#for personal reasons i am pinning this on bruce

[pixelgirlsworld]

Quicker Than That (Dick Grayson x Reader)

Joy’s notes: Rules and general post is up! Pinned on my page, requests are open also! Scroll down for navigation, I have a WIP and scheduled list up!

Pairing: Dick Grayson x Female Reader! Fluff fluff fluffffff, reader is a vigilante, mentions of Selina Kyle, Jason’s a dipshit, Bruce is an overprotective parent, Dick acts like a schoolgirl, rushed messy love, yadayadaya let’s get into it

WC: 2.5k, oneshot

You swooped down from the rooftop, landing on your feet in front of a masked lackey. He threw a punch at you, but you were quicker, dodging his movement and throwing him onto the floor. You looked up to see Nightwing, running towards you, stopping once he’d seen that you had subdued the masked individual all on your own.

You smiled at him through your mask, noticing how he eyed your black catsuit, courtesy of your mentor, Selina Kyle.

“You’ve gotta be quicker than that, Nightwing.” You teased, already pouncing your way to the next rooftop.

“Wait!” He called out, jumping up to the rooftop, but ultimately unable to catch up to you.

The next time you see Nightwing, you’re the one in trouble. You were collecting a bounty for Selina when a few guys had recognized you. Two of them tried to fight you at once, causing you to stumble. Before your body could hit the ground, you fell back into a large mass of muscle. Pushing you back onto your feet, you heard a voice.

“I guess I am, quicker than that.” It said.

You turned quickly to see Nightwing in all his glory, winking at you before running at the attackers. You were surprised, to say the least, but managed to pull yourself together to help him. After successfully defeating all of the attackers, you were already running. Nightwing caught sight of the cat ears on your mask and called out to you.

“Can I at least get a name?” He yelled. “You’re welcome by the way!”

You were already gone.

Jason walked into the batcave, his eyes setting on Dick, who had been sitting frustratedly in front of the console. He’d probably ran into you about seven times now.

“What’s with the long face, Dick?”

“I’ve been searching across databases for a vigilante who looks like Catwoman, might be linked to Selina Kyle.”

“Vigilante? So why are you searching for her? No chance she’s causing trouble, right?” Jason asked.

“Well, no. But you know, you run into people and want to know more.”

“Oh my god dude you’ve got a massive crush on this chick!” Jason gushes.

“No Jason I don’t, I’ve just run into her a few times.” Dick said, unconvincingly.

Jason hummed, obviously not buying his bullshit.

“You know, if she’s linked to Catwoman, why don’t you just ask Bruce who she is?”

It’s not like Dick hadn’t thought about that, it was just that it was a weird topic to bring up, let alone suspicious. He decided to throw all rationality out the door, standing up to look for Bruce.

“Does Catwoman have any apprentices?” He asked.

“Possibly, why?” Bruce responded.

“No reason, been getting tangled with a vigilante in the city who looks a lot like her.”

“Is she causing issues?”

“No.”

“End of discussion.”

“But Bruce-“

“Dick, I don’t need to remind you how unrealistic it is to date in this life. Let alone another person who’s living the same way.”

Dick bit his tongue quickly. It’s not like he wanted to date you, but he had to admit he found you rather interesting. You weren’t causing trouble for the city, just merely ran into him at times, but he found you interesting, the way you talked, the way you walked, the way you fought. Dick thought about when Bruce and Selina had stopped seeing each other. She wanted something real with him, and Bruce couldn’t give up Batman to be something real for her. But he could be something real for you, right? But what if you didn’t want to be something real for him? Wait, why was he even thinking about this, you didn’t even know each other, he didn’t even know your name.

He once again, threw all rationality out the door, looking for Alfred in the manor.

“Alfred, just the man I wanted to see.”

“Master Grayson, what can I do for you?”

“What can you tell me about Selina Kyle?” Dick asked, picking up some rags Alfred had been folding.

Alfred raised an eyebrow at the young man. Oh, he was onto him.

“What of Miss Kyle?”

“Oh, I don’t know, any idea how I can get ahold of her?”

“That’s a surprising request, Master Grayson, I don’t believe I’m at liberty to release any information.” Alfred answered, taking the rags from Dick and turning away.

Dick stared down at his hands almost comically, processing before running after Alfred.

“Wait, Alfred! It’s important, I don’t mean any harm to her, I think she might have an apprentice and she lost something, I need to return it to her.” Dick said, hoping his lie hadn’t been obvious.

Alfred agreed reluctantly, showing Dick how to access Selina’s communicator on the console in the batcave. The communicator pinged a signal where it was located, so Dick sent a ping to it, hoping Selina would think it was Bruce and meet with him.

Dick waited at an alley near the Gotham drawbridge, anxiously waiting for Selina to show up. This was dumb, he was dumb, he didn’t really know why he was going through all of this just to get your name.

Before he could ruminate any further, you showed up, clad in your black catsuit. You waved the communicator in your hand, walking up slowly to him.

“I guess she was right, you do have a little thing for me.” You teased.

“Where’s Selina?”

“Oh pretty boy, you had to know that Kitty and The Bat aren’t on speaking terms, right? She thought you might’ve had a thing for me, sent me over with this little thing to see what trouble was stirring up.” You explained.

Dick isn’t sure what came over him but he walked over to you and pulled you in by the waist, putting his face close to yours.

“And what kind of trouble might that be?”

“Mm, you’re cute pretty boy, I like you too.” You giggled.

“You really could’ve just tried to find me on your own instead of trying to draw out the cat.”

He smiled sheepishly, letting out a soft gasp when you pulled him in for a quick kiss.

“I’ve gotta scram, but here, maybe now we can keep in touch for real.” You gave him a small note with your number on it.

Before you could pull away from him, his hands tightened around your waist.

“Wait, do I get a name this time?” He hoped.

“(Y/N).”

“(Y/N).” Dick repeated in awe.

“Don’t wear it out, pretty boy. Don’t spread it either, I think Cats might kill me for telling you my name.”

“Wait, your real one?”

“Yeah.” You smiled, the most sincere he’d ever seen from you so far.

You ran off as quickly as you’d arrived, blowing him a kiss on your way out. Dick wasn’t sure how to feel, but he couldn’t deny the giddy feeling in his chest when you had kissed him. He raced home, taking off his suit and getting onto the console in the batcave to look up your name. He had hoped just a first name would be enough to find you. He stopped just before his fingers could touch the glass.

He shouldn’t be doing this.

He really should just get to know you for you, and you’d let him know whatever you wanted him to know. As he pushed his chair back, he backed up into a figure.

“Care to explain why you decided to lie to Alfred and contact Selina when I told you to leave it alone?” Bruce said.

“Bruce, I, um. Shit. I know what you said, and I shouldn’t have, but I met the girl I told you about, I got her name. I’m careful, don’t worry.” Dick rambled.

“You don’t know (Y/N). Just because she swept you off your feet doesn’t mean you’re any good for each other. You need to stop this before one of you makes a mistake.”

“How do you know her name?”

Bruce paused.

“When Selina and I were younger, before I had found you at the circus, she found (Y/N), abandoned at a club overrun by mobsters. We were never able to find her parents, she only knew her name, and that’s it. Selina’s been taking care of her since, training her as an apprentice.” He explained.

“That’s great! Well not great, but she’s just like us, how is she any bad at all?” Dick asked.

“She’s not, it’s just hard to make things work with so much damage, and this life, it gets in the way, and you can’t afford to lose your head on the field.” Bruce said, walking away.

Dick couldn’t deny that there was some truth to Bruce’s words. Him and Selina couldn’t make it work and they were infatuated with each other for years. But maybe if he got to know you better, things could work out.

Over the next few weeks, Dick ran into you more frequently, when you went on mission runs for Selina, when he was on missions with the titans, and he even invited you to a few missions where it was just the two of you. One mission ended up with you two in a storage garage, things got heated and he ended up kissing you.

“Wow, pretty boy, you move fast.”

“What can I say? You’ve got me hooked.”

“Oh, I meant how you got me against this wall, but yeah, that too.”

He held you tightly against the wall, getting lost in the way you tasted on his lips. You hadn’t finished the mission yet, but with the way you were all over him, he was starting to forget all about it.

“What would it take for you to forget about this and make it back to my place?” You said, in between kisses that you planted on the side of his face.

“Read my mind.”

You both run up to the rooftop, about to quite literally parkour your way to your apartment across the city.

“Bet you can’t beat me there, Nightwing.” You teased, running your hands over his arms to distract him.

You pushed him away gently, turning to run and jump from rooftop to rooftop.

Eventually you both made it to your apartment, slightly sweaty and out of breath. Dick wasted no time, practically pouncing on you as soon as you got the door open. He kissed you passionately, hands at your waist and backing you up into the nearest surface possible. You reached for his mask and he pulled away slightly.

“Ah-ah-ah, that ruins all the fun, doesn’t it?”

“As if I don’t already know you, Grayson.” You said.

He froze, separating himself from you quickly. Neither of you had discussed nor shown your true identities in the last few weeks of knowing each other.

“How do you know that?” He asked, cautious.

“Selina told me all about the Bats and his sons, Nightwing, Hood, and Robin. I am practically her daughter after all, I was just waiting for you to tell me yourself.” You said, taking off your own mask and staring at him.

“You don’t have to hide, Dick,” It was the first time you’d said his actual name. “Look, it’s me, an actual person, and I want to see the real you. I’m interested in the real you, not just Nightwing.”

You reached for his mask again, but this time he let you slowly remove it from his eyes. You smoothed his hair over with your hand and dropped the mask onto a nearby table.

“Hi.” You said.

“Hi.” He whispered.

“You’re more handsome in person than you are in photos, didn’t think that was possible.”

“This is my first time seeing you, and you’re breathtaking.” He replied, hands reaching out to snake around your waist.

He pulled you in close to him, and gave you a kiss so sweet, your knees almost buckled.

The next few months, you continued to go on missions together, stolen moments and sleepovers at your apartment, movie nights with snacks, lunch together in your kitchen, and naps on the couch. You’d grown to be so close, you could’ve declared yourselves a couple already.

“They’re cute together.” Selina said, walking up to Bruce in the bat cave.

“Didn’t think I’d see you again.” Bruce said.

“Likewise, but it seems my daughter takes after me. She’s intoxicated by that Grayson, all she does is talk about him.” She says in admiration.

“I’m aware that Dick likes her a lot as well, he doesn’t come home most nights. I already warned him not to do this but he’s an adult and has to deal with it on his own.” Bruce says.

“Always one for theatrics, aren’t you, Bruce? Let the kids have fun, they’re great together, who knows, maybe they’ll work it out the way we never could.” Selina said, hand on Bruce’s shoulder as they stared at the pings of yours and Dick’s communicators, side by side on the map at your apartment.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” Dick asked.

You laid on his chest as he smoothed his hands up and down your arms.

“Really? I thought Bruce wouldn’t have wanted you to be dating.”

“I’m a grown ass man, you know? He’s my dad but he doesn’t own me.” Dick explained, a tinge of distaste in his voice.

“Ehhhh,” You teased. “Selina told me to be careful that you might be just like him. That if I got too attached and wanted something with you, you would never be able to.”

“Mmm,” Dick listened intently, “I really like you, and I really do want to be your partner, if you’ll have me.”

“Yeah,” You got up slightly to kiss him, “I’d really like that, pretty boy.”

Dick tried to deepen the kiss, rolling you over on your bed, but not before his communicator went off, Jason’s whiny ass voice coming through.

“Team, come in! Red Hood to Nightwing, I need assistance on 1st.” Jason said.

Dick groaned, and you pushed him off of you, running to get into your suit to join him.

“You’re coming?” He asked, pushing himself off the bed.

“You’re moving so slow, it’s like you’re not even going! You need to be quicker than that.”

#dick grayson x reader #dick grayson fluff #dick grayson #Nightwing x reader #Nightwing #titans x reader #dick grayson x female!reader

[nevergeneralize]

Sherlock in The Bruce-Partington Plans is gifted “a remarkably fine emerald tie pin” for services to Her Majesty and this makes me want Albert’s emerald tie pin to be a gift from Mycroft. You know, for doing a remarkably good job as M. Definitely not for any personal reasons.

Also, I think he only wears a pinned cravat in the anime and post-timeskip (to meet Mycroft!!!) which is… interesting? I had to search a while for a manga panel because he pretty much always wears a more modern Windsor-knotted tie or a bow tie for fancy occasions. This in turn is making me notice how much variety there is in the neckwear and suit styling choices throughout the series. Am I about to go down a rabbit hole about Victorian menswear to figure out what these might signify? Maybe

#yuumori #moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #albert james moriarty #if that’s not a cravat i apologize #same re: Windsor knots #i am but a humble transmasc still learning the ropes #everything i know about this level of formal menswear is from Kingsman #oxfords not brogues my dudes

[intruality-overlord]

Au idea/ramble

I’m having one of those times where I am hyper fixated on two things at once and I have no idea how much these fandoms overlap if at all BUT it’s making me want to smash these two things together in an AU so I present my idea of a Gotham/Danganronpa AU where the characters of Gotham are put in a killing game, probably a copycat killing game, and to make it more interesting they can keep their memories ….most of them. It would make sense not too cause that just gives them more motive to kill each other so— oh also this would have Gobblepot in it cause I’m obsessed but also Nygmobblepot drama because I just have to and for some reason I had the idea to put Victor Zsasz and Lucius Fox together? Maybe not together but there’s some type of feelings. In the situation I just felt it made sense for some reason— I have like a general idea of the plot if anyone wants to hear me ramble further but it’s not a solid outline yet. Gotham fans will probably be more interesting since I’m using those characters with the danganronpa format but maybe I can work in some Danganronpa character cameos.

The characters I’m planning to use are: Jim, Harvey, Oswald, Lee, Barbara, Butch, Zsasz, Selena, Bruce, Alfred, Tabitha, Lucius, Ed, Hugo Strange, Fish, and Ivy. So pretty good mix I think? For maximum angst? Not sure the mastermind could be. Maybe Sofia. Probably Sofia. Don’t know why she’d do this but, well, she’s more unhinged than Oswald and her father and didn’t bat at eye at endangering children so who else would unless I bring back Junko from the dead— okay now that I say that that’s exactly the dumb shit that would happen in both franchises. If not Sofia or Junko it could be Tsumugi and idk maybe it’s a random international season of Danganronpa. Jeremiah is another option but would he really be a copycat? Nah. And Jerome? Smarter than he looks but not smart enough to keep them trapped longer than a week. The mastermind might not be important cause I haven’t even decided if they’re going to escape or not :3

Imagine the angst tho you got fucking Jim and Bruce and all their most important people stuck in a killing game with Gothams rogue gallery like come on. All the tension cause the villains wouldn’t hesitate to kill but you’re in an enclosed space with Gothams greatest detective that’s gotta be a little intimidating especially as time goes on and the trials happen and Jim keeps finding the blackened…

Where the Gobblepot aspect comes in is I think Jim would just fucking glue himself to Oswald for three, eventually four, reasons. A) stop him from killing anyone. B) protect him from everyone else cause most of them have motive to kill Oswald, C) if he’s always with Oswald if someone tries to kill him Oswald would immediately be suspected so Oswald wouldn’t be dumb enough to try it, and D) he starts actually trusting him. Trust [romantic]. Bonus other reason Jim is making sure Oswald has an alibi all the time so no one can pin a murder on him cause that would be so easy to do.

Now the Lucius and Victor thing hear me out hear me out. Everyone likes Lucius. No one has beaf with that guy, including Victor. Lucius is also a kind understand smarties as we know from How The Riddler Got His Name AND I KNOW WHAT YOURE THINKING Edward and Lucius make more sense then, right? Well I thought about it. And I decided I don’t want Ed to be happy— kidding. Or am I? No I just love a good aro headcanon cbkgzjtdlydi but back to Zsasz. Since Zsasz if like the most likely to kill someone everything thinks for obvious reasons, they all avoid him. Zsasz also is not an idiot so in reality he’s not going to kill anybody. Lucius knows this. So Lucius being the kind person he is I imagine would check up on Zsasz (whomst isolated himself) and Zsasz would get really fond of him I think. Basically I like Zsasz better than Edward so Victor gets the boyfriend.

I’m just a sucker for some good angst and Whump so this AU seems like the perfect playground don’t you think?

#gotham tv #danganronpa #gobblepot #Jim Gordon #Oswald Cobblepot #Bruce Wayne #danganronpa au #gotham au #victor zsasz #edward nygma #Lucius Fox

[dotthings]

Just watched episode 9 of Pennyworth S3 and having thoughts about generational trauma, Alfred's arc, the Waynes, and Batman.

Alfred and Wayne children. I'm not sure what Samantha's future holds, if Bruce had a big sister, where is she. But Samantha's trust in Alfred and Alfred's protectiveness of Samantha, Alfred comforting Samantha and telling her the story of the lion and the mouse "like your hair pin" -- and I think Samantha picked up on Alfred's code. Ran to him not just because she's scared. Because she understood Alfred needed her hair pin. They speak each other's language. This being followed by Alfred's confession that he does want to be a father.

How Bruce winds up an only child, and what happened that we don't know about Alfred's own child, I am trying not to think about--these characters being stalked by tragedy. Or maybe this show is an entire alt timeline AU.

Which means Samantha might become the bat. I have no idea.

But even if it's an alt timeline. We're seeing Alfred's arc towards becoming a better version of himself. He hasn't escaped the cycle of violence just yet but we're seeing more and more the compassionate, patient, nurturing person older Alfred is. Who cared for the Wayne family, and then raised Thomas and Martha's son, and then cared for all the Robins. Alfred gave all his kids comfort and support and is instrumental in Batman being able to go out there and save people.

And Alfred not being like his father.

While Thomas is falling deeper into generational trauma. Paying for his father's sins and resorting to violence, and then so does Martha. Even if they are doing it for the right reasons (as Alfred has as well). The failings of Thomas' father sends Thomas down a dark path. While Alfred is going farther and farther from the legacy of his own father's extremism and violence.

Maybe Thomas and Martha will develop towards better versions of themselves.

But Thomas killing his father in an alley. Thomas and Martha in the future will be killed in an alley. Damn.

And the Wayne child. Batman. What this series points towards is that Batman in fact escapes the generational trauma. Because while Batman utilizes some violence, Batman doesn't kill. The Wayne child will use the fortune to try to better Gotham as well as being Batman. Repairing the history of Wayne fortune corruption. Doing things for the good of an entire city. And refuses to use a gun, or a knife.

It just makes so much sense there's generational violence and traumas in the Wayne line, it's more than just child goes over the edge grieving for their dead parents.

Why does Batman do what they do? So it never has to happen to anyone else.

Alfred already has a lot of blood on his hands that can't wash off but we can see him changing and we know the good person he becomes.

Also Bet Sykes!!! Yes!!!! I didn't think she was actually dead, glad I was right.

Lucius Fox is so appalled by everything but keeps on going calmly through the madness and has no idea how much more nuts his life is going to get later.

#Pennyworth #Pennyworth spoilers #Alfred Pennyworth

[thenatashamaximoff]

Back To You

Summary: What are the chances that a nuclear attack threatens New York when you decide to take Tony’s newest Iron Man suit on a joy ride? Very high, actually.

Pairing: Wanda x Reader

Warnings: death, panic/anxiety attack

Words: 9,840

Check out my masterlist!

requested by @sapphiclyartistically​

"Access denied."

You groaned in frustration at the voice, smacking the keypad with your palm and listening to it beep under your touch. You tried your pin once more, throwing your hands up in the air when the voice repeated her statement. You chewed your lip, lost in thought as you stared at the keypad, seemingly screaming at you louder than the voice, ACCESS DENIED, like you didn't get it when the voice said it out loud. You knew it wasn't going to work, but you pulled against the door anyway out of desperation. It didn't even budge.

"What are you doing?"

Your throat clenched as you gasped, jumping up on your toes as you twirled to look at whoever snuck up on you, holding a hand to your heart when you saw Wanda. The smile on her face sent butterflies through your stomach as you settled down, crossing your arms over your chest and pouting. "That was not cool," you stated bitterly.

She released a laugh, tilting her head at you. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Tony locked me out of the lab," you expressed, throwing your thumb towards the door behind you. You knew Tony’s code, but he made it so he gets a notification whenever someone uses it. You don’t know why he just doesn’t change it. Probably because he enjoys catching you in the act all the time and watch you try to squirm your way out of it. That sick sonuvabitch.

And then you raised an eyebrow, a smirk crawling on your lips as you stepped closer to Wanda.

She saw where this was going immediately, crossing her arms over her chest to block you as she shook her head. "No. I'm not going to get in trouble because you want to play in his lab. He took your access away for a reason."

You took another step to her, your hands finding her wrists and tugging her arms free from her chest, wrapping them around your waist and grabbing the back of her neck to pull you close to her. "Please, baby?" You brushed your nose against hers before moving your lips to her neck, hearing her sigh when they made contact. "I'll do whatever" - you kissed a spot on her neck - "you" - another kiss, your lips trailing alongside her and you couldn't help but smile as her head tilted, giving your more surfaces to kiss - "want later."

She absentmindedly pulled you flush against her, her hands roaming up your back as you continued dragging your lips across her skin, going up her neck and down her jaw. Your lips eventually brushed against hers and her breath hitched in her throat.

"All you have to do," you whispered, "is enter your pin."

Still connected to you, she gave up all logical thinking and stepped towards the keypad, hastily throwing in her pin. The laughter coming from the back of your throat vibrated against her jaw and she released a soft moan as you pulled her tighter against you. Her mind was fuzzy, willing to do whatever you asked as long as you just didn't stop, but the second you heard the door unlock, you peeled yourself away from her and pulled the lab door open.

She stood there for a moment, dazed, before following you in. You knew you were going to pay for that later, but for now you were going to enjoy the moment in the lab.

"So, why did he restrict your access?" Wanda questioned as you made a beeline towards one of the computers. You pointed towards a wall, Wanda following your finger to see a giant hole going through it to the outside. "Y/N, what did you do?"

You laughed as you sat down in the chair, waking the computer up. "It's not my fault. Tony left one of his Iron Man gloves out so I did the most reasonable thing anybody would do and tried it on." You shrugged. "I'm sure you could imagine the rest of that story."

Wanda lingered a few feet behind you, watching you type away on the computer. She loved watching you when you got into work mode like this, your eyebrows slightly pinched in concentration and the tip of your tongue jutting out as you pressed it between your teeth. Your foot never seemed to sit still, bouncing your knee as you focused on the screen in front of you. This was how she had first met you. She was new to the Avengers and you were sitting in this very lab, not giving her the slightest bit of attention when Tony tried to introduce the two of you. You were way too focused to pay attention to any outside sources, not allowing anything to interrupt your work. Tony seemed proud at the time, unlike a normal person who would be annoyed at your behavior and consider it rude. That was when Wanda knew she had to be able to hold you in her arms as you slept. 

She managed to find you in the cafeteria later that day, being able to introduce herself to you properly rather than watch you in the lab from afar. She fell hard for you the second you smiled at her.

"There it is." Your voice cut through her thoughts and her eyes wandered to the screen in front of you. She walked the rest of the way to place a hand on the back of your chair, leaning over your shoulder to get a closer look at the screen. "Tony's newest suit." You saw a brief glimpse of the blueprints yesterday, before getting distracted by the glove. He caught you before you could go back to it, having heard the giant blast and running. The look on his face when he saw it, disappointment.

"This is all you wanted?" She laughed as she straightened her form. "And here I thought you wanted to blow something else up."

You looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not a teenager anymore, Wanda," you declared proudly. "I am an adult and a very responsible one at that."

She looked towards the hole in the wall and back at you, a small smile on her face as her eyebrow quirked upwards.

You rolled your eyes. "That was so long ago. I don't even know why Tony hasn't fixed it yet."

"I'm pretty sure it happened just yesterday," Wanda declared. She was in here less than 24 hours ago and she would have seen the eye sore in the wall.

"Yesterday is a long time, baby," you countered, placing your hand over hers on your shoulder as you turned your attention back to the computer. You quickly decided to change the subject. "Look, this suit is his best one yet! It has nanotech!"

She smiled at your giddiness, looking away from the computer to watch your face light up. She was so busy staring at you that she didn't take note of the quick flash of your finger pushing down on the spacebar. She didn't even bother listening to a machine whirring to life somewhere behind her until you stood up and stepped away from the computer. 

She turned around to see a prototype of Tony's arc reactor coming out from the top of a table, a light shining down on it as it rested in the middle of a small pedestal.

"Y/N, what are you doing?"

The smile on your face didn't waver a single inch as you walked past her to the arc reactor. "This is Tony's newest suit," you told her, ignoring her question. "He hasn't even tested it yet!" You laughed as you reached for it, but was pulled to a sudden stop as a red glow surrounded your hand. You looked at Wanda, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm not letting you blow another hole in the wall," she stated.

"Fine," you said. "I won't touch it."

She searched your eyes, looking for even the littlest hint of a lie, but she couldn't find one. When she released her hold on you, you took your hand away from the arc reactor and she let out a breath of relief. "Let's get out of here before Tony comes in."

"Let me put the thing back," you stated bitterly as you made your way back to the computer. "Don't want him to know we tampered with it. Well, almost tampered with it." You sat back down in front of the screen as both of your phones emitted a beep. She pulled hers out as you remained focused on the computer. She felt her worry simmer down as the pedestal made the noise to go back into the table, hiding the arc reactor out of sight.

"There's an emergency," she said, "and they're calling for us."

You waved your hand. "Go. I have to clear your pin to hide us ever being in here today."

"Y/N-"

"Wanda, I promise I'm not going to blow anything up in the lab," you said, looking at her. Your eyes were pleading as she stepped towards you, the worry etched on her face as she reached for you. "I'm just trying to avoid a grounding." You accepted her hand, bringing it to your mouth and pressing a soft kiss on the top. "Plus, they'll be even more suspicious if we both show up late."

She smiled as she leaned down to plant a soft, deep kiss on your lips, however brief. She straightened up and placed a hand on your cheek. You found yourself leaning into the touch, your eyes fluttering close as she stroked her thumb across your skin. You could stay like this forever, her touching you so gently, but when your phones released another impatient beep, she pulled away from you.

"I'll see you there," she said and you nodded as she walked away. You turned back to the computer.

The lab door closed behind her, sending a glance towards it. She wanted to stay with you, a feeling in her stomach and a tiny voice in the back of her mind told her to go back in, her hand even reaching out to put her pin in the keypad to go back in, but when her phone beeped once more, she seemed to snap out of her daze and leave the lab behind, ignoring the feeling and the voice.

Reaching the conference room, she noticed all the Avengers were waiting patiently. Tony was distracted by something on his phone, Natasha and Clint were lost in conversation, Bruce was minding his own business by keeping his head down, and Steve was standing at the front of the room, arms crossed tightly over his chest as he waited to start the meeting.

"Where's Y/N?" Steve questioned.

Wanda glanced at Tony, noticing that he was still too busy on his phone to focus on Wanda's answer. "She's running a bit late," she said, looking back at Steve with a smile as she moved to sit down. "She said we can start without her. She'll just be bored throughout this thing anyway." It wasn't a lie. You could never get through a meeting without sitting still or changing the subject, much to Steve's displeasure. And she couldn't help but smile, knowing you do it on purpose.

He'd be trying to talk about the kidnapping of the president and you'd somehow seamlessly transfer the topic to how bees have two stomachs. That would get everybody arguing, Steve trying to get their focus back, but it was too late. The damage would already be done.

Steve shrugged, silently agreeing with her statement, and cleared his throat loudly. Everybody hushed down, Tony picked his head up and tucked his phone away. "The Pentagon has been receiving mild threats against the States," Steve started. "It started out with controllable things, such as delaying the subway or changing the routes of flights."

"They couldn't handle that?" Tony questioned. Wanda looked down to hide the smirk growing on her face, seeing where you had gotten your attitude from and it shows. If you were here, you would've said it instead.

"They did handle it," Steve defended. "The threats stopped for a couple weeks. They figured it was just a bunch of kids having fun."

"A bunch of kids who can hack into government systems," Natasha added.

Steve sighed, knowing he was losing this battle in defending the Pentagon. "Well, now they're back and they hacked the nuclear missiles."

That seemed to get everybody's attention, Bruce picked his head up with a face contorted into worried confusion, Tony leaned forward in his chair. Natasha's form tensed and Clint rubbed his face. They all seemed aggravated, wondering why the Pentagon is just now doing something about it. Tony was thinking why they didn't change their security after the first time. Bruce was wondering why he was here - there's nothing the Hulk can do about nuclear missiles. Clint and Natasha were claiming the same exact thing: they didn't get paid enough for this. Everybody but Steve seemed annoyed.

"They're threatening to launch unless they get over 27,000 in bitcoin by three o'clock," Steve said.

"That's 1.5 billion dollars," Tony clarified.

"By three o'clock?" Clint scoffed. "That's less than five minutes."

"The Pentagon can't hand over the bitcoin, which is why they contacted us," Steve explained. It's not that they can't, it's that they don't want to. They know that the second they hand over the money, they'll just up the price. They need to make an example out of these attackers.

"We can't stop a nuclear attack in less than five minutes," Bruce spoke up. "We can't stop a nuclear attack at all."

"We did it once," Steve retorted, placing his hands on his hips, "we can do it again."

"No, actually, I did it once," Tony corrected.

As everybody started arguing, Wanda's attention was drawn to the window behind Tony, eyebrows furrowed when she saw a flash of Iron Man's suit fly by, wavering all over the place unsteadily. She looked at Tony, then back out the window. Tony was right here, why is one of his suits out there? Unless it's malfunctioning. Looks like that could be the case considering it can't even fly in a straight line. There's the off chance that someone hijacked one of his suits and decided to take it on a joy ride, but that's highly…

Wanda's eyes widened in realization and she was on her feet immediately. The "oh, no" that came out of her caused the argument to die in everybody's mouths, all heads turning to her. Her mouth propped open, her eyes wide, she sucked in a deep breath. "I just realized that I… have something I have to do." She made her way to the door.

"What's more important than a nuclear- And she's gone." Steve sighed. 

"There goes one of the people who can actually stop this thing," Clint stated.

Tony stood to his feet and followed her out of the room.

"And another one," Natasha added.

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Ten minutes prior

"I'll see you up there," Wanda said, walking away after you nodded. You turned back to the computer, listening for the door to close shut before typing on the computer, a wide smile crossing your features as you watched the arc reactor prototype make a reappearance.

When your phone let out a third annoying whine, you took it out of your pocket and threw it on the table, leaving it behind as you crossed the room to the arc reactor.

You marveled in it's beauty, running your fingers across the smooth, glass top. You breathed out excitedly as your hand drew away from it, remembering the promise you made to Wanda. The last thing you wanted was to break a promise with her. Your relationship was so good, you didn't want to add unnecessary pressure on it because you couldn't control the engineer inside of you.

And then you remembered wearing that glove yesterday, the excitement coursing through you as it glowed to life in your hand, the feeling of power when you accidentally blasted that giant hole in the wall. You didn't even bother trying to hide it from Tony - there was absolutely no way you were going to hide a hole that size. He saw it Immediately and grounded you from the lab for a week. It's only been a day and you were already going through withdrawal.

"I promise I'm not going to blow anything up in the lab." That's what you said. In the lab.” You can still keep the promise and have fun. Because if you wear the suit outside the lab, then you won't blow anything up inside the lab. What a genius loophole. 

Without another moment to waste, you snatched the arc reactor prototype off of the pedestal and pushed it against your chest, feeling the nanobots crawl over you as a suit of armor formed. Your heart hammered against your chest with a high you couldn't feel anywhere else, not being able to sit still as you became Iron Man.

Everything was in 4k when it was all said and done, the screen inches from your face scanning everything in the room when you looked at it. In the corner of the screen you saw the battery this thing had, seeing that it was just barely over 50%. The least Tony could've done was charge the thing.

Now, the question was: how were you going to get out of the compound without attracting the attention of all the SHIELD agents out there? When you looked up, you almost smacked your forehead. This was definitely a sign you couldn't ignore. This is what the universe wants. And who were you to refuse the universe?

You positioned yourself a few feet away from the hole, moving into a sprinting position, your palms facing out behind you as you anticipated the thrust of the jetpack, but when nothing happened, you straightened your posture.

You clapped your hands together, even tried to snap your fingers, but to no avail. You groaned, shaking your hands. Nope, didn't work.

"How the hell do I fly this thing?"

You were suddenly launched forward, smashing through the wall a few feet to the side of the hole that was already there. So much for keeping that promise. The thrusters stopped working and, being on the top floor of the compound, you were plummeting three stories down to the ground.

Panic rushed through you, regret just the cherry on top of that as you twirled through the air, your stomach dropping to your feet as you realized… what a stupid way to die.

"Fly, fly, fly." The thrusters in your palm went off at the perfect moment, landing flat on your stomach on the ground safely. You climbed to your feet, looking around to see a couple bystanders staring at you.

"Hi, Mr. Stark," one greeted and you sent him a friendly wave. "Are you okay?" You held up a thumb, gave him a salute, and flew upwards. You couldn’t talk, they would know something’s up when it was your voice and not Tony’s. As if they’re stupid enough to not know something’s up when Tony didn’t say anything - he always says something.

You zoomed around the building, unable to keep your balance as you soared through the sky. You pictured Tony flying through the air and copied his movement, straightening your form and flying steadily as you flew further and further away from the compound. Laughter escaped the back of your throat, followed by a victory yell as the outside world flew by you.

"Good evening, Mr. Stark." The voice came out of nowhere, scaring you and making you lose your balance for a brief moment. You looked down, trying to fix yourself, but when you picked your head back up, you gasped when you saw a building a few feet in front of you.

"I don't know how to turn!" you screamed as you braced for impact, your eyes squeezing shut and your hands going up to cover your face.

Your flying came to an abrupt halt, opening your eyes and lowering your arms to see the building mere inches from your face. You floated in the air, standing up as you looked around.

"You're not Mr. Stark."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y." You sighed out in relief. "Let me down." You wondered if she was still salty about you locking her out of her own system that one day long ago.

You had wanted access to Tony's blueprints. He mentioned he was giving Peter Parker an upgrade on his suit and you, being the nosy engineer you were, wanted a peek. F.R.I.D.A.Y. wouldn't let you see it and, no matter how many times you warned her, she wouldn't listen. So, you locked her out of the system for a measly little five minutes. Suffice to say, she wasn’t very happy once you let her back in, giving you an attitude whenever she had to say something to you.

"Y/N," F.R.I.D.A.Y. greeted and you groaned. Yep, she was still salty. “Setting destination.” You watched as the screen changed in front of you, seeing that she was planning on putting you in autopilot mode to send you back to the compound.

“No. No, no, no, wait.” The suit forced itself to turn around. “Let’s talk this out, F.R.I.D.A.Y. Look, I can give you an upgrade Tony wouldn’t give you. Just name it.”

The suit laid flat in the air, the rockets thrusting you forward as you made your way back to the Avengers compound at a reasonable speed.

“What do you want? Uh, I can give you missiles!” An AI with missiles? What kind of bribe was that? That's like asking a kid if they want to do taxes. Panic engulfed you the more you got closer to the compound, your thoughts racing to try and weasel your way out of this. F.R.I.D.A.Y. was such a vindictive machine. The love/hate relationship the two of you had was always leaning more to the hate side. “You know, you’re not so innocent yourself!” Suddenly, the suit stopped flying and straightened itself. You laughed, nodding your head as you said, “That’s right. I know what you did.”

F.R.I.D.A.Y. remained silent and you wondered if that was her cue for you to tell her what you know. And, if you’re going to be honest, you didn’t know anything. You just said it out of sheer panic, thinking it wasn’t going to hold much ground for the perfect AI, but it apparently did. The sneaky bit-

“Threat detected.”

“What now?” The suit spun you around to make you face the threat, your eyes widening when you watched the screen zoom in on something that was very far away. “Is that a…”

“Warhead? Yes.”

“Now is not the time for sarcasm, F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

“What would you like to do, Y/N?”

You watched the screen display the small nuke, watching it grow bigger and bigger as it flew towards New York. “What do you mean what would I like to do? There's only one thing we can do." You sighed, shaking your head. "Looks like we’re going to stop a nuke, F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

Keeping autopilot on, F.R.I.D.A.Y. flew you towards the oncoming nuke. And the closer you got to it, the more you realized… what a dumb idea! But you kept going, only one thought on your mind: Wanda lives here.

You remember Tony dealing with a nuke the first time the Avengers got together, watching it on the news as he guided the warhead to outer space. It seemed so easy, minus the part where he almost died coming back down to Earth. And the new upgrade on the suit would let you breathe in space, so that wasn’t an issue.

“30% power remaining.” F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice pulled you from your thoughts.

“Thanks, F.R.I.D.A.Y., because that's what I want to hear while flying towards a nuke,” you stated. Well, this is just great. If you do this right, that would leave you with just enough juice to come back to Earth, though it’s going to be extremely close. And you’re not going to have a Hulk to save you.

Your speed increased as you flew towards the oncoming nuke, not a single doubt in your mind as you realized that F.R.I.D.A.Y. took autopilot off a few minutes ago and you were flying perfectly. You grinned, proud of yourself for figuring out how to properly fly seconds before coming in contact with a nuke, but the grin quickly washed away when you felt a force pull against you, stopping you in your tracks.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., how do you expect me to save New York if you keep stopping me?"

"That's not me."

You looked down towards your feet, eyebrows furrowed in confusion until you saw the all-too familiar red aura swirling around your ankles. You lost control of the suit, being forced back to the ground and gently landing on your feet in the middle of one of the busiest streets in New York.

You turned to look at Wanda, pursing your lips together. You were so busted. The angry look on her face told you that you were going to have a hard time talking your way out of this one. You didn't want to take the helmet off, better off not letting her see your face in the middle of your first ever real argument with her. She'd see how truly terrified you were and you didn't want that. You needed her to think that you were okay doing this.

As if F.R.I.D.A.Y. read your mind, the helmet removed itself and you huffed. You're being personally attacked by an AI and you don't really know what to do about that.

"Wanda, listen, I'm-"

"Trying to get yourself killed? I'm aware." She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed with anger and a smidge of betrayal. How dare you leave her behind to do something so reckless? 

You sighed. How could you even possibly be annoyed at her? She has gone through so much for someone who gave a lot to the world, she just doesn't want to lose anybody else. But she'll lose everything if you don't stop this missile.

"Baby, you need to let me do this," you said, stepping towards her. You managed to conjure up some courage, looking in her eye and knowing that if you didn't do this, she would die. "I promise nothing bad is going to happen." You knew that it was going to be a broken promise, especially the longer you stand here talking to her with your battery running low. You weren't going to mention that and you definitely couldn't think about it. Instead, you focused on her. You just let her fill your thoughts while she dug through them, trying to figure out what could have possibly possessed you to do this idiotic charade.

You replayed memories of her. The way her eyes would crinkle when she smiled, the warmth that spreads through your veins whenever she laughs. She was the brightest of light on the darkest of days and you wouldn't want anybody else by your side… except for now. For now, you couldn't have anybody by your side.

You tried to take off, but you didn't get very high up before she stopped you, slamming you back down to the ground rather harshly. You landed on your feet, bending your knees to reduce the impact, your hand using the ground to prevent you from falling forward.

A true superhero landing.

"Wanda." You stood up, looking at her. Her head tilted, challenging. "What are you doing?"

"Missile approximately three minutes from impact," F.R.I.D.A.Y. said in your ear and it kind of scared you. She was so quiet, and you didn't even have the helmet on, so you didn't expect it. But other than the slight flinch Wanda didn't notice, you didn't react to her statement. You were too focused on your angry girlfriend.

"I'm stopping you from dying," she snapped. You furrowed your eyebrows, stepping towards her. Of all the things she's sacrificed to save the world, she didn't want you to be one of them. She didn't want to wake up in a life where you no longer existed, but that's the same reason why you're doing what you're about to do. You'd rather her live a full life than have it end in the next two minutes.

Your mind drifted away from Wanda, trying to figure out a play to get away, to stop the missile. It was clear she wasn't going to just let you go, but the two of you standing in the middle of a street in New York, causing a traffic jam, there were multiple things you could do to get her attention off of you and onto something else just long enough for you to fly away.

She closed the distance between you and her when she saw what was going through your mind, your features softening as she grabbed onto your hand and held it against her chest. You would've been able to feel her heartbeat if it wasn't for the Iron Man suit.

She sighed, using her free hand to cup your cheek and you found yourself leaning into the touch. "I love you," she said, her voice a bit softer than it was earlier, "and I don't want to lose you."

"Approximately one minute from impact." Leave it to the resentful AI to interrupt a beautiful moment. You had to move now. You couldn't think about your next play, you had to just do it. 

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

Her eyes searched yours, her mind sorting through your thoughts to see why exactly you were apologizing, but the only thing she could see were all the memories of her. She got lost in your thoughts, enjoying the memories replaying in your mind. From the first moment she saw you to now, the love shown in your mind formed a tornado of butterflies in her stomach.

The hand against her chest twitched, the high pitched noise of the suit's repulsor making her come out of her daze, confusion crossing her features just moments before she flew away from you, the blast of the non-lethal blast making her break through the glass of the building behind her as the helmet covered your face once more. You sent one last look towards Wanda, guilt being the only feeling you feel until F.R.I.D.A.Y. began counting down from thirty in your ear.

You flew up into the air, finding the path of the missile thanks to your favorite AI. You ignored F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s warning for 15% power as you gently pushed up against the nuke from the bottom, arching it up into the air. The missile pushed against you, the auto-lock mechanic fighting to go back to it's target, but you kept it steady. You flew straight up, the city of New York getting smaller beneath you, reading the calculations displayed on the screen.

They weren't in your favor.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.," you breathed, soaring higher and higher into the air, "call Wanda." She was unconscious, but you could still leave her a voicemail. Maybe that'd help her come to terms if you don't make it. That this wasn't her fault, but your own stupidity.

"Contact not found." You sighed as she displayed a small screen off to the side, the only name under it was Pepper's. To be fair, this was a prototype. Tony probably didn't consider it being used to guide a missile into space.

You could've connected F.R.I.D.A.Y. to your own phone, downloaded the contacts wirelessly, but you remembered that you had left your phone back in the lab. So, that plan was out the window. And you don't memorize her number, so now with less than 15% battery remaining, the possibility of making it out of this alive was slim and that last thing you heard from Wanda was I love you. Whereas the final words you breathed to her were I'm sorry.

Your stomach twisted with regret, but you were far too deep into this situation to pull back now. You already miss her, knowing just how mad she's going to be. She's never going to let you live this down. You don't know how long you're going to have to suck up to her until she forgives you, knowing she's going to string it along to get as much as she can get. And you smiled, knowing that you were going to enjoy every second of it.

That's on the assumption that you're going to make it out of this alive.

You passed the clouds, flying up with the missile on your back. The blue sky disappeared, being replaced by the darkness that is outer space, sprinkled with millions of stars. If this wasn't a vital situation, you would've stopped to enjoy the new scenery.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. tried to warn you of your new battery percentage, but she barely got a word in before she faded away. You sighed, thrusting forward to get yourself as far away from Earth as you could. You didn't want to look at the level of power you have left on the suit, fighting everything within you to not let your eyes flicker to that corner.

The missile on your back stopped fighting you, the auto-lock mechanism not working this far out in space. The only thing you could think of is Wanda as you released the missile, watching it continue to drive itself forward, seeking a new target, anything to hit so it can do what it was designed to do.  

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Five minutes earlier

Wanda's eyes fluttered open, grunting in pain as she stood up. Pieces of glass rolled off of her, scattering to the ground and crunching under her feet. She shook herself out of the daze, momentarily confused as she walked out of the building she was blasted into.

She felt herself breathe out in relief when Iron Man landed in front of her, her eyes glossing over as she walked towards you. "Y/N…" she sighed, reaching out to you, but she froze when the helmet was removed to reveal that it wasn't you.

"Where is she?" Tony questioned. Wanda placed a hand across her stomach, a wave of nausea crossing over her as she used her other hand to point upwards. Tony sighed heavily, his eyes going into the back of his head in frustration before looking back at her. 

She knew the significance of saving the city - what's one life compared to millions? - but she would've kept you over them. She had failed in preventing you from doing this reckless stunt and she couldn't breathe. Her chest was pushing against her, her lungs trying desperately to get air in them, but she just couldn't. And Tony saw it, the sadness in her eyes, dejection in her slumped shoulders, the misery written clear across her face. He could see the love she held for you, the slow grief coming out of her as she slowly but surely realized that she's never going to see you again.

"Come here." She made eye contact with him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he held his arms out wide. His fingers flapped, gesturing for her to come over to him. She cleared her throat, looking around for a moment before feeling herself give in.

She crossed the rest of the way to him, folding her arms around Tony's suit of armor as he held onto her. Tears slowly, quietly streamed down her face as she breathed in the metal and oil from his suit, knowing this wasn't nearly as good as a hug without the armor, but for her at this moment, at this time, it was close enough. This was something she needed.

"I'm going to get her," Tony whispered in the silence, making her step away from him so she could see his face. The determination in it should've settled her uneasiness, the confidence should've made her agree to his plan, but the suit he was wearing did not stand a chance to the cosmos. She knew that, which is why she shook her head.

"No." On the small chance that you do make it back to Earth safely, she couldn't risk Tony - the man you look up to, the man you idolize, the only reason you had worked your ass off to become a part of this team - going into space and not coming back down. You would be completely devastated.

But when he pursed his lips together and tilted his head, she made no attempt to stop him when his helmet recovered his face. She didn't move when he launched himself upwards, letting selfishness take over her as he chased after you.

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"Well, F.R.I.D.A.Y.," you said, barely a whisper, barely a breath. She couldn't hear you, she was here, but you pretended she was. With 1% power remaining, floating aimlessly through space, you knew this was going to be the end. "I'm going to… thrust back towards Earth. It's going to use up all of my power." Let the lack of gravity levitate you back to the Earth's atmosphere, let it drag you back to New York or wherever it let's you land.

You liked to pretend that the AI wasn't interested in what you had to say, thinking she was giving you the silent treatment. It was better than to accept that you're alone up here, in your time of dying.

You had to get back to Wanda. Just the thought of her made you use the last bit of the suit's power to thrust you forward, watching as the screen in front of you flickered off as the suit died. You watched through the two little slits as the Earth came closer to you, releasing one last breath before you fell into darkness.

Tony continued climbing the sky, soaring up as fast as his suit would let him. His flying faltered, sputtering to a stop when he saw something coming at him from above. He squinted his eyes, F.R.I.D.A.Y. zooming in on it for him and he felt his chest become light when he saw you coming down, but that feeling only lasted for a moment when he realized that you weren't stopping.

You flew past him at a speed he wouldn't be able to stop, the suit being engulfed in fire due to the friction from the air. Despite knowing he wasn't going to be able to stop you, he flew after you, boosting in an attempt to reach you, but you were going too fast.

He watched as you continued to escape his reach, your body twirling along with the speed and friction. He gritted his teeth as the city continued coming up at the two of you impossibly fast, desperate to catch you.

He couldn't reach you as he watched you hit the ground, landing safely on his feet as dust blew up around the impact. He felt his breath leave him as he stumbled forward, his helmet coming off and his eyes searched through the smoke as he walked into it, instinctively swiping it away from his face.

Once the dust settled, relief flooded through him when he saw a red bubble surrounding you for a brief moment before it disappeared, Wanda falling to her knees next to you. She used her powers to rip the helmet off your face, her hands gently caressing your face, your lips blue and your skin pale.

"Please," Wanda begged as Tony joined her on the other side, her hands glued to your face, her thumbs running circles on your cheeks. Tears streamed down her face as she leaned forward, Tony's hand resting on your chest. She couldn’t feel your heartbeat underneath her fingers, sucking in a shaky breath. Where was your heartbeat?

She connected her lips to yours, breathing air into you in desperation. Her sob cut off her CPR attempt, crying into you. You left her and she'll never forgive you for that. Her chest felt heavier, causing her to fall deeper into you. Her stomach twisted, making her feel nauseous. Tears blurred her vision completely, but she didn't mind that. It prevented her from seeing your dead, cold face.

Tony cried silently next to her, covering his mouth with his armor-covered hand to prevent the sobs that were building deep in his chest from escaping. He couldn't tear his eyes away from face, scared that if he looked away, he'd miss your eyes opening. He waited for a smile to tug your lips, your laughter as you look between the two of them and declare it as an impractical prank. Sure, he'd be pissed, but you'd be alive.

And that's all he really wanted.

Then everything halted when she felt you breathe one long breath against her cheek, pulling away to look at your face with wide eyes. Tony placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, sending her a nod when she looked at him as his hand slid off your chest.

And she laughed.

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Your eyes slowly opened, squinting against the artificial lights hanging above you for a brief moment before adjusting to the brightness. There was a steady beeping next to you, turning your head slightly to see a heartbeat monitor. You picked up your arm, feeling a lot heavier than usual, and seeing all the necessary needles and equipment attached to you. Your arm fell back onto the mattress with a thump, pulling the attention of Tony.

He looked up, tossing a magazine onto the bedside table with a slap and moving to sit on the edge of his seat. You sighed, seeing that disappointed glint in his eye as you turned your head away from him. You caught sight of Wanda laying down on one of the hospital's foldable beds, not looking comfortable at all. She was sleeping, her eyebrows scrunched together and her nostrils flaring. You wondered if she was dreaming about yelling at you. It didn't seem to be a peaceful sleep. And you wanted to join her on that thin, crappy mattress, hold her in your arms.

Tony clearing his throat made you look back at him. You sighed, your head falling back into the pillows as you stared at the ceiling.

"I should be dead," you stated absentmindedly, staring through the ceiling and picturing the dark skies above you, "but I'm not. How?"

"It's an actual miracle," Tony answered softly, not wanting to wake Wanda up just yet. "I'm not complaining. We needed a few of them these days." You looked at him, turning your head against the pillows. He released a sigh, placing his elbows against his knees as he leaned forward.

"Let me guess," you started, "I'm grounded from the lab for another week."

He grinned, laughter hiding behind his cough, an attempt to not laugh at this serious situation. "No, I talked to Pepper and she talked me out of it. But I think you learned your lesson."

You nodded. "Yep, no more Iron Man suits."

"Good," he said, smiling. You watched as he stood up, moving to sit on the edge of your bed. He clasped his hands together, keeping his back to you. "I was actually thinking about making you your own so you can stop stealing mine. And you could help me design it, of course."

Your eyes widened, a smile growing big on your face. "Really?"

He chuckled at your excitement as he looked over his shoulder at you. "I already built it as a surprise for you, but we can make some modifications," he answered. "I was thinking… Iron Lass."

He laughed a bit harder when the smile faded from your face almost immediately, your eyebrows raised in shocked surprise. "Tony," you expressed slowly, making sure he gets every single syllable into his brain, "I can tell you right now that that is never going to happen."

"Well, we have time to figure it out," he assured you, shrugging nonchalantly. "It'll take you a while to fix those two holes in the lab. And then we can start designing the suit, build it, and begin your training."

You were so happy that you didn't even care that his true punishment lied within the great news - fixing the two giant holes wasn't the worst thing in the world. But the look he was now giving you made all signs of happiness fade away from the room, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"You gave me a real scare, kid," he stated, sighing. He ran a hand through his hair nervously and a soft smile landed on your face as you reached out for his free hand. He looked down at the contact, wrapping his hand around your tightly, afraid to let go. "And I can't really be mad at you, can I?"

"You gave me the idea, Tony, so… no, I don't think you can," you confessed, chuckling. "So, why was there even a nuclear attack on New York anyway?"

He sighed thoughtfully. "A couple college grads decided it'd be fun to hack the Pentagon and get into the missiles," he explained, placing his other hand over the top of yours, ultimately squishing your hands between both of his. "They made it really easy for F.R.I.D.A.Y. to track them down and find them, but not before they managed to launch a missile at the deadline. They're serving a very long sentence." You rolled your eyes at the AI's name, Tony seeing the gesture. "What's the beef with you two?"

You breathed out a heavy breath, shaking your head. "It's a long story." It actually wasn't. You had just gotten out of a huge punishment - or what would've been one if Tony hadn't talked to Pepper before you woke up; thank you, Pepper. Now that you know Tony wasn't aware of the whole F.R.I.D.A.Y. situation, you weren't going to mention it just yet. You were actually surprised she hasn't ratted you out. "You know what, I'm actually quite thirsty."

He stared at you for a seemingly long time before finally blinking. "And you think I'm going to get you a drink?"

You laughed and nodded, feeling him squeeze your hand gently before getting up. You watched as he left the room, the door closing behind him with a click. Turning your head towards Wanda, your heart squeezed in your chest in fear to see her standing right next to your bed. She grinned at you as you slowed your breathing.

"Why do you do that?" you questioned and she laughed gently. The smile remained on her face, even after the laughter slowly faded away, but her eyes were holding a different story. You took her hand, rubbing your thumb across the top of it as you stared at them. "I'm sorry."

She was quiet for such a long time, the weight of the silence pushing against you uncomfortably. You sucked in a deep breath and released it before picking your head up to look her in the eye. "You shouldn't be the one that's sorry," she said softly, biting the bottom of her lip nervously. "I was thinking selfishly. You saved the city. You're a hero."

You sighed. A hero. Would you call yourself that when you were thinking selfishly, too? The only reason you saved the city was to save her. And if you were going to be honest with yourself, you hadn't even considered the millions of people living here. You had only considered the one.

"So, you're not mad that I shot you?" You sent her a cheeky smile when she raised her eyebrow, her head tilting just slightly.

"That's a different story, Y/N," she answered and you laughed as you tugged her to you, making her climb into the bed. You wrapped your arms around her, her head resting against your chest, humming along with your beating heart, the heart that only beats for her. "But I guess we can talk about it later."

You held her for a moment, letting her listen to your heartbeat, smiling softly as she sighed with content. You cleared your throat, breaking the moment, before saying, "I was… terrified."

Her humming stopped, focusing on your words, holding her breath as you stared at the ceiling, neither of you looking at each other.

"I was so alone." Not even a hateful AI to keep you company. "There was the tiniest chance that I was getting back to Earth… back to you. And that's all I wanted, Wanda. I just wanted to get back to you."

She breathed out, squeezing herself into you. "Next time you go off into space with a nuclear missile, take me with you." You laughed, her head tilting up to look at you. "Because then I wouldn't have to worry about you making it back to me."

You leaned down, your lips brushing against hers. "I promise I'll always make it back to you," you whispered before connecting your lips to hers, the kiss holding a force of desperation as you deepened it, wanting to feel her.

She pulled away from you, your face following her for a brief moment. She raised her hand, cupping it against your cheek and you leaned into the touch, your eyes fluttering close. "I'm so proud of you."

You smiled at her words, your heart fluttering. "Want to know why I really did it?" You opened your eyes to look at her, your smile challenging. "I had to one up Tony."

She laughed, her hand flying away from your face to playfully smack your shoulder.

You groaned condescendingly, laying your head back into the pillows. "He had a portal and a Hulk," you stated. "Only thing I had was a very angry girlfriend."

"Yeah, well, that very angry girlfriend saved your life."

You looked back at her. "And I am extremely grateful for that girlfriend." You leaned down, your noses rubbing against each other. Your lips were so close, you could feel them brush against each other, soft and warm. "I should call her to thank her."

You could help but laugh a little bit when Wanda pulled away, an eyebrow quirked upwards, just daring you to continue this little joke. You placed your hands on her shoulders, rubbing them affectionately. You laughed lightly at her expression.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you thinking I was talking about you?" You laughed harder when she shrugged your hands off her and stood up. You breathed in when she made her way to the door. "Wa- Wanda," you called out and she stopped, her hand on the doorknob, looking at you over her shoulder. She waited for you to continue as you sucked in a deep breath. "You're going to get my phone, right?"

Your laughter followed her out into the hall, nearly bumping into Tony with a cup in his hand. She lost her composure and smiled, your laughter still coming from the room behind her.

"She thinks she's being cute," Wanda explained before Tony could ask. She crossed her arms over her chest as she added, "I'm going to go get some food and let her think she messed up."

Tony laughed as he patted her on the shoulder, passing her to enter your room.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ᗢ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Led Zeppelin blasted through the room, dulling the noises of the electric tools, and you couldn't help but bob your head to the beat. Tony was somewhere behind you, his nose stuck to a tablet as he hummed along with the song. He chose the music, you didn't have a choice in the matter, but you weren't exactly complaining.

"You're doing it wrong." The volume of the music was lowered as you stepped away from the wall, eyebrows furrowed as you looked over your handy work. It was done, one of the two holes had been covered and it took you hours with Tony watching over your shoulder, silent the whole time.

"How am I doing it wrong?" you questioned, gesturing towards the perfectly covered hole. Okay, it was obvious there was a hole, but you'd just need a few layers of paint and boom. But other than that, you think it's one of your best works.

Tony made eye contact with you from where he stood, crossing his arms over his chest and an eyebrow quirking up. "You're rushing.'

You scoffed. Of course you were rushing. He said when you're done with the wall, he'll give you your suit. "Tony, I helped you build a couple of your earlier Iron Man suits, I'm sure I know how to fix a wall."

"It's not sturdy."

"It's plenty of sturdy," you declared defensively, crossing your arms over your chest protectively. "I didn't rush." 

He chuckled, shaking his head as he argued. "Y/N, it's clear that it's not." He leaned against the tabletop, a smirk growing on his lips at his stubbornness. You remind him of himself so much, sometimes it's funny. Other times it's terrifying because you're going off into space with a nuclear missile attached to your back. "Here, I'll help you."

You held your hand up, smiling at him. "Tony, it's fine," you stated, looking back at the wall. "I'm so confident in my work that I could even lean agai-" You leaned against the wall, shoulder to the patch, but you felt it begin to give in underneath you and you didn't have time to react before you were going through the hole.

You felt someone grab onto your wrist, leaning out of the hole and looking down three stories beneath you. You were quickly pulled back into the room forcefully, spinning around to see Tony standing next to Wanda several feet away from you.

Wanda rolled her eyes when you sent her a cheeky grin. "You are very lucky I walked in when I did, Y/N. Why is it that I'm always saving you?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"I'm pretty sure this is what you signed up for," you countered, making her smile but she quickly forced that smile away. Tony walked past you as you made your way to Wanda, gently placing your hands on her face. "I love you, pumpkin." You planted kisses onto her lips, moving to her cheeks and putting more across her face until she broke and smiled.

She laughed, pushing you away. "I love you, Y/N, but if I have to keep saving you like this, it's going to kill me."

You shrugged, stepping closer to her. "We'll die together then," you declared, "and, in a new life, we'll find our way back to each other."

You connected your lips to hers, a longer kiss, deeper and more intense than your little pecks earlier. She moaned softly into it, pulling you closer to her, wanting to get as close as she can to you. 

"All right, you two." Tony's voice made you laugh, ultimately breaking the kiss. You sent her a smug smirk and a wink as you stepped away, turning to face Tony. "Here." He handed you a box, small and black. You looked up at him, already having an idea as to what it is. He grinned at you, proud, as you looked back down at the present.

You popped the lid off the box and reached inside, pulling out the smart watch, your heart hammering in your chest as Wanda stepped up to take the box from you, letting your hand be free.

"Figured you worked hard enough on your sorry excuse of a wall even though you cut the actual time in half," he stated, grinning as he gently took the watch from you. He wrapped it around your wrist, tightening the strap and securing it. "I am not responsible for any injuries that can occur when using the suit."

You were too busy toying with the screen on your watch to notice the deathly glare Wanda sent Tony, making him shrug innocently. 

You pushed a button on the watch, watching nanobots begin to crawl along your skin, forming a suit of armor similar to Tony's. You couldn't help but laugh in excitement as Tony and Wanda took a step backward, giving you space.

"This is amazing!" you declared once the suit formed, spinning on your heels to face Wanda. She smiled wide, enjoying seeing how excited you are. Like a child getting a new toy. "There are so many features!" The screen inches away from your face scanned Wanda, giving you details about her past that you already knew, turning to face Tony to see the same. Facial recognition, check.

"Wait until we get into the air."  Your mouth propped open, eyes wider than saucers, you breathed out excitedly. Tony chuckled, already imagining the facial expression you're making under that helmet. "Yes, Y/N," he said, double tapping his arc reactor, his own suit covering his body, "training starts now."

He flew out of the room, flying through the hole and you were hot on his heels. Wanda was excited for you, truly, but she couldn't help it when her shoulders slumped, placing the gift box onto a table. There was a pout hidden in the small smile on her face, sighing as she turned to leave but freezing when she heard someone come back into the lab.

She turned back around to see you walking towards her, your helmet down as you smiled. "Y/N, what are you-" You cut her off by connecting lips, pulling away shortly after and shooting her a wide grin.

"I didn't want to leave without kissing you," you told her.

A faint red colored her cheeks. "You'll come back to me, right?" She couldn't help but feel worried - the last time you wore a suit like this, you went into space and barely made it back. She didn't want to say goodbye like that again.

"I'll come back to you," you promised her, stepping backward towards the hole. "Always."

She followed you as you flew away, stepping up to the giant hole to watch you and Tony soar through the sky together, a wide smile on her face. She knew you would come back to her.

Always.

#wanda maximoff #wanda #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #maximoff x reader #maximoff #tony stark #iron man #request

[waitimcomingtoo]

Dummy

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Synopsis: Peter is the only one of the Avengers who doesn’t tease you for being a little slow 

Masterlist

Now you weren’t exactly dumb.

You were just a little slow.

When you joined the Avengers last year, the team learned pretty quickly that your mind moved at a different pace than everyone else. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing and it didn’t keep you from doing your job, it just meant you were the butt of most of the jokes. Every time one of your blunders happened, your intelligence would be mocked in some way. You knew it was all in good fun, but it hurt to it feelings every now and then. The only person who never poked fun at you was Peter. And for that reason, he was your favorite on the team.

“How are there 23 minutes left in this movie and I still don’t know any of the characters names?” Steve wondered as you all sat in the couch in Stark Towers, watching a movie on a particularly rainy afternoon.

“I think the main kids name is Phoenix. That’s all I got though.” Sam shook his head, just as confused as Steve.

“The dogs name is Benson.” Bucky mumbled quietly.

“Who names their kid Phoenix?” Peter wondered out loud as he shoveled popcorn into his mouth. The two of you were tucked into the corner of the couch, sharing a blanket and bowl of popcorn. You looked at him like he was crazy when you heard his question.

“Ummm, Joaquin Phoenix’s parents.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes. You turned your attention back to the movie as a silence settled in the room. You felt everyone’s eyes on you after a minute and looked around to see everyone staring at you with a dumbfounded expression.

“What?” You asked shyly, shrinking down a little in your seat in discomfort.

“That’s his last name.” Sam stated, chuckling a little under his breath. You realized your mistake and felt your face heat up.

“Oh.” You mumbled, your voice getting drowned out as the rest of the Avengers laughed at your expense.

“Did she really just say that?” Nat looked at the group with a playful smile. Everyone, excluding Peter, nodded as their laughter died down.

“Oh my God.” Steve chuckled. “That’s so stupid.”

There was that word again.

He didn’t mean it maliciously. Steve was the kinda of guy who ushered spiders into a magazine so he could let them outside. And yet, it still stung when he said that word.

Stupid.

You smiled sheepishly and tried to focus on the movie, snuggling closer to Peters side until it ended. You were fully aware that he was the only one who didn’t laugh, and you loved him that.

And maybe you loved him for a few other reasons too.

~

“Alright. Who has money for the subway?” Sam asked the group as he patted his empty pockets. You were on another late night trip to get cookies from a specific shop in Times Square, leaving without Tony’s knowledge. Everyones hands went to their pockets and collectively made a face.

“Not me.” Rhodey shrugged.

“I don’t have any.” Bruce added.

“I don’t even have pockets.” Nat realized.

“I have gum.” Peter proudly produced a silver wrapper from his pocket. “Oh wait, it’s just a wrapper.”

“You’re telling me we’re earth’s mightiest heroes and we’re broke?” Sam shook his head is disdain.

“I gave my last dollar to a guy in the subway for playing music.” Peter defended himself.

“What was he playing?” You asked him as you tiredly leaned against his arm.

“A mandolin.” Peter answered, making your face scrunch up.

“That’s a language.” You laughed at him slightly, feeling empowered by having the upper hand. Everyone looked at you and a few of them snorted.

“Mandarin is a language.” Bruce said gently, not wanting to embarrass you further. “Not mandolin.” 

“What?” You blinked in confusion and looked to Peter for answers.

“A mandolin is an instrument, dummy.” Sam chortled. You smiled tightly as the group laughed at your mistake, looking down to hide your blush.

“Oh. Sorry. My bad.” You laughed shyly as you tucked your hair behind your ear and pretending to read a nearby sign.

“That’s okay.” Peter spoke up in your defense. “They sound really similar. Plus like, French, French Horn. Who knows what’s going on?”

“Yeah.” Bucky said softly. “Or like, bra’s aren’t pointy anymore.”

Bruce nodded like it made perfect sense and Sam just shook his head as he texted.

“What?” You whispered to Peter, not knowing what he meant.

“He’s from the 1920s. He’s still adjusting.” Peter whispered to you out of the corner of his mouth before looking at Bucky. “That’s the spirit. Kind of.”

“FRIDAY is sending a car.” Sam informed the group. “This is never happening again. The cookies aren’t that good.”

“They’re pretty good.” Rhodey shrugged, but wanting the late Nate tradition to end. Sam looked at him for a moment before breaking into a smile.

“Hell yeah they are. Let’s do this again tomorrow.”

~

Bruce found you in the lab the next day with a pin between your teeth and a pencil behind your ear. Papers with drawings of suits were scattered around the table as you measured a piece of black fabric.

“What are you doing?” Bruce wondered as he took a seat across from you. You glanced up at him before marking a dot on the fabric.

“Mr. Stark asked me to help him with the new suits. I’m trying to make a fabric template for Nat’s gloves.” You told him as you smoothed the fabric out.

“Is it hard?” He asked, watching you intently as you worked.

“Not really.” You shrugged and took a step back to examine your work. “Okay. How many holes do we need? 1,2,3,4,5.” You counted your fingers. “Okay. Five holes.”

You sat back down and put five dots where her fingers would be to mark where you had to cut. You heard a slight chuckle from Bruce and looked up at him curiously.

“Did you just count your fingers?” He asked slowly, wanting to make sure he saw what he thought he had. “To know how many fingers Nat has?”

Your face burned when you realized how dumb you looked, in front of a scientific genius no less.

“Oh, Uh, yeah.” You stammered, feeling very insecure with him watching you now. You moved slower than before and second guessed moves you’d already made a hundred times. Bruce sensed your discomfort and got out of his seat, tapping the table twice as he thought.

“Have you ever heard the expression “the lights are on but nobody’s home’?” He asked you and you were grateful he changed the subject.

“Yeah, I think I have.” You smiled, proud of yourself for knowing something.

“It reminds me of you.” Bruce said so politely that you didn’t realize it was an insult at first. He left the lab to find Tony, leaving you feeling embarrassed and a little hurt. Everyone knew Bruce could hurt you ten times worse with his words than the Hulk could with his fists, you’d just never been his target before. You slumped down in your seat and continued making the gloves, your mood significantly dampened from before he came in the room.

~

You walked into the kitchen the next morning, sleepily rubbing your eyes. You pressed a chaste kiss on Peters shoulder as you passed him, also more affectionate to your best friend when you were half asleep. You smiled at Rhodey, who was seated at the bar and skimming through a newspaper.

“Did you eat yet?” You asked him through a yawn as you got out yogurt and fruit for yourself.

“No. I needed my coffee first.” He smiled sleepily at you and held up his mug.

“Oh, you mean your sugar with a spoonful of coffee?” You teased him. “Yeah, it’s good you got that out of the way.”

“I prefer it this way. The sugar wakes me up.” Peter defended his drink as he took a sip.

“That’s what the caffeine is supposed to do, mi amor.” You laughed as you ruffled his bed head ridden hair. He was about to make a comeback when his stomach rumbles loudly.

“Someone’s hungry.” You remarked. “Do you want eggs?”

“No thanks.” Peter shook his head. “I can’t eat eggs alone.”

“Well I’m here. And Rhodey’s right there, so you’re not alone.” You told him. “And I can grab Steve and Bucky. They’re just in the other room.”

Rhodey looked up from his newspaper with raised eyebrows and looked at Peter. Peter set his mug down and made a face at Rhodey that told him not to say anything. You looked between the two of them in confusion as you wondered what was going on.

“I meant alone as in without toast, sweetness.” Peter said gently, not wanting you to feel dumb for misunderstanding. “But I am glad you’re here.”

“Oh.” You faked a smile and shrugged like it was no big deal. Peter had handled the situation with ease and you didn’t feel as embarrassed as you normally would. That is until…

“You know, Y/n, it’s a good thing you’re pretty.” Rhodey nodded before going back to his newspaper. You froze with your spoonful of yogurt midway to your mouth and looked at him. He didn’t actually call you dumb, but it was implied. You looked at Peter to see if he was thinking the same thing, but his face had nothing but kindness on it.

“You are pretty.” He agreed with Rhodey. “But you’re a lot of other things too.”

You cracked a smile and rubbed his back for a moment in appreciation.

“Thanks Peter.” You said softly and went back to your breakfast. Not wanting to worry him, you ignored the way Rhodey’s comment made you feel and tried to push it from your mind. But no hard you tried to focus on other things, you had one thought prodding at the back of your head.

You were dumb.

~

A week went by without anyone poking fun at your intelligence. You had a sneaking suspicion Peter had something to do with the lack of comments, but you said nothing. It was nice to have a break from all the teasing and it made hanging out with the team more enjoyable. You all lingered around the kitchen one day, eating all different kinds of lunch when Tony came in the room.

“Eat up, funky bunch.” He clapped his hands. “We have a mission in Alaska to train for and I need all hands on deck. Cap, do you think you can teach Peter that spinny thingy you do?”

“I can try.” Steve looked at Peter and nodded.

“Great. I’m getting a manicure. I’ll be back around noon.” Tony informed you all.

“Wait, I thought you said all hands on deck.” You tilted your head at him.

“I did. Which I why I have to make sure my hands look the best.” Tony waved flirtatiously, wiggling his fingers around like a teenage girl. He smirked as his action was met with some eye rolls and a few chuckles before leaving the room.

“I can’t believe we’re going to Alaska.” Peter nudged you excitedly and you smiled with glee.

“Is Alaska the same as the North Pole? Or am I thinking of Antarctica?” Sam wondered out loud.

“No. The North Pole is all the way at the top. Alaska is below California. Like by Texas.” You said confidently, proud that you knew information that someone else didn’t. Your pride quickly dissipated when you saw the teams faces twist in amusement.

“Wait a minute.” Steve looked at you like you were joking. You shrugged, letting him know you weren’t. Sam burst out laughing and clapped his hands as the rest of the team began to laugh.

“Absolutely not.” Sam grinned as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“Yes it is.” You insisted. “Look at any US map. It’s on the bottom by Hawaii.”

You were getting angry now. You knew you were right this time and they were still teasing you.

“No.” Bucky shook his head is dismissal. “No.”

“Alaska is below California on every map I’ve ever seen. You’re telling me I’m wrong?” You our your hand on your hip and stared at them.

“100%. I am 100% telling you you’re wrong.” Sam said between his laughter. Peter came to your side and showed you a picture of a map on his phone.

“Alaska is US territory but it’s not connected to the rest of the states. They just put it below California on maps to show it’s a part of the US. Thats not actually where it’s located.” He said quietly. You looked at the map for a few seconds before you realized he was right. And if he was right…

You were wrong.

“Oh.” You smiled apologetically and averted your eyes. “Oops.”

You turned around and pretending to clean up the kitchen to hide your searing blush. Your fingers clenched around your sponge when you heard the teasing laughter from behind you.

“Sometimes I wonder how you made it out of high school.” Steve joked as he threw out the crusts of his sandwich. The comment stung you and you began to scrub the counter faster so you could leave the room sooner. Peter could see your shoulders tense and put a reassuring hand on your back. You gave him a tight lipped smiled before putting your dish in the sink.

“I’m still wondering how she made it out of first grade.” Nat teased you and she poked your side.

“I can’t believe she made it out of the womb in the first place with nobody telling her where to go.” Sam said, making everyone laugh loudly. You abruptly threw a dish in the sink, making everyone go silent. You tuned around slowly and faked a smile.

“Haha. Yeah.” You forced a laugh. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

You swiftly left the room before anyone could catch your tears. You felt stupid for even getting upset over it, but their words hurt. Feeling like you were always the dumbest person in the room was taking a toll on you, especially when you weren’t the only one who felt that way. Peter watched you leave with sympathetic eyes, feeling his own frustration bubble at the sound of the team laughing at you. He thought they had listened the first time he told them to stop making fun of you, but they clearly hadn’t. After seeing the pained look on your face, Peter made a decision.

It was never going to happen again.

~

“Ugh. I’m never gonna get this right.” Peter groaned as he messed up the move Steve was trying to teach him once again.

“You’re getting too much inside your head. Just let it happen naturally.” Steve instructed as he resumed his stance. Peter tried the move again, wiping out and landing on his side with a thud. You watched him out of the corner of your eye as you spared with Nat.

“I can’t.” Peter got up and rubbed his arm. “I can’t do it.”

Steve nodded, like he was accepting Peters defeat. You stopped sparing and looked at Peter.

“Yes you can. Come on, Peter.” You encouraged him. “Everyone told Van Gogh that he couldn’t be an artist because he only had one ear but he did it anyway.”

The room feel silent, as it often did when you spoke, and everyone looked down.

“Oh dear Lord.” Rhodey sighed and hung his head and he snickered. You could see everyone else fighting back laughter or cracking a smile, yet saying nothing.

“What?” You crossed your arms in annoyance, looming to Peter for help.

“He chopped his ear off after becoming an artist.” Peter said kindly. “He wasn’t born without one.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but Tony beat you to it.

“Speaking of ears, do you think of you shone a light in one of Y/n’s ears, it would come out the other ear?” Tony quipped, making everyone laugh. The tips of your ears burned as that feeling of stupidity sunk in again. You undid the Velcro on your boxing gloves and pretended to wipe sweat from your face as you rushed to the bin where the gloves went. You kept your back to the group and pretending to be putting your gloves away when you were really concealing your pained expression.

“Yes.” Nat jeered. “Yes I do.”

Your shoulders slumped with exhaustion as you turned around, making every effort to keep your face neutral. Your face didn’t give away any signs of sadness, but your knuckles turning white from how hard you were gripping the bin gave your true feelings away. Peter noticed this and felt his jaw clench. If you weren’t gonna tell them to stop, he was.

“Leave her alone, guys.” He commanded the crowd before looking at you. “Thanks for the encouragement, Y/n. I’m gonna keep trying.”

“It’s fine.” You nodded curtly. “I’m gonna hit the showers. I’ll see you guys at dinner.”

You walked out of the gym, pausing in place when you heard Sams voice.

“Hit the showers?” He laughed. “We just started.”

“Shhh. Don’t confuse the poor girl any further.” Bruce joked back. You looked back at the gym with your eyebrows knit together, taking a quiet step closer to hear what they were saying about you without you there.

“She’s probably like, ‘whats this magic closet that makes rain?’” Rhodey imitated your voice, making you sound as dense as possible.

“Knock it off guys. It’s not funny.” Peter snapped, but the teasing continued.

“Or like, ‘this shampoo says it adds volume, but I used it and I can’t hear any louder than before’.” Tony mocked you, skipping around a little like a child. Your face contorted in misery as they made fun of you. You knew who they really were, and they were good people. They didn’t intend to hurt your feelings, they were only joking around like they did with everyone. Steve was teased all the time for his old fashioned dialect and no one lets Tony live down the kimono incident. Still, all their insults and mockery cut you like a knife.

“Ahh, I love that girl.” Nat shook her head with a smile. “She’s so dumb.”

“She may be slow, but she’s entertaining as hell.” Sam nodded in agreement.

“I said knock it off.” Peter repeated, getting a reaction this time.

“Aw. Peters mad because we’re teasing his girlfriend.” Nat pouted and pinched Peters cheek. She quickly realized how wholesome she was being and punched Bucky in the face to maintain her lethal assassin persona.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Peter grumbled. Now that you were out of the room, he was the next target.

“He’s right. Hey, maybe that’s why you guys haven’t gotten together yet.” Rhodey shrugged. “She’s too stupid to realize you’re in love with her.”

That was all you had to hear. You ran towards your with tears running down your face. Thanks to Peters advanced heating, he heard every heavy footstep.

“Okay. Maybe she is a little slow.” Peter shook his head in disdain at the team. “But you guys are idiots.”

~

You were quiet the entire way to Alaska, keeping to yourself and silently looking out the window. Peter attempted to talk to you once or twice, but he could tell you wanted to be alone. The Avengers completed the mission within a few hours with minor damage to the area. Peter focused on his job but found himself looking for you every now and then, being as you usually stayed together during missions. He didn’t see you anywhere and assumed you were doing your own thing on the other side of the field. He heart rest assured when he saw you boarding the jet, still looking reserved and aloof from the rest of the team. You took a seat by the window and rested your chin on your hand, looking out at the bleak landscape in front of you as the jet took off. Peter didn’t engage in small talk with the rest of the team and wistfully stared at you instead, silently willing you to cheer up.

“I think that went pretty well.” Rhodey nodded and the team agreed. “But where were you the whole time, Y/n? Picking daisies?”

Peter held his breath as you slowly turned around. You gave Rhodey a frigid smile and shook your head.

“We came during a blizzard so I used my powers to create a heated force field around the area we were in to prevent frostbite and give you guys and easier time seeing in the snow. We were also at a higher altitude than any of us are used to so I kept the air pressure to sea level standard.” You said simply. “And I assumed there would be smoke from the battle so I rounded up the nearby animals and made a separate for field around them to protect their lungs.”

The room went silent, something you were used to at this point. But instead of everyone falling silent because they were laughing at you, they were impressed.

“Oh.” Rhodey blinked in surprise, not expecting the answer he was given.

“I also picked this flower.” You smiled proudly as you produced a Forget Me Not from your lap. Peter couldn’t keep the grin from breaking through on his face. You were the center of attention once again, but in a good way this time. Everyone was pleasantly surprised with what you had done and it showed.

“I didn’t think about the altitude.” Nat realized.

“I had no idea there was a blizzard.” Steve added, looking dumbfounded.

“Because I kept you from knowing.” You shrugged. “I wanted you guys to focus on the mission.”

“I mean, I knew. I just didn’t tell you guys because I was so distracted by my buffed and polished nails.” Tony twiddled his fingers again, showing off his freshly manicured nails. You all laughed, breaking the tension in the jet.

“Well look at that.” Sam looked impressed. “Y/n knew something we didn’t.”

It was almost a compliment, but it still made you feel insecure. You didn’t want it to be this mind boggling every time you did something useful.

“Thanks, Y/n. That was really smart.” Peter said softly as he patted your knee. You put your hand over his and squeezed it. It was the first time someone called your smart, and it made you feel good.

“It was really smart.” Sam said skeptically. He stared at you for a moment before poking your side.

“What are you doing?” You swatted his hand away.

“Just making sure you’re still in there.” He eyed you suspiciously. Peter could sense the attention was making you uncomfortable and changed the subject.

“Are we almost home?” He asked Tony before peering out the window. The flight was a little over 7 hours on a normal plane, but the Stark jet was much quicker. The flight would only take a few hours, but Peter was not known for being patient.

“Yes, Peter. We are almost back at the tower. You can get your diaper changed and your bottle as soon as we get back.” Tony sassed him, making him shrink in his seat. Your body language had completely changed and your were now sitting straight, facing the group. Peter was glad you were feeling better and didn’t even mind Tony’s comment.

“Guys, let’s be civil. We’re all tired. We all want to get home.” You said calmly. “Let’s just focus on how pretty the sky looks tonight. Isn’t is pretty, Peter?”

He gazed at your profile as you looked out the window at the stars, admiring how pretty you looked from the side.

“Yeah. It’s beautiful.” He conceded without ever taking his eyes off you. You shot him a smile before looking straight ahead at the dashboard.

“Wow, the moon is huge!” You pointed time a large yellow crescent that could be seen through the window.

“That’s literally the reflection of my banana on the windshield.” Tony deadpanned. He may have been right, but it still looked pretty.

“Should we make a wish?” You asked Peter, ignoring Tony’s comment.

“On the banana?” He asked.

“Yes.” You nodded. “On the banana.”

“Why?” Rhodey asked. “It’s not like people wish on the moon.”

“It feels like we should.” You said with confidence.

“Yep. She’s still in there.” Sam chuckled. And just like that, your confidence receded.

“I hate it here.” Bucky sighed heavily and tuned out of the conversation.

“It must be so peaceful being you, Y/n.” Tony remarked.

“Why do you say that?” You wondered.

“Because instead of thinking about your problems and mistrials, you simply don’t think at all.” Tony said suavely. In only a better for minutes, you’d gone from being the hero to the laughing stock of the group. The sly comments and taunting laughter made you feel like you should stop opening your mouth entirely. You faked a smile and turned back towards the window, tuning out the rest of the way home. Peter chewed his lip as he stared at you, feeling useless to helping you out. The team just wouldn’t let up, no matter how many times he told them to stop. Knowing you weren’t in the mood to talk, he scooted closer to you and put a comforting hand on your back. You smiled warmly at him and rested your head on his shoulder, listening to him point out the constellations the whole way home.

~

The next day, you and Peter were sitting in the balcony, working on some new gadgets for Mr. Stark when Peter made a startling discovery.

“Where’s my right web shooter?” Peter stood up in a panic when he realized it was missing. “I left it right here.”

“Maybe a bird carried it off.” You shrugged as you twisted a tiny screw into Peters left web shooter.

“I’m being serious, Y/n.” Peter stated. “Mr. Stark is going to kill me and turn me into a decorative rug if I lost it.”

“I’m being serious too. We live in New York and I see birds around here all the time.” You told him as you continued your work. “And you know the pigeons here are feral. A bird probably stole it to pay for his child support.”

Peter usually entertained your antics and joined in with his own batch of sarcasm, but he wasn’t in the mood. His web shooter was missing and their were actual stakes involved. Without his web shooter, he couldn’t be Spiderman. And without Spider-Man, he couldn’t be an Avenger.

“Can you be serious for once?“ Peter whined, picking up everything on the table to look under it.

“I’m just saying it’s possible, Peter. You never know.” You insisted as you put your screw driver down to help him look. You began looking in the flower pots on the windowsill that you and Peter had planted. Peter stopped his search for a moment, growing angry with you for wasting time. He didn’t know if you were joking around or genuine believed his web shooter was in the flower pots, but it made him frustrated nonetheless. A combination of his lack of sleep and stress over losing the webshooter manifested into a moment of unchecked rage.

“No, it’s not possible.” He snapped. “A bird didn’t steal my web shooter. God, do you have to be so stupid?” 

 The word hung in the air for a moment, settling in to the both of you. Peters eyes immediately softened, feeling instant regret for what he had said. You stopped trifling through the plants and slowly turned around.

“What?” You asked quietly. Peter tightened his lips into a line and tried to justify what he had said.

“I try to defend you but you make it so hard. Can you help me out a little here and not be so…” He trailed off when he realized he had only made it worse. Your face hardened and you looked disappointed in Peter, which killed him. He would have preferred anger or even sadness, but the disappointment killed him.

“So what?” You shrugged. “Finish your sentence Peter.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“No, really, go ahead.” You stated coldly. “You got this far. So what, Peter?”

He looked at you for a moment, getting that feeling of wishing you could turn back time just a few seconds to fix a mistake.

“So dumb all the time.” He finished his sentence with an unsteady voice. Your face scrunched up in a pained expression as you sucked in and let out a shaky breath.

“You were the only one who never called me that.” You whimpered before moving past him and going inside. Peter watched you through the open balcony doors as you disappeared into the hallway with a heavy heart. His mouth was open to apologize, but you were long gone. He’d seen you being ridiculed so many times already, and now he was the one doing it. All that talk about it never happening again, only for him to be the reason it happened. Peter couldn’t live with himself for another minute without you knowing how sorry he was. He took a step towards the doorway until he heard a pigeon land on the table. He watched it curiously for a moment as it pecked at the screwdriver you had been using before picking it up with its beak. It flew over to the edge and began to walk along the railing, still keeping the screwdriver in his mouth. Peter followed the pigeon, walking all the way down the balcony to find a large nest in the corner. He watched as it dropped the screwdriver into its nest, right next to his web shooter.

“Holy shit. A bird stole my web shooter.” Peter said in disbelief. Peter watched as baby pigeons poked out from inside the web shooter to greet the other pigeon.

“Holy shit. A bird stole my web shooter for his kids.” Peters eyes widened even more than they already were. Realized struck him and his shoulders slumped.

“She was right.” He mumbled, angry at himself more than ever. “I yelled at her and she was right.”

Peter wasted no time in rescuing his web shooter from the birds, offering them a nice biodegradable coffee cup in its place, and ran to the kitchen to make you a peace offering. He knocked softly on your door and didn’t wait for an answer before going in.

“I made you this cup of tea as an apology.” Peter stiffly held out a mug with an awkward smile on his face. You looked at Peter from your bed, eyes puffy like you had been crying. You stared at each other for a long time, you with a death glare and Peter with his awkward smile. Neither of you said a word as Peter continued to hold out the mug. After two full minute of silence, a bead of sweat ran down Peters face as he looked around nervously, never breaking his smile. You let out an angry sigh and decided to throw him a bone, crossing the room to accept his mug. You looked into the cup for a moment before looking back at Peter.

“This is empty.” You deadpanned.

“I don’t know how to make tea.” Peter whispered, never breaking eye contact.

“I’ve seen you make it.” You snapped.

“I forgot how to do it.” Peters eyes shifted nervously to the side.

“Bucky was in the kitchen, wasn’t he?”

“I know he hates me.” Peter talked over you as you groaned. “I know he does.”

“Just go away.” You tried to close the door but he kept it open.

“No.” Peter said firmly. “I came in here to apologize.”

“You see this?” You held up the mug for a Peter to see. “It’s my cup of care. And look at that” ,you dumped the cup over, “it’s empty.”

Peter stared at your demonstration with raised eyebrows, surprised that you were still able to be sarcastic when he hurt you. Peter took the mug from your hands and set it on the ground before slowly looking up at your face.

“You’re not stupid.” He said softly with all the sincerity his heart could give. You scoffed and folded your arms, looking to the side when you felt tears sting your eyes.

“Yes I am.” You said like you fully believed it, which was Peters worse fear. “Everyone says so. Even you.”

It hit Peter like a sheet of glass when you looked at him like that.

Like he was someone you didn’t want around.

“I didn’t mean to say that.” Peter apologized. “That is not how I feel. At all.”

“Don’t act like you’ve never thought about saying that before.” You laughed sadly. “Everyone on the team calls me dumb. It was only a matter of time before you did it too.”

“I didn’t mean it.” Peter repeated. “I don’t think you’re stupid.”

“Bullshit.” You snapped. “You’re so full of bullshit.”

“I’m not full of bullshit.” He whined like a child and gave you puppy dog eyes. “I’m full of regret.”

You chewed the inside of your cheek as he gave you his best pout, willing you to forgive him. Finally, you caved and cracked a smile.

“I hate you.” You stamped your foot and hung your head, frustrated with yourself for not being able to stay mad at him. Peter opened his arms and you walked into them, arms still folded angrily. You bumped your forehead against his shoulder before moving to rest your chin on it as he wrapped his arms around you. Peter nestled against your hair and sighed, happy that you had forgiven him but still saddened that he had hurt you in the first place. He could see the pile of used tissues on your bed and it killed him to know he made you cry.

“I didn’t mean to call you that. I really didn’t.” He said softly. “I’m the one who’s been trying to stop people from saying that.”

“But they still do it.” You sniffled. “Everyday I get called dumb or stupid or scalene.”

“I think it’s obtuse, not scalene.” Peter reluctantly corrected you. You pulled away and little and let Peter wipe the tears from your face.

“Maybe they’re right.” You shrugged and looked Peter in the eyes. “Maybe I am dumb.”

Peter kept your face between his hands, staring at you for a moment before sighing.

“I once sneezed so many times in a row that I peed my pants.” Peter deadpanned. “I was 17.”

“What?” You chuckled as you wiped your nose.

“I saw Bucky try to take a piece of toast out of the toaster with his metal arm and electrocute himself.” He continued. “And I constantly see Tony bumping into glass doors.”

“I don’t understand.” You squinted your eyes, but sure what point he was trying to make.

“Steve still picks up the phone and asks for the operator. Nat leaves her curling iron plugged in all the time. I do not think Sam knows the address of where we live and I’m pretty sure Rhodey can’t do laundry. He gets all his stuff dry cleaned, even his socks.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” You asked.

“Because were all dumb.” Peter concluded. “We all do and say dumb things. You don’t know where Alaska is and no one in this tower can read analog clocks. If we’re all dumb, then maybe none of us are dumb. Or we all are. Who cares?” Peter shrugged, making you laugh. “And you were right. A bird did carry off my web shooter. So no, you’re no dumb. Or stupid. Or obtuse. You’re, uh, you- you…” Peter looked down at he fumbled over his words.

“I’m what?” You raised an eyebrow. You could finish his sentence last time, but this time you were lost.

“You’re…” Peter tampered off again, staring at your confused expression for a moment before pulling you into a kiss. Your hands clenched into a fist and slowly uncurled as you relaxed into the kiss. Peter pulled away too soon and let his eyes flutter open. They met yours and you shared a moment of hesitation, not knowing what happened rest next.

“I’m gonna be honest lovey, I didn’t really have an ending to that sentence.” Peter chris joes softly, his breath fanning your face. “That was mainly improv.”

“You’re pretty good at improv, Parker.” You cracked a smile and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“I did a little bit of theater in high school.” He shrugged smugly, making you giggle.

“Mmm. I severely don’t want to hear about that.” You teased before kissing him again.

“Oh, I think you do.” Peter remarked. “Because I once went to the bathroom during intermission with my mic still on and the entire audience heard me peeing.”

“Oh my God.” You laughed. “You’re so stupid.”

Tag List 🏷

@maybemona @foreverxholland @damnyoudameron @lavender-writer @captainmandeestudent17 @whatareyouhidingpeter @takenbyheartstrings @ultrunning @imyourliquor-youremypoison @theolwebshooter @andreasworlsboring101 @guksmyfav @waiting-to-be-myself @letsloveimagines @peterparkoure @a-villain-vying-for-attention @justcallmehitgirl @averyfosterthoughts @jackiehollanderr @tiny-friggin-human @celestial-skylines @mara-twins @iamaunicorn4704 @spideygirl2003 @the-crazy-fanfictionist @maryjanee23  @geeksareunique @emmamarshmellow @jillanaholland @unbelievableholland @rebekkah4766 @flixndchill @sovereignparker @wendaiii @thisisthebiplace @spideydobrik @every-marveler-ever @undiadeestos @caelestii-e @eridanuswave @itscaminow @fiantomartell @solarxmoonchild @where-art-thau-romeo @canyouevencauseicant @illwritetomorrow @thehappygrungelife @saysomethingspiderman @parkerboop @smilexcaptainx @hes-amarillo @quaksonhehe @kelieah @silteplaittais-toi @kickingn-ames @purefluff @seasidecrowbar @lovelessdagger @love-sick-blues @electraheart-3174 @lou-la-lou @unbelievableholland @yourtypicalhotmess @ohnothezombies @spideyanakin @horanxholland @thesuitelifeofafangirl​ @anapocalypseinmymind @quacksonfics @marshxx @heyheycharlatte​ @nooneinvitedfascistbarbie @tomshufflepuff @buckybigbutt @cookiemonstermusic258 @awesomebooklover17

#peter parker x reader #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #peter parker fluff #peter parker angst #avengers x you #avengers x reader #marvel #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x reader

[alienguts]

Chance Meeting (Bruce Wayne x f!Reader)

Summary: Bruce and Y/N's first meeting at a gala.

Warnings: None

Request?: Requested by @theprincessbt

A/N: I'm so used to writing established relationship stuff that this was a little challenging 😅

Bruce hated galas. The time he spent wandering around a fancy venue making idle chitchat with phonies and pretending to flirt with heiresses was time he could have spent investigating the latest series of crimes that was sweeping the city.

Alfred has insisted that Bruce attend for the sake of his image and getting some rest from constant detective work.

“Gotham’s elite are going to expect you to show up, Master Bruce,” he’d said as he laid out the Gucci suit that had been freshly pressed. “And who knows? Perhaps you’ll meet someone there who’ll make you an honest man.”

“I really doubt that’s going to happen, Alfred,” Bruce had called from the bathroom.

“No, but I can always dream,” Alfred muttered to himself before leaving Bruce to get dressed in private.

After a spritz of cologne and pulling his suit on, Bruce headed to the gala venue and steeled himself for what was about to come. Playboy face ready, he pushed through the heavy double doors and started to make his rounds talking to his parent’s old friends and benefactors.

While he was making his way past the social climbers and supermodels who were looking for a fling or a sugar daddy, Bruce tripped on his own feet and stumbled into another person. Glass was heard shattering along with a couple of gasps from onlookers.

“I’m so sorry,” Bruce said to the smaller figure in front of him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay, don’t worry about it,” he heard a voice say. He looked up and saw that the person he’d bumped into was a reporter for the Gotham Gazette and the most beautiful woman in the room.

“Are you sure?” he asked her, unable to take his eyes off of her face. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, I’m not hurt,” the woman said with a soft smile. “Can’t say the same about my dress, though.”

Bruce noticed that a small crowd of people were starting to look at them, likely preparing to start the rumour mill.

“We should go get you cleaned up,” he said as he held out his hand to her. She hesitated for a beat before taking his hand in her own and allowed him to lead her to the hallway. “I’m Bruce, by the way.”

“I know who you are, Mr Wayne,” she said as she tried to hide her burning face. “I’m Y/N.”

In the hallway, Bruce told Y/N to wait on a plush loveseat while he went to get some paper towels from the bathroom. She felt out of place in the gilded event hall. Growing up in Gotham’s East End, she was more used to seeing cracks in walls and wearing clothes from thrift stores than seeing expensive artwork and wearing little black dresses from higher-end stores. When she’d first started her journalism career she hadn’t dreamed of rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, she wanted to make a difference to the community she grew up in by bringing the poverty in the area to light, not mill around reporting on fancy parties. She especially did not expect to have champagne spilt on her clothes by Bruce Wayne.

“Sorry it took so long,” she heard Bruce say from her side. “They don’t seem to believe in paper towels here for some reason.”

“That’s okay,” Y/N said as she took the towel that he held out for her. “A cloth towel’s better than nothing.”

She dabbed lightly at the sticky liquid that had started to seep through to her skin, the smell of alcohol burning her nose.

“This doesn’t seem like the kind of place you’d usually be in,” he said when he tentatively took a seat next to her.

“How could you tell?” she asked sheepishly.

“Well, you are wearing a press badge for starters,” he said, pointing at the badge pinned to her dress.

“Oh, yeah I am,” Y/N said while mentally kicking herself.

“This isn’t my mind of place either,” he said earnestly. She folded the now damp towel and placed it in her lap before looking at him.

“It’s not? You looked pretty at home when I saw you walk in.”

“To tell you the truth, I’d rather be working right now.”

“I would say the same but this is work for me,” she said with a sigh. “I told my boss to give it another reporter in the office but he insisted that I come.”

“Sounds like a tough boss,” Bruce said as he fiddled with his cufflinks.

“Yep, he just assumed that I would want to get all dressed up and go drink champagne with rich people. I don’t even know what this gala’s even for.”

“The children’s hospital, I believe,” he said, looking up from his cufflinks to look at her face. Even from the side and slightly frowning, he thought she was beautiful. When she turned to look at him face on, his breath caught in his chest. He never believed in love at first sight, but he definitely felt something for her at that moment. Her eyes sparkled in the lights, her hair hung loosely around her face, and her painted lips were slightly parted and kissable. He could easily just lean in and capture her mouth with his own but she was a complete stranger.

“I could give you a quote for your report if you want, save us both some time here,” Bruce said, his mouth slightly dry.

“That’d be kind of you, Mr Wayne,” Y/N said, her mouth curling into a smile.

“Please, call me Bruce.”

They ended up spending the majority of the night talking on the loveseat than to anyone else at the gala. Y/N thought she heard her co-worker come to see where she was a few times, but he must have assumed she was still giving an interview since she’d been with the elusive Bruce Wayne. She was definitely going to be the envy of the society section the next day.

“I should probably get going home,” Y/N said when she looked at her watch, the hands both pointing to midnight.

“Before you go, would it be alright if I gave you my phone number?” Bruce asked her as he stood up with her.

“You’re a well-known man, Bruce, I can find your office in the phone book,” Y/N said.

“No, I don’t mean my office, I mean the number for my phone,” he said sheepishly. “I’d like to see you again.”

He couldn’t believe how hard his heart was hammering. He was a grown man and yet he felt like a teenager asking out his middle school crush again. He didn’t want her to see him as the vapid playboy he made everyone else think he was, he wanted her to see the real him.

“Yeah, I’d like to see you again too,” Y/N said softly. She fished her notebook and pen out of her handbag and handed it to him so he could write his number down.

“I’ll call you sometime this week, okay?” he said as he handed her the notebook back, letting his fingers linger on hers for a second longer.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The two of them began to walk towards the back exit together, where Y/N’s co-worker was waiting for her. She said her goodnights to Bruce and waved as she left the building.

“Did you spend all night talking to Bruce Wayne?” her co-worker asked in disbelief.

“I did,” Y/N said, more proudly than she intended to. “He’s nice, gave me his phone number.”

“Be careful with that one, Y/N, he has a reputation for being a player.”

“Maybe, but that could just be a rumour started by someone from the society pages.”

“Whatever. Just don’t expect it to turn into anything long-lasting.”

Little did Y/N’s co-worker know, that small conversation at a gala as strangers turned into a lifetime as soulmates.

#bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne imagine #bruce wayne fluff #batfleck x reader #fluff #*request #*my writing

[soulmate-game]

New fic *test*

New Bio!dad Bruce story? I’m testing out this first chapter, and if I like where it’s going I might add it to my growing pile of WIPs. If I have inspiration, I might as well use it. Because of life events stressing me the hell out, I’m throwing any writing plans out the window and I’m purely gonna write to destress right now. Whether that means updating THG or not, or continuing Maribat March, we’ll just have to see how this all pans out. Things are subject to day-to-day change.

I got inspiration from this from rereading my day 1 story for Bio!dad Bruce Wayne month from last year. I’m just gonna change a few things.

—*—*—*—*—*

For once, an unfamiliar face attracted the attention of everyone who caught even a glimpse of them. It wasn’t even because of the person themselves at first, but their dress. The skirt like the most fantastical of storybook ball gowns, fluffy layers of satin over a luxurious petticoat, with a stunning pink floral pattern whose busy appearance was tastefully offset by a shorter, sheer layer of leaf green tulle artistically weaved and somehow sculpted over the floral in order to tame it. The effect turned what should be a grandmotherly pattern into something softer, sophisticated and youthful and yet also reminiscent of fairytale princesses. Over top the short layer of green tulle was an even shorter later of white tulle, almost invisible except for the elegant embroidery of crystal-white vines that twined all over it, connecting the green below it to the bottom-most floral pattern and oddly adding a layer of childishness instead of maturity. At the waist of the dress was a dark plum pink satin ribbon, to separate the elaborate ballgown skirt from the bodice. Attached to the simple ribbon was a large brooch of fabric flowers, with a single plastic ladybug in the center.

The bodice of the dress came up into a cheongsam neckline, but was sleeveless. It was a simple design, of half green and half dark pink, with a white border separating the two. The white border had expertly done embroideries in a soft silver thread that would only be visible close up, the images the thread made being that of fairies and ladybugs dancing around one another.

It was, all in all, a stunning display that made the small eurasian woman wearing them look like absolute royalty. Perhaps a long lost fairy princess. Her black-blue hair was even done up in elaborate looping braids and a braided bun, with silver and green pins that further completed the regal ensemble. And yes, while the expertly done dress was what initially captivated her current audience, it was not what kept them from leaving her alone. That was all her personality, bubbly and bright as her blinding smile. It was a sunny disposition that very few people present had any exposure to at all, and it drew them like a sunflower to the daylight. They could not help but flock closer, or even just stand back and keep themselves turned to her presence. Already she had been at the gala for two hours, but there was no issue. She just kept proving her generosity, admitting she had donated both a dress and a suit of her own making to the charity auction that would begin soon, one of the main attractions of the gala. She skillfully charmed the more snooty of the attendants, and artfully twisted her words so that they felt compelled to donate more money that they truly had no use for. Later, they would remember their donation and wonder what compelled it, but come up with no satisfying answer.

And yet she was entirely unaware of her more silent audience, who stood back and observed. Truth be told, every one of them was glad to not be the center of that attention for a change, to have room to breathe for so long at an event where usually that commodity was so scarce that it demanded a fierce competition for. Compared to her garden of color, they were all shadows in shades of blacks and blues and whites, with a touch of red here and there that was entirely too thematic for their home city. The one who sported a royal blue suit tilted his head at the scene they were all calmly witnessing, his bright azure eyes glittering.

“She’s like magic,” he mused, clearly enchanted despite having not said a single word to the woman. “Perfect socialite. She’s kind, generous, she made that dress and the ones she donated to the auction herself so she’s obviously got an intimidating amount of skill for her age. She even tricks those old fuddy-duddies into spending money. It’s like a dream come true!”

“I don't trust it,” the one to his right said, a man just a few inches shorter in a classic black suit with a red dress shirt underneath. He absently swept his bangs away from his face as he narrowed his eyes at the woman. “It seems too perfect. She doesn’t have any identifiable character flaw, except maybe being a little clumsy and too energetic. She does babble a little… but nothing that actually suggests any depth besides her just being— good. That’s impossible, and I don’t trust it.”

“Tt. I agree with Drake for once. She seems entirely too comfortable with this setting, despite her blushes and rambles,” the one who spoke this like was taller, clearly a teen in the middle of his growth spurt. He, too, wore a plain black suit but his had subtle charcoal embroidery and he wore an emerald-green dress shirt under it that made his matching eyes gleam dangerously. “It seems almost playacted. Expertly so, but nonetheless not entirely genuine.”

“Wow, not many pick up on that. I’m gonna give your observations a solid eight out of ten. They’re all perfectly sound, but not quite complete,” a new voice made all of the silent group stiffen— somehow they had been snuck up on. The newcomer smirked at them as if having fully expected their reaction but still being pleased at being able to evoke it. This was yet another stunner; far too much color in her outfit to be a Gotham native, and far too much skill in the construction for it to signify anything less than extreme influence. She had bright golden-blond hair that was coiled into a low bun, with her bangs artfully curled and arranged to display her crystal blue eyes.

In contrast to the garden-themed dress of the Eurasian woman who had garnered their attention at first, this newcomer was wearing a pantsuit. It was all in a dark honey-gold, in a stiff fabric with construction that made it lay entirely in perfect, straight lines and hug her form in the right places. Black embroidery decorated the long, flared sleeves and pant legs and dripped around the square neckline like a faux necklace. A cape made out of the same material as the rest of the pantsuit was draped on one shoulder. It started out as the same honey-gold color, but it became a gradient as it faded to a solid black at the ends. Gold thread embroidery decorated the solid black bottom of the cape in delicate, deceptively simplistic swirls. The top half of the pantsuit was clearly inspired by military garb, simultaneously rigidly constructed yet fitted, with circular onyx buttons going down the center of the chest and a thick metal belt, all in swirling silver and black, sat perfectly clasped around her waist. It was far more solid-colored and simplistic compared to the fairytale dress in the center, but no less show stopping and luxurious. It simply showcased an entirely different attitude, almost as if the two women could never get along if their personalities matched their outfits.

“And who are you?” The man who had been the center of the group of shadow-like adults spoke up, back straightening to milk every speck of his generous six-feet-and-three-inches of height. This was none other than Bruce Wayne, the host of this annual charity gala. And normally, his current stance would either intimidate or utterly charm whoever it was directed at— but not this pantsuit-clad blond warrior. Her smirk merely widened, and her blue eyes took on a slight shade of teal as if trying to mimic the dangerous ocean depths.

“I am Chloe Bourgeois, the daughter of Andre Bourgeois, the mayor of Paris, and Audrey Bourgeois, the Style Queen. It’s nice to meet you again, Monsieur Wayne,” she introduced herself imperiously. “I also happen to be the best friend of the girl you were just staring at.”

Bruce nodded, but had trouble reconciling this clear powerhouse of a woman with the bratty and entitled preteen he had met years ago, at the last gala she had attended with her mother. “Of course, I didn’t recognize you at first Chloe. You’ve grown a lot since the last Gala I saw you at.”

Chloe wrinkled her nose, clearly not appreciating the reminder. “I was a bitch,” she admitted easily, seemingly not at all bothered by the confession. It caused not only Bruce but also the oldest three of his sons, who had all also met her in the past, to blink in silent shock. “Things have changed. Paris is apparently the perfect chaotic environment right now to promote emotional growth and smack spoiled kids over the head with reality,” she shrugged. Part of the reason her and her whole class had even been able to come to the Gala in the first place was the fact that Bruce wanted to offer the most attacked group of Parisians a respite and some support from their crazy lives. The fact that even Gotham seemed sane in comparison to Paris was a bit of a hard hit for both involved parties, but in the end everyone understood that “more sane” didn’t always equate with “less dangerous.” Considering all that, Chloe had no reason to sugarcoat the situation in her home city. “But it wasn’t easy at all, and Marinette was largely responsible for my improvement too.”

“Marinette?” The heathen who somehow got away with attending a gala in a black leather jacket over a dress shirt and suit pants asked, raising a brow. Chloe nodded.

“The girl you were just goggling at. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the class president and resident workaholic. Does she ever sleep? Nobody knows,” Chloe shrugged.

The blue-suited man, Dick Grayson, shot a suspicious glance at Tim, who was standing to his right, as if he was worried his brother had made a female clone of himself just so he could continue to work hard and never rest. Tim ignored him and sipped from the thermos of coffee he had somehow snuck in.

Bruce cleared his throat to bring the focus back onto himself, and shot his most charming smile at Chloe. “They would have known who she was, if they had read the brief information I gave them about your class. But they never do listen to me,” he complained with good humor. “But back to the original topic, Miss Bourgeois, do you care to correct us on how our observations are lacking?”

Chloe laughed easily, smiling and nodding to indicate Marinette, still stuck in a circle of socialites and not seeming the least bit worn out.

“Of course. First; She is not completely acting. She really is like magic sometimes— disgustingly kind, generous, far too willing to help just about anyone for just about any reason. She’s one of the best people I’ve ever met, as much as it pains me to admit it. But she is exaggerating her personality a bit and hiding the parts she doesn’t want anyone to see, so there is a little acting involved. Just not as much as you seem to think,” Chloe then waved her arm in a flourish as if she were presenting Marinette to them. “In short; behold Mari Dupain-Cheng, the ridiculously likeable, disgustingly cute, extremely philanthropic mask that she shows everyone at public events like this. You don’t see any of the insomnia, or the anxiety, or the self doubt. Just the parts she wants you to see, accompanied with a smile to blind you to everything else,” her all-too-deep blue eyes settled back on Bruce then, a knowing glint shining in them. “Don’t you think that’s ridiculously similar to Brucie Wayne for you, Monsieur? Utterly, ridiculously, similar?”

Bruce grit his teeth. He hadn’t expected anyone else to know about his exceptionally well hidden secret, not even his kids had caught on or found his buried evidence yet. Yet his heiress comes up, nearly flaunting her knowledge in his face with all too many unspoken questions and criticisms.

And her cryptic words had succeeded in making all of his kids look at him with extreme suspicion. Shit.

“What are you saying, Miss Bourgeois?” he cautiously prodded. She hummed noncommittally before dropping the bomb all too casually;

“I’m saying I’ve seen her adoption papers, and you won’t be able to run from her for long Monsieur Wayne. As soon as she gets an opening, she’s going to pounce,” Chloe’s eyes glittered dangerously again. “And nowadays, Marinette doesn’t ever let people escape her. Your problem with adoption has created a rather unique problem, you know. You’re at fault for a large majority of her self confidence issues, and I want you to know that I am not going to forget or forgive that anytime soon.”

“Bruce,” Jason’s voice was dark and threatening. “What is she talking about?”

“Something we don’t want getting in the tabloids,” Yet another new voice popped up, allowing Chloe to smugly sink back into the background.

Somewhere during their discussion, Marinette had ambushed them.

“Chloe and I are very good at locating all the reporters in a room and distracting them, but we’re not infallible and this event has far too much coverage,” Her smile reeked confidence and charm, but this close all the Waynes could see the doubt hiding in her bluebell eyes. “Since I’m about to turn eighteen, I figured this would be as good a time as any to finally confront you. I want to make it clear that I seek nothing from you, except the occasional contact. I would like to keep in touch, if nothing else. But if you are adverse to that… then at least answer my questions after the gala,” her eyes developed a hint of carefully controlled desperation. “Please.”

Bruce met her eyes evenly, trying to read her. But she was difficult, simultaneously too many emotions to sort through in her demeanor and much too little. After an extremely tense moment of silence, his voice came out barely above a whisper:

“You do not want anybody to know?”

And hell, if she didn’t recognize the hidden vulnerability in his voice as the very same she heard in her own far too often. In a much tamer version of her own rambling, he went on:

“I can keep it silent if that is what you want. But I want you to know that I will not be adverse to you admitting it anywhere. I don’t expect you to change your name, but I would not be ashamed of the truth getting out. I am not ashamed of it, of you.”

Marinette’s smile grew a little watery. She had to clear her throat to keep herself from tearing up. “Maybe eventually, but not yet. I… I want to stay a little more anonymous for now. It’s one thing to be a well known designer with good connections. It’s an entirely different thing to be…”

“A Wayne?” Bruce finished, ignoring the daggers that were being stared into his back. “I understand completely.

“Father,” Damian’s voice was all sharp edges and rapidly suppressed panic. “What. Is going. On?”

Marinette shot him an apologetic smile. “Apparently, eighteen years ago, his prerogative was to put the child he actually knew about up for adoption when the mother died in childbirth,” her voice was once again only barely loud enough for them to hear, since she didn’t want any eavesdroppers. “Imagine my surprise when I find out he completely flipped sides only months later.”

--*--*--*--*--*

Hey, so please share your feedback on this. This is just to test out a possible new bio dad, multichapter fic and this is the opening scene I'm trying out. If you like it, please tell me what you like about it and please suggest titles for the story! I love you guys' feedback so much!

#maribat #bio!dad au #bio!dad bruce wayne #platonic daminette #platonic jasonette #platonic dickinette #platonic timinette #platonic timari #mlb x dc #ml x dc #maribat fic #platonic brucinette #older sister Marinette

[squishneedsahero]

Building Bonds

Awesomest of Them All 2.0

Part 3 of 13

Word Count: 1259

Batman x Batmom!Reader

You know what the bat family needs? Someone to pull them together and give them all the love they deserve. Who better to do that than you? An author rising to stardom in Gotham who catches the eye of a billionaire with your standoffish attitude at a huge social gathering. You are yourself and never pretend to be more or less than that. Plus you're the most stubborn person in the world, refusing to let good things go without reason.

This is a rewrite of my story Awesomest of Them All, I wanted to see how much I've improved over 3 years.

"You sure you want to take him with?" Bruce asks.

You look up from packing, "Yes Bruce, have you ever known me to not be sure of something?" You move out of your bedroom to sit on your couch next to Bruce.

He wraps his arms around your waist, "He can be quite the handful," as he speaks you lean against his chest.

"I know," you pause, "but we've been dating for over a year now, and I want to get to know Dick better."

Bruce sighs, "Alright, I'm going to head home and I'll let him know," he stands up and you do as well.

"I'll come pick him up tonight," you lead Bruce to the door of your apartment.

"I'll see you then," he leans in and kisses you before leaving.

"Hello Miss l/n," Alfred greets you at the door.

"Hi Alfred," you say shaking his hand because what else are you supposed to do when someone won't just call you y/n? As soon as you step inside you hear a shout.

"Y/n!" Dick exclaims running up to you and wrapping his arms around you in a hug.

"Hi Dick! Are you ready to go?"

"Almost," Dick releases you and goes to grab his bags.

When you stand up from hugging the boy you feel two arms wrap around your waist from behind you. "Hello you," You say turning around to face Bruce as he holds you tighter.

"Be safe," Bruce says before he kisses you and you kiss back, not as long as you'd like as you hear a gagging noise behind you.

You smirk and pull away from the kiss, "No promises, conventions can be quite dangerous," you release from the hug as you lay a hand dramatically across your forehead. You then turn to face Dick, "you ready now?"

"Yup!"

"Then let's go," You say going to help him carry his bags. You take the duffel bag from the eleven year old and throw it over your shoulder. "See You next week," you say kissing Bruce one last time.

"See ya," Dick says hugging Bruce then Alfred.

"Be good," Bruce says ruffling Dicks hair.

"Goodbye Master Dick," Alfred says hugging the boy back.

"Were driving?" Dick asks when he sees how packed your car is.

"Well I am, but yes we're driving," you reply to his question.

"Cool," Dick says, "we usually just fly to things, it's been a while since I've been on a road trip..." he trails off sounding slightly down.

"You get to be the D.j.," you say waving at the radio, trying to lighten the mood as you get what he's saying about the last time he'd been on a road trip, as it was probably last with his parents, the flying Graysons.

"Really?" Dick looks at the radio then back to you excitedly.

"Yup. We'll listen to whatever you want to," you say, smiling at him.

He turns on the radio and finds the aux cord and plugs it into his phone and hits shuffle. He's heard the weird music you listen too, a little bit of everything so he knows you won't judge his taste in music. He obviously still picks a playlist he thinks you'd approve of that is all Disney music since that's always a safe bet to play around adults when you're only 10.

The two of you bond during the long drive to Metropolis, singing along to all the classics such as Under the Sea and Hakuna Matata. The both of you share a joint hotel room for the night, Dick in his own room to be sure he's comfortable and knows he is free to have boundaries with you. The two of you go out to dinner at a fancy restaurant and bump into some reporter who apparently knows both Dick and Bruce relatively well.

The tall broad shouldered man introduces himself as Clark Kent and you introduce yourself just for Clark's girlfriend Lois to ask you for an interview while you're in town.

You're about to turn her down but Dick answers for you, saying he's sure you'd love too and he'd just go hang out with Clark for a while. It's a little odd but you go with it since Dick seems so excited about it. After talking for a while and setting up a time to meet they leave the restaurant to let you and Dick finish your dinner and desert before going back to the hotel.

The two of you walk into the convention center and Dick exclaims, "Woah! This is awesome!"

"Yeah, it is," you say following him where ever he went. You had let Dick pick the costumes so you were dressed as (Disney Princess) and him as (Quirky Sidekick), since today wasn't a day you had a panel for the third book of the series you were writing. "So, where to first?"

He shrugs, "I don't know," he keeps craning his neck to look around, "I've never been to one of these before."

You shake your head and tsk softly, "come on, I'll teach you how to enjoy a comicon kiddo," you gently take his hand and lead the way incognito over to the artists alley.

The main reason you gave Dick for being dressed up was so less people would recognize you since you really had blown up in popularity since releasing your first and second books and the third being released this year.

In the artists alley you both look at all the cool stickers and pins that they had made. You get lots of stuff since you could now afford to actually support the artists with more than a like and a follow.

As the two of you wander you come across someone who had drawn some merch for your series. Their art was amazing, catching the character's personalities perfectly. It's as you're talking with the artist about their different work that they suddenly recognize you as y/n l/n and not as just another fan.

You smile and laugh softly, this was the one reason you enjoyed being a public figure, so that you could make people's days in such a small way by just liking their art or smiling at them. Anyways, Dick is hungry so you hurry along since you know he won't complain as he's used to Bruce getting held up. Anyways you quickly get the artist's contact information and take a picture with them, letting them know they can share it that night once the con was over for the day.

After that you move on with Dick to find some junk food to eat and a couple panels to sit in on. Over all the two of you have an amazing week together, bonding over movies, music and food. You get interviewed by Lois who is just as confused as you are as to how Clark and Dick know each other. Then you have a fan panel yourself at the con, answering lots of fan's questions. Plus the fact that you finally found someone to be the official artist for your books.

With a week spent together you and Dick are closer than ever. The two of you hadn't been not close but without Bruce and Alfred not around to buffer your interactions you have closer to what you think a mother son relationship should be like. After that week spent together you head back home to Gotham, the two of you had had fun but it would be nice to get back to normal life once again.

#Batman #batmom #batmom reader #batman x you #batfam x batmom #bruce wayne #bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x y/n #bruce wayne x you #batfam #batfam x you #batfam x reader #batfam x y/n #batman x batmom #batman x batmom!reader

[bitimdrake]

okay i'm about eight issues into batman eternal and have been jotting little notes like

Dustin Nguyen and Trevor McCarthy art are both immediately obvious the second I open an issue, and both so delightful <333 ALSO they're a huge breath of fresh air between the artists who draw women like they've never seen one outside of pin-ups.

plus under Nguyen's pen Crystal Brown is immediately recognizable with the same look as pre-flashpoint, which I loved.

which only makes me MORE UPSET that crystal would do this you bastard you fiend, how dare you betray the memory of post-crisis Crystal and side with your shitty husband against your daughter.

Speaking of, intellectually I knew it would only make sense to re-introduce Steph with a new origin story, but it's still so....weird to read a Steph clueless about her dad's activities. Even in her very first comics, she'd known about and hated her dad since she was a kid (despite not becoming Spoiler until much later), and it's remarkable how huge a change that one little thing makes.

There was a split second where I was wondering if that indicated that Flashpoint!Cluemaster was actually a better dad and didn't give Steph reason to hate him, and then he immediately tried to kill her so uh. no. Interested to see if Steph trusting her dad but him still being terrible is something that will have an explanation (i mean, there is certainly a secret plot going on here with Crystal and Arthur), or if it's just a weird artifact.

ON OTHER TOPICS

the more I think about it, the more I am baffled that one bullet hitting one electrical box that's in plain view of a subway station can immediately shut down control of the trains and get hundreds of people killed. Either this is a plot point, or Gotham has just. the worst infrastructure ever.

i can't get over falcone wearing what looks like a blazer over a t-shirt in every scene. You're a crime kingpin, dude. (in gotham!!) Get better fashion.

Okay, last point because I really don't want to say it but. Babs....sucks? I'm sorry. Like, entirely separate from how the ableism and infantilization of reverting her to Batgirl sucks, she also. sucks? as a person? And it's not some specific artifact of one writer on one book--it is very consistent across her appearances by now that Babs hardcore, blindly supports police in a way not even the typical milquetoast centrist version of Batman really reaches. She passionately insists every single shooting is justified. She refuses to even consider her dad could have ever made a mistake. (She goes on a very stupid public rant in court as the judge tells her to be quiet.) And yeah! That's her dad! I get it! But it comes across so bullheaded, and stupidly, stubbornly determined to support her "team" rather than actually form an opinion on a situation. I 100% believe Babs thinks cops should always have each other's backs, in the worst way. And she's lashing out at everyone around her because she is personally upset. (Which, ngl, is kinda funny to see Bruce on the receiving end of for once, but it's still a thoroughly unmerited response.) I genuinely hate that I feel this way but...I straight up don't like Post-Flashpoint!Babs at this point :/

#* #*dc #dc #dc reading tag #missing oracle for more reasons now

[wrenhyperfixates]

Anything

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: When the Avengers latest mission is to visit local schools, Loki’s insecurities start to get the better of him. But with you to there comfort him, he realizes that with you by his side, he can do anything. Warnings: a little angsty, but mainly fluff A/N: Enjoy :)

Permanent Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiant​ @lunarmoon8​ @twhiddlestonsstuff​ @lokistan​ @lowkeyorlokificrecs​ @gaitwae​ @whatafuckingdumbass​ @castiels-majestic-wings​ @kozkaboi​ @cozy-the-overlord​ @birdgirl90​ @myraiswack​ @mythicalgarlicknot​ @what-a-flammable-heart​ @mlqcikemenmc​

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

Loki frowned, looking out the window, down at the Avengers getting into Stark’s limo. They were doing some kind of awareness week at schools in the city, something or other about being a good citizen and staying safe. The God of Mischief had been invited to come, but he didn’t think it a particularly good idea. He’d never done anything with children before, and he wasn’t sure this was the best time to try.

“Loki?” you asked out of the blue. He whipped around at the sound of your voice. “What are you still doing here?”

“Oh, hello, darling. I just did not feel like going,” he said with a shrug. It wasn’t entirely a lie, but he still felt bad. “And what about you?”

“They insisted someone stay in case of an emergency call,” you explained. You weren’t totally sold on his excuse, but were terrified of pushing him, especially because things were going so well between you recently. “So that means we’re alone, right?”

“Yes, darling. Indeed, it does,” he replied, a smile curling on his lips.

Faster than lightning, Loki was pressing his lips to yours in a passionate kiss. You’d been dating for a little over a month, but were keeping it a secret from the rest of the Avengers. You both had your own reasons for that. Loki was afraid they wouldn’t approve and try to come between you. You, however were worried that Loki would put too much pressure on himself to be perfect if they knew, ending in him pulling away from you, convinced he wasn’t good enough. But either way, you agreed it was too soon to let them know. Soon, Loki had you pinned on the couch with his body, the raw desire in his kiss only growing. All too soon, you had to break for air, but you were quick to recapture his lips after catching your breath.

After a while, you were content to just lay with each other, cuddling while a movie played in the background. You were talking, and it reminded you of his flaky excuse from earlier. You were still worried about pressing, but god damn it, he was your boyfriend and you should be allowed to check on him.

“So...” you began.

“So?”

“So what’s the real reason why you didn’t go with the rest of the team?”

“Ah,” he said. “That.”

“Mhm. You don’t have to tell me,” you replied, caressing his cheek, “but you can always talk to me. I’m here for you, Loki. I promise.”

“I know, darling. Thank you,” he said against your skin as he nuzzled into your neck. He didn’t want to trouble you with what was on his mind, but your eyes were so innocent and full of adoration that he couldn’t resist. “I am afraid. Afraid that I would not be good with kids, that I would frighten them. Afraid that their parents would learn of my visit and cause an uproar. Afraid that I will never escape my past.”

“Oh, Loki,” you cooed, filled with compassion. You wanted to take his face in your hands, but he was still hiding in the crook of your neck. You settled for intertwining your fingers with his. “You are so, so much more than your past. New York wasn’t even your fault, for crying out loud. You are amazing, kind, insightful, compassionate, intelligent, beautiful. The list goes on and on, I assure you. The only way to deal with your fears is to face them head on, don’t you think? They may not even come true.”

You could feel his tears staining your skin, though he was obviously trying to hold them back. You were overcome with a powerful need to comfort him, to protect him from the world. It was so unfair that after all he’d been through, everyone who had hurt him, he blamed himself for all this. That he worried he wasn’t worthy of love when he was, in fact, the most deserving person you’d ever met.

“My darling,” he whispered, his voice breaking ever so slightly. Your chest swelled with pride as you realized you were one of the few—possibly the only—people he let himself be vulnerable with. “I cannot thank you enough for your words, truly.”

“You’re welcome, Loki,” you replied, taking a page out of his book and kissing the back of his hand. “You mean the world to me, my love.”

“And you the same to me,” he finally lifted his head up, and you turned to look at him. “I feel I can do anything with you at my side.”

“Does that mean what I think it does?”

“Yes. I will go with the rest of the team tomorrow if, and only if, you come with me.”

“Deal,” you agreed, kissing along his jawline and starting another make-out session.

Luckily, you heard the Avengers before you were in view of each other, giving you and Loki a chance to untangle yourselves and move to opposite ends of the couch. You shared a smile before turning your attentions to the TV as if that’s what you’d been doing the whole time.

“Well, I hope you two had a nice time while we were out doing hard work,” Tony joked.

“Tell you what,” you replied. “You get someone else to hold down the fort, and we’ll go tomorrow.”

“I’ll stay,” Bruce volunteered, a little too excitedly. He never was one for social settings. “Have fun.”

After catching up for a few minutes, you were all setting about your various tasks for the rest of the day. Before meeting Sam in the training room, you gave Loki’s hand a quick squeeze and pecked him on the cheek. Once you were gone, a feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. But he’d meant what he said, and he was willing to do anything so long as you were there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you mean we can’t visit the same classroom?” you incredulously asked.

“It’s too slow,” Steve explained. “We cover more ground, so to speak, if we split up.”

“But can’t Loki and I be a pair? Please,” you pouted.

“Sorry guys,” he said. “We have to stick to the plan if we’re going to get to all the classes.”

You frowned as he walked away. You understood where he was coming from, but felt like he should have been able to make an exception. But it seemed like there was no getting him to budge, so you dropped the matter.

“Hey, at least our classes will be right next to each other,” you tried to comfort Loki as you all walked towards your assignments. “I’m sorry I can’t stay with you though. I know I promised.”

“Oh, my sweet darling,” Loki replied, pulling you aside to give you a quick kiss. “It is not your fault. It is some Midgardian rite of passage, is it not, to be scared on your first day of school?”

You smiled at the way he was cheering you up, despite obviously being very worried about the whole situation himself. Honestly, you really couldn’t fathom why anyone was afraid of this gentle, beautiful man before you. Why he was afraid of himself.

“I love you, Loki,” you said, giving him a big hug. He melted into your touch. “You’re going to be wonderful. You feel ok with this, right? We’ll figure something out if you don’t.”

“I shall muddle through, somehow,” he assured you. “It is like you said, I must face my fears.”

You gave him one last encouraging hug and smile before disappearing into the classroom you’d be talking in. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door of his assigned room. The teacher, a middle-aged man with hair starting to gray, welcomed him. It was a little unnerving to Loki that he seemed to have no qualms with the God of Mischief entering the threshold. The class, too, was watching him with nothing less than rapt attention and bright eyes. Perhaps you were right, after all, and not as many people as he thought were still holding onto the image he’d had when he first came to Midgard.

“Hello, children,” he began after a nervous gulp. “It is lovely to be here with you today.”

“Hello, Mr. Loki,” they chorused back.

As he began the talk on safety, he relaxed a bit. It was a room full of third graders, for Norns’ sake. He had faced off against fire serpents and sea monsters. Surely he could handle a group of kids. And as he soon found out, he was right indeed. More than handle, in fact; he was great with them! As he waltzed out of the room and into the next, he wondered if he might have a family of his own one day. He didn’t know how you felt about adopting, but he was starting to like the idea. It didn’t go too well for him in his childhood, but he could ensure that some other innocent kid won’t go through what he did. Besides, the circumstances were entirely different. Though, he supposed he was getting ahead of himself, imagining having a family with you. Still, it sent a thrill right to his heart.

After a very successful morning, he met back up with you. Being the first two done with the presentations, Loki took the opportunity to whisk you away to a secluded hallway to kiss you again.

“So it went well, I take it,” you laughed as you broke away.

“Just as you said it would, darling. I even had fun.”

“Well then, congratulations, my love. I think that deserves another kiss,” you said, wrapping your arms behind his neck.

“I think that you are right,” he agreed, tickling you a little.

As your lips met again, you heard a loud, overdramatic gasp that could only belong to Tony. You both sprung back from each other, realizing the hallway wasn’t as private as you’d originally believed. Besides Tony, the other Avengers were all standing there, taking in the scene too. Shooting each other a nervous glance, you and Loki braced yourselves for whatever came next.

“You two,” Tony said, feigning utter shock and hurt, “are dating? Woe is me! How could you keep this a secret from us, your dearest teammates?”

“Spare me, Stark,” Loki said, rolling his eyes and taking your hand. If you’d been found out, might as well be confident about it. “Yes, we are together. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier.”

“Neither could I,” you agreed, going to kiss him again.

“Now, now,” Tony interjected. He stood between you and put an arm over each of your shoulders, leading the way outside. “No kissing in the halls. But you know what? I think this is the start of an awesome era for the Avengers. Just think of all the jokes!”

You giggled as Loki rolled his eyes again, though he was fighting a losing battle with a grin. As you got into the limo, fingers locked once again, Loki began to accept something. It was right what you’d said about that not being the real him at the Battle of New York. No, he was himself now. Someone different, perhaps better and stronger than ever before. And it was you in a large part who had helped him see that. He knew in that moment that he’d been entirely right; with you by his side, he could do anything.

#loki x reader #loki x you #loki x y/n #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki #mcu loki #loki fluff #fluff #mcu fluff #marvel fluff #reader insert #gender netural reader #marvel #mcu #marvel reader insert #marvel fanfiction #loki fanfic #mcu reader insert #loki friggason #loki friggason x reader #loki laufeyson x reader #loki odinson x reader #loki oneshot #marvel oneshot

[awhitehead17]

Batfam Alphabet: H - Height 

Summary: When Bruce brings a new kid home who happens to be taller than him, Tim isn’t pleased. He already gets relentless insults about his height from the others so adding someone else into the mix will not help, in fact it’s just rather mean. How could Bruce do this to him?

Enjoy! :D

“Absolutely not. Take him back. Get a refund.”

Everyone turns to look at Tim in disbelief as his protest cuts through the silence of the room. Tim pays them all little attention as he keeps his focus on the person directly in front of him.

The newest member of their dysfunctional family stands opposite Tim with a look of uncertainty on his face, probably caused by Tim’s rather blunt comment. Tim already knows all about Duke Thomas, he’s heard about him and has even read what little documents there are on him but this is the first time they are meeting in person. He had been away for the last two weeks on a Titan’s mission and  only returned to the Manor that afternoon.

Just behind Duke, Bruce stands stiffly sending him a hard glare. “Tim, do we need to have a conversation?”

In a show of exaggeration, Tim pouts and sends a Bruce a betrayed look. “Yes Bruce. Let’s have a conversation, let’s talk about how this is just unfair of you to do this to me.”

The previous looks of disbelief turn into confusion but it’s Duke who speaks up first now looking both confused and upset. “Hey man, what did I do? This is the first time we’re meeting, surely I haven’t been able to piss you off already?”

At this point Tim has to bite back a grin. He’s only teasing Duke, he has absolutely nothing against the guy, everything he's heard is all positive and Tim honestly thinks he’s brave for willingly coming into the family as he is.  

“Tim do you mind explaining yourself.” Bruce demands lowly. His adoptive father is sending him a disapproving look, clearly he isn’t clicking onto Tim’s teasing.

Waving his arms dramatically at Duke, Tim explains. “This is unfair because he’s taller than me! How could you bring someone into the family that’s taller than me Bruce, especially someone who is younger! I thought you loved me.”

A few beats of silence pass by as everyone comprehends Tim’s words. The confused looks revert back into the disbelieving looks but for a different reason this time.

From the right there’s a snort from Jason. “Oh my god I didn’t even notice it, Tim is still the smallest in the family!”

As Jason cackles, because the bastard loves taking the piss out of Tim’s height, Bruce suddenly looks resigned. He sighs before running a hand over his face and Tim bets he’s questioning why he ever thought it was a good idea to have kids.

“Aw,” Dick coos from the side, he’s grinning widely glancing at him and Duke, “Timmy is still the baby bird of the family.”

“That’s not true!” Tim protests, he wheels around to pin Dick with a look. “Damian, and now Duke, are in fact younger than me, making them the baby birds of the family.”

“Aw Timmy…” Dick makes his way over to Tim and before Tim could react, his oldest brother has him trapped in a hug. Dick locks his arms tightly around Tim’s neck and rests his head on top of Tim’s, clearly using his height to his advantage. Tim squawks in protest and tries to push him away with no avail.

“Technically speaking, isn’t Damian the shortest one out everyone?” Duke questions looking a little frazzled at everything going on.

“Yes, but not for much longer,” Jason answers him, “it’s already obvious the demon spawn will outgrow Timmy here. The kid’s eleven, he has at least another three or four growth spurts in him. And have you seen the size of Bruce? There's no way that kid is staying short.”

Tim wiggles in Dick’s grip, trying to move his head around so he could send Jason a glare. “Hey! I have at least another one in me.”

Jason raises an eyebrow. “Sure you do baby bird.”

“What about Cass, she’s smaller than Tim isn’t she?” Duke speaks up again. Tim appreciates the way he keeps bringing up other family members but it also goes to show he has a lot to learn about the way they operate in this family.

Dick gives him a squeeze and Tim grits his teeth, even throwing a punch into the man’s side in attempts to break free from the octopus grasp he’s locked in. He feels Dick shake his head. “Cass doesn’t count, she’s in her own category. Plus she doesn’t get annoyed about it like Tim does, with him we always get a reaction.”

Using all of his force this time, Tim jabs Dick in the stomach before kicking one of his knees, the man stumbles and Tim uses the advantage to finally break free from his grip. Scowling he steps away from him. “Because you’re all assholes that’s why.”

Jason rolls his eyes. “You’re the one that brought it up Tim, you were practically asking for the teasing this time round.”

All Tim could do was huff and cross his arms over his chest because he’s not wrong and Tim can’t exactly deny it.

“It doesn’t matter how tall you end up being or not being.” Bruce suddenly declares. Everyone turns to stare at him, having completely forgotten the man was even in the room. He had been silently watching them converse the entire time.

The man walks over to Tim and places a warm hand on his shoulder, sending him a supportive smile. “Unfortunately we cannot control our genes so we have to work with what we got and make up for what we don’t. You know this Tim, you need to stop letting your brother’s wind you up about it.”

Tim opens his mouth to object against his words but Bruce doesn’t seem to be interested in what he has to say because he gives his shoulder a squeeze and without further ado leaves the room. Tim blinks after him, taking a moment to register what just happened.  

A silence falls over the room as the boys all look at one another and it soon becomes awkward as no one seems to know how to break it. In the end it’s Tim himself who breaks it, in a small voice he brings up the previous topic again.

“Being small can have its benefits I guess…” He weakly argues.

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Jason mocks, either humouring Tim or simply finding another way to tease him.

“Like beating your fat ass for one.” Tim retorts, trying to not fall for the trap again. This kind of thing really does hit a nerve and make him go on the defensive side. It’s one of his insecurities, he can’t help it.

“Excuse you, I am not fat. This is all hard core muscles, you little twink.” Jason counters back, even standing up straighter as if his height will intimidate Tim.

Tim rolls his eyes at the display, he may be short yes, but he is far from intimidated by Jason’s height. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Alright enough.” Tim’s attention breaks away from Jason when Dick steps between them, intervening. “Enough with the dick measuring contest. As Bruce rightfully said, we work with what we’ve got and make up for what we don’t. Every height has its advantages and disadvantages.”

“Oh fuck off dickhead. That’s bullshit and you know it. We have to show Duke here how things get sorted here now he’s part of the family.” Jason says eyes narrowing at the oldest in the room.

“Real mature Jay,” Dick rolls his eyes, he glances at Duke afterwards, “this isn’t how things get sorted out between us, we’re better than this.”

Duke holds his hands up placatingly, “I don’t even think I want to know.”

“That’s probably a wise idea.”

Tim snorts. “Oh don’t worry about it, Jason here is just insecure because he knows that I can take him down. Even with my small size I can beat him.”

Jason points at him threateningly. “Is that a challenge replacement? Because I will take you down.”

“Will you now? And how would you do that, by sitting on me?”

“Right you little shit…”

Tim yelps as Jason lunges for him. He’s able to dart out of the way from being grabbed and has to dodge again when Jason lunges for him a second time. Knowing that Jason won’t stop until he’s had his revenge Tim dashes for the door to make his escape. As he exits the room he shouts over his shoulder. “Can your fat ass keep up? My smaller size allows me to be more agile than you!”

Jason yells in protest but Tim doesn’t pay attention to it, all he does it focus on getting as far away as he could.

Back in the room, Dick and Duke watch as Tim hurriedly exits the room with a furious Jason on his tail. Dick is unsurprised by the turn of events, having gotten used to this kind of thing a long time ago. Duke, on the other hand, blinks in bewilderment and concern. He opens and closes his mouth several times without saying anything as if he doesn’t know what to say.

Dick glances at him after a moment. “Don’t worry about it, this kind of thing happens all the time, you’ll get used to it.”

“So a simple conversation can turn into a fighting match?”

“Yeah pretty much.” Dick starts heading for the door, gesturing for Duke to follow him. “Come on, let’s go make sure they haven’t killed one another.”

Duke looks alarmed at that. “Wait don’t tell me that’s a thing we have to actually worry about!”

Dick could only laugh in response to that.

#batfam alphabet #Tim Drake #bruce wayne #Jason Todd #dick grayson #duke thomas #sibling relationship #sibling rivalry #batfam #humour #everyone makes fun of Tim's height #poor duke #he has no idea what he's in for #teasing #fanfiction

[quillsareswords]

Could you do something with Damian and a really cuddly, clingy, touchy-feely reader? I feel like his brothers would be v confused about the whole situation bc Damian's just chillin and always seems neutral to what's happening while reader is just like, koala bear hugging him and stuff all the time.

Firstly. I love this concept with every fiber of my being because, oh good god, it's me. Thank you so much for bringing this to inbox, because I've been lacking on inspiration lately, and this is just what I need right now. Thanks doll!!

Prompt List // Masterlist (in bio)

Tim stops dead in his tracks, cereal bowl nearly slipping from his hand as he halts in the doorway to the huge living room. He pauses, before cautiously asking, "What is this? What am I looking at?"

Damian's arm twitches against your back, the only give away that he's been caught off guard. You seem just as relaxed, sprawled on top of him like you've been there your whole life.

You don't even look at him, eyes still glued to the phone screen shining up at you from the floor, which you're facing with your face pressed against Damian's shoulder. "You've known me for five years and you still haven't learned my name? Rude."

He blinks. "Sure, sure. Right. Because it's absolutely normal for anyone to successfully get within a foot of Damian and not get knocked out."

You snort, but it still isn't enough to pry your attention away from your phone. Damian either, as he reads a book over your shoulder, which is settled under his chin. He must be tired or in a terrifyingly good mood, if he hasn't shoved you off in hopes of hiding emotions from his family. That's what he usually does when he gets caught with you, anyway.

He's been tiptoeing around the subject of you for a solid year and half now. It wasn't exactly easy, seeing as you're also a family friend, what with being a vigilante and all. You're Damian's partner, have been for three years, and you're in the manor often enough that you have your own room, right next to Damian's.

Still, even with no clear answers from either of you, the whole family has suspected a relationship for a long time.

But Damian isn't very touch oriented. In fact, he's been known to go to nearly astonishing lengths to avoid being touched at all.

And now here he is, you laying on top of him, out in the open, absolutely unbothered by Tim catching it.

Tim decides quickly not to risk Damian's mood spoiling while he's around, so he backpedals and heads for his room.

• • •

Jason doesn't come to the manor often, but when he does, there's usually a decently concerning reason for it. This time, he's waiting out a possible kidnapping by one king pin or another. You haven't been paying as much attention as you probably should.

Now, he's trotting down the steps from Bruce's office to fix a suspicious rattling noise his motorcycle has been making for a shameful period of time.

However, he stops beside the super computer, looking a little aghast and far too dramatic for the sight.

Damian side-eyes him, still typing away, but his head doesn't move. It really can't, because you're resting your head on top of it.

You're resting your full weight on the back of the chair, which Jason now realizes isn't the tall backed chair that usual sits there, with your cheek buried in the soft looking bush that is Damian's hair. Your eyes are closed, and your arms and draped over his shoulders, hands laying on his chest.

Jason catches himself staring when Damian's side-eyeing turns into a curious glare. Tentatively, Jason points to you, and raises an eyebrow.

Lowly, Damian somewhat patiently answers, "She's half asleep."

Your eyebrows slant together. "Hmm?"

Jason's expression becomes more confused. "She sleeps standing up?"

"Apparently," Damian mumbles.

Jason, more than a little perturbed but Damian's oddly placid demeanor and your absurd sleeping habits, shuffles the rest if the way to his bike, grabbing the toolbox on his way.

• • •

Dick sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket—correction, three blankets, facing the rest of the living room, where Damian sits on one couch, and Duke occupies the other.

"No no, I'm not saying Bella wasn't smokin, I'm just saying that those facial expressions and life decisions were questionable enough to make a guy think twice," Dick tries to reason.

Duke makes a face. "Bro, are you kidding? If a chick stares at you from across a lunch room and you've never spoke to her, you don't even try."

Damian scoffs. Duke raises an eyebrow, and just when he's about to beg for the story of who tied him to a steel chair and forced him to watch Twilight, you shoulder the double door open.

Damian doesn't look up from his newest book, which could be deemed rude if you weren't so close and comfortable with one another. "Evening, Beloved, how was your drive?"

You say nothing. You drop your bag by his feet, crawl the rest of the way onto the couch, and collapse. Your head in on a pillow between Damian's thighs and the arm of the couch, the rest of you divided unevenly between his lap and the rest of the couch.

He glances away from the pages briefly. "Traffic?" His hand slips under your shirt to gently run blunt nails up and down your spine.

For a moment, you're quiet, and neither of the two older men know how to react.

Then, without warning, you wail into the pillow. "Who the everloving fuck drives a Winnebago through central Gotham at six o'clock going fourteen miles an hour?"

Duke barks a loud laugh, before he claps a hand over his mouth in fear of a punishment. But a man can only do so much, so he sits with his hand over his mouth, giggling like a fifteen year old listening to a dirty joke with his parents in the room.

Damian chuckles lightly, white teeth peeking through a little smile that he's trying to suppress, much for the same reason Duke is doing his best not to let you hear him laugh.

Dick is more focused on the two of you, and the fact that his baby brother has grown up and changed for the better so much—

• • •

Cassandra climbs the stairs with some difficulty, thanks to two new sets of stitches and a few too many fresh bruises.

It's nothing a few days of relaxation won't fix. It was worth it, to see Poison Ivy put back behind bars—even if it did take four of you.

Shortly after arriving back, you and Damian had disappeared up to his room, after you'd both been checked over by Alfred. Aside from some intense bruising and a fee cuts and scrapes, you'd both been spared.

She knocks on his door a few times. With no answer, she loudly turns the handle and pushes the door open slowly, giving you enough time to correct her if need be. She knows at least one of you are in here, because the light is on. "Alfred sent me to tell you that there's dinner, if you want–"

She stops. You are, in fact, both in the room. However, neither of you are conscious.

Damian is sprawled haphazardly across his bed, face half squished into a pillow.

You're flopped across his back, horizontal across his bed, likely also with a pillow, but she can't see your face to be sure.

For a moment that feels a little intrusive, she stares, eyes wide. Not because he's in only boxers and you're in shorts and a sports bra (neither are necessarily a new sight, with one makeshift locker room in the Cave and a city with way too many privacy-surpassing emergencies), but because she's never witnessed Damian allowing another person to be so close to him while asleep.

Even on week long stakeouts that confine them to one room, he claims one corner for himself and doesn't tolerate that invisible boundary to be broken, especially when he's asleep.

She wouldn't even be so surprised if you were passed out in his reading chair, or even on a pile of blankets in the floor, or hell, even if you were on opposite sides of the bed. But you're literally as close to him as you could possibly be. And he's still sound asleep.

She closes the door and backs away slowly, a little smile on her face, even though she was too tired to laugh at the joke Bruce tried to crack a few minutes ago.

• • •

Bruce sits, almost impatiently, on a stone bench by the fountain the middle of Gotham City Gardens. The whole family had come here for the day, on invitation of the organization's owners. Of course, not everyone was officially recognized as family by anyone outside the Manor, so there were quite a few plus ones—you being one of them.

Of course you were. You're always invited. Over the years, it's become a running joke. A trip to the grocery store? (Y/N) must be invited. Walking from the W.I. building to an ice cream parlor and back? I bet (Y/N) is invited. At one point, Damian became so simultaneously annoyed and amused by it that for a week, you really did join him on every single outing. No one knows how exactly you made it across Gotham in six minutes flat to help him pick up cereal but by golly you managed it.

Bruce is currently waiting on you and Damian, who swore to meet him here for a few pictures (at Alfred's request). The pair of you had gone off on your own after about an hour of meandering around with his family, and no one has heard from either of you since. He would be worried, but you were both too excited about this to get into any trouble that would risk being sent home early.

Your laughter finds him before you do. It comes from around a corner of tall hedges, and shortly after, so do you.

You're smiling ear to ear, giggling like a school girl, elbows balanced on Damian's shoulders, about as precariously as you are on his back. That is to say, quite stable. Damian is grinning as well, his arms linked around you're knees at his sides to keep you as stable as you are. You've got an ice cream cone in each hand, one obviously having had more attention than the other.

Bruce's heart swells in his chest at the absolute joy on his son's face.

Damian stops not too far, shifting your weight to free one hand. You help, carefully resituating yourself to hold yourself up easily. You hand him the neglected ice cream, resting your now free hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Father," Damian sounds a little winded, and Bruce wonders if the running he heard earlier had been you two. "Somebody found an ice cream bar and insisted we stop before meeting you." He doesn't sound apologetic in the least.

"Hey!" You laugh, flicking the back of his ear as payback.

As payback for payback, he takes the edge of his cone between his teeth, and uses his free hand to give the back of your knee a quick pinch, before he occupies his hand again to tilt the odds in his favor.

You squeal and jerk. "Damian! You're gonna make me fall, and if I go down, you're coming with me!"

Bruce laughs loudly.

• • •

Alfred is on his way to the library to finish the afternoon chores. All he needs to do is straighten up in there, and he can call it an evening. Just in time, too, as one of the local channels is running a Downton Abbey marathon tonight that he doesn't particularly want to miss.

He pushes open the doors to get a little extra fresh air, but pauses just inside the doorway.

Damian is stretched out in one of the plush leather chairs, his long legs propped up by his ankles on the coffee table, head resting limply on the back of the chair. You're curled up in his lap, head on his shoulder, legs folded up on either side of his thighs, arms wound around his back. His hands are folded together on your back. You're both fast asleep.

The elder man is suddenly flooded with memories of the boy's first few months in this manor. In this room, even. He was politely feral, as Bruce had once put it. He was so uncomfortable all the time, though he fought not to show it. It was so new to him, to be openly cared for the way his family tried to care for him. Most people he met back then treated him as the cold, rude, trained assassin that he presented himself as.

So many overlooked the terrified ten year old boy that shook beneath the armor and the weight of the mantels he was expected to take up in so few years.

Of course Alfred had been paying attention to him all this time, all the growing he's done and the man he's becoming. He's always been proud.

But it's here, in this exact moment, that Alfred really takes in how different he is now, compared to then.

Not only did he find the strength and the trust to forge a close bond with you, one that would arguably outlast just about anything it was forced to endure, but he'd fostered such a sweet affection for you. He's found the space within himself to make room for a great love for you, and his family, and his friends.

And you're so good for him. You remind him of the things he could be, if he wanted, and not of what he should be or could have been. You provide him a sense of normalcy when he needs it, and battle ready companion when he needs that.

You look past the blazing armor of controlled aggression and lessons learned to reach the beautiful soul he is. And most importantly, you love him for all of it. You manage to dig so far beyond what he's been taught and the walls he's put up, that you look at what was meant to be the perfect soldier and you see a pillow to sleep on. You trust him with everything, including your vulnerability, just as he trusts you.

Alfred marks the page of the open book on the floor, closes it, and leaves it in the table for you later. He leaves as quietly as he came, in hopes of leaving the two of you undisturbed.

#damian wayne imagine #damian wayne #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne headcannon #damian wayne blurb

[preciousthingsareprecious]

That Time Tim Totally Terminated Ra's Al Ghuls Entire Empire Part 1

So. I wrote something very silly. The title says it all, except it doesn't because this bad boy spiraled out to being over 10k and deserving of 2 chapters. Anyway, here is the first chapter featuring all the times Ra's kidnapped Tim because he wanted to recruit him.

Summary:

"Let us not beat around the bush,” Ra’s started, after taking a sip from his tea, “I have brought you here to make you an offer.” Tim nodded, that was obvious enough. Ra's had no reason to kidnap him this time beyond something like this.

“As you know, I’m always on the lookout for enterprising young individuals with both leadership and fighting experience to join the League of Assassins. Right now I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect person to fill a brand new executive role in a new chapter of my organization.”

AO3 Link

~

Tim wasn’t entirely sure how he’d ended up in this situation. No really. One moment he’d been in Gotham, crouched behind an old BMW that had been in the same spot for a month, waiting on Batman’s signal, the next he’d woken up in some lavishly decorated room. Was that silk? Or maybe velvet? He had no idea what was hanging around the bed he was laying in, but Tim really didn’t care.

What he was concerned about was his own personal state. He raised his arms --that alone was a good sign-- and confirmed that his mask was in place. He pushed himself up on the ridiculously plush bed, -which was unreasonably plush by the standards of a kid who'd grown up rich, and then gone to live with a guy who had both more money and even better beds.

The point was, the bed was so soft Tim actually had a bit of trouble sitting up.

When he did manage to right himself, he finished taking stock of his own situation and his surroundings. His Robin uniform was intact aside from his belt, but he saw that set on a trunk that looked at least as old as Bruce, a few feet away. The room was, as he already determined, lavishly decorated.

Tim pushed himself out of the bed and onto a carpet so thick he kind of wanted to pull off his shoes and curl his toes in it, but seeing as he still had no idea where he was, who took him, or why, he figured that was probably out of the question. He did make a mental note to ask Bruce for some better carpet when he got home. As a kind of gift for surviving a very weird kidnapping.

Instead, he moved to walk carefully around the room. He found no obvious traps, no cameras or speakers or microphones that were either hidden or out in the open, and both doors were unlocked.

The first he opened revealed a bathroom. The second he cracked open to peer out of. His eyes locked on that of an honest to goodness ninja standing guard outside the door. The man locked eyes with him and Tim snapped the door shut with a click.

Welp, that answered the who and maybe even the where of Tim’s abduction. Ra’s Al Ghul. He was pretty sure if he gave the ninja ten minutes to go find Mr. al Ghul himself, he’d have the why too.

While he waited, Tim snapped his belt back around his waist, comfortable to have its weight back, even if being in a League stronghold meant all the tricks in his pockets were basically useless on his own. Still, it was nice to feel fully like Robin again.

After that it was a matter of waiting.

Tim paced an actual trench into the thick carpet as he waited. Batman was of course looking for him. That was a given, he just had to wait for the man to find him. Or for Ra’s to send him home? He really wasn’t sure why the Eco-terrorist would have taken him in the first place beyond a really weird obsession with Batman's various sidekicks.

How come all of Bruce’s baddies seemed to have a strange fixation on Robins? It was weird how many went out of their way to kidnap and attempt to recruit him, Dick, and if the stories were to be believed, Jason too.

Just as Tim was starting to turn that particular thought over in his head, the door to his room opened and Ra’s himself strolled in.

“Timothy.” the man drawled.

“Ra’s.” Tim replied, suddenly totally and completely unsure what to do with his hands, voice, feet, and general self. This wasn’t a fight after all.

He settled for crossing his arms and being terribly glad his domino hid his eyes.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here.” Ra’s said.

Tim shrugged, “It doesn’t take the world’s greatest detective to guess that.”

The man frowned at him, and Tim started to wonder if maybe he should be watching his words a bit. He wasn’t in Gotham with Batman at his back after all. But then again, Ra’s must need something from him right? So a little sass was okay, what was Robin without a smart mouth after all?

“I mean--” Tim started, unable to stop himself now that he was thinking about it, “I can probably start to guess. You didn’t kill me and I’m not in a dungeon so you’ve got to want something from me right? I bet this is some blend of trying to win me over and also hold me above Batman because you--” he paused for a moment trying to remember if Bruce had been on Ra’s’ trail at all lately.

He dropped his arms and clapped, remembering, “You’ve been trying to break into energy and you want Wayne Enterprise to back you and legitimize your business. So you’re holding Tim over Bruce, but you probably want Robin because you and like half of Batman’s rogues have this weird obsession with teen heroes for some reason."

At some point he’d stopped looking at Ra’s and actually started pacing again. When he stopped talking his feet stilled and he looked back up at Ra's and grinned, ""So, am I hot or freezing cold?”

He expected Ra's to looked angry or irritated, instead he looked amused.

“You are quite warm. Though I would contend the assertion that I have a weird obsession with teen heroes. I am only interested in the exceptional, and you Timothy, are exceptional indeed.”

Tim gulped, “I mean--not really? But thanks.”

Ra’s waved him off, “We will speak more later. You are correct, I do intend to use you as a bargaining chip against your guardian--”

“Dad.” Tim interjected.

The man raised an eyebrow but continued, “However you are not a prisoner in the traditional sense. You may wander the compound with one of my men by your side to ensure you do not get into trouble. If all goes well you will be returned to Batman within a reasonable amount of time. Unless, of course, you do decide you would like to stay and learn from me.”

“I don’t really see that happening.” Tim said, “But I'll be sure and let you know if I make a sudden turn towards world domination.”

Again, Tim expected some kind of retaliation, but he was thankfully ignored. Ra’s left him with a warning not to cause undue trouble and soon Tim was alone in the room again.

He spent the next couple days wandering the compound somewhat aimlessly. He had a phone call with Bruce where he promised his dad that he was totally fine if a little bored, and spent the rest of his time trying to avoid Ra’s. The man was kind of relentless in his attempts at winning Tim over to his side and sought him out at meals, when Tim was trying to train a bit at one of the many gyms, and even once while Tim was wandering a rather fantastic garden. Each time, Tim did his best to wiggle out of the man's suggestions and just get back to wiling away the time between then and getting home.

Thankfully, it was all over in four days when Batman came crashing in with Nightwing and Batwoman to rescue him, and soon Tim was home and settling back into normal life.

He’d actually almost forgotten about the whole Ra’s kidnapping him until it happened again. Once had been a surprise, two times was starting to look deliberate.

This one lasted a week with Ra’s claiming it was because he still really wanted that energy deal and he just couldn’t understand why Bruce wasn’t willing to trade that for his ward (son Tim had ground out in irritation).

Tim almost believed him, until he woke one morning to find a pamphlet had been slipped under his door, it was literally a flyer promoting hiring in the League. Tim looked over it and had to laugh out loud. The text was done in a mix of papyrus and other fonts and whoever made it had used clip art. It looked like someone had typed it up in Microsoft word in like half an hour.

He spent the rest of his time there re-designing the flyer, with a ninja hanging over his shoulder as he used one of the League computers. The new one wasn’t the best flyer in the world, but Tim was pretty proud of it, and it was much better than the first draft.

When he was done, he pocketed the original, then pinned a note to the new one that said: Ha! Not until you get better designers.

Batman rescued him again, and Tim pushed the double kidnapping and Ra’s’ weird obsession to the back of his mind until the next time he was with Steph.

They were in the manor watching a Chopped marathon and Tim was telling her about both kidnappings.

“So he’s super into energy? How come he didn’t nab Dick? We all know he’s Bruce’s favorite.” Steph teased, popping a chip into her mouth.

“Setting aside that obvious lie, that’s the thing,” Tim continued, digging out the flyer he’d kept, “It has nothing to do with energy or Dick. I’m pretty sure Ra’s is trying to recruit me.”

He showed her the paper and Steph snorted, spraying chips out as she laughed, “No. Freaking. Way. I have to tell Cass. Let me show her this, please I’m begging you.”

Tim groaned, “Yeah, sure, but don’t you think it’s weird?”

She shrugged, taking the flyer to look it over, “Of course, but the B-man attracts weird like ice cream dropped on the ground attracts ants. Give him six months, and Ra’s will move onto a different way of trying to piss off Batman.”

“I hope so.” Tim said.

The third time Tim woke up in the elaborate room he was getting really sick of the decor and the headache that came with being knocked out and dragged halfway across the world.

“You know.” Tim started, the moment Ra's walked into his room (and it was actually Tim’s room he’d learned from one of the ninja guards), “You could have waited a month this time, to at least pretend this wasn’t all about your super weird plan to try and convince me into letting you adopt me.”

Ra’s opened his mouth to respond, but Tim wasn’t done.

“Which, by the way, I’m taken already. B did the whole adopting thing, so you missed that window. Though, I guess that probably doesn't really matter to you in the grand scheme of things since you keep kidnapping me. You are aware that kidnapping isn’t the best way to convince someone that your way is the right one, right?”

“Also, would it kill you to pick up some --I don’t know-- books on recruitment or something? I don’t understand how you’ve managed to get so many guys on your side it’s--” Tim started, but Ra’s had caught on to Tim’s mood at this point, conceded temporary defeat, and made a hasty retreat.

Tim didn't see him the whole rest of the day, and by the next morning Batman showed up, swinging in for another rescue and all was fine and good and normal for a while.

Until, of course, it wasn’t.

It was the fourth kidnapping that really set Tim off.

He woke up back in that stupid room with it’s stupid decor and those stupid posters ready to burn the place to the ground. But something stopped him, a premonition. Like if he was patient for just a little longer he’d find a good and proper form of revenge to take on Ra’s for his total inability to take a hint.

At some point two ninja came by to take Tim to meet with Ra’s. As they walked Tim couldn’t help but notice the posters literally lining the hallways they walked through.

They were of two wildly different styles, but both struck a thought of familiarity in his mind. One was obviously a play on the classic “I want you in the army” poster. The other ripped off old “pin up” recruitment posters. Both made him laugh, and Tim pulled a couple of each down to save to show the Titans. He had a feeling Bart and Kon would lose their minds over these.

He had just folded them up and shoved them in his back pocket when they reached an office. Inside, Ra’s sat in a chair and motioned Tim to sit in one across from him.

“Thank you for joining me, Timothy.”

Tim sat and shrugged, “Not like I had much of a choice.”

Ra’s waved him off. As he did, a different ninja from either of the ones who’d escorted Tim to the office came in with a tray of tea. He handed Ra’s a cup, then gave one to Tim, and left the set on a table between them.

The whole vibe was kind of awkward and strange. Tim felt very much like he had one time a year ago when he’d realized halfway through a date that things were not going to work out. He hadn’t been able to end the date then and there, and had spent another two hours awkwardly making small talk and trying to avoid promising a second date.

“Let us not beat around the bush,” Ra’s started, after taking a sip from his tea, “I have brought you here to make you an offer.”

Tim nodded, that was obvious enough. Ra's had no reason to kidnap him this time beyond something like this.

“As you know, I’m always on the lookout for enterprising young individuals with both leadership and fighting experience to join the League of Assassins. Right now I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect person to fill a brand new executive role in a new chapter of my organization.”

Tim took a sip of his tea in an attempt at avoiding having his mouth drop open in shock. Ra’s sounded like something out of a “Executive success seminar” that was just a veiled multilevel marketing scheme.

“To put it plainly, Timothy, I want you to become my apprentice. I know you and assume you might be hesitant to accept this lifestyle so I’ve prepared for you something of a presentation on what that might entail.”

Tim couldn’t stop a laugh from bursting out of him, but he did manage to turn it into a kind of cough.

“Wait--wait.” he said, almost choking on his tea, “Are you about to show me a powerpoint?”

Ra’s looked a bit put out at that suggestion, almost like he wanted to sigh, “Of course not, it’s more interactive than that.”

Tim held up his free hand, incredulous, “Is this--a job interview Ra’s? I thought you were pitching this to me.”

“No, no. It’s an interactive presentation designed to show you just what you have to gain from joining me.” Ra’s explained, as he did so Tim took another sip of his tea.

He lifted his cup and waved it lightly, “Oh yeah, so I’m just in one of those fairy tales then where you make me do three impossible tasks and at the end I get the happily ever after dip in the lazarus pit?”

“It’s only one trial--”

“So it is a task!” Tim declared, almost standing.

“Timothy.” Ra’s snapped, sounding a bit like Bruce whenever Tim and Steph’s antics pushed him a bit too far.

Tim crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair, “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Irritating the man was a bad idea, Tim knew that, but this was just ridiculous. He wasn’t going to be sent on a wild quest that might end up with him dunked in a Lazarus Pit or whatever else Ra’s had in mind that would supposedly prove how great it would be to work for him.

“If you are not going to take this seriously, then there are other ways of showing you why joining me is a good idea that are not nearly as pleasant.” Ra’s growled.

Tim held up his free hand, “I’d rather not find out, give me your pitch or send me off with your best ninja or whatever you were planning.”

He figured playing along would work for now. He could put off giving Ra’s an answer until Bruce came in for a third rescue. When he was home, they were going to have a serious conversation about ninja proofing the manor. Ra’s could not keep kidnapping him like this, they had to have some kind of security measures in place.

“Wonderful. I’m sure after your tour you’ll have a better understanding of what I have to offer you.”

Tim ended up following someone Ra’s called his “best general” around the compound for an hour. The guy showed Tim the training rooms, the medical suite, sparring rings, a variety of ninja’s actually practicing, and at one point they even ended up in the library. The general had been given instructions to pause anywhere Tim wanted him to, and so they lingered in the library for a bit.

He had to admit, Ra’s had a fantastic library.

The general didn’t seem worried about Tim getting lost, or escaping, and waited by the door while he wandered the massive room.

And boy was it huge. It was bigger than the main floor of the cave, with stacks and stacks of books on two floors. Some of the volumes looked ancient, and there were even scrolls shelved on the second floor.

He gingerly pulled one out to examine.

“That is worth more than you could ever imagine.” a sharp, young voice, declared, behind him.

Startled, Tim dropped it back onto the shelf and spun. Before him stood a kid, probably 8 years old, with tousled dark hair, dark skin, and a face that almost echoed some of Bruce’s school photos. It was startling.

“Hi.” Tim said, dumbly, “I know, it’s Ancient Sumarian right?”

“Tt.” the boy crossed his arms, “You are not an idiot then.”

Tim shook his head, “Nah, apparently I’m smart enough to be selected for recruitment.”

The kid nodded, “So you are Grandfather’s young detective. He speaks highly of you.”

Grandfather? Tim’s brain spun. This kid was Ra’s al Ghul’s grandkid? He ran the numbers, the kid’s mom was either Talia or Nyssa. If he had to put money on it, Tim figured the boy before him looked more like Talia than her sister. And his other features--like Bruce’s?

No.

No.

No. Freaking. Way.

“That is hardly language to use here.” The boy said, arching an eyebrow at him.

Tim hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud, but apparently his surprise had been so great he had. He cleared his throat, “Sorry, I just never expected Ra’s to have a grandkid.”

“It is not surprising to me, I am his heir. Born to inherit the League and rule the world one day.”

Okay, that was a lot to unpack. Just a totally wild amount, but Tim wasn’t super focused on the world domination thing just yet (maybe later when he had a chance to process all of--well, all of it), “Sorry to keep pressing but, doesn’t having an heir kind of--I don’t know, put his whole Eternal Ruler of the League thing in jeopardy?”

“Tt. It is not my place to question my Grandfather’s plans. I simply know what I have been told, that I will inherit the League one day in his stead.”

“Well,” Tim rocked back on his heels casually and grinned, “That might be a long loooong time.”

The kid’s brows furrowed as if he had not really considered that idea before. He opened his mouth to say something else, but seemed to decide against it, dropping his arms to his sides to shrug, “If that is his wish then so be it.”

“True.” Tim said, not really knowing what to say. Instead he settled on changing the subject, “You know, if your grandfather gets his way I’ll be spending more time here, so I guess introductions are in order. I’m Timothy Drake-Wayne, but most people just call me Tim.”

He held his hand out to the kid, smiling at him. If he really was Bruce’s then they’d be getting to know each other for sure. Just not here. Tim had zero intentions on letting Bruce’s child stay with the League. Did B he even know he had a kid? Tim thought he’d better figure that out first before kidnapping his little brother.

Little brother. Just that idea made something flutter in Tim’s chest. He’d always wanted a little brother.

The boy scowled at his hand, and did not take it, “You may be correct, even if I do not see what Grandfather seems to. I am Damian al Ghul, heir to the Demon’s Head.”

Tim bit back a grin at just how serious this kid was. He sounded like a little prince, all imperious and haughty. Damian, even his name fit him. He wondered how Damian would do around Dick? Or Stephanie. They’d figure out how to bring a smile out of him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Damian.” Tim said, “I know we’ve really only just met, but I’m sure you’ll see what Ra’s does in time.”

Damian looked him over again, then gave a sharp nod, “I am interested in seeing what you have to offer.”

“Damian, I found it, where’d you go?” A voice sounded from deeper within the stacks.

Tim started at the sound of the voice. He knew it. Knew it from nights spent chasing shadows, from recording’s Bruce had watched a hundred times when he didn’t think Tim was watching. From Tim’s own desire to know and learn more about his predecessor. It was Jason Todd’s voice.

But that couldn’t be. Jason was dead.

“I am coming.” Damian returned, his tone more childlike than Tim had heard in their whole conversation. He turned back to Tim, “Do not ruin that scroll, I will see you later.”

Then he spun on his heel and walked away.

Tim stepped forward, reaching out for the kid, “Wai--”

“Master Tim, we really must be going.” Tim’s guide was back, stepping into his view as if from nowhere, and stopping Tim’s chase as short as it had been.

“Can we wait just one more second?” he asked, “I wanted to ask Damian something else.”

The man’s mouth turned down in a frown, “I do not have clearance to let you speak with Master Damian. Come, we have more to see.”

Frustration bubbled up in Tim, but unless he wanted to start a fight he wasn’t going to get a chance to talk to Damian right then. The kid had promised to see him later, so maybe he’d seek Tim out. If not, Tim would find a way.

As he followed the man out of the library, he kept searching the stacks of books for a sign of the others. It wasn’t until they’d left the room that Tim caught sight of Damian again, his small form waving animated at a taller, broader one. One that, while older, was unmistakably Jason.

Before Tim could say screw everything, the two turned around a corner, and someone else was clearing their throat. His guide seemed eager to move on, and so they did.

Tim tuned out most of the rest of the tour, and eventually found himself back in the office from before, once again seated across from Ra’s.

“Timothy, I hear you have met my grandson on your tour.” Ra’s started.

“I did.” Tim said, a bit hesitant to go into detail, his guide had seemed like talking to Damian was a pretty serious thing, and suddenly Tim was afraid he’d gotten the kid in trouble.

Ra’s smiled, “He is magnificent is he not? Already he is a skilled warrior, and well trained in his studies.”

“He said he was your heir?” Tim ventured.

The man waved a hand dismissively, “Of course he is, he is my grandson, but that does not mean he will inherit. The boy is valuable to me, for many reasons. He is an excellent tool to wield against my enemies already, and will only become more so as he grows.”

Anger bubbled up in Tim. There was something in Ra’s’ tone that made Tim sick, to call a kid a tool. To plan to just use him his whole life?

“And what, do you want to do that with me too? You said you wanted me to be your apprentice, but if your Heir is just a tool then--”

“No, as I said I want you to take over a branch of the League. You have talents and skills Damian will not. The boy is--” Ra’s shrugged, “Let us call him a vessel. A shell for me to wield in one way or another.”

Well, that just made Tim even more angry. Damian was his grandkid. What Tim wouldn't have given to still have his grandparents, and for Ra’s to just--If Tim wasn’t already dead set on getting Damian home, he would be after this conversation.

“You know what, Ra’s. Let me think on it a while. I’ll get back to you on my answer. I kind of want to see Damian in action a bit, learn what this training looks like in someone closer to my age.”

The man considered this for a moment before nodding, “I will let you watch his sparring session tomorrow. For now, I think we’re done. Have a good evening, Timothy.”

Tim nodded, and left. His mind was racing, he wanted another look at Jason. Wanted to tell Damian about his dad. Wanted to make sure both his brothers were okay.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he missed the black and blue clad arm that reached out from behind a curtain and yanked him back. Nightwing put a hand over Tim’s mouth to quiet him, and then pulled him out the window the curtain had been hiding. They dropped, into nothing--except it was solid?

Tim found himself inside the invisible jet. Inside, and flying away from his newly discovered siblings before he could even argue they needed to be rescued too.

One flight with Wonder Woman and Nightwing later, and Tim was home again, being told in stern tones by both Batman and Nightwing that he really needed to stop allowing himself to be kidnapped by ninjas (like he didn’t know that).

Then he was in his room, in bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind whirring. He had learned two things on this trip. Two impossible things. Two things he was going to leverage as soon as he could.

It was late, and he should be sleeping, but instead he texted Steph and Cass in their little group chat.

Tim: Want to cause some chaos?

Immediately he received a response:

Steph: Always

Cass: Who are we going after?

Tim smiled, his fingers dancing over his phone:

Tim: Ra’s.

Cass: Time to teach him a lesson?

Steph: I've been waiting for this, I’ll get the kerosene

Tim: There’s more.

Cass: Tell.

The light flashed on out in the hallway, Tim could see it flicker to life under his door.

Tim: Tomorrow, lunch at that place with the sweet potato fries. Come ready to plan a kidnapping or two.

The next day Tim found both Steph and Cass waiting eagerly for him at the restaurant, a heaping plate of sweet potato fries between them.

“Spill, Bird Brain.” Stephanie said, as he sat down, pushing some fries towards him, “I want to hear everything about this crusade against Ra’s.”

Tim rolled his eyes, and snagged a fry, dipping it in one of the sauces they’d gotten to accompany it.

“As you’ve probably already guessed, I had another visit to the League compound yesterday.” Tim started, “It was more of a day trip this time, but Ra’s did his very best to sell me on signing up.”

“More posters?” Cass guessed, then shook her head seeing Tim’s expression, “What did he do?”

Tim snagged another fry, “Yes more posters, but more than that he gave me a speech right out of a How to Recruit for Dummies book, then sent me on a tour of the building.”

Steph snorted, “Please tell me you recorded it.”

“I did not, but you will never believe what I found on my tour, or to be precise who.”

Both girls paused their snacking, waiting on him to continue.

Tim dropped the first bomb, “Jason Todd, alive and breathing.”

“What, no way.” Steph said, “How’d he even get there? I thought He was buried here?”

He shrugged, “I don’t have any of the details, but they’ve got a Lazarus pit, and Ra’s is weirdly obsessed with recruiting Robin’s, so I’d say his resurrection tracks.”

“Who else was there?” Cass asked, brow furrowed.

Now this he knew neither of them would be expecting. Tim hadn’t expected it. He still couldn’t believe it.

“Ra’s al Ghul’s grandson, Damian.” Tim said, watched both girls look even more confused, then added, “The son of Bruce and Talia. At least, I’m pretty sure he’s their kid.”

The fry Stephanie was holding dropped out of her hand.

Tim watched Cass processing the information, saw her realization that there was another child being raised in the League, then saw the determination cross her face at her own personal decision.

“We are taking them both, correct?” Cass asked.

“We’re taking them both, and burning the place down.” Tim confirmed, “That should properly pay him back for all the time’s he’s kidnapped me this year.”

Steph’s lips turned up into a sharp grin, “The law of equivalent exchange.”

Tim laughed, “You’ve been watching too much tv.”

“It’s prepped me for this very moment.” she shot back, voice falsely grave.

“Batman prepared you for this very moment.” Cass elbowed her.

“No.” Tim said, “I’m going to prep you. And then we’re going to put everything in action.”

They talked, and planned, and debated the pros and cons of letting Tim get nabbed again over just going himself, and eventually after many many sweet potato fries and sodas they were ready.

It was to be infiltration first, fire and kerosene second. Obviously the place was going to go up, but only after they set the stage for rebellion and convinced Damian and Jason to go home with them. Tim didn’t think it’d be a hard sell for Jason, but the kid was another matter altogether. If Tim couldn’t convince him to come along, they may actually end up having to kidnap Damian.

A key to the plan was that only Tim, Steph, and Cass were in on it. There was no way Bruce was giving the green light for such a thing. Besides, Tim wanted to see his face when they presented him with not one, but two, rescued sons from the League.

Over the next week Tim made himself the most kidnappable he’d ever been. He wandered outside, kept to himself, and tried to look as wide eyed as possible. He lingered in parking lots, and took shortcuts down empty alleyways. Basically, he did everything he could to signal he was alone and vulnerable besides hanging a sign around his neck that said “Take me to your (ninja) leader”.

At one point he even stopped, dead center in the middle of an alley and declared, “Wow this sure is a dangerous place to be! I hope I don’t get attacked and kidnapped by ninjas!”

The only response he got that time was from an older woman who stopped at the edge of the alley and very seriously called out, “Careful, young man. Don’t you know there are killer clowns out? You best be on your way before you get hurt.”

Then, at long last, Tim caught sight of one of the League members ducking behind a shadow. He paused his walk, and leaned over as if fascinated by something on the sidewalk in front of him. By the time he’d stood, the ninja was in front of him.

Tim held up his hands in surrender, doing his best not to actually look excited. Then, he was successfully kidnapped for the fifth --and if Tim’s plan worked successfully-- final time.

#Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #Stephanie Brown #Cassandra Cain #Batfamily #fanfiction #crack #crack treated seriously #multimedia fic #humor #kidnapping attempts #revenge plots #Ra's tries to recruit tim #Spoilers it backfires #what is canon #precious posts #long post #chapter 1

[catxsnow]

MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW BEST D.W.

Request: Would it be possible to request a Damian one shot abt him protecting you from Talia? Like she dosent like you at all so she tries to either kill you or manipulate you into breaking up with Damian.

Warning: Violence, angst, Talia being a b i t c h, mentions of blood. 

A/N: Take two people. Never trusting mobile to post ever again. Anyways, I hope you enjoy rather than getting just the title lol

Word Count: 4.1k 

Damian didn't like Gotham at first. It was cold, gross, the city was filled with those who didn't understand the greatness outside of the city walls. He hated being away from his mother and grandfather, as well as the strict rule that his father had given him. He was no prince there, he was nothing but a rich man's son.

It seemed at first that Bruce was doing everything in his power to suppress everything that Damian grew up with. No killing, no servants, even hiding him in the shadows with the assumption that his mother was going to take him back. It made Damian feel like this was never meant to be his home.

Even when moving to the Titan Tower, he still didn't feel at home. The people there were childish, irresponsible, he didn't fit in there as well. He didn't fit in anywhere until he met you.

You had joined the Teen Titans just a week after Damian had arrived. A broken upbringing with nothing but your mentors trying to get you to succeed where they never could. You had skills, too many not to put them to use. So, when Kori found you, she welcomed you with open arms - a home that would treat you right.

Much like Damian, you were cold and cut off. Maybe that was what attracted him to you, or maybe it was your skills that put him up for a challenge. Either way, Damian felt flustered around you and he hated it. Lucky for him, you were much the same way.

One long night of sparring with him - an endless battle that neither of you would admit defeat - you had finally broke him down. Damian had you pinned, and as much as he didn't want to let his guard down, he couldn't stop himself from leaning in to kiss you. He never acted like this, like a hormonal teenage boy.

Late night patrols, early morning training, as many hours throughout the day you would spend together. Your teammates - Beast Boy in particular - continuously felt left out whenever you and Damian were together. Only Dick was happy to see that the two of you were spending so much time together.

You were good for Damian. He was less harsh, more willing to accept others, hell he even said thank you more often. It wasn't like you had meant to change him - he just thrived to be a better person because of you. You were everything to him.

When years passed and it was time came for him to move back to Gotham, you had come with him. Damian wouldn't dare to leave you again. Not when he swore that he found - as many would say - his soulmate. You loved Damian, more than anyone ever had his whole life. The feeling for him was new, but he couldn't get enough of it.

It was the first time you were in Gotham. Just like the rumors, the city was horrifying. Crime was everywhere, people dying in the streets, you didn't know how Damian lived there for so long. This wasn't your home, but Damian was. Wherever he wanted to go, you were there with him.

Damian grabbed your hand from across the seat. He was you worried as you looked out the windows. Bruce's home was far nicer than anything you had seen so far, but the drive was still far enough away. You smiled as Damian kissed the back of your hand, a small gesture that made your heart flutter every time.

"You could have stayed, I would have come visit you often," Damian offered to you. A joking smile was on his face. He knew damn well that you weren't going to just stay with the Titans when he was across the country. You loved him too much to have that distance.

"Damian Wayne, if you think I'm gonna let you out of my sight you're mistaken," you half joked. Of course you trusted him with every fiber of your being, but you also knew how damn reckless he was. Bruce would have his back, but he needed a partner, not a leader. "Besides I know you don't sleep well at night."

Damian rolled his eyes. He had told you once that he slept better with you in his arms and you hadn't let him live it down since. You meant this in the best way, you loved to be the reason that Damian felt at peace. However, being in this city, you weren't sure how much peace you would have.

The gates of the Manor finally pulled into sight. You couldn't get over how massive his home was. Damian squeezed your hand as your mouth dropped in shock. You knew how rich Bruce Wayne was, but this? This was crazy. His home was larger than any home that you had ever seen.

Damian's excitement for you quickly changed. Instead of the empty drive way that he had expected, a singular person stood by the door. You watched as his nerves grew tense. It was a woman, dark skin and long hair. She stood as if she expected the world to bow at her feet.

"What's wrong?"

"My mother." You suddenly understood why he was so worried. Damian's mother was cruel, unloving, and only craved power. It had been years since she had dropped Damian off in Gotham and the same amount of time since he had seen her last. Whatever Talia was here for, it couldn't have been good.

The car barely stopped before Damian jumped out. His fists were tight at his sides as he approached his mother. Although you were sure he wished for you to stay in the car, you couldn't just wait. Talia looked less than pleased to see you stepping out of the same vehicle as her son.

Damian joined his mother's gaze. The grim look on his face softened as he saw you. As much as he didn't want you meeting his mother, he was glad that you were there to support him. Unlike usual, he didn't grab your hand, nor did you make the move to. Talia was not the kind of lady you wanted to make a bad first impression on.

It didn't seem to matter though. You hadn't said, or done anything, and she was already glaring at you. To her surprise, you only shot her the same look back. Bad impression or not, you were going to stand up for yourself. Damian would keep you safe, even if it was against his own mother.

"Who is this, Damian?" She asked. Talia acted as if you weren't even there. Damian had told you about her, but you never expected her to be this bad within the first five minutes of meeting her. Moving to Gotham, you were worried enough about meeting Bruce without his cape and cowl, you didn't think you would have to see her as well.

"This is (Y/N)," Damian told her. "A valued teammate, as well as... my beloved," he confessed while grabbing onto your hand for the first time since leaving the car. Talia's eyes narrowed at you - of course she had known everything about you. She kept eyes on Damian, and when you popped up, she learned everything there was to know.

Which meant that she already knew of your relationship. And, if you were to guess correctly, she knew of your departure to Gotham alongside her son. The whole reason she was in Gotham was to see you, or more so to analyze you. Damian should have been with royal blood, not a street scum like you.

"I want you to come home, Damian," Talia suddenly announced. While you only looked up in shock, Damian's face hardened. This was so like her - the second that he was happy and finally feeling at home she had to come in and ruin it. This time, he wouldn't allow it. She didn't control him anymore, no one did. Not even Bruce.

"No," he disagreed. His grip on your hand tightened - whether in frustration or a reminder that you were there - you weren't sure. "I am home. Gotham, the Titans, with (Y/N), this is my home now. I'm not leaving here, not now, not ever. Father is my legal guardian now, not you. You made sure of that when you left me stranded here."

"Damian you belong with me, you belong in the League," Talia's voice was tight. She was obviously trying not to take him by force, not while you were there. Damian was her son, and she would get him back by any means necessary. "Take your grandfather's place, this was what you were meant to do."

"I meant to be Robin," Damian argued. He had done great things under his new alias. So many lives saved, he had learned so much from being there. He learned from Bruce, Dick, his friends, you. He learned so much from you - he learned to love, not to fight. "I'm staying."

"I think it's time for you to go," You spoke up for the first time. If Talia's looks could kill, you would have been dead ten times over. No one ever talked back to her like that, and for someone as lowly as you? She couldn't accept it. If it wasn't for Damian stepping between the two of you, you swore that she would have made an attempt on your life right there.

Without another word, Talia left the Manor. You didn't realize how tight your grip on Damian was until he placed his other hand over yours. You loosened your hold, and as soon as his mother was out of sight, collapsed into his arms. Damian held you tight, though he wasn't sure if it was for your assurance or his.

"It's okay, my love," Damian whispered. He kissed the top of your head, your forehead, and finally your lips. "She won't be an issue for us, not while we're with my father."

"I trust you, Damian. Always."

><

It had been weeks since you were in Gotham. Bruce had taken you under his wing for the time being. Damian was protective of you as always, he wouldn't let you leave without him. To be honest you were happy that he was at you side. Gotham wasn't the kind of place you wanted to venture on your own.

It was different without your teammates watching you back. You only had Damian to have your six and sometimes that lead to some close calls. In the end, he always kept you safe. No matter the situation, he would protect you at all costs.

On that cold night, Damian had gone out with his father, leaving you home alone. Your wrist ached from your previous night, and although you promised that you were fine to go out, Damian insisted that you stayed in. So, with your wrist wrapped and a movie playing, you felt more relaxed than you had in weeks.

Damian left you that evening with a firm kiss and a promise that he would be back before you knew it. As always, you melted into his hold, never wanting to let him leave you. He left with promises to you of making up for it in anyway he could. Damian just wanted you happy while he was home.

He thrived every day to see you smile. Seeing you happy was the only thing that he cared about anymore. So, seeing your pout as he hopped into the Batmobile beside his father nearly convinced him to stay with you. Alfred was gone for the night which meant that you would be truly alone for the first time since you had joined the Titans. The silence would be tranquil.

Unfortunately for you, that peace didn't last long.

After training to be a hero your whole life, you could feel when someone was sneaking up on you. At first, you assumed it to be a robbery; Bruce was rich. But as Batman? His security was near impossible to get into. Whoever this was, they were good. Really good. Your phone buzzed beside you, but you didn't have the time to check what it was.

The blade of a sword sliced through the air, narrowly missing you. You had been just quick enough to roll out of the way. The intruder wore a mask covering the lower half of their face, but you had known instantly who this was. Talia Al Ghul.

You assumed she had come alone. If she saw you as nothing but a low-life hero from the streets, then she assumed that she could handle you by herself. Truth be told, you had never gone against someone as skilled as her, she could easily handle you on your own, especially with your weakened wrist.

You ran through the room and towards the kitchen. It was far closer than the entrance of the cave - and you were sure that she knew where it was as well. Talia ran after you. She ducked the second she ran into the kitchen - you had thrown the closest frying pan towards her head. Thankfully it distracted her enough to grab some sort of weapon - a knife.

It was much shorter than her sword and it felt awkward in your opposite hand. You hoped that Damian and Bruce were already on their way back, that it was him texting you earlier, but you knew not to get your hopes up. Alfred was gone for the night and you were truly alone in the house.

Talia twirled the blade around before lunging at you. She did attack after attack, each one barely being blocked by your knife. You needed to get to the cave, at least then you stood a chance with some actual weapons. Unfortunately, you weren't quick enough to block her next shot.

Talia's sword sliced through your shirt and into your arm. Blood soaked your skin as you cried out in pain. You knew that she didn't like you, but to go as far as to assassinate you within her son's home? That was pushing far past being a terrible mother.

Glass shattered as you ducked from her next shot. The lights above you sparked as she broke though them. The room had become pitch black and you only hoped to use that as an advantage. You knew this house far better than she did.

As long as you could get a head start to the cave, you would be fine. Silently, you slipped past her, hoping to avoid the crunch of broken glass on the floor. Talia was a trained assassin, sneaking around her would be impossible - and it was. The second she heard your footsteps, she had blindly attacked.

The tip of her sword nicked your cheek, but it was enough to let her know exactly where you were. Without caution anymore, you ran full speed to the entrance of the cave. Thankfully, you had made it before her.

You grabbed the first weapon you could see - Damian's backup sword. It felt heavy in your opposite hand, but as soon as you tried to hold it in your dominant, you nearly cried out in pain. Damian was right, you were too hurt to go out that night; then again maybe it would have been safer if you had. Talia must have been waiting for the opportunity that you were alone.

Talia stood before you, her mask still up. "What's wrong, Talia?" You asked, her eyes narrowed as you said her name. "Jealous that your son loves me more than you? Or maybe that Bruce cares for me more than he did you? This isn't about Damian not coming home, this is more personal than that, isn't it?"

"Damian belongs with royalty," Talia ripped off her mask. You knew that you were riling her up, but you only hoped that it would waste enough time for Damian to come, if he was coming. This was a fight you could not win alone, you knew that. "You're nothing but filth off the streets."

"So what, you're gonna kill me?" You backed away from her. Your heart rate was erratic from fear. Damian was a damn good fighter, but his mother? She was deadly. "How're you going to explain that one to him? How do you think he's going to react when he finds out that you killed the person he loves? He'll never want to see you again."

"He's never going to know it was me!" Talia raised her voice. She charged towards you, bringing her weapon down towards you. You just barely blocked it. The sword was extremely uncomfortable in your hold but you it was far better than a measly kitchen knife. She could tell you were weak from it.

Talia pushed down harder, the edge of her sword coming dangerously close to your face. In the blink of an eye, she pulled away and grabbed your weakened wrist. Talia slammed it into her knee, making you scream in agony. You dropped your weapon to grab your now broken wrist, falling right into her palm of her hands.

A forceful kick was placed against your ribs, knocking you down and making you completely at her mercy. Your body screamed in unbearable pain. Blood soaked your clothes, your bones broken or cracked. Talia had taken you down in a mere matter of minutes. You never stood a chance against someone like her.

To your surprise, Talia dropped her sword as well. There was no way that she had suddenly changed her mind or decided to give up, she had you right where she wanted you. The smirk on her face, knowing that she had defeated you so easily, was etched into your brain. Whatever she was planning, she had already won.

Talia pulled out the gun strapped to her thigh. You hadn't even noticed it until this moment. There was no way that you would ever dodge a bullet, not at this range. With a last chance of hope, you reached out for you sword once more - but she was too quick. A bullet shot rang out as it bounced off the floor inched from your hand.

You retracted back to your place, looking up at her with a grim look. There was no chance you were about to plead for you life. Talia had the gun pointed directly at your forehead. "You'll never have my son."

"Neither will you." Blood dripped down your face. You gripped onto your wrist, and tried to steady your breathing. You refused to look away from Talia's murderous eyes. Death awaited you - that was something you had to accept. Talia had no mercy.

Suddenly, a light blinded Talia's face. Her gaze was averted, but that wasn't what caused you to falter. A loud shot echoed through the cave, followed by a searing pain. In her brief moment of loss of attention, Talia had pulled the trigger. She had missed her hopeful target, instead the bullet and pierced your shoulder, creating a sickening crack as it went through bone.

"NO!" You knew this to be Damian's voice. He hovered above you, panic written all over. His hands pressed into your wounds to try and stop the bleeding. He could hear the battle of his mother and father but all that mattered was you. He was petrified for you. Your eyes wavered, wanting so desperately to fall asleep.

"You're going to be okay. I promise, stay with me. Beloved, you're gonna be fine. Stay awake, please. Please I need you. I need you to stay with me." He was the last thing you saw as darkness clouded over you.

><

Talia had done a lot of damage to you. The cut on your arm, and your cheek needed stitched. Your collar bone practically shattered and you would need to wear a brace for months before it was healed. The wrist she had snapped would heal like any other broken wrist would. Cracked ribs and a broken ego. You were benched for a long time to come.

Damian wouldn't leave you side. He was there if you needed anything or if you were in pain. Guilt clouded him, he should have known that his mother would do something like this. He was a fool to leave you alone like that. Never again.

"Be careful, beloved."

You liked the attention from him. Damian was at your side more than he ever was before. In private, he was constantly covering you in kisses. He showed a side of himself that you or anyone else had never seen before. It was nice to see him so... normal.

Damian spent every spare moment with you. Whether it was helping you with simple tasks that you were yet to be able to accomplish or be there to give you a kiss when you were feeling down. The last thing he wanted to see was for you to fall into a funk because of his mother. He tried his best to keep your spirits up but this was hard. Harder than anything you had done.

Years of being the one to save people and now you were the one that needed to be saved. It was unbearable. You hated the feeling of constantly needing help. Damian made sure to not suffocate you, he knew what it was like to hate feeling pitied.

Evenings were spent trying to get you back on your feet. Nights spent with Alfred, watching of your boyfriend and his father. Damian coming home to smoother you with attention the second that you were alone in his room. That was your favourite part of the days.

Everyone hoped your recovery to be speedy - even your teammates went out of their way to visit you. It was nice to see all your friends together again, as well as the rest of Damian's family that you had finally met. It seemed that everyone had gained a vendetta against Talia that night.

"Damian, I can do this, you just have to give me some space."

When you finally got the cast on your wrist off, you had gone straight back into training. Much to Damian's dismay - as well as your doctor's. The sling was still on your shoulder, and would be for several more weeks. However, you were tired of sitting around like this. You felt weak from the lack of training.

Damian watched as you stood under the pull up bar. You eyed it, curious as to if you really could do this or not. In one swift motion, you jumped up and grabbed the bar with your single hand. Holding yourself up wasn't the issue, it was a matter of if you could pull yourself up with only one hand like you used to.

With all the strength you could muster, you attempted to do a chin up. You had almost made it before your arm gave out on you. Your hand slipped from the bar and you barely landed on both feet. Damian was by your side in a second, though he could see how frustrated you were at this. He understood not being able to achieve what he wanted most.

"You don't have to prove your strength to me, beloved," Damian assured. He cupped your cheeks with both hands, pulling you in for a quick kiss. However, as the pad of this thumb swiped across the scar that his mother left he frowned. Even after all this time he still blamed himself of this.

"And you don't have to feel guilty for what happened," You countered. You placed your palm over top of his a small smile on your lips. "You came and saved me, that's what matters. Like you, Bruce, everyone, said, I'll get back to where I was eventually. Things like this happen, I can't let it stop me."

"You're too brave," Damian shook his head. Always pushing your limits, defying your odds. As much as he admired it, he wished that you wouldn't. Damian wanted you safe, and sometimes he questioned if that was ever going to be found while you were with him. However, he wasn't willing to lose you to test it. You were by his side, always.

"I learned it from you, my love."

#damian wayne #damian wayne imagine #damian wayne oneshot #damian wayne x reader #older!damian #batfam #batfam x reader #batfam imagine #dc imagine #dc one shot #dc #robin #robin imagine

[strawberrysoup]

Pocketful of Posies || Chapter 5

You’d been hiding for years and years now; from your family, from society, from alphas and packs. Suppressants were dangerous but effective and necessary for an omega who refused to be owned—but no suppressants were strong enough to fool the nose of a super soldier, who together with his pack would stop at nothing to bind you to them forever.

pairings: dark!Avengers x reader

word length: 4.7k

chapters: 5/?

warnings: A/B/O dynamics, power imbalances, noncon and dubcon sexual situations, loss of autonomy, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat — this is a dark!fic, read at your own risk. more detailed content warnings are included at the end of the chapter to avoid spoilers, click through the read more, CTRL + F “content warnings”. 

Rationality within Carol’s pack was often treated like a talking stick; only one person could have and use it at a time, and stealing it required either brute force or a clever trick—which was why she and Loki fumbled it back and forth so often. Sam seemed to have snatched it for a moment, until their omega’s sharp tongue made him fumble. She was cutting and brutal, as wild as she’d looked the first time Carol saw her: covered in mud and blood, half soaked from the bath and thrashing violently while Thor and Peter tried to gently get her in the tub.

The blonde figured it was time to regain the upper hand over their omega and came to stand at the top of the stairs, eyes locking on Sam from behind. He was turning the corner from patience to frustration, their little omega’s demeaning comments making the muscle in his jaw clench. It was impressive though; any of the other alpha’s in the house (plus herself and maybe minus Peter) would’ve had her nose in the corner by now, bent over to hold her own ankles and struggling for balance so that her forehead didn’t press against the wall lest she earn herself a spanking for being sulky.

“Alright Sammy, tag out,” Carol made sure that there was an undertone of mirth in her voice, hoping to bring the other alpha out of his anger. “You should probably go check on dinner and—Bruce, test results?”

“Oh, you’re right,” the beta nodded, immediately headed for the stairs. “Her hormone analysis should be ready at the least.”

The moment her eyes landed on the little omega on the bed, Carol felt her heart melt just a bit. Despite the vitriol she’d been spitting just moments before, the precious thing looked like an angel sprawled out in their den. All she wore was one of Thor’s t-shirts, the hem brushing the tops of her thighs and perfuming her scentless skin with his musk—she couldn’t wait until the suppressants were out of their omega’s system, Carol desperately wanted to know what she smelled like.

“Sammy?” The blonde prompted when the male alpha didn’t move, leading him to sigh.

“Yeah babe,” he leaned over and pressed a kiss against the omega’s forehead, ignoring how she shrunk back into the pillows behind her. “I’m out. Take care of her, beautiful.”

Sam stopped to press a kiss against Carol’s cheek on his way down the stairs, gesturing for Tony to follow. The genius rolled his eyes and huffed but followed nonetheless, only after tossing a wink at the scowling omega huddled in what would hopefully soon be a nest. Carol waited until they were both down before returning her attention to the younger woman, stomach filling with butterflies.

Carol had wanted an omega since she presented as an alpha at twelve. 90% of the people she interacted with thought she was such a waste—a female alpha? Objectively, a useless combination. Female alphas were weak and passive, certainly not strong enough to lead a pack or produce strong alpha babies. If only she’d been a delta or a beta, she could’ve at least carried children. She’d always been fully aware that society’s perspective was incredibly flawed; she was as dominant as any male, just as potent and just as strong. Stronger even—more recently by unimaginable levels.

But omegas rarely looked negatively upon female alphas. Omegas preened and clamored for the attention female alphas provided, they saw it as more tender and careful. Carol didn’t know if she exactly agreed with that either, but at least an omega would never look at her and consider her a very pretty waste.

Or so the blonde had thought, right up until making eye contact with the sweet-faced omega her pack had managed to stumble upon. She certainly didn’t look pleased, her glare verging on incendiary.

“You sure are feisty,” she felt her lips quirking at the corners, especially when the omega seemed to puff up like an angry kitten. “What you said to Sam wasn’t very nice. You gonna hiss at me too?”

The answer was a resounding yes, the cute, clicking cub growl she made only reinforcing Carol’s gut instinct that the little omega was perfect. She liked that fire, it wasn’t disrespectful—it demanded respect and the blonde could certainly understand that sort of attitude. Considering her omega’s evident disdain for modern presentation centered care, it could even be considered mild.

“Claws away, baby,” she ordered, tone amused and the smile still curling her lips as she toed her shoes off at the edge of the bed. “Be a good girl for me now.”

Carol pressed the omega flat to the bed before she could fight, plastering herself against the half-naked woman and burying her face in the crook of her neck. Scenting deeply made the blonde’s eyes roll back in her head—the faint scent of panicking omega wafted off her skin, only noticeable at such a distance. Thank God the Hulk picked it up, the alpha’s senses so incredibly strong that even while masked by Bruce’s beta he had picked up the faint whiff of omega; if Bruce hadn’t prompted Steve to scent carefully they might not’ve found her. Carol hadn’t been the only one in the pack desperate for an omega.

Thor had been… devastated to learn of the lack of omegas on Earth. With the destruction of Asgard and the remaining population’s relocation, it had been another gut punch to the alpha prime who’s people had already endured so much. He’d spoken at length about how omega Aesir were different than humans’ and the tone of longing and sadness in the prime had radiated through their entire pack.

The deltas, Bucky, Tony and Loki had all realized years ago how sorely their dynamic suffered without an omega. A delta’s overwhelming physiological drive was to provide support and comfort to pack members, their intuition let them see their packmates in a way the other presentation’s couldn’t replicate. Their pack’s deltas were all incredibly intuitive, beyond the norm, and without an omega to properly direct them they got manipulative. It was rarely antagonistic or cruel and if there had only been one delta in the pack, it would’ve slid by without notice—but deltas perceived the deception where others didn’t and it usually led to dissent amongst the three.

And while Steve had never said a word, Carol knew that as a sickly little beta he’d dreamt of being ‘strong enough to deserve an omega’. Bucky had mentioned it briefly—as had Tony, who’d heard it from his father at least biweekly. Steve loved omegas; he loved that they balanced an incredible strength with equal fragility. The very nature of them spoke to his inner artist, ‘his inner romantic,’ Bucky had teased. Now that he was a big ass alpha prime? He could deserve an omega now, he was strong enough now.

Their omega was practically a miracle, considering how few of them there were—so few adults, especially. Some claimed the overall population of omegas was going up despite the overwhelming evidence of the opposite and besides, the number of omegas born every year didn’t matter when you had packmates approaching their mid-forties. Tony, Bruce, and Clint were getting up there, as everyone liked to tease. Finding a reasonably aged omega that was also unclaimed? They’d never even considered the possibility, it was unfathomable.

Carol had consoled herself with the knowledge that her pack loved her deeply, found no fault in her gender or presentation. She knew it would take time, but soon her omega would realize the same. There was nothing wrong with her, she didn’t need to hide or put on a façade; not in their pack, not under their protection. Whatever the omega had gone through in her life must’ve been traumatizing, the blonde could only assume some sort of abuse, and it would be tough to instill confidence in her. They’d need to build her back up from scratch.

“You know, if you’d let Wanda search your mind, we’d have a much easier time understanding what’s going on,” the blonde murmured into the omega’s neck, nose brushing back and forth over her left scent gland. “Will you tell me why you’re so scared? Are you afraid of alphas or of packs? Or deltas?”

“I’m afraid of being trapped forever by a bunch of fucking rapists and kidnappers!” She spat furiously in response, struggling futilely under Carol’s careful grasp. “Get your fucking face out of my neck!”

“Packs it is then,” Carol sighed, lifting her head but keeping the woman pinned beneath her.

“You’re so shifty ‘mega, calm down. There are some horrible people out there, we know that better than anyone, and I’m sorry that you were hurt. I’m sorry you had to go through whatever it was.”

The omega froze, muscles pulling so tightly that she started to shiver. Her lips pursed, jaw clenching and her eyes got dim, lashes fluttering as she looked into the distance over Carol’s shoulder. It was a dead-eyed stare, one the blonde had seen before. Her baby was half trapped in a memory, tightly clenched hands clawing at Carol’s shirt and trying to force her body away.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry, come back—” Carol cooed into the omega’s ear, holding her tighter as she struggled. “You’re with me baby, you’re safe. Breathe with me, come back to me.”

“Would you fucking get off!” The omega choked, sounding both parts desolate and frustrated. “Why don’t you people fucking listen? Am I speaking gibberish?”

“I’m sorry you’re so angry omega,” the blonde’s eyebrows furrowed, sadness permeating her expression as she lowered her head to rest her forehead against the omega’s. “I’m sorry, I can’t get off—you need the pheromones, the alpha contact chemicals. Even if you’re traumatized, once the suppressants you’re on start to wear off you’re going to have to submit. We need to start practicing now so you can get comfortable with it, before it’s critical for your health.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry, you’re not sorry! If you were, you would’ve let me go. You wouldn’t be holding me here! I don’t need or want your help, I don’t want to be in a pack!”

“I hear you, baby, I promise I understand what you’re saying,” Carol carefully pinned one of the flailing omega’s arms down with her knee, reaching up to stroke the woman’s face. “You don’t want to be here, you don’t want to have a pack, I’m sure you don’t want to be bonded to us. But you’re on so many suppressants baby, there are so many mind-altering chemicals in the shit you were taking—”

“If you force me to stop taking them I’ll only be under the ‘mind-altering’ chemicals produced by the other presentations and—and this stupid collar forcing my body to produce addictive chemicals at a rapid rate,” she argued, “you want to argue that I’m out of my mind like I can’t be trusted with my own safety! I’m fully conscious, I’m not stupid, I’m an adult for fuck’s sake. The only thing that’s going to fuck up my personal agency is you!”

“We’ll know for sure when Bruce gets your test results back,” Carol sighed realizing how unlikely it would be for her to get through to the omega. “Tony’s having some equipment dropped by in the morning so he and Bruce can run some more. If your hormone levels aren’t entirely trashed, we’ll revisit this conversation.”

“You have to let me take my suppressants tonight then,” the omega pushed against the blonde again, grunting with effort and irritation when she didn’t move at all. “Otherwise the test results from today won’t match the ones tomorrow, missing a dose will entirely trash my hormone levels! The tests won’t provide an accurate reading!”

Carol was shaking her head before she’d even finished the explanation. “No way, there’s a reason those are illegal, baby. They’re so dangerous—”

“I’ve been taking them for fifteen years and I’m completely fine, come on—”

She watched the omega’s face fall when she sighed, “it’s not gonna happen baby. This one isn’t up for debate.”

“This one?” The omega scoffed bitterly, lips twisting as angry tears collected in her eyes. “Nothing is ‘up for debate’. I’m here, aren’t I? Obviously against my will. I’m not even wearing my own clothes, you won’t let me move! You’re acting like this is the one bit of agency you’re planning to strip from me but you’re either too stupid to realize that or you’re too caught up in the idea of having a house bitch to care!”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Carol frowned, thumb smoothing over the crease between her brows. “We’re not looking to ruin your life, baby. The last thing we want is to make you meek or take away your ability to make your own choices, but we have to take care of you.”

“Y-you don’t though,” she hissed, breath hitching as she fought not to cry in front of the alpha. “I’ve been taking care of-of myself for years. I’ve never had a problem I’ve—I’ve never been attacked or assaulted or—”

Carol shifted until the omega was cradled in her lap, easily blocking the omega’s attempts to escape her grasp, “If that’s true baby girl, I don’t think you understand how rare it is—or how it would mean you were poisoning yourself so thoroughly that no alpha could scent you. There’s too many people out there would hurt you just for being you; the only way for you to be safe is with us, where you don’t have to keep taking the pill equivalent of drinking gasoline and bleach.”

“I should have the choice!”

“The choice to slowly kill yourself?” The blonde looked down into the omega’s face in disbelief. “No one in their right mind would allow another person to suffer like that.”

Their attention was suddenly and brutally drawn to the stairwell, both of their hindbrains reacting to the scent of overwhelmingly aroused alphas accompanied by raised voices and shouting. The omega in her lap went completely and utterly still, instincts locking down all movement as if it could prevent her from being seen. Carol sighed quietly through her nose, nudging her forehead gently against the charming little creature hiding against her chest. She couldn’t really tell what they were yelling about but she figured it had something to do with whatever Bruce found.

“Someone has to—!”

“That doesn’t mean—!”

“It should be—!”

The blonde cracked her neck, arms slipping around the waist of her omega and locking in place like iron bands. The cowering made it easier for Carol to snuggle her tightly against her chest, wiggling them carefully as several pairs of feet began stomping up the stairs, until the omega was entirely engulfed by the alpha from behind. Steve and Thor made it up first, shoulder to shoulder and passive-aggressively nudging each other in the ribs. Sam was next, along with Bucky—both of whom were being decidedly antagonistic to poor Peter who followed behind.

“Would you guys shut the hell up? What’s going on?”

Before anyone else could respond Bruce forced his way between the group of more dominant males, eyes flashing green even as he attempted to shake it off, “the amount of alpha pheromone in her blood is so low it’s amazing she isn’t in shock.”

“What?!” The omega snapped furiously, eyes darting between the people standing around the room nervously. “There’s nothing wrong with me—!”

“Carol, hold her,” Steve ordered, as if the blonde hadn’t locked the omega down the second they heard them coming. “Thor, how are we gonna do this?”

Both primes looked almost pained, their faces painted with grimaces as they exchanged glances. Their struggle was easy to identify; neither wanted to cause any strife between them, damage to their partnership would damage the pack but they wanted to be first. Their hindbrains could barely function beyond the desire to fuck their omega, their pretty, sweet little omega who desperately needed alpha semen because her body would stop functioning without it. Primes always got first take on omegas, but when there were two primes in a pack things got dicey.

“Have one of us do it,” Carol chimed, carefully maintaining an expression that relayed she wasn’t trying to step on toes. “Both of you are massive, you could do damage without proper prep and if it’s that serious we can’t wait on that.”

“I’ll do it!” Peter was quick to step forward. “You all know I’ll the gentlest and she’s already upset—”

“Shut it Spiderboy,” Sam quickly interjected, giving the younger alpha a stern look, “she needs careful handling, not some teenager fumbling with his knot.”

“I’m not a teenager anymore you asshole—!”

“Carol’s cock is the smallest,” Tony stated nonchalantly as he kicked off his shoes in the closet that faced the den, “no offense babe, just logistics.”  

“None taken,” the blonde snorted slightly in amusement before turning her attention to the two primes, “I can get her started, at least get her hormones on the right track.”

“Let go of me you psycho!” The omega howled, voice constricted by her collar. “Get away from me, let me go!”

A low, bone-deep rumble suddenly washed over everyone in the attic, the growl emanating from both Steve and Thor. A keening moan escaped the omega, her breath hitching and eyes rolling as viscous slick gushed from her pussy. The scent of it made waves through the rest of the pack, a cacophony of moans and growls echoing off the high ceiling as the responding scent of hot and bothered emanated through the den.

“Thor?” Steve questioned the other prime imploringly, knowing that they needed an immediate answer and follow through.

The taller man grit his teeth, nose flaring for several moments before he let out another low growl that made their omega cry with arousal. “You first—leave my shirt on her, please.”

“Oh God, oh God,” the whimpering omega shifted in Carol’s arms, likely about to try to make a break for it when Steve swept her up into his arms. “Please, wait—!”

“Your pussy is dripping for your primes, isn’t it precious?” The alpha male hummed quietly as he swiftly lowered them both to the bed, hands grasping the backs of her thighs and pressing her knees towards her shoulders. “So much slick for such a little thing.”

The whine that came from Peter sounded wrecked, only minutely more embarrassing than the groans and panting coming from the rest of the pack as they watched. The omega looked to be approaching frantic and Carol sighed, shifting farther away from the prime on the bed—there was no reason to test Steve’s incredible patience. Well, that had been Carol’s opinion anyway.

Evidently Loki believed otherwise, but then again the delta was habitually prone to testing Steve’s last goddamn nerve. The brunet had appeared with a shimmering green light, lying on the bed so close to the omega that the scent from his ridiculously expensive Fendi sweater was transferring to her arm and shoulder. The prime had barely flinched, certainly hadn’t reacted in a manner more noticeable than a slight dilation in his pupil. Thor made a reprimanding noise but didn’t move forward to remove the delta, much to Bucky and Tony’s immediate disdain.

“Why the fuck does he get to—!”

“You better rethink that, Ice Man!”

The combined snarls from both primes quickly brought all three deltas to heel and while Loki didn’t retreat, he did keep his hands to himself. One hand propped up his head, the other tightly fisted and rested on the bed between himself and the omega’s borrowed shirt while eyes burned into him from all sides. The omega’s wide eyes were locked on the man, some flicker of recognition fleetingly passing over her face. Loki was good at surprise entrances and even better at taking advantage of his brother’s status in the pack—not that he necessarily got away with things the others wouldn’t, but none of the others particularly wanted to find out what the prime’s breaking point was either.

“I just want to keep her calm, is that so horrible?” The tone the God used was smooth and Carol remembered the talking stick analogy again. “You can smell the poor thing’s terror, is it really necessary?”

Steve looked conflicted for maybe two seconds when a light went off behind his eyes. “Keep her calm so I don’t have to purr and you can stay.”

The delta’s hand immediately slipped up the front of her shirt, cupping the curve of her rib cage just under her breast. His nose pressed into her neck in the following moments, a small golden glow flowing over the little omega’s skin where he touched her. The odor of fear was quick to recede once the windows were open, replaced with the tangy-sweet scent of her pussy. Carol inhaled sharply and whined, drawing Steve’s attention to her wide, sad eyes.

The prime huffed, running one big hand through his hair while Loki held the omega’s thigh in place. “Hands to yourself, Carol.”

The blonde immediately tucked her nose into the other side of the omega’s neck, hands clenched into fists and tucked tightly against her stomach. She could hear the rest of the pack shuffling around, vying for space and views on the bed. Steve seemed entirely unbothered, his gaze once again locked on the pretty omega’s.

“Is your cunt working your slick hard enough precious?” He murmured directly into her ear, lips brushing the skin gently. “If those muscles aren’t strong enough we might have to put in a bit more effort to stretch you out. Squeeze around my fingers baby.”

Carol’s eyes rolled back when a breathy whine escaped the omega, the only perceivable reaction that might’ve betrayed her fear—otherwise, whatever magic Loki had used made her eyes shine with bliss. Steve had two fingers knuckle deep in her cunt, still pressing forward while his slick coated thumb swept up through her folds to pass over her clit. She shook under the grasp of his packmates, hips shifting without her consent to follow the movement of his hand.

“Come on sweetheart, please?” Steve implored quietly, looking at the loosely pinned omega with soft eyes. “Clench your pussy for me, let me take care of you. Please, I—oh, there you go, that’s a good girl.”

He hummed, working his fingers deeper into her cunt and scissoring them carefully. A smile lit the prime’s face when the cutest hiccupping moan escaped the omega, her legs pressing futilely against his hold. Muscle memory tried to guide her legs closed but Carol easily slipped a hand around her knee, keeping her spread wide while Steve continued to stretch her pussy. Another bass toned growl from Thor reverberated off the walls and she wailed, slick dripping over Steve’s fingers while her pussy contracted in waves as commanded by the prime’s guttural growl.

“I’m gonna take care of you precious,” her low whine prompted a moan from Steve as he added a third finger, carefully pressing the pads of his fingers up against her g-spot. “You’ll feel so much better once we fuck you, I promise.”

Carol watched with heavily lidded eyes as the omega’s attention was sparked by Steve’s use of the collective we. Likely it was only Loki’s magic that kept her from lashing out as viciously as they knew she was capable of. In spite of it, her little teeth showed, sharp incisors flashing in a botched hiss. The prime poised himself over her carefully with a small grin, fingers still fucking into her with vigor while he rested his weight on his elbow next to her head.

“It’s gonna be okay omega, it’s gonna be okay,” he cooed quietly against her ear, removing his hand only to pull his cock from his pants. “Take deep breaths, baby.”

“Don’t—” She didn’t sound distressed, the omega sounded aroused and desperate, “I—”

“Shhhh,” the prime’s lips skimmed over her cheeks, down her nose while his hand guided his dick up and down her slick folds until he was dripping with her arousal. “I’m gonna take care of you, precious. We’re gonna take care of you.”

The sound that escaped the omega’s lips as he slipped into her was goosebump inducing in the best way. She whined as the head popped in, breath hitching with every millimetre that came thereafter—and there were a lot of them. The omega was squirming, her heels scrambling against the blankets and both Loki and Carol found themselves having to focus much harder than expected on keeping her still while Steve bottomed out.

“You’re doing so well, darling,” Loki cooed, his nose brushing the line of her jaw. “I know it’s a lot but you’re taking it beautifully. Stay still love, just relax we’ll hold you.”

“That’s right ‘mega,” Steve groaned as he withdrew, the squelch of her cunt making his teeth clench. “We’ll do all the work precious, you just have to be a good girl and take my cock.”

It was easier said than done and everyone in the room save Thor was fully aware of that. The omega’s sweet little whines and cries were causing a massive feedback loop of arousal in the pack’s consciousness and Carol was pretty sure she could hear the sounds of several people going at it but she couldn’t pull her gaze away from where Steve’s cock was drilling into that pretty cunt. Evidently said feedback loop was also affecting Steve, who very suddenly growled possessively.

“Carol, Loki, off,” The prime snapped barely hesitating before dropping his elbows into the pillows on either side of the omega’s head, narrowly avoiding giving his pack mates concussions. “Now.”

Both the alpha and the delta were yanked off the bed by their ankles—well, Carol was yanked off the bed. Loki was yanked off the bed and then promptly thrown into the wall by said ankles. The reinforced exterior wall meant there was only a small dent where the god had landed, but the ensuing ruckus had a strong potential of causing even more damage. Thor immediately turned to deal with the problem, along with several other packmates.

Several things occurred in the next few seconds and the pack would probably fight about what really happened for the next twenty years, but somehow Bucky was thrown through the window and Tony’s right ring finger was broken.

And Wanda—poor Wanda, Thor pushed her out of the way before Bucky could accidentally take her through the window with him. The beta was sent flying, sailing across the bed until she hit the unyielding form of Steve. He startled in shock, immediately drawing back to assess her condition—only for a heel to slam directly into his nose. The prime’s head snapped back from the force, big body falling backwards while his hands scrambled for purchase on his face.

The omega probably would’ve even gotten down the stairs if Natasha hadn’t been ascending the stairs at that moment, having heard the commotion from where she and Clint had been putting away groceries. The redhead smelled her before seeing her, a somewhat sinister grin pulling Nat’s lips when the omega ran directly into her while attempting escape #2.

“Now where are you going, kitten? With that mess dripping down your thighs,” the beta cooed, head tilting as she scented the air. “Why can I smell Steve on you, but not his cum?”

There was a horrible, long pause while the omega seemed to consider her options before landing on Go For Broke. She attempted to dodge past Natasha but the beta’s strong arm immediately lashed around her waist, her superior strength making it easy to force her up the stairs even as she refused to hold her own weight.

Steve met them just two steps from the top, dick out and covered in blood. The prime’s expression wasn’t so much angry as it was disappointed and Natasha hummed in false sympathy.

“Someone’s been naughty, huh kitten?”

content warnings: nonconsensual sex, voyeurism 

#avengers x reader #steve rogers x reader #thor x reader #loki x reader #sam wilson x reader #carol danvers x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #clint barton x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #bruce banner x reader #tony stark x reader #bucky barnes x reader #dark!avengers #omegaverse #abo dynamics #will potentially reblog with tags if i remember no promises