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deadricslover · 9 months

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second time's a charm

here's my masterlist!

a/n: ^^^that's a gif btw idk why it's not playing for me. can u see it?

summary: your younger sister called recently to tell you she had found a boyfriend and she wanted you all as a family to meet him.

warnings: again, like the last post. the focus isn't on Bruce being your partner in this one...

pairings: fem!reader x bale!Bruce Wayne

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Two weeks ago your younger sister, Anna called you up and told you that she got a boyfriend and wanted you to meet him. Of course you said yes, as big sister duty and to see who has your baby sister's heart. She knew when she asked that you would want to meet him, but why she really wanted you two to meet was because she needed your opinion and approval. As silly as it sounded, she wouldn't want to be with him if you didn't like him or thought she could do better as she valued your opinion ever so much, like any little sister would-- even though she's not so young anymore. You needed to be there though for different reasons, yes, you wanted to support Anna, but you also wanted to make sure things ran as smoothly as possible and not like when Bruce met your family. To be fair, then, it was uncharted waters and you didn't know what to expect. You want to prevent the invasive mother questions and protective dad mode from arising. Sure, a couple embarrassing stories would be fun, but as long as things didn't go overboard, you were good. You hadn't heard much about this boy only the things that Anna was willing to share when she called you late at night rambling about how their first date went and you could practically see her twirling her hair as if she was in a film.

"Is there a dress code for this sort of thing? Meeting your fiance's sister's boyfriend" Bruce asks from your shared bed while you root through the closet like a racoon in a bin trying to find the perfect fit for Bruce to wear. You felt like a mom picking out clothes for her child. You eventually find what you're looking for and throw it at him while replying

"Yes, not pyjamas. Now get changed"

"Yes, Mom" he says smiling looking for a reaction out of you

"Would you rather pick out an outfit for yourself?" you question, spinning back around to see him now standing up taking off his shirt

"no, you just always do such a good job"

"do you want me to change you too?" you ask, now bickering like an old couple

"you know, I wouldn't mind-" he starts

"tough, you're a grown man that should be able to change AND pick out his own clothes" you say cracking a little smile, despite your efforts to not let it show. You close the door before he had a chance to say something else and also so he didn't she the grin creeping up on your face. You go straight to the kitchen and pour yourself a glass of water because who knew finding clothes for Bruce to wear would be so hard. Not like you hadn't done it hundred times.

Time passes and you two leave to go to your childhood home. It was safe to say you were probably in for a stressful night, constantly listening to make sure your parents don't drift in to a conversation tat would make Anna or her boyfriend uncomfortable. You and Bruce both knew that. The drive to the house was normal, but Bruce could sense that you were slightly worried at the possibilities.

"there's no need to worry, my love. Anna and the new boy should be the nervous ones" He comforts rubbing your hand as much as he could while driving while driving.

"if I don't like him, it will really effect how Anna sees this guy. I just want it to go well. Of course I want to like him and even if I don't, I'm not sure whether to mention it to Anna or to keep it a secret, if I keep it to myself then I feel like she might ignore all the red flags and I don't want her to get hurt but if I do tell her then I will feel like the bad person and that she can't make her own decisions an-" Bruce cuts you off

"you're rambling. I understand you're worried but everything will be fine, I promise" he reassures you sweetly, glancing over to you sitting in the passenger seat. He takes your hand in his and brings it up to his mouth to place it a little kiss into the back of it.

You step out of the car grabbing the last minute things that your dad asked you to pick up on the way here. Bruce meets you at your side and you walk to the door together, entering the house after a quick knock. You are met by your younger brother running up to the door grabbing onto you squeezing the life out his older sister.

You squat down to give him a proper embrace. "hi, big boy! you've grown so much"

"everyone's so excited to see you and mom is shouting at dad a lot" he innocently tells you. bless him for not knowing better.

"and we're here to fix that" you reply to your younger brother, max while getting up to say hi to everyone else. as you're walking away max runs up to Bruce and Bruce picks him up and they exchange greetings. Max looks up to Bruce so much, it's honestly so adorable.

someone that you do not yet recognise catches your attention and you soon realise that it must be the boy of the night, Anna's boyfriend who you still do not know the name of.

"hi, I'm Anna's older sister" you say to him offering your name also. He sticks out his hand for you to shake which catches you off guard but you accept the gesture no less.

"I'm Claude. I am with your sister" he says, a slight French accent flowing it's way to your ears.

"ooh where's that accent from" you inquire not 100% sure if that's an ok question to ask, but you did it anyways.

"my parents are french, my older siblings and I were all born in France and lived there until about eight years ago." he responds with a smile sending proud of his roots

"me and my fiance-- who is somewhere-- were hoping to go next year. any recommendations as to where is nice?" you ask trying to make conversation

he gives you multiple lovely places, explaining each is heaps of detail. you take each into account and make a mental note to check them out later on.

you spot your parents in the kitchen but more specifically, your mother hanging over your father's shoulder bickering with him, telling him that he is cutting the food wrong.

"mom, I don't think you can cut potatoes wrong." you call out catching her attention. she spins around and notices you and visibly sighs in relief.

"thank God you're here" she wraps you in an embrace while telling you how happy she is that you're here.

"everything will be fine. don't worry" you reassure her even though you aren't thinking the same thing at all.

"Anna is upstairs. she wanted me to send you up when you arrived. Where's Bruce?" she inquires looking around.

"with his shadow. I'll go up to her now" you say leaving. passing Bruce and Max on the way, telling him where you're going. You knock on her door and walk in when she says it's good for you to enter. she is sitting at her desk with a mirror propped against the wall touching up her hair. She glances at you in the mirror, puts down the tool and jumps up to run to you.

"I missed you." she tells you into your neck

"I missed you more. sorry I couldn't see you sooner." you answer, pulling back and sitting on her bed.

she sits down next to you and you start to ask her about the boy and teasing her about it and she gets all red and shy but it's so sweet. you've never been in this position before as you only have two younger siblings and Anna is the older of the pair. you remember when she was obsessing over the peeta from the hunger games when she was younger and now look at her. she is graduating soon and you are simply not ready for that. yes, you're not her mother but still, it's strange seeing her like this. You two talk for a little while more before you decide to finish off her hair for her while listening to some nostalgic music from your childhood together.

"he's downstairs. I feel bad leaving him but I need to look good and I'm kinda nervous" she says fiddling with her eyelashes.

"you do look good. And he is definitely not just dating you for your amazing looks, there's no need to worry" you inform her telling the utter truth

There is a knock on the door interrupting you two.

"sorry to interrupt, your mom sent me up. Claude and your family are waiting downstairs because dinner is ready" Bruce says popping in the door.

"oh sorry, we're on our way. just need to make sure Anna is feeling her best" you reply smiling at her in the mirror.

"he seems great, I was talking to him downstairs when max went away to get his new firetruck, that's the only time I got a word in with someone else" Bruce says showing how obsessed your brother is with your boyfriend.

"yeah I think so too. unless he comes out with some major criminal record" you tell her honestly but also glancing to Bruce to see his reaction, as batman doesn't have the best reputation with the cops.

"trust me, he doesn't. he's a good guy" Anna replies giggling a little bit.

"when I introduced myself first, he seemed so starstruck and he was stuttering and getting shy, it was really funny. but to be fair, if I saw George Clooney I would too" Bruce follows up with which makes you laugh and so does anna.

"yeah except, you're not George Clooney" you reply smiling a little bit.

"just hope we turn out like you two. I really like him" she follows up with.

"you want to get engaged or you really like him? they are two different things"

"you can't have both" Bruce replies with still standing in the doorframe.

a look of horror paints it's way onto her face and you quickly have to reassure her you were kidding. you turn off the curler wand start walking down the stairs, encouraging Anna to go first but she didn't want to.

you felt a little bad for Claude waiting by himself downstairs, especially because he doesn't know anyone. Bruce is different, he knows your family and max would keep him occupied anyways. Bruce sits down pulling out a chair for you next to him as he does so. Anna sits down next to Claude also and you all begin eating as everyone is super hungry. During the dinner you kept glancing to Claude to find him glancing at Bruce still starstruck and also did exactly as you said you would, you kept Anna from getting too embarrassed to the point where she wanted to leave and was actually annoyed with your parents. Although, a couple funny childhood stories would be ok but you wanted to stand up for your baby sister when things might get a bit too much.

"so" your father starts talking

"Claude, how do you plan to treat my daughter?" he continues with

"Dad" you warn looking at him trying to prevent exactly what you were afraid of

"I'm kidding. It was a joke. Calm down, care bear. If your mom's dad asked me that at seventeen I would have started sweating and crying in front of him" he admits and the table starts laughing. max too just because everyone else is-- in particular, Bruce. maybe if you weren't so tense you would have noticed it was a joke. God, you needed wine

"wine anyone?" you ask the table getting up and grabbing the bottle of wine you brought. your mom accepts and Bruce denies as he is driving and your dad jut doesn't drink. Hopefully this will help you calm down

questions are thrown at Claude to try and get to know him and he kindly answers. You soon come to the conclusion that you were worrying for no reason at all and didn't need to be so uptight. When you thought you were out of the spotlight your mom brings up an old embarrassing story of you that she promised to never tell anyone. Bruce didn't even know this.

"she went out drinking with some of her friends one time and I knew that they were drinking but she legally was allowed to so I couldn't stop her. But I think we both wish she did listen to me. I waited up for her to make sure she was ok when she came home but nobody walked through the front door, so I went to bed. Maybe she was staying at a friends house and forgot to text or she could sill be out. I don't know. I get waken up by my phone ringing at five am and guess who it is" she says pointing to you at the last part as if the whole table didn't know.

"she was whispering 'mom, can you open the front door please.' thought nothing of it besides the fact it was five am. I opened the door and she wasn't there, so I called her back and asked where she was. she told me she was waiting outside. long story short, she wasn't at our house but a completely different neighbourhood knocking on some innocent families door with some strange woman that I didn't recognise when i picked her up. she told me 'mom, this is angelina' she comes over to me and whispers 'it's angelina jolie. be nice' she thought this random woman was angelina jolie and this poor woman was just following her around because they had been talking all night."

you drop your head in shame as she finishes off the story and embarrassment, Bruce glancing over to you multiple times because he could never imagine you getting that drunk.

"to be fair, I was new to drinking, didn't know my limits and wanted to have fun. Anna, do not ever do anything like that, it was the worst i has ever been it's not worth it"

"Wait, we were together then? You were at least twenty one then" Bruce comments

"yeah, I didn't call you back for like three days." you reply

" I called your parents to make sure you were ok. do you even remember this?" he asks

"no. so this could be completely made up" you admit knowing damn well it was real because of the terrible hangover you had

"oh it was real alright" your dad pipes in

"ok, can we drop it this is embarrassing." you ask ashamed

because of this simple ask, your parents do not in fact drop it and the night ends up being all about you instead of Claude and Anna which was a bit unfair but I guess it was better than embarrassing Anna.

The night ends when Claude's parents ask him to come home. You and Bruce set off then too saying goodbye to Anna, Max and your parents sarcastically thanking them for everything they said.

As you and Bruce drive home and get ready for bed, he won't drop the subject of you getting obliterated drunk.

"I can't wait until I see Alfred next. I'm going to ask him about all the times that you got drunk beyond your limits"

and with that he was quiet and dropped the topic.

"honestly, I think Claude had the hots for you more than Anna. he was staring at you the whole dinner" you say to him

"stop, he just met THE Bruce Wayne. of course he's gonna be starstruck" he replies

"you're so full of it"

and that's how the night you were scared about ended. you were slightly embarrassed to be honest because as you knew deep down in your brain, there was nothing to worry about.

#dc #deadricslover #batman #bruce wayne #christian bale x reader #batman begins #bruce wayne x reader #christian bale #the dark knight #the batman

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dailycass-cain · 2 months

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Detective Comics #1082 featured a SURPRISE Cass appearance, but a welcome one always to have. So here are my thoughts on the Cass's showing in that.

I mean every issue of Ram V's Detective Comics is a treat, and this one is no different (even with the guest star that I just LOVE to talk daily about).

Like there are layers to the tale he weaves that not only continue threads from past Batman writers but does his own thing.

Weaving and spinning a story that feels like a natural progression of what was already told by others.

Bruce feels human here than say other comics which "try" to tell it through his thoughts, but man the artist talents have been selling this struggle.

Why the "reward" is all the more "rewarding" because Ram V puts in this "doubt" in prior earlier stories written that, there's that chance Bruce might lose.

I mean we know he won't, but it's that "DOUBT" planted throughout. It makes Bruce relatable.

Speaking of rewards. The B-plot returns us back to Gotham as the Question continues her case as again we see what an Orgham-run Gotham City is like.

How their Reality Machine has wiped the memory of the bat out. HOWEVER…

"The Batman YET haunts Gotham."

I honestly was expecting Jean-Paul (given he was rocking the AzBats suit when we last left him) but to see Cass the OTHER being Ram V continuing the crusade of the bat?

SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!

ahem

I mean logically, I wonder where everyone else is. Dick. Babs. Jim. I know eventually we'll see. But to see Cass still as we lost saw her in 2023 fighting the Orgham and keeping the SYMBOL alive in Gotham?

I mean there's a certain POETRY at hand here as we have two bat suits that basically filled in for Bruce when he was away. Either due to being broken in Knightfall (Jean-Paul)--

--or trying via means as Bruce Wayne to get the government to lift Gotham from being labeled a "No Man's Land" (Cass's costume which Helena Bertinelli used to continue Bruce's crusade).

It's so SATISFYING to see these elements incorporated here. Just now, it's Cass continuing the crusade and making sure Gotham REMEMBERS the bat.

Because it is a characteristic trait that other than Bruce, Cass is one of the few who just understands WHY the bat symbol carries so much.

This exact DRIVE within her, is why she is just BUILT different than most folk in Gotham. Heck Renee struggles with the Realty Machine in places in her story.

Trying to remember what was lost.

Yet, we see Cass like she was ripped from when Jorge Corona drew her in Batgirls (very nicely done there whoever drew her like that). As described in the very comic, "a wraith."

It's that answer Cass gives Renee on HOW she's able to resist. The answer again showcases how Bruce/Cass are just so similar. People wonder why Cass is Bruce's heir to being to him as Batman?

Ram V is giving that answer to modern readers.

This "answer" is not new, I find it akin to what Andersen Gabrych came to in his run of Batgirl Vol. 1. Just not as restricting of characterization with Ben Turner who pointed this fact out, and kneeling.

That Cass was going down this path after taking a life, and saying NO to a life of being a killer. That she chose to use the tools forced onto her to become something else.

I think if we ever get time to see the "lost" era of years when Cass rejected her father and hadn't met Barbara Gordon.

I think Ram V would be a fascinating writer to do this. Will he? Oh, I wish! This year would be PERFECT for it for sure.

It's a "gap" that I feel a writer SHOULD farm. Cause I really don't want Gabrych being the only OTHER than Kelly Puckett himself. I feel the period is ripe to showcase how "bat" she was before becoming one.

Though ironically, it isn't lost upon anyone seeing the heir to Vic Sage and well the daughter of a certain someone.

Again, the themes and poetry of what was told in the past. Just with new layers put in. This "interlude" makes me hunger for a Question tale with Renee and Cass being teaching her like Shiva taught Vic.

If not, well we got that here. Somewhere. Someplace both Vic and Shiva smirked at what occurred in this issue. Renee/Cass doing both proud.

I could gush all day and night on this issue. This was something that was TRULY needed. Or at least told again. To remind folks why Cass is different than Jason, Steph, Tim, Duke, and even Damian.

This issue felt like a 25th-anniversary gift Ram V gave to Cass fans. Even though we have 0 official stuff (we could use some DC).

Cass's portion of Tec #1082 felt like a celebration of why the character has lingered so long.

So thank you to all creatives in this issue. To the writer, artists, inkers, colorist, editors. All involved. 🙏

#cassandra cain #dc comics #my thoughts

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mzminola · 8 months

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Bat Brat Age & Role Shuffle AU:

Once upon a time there was a young Gothamite who went to the circus to see the Flying Graysons, a pair of acrobats of world acclaim. The mafias hadn’t started paying attention to Haly’s as a potential squeeze in the protection racket yet, so absolutely nothing went wrong.

Several years later Jack and Janet Drake get divorced, but that’s unrelated.

Also unrelated, Bruce Wayne eventually debuts as Batman. Not too long after that, Crystal Brown overdoses while Stephanie is at school and Cluemaster is busy with two-bit supervillainy.

Blaming both herself and Arthur for not being there, Spoiler sets out to kill her abusive dad, running into Batman along the way. They get along as well as you’d expect two people who are similar in all the worst ways, but Bruce can’t stop Stephanie despite her being, like, ten. He’s new at the vigilante thing and she saw his face (there may have been a brick involved), so they have a mutually assured destruction thing going on.

Spoiler bargains to only beat up Cluemaster, not kill, if Batman teaches her to be the best possible crime fighter ever. He agrees. Once Arthur is in jail, Bruce steps up to officially foster Stephanie.

Spoiler keeps flying at Batman’s side, continuing her extensive training. They both lean into the Brooding Loner theme, so Stephanie is only an associate of the Teen Titans, not a full member. They make her feel awkward, and her intense Bat-training makes them feel judged.

Meanwhile, Tim Drake started college at about the same time most people start High School, having gone super hard on academics to drown out his parents’ fighting before their divorce. A big fan of both the Flying Graysons and Batman, he takes the plunge on maybe not actually being he by handcrafting a costume for her Original Herosona Do-Not-Steal, Batgirl! to attend a convention.

Tim being an overachiever, and also a Gothamite who’s lived this long, the costume is fully functional for crime fighting, which comes in handy when a Rogue crashes the con.

Stephanie is younger and Tim a less experienced crime fighter, so Spoiler and Batgirl butt heads a lot once Batgirl starts flying through the night, but they’re always down to team up to dunk on Batman (Tim loses some of the hero worship once actually doing the hero job).

Tim has to pretend to be a perfect heterosexual cisgender young man for her parents by day (or at least for Jack, Tim’s more hopeful about Janet) and so uses Batgirl time as a chance to experiment and as an outlet for a lot of things. She flirts with Batman all the time, which makes Spoiler mime barfing because ew that’s her dadmentor, gross.

Spoiler is even more obnoxious when Bruce flirts with Catwoman and gets along even worse than canon!Dick does with Talia.

Bruce and Stephanie’s too-similar personality clashes get worse the older and more confident Stephanie gets, culminating in an explosive fight when she turns eighteen and ages out of the foster system. She spends a few weeks living with Arthur (out on parole again) out of spite, and then hightails it to New York to prove she can be a team player and join the Titans for real.

Sick of the extreme uptick in brooding, Alfred badgers Bruce to get the fuck out of the manor for something other than crime and tormenting the Wayne enterprises Board of Directors.

Bruce goes to Haly’s Circus.

You can guess how that ends.

It doesn’t even occur to Tim that twelve year old acrobatics prodigy Dickie Grayson wouldn’t stay with Haly’s Circus, surely John and Mary had some kind of preferential guardianship documentation. So while Tim is now done with her LIS degree, has a job, and presumably could be an eligible foster parent, Bruce already has custody by the time Batgirl encounters Robin in the field.

Batgirl makes sure Tony Zucco’s entire organization comes crumbling down while Batman and Robin deal with the man himself.

Stephanie finds out about Batman’s new sidekick from Tim instead of Bruce and reacts…

Badly.

Canon!Stephanie has some pretty damn strong jealousy issues. She hasn’t even been gone two months yet and Bruce already has a new partner? A new kid? Who does Bruce think he is, replacing her like that? Who does the kid think he is, stealing her dadmentor?

God, and he’s so much peppier than she is, in a brighter costume, Spoiler could always make Batman smile but Robin makes him laugh. He’s got the murdered parents thing in common with Bruce too, parents who never did any crime, unlike hers. This isn’t fair.

Tim thinks Stephanie needs to get over herself and not be a jerk to the kid on the rare occasion she visits Gotham, if she can’t handle being nice. Stephanie accuses Tim of being a kiss-ass to Batman, says Tim must be so thrilled to finally be the more experienced crime fighter for once, and oh, isn’t it a dream come true to work with one of the famous Flying Graysons? Tim throws a book at her head.

Two or three years later, when Tim has already been going out in the field less frequently, doing more casework from the computer, considering retiring Batgirl and working up the nerve to come out as a woman in her civilian life, her parents arrive earlier than they’re supposed to for dinner just as she’s getting back from patrol. In costume.

There’s a lot of shouting. Accusations. Assumptions. Hurtful things said. Some supportive things said, too. Jack blames Janet for Tim “dressing in drag to run around with lunatics!” Janet blames Jack for Tim never talking to them about all this. It doesn’t help that Tim got a small laceration on her temple which is bleeding like a motherfucker when she comes through the window; their baby could have been killed!

Eventually everyone calms down; Tim agrees to put her vigilante work on hold while they all attend family counseling (which she’s tried to get them to do before). Jack admits Grandpa Charlie would be proud of Tim’s heroism. Janet asks what name Tim prefers to be called, and starts listing notable women from ancient history when Tim admits ‘Batgirl’ is the only girl name she’s chosen so far.

Unfortunately, just a few weeks later, the Joker and his henchmen break into a Drake Industries medical manufacturing facility to steal something while Jack is there, on the day Tim came to meet her dad for lunch.

Tim takes a bullet to the spine, instead of Jack taking it to the gut.

While Tim is in the hospital, fifteen year old Dick Grayson is dealing with complicated feelings about family. The Gotham socialite sphere and media keeps gossiping about his status as a foster kid; Bruce’s first still had a living father, a criminal, of course she was in the system, but Richard is an orphan, why hasn’t Bruce adopted him? None of them think to ask Dick how he feels about that; his father is John Grayson, he doesn’t want a new dad…

But he would like more reassurance than he’s getting that Bruce wants him around as himself, not just a crime fighting partner.

Bruce is not good at other people’s feelings; his attempts to not impinge on the Graysons’ memory or make Dick feel pressured about adoption come across poorly.

Then Dick gets a letter from someone claiming to be his half-sister. Since when has he had a half-sister? Is this for real? Does he really have more family out there?

Melinda doesn’t betray Dick, but they both still end up dead at the Joker’s hands in a warehouse on the other side of the world anyway.

Stephanie was in space when it happened. She misses the funeral. It sits hollowly in her chest; she was never there for the kid, never acted as a big sister, now he’s dead and she missed the fucking funeral.

She never wanted a little brother. But she had one anyway. And now he’s dead.

Spoiler gets nearly as self-destructive as Batman.

A few months later the Gotham police commissioner’s thirteen year old daughter Barbara Gordon knocks on the door of Stephanie Brown’s apartment in New York, demanding she come back and pull Batman’s head out of his butt.

“He’s come close to killing people,” Babs says severely, photos taken with a ‘borrowed’ crime scene camera documenting Batman’s self-and-others destructive spiral spread out on the coffee table. “He wasn’t like this when working with the Spoiler.”

Along with the photos, there’s a methodically constructed timeline of Batman’s crime fighting partners lining up with Bruce Wayne’s fostering history. The extreme prejudice Spoiler uses whenever Cluemaster gets out of jail and the similarities between Robin and the Flying Graysons’ costumes is noted in the margins.

“Trust me, kid, if I could pull B’s head out of his ass, I would,” Stephanie says, sarcasm covering up her nerves at their secret identities being blown. “Now why are you here, instead of showing all this to Daddy?”

Babs rolls her eyes. “Because Dad would have to arrest him.” There is an implied duh.

“Well, then, you should be familiar with dads not doing what we want.”

Stephanie drives Babs back to Gotham because she’s thirteen and traveled all the way to New York by herself. Stephanie may be a bit paranoid about kids traveling alone right now.

Alfred compliments Babs’ detective work and makes her cocoa. Bruce reads the margins of the timeline and remembers trying to get Dickie into a subtler costume; the grief and guilt make him say unkind things to Babs. This does not sway her from the conviction that Batman needs a partner again.

Some more unkind words and an altercation with a Rogue later, Babs is that partner.

“The hell are you even gonna call yourself?” Stephanie asks, visiting while Babs is in training. Babs lives with her dad. Bruce isn’t fostering her. Stephanie is gonna be this kid’s big sister anyway. She’s gonna do it right this time, dammit.

“Sparrow,” Babs says. “I thought…” For the first time Stephanie’s ever heard, Barbara Gordon sounds less than 100% confident. “A songbird, in Robin’s honor. And ‘Sparrow’ starts with the same letters as ‘Spoiler’ so it’s...it’s after both of you.”

Stephanie is going to blame the Batcave training mats stench for how her eyes water. “Good name. Dickie’d like it.” She never knew him well enough to know that, but what can it hurt to say?

(On Halloween, the ripples of Superboy Prime’s punch reach back in time, righting what should never have gone so wrong, and Dick Grayson crawls out of his own grave. Unfortunately for everyone, Deathstroke is the first to find him.)

Tim is busy with physical therapy, family counseling, her library job, her new vigilante idea, and getting her name legally changed to Timothea Jacqueline Drake. She doesn’t find out about Sparrow until Babs is back from her misadventures in Paris and Hong Kong with Lady Shiva, and takes down King Snake’s gang at the docks.

Batman’s very first message from Oracle is IF YOU DON’T DO RIGHT BY THE NEW KID I’M STEALING HER TO BE THE NEXT BATGIRL.

Meanwhile, young teenager Jason Todd is stealing tires to pay for his mom’s medicine while his dad is in jail again. Two-Face, Willis’s most recent boss, won’t even bother to pay for his arrested henchmen’s bail, let alone lawyers, and the Gotham court appointed ones are a crapshoot.

Willis never wanted Jason doing crime, but Jason never wanted his dad doing it either, so tough fucking shit all around. Before getting arrested, Willis shared just enough information about his henching gigs to keep Jason away from them. Don’t go to that part of town tonight, avoid the docks next week, never buy anything from Scarecrow’s ex-goons even if they’re working for someone else now.

So when Jason sees the Batmobile just fucking sitting in Crime Alley, he steals two tires and leaves a note on the dashboard with everything he knows about Two-Face’s latest plans.

The snarling photo of that coin-flipping fucker’s arrest in the papers two days later is the most satisfying thing Jason’s seen in his life. It doesn’t get him his dad back, but it sure feels damn good.

So maybe Jason listens in harder on other Rogues’ henchmen and mafia goons chatting with each other in bars and trying to impress the working girls with how much they know, and maybe when the Batmobile shows up a few blocks away from Crime Alley, it loses another couple tires and gets an even longer note.

The third time Jason does it, a hand lands on his shoulder and a voice says “Dude—” from behind him; he swings out with his tire iron, clocking Sparrow in the face.

“Oh, shit,” Jason says, stumbling back. He just whacked Batman’s sidekick! Everyone knows Batman is super fucking protective after the second one died! Oh shit, he is so fucked.

“Dude, ow,” Sparrow says, hand to her jaw. “Nice reflexes, but ow.”

“No shit, nice reflexes,” Jason says. “This is Gotham. Do people just love being snuck up on wherever you’re from?”

“I’m from Gotham too, jerk,” Sparrow says.

“Don’t sound like it,” Jason points out. She has an accent. It’s subtle, but there. Guessing by how her eyes widen, not many people notice. “What do you want?”

“Uh, for you to not steal my boss’s tires?” Sparrow says. She rubs her jaw. “Like, we appreciate the tips, but could you leave the Batmobile in one piece?”

“You can afford to replace them,” Jason says, rolling his eyes. “I gotta eat.”

“Is that so.” Sparrow narrows the lenses of her mask. It’s freaky. She reaches for her belt; Jason jumps back, raising the tire iron higher. Sparrow huffs. “Chill. I’m giving you stool pigeon money. It’s not as much as the tires cost, but it’s better than nothing.”

Jason eyes the money when she holds it out. He doesn’t like thinking of myself as a snitch; this is revenge, it’s getting back at the fuckers who won’t help their own people out. But he does need the money, and what is he gonna do, fight Sparrow for the tires?

“Fine.” Jason snatches the cash out of Sparrow’s hand, eyeing the numbers in the corners quickly before hiding it in his hoodie. “I gotta worry about the big bad Bat coming after me for fucking up your face?”

“Oh, god, no, it’s embarrassing enough a civilian got a hit on me, I’m not telling him it was a teenager.”

She’s definitely a teenager too, but Jason decides discretion is the better part of valor and keeps his mouth shut.

Within a week, the Todds qualify for a health insurance plan Jason’s never heard of before. A pilot program by the Martha Wayne Foundation.

Next time, instead of jacking tires, Jason asks Sparrow to teach him how to use those nifty grappling hooks in exchange for information on a Mr. Freeze scheme.

Leaving off here because there are a LOT of moving parts to figure out for the ensuing canon plotlines, and how they'd change. Also, if any other teams ages and roles outside Gotham have been shuffled around too, or if they're all as per canon.

#minor character death #some canon some noncanon #I'd like to leave Helena JPV Cass Damian in their canon roles #who is located where for the Quake has an impact on the NML arc #does Young Adult Stephanie or Teenage Jason get the unplanned pregnancy arc in the middle of that mess?#DC #Batfam #fic ideas #Batkids RoleSwap #Batkids Age Shuffle

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themculibrary · 26 days

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College/University Roommates Masterlist

a home for two (ao3) - watsonmj (divineauthor) mj/peter T, 3k

Summary: MJ can’t count how many times Peter has shown up in her dorm.

Peter and MJ become unintentional roommates. They’re also incredibly in love with each other.

A Little Larceny (ao3) - checkmate bucky/tony T, 5k

Summary: Bucky has a bit of a thing for his roommate, but Tony is far too busy setting him up on blind dates with other people to notice.

California king (ao3) - withered bucky/tony T, 1k

Summary: Bucky should be used to Tony ending up in his bed.

cross your heart (ao3) - softnslow mj/peter, ned/betty T, 6k

Summary: God, he's so pretty.

His eyes dart from the textbook to his journal, and his head is lowered so a brown curl droops down from his forehead. His dorky T-shirt is hiked up slightly so it reveals- his stupid perfect six-pack, damn.

The soft glow of the lamp outlines his sharp, perfect jawline to his pretty boy features.

MJ looks back down, biting the inside of her cheek.

She's crushing so hard on Peter. A nerd. A dork. A really hot, cute, awkward, pretty guy.

or, a sweet roommates au featuring babysitting morgan stark, snowball fights, and study sessions.

Death and the PhD (ao3) - buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (hutchabelle) steve/bucky T, 3k

Summary: PhD student Bucky Barnes loves his research on Thanatos, the Greek god of non-violent death. So wrapped up in his studies that he doesn’t realize someone’s stalking him and his roommate Steve who’s come to mean more to Bucky than only someone who resides in his apartment, he’s forced to find the courage to resist when he comes face-to-face with his stalker.

Education is the key (ao3) - SrebrnaFH G, 1k

Summary: Steve Rogers is rescued from the ice earlier than in the MCU timeline and Army decides he needs to complete his education.

Howard Stark suggests MIT. Guess who is going to be Steve's roommate... Or roommates.

for all of the perfect things that i doubt (ao3) - spoondrifts loki/mobius, valkryie/ravonna T, 6k

Summary: Mobius M. Mobius, age twenty-three, philosophy major, isn't sure what to make of his new roommate. Especially considering that it's three months into the semester and he hasn't even seen the guy yet.

Home (ao3) - Pandagirl86 tony/bruce T, 4k

Summary: It's been a long time since Tony's felt at home.

In This Together (ao3) - i_buchanan bruce/tony E, 62k

Summary: Bruce was pretty sure that he was going to be the youngest person at MIT. He didn't realize that honor actually went to his roommate, the already-infamous Tony Stark. Granted, the child prodigy turns out to be nothing like he expects, for better or worse, and Bruce figures that they just have to make it work. Besides, it should only be for one semester, right?

Or, the fic where they live together, move out together, and eventually get together.

Let Me Love You (ao3) - inclinedtoarson mj/peter M, 3k

Summary: Peter is Michelle's best friend, and Michelle is his. He is always there for her on her worst days, and now that they're roommates she's spent a lot of nights confiding the deepest parts of herself with him. There's no one she trusts more in the world, no one who knows her better. So when her boyfriend just up and leaves, MJ is glad Peter is there to tell her she's beautiful and valuable and that he's there for her. He'll always be there.

Marvel Collegiate University (ao3) - Ultra bucky/natasha, pepper/tony, steve/peggy T, 48k

Summary: What if all the Avengers were ordinary human beings who just attended college together?

Oh where do we begin (ao3) - steveandbucky steve/buckt M, 24k

Summary: Halfway through his third year of college, Steve Rogers rents out the spare room in his apartment to make living close to campus more affordable. At first sight his new roommate, Bucky Barnes, seems to be the stuff dreams are made of, but living together turns out to be a nightmare, and the academic year is a lot more adventurous than either of them expected, as they slowly turn from enemies to friends to lovers.

Painterly (ao3) - avintagekiss24 steve/bucky E, 8k

Summary: Steve's entire semester hinges on the art project that Bucky just kinda, sorta put a hole in.

save, saving, saved (ao3) - firebrands steve/tony G, 1k

Summary: simple joys, or: tony exhausting himself trying to help literally everyone and steve tutting and making him noodles

Smart Enough (ao3) - AuroraWest loki/stephen T, 3k

Summary: Loki has never been smart enough to keep his mouth shut around people who don't like him. When he gets beat up by the university rowing team (seriously?), his roommate insists on helping with the injuries.

At least Loki is smart enough not to fall for his roommate, despite Stephen's crooked smile and floppy hair. Right?

some days i'm lonely (and some days i'm not) (ao3) - wittepain peter/harley T, 77k

Summary: Harley turns eighteen in a day, graduates in two weeks, and despite all of the questions now being thrown at his head, he has absolutely no direction in life.

or, it takes leaving everything he's ever known for harley keener to finally learn how to love and be loved.

Surprise! (ao3) - Ray_Day peter/harley T, 2k

Summary: Harley and Peter are dating and are roommates in college. Neither of them knows that they know Tony Stark (Though on Harley's end, he just doesn't connect the dots).

So when Tony shows up for a surprise lecture for their shared class, neither of them know what to do.

The Loveliness of Loving You (ao3) - ElisabethMonroe sam/bucky E, 4k

Summary: Staring SamBucky, featuring: Valentine's Day ✔️ Baking Cookies ✔️ Lingerie ✔️ Mutual Pining By Friends With Benefits ✔️ And They Were Roommates ✔️

The One With The Haus Party (ao3) - neversaydie steve/bucky, natasha/sam, past steve/tony, bucky/pietro M, 8k

Summary: Sam ends up giving Mr Five-Feet-Five of Cock-Deprived Fury a piggyback home, mainly because he's too drunk to protest being carried and Sam would like to get home before the sun comes up this time.

"I hate Bucky." He's been grumbling about Barnes for the entire walk. There's a thin line between love and hate, Sam supposes, and apparently that line is someone else's dick in Bucky's mouth. "Fucking… gonna call him Fucky from now on."

"He'll like that." Sam points out, shifting Steve's weight to get the bony knees out of his ribs. He'd better get some good karma for this shit, he wishes he didn't have such a strong conscience that he can't knowingly let this guy sleep on a sticky frat house floor for the night. He's way nicer than his messy friends deserve.

"Gonna call him fuckface then. Fuckface fucking Barnes. Sucking all the dicks. S'not fair, where's the dicks left for everyone else?!"

[the gang go to a house party at a hockey frat, mistaken identities and inadvisable drunken behaviour abound, and Steve is a Hot Mess]

The Rift (ao3) - seapigeon steve/bucky M, 53k

Summary: Steve Rogers is used to things going wrong. He's had poor health and bad luck his entire life. He's not really sure why he thought witchcraft would be any different. Maybe because he didn't believe it was real...?

Turns out, it's all kinds of real, and now he has a ghost in the attic, a mystery to solve, and a huge crush on his roommate.

#themculibrary #marvel #mcu #masterlists #au #college #college masterlist #university #university masterlist #roommates #roommates masterlist

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nonagesimus · 11 months

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Birthday Prompt 4 - #alfredcritical

Prompted by @dickgraysonwayne

Alfred was used to finding people in his kitchen in the middle of the night.

Bruce, always, though he did tend to take pride in nights he managed to not wake Alfred up. Dick, from the moment he’d come to live in the manor. Difficult to miss, because the boy could never sit still even when he was eating a midnight snack. Jason had been difficult to catch, admittedly, but eventually had gotten to the stage where he’d put on tea for the both of them and wait for Alfred to show up. Tim barely spoke when he was caught, but always seemed quietly happy to see him. Damian had started bringing a sketchbook with him, turning the lights on properly so he could sketch while he ate. Even with the gaps, the times where some of them hadn’t been home, whether by refusal or by tragedy, Alfred clung to it.

He didn’t expect, when he came into the kitchen closing on three in the morning, to see Stephanie Brown.

It wasn’t that she never stayed at the manor, but she was generally shameless about taking food from the pantry before she went to bed so she didn’t even have to leave her room. It didn’t even look like she was eating anything, curled in the corner of the window seat by the small dining table. She just had a mug in her hand. There was a box of Swiss Miss instant hot cocoa sitting on the bench beside the kettle.

He held back a disapproving huff, and simply said, “You could have asked and I would have made you some.”

“I like the powdered stuff,” she said, voice croaky. “It tastes like childhood.”

He made an acknowledging noise. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Nah.” She swept a hand back through her hair, pushing it out of her face. “I’m good.”

She kept watching him as he moved around the kitchen. Elbows braced on the table, both hands wrapped around her mug. There was something calculating about her expression, but that wasn’t something Alfred was unused to. He’d always found it best to wait people out. Even when she started taking purposefully loud slurps of her drink. The mug emptied before he broke, and she put it back on the table a little louder than was necessary.

“Did you ever think,” she said, finally, “That Bruce was just full of shit?”

“Language,” he said sharply, before softening his voice to continue, “You’ll have to specify what you mean.”

“While watching my language?” she drawled. “Big ask.” Her fingers drummed on the table. “Just the whole. Bat thing.”

He gave her a searching look. “Of course,” he said. “When he first came up with the idea, I thought it sounded ridiculous.”

Her mouth quirked a little. “So, what convinced you?”

“I saw the good he could do,” Alfred said, walking over, and pulling out a chair opposite her. “And I saw the good it did him.”

“You mean he used to be worse?”

He gave her a censuring glance, but didn’t comment. “Master Bruce has always been at his best when he has something important to focus on,” he said. “He doesn’t do well if he’s aimless.”

“I don’t believe he’s ever been aimless,” Stephanie said.

“At times,” Alfred said. “Not many.”

“But he really sold you on it, huh,” she said.

“I would like it better if he’d chosen a safer path,” he confessed. “But the choice isn’t mine.”

“Right,” she said. “Makes sense.”

“What brought all this up?” he asked.

“I’ve just been thinking about how it started lately,” she said. “With Damian leaving, and Tim being Robin again. Feels weird looking back.”

“It’s been a long time,” he said.

“We were kids.” Her voice was soft. A line of tension running through it. “I didn’t even realise at the time, y’know?”

Ah. That was it.

“I never would’ve let Bruce take any of you out if I didn’t trust him with your lives. I believe,” he said solemnly, “With every fiber of my being, that Bruce only has the best of intentions for all of you.”

“Oh sure,” she said. “Intentions. They always lead such fun places.”

“I know how hard he works to protect you all,” he said. “When you let him.”

Her face was unreadable. “When we let him,” she said.

“You hardly make it easy on him,” he pointed out. “Even so, he’s better with you all out there alongside him.”

“Well, if he’s better,” Stephanie muttered, and he gave her a stern look.

“Are you trying to imply something?”

“Of course not.”

She pushed herself out of the window seat, picked up her mug and rounded the table to get back to the bench. Busied herself washing her mug out. Alfred stood, but just watched as she left it on the drying rack, and turned to head out into the hall.

“Ignore me, Alfred,” she said, on her way out. “I’m just thinking too much.”

#dc fic #stephanie brown #alfred pennyworth #batfam fic #somehow this one was so hard to write even tho i have so many alfred critical emotions #ended up just being stephanie having a middle of the night kitchen Revelation and choosing not to rip the shit out of an old man #god bless #birthday prompts #my fic

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thatonebrazilian · 3 years

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Illicit Affairs

A/N: Hey guys, I kinda have the sads, so I decided to use it for the greater good and ended up writing this based on Illicit Affairs by Taylor Swift. Anyway, not my greatest work, I don't think I write really well in english, but I hope you guys like it.

Word count: 1063

Pairings: Nat x Reader

Summary: You were falling for Natasha and, despite being with Bruce, she couldn't hold her feelings for you back.

-----

It started out with the training. You were the youngest recruit S.H.I.E.L.D has ever had and, as far as non-enhanced people go, you were also one of the most promising ones. So it was natural that the higher-ups appointed you to be trained by the most accomplished non-enhanced person they had, and that’s how the Black Widow became your handler.

During the training sessions, the only thing you could focus on was how mesmerizing Natasha was, you couldn’t keep your eyes away and you had a feeling Natasha knew it wasn’t the training you were paying attention to.

The two of you didn’t become friends super fast, no. Natasha was too reserved a person, she didn’t open up that easily. You, being the personified ray of sunshine that you were, were relentless in your quest to make her feel as comfortable as possible around you.

When you two first connected it was over, weirdly, Natasha’s secret appreciation for pop songs (and only god knows how you managed to find that out).

After that, it only went downhill, for you at least, since you were falling. Fast.

Your first kiss was a ruse on a mission. It made your heart beat ten times faster and you had to use all your focus not to screw the mission after that. You saw Natasha’s dilated pupils, but you assumed it was just desire. Everyone knew the Black Widow and the Hulk were sort of an unspoken thing, so you really didn’t hold any expectations.

And then all of a sudden it seemed as if Natasha wanted more time together, just the two of you. She would call you Kid, request for you to do extra training at ungodly hours together, suggest you revise missions three, four, five times over alongside one another, invite you to buy new weapons with her. It was all a pretense, all to spend more time together.

She was with Bruce, you had to keep reminding yourself, Natasha was with Bruce and all she wanted was a friend.

But then Nat kissed you, not in lust or desire, not as a ruse to an operation, she kissed you after you were wounded on a mission, she kissed you like she cared, like you were important to her, like you mattered. The kisses never stopped after that.

You would always sneak out, then, making sure nobody saw you leave. They couldn’t know, Natasha was official with Bruce now. You would always tell your friends you were going out for a run before leaving the building to meet Nat in some inconspicuous place, after all, you were always flushed when you returned.

Although you knew it was wrong, although you told yourself you could always stop, you couldn’t really hold yourself back, you were in too deep, you were in love with Natasha.

But as time passed you realized that what started in a beautiful room, the grand ball hall where Natasha kissed you for the first time, now seemed to be ending up more and more frequently with meetings in parking lots. You couldn’t blame Natasha, though, not really, the redhead always made it clear she was still with Bruce. You had no hold on her.

That was the thing with illicit affairs, and clandestine meetings, and longing stares, it was born from just one single glance, but it was always supposed to die, wasn’t it? You couldn’t feel it dying, though, the flame Nat felt for you, you could only feel it grow, but it was meant to die, wasn’t it?

You eventually stopped wearing the perfume Natasha liked, the one you picked out just for her. You would leave it on the shelf, hidden away, so when you met up with Nat you wouldn’t leave any trace behind. Like you didn’t even exist.

You felt Natasha a little more distant then. When you would ask, the Black Widow would just look at you for a few seconds before saying something incredibly poetic like “It just scares me how much I’ve been thinking about you lately” or “I haven’t been sleeping well, it feels like I can smell you, but you’re never there by my side, it makes me toss and turn the whole night as if all I need to sleep is you”.

You tried to take the words for what they were, a dwindling, mercurial high, a drug you wished could only work the first few hundred times, but whenever Natasha spoke those things your chest swelled with affection for the Black Widow.

The meetings between the two of you became even more frequent, you wouldn’t just sneak out anymore, Natasha would actually take you out to some nice places. They were like dates, it made your heart soar but your stomach drop. You loved it, you loved being with Natasha, but you knew the possibility of the others finding out was bigger like that.

You felt your heart torn into two, you couldn’t keep up with the lying anymore, not to Bruce, not to the whole team. But that was the thing with illicit affairs, and clandestine meetings, and stolen stares, they showed their truth whenever they were together, but they lied, and they lied, and they lied a million little times to their friends, their family.

You were decided to end it, even if it would break you.

But then Natasha told you she wanted to make it official. You had tears in your eyes, you wanted to yell at Nat, tell her look at this godforsaken mess that you made me, tell her she showed you colors you couldn’t see with anyone else, and all that for what? She was still with Bruce, wasn’t she?

“Baby…” Natasha tried to explain, but you wouldn’t let her.

“Don't call me kid, don't call me baby, look at this idiotic fool that you made me. You have me wrapped around your little finger, it’s like you taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else.”

Nat cupped your face and wiped the tears away.

“My love, I broke up with him. I broke up with Bruce.” Natasha said and, like she read your mind, like she knew you were going to ask about the consequences, she just said “And fuck the consequences. You know damn well that, for you, I would ruin myself a million little times.”

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff angst #natasha x reader #natasha x you #black widow x reader #black widow imagine #avengers iamgine #mcu #marvel mcu #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x y/n #nat x y/n

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cipheress-to-k-pop · 3 years

Text

A Sister's Love

Pairing: Platonic Damian Wayne x Al Ghul!Reader

Warnings: Injuries and blood. Drugging, Trafficking and sexual assult but these are not the main themes.

Word Count: 4.9K

Summary: You realize you have a lot to learn about yourself outside of your little brother, Damian's, shadow.

A/N: Was originally gonna make this a Dick Grayson x Reader but realized it would be weird cuz of mixed families and stuff. And I don't wanna be pushing the boundaries of incest.

Growing up in the League of Assassins meant a lot of things for you. It meant that you were raised to be powerful and commanding. It meant you knew how to kill a man in 47 different ways and counting. It meant that you were raised to rightfully think that you were the best.

Although for every good thing there was always cons. Your schedule was rigid and your peers were unfeeling. Your mother most of all, but that didn't stop you from trying to win her affection. It was the reason why when your little brother was born you felt threatened.

That was until you met little Damian. Your mother had handed him to you with a smile of pride that she never showed you and you hated him. But then you saw his precious little face, a nose tinier than a button and adorable lips that were curled into a pout. He was so beautiful.

Since then, you put any differences you might have had with your mother behind you. According to Ra’s it would have been a mistake to show Damian such tenderness, to teach him about loyalty to your heart, instead of without it.

But Talia couldn't ignore the tug she felt in her heart seeing you and Damian together. You still worked hard, harder than she had ever seen before, now determined not to show that you were weak and have them take your brother from you. Damian followed your example, training to her approval, however taxing it was for him.

And more importantly, Damian loved you. You were the first woman he had ever loved and he was smart enough to know that would never be a mistake. You were his shelter in a storm, his fire in the cold. You were the best sibling that anyone could ever even dream of.

But then you had to part. At age 10, Damian went to live with his father, Bruce Wayne. You had never met the man when he was with your mother and you assumed you wouldn't need to, he wasn't your father.

Both you and Damian didn't want to leave each other. You'd miss your little brother and you'd miss the feeling in your chest whenever you'd look at him. Damian would miss home; he would miss your presence and he would miss the familiarity. But he couldn't stay.

That's something you learnt at the League. Damian couldn't stay, with you. He was meant for bigger things than you.

Another thing you learnt was that you didn't have to stay either. You wanted to see the world, see what everything else had in store for you. And your mother, bless her, gave you her blessing.

Of all the things the league taught you, there were things they missed out on. And a part of you was thankful for that. Because you enjoyed the feeling of wide-eyed wonderment when you stepped into a train station for the first time ever.

You had never tasted a chocolate muffin before, you realized as you stuffed your face at a local bakery. Coffee and chocolate muffins went well together. You liked sweet things better than spicy things, you noted when you didn't enjoy the tteokbokki you bought at a Korean food stall.

People were kind, not foolish. They smiled at you when you came in and genuinely asked you where you were headed. Like the woman you met on the tram who was heading to Washington DC. Even through the short ride, the two of you had bonded and she had left you with her phone number and a promise that if you were ever in DC, you would ring her up. Diana was trusting, too trusting. You could have assumed it was because she was stupid, but you wanted to believe it was because she was smarter than even you.

Some people were kind like her but of course, some were impolite and pig-headed. You of course didn't waste any time putting them in their place. Maybe that was why you shouldn't have any faith in humanity.

But isn't humanity just the thing you should be putting faith in?

It was fun at first, discovering new things, seeing how people really lived outside of books and things taught to you back at the League. You knew everything, you weren't naive enough to be oblivious but reading about something was miles apart from actually experiencing it.

After a while however, you got lonely, it was a huge world with people constantly moving and you've come to realize that unless you're with somebody, you can't really move from your place. Instead, you'd be stuck watching all of them. So, you sought after your brother.

It was easy enough to track Bruce Wayne, he lived in a house large enough to be seen from outer space. Getting to Gotham took longer than you expected. Time passed so easily when you didn't have a purpose but now that you had somewhere you needed to be, the train couldn't go any slower.

Gotham City was less gloomy than people made it out to be. The sun was shining and the city was bustling. In some ways, it seemed a little homey. Maybe that was because you didn't have to worry about someone hurting you. If anything, they should pray that they don't choose you as their next victim.

Of course, you could've gone to Wayne Manor and introduced yourself civilly but you wanted to see Damian more than anything and didn't want to delay it any longer. And more than that, you wanted to see Damian is his cute little school uniform.

That's what led you to wait outside of the well-reputed Gotham University, waiting patiently for the bell to ring and students to file out of it. You already knew that they wouldn't come out singing like in the movies but a very small fraction of you still hoped.

Your heartrate increased with every passing minute, excited to meet your brother after nearly a year of being apart. Eventually, the bell did ring and students began trickling out of the doors, looking like bumble bees, excitedly zipping around and talking to their friends.

'Would this have been my life if I was never born in the League?' You wondered, looking at a girl who was animatedly chatting with her friend, arms interlocked as they moved towards the parking lot where their parents were waiting.

When you finally saw Damian, you suddenly felt out of place. Like an outsider watching someone else's brother when you saw his eyes lock onto someone in the commons. Even though you weren't on the school campus, you could still recognize who it was.

Richard Grayson, oldest son of Bruce Wayne, waiting to pick up your little brother on a motor cycle.

And for the first time in your life, you experienced insecurity, watching them greet each other like brothers. The feeling was sour and you wondered if it was a mistake coming here, thinking that you still had a place here.

It was true, people didn't move from their place unless they had someone to go with. You hadn't felt fulfilled like that since your brother stopped being at your side. He was everything you knew. It was just your mistake for thinking that in the year apart your brother wouldn't have found anyone either.

***

"Drake, pull up the security cameras from today at my school parking lot." Damian ordered, stepping into the Batcave.

"No 'Hello', no 'How you doing?', it's always 'Tim, do this' 'Drake, do that'," Tim commented sarcastically but still pulled up whatever he needed, "And then as soon as I give you what I want, you're going to forget me again. And not even visit the kids."

Dick spared him a laugh at his dramatic scene, ruffling his hair as greeting and then turned his attention to the screen. The footage was played at double the speed until Damian's eyes locked onto just what he wanted to find.

It was just for a second, when Dick's motorcycle had zoomed past but that was all he needed. Damian had seen your face and it wasn't any mistake, he'd know you even if he was blind. Even though he was so sure it had been you, he still couldn't hide the way his body froze, eyes wide when he saw your face.

It was the same face he'd see every night before he went to bed and the very first person he wanted to see every time he woke up. Your image was what came into his mind when he thought of being nurtured, when he thought of being safe.

There was a time when he was younger, too young, there was a thunder storm. He doesn't remember much from the night, just hiding his face against your chest and you wrapping a blanket around him. His mother trained him even harder the next day, until he almost dropped but he'd never forget curling up to your warmth. Not even now, when he knew that thunder storms were the least of his fears.

It was as simple as that. With his father and brothers, he didn't have to worry about looking weak, he didn't think of love as a weakness, rather he considered it as the fuel behind strength. Yes, his father taught him well. And now he would show you just how much he's grown. So, you can be proud of him.

"We need to find her."

"Why? Who is she?"

"My sister."

***

Of all the things you wanted to experience, visiting a bar was one of them. Was the air really enough to intoxicate you? Were you really going to lose all sense when you stepped into it? Would be able to drink your troubles away?

You were sorely disappointed. The alcohol didn't taste good, it burned when you swallowed it and made your tongue feel fuzzy. The music was so loud that your brain began throbbing against your skull to the beat of the song.

Men were picking fights and women were having fun but even then, you couldn't find it in yourself to get up and actually have fun. I mean, how were you supposed to? How was cosying up against a drunk man supposed to make you feel better? How was getting lost in throngs of sweaty people who didn't know what personal space was meant to improve your mood?

If anything, it just reminded you of just how pathetic your life was.

You were realizing you had no purpose. Damian was all you had known for years now, knowing only to protect him with your life and love him with your heart. Who were you without him? What did you like? What made you happy outside from your duty at the league?

A man knocking into you brought you out of your thoughts, which had been happening all night. Except this man stopped in front of you and gave you a smile that turned your stomach upside down.

"Sorry about that pretty lady, let me buy you a drink to make up for it." He spoke with a voice that was trying to be smooth but instead sounded like metal scraping over each other.

"No, thank you." You said sharply, not yet done with your Manhattan anyway. You were barely enjoying your time here as it was and you were sure another drink wouldn't change your mind.

"Not a fan?"

You shook your head at him, choosing to humour the man.

"Then let me buy you another one, if you don't like it then you have nothing to lose."

You pretended to giggle at him and he swelled with pride. Did he think he was winning?

"One Boulevardier." He told the bartender who nodded and began preparing the drink. Until it was ready, you indulged the man in front of you who reeked of cigarettes and alcohol.

He placed the drink in front of you and if you hadn't known that it would burn going down and turn you into a shell of yourself, you might have been curious to what it tasted like.

"You see that dude over there?" He nodded to a man standing in the other corner of the bar and you turned to look at him. Another man, covered in tattoos who didn't look any different than the one standing behind you.

"He's my pal, owns the bar. Ask him and he'll hook you up with free drinks tonight. For a price, of course."

You turned back around to face the man and out of the corner of your eye saw something dissolve into your drink. It was only for a second but you saw the last remaining grains turn invisible and you definitely noticed the way the once steady drink was now swirling into a vortex in the middle.

"Drink up, princess."

You smirked. Tonight, might be fun after all.

***

This was boring.

You had been pretending to be unconscious for about 40 minutes while these men drove you to some undisclosed location. Their conversations were unbelievably dry and it's not like you had anyone else to talk to. Everyone else who might have been even mildly interesting were knocked unconscious.

Eventually they pulled up to some sort of holding facility and if your assumptions were correct then this would be a midpoint before they sold all the girls here to some sort of pimp.

Once they lugged you off the truck and threw you into a room with so many other people, you could hear their breathing did you open your eyes. It seemed like this was some sort of abandoned butcher or meat factory, judging by the ominous hooks hanging above your head and the metal walls. The door had been bolted shut, the only way to look through it was a small glass window.

Only after you finished taking in your surroundings did you even look at the other women who had been trapped in the room along with you. Your stomach turned.

There were so many unsuspecting faces who looked like they didn't sign up for this. Half of them looked under the influence of something, sweating profusely even in their sleep, faces scrunched up in pain. The other looked like they were forcibly taken, bruises covering their skin, hair and clothes in disarray and more than half of them had either a black eye or a swollen lip.

Maybe it was their fault for not being trained, that's what someone at the league would've said. But isn't it their captors’ fault for misusing their training, their strength, for something as vile as this?

You decided to wait, you couldn't assume that this small group of girls was the only one in the confines of the building. How many more were here?

You weren't feeling overwhelmed, not at all, not with the weapons that were littering you. A kunai hidden is either of your boots, throwing stars in your pockets hidden underneath your vest and a war fan in your pocket. You could handle these clowns without even looking up.

But it wasn't your life you were concerned about. It was the lives of these underaged, vulnerable girls who had fallen prey to these monsters.

While you were waiting a couple of the girls started to wake up. Some were still heavily drugged, still groggy when their eyes fluttered open and unable to focus onto anything. Others shot up straight as an arrow and began crying, screaming, begging for them to let them out.

They were ignored, by both their captors and you. Why try and reassure then when you weren't sure what was going to happen. More importantly, why throw off the monsters lurking outside the door that there was one woman who hadn't been phased.

Instead, you just stared blankly, trying to get comfortable and hear anything through the walls. Eventually, you heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the room. You covered the lower half of your face with a scarf, making sure that anyone who left here alive today, wouldn't be able to remember your face. Whether it be as a saviour or their punisher.

The girls whimpered and curled into one another, crying quietly and you felt sympathy. There was no way they'd be able to move forward from this without having fear stab at their heart with every step they took. You could only hope they had something in their life that would make them feel safe.

For tonight, you'd be that for them.

A few men opened the door with a cruel smile, stepping inside for a second before bolting it shut. They flaunted guns and other weapons to the girls, finding pleasure where there should be compassion and worry. You were disgusted watching their smirks twist maniacally when the girls cried harder seeing them brandish their weapons.

One of the men stepped forward and grabbed the girl closest to him who begged and cried to spare her. His disgusting hand might as well be made of acid because you almost felt the sick burn when it snaked between her legs and copped a feel while she sobbed and screamed, trying to fight him off.

You grabbed one of your weapons and returned their sick grins with one of your own.

It was going to be hard to cop a feel when he can't feel anything.

You were going to break each and every bone in his hand to ensure that.

***

"Can I borrow your phone please?" You asked the bloody and broken man by your feet. He glared at you and spat blood on your boots, unable to do anything else. You sighed and faked a pout.

"Is it here?" You wondered, holding the dirtied boot over his ribs and his eyes widened, catching drift of what you were about to do. You rammed your foot into his broken ribs, courtesy of yourself, and he screamed bloody murder. Music to your ears.

"Apparently not. Want me to check your pants?" You asked, raising a brow and he frantically shook his head, using whatever strength left to pull out his phone from his pocket and you smiled, thanking him quietly.

"Now, let's hope that one blow is enough to put you out of my misery." You sang, punching him right in the face and he passed out. Lightweight.

You took a look around the place, seeing bodies littered over the place like confetti. Blood was scattered on the ground and you're sure if people looked hard enough, they'd find someone's teeth. You on the other hand looked fine.

You sat on the floor, crossing your legs comfortably, tired after the fight and dialled a number onto the phone.

"Hello, police?"

"Yes, how can we help you?"

"Well, there's a sex trafficking scam going on at my location. Quite shoddy but they have a number of women trapped here and it would be nice if you could send backup to have them escorted home safely."

"A sex trafficking scam?"

"Well, it could be just a regular trafficking scam but I'm not too sure."

"All right, I'll have someone check it out."

"Good, and I realize you might get a lot of calls like this but please don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. Tell your people to send a couple of ambulances as well, you'll need them."

"Of course."

You could only hope the person on the other end of the line would eat their words when it was on the front of the newspaper. For now, your work was done.

In the meantime, how were you going to get anywhere from here? Where even were you? Was there anyone even conscious here who could give you directions? Or would you have to call the police again to find out where to go?

Not that you'd wait long enough for them actually arrive here. You'd return to the bar way before that for another drink. Maybe now you'd actually be able to enjoy one.

Just as you were about to leave, you heard a creak coming from the other end of the warehouse. It echoed through the halls and you leapt to your feet, soundless moving to hide in the shadows and pulling out a kunai.

The footsteps that followed it were light and airy, barely even touching the ground. They were trained, whoever they were. You kept your ears open in order to hear something.

"Whoever was here was trained." You heard someone comment.

"Are you really that stupid, Nightwing? It's obvious that my sister was the one who took out this ring and reported it." Came the snappy reply back and your breath caught in your chest. Make no mistake, that was your brother's voice.

"We must find her."

He was actually looking for you? He knows you're here? You're not entirely surprised, you haven't exactly been careful or stealthy when it came to concealing your face around Gotham. A mistake on your part but you couldn't have been more relieved.

You still remained quiet, not wanting to disturb the flow, not wanting to interrupt. You had the mind of a soldier but when there was no one to follow you seemed more like a sheep. It made you feel slight shame, that you were unable to stick up for yourself despite being so many things.

Maybe, the league wasn't the best thing for you.

Immediately you scraped the thought from your mind, berating yourself for even thinking that. The league had given you everything, everything you were today was because of them. You were strong and calculating, the leagues proud soldier.

You were proud of your roots, thankful that you grew up to be the person you were. They had given you everything, and your brother was just one of the gifts that you had been blessed with in your life.

"Damian." You spoke softly, stepping out of the shadows. His head snapped towards you, eyes widening when he took in your form. It really was you. His sister.

Damian wasted no time in bounding towards you and you knelt down to meet his eye level, catching him with open arms. A part of your heart sang when you realized he was still small enough to fit in your arms. He still held you close. He still loved you.

"I've missed you, Ya Amar." You spoke softly, cradling his head that was buried in the junction of your neck.

"I as well, Okhti."

***

Damian was ecstatic that you were in Gotham. Of course, it didn't look like it to anyone but everyone who knew him well could tell that he was happy that his sister was home with him. He didn't wait for even two seconds when you got to the Batcave (much to Bruce's surprise) to show you all his pets.

The next few days would be considered the best of his life.

Damian wanted to be as close to you as possible, sitting near you during meals, training with you, talking with you, even going as far to sneak into your temporary bedroom at night for cuddles. He certainly got more comfortable showing affection since the last time you were around.

He showed you his hobbies like painting and sketching and you were impressed. He had the skills to be doing something like this? Damian had picked up many new talents and many new stories since you last saw him and he was eager to share them all with you.

The next few days would be considered the worst of your life.

You had found Damian now, so why didn't you still feel fulfilled? Why did you feel like something was missing? Like this wasn't meant for you? Why weren't you satisfied?

Why did you feel envious that Damian got to experience so many things? Why did you feel resentment against him when you realized you never got the same things he has?

Your life felt like it amounted to nothing.

You loved your brother but so far you had just been living for him. And now that you realized there were parts of the world that you wanted to see. There were thoughts in your mind that were of your own and desires that you didn't have to explain to anyone. As long as it made sense to yourself.

And you realize one thing with an aching heart.

You couldn't stay here in Gotham.

"Does Damian know?" Bruce asked you one day when you had asked him a favour. Bruce so far had been a little cold and unfeeling ever since you had met him in the Batcave uninvited. His feelings towards you got more negative when you gave an offhanded comment about how you thought he was taller. But he was the only one you could ask for a favour. He was the father to your beloved brother and you could only hope he would offer you the same consideration.

You had asked him for a flight to Washington, to see if Diana really meant what she said. To take a leap of faith for the first time in your life.

You shook your head no, "Not yet. I'm hoping he will take the news well. It's not like I'm leaving forever. I just—I need to—" You trailed off, unable to find the right words.

Bruce nodded, "I understand. Just tell him before you go. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy before."

"It makes me feel worse." You admitted, feeling a little guilty. How could you not feel happy at your brother’s happiness?

"You need some time to figure out that your world is yours. No one else should determine how you feel about yourself."

"You are very wise," You said softly, "Thank you."

***

"I love you dearly, Damian." You tried to coerce him from his room where he had locked himself in only 5 minutes ago. No doubt he was sulking since he found out that you would be leaving for DC in two days’ time.

"If you did, you wouldn't be leaving!" His voice was muffled, as if his face was buried in his pillow or even Titus. You had been trying to coax him into open the door for 20 minutes now and had multiple offers from Grayson, which you turned down.

"Oh, for the love of—Damian Wayne, you open this door right now!" It was silent for a moment before you heard the lock click open and took that as the indication from him to step into his room.

It was large and from the moment you stepped in, it was easy to tell the space was his. There were swords mounted on the wall, paintings on the wall adjacent to it. His desk was tidy and in the corner of his room, there were multiple easels and sketch pads.

Damian was sulking on his bed and you sighed, feeling guilty. You sat beside him and ran your fingers through his hair. Even though he was upset with you, he still sank into your touch, feeling comforted by mere contact.

"It's not forever, Damian. Wherever I'm going, I'm going to come back. I just need some time to myself." You tried to explain.

"But why!"

"The league taught me well, Damian. But it taught me to live like a soldier, but not as a person. There are so many things that I don't know about myself. What do I like? What do I want to do with my life? And I need to figure it out for myself."

"Why can't you do that here?"

You gave him a pained look and realization dawned on him, "Because of me."

"Damian, in the time we spent apart you learnt so many things about yourself. That you like animals, that you like art. There are so many blanks in my life and I need the distance to figure it out. I need to understand myself." You explained wistfully.

It was true, there were so many blanks in your life. You didn't even know what food you liked better, what hobbies you enjoyed. You wanted to experience new things, without the influence of Damian, without relying on him. And more importantly, you were scared you would put Damian above yourself time and time again.

It was all you knew. Damian was worth more than your life, worth more than your heart. But if that was true, you wanted to know at least what your heart was worth to you. If you didn't hold any value to yourself, it would be foolish to think you would to anyone else.

You needed the distance. You needed something new. You wanted to dive into uncharted waters and figure out the magic for yourself, without anyone to help you.

"It's not forever," You reminded gently, "I'm going to come back, I can promise you that."

Damian began leaning until his head was settled in your lap and you chuckled, gently scratching his scalp and he nestled into your belly. Hard to believe this was the same boy who left only a year ago. You wondered if you would change as much as he did or if you were stuck in your ways now.

"Okay," He said, voice muffled and you smiled, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thank you for your blessing, Ya Amar. It means the world to me. I love you; you know that."

"I do." He said, now wrapping his arms around your waist, "I love you too."

Forever Taglist:

@simonsbluee

DC Taglist:

@emmacata

@p--e--a--c--h--e--s

@sometimeseverythingsucks

@sokkas-honour

@unstable1902

@lostgirlheart

@missdisapear

@tadpole-san

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folkwhorerain · 3 years

Text

Jealousy, Jealousy (Wanda Maximoff x fem reader)

pairing: Wanda Maximoff x fem reader

Summary: reader is a shy and insecure Avenger whit a crush on Wanda, but she never made the first move on the sokovian. What if, during a party, finally something happens between the two of them?

Warnings: angst, reader being insecure, language (I think?), alcohol and sexual tension (feel free to tell me if I should add more).

English is not my first language, so bare with my grammar please, lol. This is my first fanfiction ever so forgive me if it's not anything special or it is lame.

I got inspired by "Jealousy, Jealousy" by Olivia Rodrigo, so I suggest you listen to it while reading, if you want.♥️

You hated them. You hated Tony's parties.

Don't get me wrong, you enjoyed the Avengers company, but parties were definitely not your thing. You always felt... out of place.

You were fine with chatting with the team during this day when you spent some time together, but when parties where that huge like tonight's one, all you wanted to do was staying in your room.

The fact is that you can't help but compare yourself to the others. You never felt enough and you were intimated by Tony's friends and the other heroes. You were just... You. No one special with no cool superpowers, you were good at hand to hand combat and you were really smart, but that was it; you always thought that was lame. Like that wasn't enough, you were the newest recruit in the team. The Avengers all welcomed you well and you grew attached to all of them, especially Natasha, but still, you didn't feel like that was enough for you to be considered "the cool Avenger", and you were still private about your feelings and emotions; when something was wrong the only answer that you had when they asked you what bothered you was "it's nothing". But it wasn't nothing. You felt an outsider in the team, you felt like you weren't enough for them and the worst part is that you knew it was all in your head, but you couldn't help it.

The first person that always comes to your mind when you think of someone cool is Wanda. Her powers affascinates you and you loved her determination. You can't say you two are close, but she always treated you well and she respected your boundaries, that's why now you have a crush on her and that's part of the reason you didn't want to go to the party. Seeing her well dressed while smiling to people who weren't you and while Vision was trying to get her attention would only make it worse.

You considered staying in your room while scrolling your social media, not having any strength to get up and get ready, especially when you were still in your bathrobe and your thoughts were only about a certain witch. However you knew Natasha would've dragged you out of the room if you wouldn't come so, after a few curses and annoyed groans, you threw your phone on the pillow and started to get dressed.

You didn't want to get the attention to you, people would start a conversation and tonight you weren't into it at all, so you opted for a green skirt and a black, cropped sweater and a little bit of makeup. Nothing more.

I'm already so sick of this bullshit, you thought to yourself, then you took a deep breath and went downstairs.

–

As you expected, the biggest room of the Stark Tower was filled with people you didn't know, but you were sure they were mostly Tony's friends.

They were all so confident with their drinks in hands, perfect combed hair and fancy dresses worth millions of dollars.

You weren't nothing like these people: you didn't get why people would spend millions for pieces of cloth. It was a waste of money, but how you wished you saw it differently, maybe you would be one of these apparently happy people with a lot of friends, and not the weirdo of the group with a lack of confidence so evident you couldn't even enjoy a relaxing event.

A few tears tried to escape your eyes, but you wouldn't let them. Steve was watching you and, from the look he was giving you, he already sensed something was off with you; so you did what was best and faked a smile, which he returned gladly before he went back to his conversation with Bucky.

You felt like a creep standing in the corner of the room doing nothing, so you started looking around searching for Nat. After a few second you saw her talking, or better, flirting with Bruce at the bar while she had a Martini on her hand.

You frowned sympathetically. Cute. He really likes her a lot, you thought seeing Bruce embarrassed and intimidated by the widow.

Suddenly a waiter asked you if you wanted a glass of wine and you accepted, maybe a little alcohol would help you get through this more easily. You took a sip and enjoyed the feeling of the wine in your throat.

“This is ridiculous.” you whispered.

“What is ridiculous?” you heard someone ask you.

You turned to see who it was and that's when you saw her: Wanda was smiling at you with a curious expression on her face.

You blinked a few times, amazed by the girl in front of you: she was wearing a short, black dress, and her ginger hair was loose on her shoulders. She decided to put on a little bit of makeup and a red lipstick. Not like her typical style, but you liked her anyway. She was always so beautiful.

You shook your head, realizing she was waiting for an answer. "Uhm, parties, I guess.” She nodded. “I mean, Tony's events are always too exaggerated.” you added before biting your lips, clearly embarrassed.

“I know how you feel.” Wanda agreed. “I always have to try so hard to fit in during things like these.” She chuckled while looking around the room.

“Well, at least you're trying.” You said before giving her a dry laugh, looking down at your glass.

The ginger tilted her head sympathetically. “Well, maybe that's the problem.”

You frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean... trying too hard is the problem.” She explained. “If you feel like you have to try so hard it becomes unbearable, maybe that means that the thing you're doing is not good for you.” She added before biting the inside of her cheek.

You simply hummed in agreement and took another sip of wine, too intimated by her beauty.

Don't think something awkward. She can read minds. Don't think how beautiful she is- shit. Stop thinking.

“If you'll excuse me, Vision is looking for me.” She said with a smirk on her face before leaving you alone again.

You watched her walk away, analizing her every move. God, how you wanted her to be yours. She was not, of course. Why would she be with someone like you? She could have Vision and every other man in this room, so why would she choose a girl like you? Speaking of the devil, Vision approached her with a few guys and she gave him her brightest smile.

You watched all the interaction, still in the corner of the room.

He was so confident with his perfect posture and his good manners. He would be the best for her. He's the kind of man, or synthezoid, or whatever, that could always reassure her and find the perfect words to make her feel better. He would try and cheer her up and find the better jokes to tell, just like he's probably doing right now. In fact the sokovian was laughing at something he said and her beautiful laugh echoed through the room.

You felt jealousy rush through your veins.

“I wanna be him so bad!”

All the people in the room turned to look at you with puzzled expression.

Your eyes went wide when you realized you practically yelled what you wanted was just a thought so, without a second thought, you rushed out of the party and went straight to your room.

You slammed the door and let the tears escape. You took off your make up and headed straight to bed, overthinking what just happened, screaming in your pillow.

I always ruin everything!

You didn't expect you would've said that out loud and right now you didn't expect to hear someone to knock on your door. You didn't answer, though, you kept your head buried in the pillow. It was probably Natasha who wanted to talk about what happened and you definitely weren't going to say a word.

The door opened anyway and you groaned in annoyance.

“Listen, Nat-” You started to say but stopped immediately when you saw it wasn't the russian spy, but Wanda.

“Hi.” She greeted you with a shy smile. “May I sit?” She asked pointing the bed.

You composed yourself and nodded shyly. “Yeah.”

Wanda gave you a swift smile and sat next to you, crossing her legs on the bed. Your breath itched when you felt your knees touching. You two have never been this close and the situation was making you nervous, thing that didn't go unnoticed by Wanda considering the fact that you were playing with the ring on your index finger.

You never noticed but Wanda knows you very well. She knows your moves, the way you play with your hands when you're nervous, the way your eyes shine when you talk about your interests or the way you are quieter than usual when you're sad.

The truth is that Wanda liked you very much and she knew you liked her too. She didn't want to tell you 'cause she wanted you to take courage and say it first and, to be fully honest, she was scared. What if your crush was temporary and you would eventually get bored? What if she loses you just like she lost her parents and Pietro? She would never, ever accept it.

“So... Why did you run away?” She asked like it wasn't obvious you just yelled in front of everyone.

“Are you seriously asking, Wanda?” You snapped before you could stop yourself.

She looked at you with sad eyes before looking down at her hands. “Sorry…”

“No, no... Don't apologize.” You whispered. “You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have… God, I'm pathetic.”

You threw your head in your hands and sighed. I'm so sick of myself!

“Why are you sick of yourself?” The sokovian asked you before placing a hand on your knee.

You looked at the hand and then at her.

“Sorry, I shouldn't have read your mind, but sometimes your thoughts are really loud.” she chuckled, starting to rub her thumb on your knee. You were speechless, all this interaction was making you crazy. You craved more of her touch and now, more than ever, you wanted to kiss her. However you pushed those feelings aways and started to open up to avoid thinking about something inappropriate. “I'm just… me. I mean, I'm not special.”

“Why do you think that?” She asked raising an eyebrow, her hand never leaving your skin.

You took a deep breath. “Wanda, come on! Tony's friends are so cool, he's loved by everyone, Natasha is a badass russian spy, you have these amazing superpower. Thor is literally a God, for fuck's sake!”

“You compare yourself to the others too much. It's not healthy, Y/N.” She sweetly stated wiping away a tear from you cheek.

You closed your eyes for a second, enjoying her touch, but then you came back to reality. “I know, but I can't help it. The others seem to be so confident and happy, and all the girls at the party... Fuck, they're so pretty-”

"Beauty is not your lack.” She interrupted you smirking, her hand still on your cheek.

“I- I just wish I was them... I wish I had the courage Vision has.” You admitted, looking down.

“Why him?” The ginger asked placing two fingers under your chin, forcing you to look at her in those piercing green eyes.

“Because I'm so jealous he gets all your attentions and I don't just because I'm too insecure.” You said it in a whisper, almost inaudible, but Wanda heard you and you knew judging by the smile on her face.

“You want my attentions?” She asked leaning in.

Her face was so close to yours that it was hard to breathe. You could smell her perfume and that alone was making you want her more. You had the urge to kiss her and touch her and taste her, but right now Wanda was waiting for a response so you simply nodded, not trusting your voice.

“You already have them.” She admitted, making you frown in confusion. “There might be a hundred people in the room, but I would always notice you and only you, Y/n.” You were speechless, partly because of her confession, partly because she was so damn close to your face it made your heart race fast, and before you could realise, she kissed you.

Her lips were so soft against yours and her hands were in the right places. However, after a few moments, you realized you froze and didn't reproached the kiss. Wanda broke the kiss, a disappointed look on her face.

“I'm sorry, I thought you liked me t-”

Before she could finish her sentence, you kissed her. You kissed her with so much confidence it surprised both you and Wanda.

Your right hand was on her neck and the other was on her waist, pulling her close.

You felt her smirk on the kiss and the hand that before was on your knee now was up your thigh.

“God, this skirt was making me crazy the whole night.” She breathed out, making the hand go higher and higher where you needed it the most.

Before you could realize you still had your party outfit on, Wanda started caressing slowly your inner thigh, making you gasp. Hearing the affect she had on you, the ginger bite your lobe before whispering something that made you shiver.

“Let me show you all the attentions I have for you, babygirl.”

alright, that was it. I know it's not good, but I had this idea the other night and I just had to write it.

Feedback is appreciated. <3

#wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff x reader #elizabeth olsen #lizzie olsen #marvel #mcu x reader #tony stark #natasha romanoff #black widow #thor odinson #steve rogers #marvel cinematic universe #comics #wandavision #Vision #paul bettany

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widow-maximov · 3 years

Text

I'll be your knight

Pairing: Natasha x Fem Reader

Warning: Language, fluff, angst, smut.

Summary: Dealing with sexism is a real struggle but eventually a line is crossed and anger is unleashed.

A/n: This is my first time writing smut so hopefully it's good enough :3

Word count: 3.5k

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

Being an Avenger isn't easy, especially for any women that join the life style of a hero. You had to put up with sexist comments all the time, most of the time it didn't really bother you but the more you heard random men talking about your best friend like she was some toy, the more it annoyed you.

The comments towards you stopped when you were recruited by Tony Stark, there was some level respect for you and you kind of liked it.

You had some issues with opening up to the team but when Wanda, showed you they are harmless, you slowly opened up more and more as you knew that they were going to be your new family from now on.

Everyone on the team warned you about the one particular redhead but you didn't listen, you wanted to be her friend, she looked scary but is an actual softie, but only around you.

It took time for the Russian to even greet you when she saw you but for you it was worth it, you respected her and always been there for her when she had no one to turn to.

She warmed up to you as she saw the security you were offering her, and you never backed down from your offer, she wasn't keen on your presence but had to learn to accept it.

Even if she didn't trust you fully, that was okay. You trusted her with everything because you knew she was a human just like you and no doubt needed someone to lean on.

⸻⸻⋙☸Flashback☸⋘⸻⸻

You walked around, exploring the place that now it was your new home, you never saw anything more fancy than this place, the room you were staying in was more than enough for 4 people.

Your own tv along with your own big walk in closet and your own bathroom, literally a five star hotel, you didn't complain at all, you were just shocked at how spacious this all was.

Each room was bigger than the other and it was starting to get all confusing, when you left the room, you would get mixed up with the way you walked in.

You loved it but at the same time you hated it, you accidently bumped into the Russian, she looked sweaty in her work out clothes and you stared at her with awkwardness.

She eyed you and cleared her throat, attempting to walk past you and continue where she was going but you stopped her "I'm sorry to disturb you but I just want to know where I can find the gym"

You rubbed your neck awkwardly "I- um- I tried searching everywhere but I'm lost"

Usually when people stutter around Natasha, it meant they were obviously attracted to her but with how you stood and looked away from her just showed her that you were afraid of her.

She didn't smile or anything "Walk straight until you reach the end of the hall and turn left"

You looked at her but she was already on her way so you shouted "Thank you!"

You made your way with her instructions of where to go, she knew how to hide her emotions but it was totally shocking for you how she never had a smile across her lips.

This was your first real conversation, not the hello's or goodbye's. It was a proper conversation, well kind of a proper but it was a start and that's what made you happy.

Second encounter with the redhead was a lot better, the two of you actually had a normal conversation in the morning, you were barely awake so coffee was your way of helping with that.

Walking into the kitchen, not really expecting anyone up early this morning, but the sight of the yawning Russian met your eyes, you smiled at her the best you could as you turned to make yourself a coffee.

"You know there is a coffee maker here?" Her naturally raspy voice spoke which caused you to look at her.

"Yeah I seen it but I have no idea how to use it" You confessed, you weren't embarrassed, you just weren't that fancy to ever own one or even be around one.

She turned around without a word and pulled out a cup, placing it underneath the little nozzle and within seconds the coffee poured out, she took the cup and placed it down as she slid it towards you.

You looked at her and then back at the coffee "Thank you Natasha"

She nodded as she sipped on her own drink "Since you are the only person who is up right now, you mind taking a look at this report, I'm not really sure what it means"

You was taken back, she was asking you for help? Shouldn't she know all of the reports like the back of her hand? She noticed your silence "Or you don't have to, I'll probably figure-"

"No, no I have nothing to do today so I don't mind helping" You smiled and took the coffee with you as you followed her into the room where she had a loads of reports laid out.

You looked at all of them "You know you can work on two reports at a time?"

She nodded "I know but the more I do within a certain time, the less I have later on"

You nodded as you sipped your warm coffee, it was very different to what you were used to, but this was definitely easier to get used to. It was the first time Natasha spent more than 2 minutes with you and you were more than happy to accept that.

So from that time, the two of you worked every morning with each other on reports, you learnt so much from her and in some way she learnt more about you rather than from you, she was impressed by your calmness with her constant questions.

To be fair you wanted to open up to the Russian, she had that safety vibe coming of her and you knew that she would never betray you or your trust that you put in her.

The mornings spent on reports also turned into evenings and soon there was movies every other day, she loved horror movies but you on the other hand loved action movies, there was plenty of action as a hero of the world but it never was enough.

She started to show herself around you more often and you really liked how you could make her laugh with simply couple words. She loved how close she gotten to you and how you trusted her with everything.

She had some doubt but you were always to reassure her, she was thankful for it each time, so in return she would ask you questions about yourself and you never hesitated for a moment to tell her.

⸻⸻⋙☸End☸⋘⸻⸻

But the problem was that not everyone saw it like that, they saw her for her body but not for her heart which is one of many reasons to why she was slow at opening up.

It angered you that people didn't want to treat her like anyone else, just because she was gorgeous didn't automatically make her less of a human.

Today was one of those days where you were busy, like busy busy, overloaded with bunch of reports that needed to be sorted before the next day, so you spent your whole day in you room, you glared at the clock on the wall.

You was doing this for 6 hours straight, no breaks so you decided to just do that. You stood up and stretched out, walking out of your room without anyone around, it did ignite curiosity in you so you walked around cautiously to see what was the deal.

Three of your teammates with two random agents were placed on the couch in the living room, trapping Natasha in between them, from her body language she didn't want to be there.

Bruce and Bucky along with Steve seem to laugh at the agents jokes, you moved closer to the door as you listened to what they were saying.

"Come on Natasha, you should do that power pose and show off that body" One of the agents spoke up as they eyed the Russian.

The other agent tried to move closer to her but hesitated, knowing she could easily tackle him "You can't let that body go to waste"

The anger was raising as words spilled out of their mouths, why didn't Steve stop them? Did he really think that as well?

"I was near to tapping that ass but you know women" Bruce made a comment as he laughed along with the agents.

"If she dyed her hair blonde, the amount of jokes we could make then" Bucky smirked as he spoke loudly.

Natasha was just taking in all of the comments, you could see across her face that she didn't enjoy it at all, so she stood up and what they did next made you finally act.

They all looked at her ass and whistled "Romanoff, you should dance for us, show off those curves"

"I am a little hungry as well, you might as well move that pretty ass of yours and make us something to eat" One of the agents spoke up as he laughed.

You walked in as you raised your brows at the 5 men sitting and eyeing Natasha as a piece of meat, you pulled her into you causing her to jump a little but relax when she realised it was you.

They all looked at you and the other agent smirked "Are yous going to put on a lesbian show for us?"

Now you wasn't just unimpressed but also pissed, you pulled yourself away from the Russian as you stepped forwards in front of Natasha "Listen here you little dick, If I hear that you even looked at Natasha in any way, I will fucking haunt you and make sure you don't live to see tomorrow"

His friend was terrified, he gulped when you looked at him "As for you, I want you to go and make her a fucking five star meal and if it's not good, I swear to god you'll regret being born"

He shook his head so fast as he stood up but you stopped him with your powers "You want a show? I will fucking give you a show"

You gripped his face, squishing his cheeks very firmly, your hand started to glow blue as you made him hallucinate that he was in pain, from the fact that he couldn't move and he felt as if his skin was being peel off he only could scream.

You looked at the 4 men who looked very terrified of you, your eyes had flames and you wasn't going to go easy, on neither of them "If any of you ever comment anything sexist or inappropriate about any woman, including Natasha. I will make your life a living hell"

"Do yous understand?"

They shook their heads and scattered away from you as fast as they could, you let go of the dude in front of you, he looked weak but he gotten up so fast that you could swear he had powers as well.

You turned towards Natasha, worried "Are you okay? Did they touch you?"

You looked her up and down as you made your way towards her, she shook her head with a small smile. You pulled her into a hug as a single tear slid down Natasha's face.

You pulled away as you wiped that tear off with your thumb "Why didn't you act Nat?"

"What's the point? It wont stop them from saying what they want Y/n/n"

The pain in your heart was strong at the words, how could any woman not be scared of what could happen if they do protest against men.

You cupped her face as you looked into her eyes "Natasha Romanoff, I promise you that I will protect you from their filthy mouths"

She smiled, this time it met her eyes which caused you to smile. You crushed on Natasha for a long time and promised yourself that when the time was right you would tell her but each time it was harder to do so.

Her and Bruce at the time were something but when she decided to break it off, you were there for her you told her she didn't need to tell you the reason to why she decided that but reassured her that it was probably a good reason to do so.

Now you are holding her face as her eyes are locked with yours, you could feel those butterflies in your stomach raise up "I will be your knight in casual clothes because armour isn't my style"

She laughed with her whole heart, causing you to laugh as well "Gosh I love you.."

You froze at her words, and so did she, her eyes widen at her words but she knew there was no way out of this so she pulled her sleeve and started to fidget with it.

Your hands were on her face but dropped at those words, you stood still trying to understand what just happened, she continued as she looked down "I hope that's okay but I love you Y/n"

You couldn't believe your ears, the woman who always had trouble opening up, right now was vulnerable with her whole heart to you and you was stuck, frozen as you stared at her.

"I never had anyone stand up for me the way to did today, I started to realise that I had feelings that one day when you were near to death on that mission" She was still fidgeting with her sleeve.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way but you just needed to know.." She confessed, she was standing in front of you holding her heart out in her hands, offering you to take it.

You smiled whole heartily as you looked into her eyes when you pulled her face by her chin "It's more than okay Tasha"

Your hands dropped to her hips as you pulled her in closer to you "Because I love you too"

That look in her eyes, you could see that she had those butterflies too, her eyes locked with yours, she tilted her head slightly to the side and crashed her lips against yours.

Her hands were placed on the back of your neck pulling you deeper into her kiss, you slowly backed her into the wall and when her back hit the wall, she gasped which you used the opportunity to slide your tongue inside her mouth.

The kiss became heated real quick, forgetting that the two of you were still in the public place, only when someone cleared their throat, make the two of you look where the sound came from.

Natasha hid her face in the crook of your neck as she quietly laughed at how awkward that is, you pulled yourself away from her as you looked in the direction of Tony, who looked at you with pure disgust.

"As if you never done this, but sorry you had to witness..." You rolled your eyes at him at first but looked over at Natasha who was still leaning on the wall "This"

She smiled as she intertwined her hand with yours and tugged it to pull you out of the living room, the two of you made it to her room but it wasn't long before you reclaimed her lips with your own.

This time it was a little bit more gentle, you backed her up to the bed as the back of her leg hit the bed frame, before you pushed her back and claimed on top of her.

The only light was the moonlight that was shining through the blinds, you kissed her passionately and redirected your kisses down to her neck, she moved her face to the side giving you more access to her neck.

You left marks as you slightly stank your teeth in but sucked the spot right after, earning a few small moans from the redhead beneath you, she was slowly turning into a mess but she managed to slightly pull you away.

"Don't you have a lot of work?" She asked a little worried but lust was more visible.

"It can wait" You declared as you looked into her eyes "Are you sure you want this?"

She smiled at you being caring and asking for consent "I want this детка (baby)"

You smirked as you placed a soft kiss on her lips and returned to her neck, giving it a couple more kisses and slowly moving down, the only thing that stopped you was the material of her clothes.

She slightly lifted herself off as you pulled her shirt off, exposing her upper body, you looked at her in admiration, her eyes had slight doubt across them but you were quick to reassure her.

"You are beautiful Tasha" You meant every word that came out of your mouth.

There was a blush across her cheeks as she smiled at you, your hand reached for the back of her bra as you unhooked it and pulled it off her.

You took couple of seconds to admire the view before attaching your mouth to her nipple, she bit her bottom lip to prevent her from moaning.

Your free hand glued itself to the other breast, giving it the same amount of attention as your mouth did, you moved your lips to her ear as your hand kept playing with her now hard nipple.

"I want to hear you Natty" You whispered into her ear and with that Natasha moaned into your ear causing a small smirk to settle on your lips.

You continued to kiss down her body until you reached the bottom of her stomach, you looked up at her to see if she was okay, she nodded to give you the confirmation.

You pulled her shorts off along with her underwear, exposing the bottom half of her body, you could smell her arousal which only fuel you on.

You teased her as you kissed her inner thigh, leaving marks there as well, you would from time to time lock eyes with her. You moved closer to her pussy, teasing her with your tongue causing some frustrated moans to escape her mouth.

Her hips would buck as you would teasingly lick her wet folds, she looked down at you as her eyes were consumed with lust "Please Y/n! Just fuck me already"

That's all you needed to hear before you attached your mouth to her dripping pussy, giving her clit the attention first as the more louder moans escaped her mouth.

You gripped her with your hands as your tongue worked it's magic against her hard clit, she was gripping the bed sheets as moans were spilling out of her lips, not caring if anyone heard.

You moved one of your hands as you slipped one of your fingers inside her and without letting her adjust you started to thrust into her, the feeling of pleasure was building up quickly in the bottom of her stomach with each thrust.

"Oh god" Those were the only words she managed to choke out, she was soaked which stoked up your own arousal along with her moans.

Her hips were quick to match your pace as you thrusted, bringing her closer and closer, you pushed the second finger inside and this time you curled the two fingers, hitting her spot all over again.

One of her hands gripped your arm as her nails dug into your skin, the other hand was still tightly gripping the bedsheet, her head was thrown back as you came up to her face.

Your pace of your fingers never slowing down but thrusting harder and fast "Let me show you how you should be treated instead darling.."

You kissed her lips as she moaned, you moved back down as you felt her walls tighten, knowing she was about to cum. You pushed your fingers even deeper into her, her breathing was heavy letting out low and loud moans.

You watched as the orgasm consumed Natasha with your name falling freely from her lips, you slowed down your thrusts to let her ride out her orgasm, holding her steady pulling your fingers out of her as you licked her clean, and moved back up to her lips.

Kissing her as she slightly moaned at the taste of herself into the kiss, you pulled away from her as she was still breathing heavily, staring into your eyes with a smile.

"Now it's your turn" She spoke in between breathes.

You shook your head "Not today darling, today's focus is you.."

You stripped yourself naked as you pressed your warm body against Natasha, glaring at the marks you left and holding her tight in your arms as she slowly calmed down from her high.

You were sure in this moment that you wanted to hear her moan your name till the rest of your life, it was the music to your ears and you didn't want it any other way.

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

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Tag-list: @diaryoflife,@wandanatblogs,@madamevirgo, @eilarch

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff #black widow #natasha fluff

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storiesforallfandoms · 3 years

Text

how they react when you walk in covered in blood and carrying a gun ~ mcu

request?: no

warnings: swearing, mentions of guns and violence

masterlist (one, two)

*only using the og six plus bucky, wanda and loki because there’s way too many marvel characters rn; also based off of a tiktok by anniedvorak!*

BRUCE BANNER/HULK:

The last person you expected to see when you entered Thor’s room on Sakaar with the intentions of saving him was your boyfriend, Bruce. He had been lost for so long, you had let your heart let go of him. But there he was, stood with a cloth wrapped around his waist after having turned back from the Hulk.

You were tempted to walk back out. This wasn’t exactly how you wanted Bruce to see you - an alien gun in hand and blood splattered over your face and clothes. But it was too late, he was already looking at you with wide eyes.

“(Y/N),” he said, turning to approach you but stopping halfway. You weren’t sure if he had stopped because of the blood or because he was still technically naked. “What are you...what did you...?”

“I’m trying to save Thor,” you responded. “Listen, we don’t have much time. I can explain everything once all of us are off of this planet. Put some pants on, we’re getting out of here.”

~~~~~~

BUCKY BARNES/THE WINTER SOLDIER:

You walked in after a surprise run in with the Flag Smashers. Bucky already looked about ready to kill someone, but when you walked through the door of Zemo’s apartment, blood covering your face and your gun clutched tightly in your hand, his face turned red with anger.

“What the hell happened to you?” Sam asked.

“Flag Smashers,” you breathed in response.

“I’m gonna fucking kill them,” Bucky hissed, abandoning his drink on the counter and making his way to the door.

You put a hand up to stop him. “I think that ship has sailed. This isn’t all my blood.”

Bucky cupped your face in his hands, his face softening as he looked at you. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” you insisted. “I just need a shower, and maybe a visit to a hospital or something. They hit me pretty hard, I think I have some bruised ribs or something.”

He kissed your forehead and took your gun from your still shaking hands. Once it was safely put aside, he brought you into the bathroom to help you bathe and to start dressing your wounds.

~~~~~~

CLINT BARTON/HAWEYE:

You were extremely lucky that Clint worked with someone like Natasha regularly, or else he would’ve been much more concerned when you arrived home from work covered in blood and still carrying you gun. He barley looked up from the TV as you walked through the door, immediately racing for your bedroom so you could shower and change.

“Hard day at work?” he called as you passed by.

“That last target they sent me after put up a hell of a fight,” you responded. “By the time I finally got him, I realized how late it was and rushed home immediately. I’m glad S.H.I.E.L.D issues those SUVs with the tinted windows or else I definitely would’ve been pulled over for suspicious activity.”

Clint chuckled and rose from his seat. He walked into your shared bedroom as you were pulling off you bloodstained clothes and throwing them into a pile to be tossed out eventually. His eyes raked over your body as you looked up at him.

“Red looks good on you,” he said, a teasing smirk pulling at his lips.

“That’s gross,” you teased. “You’re gross. Just for that, you can’t shower with me.”

He groaned as you walked into the bathroom and locked the door before he could follow you in.

~~~~~~

LOKI:

The sly smirk on Loki’s face was enough to almost rid you of the annoyance you felt after what you just had to do. Almost.

You walked up to the panel that controlled his glass cage. You could’ve easily figured out how to deal with it, but instead you shot the control panel. Sparks flew from it before Loki’s prison sprung open.

“Seems like a bit of overkill,” he commented.

“Shut it,” you hissed. “You told me it was going to be easy to break you out. You failed to mention the entire team of guards that were watching this room, and, oh yeah, the team of super humans that were assembled to face you?!”

Loki walked free of his cage, taking a dramatic deep breath before smiling to himself. “Well, doesn’t seem like you had an issue with them, as I knew you wouldn’t.”

He approached you, arms out as if he were going to hug you and try to kiss you. You poked his stomach with the barrel of your gun, glaring up at him.

“Come one step closer and we see how much damage a mortal weapon can do to a God.”

Loki put his hands on your shoulders, keeping you a fair distance away to heed your warning. “I’m sorry for not giving you a proper warning. Thank you for freeing me, I do appreciate it.”

You allowed yourself to relax against his touch and smiled a little. “You’re welcome.”

“Now, let’s get out of here, shall we?”

“You’re doing all the work this time.”

~~~~~~

NATASHA ROMANOFF/BLACK WIDOW:

It probably wasn’t a good idea, but you didn’t know where else to go. Natasha had always warned you about the Red Room, and you were so stupid to not listen to her.

Now you were stood on her doorstep, covered in blood that wasn’t yours, your gun dangling from your hand as you wished to drop it but also too scared to let it go. It was what Natasha looked at first when she opened the door - the gun, then to your blood covered face.

“Put the gun down,” she said, her voice calmer than you expected.

You gratefully allowed her to take it from your hand as you felt tears starting to well in your eyes. She pulled you in for a hug, where you started to sob on her shoulder. She took a quick look around to make sure you weren’t followed before bringing you into her house.

“Go get cleaned up,” she told you. “We’ll figure out your next step together.”

~~~~~~

STEVE ROGERS/CAPTAIN AMERICA:

You showed up to Sam’s shortly after Steve had brought Natasha. You could barley keep yourself up, the fight had taken everything out of you. You were sure Sam was going to turn you away - you were a stranger showing up on his doorstep covered in blood with a gun in your hand. You were pleasantly shocked when he stepped aside and told you where to find Steve.

Poor Steve. He was already trying to help Natasha, who had been in the same situation as you just with a lot less blood. She was resting when you walked in, dazed and just wanting to also rest.

He was up in seconds, reaching out to wrap you in his arms despite the blood covering you.

“The Winter Soldier is one mean fucker,” you breathed, resting your head against Steve’s chest. “I think he finally got wore out and ran off. Unfortunately, I was wore out about an hour before he was, but I kept going.”

“You should’ve given up long ago, honey,” he said.

“I’m not a pussy,” you said with a slight laugh. “Although I am starting to succumb to the pain.”

He picked you up into his arms and carried you to the bathroom where he helped you to rinse the blood off of your body so you could finally rest.

~~~~~~

THOR:

It was a side of you that Thor had never seen before. He had lost you during the battle in Sokovia and was expecting the worst when he couldn’t get you over the coms. When you showed back up to jet, blood covering your tired looking face, he was overjoyed to see you were alright, but also a little shocked by your appearance.

“Those fuckers really thought they had me,” you said, a half laugh bubbling on your lips. “They were a little shocked when I got the upper hand on them. Even more shocked when I shot them dead.”

“I was worried for you, (Y/N),” Thor said, cupping your face in his hands as he approached you. “I truly thought they had taken you from me.”

You smirked up at him. “You really have no faith in me at all them, do you? Or you just underestimate me. I’m a little offended on both accounts, though.”

Thor smiled back at you. “Of course, I would never doubt you. Just a bit of fear is all.”

“When you two are done being gross,” came Tony’s voice from inside the jet, “we’d like to get back to the tower. I think (Y/N) needs a shower and a fresh change of clothes more than anything.”

~~~~~~

TONY STARK/IRON MAN:

“Miss (Y/L/N) incoming Mr. Stark.”

“Tell her to come back at another time, J.A.R.V.I.S, I’m busy right now.”

“I don’t think it can wait, sir.”

Tony looked up to see you walking through the door to his lab, your body trembling as you clutched the gun tightly in your hand. There was a splatter of blood over your shirt and some on your face. You looked up at him, looking like a helpless child.

He quickly walked over to you, his hand automatically reaching for the gun. You gladly let him take it, feeling like a weight had been lifted the moment the weapon was out of your hands.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I-I was attacked at-at home,” you stuttered. “I don’t know how they got in, I don’t know who they were. I walked into my house and was blindsided by these two men trying to attack me. I got the gun out of the hands of one of them and I...I...”

Your hands moved to mimic the action of shooting your attackers, but you couldn’t actually bring yourself to say you had done it. You didn’t want to admit to having shot anyone, even if it was in self defense.

Tony placed the gun aside and took you into his arms. You stopped fighting against the lump that had formed in your throat and began to sob into his chest. He ran a hand through your hair, calming you down.

“It’s okay,” he said, soothingly. “It’s alright. I got you now. I won’t let anyone else try to hurt you.”

~~~~~~

WANDA MAXIMOFF/SCARLETT WITCH:

You didn’t think of Tommy and Billy. You didn’t think about the perfect neighborhood Wanda had created. You didn’t even think about Vision, or the version of Vision she had created. Your only thoughts were getting to Wanda before Hayward and his people could.

She was horrified when she opened the door. Of course she was; you were stood at her doorstep, a ghost from the life she wanted to forget, holding a gun with blood splattered on your face.

“You have to get out of here,” you said before she could speak. “You have to break down that boarder and you need to get out of here now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, her voice still in its sitcom mode. “Please leave before I call the police.”

You grabbed hold of her shoulders before she could walk away, startling her.

“Wanda, you have to listen to me. You know what’s happening here because you are controlling it all. I know that, everyone outside the Hex knows that. Including the S.W.O.R.D director Hayward, who is trying to break through your barrier right now to kill you. I know you don’t want to lose this perfect life you’ve made, but your are in real danger. You need to get out of here.”

It seemed like she was understanding. A hurt look passed over her face as she turned to look into the house where her perfect family was likely residing. She took a deep breath and turned back to you.

“Let’s go.”

#marvel #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #bruce banner #bucky barnes #clint barton #loki odinson #loki #natasha romanoff #steve rogers #thor odinson #thor #tony stark #wanda maximoff #imagine #preference #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

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wlwmarvelenthusiast · 3 years

Text

Darkest Secrets

Requested by @mcmorgan9794

Summary: Keeping this secret from Wanda has been hard, but you don't have a choice but to come clean when everything is brought to light.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,446

You’d always wanted to tell Wanda your deepest, darkest secret. You had been with her for well over a year, after all. A secret like the one you harboured wasn’t something that you should keep from someone you loved so dearly. But your secret was the ugliest part of yourself. It was something you hated, lurking deep within every inch of your body. It brewed in your blood and rested in your bones, uncontrolled at the best of times and unstoppable at the worst. It was a burden you’d never wanted to place upon the girl you loved.

Yet, keeping it from her hurt too. She’d look at you with those soft green eyes, spilling everything to you. Tears would stream down her cheeks as she’d tell you all about how much she hated the powers she’d been given. You’d hold her close and whisper soft words of comfort, wiping her tears away with the pad of your thumb, refusing to tell her you felt the same about your own. She would tell you everything. You wouldn’t tell her anything. You couldn’t tell her anything. She thought she was a monster. In reality, you were the monster. If she knew that, her heart would shatter.

Sometimes, these facts were all you could think about. It was the quiet moments. Wanda was away getting coffee with Natasha, Tony and Bruce were in the lab, Thor was on Asgard, and Clint was home with his family. You were left alone at the compound. You hardly ventured out of your own room. While silence screamed in the dark room, you tried to distract yourself with a book or a movie, but it didn’t last. Instead, the weight of your secret was crushing the oxygen out of your lungs. It always did. You longed to have Wanda back, to have her by your side and thread your fingers through hers. She didn’t know how agonizing solitude could be.

You curled up in your armchair, pulling your knees up to your chest and curling your arms around them. You squeezed your eyes shut, wishing you could will the overwhelming thoughts out of your head. They were screaming at you. They were reminding you of the monster that lay dormant in your very soul, cackling as they pushed images of what you were capable of. Then you imagined Wanda. You could do her so much harm and she didn’t even know it. Were you putting her in danger every day you lay by her side? You swallowed as you tried to force back the tears.

The dark thoughts came next. They always did. You wondered how much better off the world would be without you. You wondered how much better off she would be without you. She loved you. Losing you would break her heart, but she’d be okay eventually. If you hurt her in the way only you knew you were capable of, you knew she would never be okay again. None of them would. The dam broke and tears spilled down your cheeks. Hurting Wanda Maximoff would kill you.

And as you were about to imagine all the ways you could take yourself and your monster out of this world, your phone rang.

You grabbed the phone off the table, wiping the tears from your eyes with the back of your hand. You took a steadying breath before you even dared look down at the screen. The first thing you noticed wasn’t the person who was calling, but the time. It hadn’t felt like it had been as long as it had since the other had left you alone in the compound. The darkness in your head could do that. You lost track of time often when you reached that place. An hour could pass, then two, and then six.

It was Natasha’s face that was flashing on your screen. Worry filled your gut. Was Wanda okay? She had to be okay. You forced a deep breath in, and then out. Her phone had probably died. The Sokovian was notorious for remembering to plug the charger into her phone, but forgetting to plug it into the wall on the other end. After reminding yourself of that a few times, you finally found the ability to slide the answer button and hold the phone up to your ear.

“Hey.”

“Thank god,” Natasha’s voice said. There was a loud screech in the background, the sound of metal grinding against metal. “Listen you need to get to the hospital.”

Your heart dropped into your stomach. Oxygen caught in your throat and you were barely able to let words squeeze past the lump that had formed. “The hospital?”

“The ambulance is almost there. She’s hurt bad. Don’t come anywhere near Midtown.”

You didn’t even bother to respond. In fact, you didn’t even bother to hang up the phone. You simply slammed it down on the table that you’d only just picked it up from, heading for the elevator. A million thoughts were racing through your head. There were so many emotions tugging at your heart that you could hardly decipher one from the next. Fear, anger, and worry were all fighting to take over every one of your senses. You couldn’t breathe. It was as if on autopilot that you made it to the garage and hotwired one of Tony’s cars.

Scenery was flashing by you, mere streaks outside the windows of the car. The pedal was on the floor beneath your foot. You flexed your fingers; knuckles having gone white with the force of your grip on the steering wheel. Your brain was showing you visuals of Wanda lying on the table, shining green eyes dulled in the absence of life. Head too wrapped up in the thoughts that ran through it, you didn’t realize you weren’t headed for the hospital at all. You were headed toward midtown, exactly where Natasha had told you not to go.

You’d never been an Avenger. You would never be an Avenger. Maybe it was selfish, refusing to help others when you had the ability to. People died and you might have been able to stop it. Your own powers scared you too much to allow you to. It was something you’d decided long ago. The lives of every civilian that you could have saved were worth it. You couldn’t unleash that sinister thing that lived inside you. Yet, here you were, rushing toward the fight like you were Tony Stark in his suit of armour, or Steve Rogers with a vibranium shield strapped to your back.

The car screeched as you slammed your foot down on the brake. The seatbelt dug so hard into your ribs that you weren’t sure a few hadn’t snapped beneath the pressure. The adrenaline pumping through your veins assured you wouldn’t feel it even if they did. You fought to keep your breathing under control as you stepped out of the car and took in the destruction around you. Someone here had hurt Wanda, and, honestly, you couldn’t find it in you to care which one it had been. You’d kill every single one.

Gravel and rubble crunched beneath your feet as you ventured further and further into the warzone that had broken out in Midtown New York. They looked human, whoever they were. They were armed to the teeth and attacking every moving thing in sight. None of them had noticed you yet. That was better for both of you, for the time being. You shut your eyes for a brief moment and listen to the sounds around you. Civilians were screaming and car alarms were blaring and explosions roared. Then there was running, and it stopped at your side.

“I told you not to come here. Wanda’s at the hospital.”

You opened your eyes. Natasha was at your side. Blood trickled down her temple, staining her pale skin. She flinched as she put weight on her left leg to move a little closer to you. Wanda might have been the woman you called your own, but the Avengers were your family. Seeing one of them hurting in the way Natasha was only stoked the fire that was beginning to burn hotter and hotter inside of you. Your gaze moved away from her and back to the oncoming forces. They were getting closer.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Tony’s cars have trackers. We got an alert the second you left the compound and another as you came here. Get to the hospital.”

But you’d already stopped listening. The incoming threat had gotten close enough to notice you now. Green eyes followed your gaze until she, too, noticed the men approaching the two of you. She raised her arm, the gun still clutched tight in her grip. You could tell by the bewildered expression on her face that she hadn’t at all been expecting you to stop her. Your hand grabbed her wrist, lowering her arm until it was back against her side. You suspected it was the crimson gleam in your eyes that was the only thing that was keeping her weapon lowered.

You turned back to her once more. Surprise was written across every feature on her face… no, it was fear. She was afraid. She should be scared of you. Your skin began to blacken as you began to fade into nothing. Her eyes were still able to find yours, glowing bright as ever. She flinched when you reached out, backing up as you reached for her hand in an attempt for a final goodbye. You bowed your head, wishing she’d let you feel the warmth of her skin beneath your hand one final time.

“I’m sorry, Natasha.”

Then you turned away from her. The last of your human form faded away. It was hard to make out any shape in the tall, dark shadow that you’d become. Haunting golden eyes cast to the men that were racing toward you. As if to match the scene, a dark cloud rolled in front of the sun. Its shadow cast down onto the city, the darkness concealing you even further and making your eyes glow seemingly brighter. They continued to approach. They didn’t know their mistake. You did. You were dangerous at any time. You were more dangerous now that they’d hurt the person you loved more than you had ever loved before.

You raised your arms into the sky, feet leaving the ground. When your feet had been touching the concrete below them, you’d already been towering over the oncoming men. Now, you looked down upon them. Guns raised to where you hovered in the sky. It was almost comical. One of them screamed, and suddenly they were all firing. Their bullets tore through you, yet they didn’t touch you. Your head tilted to the side ever so slightly as an unsettling grin appeared in your dark shadow, disrupted by the whiz of dozens of bullets flying through it.

“Knock knock,” you said. Even your voice was sinister, a deep rumble that felt like it emanated from every direction, or deep inside of any listener.

The laughter that burst from their chests was strange, at first. It seemed out of place in such a setting. Confusion flickered across each of their faces. Then they laughed harder, and harder. Guns fell to the ground and they howled with laughter, but it contrasted their eyes. There was no sparkle of amusement in even one. It was pure, unbridled fear that you could see shining in them. One by one they fell to their knees, clawing at their throats as they tried to stop. One had tears streaming down his cheeks as he covered his ears, trying to block out the sounds that were torn from his own throat.

They couldn’t get in their comms to tell their men to keep away.

The next group that came for you met the same fate. Soon they, too, were on the ground. You got some sort of sick satisfaction as you watched them fall, unable to control their bodies. You’d taken over, grabbing hold of their heads and their bodies. You’d grabbed onto their lungs and ripped laughter from their chests, absolutely uncontrollable. When they lost control of that, that was when the fear started to take over. Fear would grip at them; you could feel it emanating off them. It would only get worse. You’d watched men take their lives as they lost their minds.

There was a reason you never used your powers. You were afraid of them, sure. The reason you were afraid of them, however, wasn’t because of their strength. Their strength could have saved lives. It wasn’t even because you couldn’t control them. You were addicted to your own powers. You took pride in watching grown men reduced to tears, curled up on the ground, shaking like an abused puppy. Your sick satisfaction was what you feared.

Was this what it felt like to be an Avenger? Were you taking pride in watching the civilians able to run from the scene, or was your pride in the fact that they no longer feared the invading forces, but you instead? The men were rendered immobile as the New Yorkers ran far from the scene. There you were in the centre of it, arms outstretched eyes gleaming, and grin growing wider and ever more evil. Natasha was still hovering just outside of your reach. You could feel her. You turned to face her. You could tell by the look in her eyes that she no longer recognized you. She put her lips to her comm.

“Evacuate the area. Don’t come down this way. Clint, go check on Wanda.”

Wanda.

Your powers ceased. No one rose right away. It would take some time for them to recover. They were gasping for breath. Their arms were too preoccupied hugging themselves tight to bother even trying to wipe the tears that covered many of their faces. Some of them were even rocking back and forth as the effect wore off. You dropped to the ground, human form taking back over. Your eyes were back to normal as you looked to Natasha once more. Neither of you said anything, but you took off running.

You pulled your hood up further, gaze locked to your black running shoes. You couldn’t help but feel like every set of eyes was on you. That’s how it felt, you supposed, being wanted by every agency on the planet. With the ability to change your form, though, it was pretty easy to hide in plain sight. Your footsteps echoed on the hard floor beneath your feet as you kept forward. Anyone who saw you would know you were on a mission. You knew exactly where you were going.

She was sleeping when you arrived. The cuts on her body had been stitched and bandaged, and her broken arm had been cast. Sam’s signature was already present on the red material, accompanied by a bad drawing of a bird. You couldn’t help but smile a little to yourself at that. Hopefully, it had kept a smile on her face as her world fell into turmoil, something undoubtedly caused by you. That simple fact would always break your heart. You had to turn to the window to keep the tears at bay.

When you turned back to Wanda, her green eyes were on you. There was something in her eyes that you couldn’t quite read. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at you, in a form that would be unrecognizable. It wasn’t just hiding you from the authorities, but it was hiding you from her. It was protecting her from you. She didn’t need to know that it was you, the woman who had never for a single second deserved to love her or be loved by her. A small smile grew on her lips.

“You forget I can read minds, my love.”

Of course. Wanda had always promised you she’d never read your mind. She would never violate your privacy like that. Right now, though, standing in her hospital room, you hadn’t been you. Obviously, she’d found it appropriate to peek into the mind of the stranger who had been watching her sleep. You should have been mortified. You’d never wanted her to know that you were here. Instead, a large part of you was relieved.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” she breathed out. “So, that was quite the secret.”

Even though you deserved it, it still felt like a knife to the heart when she said it aloud. You nodded slowly, cracking your knuckles nervously. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

You studied her face. Wanda really was a saint, with powers like the ones she had. She was kind, thoughtful, and respectful. You were sure if you’d had her powers right then, you’d be digging through her mind trying to find out what she was thinking. Her eyes weren’t showing you enough. They were calm, though, and it was keeping you calm. Your breathing was level and your head was steady on your shoulders, something you wouldn’t have had been able to say only five short minutes ago.

“Are you afraid?” You managed.

“No,” she assured instantly. “Confused. Why didn’t you tell me?”

You breathed out slowly. “I didn’t want to hurt you. My powers? They’ll hurt you.”

“Will you hurt me?”

“Never!” You insisted. “I… I only hurt them because they hurt you.”

She smiled. “Then I’m not afraid.”

She beckoned you. You padded slowly toward the bed, watching as she stared up at you with an amount of love and adoration that you didn't deserve. Wanda glanced at the door, making sure no one was there to see, and then took your hand in hers, tugging on it to get you to sit down next to her. Instant calm washed over you, drowning out any negative, scared thoughts that had been in your head for days previous. It was like her hand was a lifeline, keeping you anchored on the spot. In the last few days, you’d been anything but calm and present.

You’d been a wreck without her, not knowing if she’d hate you… if you even saw her again. You didn’t know if you’d be able to feel her touch again, to feel her hands on your cheeks or to feel her grab onto you and pull you into a searing kiss the way she did. But you had seen her again, and, somehow, she didn’t hate you. Now, it seemed now you could get oxygen flowing through your body again. Still, you were uncertain.

“And can you forgive me?” You asked, voice so quiet she almost didn’t hear it. “Can you ever love me again?”

Wanda took her free hand and put it on the underside of your chin, tilting your gaze up to hers. “I see nothing that has to be forgiven.” She brushed her thumb across your cheek, wiping away a stray tear. “I love you. I will never, ever stop loving you.”

“Promise?”

“I promise you,” she assured.

She leaned forward and then her lips were on yours. It took you a second to realize the salty taste was from the tears that were streaming down your cheeks, but it didn’t seem to be bothering the Sokovian. Both of your hands found hers and you held tight, as if afraid you’d never see her again if you dared to let go. She slipped one hand out of yours as she pulled back, using it to brush a strand of hair behind your ear.

“I’m sorry I kept it from you,” you muttered.

“I’m sorry you were so scared all alone.”

Your heart swelled. You really had found the perfect woman. “You’re really too good to me. You know that?”

Wanda laughed. “You deserve the world. You know that?”

With the way you tucked yourself against her in a hug, it was obvious she knew you felt the same of her. Her hand stroked your hair as you finally, for the first time ever, felt absolute ease and a sense of peace. Hiding that secret from Wanda had been the second hardest thing you’d ever done. The hardest had been coming clean with it. You snuggled a little closer to her, burying your head into the crook of her neck and mumbling against her skin.

“I’ll never hide anything from you again. I promise.”

Wanda pulled you away so she could look at you. “While we’re revealing secrets, I suppose I should tell you about the engagement ring in my jacket pocket.”

#wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #wanda maximoff x reader #scarlet witch x reader #wanda x reader #marvel #mcu #lesbian #wlw

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egcdeath · 3 years

Text

ways to say i love you without saying “i love you”

pairing: steve rogers x reader

summary: you and steve explore love languages

word count: 5.1k

warnings: fluff, a little angst because of miscommunications, reader & steve being idiots, good intentions but terrible delivery, mentions of other characters

author’s note: this fic has been sitting unfinished in my drafts for so long. this fic is like, ancient. this fic was almost destroyed because it was briefly in the library of alexandria. when i reopened the document with this fic, there were mold spores growing on it. (p.s. steve’s love langauge is acts of service, and the reader’s is quality time)

you can find my masterlist and taglist here

Prologue

Steve was a multitasker. You knew this well. Perhaps too well.

That never seemed to bother you before, but if the man who was supposed to be taking a serene nature walk with you checked his goddamn flip phone one more time, you were completely sure that you’d lose it.

You paused your story about your obnoxious coworkers for a moment, stopping in the middle of the gravelly trail you two were making your way down.

“Steve, seriously, are you even listening?” you griped, ushering him towards the side of the pavement as a man on a bike flew by.

He guffawed a bit at this, “of course I am. You just said something about…” he paused, and you gestured with your hands for him to continue. “Okay, sorry,” the blush on his face was becoming more and more apparent.

You involuntarily scoffed, rolling your eyes as you did so, “I’m glad to know that whatever you’re waiting for on there,” you gestured to his pocket, “is more important than spending quality time with your girlfriend, who, must I remind you, took time off to be here with you.”

“Nothing is more important to me than you, I’m just on call. I’m probably going to get called to go on a mission any moment now.”

“Steve!” you huffed, “you literally just got back, like, two hours ago. Can’t someone else go? Tony? Vision? Anyone?”

“I might’ve volunteered myself-“

“You’re unbelievable, Steve. Are you getting tired of me or something? You’ve been avoiding me like the plague ever since I moved in with you. If I upset you, or you’re gonna propose to me or something, can you just tell me?”

“I promise you it’s not personal at all,” he reached for your hand and gently held it. “Everything’s just been crazy. I mean, these Hydra bases have been popping up left and right. Just give me a little grace, okay? I don’t get upset with you when SHIELD starts making you work those ungodly hours.”

You opened your mouth to debate him, but surely enough, the canny and familiar ringtone of Steve’s work phone interrupted you before you could even begin.

“Okay… Yeah. I’ll be there in thirty.”

You frowned at Steve as he spoke on the phone and shook your head disapprovingly, “unbelievable,” you muttered, storming in the direction of your home.

——

Steve was no fool, he knew when he messed up, and he was more than willing to take responsibility for such. Now was one of those times. He knew that he should’ve been making more time for you. He was well aware that he shouldn’t have gotten defensive when you pointed this out.

He just had no idea how to apologize.

You weren’t exactly making it easy for him either, taking much longer hours in an attempt to avoid him. While he could understand your frustrations, it became a little more difficult everyday for him to properly apologize to you in a way he felt was meaningful.

Eventually figuring to use your avoidance as a tool, Steve devised a plot to make an apology for you so considerate, so superb, that you could never be angry with him again. A plot that included a several course meal, all concocted by himself.

He could imagine the look on your face as you came home from work, shocked, but the good kind of shock. Pleasantly surprised that your sweet boyfriend had put in such a huge amount of effort to say sorry.

He couldn’t help but imagine the scenario: you would relax into your seat at the table after Steve pulled out the chair for you, hum in content as he poured your favorite wine. Moan happily at the taste of a homemade and rarely prepared salad dressing, before complimenting the melt-in-your-mouth entree he had spent an unknown amount of time laboring over. Finally, you’d gush over the dessert that Steve hadn’t had the chance to cook in years, tell him that he worked far too hard putting everything together, especially for a little argument. Steve would scoff, tell you you’re being too kind, and you would pull him in for a red wine and dark chocolate flavored kiss.

The thought of you, your genuine and warm smile after a long day at work, and an even longer week worth of unspoken tension between you both, was enough to keep Steve motivated through the hours he spent preparing your meal.

He greeted you at the door like an excited puppy as soon as he heard your keys jingle. Sure, work had kept you a bit longer than he’d expected, and your food was likely a little cool by now, but he was excited to make amends.

However, you did not seem to share the same enthusiasm as Steve.

“Welcome home, gorgeous. Come sit,” Steve nudged you into the dining area, and you sluggishly followed, exhausted from a tiring day of training new agents.

“What’s wrong?” he inquired, pulling out a chair that you didn’t even attempt to sit down on.

“I had a really long day. I kinda just wanna get to bed,” you shrugged before rubbing your creased temple.

Steve internally cringed at the thought of all of his hard work going to waste. For some reason, he’d not envisioned this less pleasant outcome before. “Sweetheart,” he began in a nearly whiny tone, but you weren’t in much of a mood to be persuaded.

“I’m sorry. Weird things were happening at work that I don’t care to get into now, and honestly, I’m not even that hungry,” you reached out and gave Steve’s hand a little squeeze. “But it all looks and smells so good! I Promise I’ll warm some up tomorrow for lunch.”

“I-,” he paused, “please. Maybe you could just take a few bites of everything. It took me a really long time to get everything prepped and ready.”

You frowned at the plea, feeling a bit guilty but almost… satisfied at the same time. Steve struggled to make time for you because of his work, and now he was getting a little taste of his own medicine.

“I really am sorry. But hey, now we’re even?” you offered with a playful wink, slipping away before you gave your partner a chance to respond. You truly didn’t have the energy for a four course meal that night, let alone another argument.

——

Wanda was silent for a moment as she sipped from a mug of coffee, watching you with a suspiciously focused look on her face.

“Wanda?” you prompted, seemingly snapping her out of whatever trance she had found herself in.

“Oh my God, I know exactly what you guys need,” she just about blurted, reaching across the café table to grab your hand.

“Were you reading my mind?”

Your friend didn’t respond, but the devious smirk on her face was enough of an answer.

“What happened to telling me before reading me?”

“You just looked like there was a lot on your mind. And absolutely no way that you’d tell me,” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“Of course I was gonna tell you! Why else would I ask my friend in a cute relationship to meet me for coffee?”

“Because you like me?”

“No, never that. I just needed advice,” the two of you shared a laugh for a moment.

“Well don’t waste your breath. When Vis and I had a rough patch, we just had to learn each other’s love languages. You’d be surprised just how much that synthezoid values those acts of services.”

“And you?”

“I’m a words of affirmation girl myself,” she shrugged. “You should find out yours, and try to figure out Steve’s. I guarantee it’ll be helpful in the long run. I can send you guys a test, if you want?”

“Oh god no, please don’t tell him that I told you about us. Actually, I didn’t even tell you! You were digging around in my brain, and I don’t appreciate that. Just do me a favor, and don’t share this with anyone, okay?” You paused dramatically, then leaned in to speak to your friend in a whisper, “but send me that test when you get the chance.”

Gift Giving

“A little reality-warping birdie told me you’ve been having some relationship problems,” Tony said teasingly once Bruce left the conference room, leaving him and Steve alone.

Steve paused for a moment, trying to decide whether he should lie or fess up to the allegation. “How did she know?” Steve finally responded, standing up and pushing the chair he was sitting on behind him.

Tony shrugged dismissively, “I don’t ask these kinds of things. I just hear in passing that the geriatric is having a hard time and tune in.”

Steve shook his head slightly, rolling his eyes to mask his clear embarrassment.

“Well, is it true?”

“We’ve just been having the occasional… rift. A little more than occasionally.”

Tony nodded, fake pondering the situation, “well, I always know what I do for Pep, at least after I tell her I’m getting rid of the suit. Go buy her something nice. Really nice, like jewelry, or a purse if she’s into that kind of thing. I would say a car, but I know that Social Security check isn’t getting you too far. You know what? Put it on the company card. My treat.”

Steve wanted to scoff, turn his nose up at the offer like it was a terrible idea, but it really wasn’t. Maybe a material surprise was the way to win you back. He made a soft ‘hmph,’ noise as he mulled it over. “That’s definitely not your worst idea. Thanks,” he gave his teammate a soft smile before collecting himself and heading out of the conference room.

His first stop after work was some local jeweler. Steve threw on a (not very) inconspicuous outfit before entering the building, where he browsed for a good hour, searching for something that he believed you’d like. After looking at more jewelry than he had ever cared to see in his life, he decided on a necklace with a thin golden chain with a decent sized diamond hanging off of it. It was a little pricier, and you’d be able to tell— but he hoped it would help the gift mean more to you.

——

When you arrived home late that night, Steve was sitting in the living room waiting for you. It was almost daunting, the sight of him sitting alone on the couch mostly in the dark, only the television illuminating his face. He kind of reminded you of a parent waiting to confront their child who just snuck out, or a concerned friend seconds away from staging an intervention with you.

Walking past the room, you peeked your head through the doorway, and observed the flat, small box in front of him on the coffee table.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” he greeted, standing up so he could greet you with a hug and grabbing the little box as he did so.

“Is everything okay?” you probed, speaking into Steve’s shoulder.

“Of course. I just wanted you to know how much I love you, and that I’m sorry for not having as much time for you as I should,” he pulled away before holding the box out for you.

You hesitantly took the box and opened it, letting out a gasp when you viewed the delicate looking gold necklace.

You were having mixed emotions, because it was clearly beautiful and you were grateful to the gesture. But you knew that this must’ve been expensive, and that it was so unlike Steve to have done something like this. Your frugal, Great Depression era guy wasn’t exactly the most material.

“I love it,” you gushed, admiring the jewelry.

“Can I put it on you?” Steve asked, and received a nod in return.

Steve set the box down on the table and lifted up the necklace, bringing it up to your neck and focusing on clasping it in the back.

“Babe, how much was this?” you blurted, not even being able to filter the words before they left your mouth.

“Hmm? That doesn’t matter,” he dismissed, then stepped away from you to admire your clavicle.

“It just feels weird letting you spend so much on me.”

“It’s a gift, though. You’re not supposed to think about those things,” he hummed, pressing a chaste peck to your nose.

“Steve, I got you a Nespresso for Christmas and you wouldn’t stop complaining about how expensive it was. I love it, I really do. It’s beautiful and I’ll always think of you when I wear it. I just think that maybe we should have the same standards for each other,” you stood up from your seat and sidestepped him. “I need a shower.”

Steve watched you walk off, letting your words simmer in his thoughts.

That was the last time he would take relationship advice from Tony.

Words of Affirmation

This conclusion probably shouldn’t have taken you this long, but you were almost completely sure that this would be the love language to win Steve back over. You felt bad for some of the occurrences between the two of you lately, with sour exchanges and sweet moments that turned bitter on a whim.

In all honesty, you were concerned that Steve doubted your love for him. And if his love language really was words of affirmation, this would certainly convince him otherwise.

You sat at your desk the night before Steve departed for a two-week mission, trying to write a nice message for him. You tapped your pen on the stock paper in deep thought as you tried to figure out the best thing to say.

I’m sorry for arguing so much with you lately. You and everything that you do mean the world to me, even when you get on my nerves. I love you more than anything and that will never change.

The words looked cramped and unkempt on the little note. Your handwriting got messier as you went. You groaned at it, crumpled the paper, and tossed it in your trash bin. Time to start over again.

I’m sorry for arguing with you. I love you a lot. Can you stop picking up your phone when we’re spending time together?

You groaned at the passive aggressive tone of your message. That certainly wasn’t going to get you anywhere. Straight to the bin it goes.

I love you so much so don’t die on your mission or I’ll be pretty upset. Be safe out there xx.

The tone was even more off now. You needed to think of something that would really make Steve remember you while he was gone. For a second, you considered snapping a nude with a polaroid and attaching it to the letter.

I’m sorry that things have been so bad nasty for us lately. I promise that I love you, despite our ups and downs. Nothing will ever change that. I’ll miss you more than you know while you’re gone. Make sure you call me every day, my love.

A little cheesy, but you signed off with your name regardless, and contentedly looked at your work. The spacing looked correct, the tone wasn’t harsh, and you knew for a fact that Steve would appreciate it.

You stayed up a little later than normal, waiting for Steve to get home and change out of his ‘work clothes’ so that you could slip the note into his utility belt.

You folded the note to a small little square and set it beside an granola bar in a pocket you’d assumed he frequently used. Content with your work, you laid back in bed until your partner slipped in bed beside you, and sleepily cuddled into you until you were both unconscious.

—

Around two weeks had passed since Steve had seen you last, and he had decided to stop by the office and finish up paperwork before coming to see you. It had been radio silence on his end, despite the note in his clothing that clearly requested daily contact. Part of you wondered if Steve had seen it at all.

Steve had just finished signing the documents when he finally noticed it, reaching into a sparsely used part of his belt to have a quick snack. His hand landed on a folded piece of paper, and he cringed as he unfolded it, the letter becoming clearer and clearer as he did so. He wondered just how long the message had been waiting for him.

He read your sweet words with a frown on his face, the guilt from not opening it sooner overriding the sweet feelings that he would otherwise have. He grabbed his phone and considered texting you, but abandoned that thought altogether.

“FRIDAY, any idea where Y/N is right now?”

“I was told not to share any information about Ms. L/N, Captain Rogers.”

“Whose orders?” Steve pressed.

“Hers,” the bot quipped back.

Steve groaned aloud. He was really in for it tonight.

Physical Touch

“Have you tried touching her more?” Thor casually queried. The water that Steve had just consumed nearly flew out of his nose, and his cheeks reddened instantly.

“Pardon?” he asked, looking away from his friend instantly.

“I understand that you and Y/N have been having troubles lately. Perhaps she does not feel held by you. Maybe she wants you to show her off in public, to hold her hand, hug her,” he suggested.

Could Steve even be blamed for going there? He was having a chat with a god of fertility. Who wouldn’t think the same?

“Stark’s gala tonight. Show the world that she’s yours, and I guarantee that she’ll love every moment of it.”

——

You were confused. Really confused.

The night began with some simple touches, hand holding as you entered the building, a casual arm around your waist as you chatted with donors and politicians you hadn’t seen in months, a playful match of footsie under the table while waiting for food. But it came to a head when Steve had decided to rest his hand on your ass and grope you in the midst of a conversation.

Now, in any other situation, you would welcome this affection. But both you and Steve had never been a fan of PDA, and this was a bit too far.

As subtle as you could manage, you pushed his hand away, offering him a sour look as you did so.

“Excuse us,” you told some rich old man in an artificially sweet tone before ushering Steve off to his office for a bit more privacy.

“What was that about?” you questioned, sitting down in the padded chair behind Steve’s desk, and running your fingers over your necklace in a bit of a nervous tick.

“What do you mean?” he retorted, standing across from you at the desk and setting his hands on top of the clear table.

“Why were you groping me in front of people? That’s really... unlike you. And it made me uncomfortable.”

Steve frowned genuinely, looking down at the table in embarrassment. “I’m really sorry. For making you uncomfortable. It sounds ridiculous but I was just trying something new.”

“Apology accepted, but are you sure? You weren’t like, jealous of those guys or something? You know you’re the only hundred year old I have eyes for,” you set your hands atop of his and squeezed.

Steve chuckled at this, the flush of his cheeks only highlighted more by the laughter, “it’s just that, uh, Thor told me I should try showing you off more. Or something like that.”

“So you groped me in front of our guests? That’s silly. And a little unprofessional,” you glanced over at the cork board on his desk sitting next to his desktop, and amongst the neatly arranged scratched out to-do lists and random reminders, you couldn’t help but notice the creased paper of the note you’d left for his mission. Your chest warmed when your eyes fell upon it.

“When did you find this thing?” you asked, pointing to the note.

“I meant to say something, but when I found it, FRIDAY said you didn’t want to talk to me. SO I was going to bring it up when I got home, but you were still working. After that, I kinda… you know-”

“Forgot?” you finished with a hearty laugh, “It’s fine. You’re such a dork. C’mere so I can get my own groping in,” you chided, grinning to yourself when Steve wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace.

Acts of Service

Steve was quietly folding your laundry in your bedroom when it finally occurred to you, but when it did, it hit like a ton of bricks.

Steve’s love language was acts of service!

Things suddenly began to make sense to you, the way that he initially attempted to apologize by spending hours cooking one meal, how he consistently worked to make your life as comfortable as possible, and his great insistence to do house chores, despite you being more than capable.

Steve set down a stack of folded sweatshirts by your calf, snapping you away from your brief retrospective daze. If that really was the case, and Steve’s love language truly was acts of kindness, you had to come up with some sort of plan to communicate to him just how much you cared about him in a way that he really appreciated.

Luckily for you, you were a quick thinker. Before you even knew it, a week filled with random acts of kindness before he was off on yet another mission was quickly hatched.

——

You were up at the ass-crack of dawn. Really. Steve liked to get up earlier than the sun in order to run, or train, or whatever the hell it was that superheroes did. You were seriously regretting your decision to wake up around the same time as him in order to do some favors for him in the morning.

By the time Steve was back from his run, his favorite coffee was brewed and cooling, and you were in the laundry room at the dryer, preparing to give Steve a warm towel after his shower.

Despite the three mugs of coffee you’d just downed, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep your eyes open. It didn’t help that your eyelids felt like they weighed fifty pounds each, and the warmth of the dryer next to you was providing you with just enough comfort to drift off.

And drift you did. In fact, half an hour later, you’d missed the frantic calling out for you from your boyfriend as he searched for you around the apartment.

You finally awoke when he shook your shoulders, his amused voice bringing you back to consciousness.

“What’s going on here?” Steve grinned, pushing some hair out of your face.

“Mmm,” you began, “Iwantedtogetawarmtowel,” you slurred sleepily and incoherently.

“Even with super hearing I couldn’t decipher that. Let’s get you a mattress, okay?” Steve hoisted you up like you were nothing, and carried your half asleep body all the way up to your bedroom.

The next thing you knew, you were buried under your favorite comforter and propped against a mountain of feathery pillows. A gentle forehead kiss and an incomprehensible sentence about calling off of work for you later, you were back in a deep sleep.

So much for warm towels.

—

You were going to do better this time. That’s what you told yourself as you strolled through the grocery store, the same store that you hadn’t shopped in since moving in with Steve, as he preferred to do the shopping himself.

Equipped with a short paper list and sheer determination to make the trip as short and accurate as possible, you gathered all of the groceries that you believed were necessary— just enough to restock the fridge, and fill some gaps left in the cupboard.

Your time at the store was indeed brief, as you found yourself in the checkout lane after just twenty minutes (you definitely weren’t going to brag about that to Steve later. Definitely not), and back home with just enough time to unload the groceries, and further prep yourself to go to work.

You’d honestly forgotten about your trip to the store by the time that you arrived home, up until you found your boyfriend arm deep in your pantry, hellbent on finding… something.

“Can I help you?” you poked with a laugh, coming up beside Steve and peeking over his shoulder.

“I’m just… Did you happen to grab any protein bars while you were at the store?” he asked, pausing his search to look back at you.

“I don’t think so. Why? It’s not like you need any more protein,” you teased, squeezing a bicep to demonstrate your words.

“They’re pretty convenient when I’m out in the field. Don’t worry about it, though. I’ll just swing by the store and grab some before my mission tomorrow. Actually, I should probably go now. Y’know, before I forget,” Steve was already grabbing his car keys from the counter by the time his sentence was finished, leaving you to fight off your disappointment at your minor grocery store failure.

You looked at what you now knew was an insufficiently filled pantry and pinched the bridge of your nose. You had seriously underestimated the ins and outs of shopping for a super soldier.

Well, third time’s the charm?

—

After this week, you would never complain about waking up early again. You were now up at an absolutely ungodly hour, scrambling eggs, flipping pancakes, and spreading jam on toast for a sleeping, unsuspecting Steve.

You placed the plate on a sturdy wooden tray, poured orange juice and an extra glass of water, and set a nicely folded napkin, along with utensils, next to the items.

You hoped that the scent of bacon wafting up to your bedroom would eventually pull him out of his slumber, and seeing how bacon was the only thing left to finish cooking, you took a little break.

A round of Candy Crush turned into two, then three, and goddamnit, why can’t you beat this fourth level! You got so wrapped up in your mobile game that you didn’t even notice when the scent from your kitchen became slightly rancid, and when you rushed over to the oven to check on your now extremely burnt bacon, the smoke detector wailed.

You grabbed a kitchen towel and waved your arms like a madwoman near the smoke detector, the shrieking eventually stopping, but not before Steve was halfway down the stairs.

“Y/N, where are you? Is everything okay?” he nearly shouted, racing down the stairs and barreling through the smoky kitchen to find you. When he reached you, he wrapped his arms around your waist and began to pull you out of the kitchen.

“Steve, relax. Everything is okay. Except those pieces of bacon,” you rubbed your now sweaty palms on your pajama pants before breaking away from him to crack open the kitchen window.

“Christ, what happened? And why are you up so early?”

“I was trying to make you breakfast in bed,” you admitted, rather embarrassed by the dramatic scene you’d accidentally created. “Sorry,” you muttered.

Steve wrapped his arms around you once more, this time in a reassuring bear hug that left your cheeks pressed to his chest. “Don’t be. I really appreciate this, and everything else you’ve done this week. It’s the thought that counts, right?”

“I guess,” you mumbled into his shirt.

“Besides, everything else looks delicious. And you tried your best for me while trying something new. I think that’s really sweet of you.”

“Really?” you pried, looking up at him.

“Really,” Steve confirmed.

“Well, I think it would be really sweet of you if you went back to bed and got all cozy so I can take care of you.”

Steve chuckled softly, pressed a little kiss to your nose, then nodded, “yes ma’am.”

Quality Time

Steve had been in a bubbly mood since getting back from his mission, and for no particular reason. It wasn’t like you weren’t happy that your partner was happy, but feeling like you were out of the loop was slightly concerning.

Before you could let your thoughts run too wild, you decided to pop the question during one of your evening walks.

“Okay Steve, what is going on with you?” you asked, veering to the side of the trail when a biker rode past you.

“Nothing big. Nothing too important. I’m just out of service for the next three months,” Steve said casually, playing it cool.

“What?!” you paused, your brows raising and eyes widening in surprise as you searched his face for sincerity. “You’re serious?”

“Serious as a heart attack.”

“Steve!” you gasped happily, nearly roaring out his name in excitement. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I was going to tell you before wining and dining you, but you beat me to it. So…?”

“…So I’m happy to have you back. I may need you to negotiate some time away from work for me in the next few months, then. I don’t wanna miss this preview of stay-at-home-dad-Steve.”

“Hey, don’t push it.”

“Oh, I’m planning on pushing it.”

Epilogue

The sun was beating down on you, but the soothing breeze that flowed past your checked blanket every so often provided a pleasant antidote to the summer heat.

You’d truly picked the best day for a picnic.

Despite spending a good amount of time with your partner, the last month and a half had truly felt like a whirlwind. You casually started looking for a forever home, found yourselves making plans for an early retirement, and you had a new, sneaking suspicion that a proposal was on the horizon.

In the midst of it all, Steve had suggested that the two of you take a midday tryst at your local park and throw yourselves a little picnic. Of course you obliged, because when your greek god of a boyfriend suggests going on a spur of the moment date, you agree.

You now watched the nearly cloudless sky with pure, unadulterated feelings of content and joy while Steve set a slice of cheese on a cracker, leaning over your body to feed you. As you opened your mouth, Steve paused abruptly at the soft vibration coming from his pocket.

Steve resumed as if nothing had changed, popping the cracker into your open mouth and letting his phone continue to ring.

“Don’t you wanna get that?” you questioned.

“It can wait,” Steve stated nonchalantly, slipping his phone out of his pocket and pressing decline with absolutely no hesitation before tossing the device to the edge of your blanket.

You didn’t realize how long you’d been waiting to hear those three words.

-------

a/n: this could’ve been solved in like 20 minutes by sitting down and taking a love language quiz together

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #avengers fanfiction #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fanfiction #captain america x reader #captain america x you

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bowiebond · 3 years

Text

All superheroes are neurodivergent, and I refuse to believe otherwises. In fact, I will list some of the Marvel heroes I headcanon as ND

Scott Lang: ADHD. He jumps from fixation to fixation, his reoccurring hyperfixation being magic, he speaks out of turn and usually off topic to whatever is currently going on, has poor time management and is impulsive. He also had a strong moral code and will do what he feels is best, ie stealing from the rich. Luis and him get along so well because they’re brains are wired similarly, I’m just saying 👀

Tony Stark: ADHD/AUSTISM. This one is just as obvious as Scott. His special interest is science, he has poor social skills outside of what he’s adopted from others (masking in the form of sunglasses and a celebrity attitude), he doesn’t get social cues, is abrupt and interrupts others when hyperfocused and is know to be very impulsive. He has emotional outbursts when overwhelmed/overstimulated (though he deals with understimulation a lot too IMO), not good with empathising but is shown he can sympathise with others and even show them compassion if he’s close to them. Again, strong sense of justice that fits his own definition (deciding that he should be held responsible for his mistakes in making weapons, Ultron and Sokovia, etc).

Steve Rogers: AUTISM. Strong sense of justice, emotional outbursts, stretchy fabric/layers to avoid oversensitivity 👀, special interests were art and maybe even war/fighting, hard time making friends growing up, relates to others with his own stories when comforting people because that’s the only way he knows how, when he’s not interested in a task he will just leave without justifying it (ie the science exbo) which makes him appear arrogant (and Bucky seems used to Steve just randomly wandering off, probably cause Steve’s done it all throughout their friendship).

Bucky Barnes: ADHD. Poor time management, oversharing, bad with tones (his own and others), always seems confused because he’s almost never paying attention to a situation but instead is instead three topics ahead in his own mind, his hyperfixation in the 40’s in fantasy novels and science (specially mechanics) and he regains those fixations post-HYDRA but catching up on modern day fantasy media & boat mechanics. Makes notes of everything so he doesn’t forget anything, makes impulsive decisions all the time (freeing Zemo, asking Wakanda for new wings, moving in with Sam, etc) and has a (un)healthy dose of rejection sensitivity dysphoria.

Sam Wilson: AUTISM. Sam is the ultimate masker but this man has ASD and no one can tell me otherwise. He hates changes to his routine without his consent (ie unable to get rid of the boat, jogs every morning, etc), his special interest is technical engineering (his wings & Redwing), he often jokes at inappropriate times & refuses to apologise unless he feels he was in the wrong. Strong sense of justice, emotionally shuts down when stressed, has many casual friends but very few close friends because he finds it hard to connect with people (he connects with Nat, Steve & Bucky cause they’re all ND, duh).

Natasha Romanoff: AUTISM. Growing up in the red room forced her to be an expert at masking, but whenever she doesn’t seem to be acting ‘appropriately’, she’s shown to be uncaring of social cues, burns out easily, and thrives off routine. Her special interest was probably ballet for a long time before it was ruined for her. She wears tight clothes because she doesn’t like baggy outfits that will brush against her when she’s not expecting it and keeps her hair red because it’s her one constant that makes her feel comfortable and gives her something to focus on when she’s overwhelmed.

Peter Parker: ADHD/AUTISM. Do I really need to explain this one? I feel it’s overly on the nose. Hyperactive, special interest is spiderman, hyperfixation is science and pop culture, socially awkward and talks a little too fast for everyone else to catch up with. He’s the ADHD/ASD combo that slots right in under the wing of Tony.

James Rhodes: AUTISM. Come on. Come on. I just,,, he’s best friends with Tony Stark. He’s wanted to be in the Air Force since he was a kid, he went to MIT and has a Masters in the science of Aerospace Engineering. He’s the voice of reason and always thinks of the obvious conclusions without thought to the moral implications (ie killing baby Thanos) or the emotional process of others (ie Steve crashing into the ocean instead of jumping out of the plane). He’s stubborn and rarely yields to others opinions, even if it puts him under social scrutiny. He spends months looking for Tony when most would assume he was dead (and Rhodey has been shown to be very rational and level headed in everything else) because, honestly, I think Tony is his favourite person.

Bruce Banner: AUTISM. Bad with socialising, off in his own world half the time, ahead of conversations, heavy dose of RSD, jumps to conclusions because he interrupts others, emotional outbursts, special interest in physics (though he does have six other PHDs), etc. I’m also pretty sure he had DID as a kid (Hulk was his alter).

Thor: ADHD. Impulsive, doesn’t like change, poor time management, bouts of depression & anxiety, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, interrupts others, seems dumber than he is due to having no filter from brain to mouth, comfort item is his hammer, personally I think he hyperfixates on Jane Foster because she’s the first human he’s really met which is why the eventual break up isn’t as painful as say Tony’s break with Pepper.

Peter Quill: ADHD. Look I could explain this one, but it’s just his whole vibe. The obsession with old school music and film, the impulsive behaviour, the way he interacts with others, he just gives the vibe.

DC BONUS

BATMAN: AUTISM. Special interest is bats, self isolates, doesn’t get along with others because he’s socially awkward, his mask is Bruce Wayne, lives by a strict moral code, blah blah blah HES OBVIOUSLY AUTISTIC (and so are all the robins send tweet)

Reblog with your own superhero ND headcanons!!

#marvel #mcu #sam wilson #bucky barnes #Tony stark #steve Rogers #natasha romanoff #Bruce Banner #thor odinson #Peter parker #James rhodes #rhodey #Scott Lang #batman #avengers #autism #adhd #headcanons #dc comics

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themculibrary · 1 year

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Rich/Poor Masterlist

Black AmEx (ao3) - copperbadge G, 4k

Summary: Bruce isn't sure he wants to use a credit card Tony gave him. Steve isn't sure he even knows how.

Can’t Stop Us RoboDads (ao3) - justanotherpipedream, rebelmeg T, 13k

Summary: The story of how a genius rich kid from New York and a poor military-bound kid from South Philly meet, get into shenanigans, birth a few bots, and forge a life-long friendship.

Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend (ao3) - camichats wanda/tony E, 14k

Summary: Wanda ends up as Tony Stark’s sugar baby to help get her through college. Getting into that relationship was the last thing she expected and falling in love came as a surprise to both of them.

Faithless (ao3) - TheZev mary jane watson/tony E, 7k

Summary: While living in Stark Tower, Mary Jane decides she’s had enough of being Peter Parker’s broke wife. Now she’d rather be Tony Stark’s rich sugar baby.

Fund (ao3) - ardett T, 2k

Summary: Peter overshares. Tony oversteps. Things spiral from there.

Or Tony holds Peter’s college fund over his head and Peter doesn’t get into MIT.

I Know Better (ao3) - Fallenstar92 steve/tony T, 1k

Summary: Not_enough_furytony13 said: "Can u please do a fanfic where Steve and tony's roles are reversed (human au though) where Steve is a rich CEO and tony is a broke mechanic of some sort and he's running from an abusive boyfriend and past. And all of steves friends (who are all rich too) are really protective and think tony is just using Steve for his money but eventually figure out from different events with tony and snippets of Tony's past that tony isn't using Steve and genuinely loves him. Can u please also put a lot of angst in it but also a lot of fluff to balance out (I.e. Steve having to sleep on the couch because of a really stupid fight over something cute and trivial, tony having trust issues, the media being very negative or really positive) I really love your writing so I would really love to see your writing with this prompt!❤️❤️"

Iron Heart & America's Shield (ao3) - CMRandles steve/tony E, 17k

Summary: Stony!AU Steve Rogers is the CEO of a non-profit company that provides jobs and counseling for veterans. Tony Stark is a photographer struggling to make ends meet and pridefully refusing help from his billionaire father. Steve needs a genius artist for a marketing campaign that might snatch his company back from the brink of disaster. Tony needs to pay his rent without selling his soul. What could go wrong? Or, perhaps, very very right.

it's always sunny (in the rich man's world) (ao3) - parkrstark T, 7k

Summary: 5 times Peter worries about money...

Living ain’t cheap (ao3) - Strength_in_pain N/R, 2k

Summary: “I thought our utility bill would be lower. Shit shit shit.” May cried, running a hand through her hair. Or Peter is worried about May because their financial struggles have gotten worse and he ends up needing Tony Stark.

making a living ain't easy (ao3) - snarkymuch T, 2k

Summary: Written for this prompt from Raffeale: May and Peter can't afford rent and food anymore. May broke her arm last week. Now, their main source of income is Peter's job, which takes place almost every hour where he isn't at school. Tony finds out after Peter refuses his invitation to come over for the third time in a row. Because of this, Peter keeps giving most of his food to May. Low blood sugar, super high metabolism, and being Spiderman doesn't really mix well (fainting). Protective Tony Stark, Hurt Peter Parker?

peter’s stars (ao3) - IronPengu, parkrstark steve/tony T, 175k

Summary: Steve and Peter lose their apartment and are kicked out on the streets. Steve has to juggle between jobs to earn whatever money he can, take care of his son while resfusing to let him realize how much they’re trouble in, and keep them warm and safe on the city streets in winter.

So, he really doesn’t have time to date the billionaire that flirts with him everyday as he buys his cup of coffee. Even if he did, he can’t let himself fall for the man. Because if he knew that he lived from a backpack and showered in a public bathroom there’s no way he’d still want him…right?

Running (ao3) - kuro steve/tony G, 1k

Summary: Steve as a rich and famous artist & Tony as a poor mechanic AU. Or something like that.

#themculibrary #mcu #marvel #masterlists #richpoor #richpoor masterlist #au

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mochegato · 3 years

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Even the Losers

Chapter 11

Chapter 1 Chapter 10

“What do you mean he knew?” Dick asked, taking a seat in the chair across from Bruce. He looked around for Alfred to make sure he wasn’t going to lecture them for talking about bat business in the manor when Bruce’s newest daughter could walk in on them at any moment.

Dick scrunched his face in thought. That wasn’t right was it? She wasn’t his newest daughter. She was his oldest child. Well, not oldest. He was the oldest. But she was the one he had the longest. He had her before he took in Dick. He’d given her up and then taken Dick in soon after and honestly Dick wasn’t sure how to reconcile that. He was eternally grateful that Bruce had taken him in and helped him, dealt with his rebellions and helped him focus his anger. But if he’d had such patience for him, why not his own daughter?

Dick was forced off of his thought process by Bruce, bringing them back to the topic at hand. “He knew we were going there somehow. He just thought it was earlier than we had planned.” Bruce sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “He was wandering through the museum looking for us, or more specifically, her.”

Tim stared at the coffee table in front of him trying to work out how the Penguin could have known. “Did you talk about it? Somewhere that could have been bugged?”

Bruce shook his head. “I didn’t really have time to. It was all last minute. But I don’t know about Marinette.”

“When did you plan it? Was it in your schedule?” Tim pressed. “Because if there is a leak at WE with high enough permissions to have access to your calendar, that is a big problem.” His eyes widened immediately. “Not that a rogue going after Marinette isn’t! It’s just another problem.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t say anything about it. “Dinner…” he sighed deeply in realization. “The waitress. Right. We’ll have to talk to her tomorrow.”

“You think she sold information?” Duke asked.

“Or she told someone who sold it, or someone overheard her gossiping, or…” Damian listed off in a condescending tone.

“Are you going to warn Marinette?” Duke interrupted, his brow furrowing in concern. They should have anticipated this. They’d taken precautions for him after the official announcement of his new status, but they hadn’t moved to protect her yet.

Bruce nodded. “I’ll talk to her about expectations of being my daughter. So far, this is fairly expected. I don’t want to send her into a panic, but she should know the dangers she’s going to have to face now.” He sighed guiltily and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was exactly what he had been trying to protect her from all those years ago. And the idea that one of the rogues might have taken his child to get back at him, a baby who had no chance of protecting herself, still haunted him.

Cass frowned at him. “Not safe,” she chastised.

“I’m not saying we don’t protect her too. I think it would be a good idea to make sure we can keep an eye on her and be able to track her so we know if she’s been taken or involved in a rogue attack. I’ll talk to her about safety precautions, so she isn’t announcing plans where others can hear her. She’s planning on moving into the apartment with her friends soon, so that should help at night.”

“Good,” Dick agreed. “From what Jason said about the other day and the concierge just letting it happen, the sooner we get her out of that hotel the better.”

“What do we know about her ability to defend herself?” Tim asked.

“According to her mother, none. She’s never had training. Never had to defend herself,” Bruce sighed. That was exactly the upbringing he wanted for her, to never need to defend herself. But now, that was biting them in the ass. Because now, she might need to be able to defend herself and couldn’t.

Damian scoffed. “She’s weak and defenseless, is what you mean. We’re going to have to spend our time and our energy protecting her because she isn’t capable of it.”

“She’s innocent,” Bruce corrected. “That was the entire point of sending her away, so she could be. And that’s supposed to be our entire job, protecting the innocent. She is no exception.�� They all froze when the door to the sitting room cracked open.

<><><><><>

Marinette took a calming breath. Driving up to the manor had been impressive, entering the manor had been even more so. The entire place was dripping with history and prestige. All the touches looked highest class, highest quality, all well thought out and coordinated over years of design, speaking of bespoke everything. It was about as far from what Marinette grew up in as there could be. It was somber and distant. Sterile even in its lavish details.

And yet, it wasn’t the imposing design that had her heart racing. She could hear voices echoing through the empty halls. She couldn’t make out anything being said, only the variations in baritones and tenor pitches to them.

“Relax, Pixie. They’re going to love you. You could tell them to fuck off,” he took a quick look around when he said it before relaxing back into his motivational speech. “And you’d still come out as someone else’s favorite too. There’s nobody in there you need to impress.” He patted her on the back and squeezed her shoulder. “Just maybe stay away from Damian. He’s a spiteful little shit. Better than he was when he came but… just to be safe…”

He took off his jacket and motioned to hers. “Also,” he continued as he took her jacket, “don’t say the word ‘pineapple’.”

Marinette laughed and shoved him. “Stop messing with me. I’m nervous enough already.” Jason looked at her suddenly very serious. Marinette faltered for a second before scoffing. “Shut up.”

“I’m telling you, just don’t say it.”

She rolled her eyes. This had to be one of the most ridiculous conversations ever. “Okay, first, I still don’t believe you. Second, why would I?”

Jason shook his head and backed away. “I don’t know. It always manages to come up though.” He pointed at her as he backed out of the room. “Fight the temptation. I’m going to hang these up. They’re in that room.” He motioned vaguely toward a room down the hall, which considering how many rooms were down the hall wasn’t actually all that helpful. “Go ahead, they’re expecting us.”

“You’re kind of an asshole, you know that,” she called after him.

“Only kind of? You might like me more than the rest,” he called back with a laugh.

Marinette shook her head and started down the hallway. It couldn’t be that hard to find, right. There had to be signs. “What do you think, Tikki?” she whispered almost too quiet for anyone to hear.

“Jason’s right,” she assured Marinette just as quietly. “They’ll love you. Just be yourself. It’s the next door on the left.”

Marinette grinned at her and noted the light under the door. Definitely the right door. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Wish me luck.” She took another breath and bolstered herself for the next few hours. Hopefully it would go amazingly, but even if it didn’t, she could withstand a few hours of awkward, uncomfortable conversation and looks. She survived all the Graham de Vanily parties Adrien dragged her to, she could survive this. She nodded to herself, silently cursed Jason for abandoning her, and pushed open the door.

The room immediately quieted as Marinette walked in. Everyone turned to her as a unit, tight anxious smiles on their lips. Marinette froze and tried to smile politely at them, but she was pretty sure it looked more frightened than polite. The people in the room continued to stare at her almost analytically. The intensity of the stares was unnerving and unsettling. She almost backed out of the room until she felt someone step up next to her and sling their arm over her shoulder. She looked up hesitantly but breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Jason next to her.

“Stop being weird. You’re creeping her out,” Jason barked at them.

Jason’s order seemed to break them out of their trance. Everyone moved at once, jumping up to welcome her or moving rapidly towards her to shake her hand, except for the youngest who frowned and crossed his arms and a woman, who must be Cass, Marinette reasoned, who just waved from her spot next to Bruce. Marinette tensed up but didn’t back away, instead bracing herself for the onslaught. The noise became almost overwhelming as multiple people were speaking at once and Jason shouted back, pulling Marinette away from them.

“Enough!” Bruce yelled, instantly silencing everyone in the room. He turned to Marinette with a warm smile. “Sorry about that. I was hoping for a more welcoming introduction, but with this family…” he motioned to the rest of the room with a defeated sigh.

He crossed the room to her quickly but froze when he got to her, uncertain what form of physical welcome was allowed. A handshake seemed too formal and distant, but a hug seemed too personal for only their second meeting in twenty years, well, technically fourth, but the first two didn’t exactly count. On the other hand, last time they did la bise, so that was more appropriate, right? He decided to leave it to Marinette, but she didn’t seem any more certain than he did, judging by her awkward wave and quick looks to his hand and cheek.

He smiled in response. They’d figure it out eventually, hopefully. For now, he just needed to make sure she felt welcome. He opened his mouth to welcome her to the manor and start introductions but got cut off by a very excited Dick.

“Oh wow, I didn’t realize how much she looks like your mother until now.” Dick moved right in front of Marinette examining every centimeter of her face intensely. “Her eyes look just like hers. They could be twins. Do you have any pictures of her when she was a baby so we can compare?”

Marinette’s face went blank as she stared back at Dick. She quirked her head to the side trying to figure out how to respond to that, or if she was even supposed to, considering despite the fact that his face was only a handful of centimeters from hers, he wasn’t talking to her. Her quandary was answered when Jason shoved Dick away harshly. “She has a name, Dickweed,” Jason growled. “And she’s right the fuck in front of you, have some respect.”

“Language Master Jason,” Alfred admonished coming into the room. “But he is correct, Master Dick.”

“Right,” Dick said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, Marinette. That was rude. Hi, I’m Dick.” He held his hand out for Marinette.

Marinette shook it with a smile. “It’s okay. I’ve always wondered where I got my blue eyes from.” She chuckled a little nervously and shrugged. “Mystery solved, I guess.”

Bruce laid a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him. “I can show you pictures later, if you’d like to see, or whenever you’re ready.” He pulled his hand away and shoved it into his pocket awkwardly. “Or, at some point I, or somebody else can give you a tour of the manor and I’m sure you’ll see lots of pictures of,” he paused only a fraction of a second, uncertain how she would take the term, “your grandparents.”

Marinette swallowed almost imperceptibly, but covered with a smile. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

The pause she took to respond would be missed by most people but a room full of people trained to detect tells like that didn’t miss it. Duke jumped up with a big smile. “Hi,” he shot out his hand to shake hers, “I’m Duke. It’s nice to meet you.”

Marinette smiled back at him and shook his hand. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. Sorry for ruining your introduction gala.”

Duke scoffed. “Are you kidding me? I hate attention. Thank you for taking the attention off of me.” He suddenly cringed realizing what he was saying. “I mean… That’s not what I meant. Sorry it had to land solely on you. Want me to do something stupid to get the attention back?”

Marinette laughed at his attempt to cover. For once it wasn’t her saying the wrong thing with the best intention. “No, please don’t and don’t worry,” she waved him off with a smile, “I knew what you meant. Not your fault. Honestly, not as bad as it could have been. I’ve dealt with worse.”

“You have?” Jason asked, his face scrunching in concern.

Marinette shrugged at him and turned back to Duke. “Glad I was at least able to help a bit.”

Duke grinned at her. “You did. You’re already more helpful than most of them,” he motioned toward the rest of the family. “Definite contender for new favorite sibling.” Dick let out an exaggeratedly loud offended scoff while Cass shrugged and bobbed her head in agreement. Tim furrowed his brow and exclaimed, “Hey!” But the corner of his lips quirking up betrayed his act.

Jason glowered at Duke and stepped between them. “Back off! I already claimed her.” He turned back to Marinette. “Now what is this about you’ve dealt with worse? Is there someone I need to have a talk with?”

“I’m sorry for being rude,” Bruce interrupted before the conversation went down a darker path than he was hoping for this meeting. “Welcome to the manor, Marinette. Thank you for coming. You’ve already met Jason, Dick, and Duke. That is Tim,” he motioned to the teen on the couch who waved politely but awkwardly. His eyes only flicked to hers a few times and only for a fraction of a second before flicking away, a pained look shooting through them.

“Next to him is Damian.” He rolled his eyes and looked away, but didn’t attack like both Roy and Jason warned her he might, so she was taking it as a win. “Cass is there,” he motioned toward Cass, who waved again, just as kindly as the first time. “And this is Alfred.”

Alfred stepped forward and bowed slightly to Marinette. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Marinette.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him as she scrutinized his face. “You look familiar.”

Alfred’s eyes sparkled at her recognition. He started to say something, but whatever it was got lost when Dick interrupted. “Wait!” He jumped in Alfred’s face. “Is this why you took all your vacations in Paris?” he exclaimed. His eyes widening in realization.

“It is indeed, Master Dick,” Alfred nodded.

“That’s why you look familiar!” Marinette exclaimed. “You were a repeat customer in the patisserie.”

“I am very happy to see you back in the manor, Miss Marinette,” Alfred gave her a curt nod as a smile played on the corners of his lips.

Marinette tensed at the reminder that she may have at some point have been in the manor. It ripped open a Pandora’s Box of questions, each one more unsettling than the last. Had she been in the manor before? Had she interacted with her f… M. Wayne when she was a baby? Did he hold her? Did he kiss her head? Did he hold her for a few minutes and hand her back like she did to Jamil’s baby, feeling no more connection than she had to Remi? Did he cuddle her to his chest and hold her close only to hand her back and walk away? Did he feel nothing when he held her? Did his chest feel less tight when she was no longer near him? Did he heave a sigh of relief when he handed her back?

No. She had to stop focusing on those questions. That was the past. Nothing would be gained from asking those questions tonight. He wasn’t ready to give an answer and she wasn’t ready to receive it. He’d apologized and she’d accepted. She would just… let the questions plague her and slowly drive her into insanity. That was the plan. She quickly plastered on a smile and nodded back at Alfred. “It is good to see you again, M. Pennyworth.”

“Please, call me Alfred,” he said, his amused smile turning sympathetic seeing the change in her demeanor. “All the children do.”

Marinette smiled back, her smile more strained than before. Was she one of the children? She guessed technically she was. “Only if you call me Marinette.”

“Of course, Miss Marinette,” Alfred nodded.

Marinette raised an eyebrow but nodded back. She understood deeply ingrained British upper class formality. She hadn’t survived parties with Felix and Adrien for nothing. But if he wanted to embrace the detached formality, so would she. “Thank you, M. Pennyworth.”

Alfred raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “Maybe we could plan for a tour of the manor and a look through photo albums at a later time. For now, dinner is ready.”

At Alfred’s pronouncement, everyone started moving out of the room. Marinette watched them all making their way toward what must be the dining room, but didn’t move herself. It still felt awkward to walk around the manor… again, apparently. She didn’t move until Jason threw his arm over her shoulder and gently prodded her forward. She gave him a small smile and threw her arm around his waist.

She looked past him to give Tim who had also hung back a bit, a small smile. He gave her a guilty smile back and a little wave. Marinette gave him a quizzical look, trying to figure out what he had to feel guilty about. But it looked like he didn’t want to get too close with Jason at her side. And as much as she wanted to ask what Tim was thinking about, she was beyond grateful that Jason had taken up post at her side. She didn’t know if she would have been able to make it through this without him. She squeezed his waist and looked up at him with a smile. He looked down with a questioning look that quickly turned into a smile and he squeezed back.

Chapter 12

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