that. Yes, it will be a date on Saturday, I’ll wear a nice shirt. Nat said that I couldn’t do anything that surprised her.”
“Technically, Tony surprised me.”
“I thought dates were mutual events, hm? Fifteen dollars. I’ll use it to buy the best bouquet in New York.”
“The best bouquet costs over a thousand dollars,” Thor answers.
“Not questioning how you know that, but I’m scared of you,” Bucky says. “Then I will get the best fifteen-dollar-bouquet in New York.”
Tony snorts, smiling.
“I guess I’ll spray a bit of my perfume on my pillow then, soldier.”
“I’ll pick you up at noon sharp,” Bucky says, grinning. He finishes his coffee. “We’ll make fun of Steve’s art exhibit together.”
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Summary: Sweet Pea/Reader Request: reader was sexually assaulted by a friend of hers, & she distances herself from the friends, because they tell her that she’s lying & she opens up to sweet pea, maybe he comforts her? I just could use some comfort even in the form of sweet pea
TW: Sexual Assault, Gaslighting, Verbal Abuse, Abusive Relationships/Friendships
-Thoughts- ~flashback~
You’re not sure what you were expecting when you’d gathered your friends at your usual hang out spot. You no longer shook at his presence but you weren’t expecting him to show up. Still you’d told them you had something important to say; with him there, his hand around your best friends waist had you shutting down.
“Y/N, come onnnnnn you drag us all out here in the middle of the night for what? Is it about what happened at that party again? You know Lance didn’t actually do anything, it was a dream is all.” -They were friends with him first, why would they believe you. Of course you were lying.-
“I’m moving.” You shrug a little; not surprised when their faces don’t crumble. You’d barely been spending time with them after the party, after the incident as they’d called it.
“When?” Lance tilts his head leering at you as he always seems to do now.
“Three days.”
“Where?” You shake your head.
“Close by apparently, job transfers and all.” You nod, they understand two of then had moved to the other side of town because of their parents getting job transfers. –Might as well lie about this, they think you’re lying about everything-
Your parents hadn’t had any problem buying the trailer for you. They seemed relieved, being able to send you out of town to get away from your nightmares, your whining, -your lies- You’d discussed it with them, and they’d given you an ultimatum when you’d come home.
~~~You’re trying to sneak through your back window, of course your parents are awake, and of course Lance had called them saying how drunk you were, how high you’d gotten at the party. They don’t bother asking what happened, launching into a tirade about how irresponsible you are, how childish and immature. How you’re destroying any chance of a future for yourself. Your father spouts off about expecting you to end up knocked up from one of ‘these parties’. Your mother take a gentler approach compared to him.
“How about this, there’s a nice covenant in Riverdale and-“
“I’ll go, but not to the sisters.” Your mother’s surprised at your agreement, your father beams.
“We can get you one of those trailers, in that trailer park, we’ll pay for it, just keep your grades up. Three days to pack what you want.” He leaves after that, your mother does as well, you can hear them moving in their room and as you walk upstairs, head swimming and heart racing you catch yourself in the mirror. –Doesn’t even look like anything happened, just that you fell, you really did just get drunk and dreamed the whole thing up-
You wake up the next morning, looking back in the mirror, you can’t help but cry, you’re shaking and dry heaving occasionally looking back into the mirror to catalogue the bruises and imprints he left against your skin. You decide about telling your friend, grabbing your first box and starting to pack your books.~~~
It’d taken you four days to move everything over and settle yourself in the trailer your parents had gotten; it’s in the back of the lot, barely still in the trailer park. You avoid any of your neighbors, trying your best to not panic as you make your way towards Riverdale High.
You’re keeping your eyes on the floor. –They’re looking at you cause they know what you’ve done. You’re that liar that got thrown out from Centerville.- You cringe at your internal monologue, trying your best to shake it off, freezing when you crash into someone.
“ You okay?” You look up, brushing yourself off and nodding, not looking at whomever you bummed into.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s no problem, where are you trying to find?” You look up into the boy’s face, hoping you’re not blushing, or if you are you can brush it off as the embarrassment from the fall.
“Math, with-“ His hand nudges the schedule and you offer it to him.
“Huh, you have almost all your classes with me, I can walk you to most of them, the only class you don’t have is science, but you have that with Fangs so-“
“Fangs?” You question and he beams.
“My friend Fangs, I’m Sweet Pea, you are?” He holds his hand you for you to shake, handing you back your schedule.
“Y/N.”
“Did you just move here?”
“Yes, from Centerville.”
“Centerville, Jesus, you glad you got out?” He whistles slightly and you sag in relief.
“Yes, it was awful.” You relax, comforted by his similar reaction.
“I can’t imagine, actually I don’t want to. Is it true that half of the main school have been in the corrections center?”
“No, that would mean they got caught.” You offer a wry smile and Sweet Pea smiles back.
“Well then, let’s hope none of them follow you here.” You laugh nervously nodding.
You’re thankful that Sweet Pea seems to keep you in his sights. It not hard considering you share all your classes so far.
“So we can eat lunch with my friends if you want?”
“Sure, sounds good.” –Don’t freak out. They’re not like yours were.- You follow Sweet Pea outside, toward a table with a group of guys in black leather; they’re joined by another group. You watch as they turn nodding to Sweet Pea.
“Alright introductions then, everyone, this is Y/N. She moved from Centerville a few days ago.” You wave and the entire group at you.
“This is Toni and Cheryl, Cheryl’s Captain of the River Vixen’s, which feature, Veronica, Josie, and Betty; Betty’s dating Jughead, who’s leader of the Serpents, which includes Toni, Fangs, and me.” He gestures to each person as he names them. You wave to each of them and they wave back.
“Is it a dumb question to ask what the Serpent’s are?” You’d heard whispers of them in Centerville but the rumors varied from an after school club to a prison run gang.
“We’re a gang.” Fangs states and you nod, relieved at the open answer.
Sweet Pea had been the one to invite you to his trailer, you were nervous, but followed him in surprised when no one else was in.
“You live alone?”
“Yeah, it’s just easier, my parent’s have their own place I just wanted to stay.” He nods to the couch and you sit down watching him as he moves around his home.
“Out of curiosity why did you move here of all places? Can’t have been for the ‘pep’ can it?” –Lie-
“I uh, my parents were going to send me to the Sisters and-“You cringe at his frown.
“Why?” -Lie to him. Lie to him.-
“They thought it would be better for me.” –They didn’t want to deal with you; they were tired of the lies. Like your friends, like Sweet Pea will become.-
“Better how? Or is that one of those, not allowed to talk about it.” You shrug.
“I just; I made some bad choices, got on the wrong track.” He drops the thread of the conversation instead asking how you’re finding Riverdale and how you feel about living in Sunnyside. He talks about himself telling you about chaining himself to his old school, and protesting about Riverdale trying to get rid of the Serpents.
It’s not long before Cheryl decides to throw a party for some reason or other, everyone is excited and you hope the terror you feel can be interpreted as the same.
You arrive with the Serpent’s, specifically Sweet Pea, he’d insisted it was easier for everyone to carpool, and he had an extra helmet for his bike so it wouldn’t be a problem for you to ride with him.
“Come on Y/N Cheryl’s parties get crazy it’ll be-“ Whatever he’s saying fades out, as you step forward.
~~~ “Seriously Y/N, it’ll be fine! No one will care you weren’t invited. Seriously just come in and have some fun!!” You offer a strained smile as you follow your friends stepping through the door to hear music blasting. You’re moving around the main room, cringing at the sound, you can’t hear your own thoughts, let alone anyone saying anything so when Lance appears holding out drinks for everyone, you think nothing of taking it. Everyone else is drinking why shouldn’t you.~~~
Sweet Pea holds something out to you and you recognize it as a water bottle. –Don’t take drinks from anyone, always watch your drink- You hesitate, but take it anyways, surprised when it’s sealed as you open it.
“Come on everyone’s this way.” Sweet Pea herds you further in and you wait for his hand you touch your shoulder, to steer you where he wants you. –Upstairs to the bedrooms, god knows this place must have extra rooms no one will check in- He walks with you, hand hovering behind your back as you turn past the stairs and back through the kitchen to the backyard. You stare fearfully at the pool for a moment, stepping back, bumping into Sweet Pea’s arm.
“You okay?” –Lie.-
“Fine.” You take a swig from the water bottle and notice how everyone’s gathered in a circle eating pizza.
“Hey you two made it! Sorry about the secrecy Y/N, we usually do an inner circle party once a month!” Cheryl nods to you and you tilt your head.
“Inner circle?”
“Yeah we’re all really close, we went through a lot together, you’re part of that now.” -They know, they know, they know.-
“So, as usual Sins and Secrets time!! It’ll be interesting now since we have Y/N to confess to, and we get to hear her deepest secrets.” Toni laughs as Fangs explains the rules; Sweet Pea sits next to you.
“Cheryl can go first to show you. Since it’s her party.” Toni nods.
“I slapped Jughead when I thought his dad killed my brother.” You turn to the rest of them and they shrug.
“That’s not that dark Cheryl..”
“I don’t want to scare her off. Come on Y/N confess.” –Lie, Lie Lie, if you tell the truth they’ll never talk to you again. You don’t have anywhere left to run, lie, lie lie.-
“ I uh, I moved from Centerville because- I just-“ You swallow; you don’t realize someone’s arm is around you until they’ll pulling you closer.
“Hey it’s okay, you don’t have to say anything.” You shake your head.
“No you guys should know I’m a liar, get over with the realization you don’t want to be friends with me.” You swallow, shaking still as you look around at everyone.
“I left Centerville cause I lied about a lot of stuff, happening to me.” You can see Cheryl frowning, as do Veronica and Betty.
“You lied about being sexually assaulted?” they guess and you nod, still shaking.
“Why would you lie about that?” They sound upset, angry even. –You did it now, they’re going to hate you, might as well spill all of it.-
“Well I mean we were dating so it’s not like it counted cause we were dating and even then I didn’t say no or anything I didn’t even try to leave.” –You tried to run he just was too fast, he didn’t want you to move, he gave you too much to drink, it wasn’t drugs they flushed out of your system too fast to be tested anyways.-
“My, his friends agreed with him, it makes sense, I was just wanting attention cause he broke up with me, it wasn’t anything serious either way we just-“ You fade off watching everyone staring at you.
“Sorry, I just, I can leave it’s no problem for me to-“
“Fucking hell I can see why you left Centerville, full of rapists and people who look the other way.” You freeze.
“What?” –No you’re supposed to hate me, I lied, I lied.-
“That must have been horrible, I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“No, but it didn’t like everyone said I was just making it up, it wasn’t real so-“ –They’re angry for you. They want to hurt him as much as you do.- You quiet as they all seem to crowd you in comfort, Betty and Cheryl taking your hands and Toni awkwardly hugging you as Veronica nudges Sweet Pea away, you turn gripping for what you now know was his arm.
You’re not one hundred percent sure what the look they share is, but it flashes across all their faces and Sweet Pea offers to take you home moments later, you nervously grab a slice of pizza eating it as he leads you back out of the house and to his bike.
“Hey, listen Y/N, I’m sorry all that happened to you.” You shrug.
“I’m sure there’s been worse.” Sweet Pea sighs kicking the ground.
“Just because there’s been worse doesn’t make what you went through okay.” You nod to him and he pulls you into a hug as he holds the helmet out to you.
You swing your leg over getting off as he pulls up to his trailer.
“Sweet Pea, I, I didn’t tell them everything.”
“Hey it’s okay, you don’t have to. It’s your choice to talk about it.
“I, can I tell you?” He nods opening his door and sighing as you sit on the couch. He sits next you and you burrow under the blanket and into his side. He chuckles slightly and you smile up at him.
“I’m here, you can tell me whatever you want.” You nod closing your eyes.
~Lance had brought you upstairs before leaving you to sit in the room for what felt like hours. You’d been confused, sluggish to respond when you’d felt the zip tie sliding against your wrist.
“So you don’t run off and say anything.” His voice is distorted and you sit, sliding against the side of the bed trying to snap the tie off the post. You manage to dig it into your skin enough where you know it’ll leave a scar. Your knees are also bruised a product of trying to pull yourself free, using your own body as a counter weight. Lance returns laughing at you. His voice is echoing and you don’t realize its because he’s not alone. When he shoves you, jerking the tie back against your wrist and almost throwing you onto the bed is when you fall back into unconsciousness, whatever sedative combining with the drinks to knock you out.~
“What’s his last name?” Sweet Pea growls out and you shake your head.
“Sweet Pea, please don’t he’ll know it was me.”
“He’s going to need to answer for that, one way or the other. Serpent’s protect their own.”
“That extends to friends?” You ask surprised, unsure how the Serpent’s manage to protect so many people.
“Relationships.”
“We’re not in a relationship.” You state confused when Sweet Pea seems shocked.
“Sorry right, still, he’s going to pay for that.”
“There’s more.” You reach for the water bottle on the table and Sweet Pea pulls it to you, you place it back on the table after drinking from it, shifting away from him slightly.
“Y/N, come back, you don’t need to move away from me; I don’t think less of you.” You sigh shakily.
“You don’t need to tell me right now, take a break sweetheart, come here, come here.” He slowly reaches for you and you fold into his arms, as he tucks the blanket around both of you, you curl into him shaking as you sob.
“They thought I was lying, they said they knew him best, they said-“
“Shhh, shhh love, it’s alright, it’s over, it’s over. You’re safe now.” You don’t bother nodding just sighing and laying your head on his chest.
“Thank you.” You say as you start to drift off.
When you wake up you haven’t moved. Sweet Pea hasn’t either and you watch him for a moment trying his best to stretch his arm to grab at his phone, you reason his other hand would be far closer but it’s currently wrapped around you, you nudge him with your forehead and he turns.
“You can move your arm, if you want.”
“No.” He states and you frown.
“It’s literally easier for you to do it with this arm, just move it.” You tug at the arm wrapped around you and he just tightens his grip.
“Just let got of me and I’ll grab it for you if you want.” Sweet Pea shakes his head pulling you back to his chest as you half struggle to get up. This causes you both to tip off the couch, you’re waiting for your head to smack against the floor but you open your eyes to see Sweet Pea smirking at you, your head cushioned by his arm.
‘See that’s why I didn’t want to move it.”
“So it could get crushed by my head?”
“No so it could protect you.”
“Oh that’s dumb. I’m not-“ You close your mouth as he glares.
“If you say you’re not worth protecting I’m never letting you go.”
“I’m not worth protecting.” You smile shyly, face flushed.
“Was that serious or do you just want to mess with me?”
“It’s semi-serious.” You counter and Sweet Pea shakes his head moving back to the couch nodding at you to do the same.
“Semi-serious meaning.”
“I’d very much like you to not let me go, but that’s just my preference.” Sweet Pea nods thoughtfully.
“Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Pop’s, it’s good one of our preference’s lined up, but now we have to see if others do.”
“Pop’s the diner right?” He nods and you swing your leg over on his bike.
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to judge me on my order.”
“No just pay for it.” He shouts of the roar of his engine.
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If you are still doing the au ask, maybe a concubine au?
Where’s that one post where the king’s concubines are basically his entire council ruling the country
Steve and Bucky are injured in battle--Bucky loses an arm, and Steve’s lung function has suffered. They can no longer fight, and Howard is disgusted that two of his best soldiers were bested, so in the most assholish move possible, he gives them to Tony as his concubines.
“Gross gross gross gross gross!” Tony wails when he finds them in his room, dressed in wispy lace and little else.
“Wow!” Steve and Bucky exclaim, offended.
Tony gives them a thunderous look that cows them immediately. “I’m sorry, was I supposed to be happy that I now apparently have sex slaves because my dad thinks you’re not people anymore just because you were ambushed and injured?!”
“Uh,” Steve and Bucky say, and then they try to apologize, but Tony is already storming out of his room, because he’s so hurt and angry and he has the propensity to cry when he’s angry.
Howard dies and Tony becomes king and he hates every minute of it. It figures that Howard would give him one final “fuck you” by leaving Tony a country at war. He’s coronated and everyone is hopeful for his reign and so he smiles and gladhands like his mother taught him to--and then when he gets back to his room, he screams and cries in rage.
“Holy shit,” Bucky says, and Tony yelps and falls over, because he hadn’t realized they were there.
“What the fuck are you two doing here?!” he hisses, scrubbing at his cheeks even though he knows the damage is done.
“We were told we should come up. Something about ‘kingly virility’ and ‘working off stress,’” Steve replies, pouring on the sarcasm heavily.
“Well I don’t want to fuck you so you can fuck off back to wherever concubines live,” Tony snaps.
“Doll, lie down and let Stevie give you a back rub,” Bucky sighs, rolling his eyes. “You look like you’re made out of a brick wall. If you go to sleep like this, you’ll be stiff.”
Tony glares at them, sniffing, then says, “I’m lying down because I want to, not because you told me to,” and they roll their eyes fondly as Tony does just as he said. “Ooh,” he mewls, whimpering, at the first firm press from Steve’s hands. “That hurts!”
“Your highness, please don’t be offended, but this is the most fucked-up back I’ve ever seen,” Steve says. “It’s gonna hurt.”
“Stop!” Tony mewls. “Steve stop it hurts, it hurts-!”
“It’ll hurt more tomorrow if I don’t do this,” Steve says, actually feeling pretty apologetic.
Bucky flops down beside him. “I’ve got an idea,” he tells Tony. “But you have to promise not to be mad first.”
Tony frowns at him. “No.”
“Well I’m a liar and I’m gonna tell you the idea anyway,” Bucky declares. “I think that you should let us give you a deep tissue massage. With our dicks.”
Tony glares at him, aghast, too appalled to speak.
“That way you’ll be all fucked-out and relaxed and Steve can rub your back properly,” Bucky continues, ignoring his offense. “Come on, sweetheart, even I can see your back is fucked up, and I haven’t even touched it.”
“Well,” Tony snaps, and then sags with a whimper because oh God he really is tense. “Fine, but I’m not going to enjoy it,” he says mulishly.
They don’t get around to rubbing his back until he actually passes out after his third orgasm, but perhaps it’s for the best, because, “Oh my God his back is really so fucked up I don’t know how he even managed to lie down.”
“Hello, I’m your new concubine,” Clint says, holding his hand out to shake.
Tony stares at him, offended. “What?”
“I mean, my old captain thought I’d turned and was selling information to the enemy, so the options were beheading or sexual slavery. So here I am!”
“Leave immediately,” Tony says, and sighs in frustration when Clint cheerfully ignores him to walk into his bedroom.
“Clint! Hey!” Steve says happily. “They make you a concubine too?”
Clint walks over to hug him. “Yeah, it’s real fashionable I guess!”
“I’m not letting him fuck me,” Tony says, crossing his arms and glaring at him. “I only let you two do it because you rub my back.”
“I’ll rub your feet,” Clint offers helpfully.
Tony, as it turns out, is a sucker for foot rubs, and also apparently for the trick Clint learned when he was seducing information out of the enemy’s prostitutes.
“Man, where have you been,” Bucky complains. “Steve and I had to take turns to get him that relaxed and you got him to come so hard his eyes crossed after one time!”
“It would be foolish to reveal my tricks,” Clint says as Steve climbs on top of Tony to rub his back while he’s passed out.
Natasha just appears one night.
“I’m almost entirely certain you were working for the enemy and are the cause of my father’s assassination,” Tony says, and then, “I didn’t consent to this and I would very much like you to get off of me.”
“Understandable, but I’m very disappointed because I’ve heard great things about your dick,” she says and climbs off of him.
As it turns out, Natasha had been a double agent and was the reason for many decisive wins on their side, but she’d been so deep under cover that no one trusted her anymore, and like Clint, it was the decision of death or sexual slavery.
“I’m abolishing sexual slavery and we’re having real, actual trials for people that are assumed to have done a crime and what the fuck are you doing,” Tony says as Natasha climbs back on top of him.
Natasha smirks and raises an eyebrow at him. “That’s really sexy of you, deciding to make sure there’s actual justice in your country instead of happily crushing people beneath your boot.”
“I’m having a lot of mixed feelings about this but the biggest and strangest feeling is fear,” Tony admits.
“I cause a lot of fear boners,” Natasha says, as simple as breathing, and leans down to press a kiss to his slack mouth. She leans back when he doesn’t respond and snorts when he just gapes up at her. “To be clear, I’m gonna ride your brains out now. If you say it’s okay,” she adds
With the abolishment of sexual slavery, it means that Tony can no longer have concubines.
“I’m not leaving,” Bucky declares. “I like your bed and you let me eat the plums out of your fruit salad. Also I like the way you look when we get you all fucked-out.”
“I’m staying too,” Steve says. “I like being the one in charge of rubbing your back, and carrying you to bed when you’re trying to work late. And Bucky’s right--you look great when you’re satisfied.”
“I love that you call him ‘satisfied,’” Clint tells Steve happily. “It sounds so sweet and cute!”
Steve frowns. “What’s the problem with that?”
“There is nothing sweet or cute about Tony after we’re finished with him,” Natasha says, amused. “He’s just sticky.”
“I’ll have you know that you don’t get to decide whether or not you’re concubines,” Tony insists. “Sexual slavery is abolished. There are no concubines anymore.”
They all pause to consider this. Finally, Clint decides, “So we’ll be your lovers instead.”
“What,” Tony says.
“I like the idea of that,” Natasha agrees. “I’ll even take one for the team and marry him so he can have legitimate heirs.”
“What,” Tony says again.
“Great! With all of us working together, we can keep Tony permanently ‘satisfied,’” Bucky adds, using finger quotes as he smirks at Steve.
“What,” Tony says for a third time, but they continue to ignore him as they plan out their lives, even about inviting a couple other fellow soldiers up because they have very good ideas about how the country should be run.
Tony says that’s only allowed if they can get Bruce to live in the royal quarters as well because he’s pretty sure his ass will never recover if they don’t. Somehow, they manage it.
“You can’t fuck me you’ll tear me in half,” Tony sputters when Thor shows up.
“That’s mean, Tony, Thor’s always been a very gentle lover,” Steve scolds.
“I thought you’d be taller,” Thor says.
“Oh, I see, they brought you up to keep me humble,” Tony says, and punches Thor directly in the nose. “Well now you know that that’s never happening!”
“Tony!” Clint scolds.
“This isn’t the turn off you probably meant it to be,” Thor tells Tony, amused, and Tony yelps as Thor picks him up and puts him on the bed.
Natasha pets his hair gently. “Don’t worry, Tony, we’ll take care of you.”
“Well,” Tony says mulishly. “You always have.”
Thor pauses. “...Usually people aren’t this angry when I’m about to fuck them.”
“This is normal,” Steve tells him hastily. “He pouts because he doesn’t like it when other people are right.”
“Ah, I know someone exactly like that,” Thor says.
“Are you gonna fuck me or what,” Tony snaps.
Thor smiles at him. “You are just adorable, aren’t you?”
“You’re not allowed to fuck me anymore,” Tony tells him, and then squeals when Thor folds him in half.
Basically, Tony was the concubine the whole time, he just didn’t know it.
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to define a way of being
by @galactic-cam (galactic_cam on ao3) for @slothbeans (slothbeans on ao3) in the @friendly-neighborhood-exchange
the story is here on ao3
Rating: General Audiences
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, background May Parker
Summary: Peter Parker had ADHD. He’d never gotten an official diagnosis, and it’d never been on his medical records. All he had was the vague memory of a doctor at his four-year-old check up recommending he get tested - and then his parents dying before the appointment could be made. He's done his research - there's nothing else it could be. But he'd adjusted, and he was good at school, so it hadn't really mattered all that much.
And then, because the spider bite put its greasy little fingers on everything else, it had to grab that, too.
It had been a rough few days. Well, no, scratch that, a rough few months.
Peter Parker had ADHD. He’d never gotten an official diagnosis, and it’d never been on his medical records. When he was super little, like, before his parents died little, his pediatrician had told them that he should probably get tested. But then they’d died, less than a week later, and Peter was left with no official diagnosis, just the remnants of a memory of the doctors appointment. He’d reinforced this idea all throughout his life with his own research, but he had never told Ben or May. He figured they had enough to worry about, what with their four-year-old nephew suddenly coming to live with them after Ben’s sister-in-law and brother tragically died in a plane crash and all.
So he’d just kept quiet. He was incredibly smart, and nobody ever accommodated for him, so he learned to adapt. Maybe not super well, but his grades were stellar despite the ADHD, so nobody ever really cared enough to diagnose or medicate him.
And then he’d been bitten by the spider and it had gotten worse.
He’d always identified with Percy Jackson’s view of ADHD: You can’t streamline your thoughts because you get much more input. It made sense, and it was kind of how he felt. But then he developed superpowers, and it made more sense than ever before.
He was getting 15 times the input he’d been getting before, between the super hearing and the super sight. It was pretty useful when he was fighting - if he was ‘focusing’ on one guy, he was also aware of the other guy pulling out a knife from a hidden pocket, and could adjust accordingly. It was not so great for school. It was already hard when you were acutely aware of the people whispering across the room - it was worse when you could actually hear what they were saying, and what the kids in the classrooms next to, across the hall from, above, and below you were all talking about.
When his grades took a dip, he wasn’t shocked. He was mad at himself, of course, that he was letting his ADHD get in the way when he’d always been able to manage it, and since Peter Parker was good at stuff, there was a massive hit to his ego. He quit most of his after school activities to compensate - he needed to be doing stuff he was good at - and not at school where he was doing sub-par - and the thing he was suddenly good at was fighting crime.
And then Tony Stark had shown up at his door and whisked him away to Germany to steal Captain America’s shield, and his Homecoming had happened, and suddenly he was going to Mr. Stark’s lab in the newly rebought tower twice a week and staying over at the compound once a month.
Mr. Stark’s labs were actually a safe haven. They were sound proof, and Mr. Stark always had loud music playing, and most of the time there was nothing in there that messed with his senses. Mr. Stark worked strangely, jumping around from project to project unless he found one that really grabbed his attention. That style of working really clicked with Peter - he’d always just sat down and tried to do whatever it was he needed to - which had never really worked that well - but working in the lab, bouncing from thing to thing? That was perfect.
Today was different.
Peter had gotten his report card last week, and since it was now Tuesday, that meant he got to be scolded by Mr. Stark now, on top of the disappointment he’d gotten all weekend from May.
See, his grades were bad. Like, really bad.
Well, to a lot of kids, his grades were average, even pretty good. But for Peter Parker, top of the class in one of the country’s best schools, every teacher’s favorite Peter Parker, anything below a 90 was an extreme rarity. Anything below an 80? Where several of his grades were? Gods save the earth, because it was going to implode.
May had mostly been confused, with that constant disappointment rushing through her words. Why had he gotten Cs? He was supposed to be Peter Parker, perfect student, perfect kid.
And now, Mr. Stark was going to take away his suit. His spider-manning was entirely reliant on his grades staying up, Mr. Stark had been clear on that. And how could he be Tony Stark’s protege if he got Cs? Mr Stark was halfway through his PhD by Peter’s age.
Today was probably going to be the last time he saw Tony.
That was upsetting - lab time was the only thing (other than spider-manning) that he looked forward to anymore. He was good at lab time, and Peter Parker was good at stuff.
Of course, his brain gave a little “not anymore, you’re not.” Which, not cool, his brain was supposed to be on his side.
When he walked into the lab, Mr. Stark wasn’t working on anything, which was unusual, to say the least. He was seated, facing the door, a look of such disappointment on his face.
Peter’s eyes focused on the floor. Wow, Mr. Stark sure had some nice tile under the epoxy that covered his lab floor. How could Peter have never noticed before?
“Peter.”
Tony’s voice startled him a bit, even though he knew that was why he’d been looking at the floor in the first place.
“Hey, Mr. Stark! How are you today? I’m really great. What are we working on today?” His sentences all came out in a rush, barely leaving any space between the words.
When he glanced up, Mr. Stark was looking at him, a smirk of amusement was tilting his lips, even though the rest of his face was still etched with disappointment.
“What happened
Peter shrugged, eyes going back to looking at the floor.
“C’mon Kid, I need an actual answer. I know you’ve been doing all your work, and I know you’ve been home by curfew, unless you’ve hacked your suit again and convinced Karen to lie to me about it. So why’re your grades so low?”
“I- I don’t know.”
“Peter, you are the worst liar in the world.”
Peter sighed. “I know.”
“So? What happened?”
Peter glanced up. He looked at his mentor’s face, expecting disappointment, but instead he found… worry? And maybe curiosity?
“I have ADHD.”
“What? That’s not in your medical files -”
“I know, it’s not an official diagnosis. I was going to get one when I was little but… my appointment was after the plane crash, and…”
“You never did.”
“I never did. And I adjusted, kept my grades high, and nobody ever thought I could possibly have ADHD.”
“So what happened here?”
“The spider bite. It was always hard having ADHD because I noticed so much, but there’s a difference between being aware that the kids in the back of the room are talking and being able to hear what the class on the other side of the school is discussing with perfect clarity.”
Tony nodded. “I can only imagine.”
“But so my focus and participation went down, as did the quality of any work I did anywhere but in here.”
“Peter, why didn’t you tell me this before?”
Peter shrugged, but he knew the answer. He didn’t want Mr. Stark to think badly of him. How could he, Tony Stark’s protege, have ADHD?
Tony sighed. “Kid, did you know I have ADHD?”
Now that caught Peter’s attention. He abruptly looked up. “What?”
Tony chuckled. “Yeah, kid. Dear old dad paid a lot to cover that up. And I wasn’t nearly as good at hiding it as you. I was all the way hyperactive, and Dad refused to medicate me. Told me to get over it, or that he wasn’t going to fuel a drug addiction in his son. His excuse changed.”
“But - But you were so good at school!”
“Dad paid off MIT to keep them quiet, but I assure you kid, I failed… several classes..”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
There was a quick beat.
“So, kid, what do you want to do about it?”
Peter, who’s eyes had refound their way to the floor, snapped back up to Tony. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you want to get a professional diagnosis? See a therapist? I’ve been meaning to rope you into therapy for a while now, this might just be the perfect way to start.”
“No - No, Mr. Stark! I don’t need therapy!”
“You might not need it yet - which I doubt, considering you fight crime in New York and I’ve seen you have several panic attacks - but all of the avengers go, and you’re an avenger-in-training. Gotta get you ahead of the game, kid.”
Peter sighed. “Fine. Okay, Mr. Stark.”
Tony pulled him into a brief hug, then slapped his back. “Brilliant, I’ll get on that for you later. For now, though, you wanna do something fun?”
Peter smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds -”
“Fun?” Tony broke in, a smile dancing across his face.
“Fun.”
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Mint Ice Cream & Bubblegum Kisses - Chapter Three
(Bucky Barnes x Single Dad!Reader)
Series Summary: Y/N L/N works as an intel specialist at the Avenger’s Compound. He scans chatter on the international - and intergalactic - level for any information that might be helpful to the Avengers and other agents. But he’s also a single father to a beautiful eight-year-old girl: Angelica L/N. It’s tough raising a little girl on his own and working a full-time job, but he’s managing. A promotion has him launched up in rank at the Compound, leading him to work directly with the Avengers team. The only problem is it’s a 24/7 job. Life around the compound gets a little strange when his daughter is added to the mix of enhanced humans and ex-assassins.
Chapter Summary: Angelica seems to be settling in nicely and Y/N is still getting used to having his kid around in his workplace. Especially when she's known to be a little mischievous.
Word Count: 2.6
Warnings: Fluff, pranks, like four swear words, discussion of PTSD but it's very brief. Like very brief.
A/N: this is in light of me recently being able to play Black Widow for work. as I said in the last chapter, things will be moving a lot quicker
Masterlist
Taglist is open! PM me, send an ask, or @ me on a chapter to let me know you’d like to be tagged! Strikethrough means I couldn’t tag you, but I will send you a message to let you know :)
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Angelica snuck down the hall toward the common room, trying to keep her steps light or as close to silent as she could get them. She resisted the urge to look up at the ceiling, knowing Peter was just above her. This was a new system they were trying out where Angelica went first as a decoy and Peter would follow for the proper scare.
They had a shared love of harmless pranks and therefore had started a small prank war on the other inhabitants of the compound. At first, it had only been against each other, but they figured out that they could do way more if they teamed up.
Y/N had warned them not to do anything too bad, knowing how some of the people in the compound were affected by sudden surprises. He'd sat Angelica down and explained what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was and how what she might perceive as a harmless trick might trigger something or cause a breakdown.
She had understood and in her very solemn way promised to run her more "fear factor" ideas by him first just to be safe. When he did shut down her ideas, she never argued and dropped the plan. Confuse not abuse was their motto.
Y/N, meanwhile, was working in his office, watching text scroll across his screen. There was a lot less than when he worked general intel, but that didn't mean he could focus any less. Any small detail could make or break whether the information was crucial or not. Everything that came across his screen was very important, but some things had to be taken note of.
He had mastered reading and writing at the same time, his shorthand notes making no sense to anyone but him. He'd learned that the week before when he passed the intel off to Tony and he just stared blankly at the paper. Now, he translated his notes so others could understand. Sometimes, he couldn't tell what he was meaning to say.
A transmission from The Benatar came through and he pulled his seat closer. It was just a simple message about their whereabouts and where they were headed. Gamora had signed it off, saying that it was nice to meet him and that whenever they stopped by next, they had to properly meet. He wrote down their message before typing a message in response.
Received. Glad to know you all are safe and having fun up there. Stop by anytime you want. My daughter would be overjoyed to meet all of you.
- Y/N
Y/N leaned back in his chair, taking up a pen to make notes as information on underground movements possibly related to Hydra agents flooded in. More bases had been popping up recently, despite Steve's attempts to drag them all down in the past. Instead of being against the Winter Soldier, though, he was with them. Which gave them the upper hand since he knew their inner workings.
A knock on his office door made him glance up. Bruce stood in the doorframe, his knuckles still against the wood of the door. He gave a shy smile. "Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all. Come on in, Bruce." Y/N set his pen down and rolled his chair to the end of his desk. "What can I do you for?"
"I just came by to see how you were settling in. We haven't talked much since you were offered the promotion." Bruce sat tentatively on the couch, looking very unsure of himself.
"Things have been going well. It's nice of you to stop by, though." Y/N swiveled back and forth casually. "I like having my own office."
"It's great, huh? I have a whole lab to myself most of the time. Tony invades my space once in a blue moon but he has his own lab somewhere else." Bruce relaxed a little, laughing gently.
"Angelica breaks the peace at least twice a day, but she's my kid so it's not as annoying. Except when I really have to focus. Then I kick her out for a bit." He said with a lopsided grin.
"She wanders into my lab every so often to say hello or ask for help with her science homework. She's lovely." Bruce smiled. "Very bright."
"Yeah, she is...I can't keep up with her at this point. She's going to surpass my skills soon." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Good thing she's got you guys to check her science. I barely passed it in high school."
"Really? I wouldn't have expected that from you." Bruce said.
"I was okay up through my sophomore year but once I hit physics, I lost all understanding. Algebra was never my strong suit, either." Y/N rolled his eyes. Bruce was going to respond when shouting down the hall caught their attention.
Peter sprinted by the office, yelling over his shoulder: "Every man for himself!"
Angelica was a few seconds behind him and she slid into her father's office. "Hide me! Quick!" She slipped around his desk and curled up underneath it.
"Kiddo, what are you doing?" Y/N asked, giving her an amused look.
"Shhhh!" She shushed him and pressed herself into the corner, covering her mouth to hide her giggles.
"Peter Benjamin Parker! Angelica Ellaine L/N! Get your butts back here!" Natasha seemed to be the source of the yelling as she stormed down the hall. She paused at the door to the office, leaning casually in the doorframe. "Hey, boys. You seen a tall spider or a little monster recently?"
Angelica shook her head vigorously in her father's peripheral vision. He pretended not to see her, making sure not to look anywhere close to her location. "Snitches don't get cookies." She whispered as quietly as possible.
"What'd she do now?" Y/N asked. He had to uphold the Code. Snitches don't get cookies, and he'd never betray his daughter.
"She tried to jumpscare me and then Peter swung down from the ceiling and scared the hell out of me." Nat folded her arms over her chest. "So, I'm trying to grab both of them to dump them in the pool."
Y/N laughed and shook his head. "I haven't seen her, except for a few seconds ago. She ran by on Pete's heels."
"Bruce, have you seen them?" Nat turned her gaze to the scientist, who suddenly grew visibly nervous.
"Uh," He glanced at Y/N. "They ran by just a minute ago."
"Uh-huh...Well, I guess I'll just keep looking." Nat pushed off the doorway and started to leave before poking her head back in. "You're still a terrible liar, Bruce." She winked and disappeared.
"Is it safe?" Angelica whispered.
"Yep. Come on out." Y/N rolled back a little bit to give her space to move out. "Good luck out there, kiddo. Watch your back."
"Thank you, Mr. Banner! You deserve a cookie." Angelica smiled at Bruce, the full personification of the smiley-face emoticon. She snuck to the doorway and glanced down the hall before turning the same way Peter had run.
"How long do you think it'll be?" Y/N asked, returning his chair to its proper place.
"Until what?"
His question was answered by a scream from down the hall that devolved into squealing laughter. There was some indiscernible shouting from three different people.
"Until Nat caught her at the corner." Y/N watched as Nat went running by, laughing, with Angelica thrown over her shoulder.
"Peter! Help! She got me!" Angelica yelled through giggles, hand extended out behind Nat's back.
"Angelica! No!" Peter followed, reaching for her. "Nat, give her back!"
Y/N shook his head fondly as the chaos grew quieter the farther they got. "We're settling in well, as you can see. She's making friends and creating chaos. I'd be worried if she wasn't."
"Did she always play pranks on you?" Bruce asked, smiling uncontrollably.
"On more than one occasion, I found shaving cream in my shoes." Y/N wrinkled his nose up at the memories. He had hated that feeling of shaving cream squeezing between his toes in his socks.
"Gross. She and Peter were bound to get along well, then." Bruce glanced at the clock and got to his feet. "I should let you get back to work. If Angelica has a science or math question, you can totally send her to me."
"Thanks, Bruce. You're a genius." Y/N rolled back over to his work station, shaking his mouse to wake his computer up.
"I wouldn't say that," Bruce said as he walked backward out of the room, pausing in the doorway.
"Don't sell yourself short, Bruce! You're totally a genius." Y/N pointed with his pen, smiling as he spoke.
Bruce ducked his head sheepishly and nodded before he left the office.
Y/N returned to his screen, pulling his notes back into reach, and scanned the text again. Another couple of hours before lunch.
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"Your kid." Tony suddenly popped in, holding his phone out to show Y/N what was on it. "Your kid keeps changing my phone background."
Y/N looked up and glanced at the screen before bursting into laughter. It was a photo of a sloth dressed as an astronaut. In the past year, she'd managed to change her father's phone background and laptop wallpaper to that stupid sloth photo without his knowledge at least sixteen times.
"Why?" Tony asked, defeated. "Why is she doing this?"
"She read about someone online who did the same thing to their parents and she took inspiration. I'm happy to see she's moved on to other targets." Y/N shook his head in amusement. "Shouldn't your phone be super secure or something?"
"It is! I don't understand how she keeps doing it. I've changed my password eight times and even had Friday monitor any attempts to hack in." Tony sank down onto the couch, tossing his phone beside him.
"Well, she definitely can't hack things. She's smart, but not that smart. Usually, a password change will keep her from trying again." Y/N swiveled to the side, head cocked.
"This is the second time today," Tony grumbled, brows furrowed. "I don't get it."
"Well, you're the genius here." Y/N snorted, glancing at his screen again. "If my kid's not the one hacking your phone, who is?"
"Oh, my god," Tony said, standing quickly. He rushed to leave but paused in the door. "You're the genius, Y/N."
Y/N arched a brow in mild intrigue. "Uh-huh. You're welcome?"
Tony flashed a smile before turning. "Peter Benjamin Parker, how many times have I told you not to hack into my stuff!" He shouted as he walked down the hall.
"Kid, you're sowing chaos." Y/N glanced at his daughter curled up under his desk.
"Huh?" Angelica looked up from her book, confused. "What's going on?"
"Peter hacked Tony's phone and changed his phone background to that astronaut sloth." He responded, returning to his work.
"Oh, Pete didn't do that." She said, turning her page. "Mr. Banner did after seeing us do it. Somethin' about getting back at him for leaving crumbs all over his lab."
Distant yelling floated down the hall to the office. High-pitched 'Mr. Stark, it wasn't me!'s were the only things that could be properly made out. Angelica made eye-contact with her father.
"Should I?" She asked.
"Nah." Y/N said and they both started to snicker. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself."
Angelica giggled and returned her attention to her book.
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Y/N pulled himself out of the pool, shaking his head to fling water off his face. He hadn't gotten to use the facilities yet since they moved in. The pool was really nice - way better than any of the public pools he'd been to. He used to swim once a week but work got in the way. Now that it was Sunday, he could enjoy the free access for as long as he wanted.
He grabbed a towel, dried his hair and face, and walked to the locker room. His shirt was folded up on a bench with his shoes sitting beside it. He dried the rest of his body off and pulled his shirt on. He slipped his feet into his shoes and froze.
"Dammit, Angelica!" Y/N shouted as shaving cream seeped between his toes and spilled over the top of his feet. He grimaced and kicked his shoes off, quickly wiping the shaving cream off. He picked up his shoes and went storming off to find his daughter.
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"Hey, Y/N. Sorry to intrude after hours." Sam knocked on the doorframe to his bedroom.
"Hey, Sam. No worries." Y/N looked up from his book and set it aside. "What's up?"
"Bucky and Steve are coming back really early tomorrow morning. Like, three in the morning early." He wrinkled his nose up. "They might have sensitive intel from their raid so Tony's asked you to be in office by the time they get back."
"I won't yell at you since you're just the messenger, but really?!" Y/N groaned, running a hand over his face. If he wasn't a morning person before, he surely wouldn't be a happy camper at such an early hour. "Guess my plans to stay up reading have been shot."
"Sorry, man. It's what the boss wants. But really, blame Barnes because he wanted to get back as soon as possible." Sam crossed his arms and shrugged. "Always his fault if somethin' goes wrong. Man brings bad luck wherever he goes."
"I think that's a little harsh and biased. I haven't even met the guy, yet." Y/N leaned over to set his book on the nightstand. He snagged his phone and started to set an alarm or two for the morning.
"I'm sure you've heard all the rumors. Some of them are true - about him being grouchy and an anti-social person - but a good majority of the rumors is just scuttlebutt. Er, gossip. He's got a good heart, but man he can be annoying as hell," Sam smiled fondly, though he tried not to look it.
"Sounds about right," Y/N chuckled, sliding his charging phone underneath his pillow.
"He's really slow to trust and open up, so if he's a little closed off and rough around the edges, it's not you. It's all him, so don't worry." Sam explained. "Might want to ease him into meeting the little rascal, though. He's skittish on his bad days and after missions."
"I took the liberty of reading over all of the team's files so I get why. Thanks for letting me know. I should get some sleep so I'm not as grumpy in the morning when I greet them." Y/N yawned on accident, covering his mouth with his hand.
"No problem. I'll let you get some rest." Sam reached forward and closed the door as he left.
Y/N turned out the light and sank down in bed, drawing the covers up. He had at least four extra blankets just for the weight. He liked having the excess weight since it made him feel secure and grounded.
"Hey, Friday?"
"Yes, Mr. L/N?"
"If I don't wake up from my alarms, please wake me."
"Of course."
Y/N fell asleep shortly afterward, not fully aware of how tired he had been. Moving and getting used to the new environment had really taken it out of him and his body was begging to catch up. A shame he'd only get five hours before being dragged from bed. That was going to be one of the very few downsides of this new job.
✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿
Taglist- @supernaturalwintersoldier @shadowolf993 @myybebe
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Can’t Go Back Part 16
A/N: This chapter is very Justin-centric. I felt like Addy and Justy needed a day where they didn't need to worry about boys or moms. Just a day to be kids. It’s kind of filler but I like it. It’s a light chapter. As always, feedback is always nice and much love. - Em
Things were awkward between us for the next week. We had agreed to table the discussion about his dad and had come to a tentative understanding about Justin. We had never had a fight like that before so, we weren’t really sure where the lines were yet. I learned that his dad was a line you don’t cross unless invited. He learned that Justin was a line that was going to run parallel to our relationship, whether he liked it or not. Monty’s behaviour at school was different too. He was a little nicer for people to be around. Not Tyler Down, but I couldn’t really blame him. The kid was fucking creepy. Monty was even sort of polite to Justin.
By the following Monday, things had gone back to normal. Our texts were longer and less to the point. He was… well he was more Monty at school than he was for a few days. His friends didn’t seem to pick up on the change. But I did. He’s trying. I got dressed in in my comfy light wash jeans, because Justin and I were going to the mall after school and paired it with a light pink tank top with an old red and black flannel. The flannel had been sitting at the back of my closet for quite a while. I found it while I was going through and cleaning it out for donations. “Morning Dad.” I called as I heard him pass my room. He cleared his throat and grunted in response. He must have just woken up.
Downstairs, dad was making a cup of coffee while he read the paper. “Morning Addy.” He nodded when he heard me. Definitely just woke up. Grabbing a granola bar for breakfast, I went through and gathered up my books for school. Once they were neatly arranged in my backpack, I set it by the door. My book from last night was still sitting on the island. I took it and flipped it open to my last page since I had a little time to kill before leaving for school. Deciding I would get too lost in the book, I rethought and took it over to my bag to take to school.
“Justin and I are going to the mall after school. He needs help shoe shopping. And I need to grab a few replacement shirts. I had to throw some out that were too old.”
“Have fun. Don’t forget to grab your mom’s prescription on the way home.”
“I won’t. Do we need anything else while we are out?”
“No, we should be okay. I’ll text you if I think of anything today. Your mom will be late today too. One of her students needed to schedule an afterhours meeting.”
“Okay. See you later dad.”
“Bye.”
Justin was early today, which surprised me. At least until I noticed his duffel bag. He must have spent the night at Bryce’s last night. He was mingling with his friends. I waved as I passed them to my locker, not paying anyone much mind. I watched them a bit from across the hall. They were goofing off as usual. Justin’s smile seemed a little forced. I’ll talk to him after school. My eyes scanned the group. When they landed on Monty, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. And I will admit I may have possibly spent more time than strictly required, simply checking him out. It was during my perusal of his body that I noticed something familiar. A little too familiar. My eyes widened and I looked down. That… that’s… we are wearing the same shirt. Spinning around and opening my locker again, I ripped off the flannel and shoved it in my locker.
Casually making my way over to the group of boys, I made sure to rub my arms like I was cold. “Morning Justin. Morning Boys.” I shivered.
“Morning Addy.” Justin said, as he leaned in to hug me gently.
“Where’s my morning Addy?” Bryce smirked.
“Oh, I’m sorry Bryce. I must have forgotten we say morning to each other. Morning Walker.”
“Morning Addy. Are you cold or are you finally going to tell us all what your secret to doing well in school is?”
“I’m cold. And I’ve shared my secret with you before. It’s called actually opening the books they rent to us and reading them. Hey Justin, do you have an extra sweater? I spilled water on my other shirt like right after I left the house.”
“Yeah, I have one in my locker. Go ahead and grab it.”
“Thanks. Have I told you you’re the best lately?”
“Nope.” He laughed.
“Well, now I have.”
I was in a good mood when lunch rolled around. I nodded to Courtney in the hall on my way to the cafeteria. She was talking to Marcus about one thing or another. Tyler was watching Hannah in a way that had it been anyone else, wouldn’t have been weird. Clay was watching her too. I smiled and waved at him. He nodded back. “Hey Addison.” Tyler called. I turned around and he waved his camera at me. I waved my book in the air like I was busy but stopped for the student life photographer anyway. He snapped his photo and I continued on.
Since I was in a good mood, I didn’t even think twice about sitting with Justin and his friends. “Are we eating at the mall?” Justin asked when I sat down.
“I don’t see why not. I’ll have to stop at Baker Drugs on my way home though. Mum has a refill waiting.”
“Okay.” He nodded and bit into his sandwich. Jeff bounded over to the table.
“Guess who got above a C?” He asked, proudly.
“You?” Anders asked in response.
“Yup. Now I can finally make Clay make a move.”
“He’s going to hate it Jeff.” I said.
“I know. But he needs to put himself out there.”
“Make a move on who?” Monty asked.
“Hannah Baker.” Jeff replied. “Everyone knows he likes her.”
“I don’t really pay attention to the Jensen kid.” He shrugged.
“He hates dances.”
“I know. But a deal is a deal. I get above a C he goes to the dance. Are you going Addy?”
“Wasn’t planning on it, no.”
“Why not?” Bryce asked. I rolled my eyes.
“I hate school dances. The only not crappy part is that Tony is DJing.”
“You have to go. I’m going.” Justin begged with his mouth full.
I shook my head. What is it with boys not chewing their food? “I went to the last one. It’s Bryce’s turn to babysit you.”
“I babysat last time.”
“No, you didn’t. You were sneaking off behind the bleachers with your date. I babysat. Plus, I can’t tie a tie. And neither can Justin. Ergo, your turn.”
“Yes you-.” Justin started. I kicked him under the table.
“I’m not going to the stupid dance. Besides, I have homework.”
“Addison. The dance isn’t for like three weeks.” Jeff complained.
“I know Jeff. But I am not Clay Jensen. I have friends. I have a life.”
“Aren’t you friends with Clay?” Scott asked.
“Yes. So, I know he keeps to himself. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to the dance.”
“You’re not going to the dance yet.” Justin smiled devilishly. I rolled my eyes.
“Did you finish your English paper?”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“Did you?” He challenged. Monty choked on a laugh. Smooth. Bryce quirked his brow.
“Did you just ask her if she finished a homework assignment?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged.
“Yes, I did. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. Since you’re on me about my homework.”
“Justin. The last time she handed something in late, was like seventh grade because she was out of school the day it was due.” Monty added.
“I remember. She had a stress rash because of it. How do you remember?”
He shrugged. “It had never happened before.” He noticed that? And thought it was important enough to remember? Thankfully before any more questions could be raised, the bell rang.
“I’ll meet you at my locker after school Justin.” He gave me a thumbs up before walking away, already in conversation with Zach about something.
Justin and I drove to the mall, singing along to whatever was on a Spotify artist radio. “Do we want a pretzel now or later?” I asked as I pulled my purse out of my backpack in the car. I had changed back into the flannel from this morning while I waited for my best friend at my locker.
“Now.” We said in unison.
Pretzels in hand, we wandered around the mall for a while. “I need some new shirts. I had to throw a bunch out because they were really old and not able to be donated.”
“You want opinions?”
“Of course.”
“Shoes first?”
“Sure.”
“DSW?” He shrugged and nodded. At the store, we headed straight for the men’s section. I pointed out a few pairs that seemed like they were his style. He made a face at the first couple of pairs and shook his head. Shrugging, I pointed out a pair of Nikes that were on sale. He gave me his best seriously look and I laughed. “They could be nice.”
“Yeah. If I want to look like my feet are three sizes bigger than they are.”
“You know what they say about guys with big feet though Justin.” He flipped me off. “What about these?” This time, he actually tried them on. They were not the right ones.
After a few more busts, we decided it was time to try a different store. Famous Footwear was having a sale. We stopped in there. Once again, we headed straight for the men’s sneakers. He tried a couple of pairs of Converse. Neither of us were very big fans. “White?” I asked, pointing out a pair of Pumas.
“No.” He shot down. I nodded and we kept looking. He picked up a pair of grey and white Nikes. “These are nice.”
“They are.” We found his size and he tried them on. “How do they feel?”
“Good.” He flexed his foot a few times before trying them out to walk. “Yeah, these feel good.” I smiled and we placed them back in the box to go pay.
Shoes in hand, we made a quick pitstop for coffee. Justin brought up the topic of the Winter Formal again while we walked around trying to find some shirts for me. “Are you really not going to go Addy?”
“No Justin. I don’t want to go. And besides, I have no one to go with.” At least, no one I can go to a school dance with.
“You can go with us.”
“Go with you and Bryce. And Bryce’s boys?” I quirked my brow, sharply.
“Yeah. We don’t bite. We are fun.”
“Fun. Sure.” I muttered.
“You could see Clay try to talk to Hannah.”
“Or I could sit at home and binge watch Pretty Little Liars.”
“I thought you said you had homework Addy.”
“You know that was just so Jeff would let my excuse slide. For now, at least.”
“Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“If I say I’ll think about it, will you drop it?”
“Yes.” He nodded.
“Then I will think about it.” He made a fist pumping motion and I burst out laughing. “You are such a freaking dork.”
We stopped at Target and looked around the clothes-he wasn’t going to let me look at anything else-for a while. But nothing really felt like me when I looked at it or tried it on. American Eagle was a little better. I was able to at least find things I liked on the hanger and on me. “This?” I asked Justin when I came out of the dressing room in a soft purple shirt.
“It’s nice. Makes your boobs look good.”
“That’s always a plus.” I added it to the small yes pile. A blue one was next. He shook his head.
“Not your colour.”
“Didn’t think so.” A couple more noes were added to the pile before we checked out. Aritzia and Zara were close by, but I didn’t like anything on the rack enough to try it on. We made a quick stop at Madewell and I got a couple of plain white t-shirts.
“Can we make a Sephora stop? I need to replace my foundation.”
“We can if you give me your wallet, so you don’t spend all of your money.”
“I won’t spend it all. I literally only need a new bottle of foundation.”
“Alright. You have ten minutes to get in line tops.”
“Yes Dad.” I shook my head. Justin scoffed jovially. He followed close behind me in the store to make sure I stayed true to my word. They were out of my shade in my usual formula. I grabbed a bottle of my backup formula instead. By the time we were done, I didn’t even have the energy to make a stop at the bookstore. We decided to grab a slice of pizza to go instead of sitting in the food court.
Back in town, we stopped at Baker Drugs and got my mom’s prescription. I grabbed a box of gobstoppers for good measure and grinned at Justin. “Are you spending the night? We can do movies before bed as long as you aren’t a pain in my ass in the morning.”
“Sure. I’ll let my mom know.”
At home, I texted Monty while Justin was in the bathroom. Hey, Justin is spending the night for movie night.
Okay. How was shopping?
Good. I got some stuff.
Awesome. Enjoy your movies babe. Justin came back before I could reply. “Who you texting?”
“Just Zach about our Government assignment. Do we want snacks?”
“Of course, we want snacks.” Together, the two of us went downstairs and raided the cabinets.
“Hi Justin. Hi Addison.” Mum greeted as she came in the door.
“Hi Margot.” Justin replied.
“Hi Mum.”
“Make sure you don’t eat too much candy you two.” She chuckled when she saw us trying to stuff a box of Swedish berries in Justin’s sweater.
“We won’t Mum.”
“Yes Mom.”
I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. Justin and I ran upstairs with our contraband. We both changed into comfy clothes and arranged our candy on my bed. When the microwave beeped, I ran back down to get it. Mum pretended not to notice me grabbing an extra chocolate bar. I heard her laughing with dad about it though.
“They really are quite cute together.”
“I suppose. Thankfully we don’t need to worry about them being another kind of cute.” Dad said. No, you really don’t.
Justin had Netflix pulled up when I got back to my room and shut the door. He was scrolling aimlessly. “I put butter on in the middle and the top.”
“Wonderful.” He grinned. “What mood are we in?”
“Superbad?”
“Addison! That is an R rated movie.” He exclaimed, scandalously.
“But it’s funny.”
“Superbad it is.” We got settled and hit play. After it was done, we scrolled through and picked The Social Network. Finally, just for fun to end the night… er, morning, we decided to watch the 2011 Footloose. Between the three films, we ate so much candy we knew we would wake up with stomach aches on Tuesday.
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