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#mafia Peter parker
liz-allyn · 1 year
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sugar and vice - epilogue
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[continued from Part 23]
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FOUR MONTHS LATER
Ice clinked against the stainless steel of her coffee tumbler like hollow wind chimes. She brought the pastel pink container to her lips, taking a careful sip. She’d already spilled some of it in her lap, and now brown spots dotted the yellow of her dress. Carefully, she set the tumbler down beside her, taking a moment to glance up at the scenery around her.
It was a golden-yellow summer day with a cloudless sky, save for the smog hanging over the city. Despite last week’s heat wave, the temperature was more moderate today, giving New York a much-needed break. From a bench in Central Park, she sat beneath the canopy of towering oak trees. A breeze rolled through that chilled her skin delightfully, aided by the icy beverage in her cup.
Nearby, a flock of pigeons scavenged for crumbs. On this particular Saturday, construction sounds were minor, reduced to distant echoes. The bright sounds of a street musician’s violin floated on the wind from nearby in the park. She heard a whistle from a group of children in the distance as they practiced soccer kicks. 
Soccer would be good for Bella, she thought. The seven-year-old girl had tons of energy and legs that were longer than she knew what to do with. Ever since the Olympics and watching Space Jam: A New Legacy, Bella had been obsessed with becoming the next WNBA champion. She described LeBron’s performance as a masterpiece. 
Her aunt knew better than to let her personal opinion spoil the girl’s fun.
That had been a good day. Today was a good day. She mused to herself as she took a breath. She was aware of the fact that the day wasn’t technically over. And perhaps there wasn’t anything particularly different from yesterday. But as her muscles relaxed beneath warm rays of sun on her shoulders, she found peace.
“Mind if I sit here?” a kind voice said from behind her. The muscles in her neck pulled taut. Her heart seized up and tripped over itself.
She glanced over her shoulder to find a pair of doe eyes fixed on her. Cherry lips twisted into a lopsided smile. 
Impossibly, Peter Parker looked younger than the last time she saw him. The only sign of age in his creamy smooth skin were tiny lines at the corners of his eyes, and a faint pink scar blending with the wrinkles above his brow.
Without the beard, he looked criminally soft. Big, bright amber eyes were fixated on her in a way that made her heart want to burst. She felt like she was floating in space and plummeting through the atmosphere. 
At the same time, the primal part of her brain screamed out shrill sirens. Just the sight of him and his soulful eyes felt like she was tearing off a broken limb. Watching as his teeth pinched his pouty lip gave her the sensation of ripping apart nerve endings. Her stomach soured as her heart ached. 
Beneath the heart, lava boiled in her belly. Her eyes were open wide, they could even be mistaken for shock. It wasn’t shock, however, but sheer rage burned in her eyes. 
Peter Parker, the persistent paradox. 
The only man that could stir every emotion in her, like the sun conjures every color of the rainbow out of drops of rain. He painted her world in vivid colors, and yet she was colorblind to everything but the golden hue of his eyes.
Peter Parker, who could make her feel stronger and weaker all at once.
She burned for him, in every sense of the phrase.
And at the present, he was holding his breath, waiting for her reply. She gazed up at him as emotions warred within her. He waited patiently, ready to accept whatever fate she thought he deserved.
She pursed both her lips tight, eyes narrowing. “I’ll allow it,” she said. 
His lungs came to life once again, as if he’d been spared the guillotine. Gently, Peter rounded the park bench and sat down in the spot to her right. She kept her nose forward, eyes focused on anything but him.
“Whatcha reading?” he asked gently, gazing down at the pamphlet in her lap.
She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. “A brochure.”
He observed the glossy tri-fold sheet with a nod. “I see that.” Instantly, he recognized the pictures and logo on the pamphlet, recalling how he once read the same words. “ESU, huh?” he noted with a half smirk, observing the ivory towers of the campus nestled in Midtown Manhattan. “Thinkin’ about classes?” He bit his lip anxiously. “What d’you wanna study?”
She held still, remaining silent as she stared down at the brochure. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, and it felt like razors being shoved into his eye sockets. 
“Dunno,” she answered with a gentle shrug. “Interior Design, maybe.” She cleared her throat and spoke with a little more volume. “Thinkin’ about applying for a grant for this fall.”
A smile warmed his eyes, though melancholy weighed down the corners of his lips. “What’s in the cup?” he asked, pointing his nose towards her coffee tumbler.
Lashes fluttered, she followed the end of his fingertip down to her beverage, almost having forgotten that it was there. “Oh,” she said meekly. “It’s a Mauna Kea.”
Peter quirked up a brow. “A what-ya-saya?”
She pinched her lower lip between her teeth to keep it from curving. “Mauna Kea,” she repeated slowly, enunciating the syllables. “Means ‘White Mountain’ in Hawaiian.” She hesitated for a moment, licking her dry lips. “It’s the name of the tallest mountain on Earth,” she declared, mustering confidence, “from peak to summit.”
A crease formed in Peter’s brow. “I thought Everest was the tallest mountain?”
“Tallest by altitude,” she divulged with pride. “Mauna Kea is bigger.” She flicked her eyes over to his and was immediately captured by his soulful gaze.
“No joke?” he replied with a thousand-watt smile and rosy cheeks. 
“Yup,” he answered, as butterflies filled her belly.
He gazed at her as if he were witnessing the sunrise for the first time. “So, you’re drinkin’ a ‘White Mountain?’”
Her heart skipped a beat. “It’s a cold brew. Blended with honey, macadamia milk and ice, topped with coconut milk foam.” She intended to look down at her cup. Or at the pedestrians. Or the trees. Or the sun. She intended to look anywhere but at him. She really tried. “I made it myself,” she said, feeling heat crawl up her neck.
His eyes glowed, further enamored by her mere existence. “Wow. All this time, all I’ve been drinking is black coffee.” A smile glinted in his expression while his blush gave him away. “Just black coffee. Bitter. With extra sadness.”
She fought the smile her lips formed. “That’s a shame.”
“It is. People tell me I should take more risks, though. Go out on a limb.” His eyes wandered across the park before shifting back over to her. “I’m Peter, by the way. Peter Parker.” He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, and in his eyes she could spot his trepidation. If he looked young to her before, now he looked like a blushing boy asking his crush to prom. He gazed at her with the same terror, his heart in his throat and on his sleeve. “What’s your name?”
A fire burned bittersweetly in her heart as tears burned behind her eyes. She gazed at him, feeling her emotions swell. “Mari,” she answered, truthfully. She studied the bourbon and topaz facets of his irises and the lovely curve of his cupid’s bow. “But all my friends call me ‘Honey.’” 
Peter’s lip trembled at that, eyes glistening despite his attempt to control it. “Honey,” he repeated with a murmur, as if chanting a prayer, or a protection spell. As if it was the answer to everything in the universe. In his universe, at least. “It suits you.”
A bittersweet smile warmed his features as he gazed at her, lost in the universe and freefalling towards her singularity. Her eyes went glossy as she mapped the pores, freckles, and scars on his face like the constellations in the sky.
“I missed you,” he said, endearingly.
Her heart throbbed at the pain in his voice. “I know.” She licked her lips, sadness filling her expression. “You hurt me,” she said somberly.
With misty, red eyes, he whispered back, “I know.” He swallowed hard, tears swimming in his gaze. “I’m sorry for that. M’sorry for a lot of things. But I don’t regret a single moment.” 
Eyes glistening, a warm smile overtook her features, lighting up her gaze. She nodded in silent reply.
The sight of it made him want to die of joy. “If it doesn’t sound too forward,” he began gently, speaking with measured formality, “I was gonna ask you to come home with me.”
Home, he said. The significance of the word wasn’t lost on her. A tear rolled down her cheek, sliding along the curve of her grin. “Already?” she breathed out a laugh. “Geez. That was fast.”
His smile faded; he melted into enraptured awe. “No,” he whispered, eyes glowing with admiration. He leaned forward, breaking the invisible barriers between them. Her eyes fluttered shut as his calloused fingers brushed over her jaw, triggering a shiver down her spine. “I’ve waited years for you, remember?” he quietly rumbled. “I’ll keep waiting. For the rest of my life, if I have to.”
The sweetness of it all made her dizzy. It made her feel like her heart had spilled open and she would bleed out on the grass. “I’ll take it,” she sniffed, as Peter thumbed the tears from her cheeks.
“Take what?”
“The rest of your life.” 
He melted in her gaze, staring down at her lips. “Sweet girl. You are my life.”
Without hesitation, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. The sensation made her heart flutter, her mind soar, and her brain sizzle. It made her wounds heal and her soul sing. It made life worth living. It made hope real.
When they parted from the kiss, they were breathless and dizzy, hearts thrumming together in sync.
The honey hues of his chestnut eyes were fixed on hers. “So,” he said, thoughtfully. “Mauna Kea. Ever see it up close?”
She smirked. “Nope. Never been to Hawai’i.”
“Me neither,” Peter shrugged, his eyes alight with life. “Wanna change that?” 
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End of Volume 1
A Note From Your Storyteller:
Whew. That was long.
I can't believe this has come to an end. Before I began writing, I was skeptical about this story, but honestly I could've never anticipated or expected the overwhelming support and love that I've gotten. People have made art from my art. They have showered me with gifts for my gift. If you'd say any gift is an expression of love, then gifted art is the ultimate expression of devotion. I love that you care about my characters, and about me!
What's next?
Good question. I've been at odds with this answer, and now it feels like I really need to commit to a path. My imagination is full of many more places that Honey and Peter can go. I could probably write 2-3 novels about these two with all of the effort I put into making these characters come to life. Realistically, I'm a mom with a baby, and I'm about to be a one-person band for the next few months. I'm excited to share these stories, but I'm not sure when or how, or even what that will look like.
The best thing you can do to interact with me is to keep your eyes on my updates from my Ko-fi page! I'm hoping to allow that to become a place where the S&V 'fandom' (wtf that sounds so weird what happened what is this life I am not worthy) can gather and where I can share updates.
In addition to S&V-related news, I'm going to post writing tips, best storytelling practices, AMAs, my favorite fics of the week, answer questions, and maybe even offer commissions. Keep in mind, none of this will be gatekeeped (gate-kept?) or behind a paywall. Even if you're not a regular... er, um, patron?... (barista?) on Ko-fi, you can still hopefully find some interesting stuff to check out.
But even if you don't do any of that, because... who cares, right? I do want you to do one thing for me. One tiny thing that will make the world better. One small thing that could end up changing someone's life.
The next fanfic you read, if you feel any emotions about it at all, please hit "reblog."
You don't have to write a long review, or leave a comment, or add any tags to it. You don't have to do anything more than click the reblog button. But please reblog. When you reblog, you get to share the gift fanfic writers make with someone else, regardless of whether you know them. And subconsciously, you tell the writer 'yes, I see you, and I think other people should, too,' and that small thing can save someone's life one day.
Forget engagement, forget likes vs comments vs reblogs vs community labels vs filtering settings—
Stories are gifts. They are expressions of love put to words. They are emotions lived, repackaged, wrapped in a bow, and then shared with others, along with a kind little note that says 'here's this moment of my heart, I hope it moves you the way it moved me.'
Reblog. And fill the world with a little more love.
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153 notes · View notes
lotus-n-l0ve · 1 year
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What would want Peter Parker to call you?
43 notes · View notes
macadoodlewrites · 2 years
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The Devil Doesn't Bargain - Part Four (Peter Parker Mob AU)
Summary: Peter Parker is well on his way to taking over his adoptive father’s business – but with new threats emerging, Peter and Tony Stark decide that a deal between rivals needs to be brokered. A marriage proposal between enemies brings Hallie straight into the arms of Peter, and it won’t take her long to realise that escape will not be easy.
Warnings: kidnapping, drugging, dub-con behaviour, torture, smut, swearing
Ships: Peter Parker x OC
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Main Masterlist
The Devil Doesn't Bargain Masterlist
Word Count: 5.6k
Tony is going to make him an offer that he can't refuse.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? If Tony and my father had been in a rivalry for many years and never before had they come to a cease-fire, what could Tony possibly offer that would ever end their competition. And why, over all of these years, had my father never entertained a meeting with Tony Stark?
I wanted to believe that it was because my father would never associate with him. I did still believe that. Which led me to further questions, such as, what could Tony want with Dominic Whittingham? I did not believe the lies that Peter and Tony had spouted about my father, not for a second. Sure, I wasn't as involved in the family business as my brother, Aiden, was but I still knew what we did and what we sold. Buildings, cars, land. My father and brother were not criminals.
Peter could take his lies and his files and choke on them for all that I cared.
We were walking back towards his office, but thankfully this time he was not dragging me or holding me. I was a step behind him, my sock-covered feet silent. I could have turned and ran, but I had a feeling that Peter would have known if I had done so without even looking at me.
And his warnings were still at the forefront of my mind, the way he had held me down, threatened me. The delight I saw in his brown eyes as he had stared at his hand at my throat. I didn't want to upset him again - at least not until I knew that I could escape.
He opened his office door, holding it for me, and I walked through the doorway, making sure that not a single part of our bodies touched. He must have noticed because the sound of his scoff filled the empty room. I approached his desk and resisted the urge to take my file into my hands, looking down at it. It felt wrong for him to have something like this, something so personal about me, but I did not want to show him how affected I was by it. At least the file mostly contained surface information - family, friends, boyfriends, events I had attended, schools and the grades I had achieved. It would have been infinitely more frightening if I had seen more personal information such as my likes and dislikes, childhood pets and adolescent nicknames. Personal information was not something that you could find in a magazine, and I would have been even more terrified about how he had gotten it.
I did, however, open the other remaining files and look at the pictures at the front of all of them. There was my mother, Eloise, sporting the blonde hair that Aiden and I had inherited. He had also inherited her hazel eyes; mine were a light green, from my father. My father's picture was a business shot of him, in one of his usual dark grey suits. His hair, once a mousy brown, was grey now, and he was not smiling. Then again, when it came to business, he hardly ever smiled. Those were reserved for me and my brother, as they had once been reserved for my mother.
Aiden's picture was taken from a magazine article that had named him one of 'thirty under thirties to watch.' He was smiling at the camera, and I felt an ache in my chest. I had not seen him this morning at the breakfast table - both he and my father had already left the manor before I had woken up. But I was reminded of the phone call I had made back in the café to him, trying to find any way to get Eric and I to safety. I prayed that Aiden had made it in time to find Eric and get him to a hospital.
Then there was Eric's file. It was as large as Aiden's, and there was a picture of him and I at the front of it. It was one from my twenty-first birthday party at the manor, and he had looked his most handsome. I had chosen the expensive suit that he was wearing, and his mint green tie had matched my long green cape swing dress. The ache in my heart cracked at his smile. He was possibly dead now.
I traced a finger down his face, and then moved to pick up his file, but before I could, there was a hand at my wrist. I looked up and was met with depthless chocolate brown eyes staring at me.
"I said that you had to find out about your boyfriend the hard way. No spoilers," he said, and his other hand slid Eric's file away from me and snapped it closed.
"I wouldn't have believed anything written about him, anyway," I snapped, tugging away from him. Surprisingly, he let me, and I backed away to place the desk between us. "Neither do I believe a single thing that you have said about my father."
"We have been over this, Halston. Why would your file be entirely correct, but Dominic's be full of lies?"
"You tell me. You're the manipulative one here. You said it yourself; you knew that I would read them. Maybe it is some twisted way to get me to think that all of them were true."
"And why would I care about what you do or don't think of your father?" he asked, derision in his tone. "I, frankly, do not care what you believe."
Fine, I thought. This is the game that he wants to play. "That's a lie, and we both know it. You left the files on the desk for me to find. You told me that my father is a crook and tried to explain why. Someone who did not care for what I thought would have done none of those things."
Placing Eric's file back on the large, wooden desk, he continued to watch me. I did not want to be near him, so I stepped backwards by a few paces, putting myself back near the sofa that I had woken up on. With a strange and frightened thought inside of my mind, I realised that my clothes were nearly the same colour as the sofa set. Peter liked dove grey.
He took a seat behind his desk, sitting tall. "Clever girl. The magazine's do not give you enough credit."
Not wanting to give him even an inch of higher ground, I remained standing. "Excuse me?"
"The magazines," he replied. "Most call you America's sweetheart, the Whittingham daughter so loved by the country. You and your brother are like a little prince and princess of your kingdom. Your father has put on a good front, I'll admit."
"It's not a front-"
He didn't stop speaking. "But there are some articles that have said you are nothing more than a pretty face. A brainless, little heiress with nothing to contribute to society. A dim-witted socialite. But I knew that you were smart."
"Because you have a stupid file on me? You know nothing about me just because you know what schools I attended. Some grades mean nothing. I could have paid someone to achieve them for me."
"You didn't though, did you?" Peter remarked, his eyes flashing. "You would never do something like that."
"And why wouldn't I?"
"Because, darling, despite who raised you, you are a good person."
I wanted to stomp my feet, huff like a small child at the satisfied expression on his handsome face. But I remained still, only crossing my arms over my chest. His eyes darted down to the movement.
"Stop acting like you know anything about me. You don't. I have friends, family, and a life that does not involve you, and as soon as my father has rejected Tony, I will be back to it and never have to see you again."
"I know plenty, besides what is in this file," he shrugged, his hands coming up and opening the file with my name on it. I shivered as he looked down at the picture of me. "And your father will not reject mine. Trust me."
"Never going to happen."
"And you're not getting rid of me that easily. Once the deal has been struck, you'd better get used to having me around."
He sounded so confident, like he knew something that I did not - which was probably true. I was in the dark, had no idea what Tony wanted with my father, and wanted nothing more than to go home. I wanted to lay in my own bed, listen to my brother's terrible singing voice coming from his bedroom down the hall. I wanted Eric.
Before I knew what was happening, any remnants of energy that had been in my body was gone and I was sinking down to sit on the grey sofa, tears falling from my eyes. I refused to look at Peter as they dripped onto my lap, soaking into the knitted joggers. Ones that he had chosen for me. It sickened me. I continued to stare at my feet, even as I heard him getting up from his chair and walk towards me. Why should he get to see me cry? He was the source of my tears.
He crouched down in front of me, balancing on the balls of his feet and before I could move backwards in my seat, Peter's fingers were under my chin. His grip was gentler than it had been before when he had grabbed me, and he tilted my head up so that I would look at him. I had originally thought that he had smelled of smoke perhaps from a bonfire, but I had since narrowed it down to cigars - a smoky, sweet aroma with accents of leather. I watched his eyes take in the tears on my face and his other hand came up and wiped them away, his finger then trailing down my cheek. It took everything in me to not jerk away from the gesture, and I knew that he could tell that I had tensed up from the way that he sighed.
"Do you want me to show you the greenhouses?"
"You have plants here?" I implored incredulously. "What do you do, use flowers as target practise?"
He laughed and it sounded like the first real laugh that had fallen from his lips. "No. We are currently in the office building, and we do hold meetings here with prominent members of the community. We have to make the place look good and legit." At my continued dubious staring, he stood back up. "Come on, darling. I know that you like flowers."
Once again, it disturbed me to no end that he knew something so simple about me - yes, I did love flowers. My mother had passed on her love of gardening to me. But that was not in my file. Peter must have read it in an interview I had participated in at some point. I hoped.
Petulantly, I mumbled, "I don't have any shoes."
I shouldn't have said anything. Peter walked back to his desk, opened a cupboard underneath and pulled out a pair of fossil-grey timberland boots. He then walked back to me slowly as I eyed up the shoes. Once again, they matched my outfit, and it did not take more than a second glance to know that they were my size.
If this was not proving to me that I needed to leave, that their plans had been well-thought out and that Peter knew too many things about me, then nothing else would. But being cooped up in this office was not going to help me. So, swallowing my revulsion, I took the shoes and put them on, then stood up. He shot me a very realistic smile, but I didn't return it.
Following him out of his office, we took the same route that I had already taken twice today towards the stairs. At the bottom, where I had originally turned right, and the second time, Peter had led me straight on, we now went left. I cursed myself inwardly. It had been a one in three chance for me to choose the way that would take me outdoors, and I had chosen wrong.
Peter's hand found my waist and rested on the small of my back, guiding me along until we came to a set of doors that had a small pad next to them. Peter stepped ahead of me, blocking my view as I watched him remove a thin piece of plastic from his blazer pocket. He must have placed it against the pad because the doors opened with a loud beep.
Eric and I's coffee date had been interrupted mid-morning, but now the sun was starting to set in the winter sky, casting a pale, cold light over the earth. I shuddered at the sudden chill in the air as we stepped outside, and Peter noticed. Pocketing his access pass in his trouser pocket, he shrugged off his blazer and held it out for me. No matter how much I despised him, I was not going to turn away something that would keep me warm, so I took it. He then started walking, his black shoes crunching over the frozen grass, as I followed. He led us past the building and further through the grounds. I took in every inch of my surroundings as we went, noting the high walls around the complex, the men and women that were stood guarding certain buildings. The office behind us was by far the largest one and its glass walls shone in the dimming sun.
We came to a driveway with multiple cars parked on it, still within the property, and further along was a gate. Large black gates, three times my height, a solid wall of metal. From my distance, I could just make out a small pad, the same as the door we had exited.
The tiniest flair of hope rose in my stomach. I needed an access pass. And then I could leave. Who knew what was on the outside of those gates, but it had to be better than what was inside.
Not letting my gaze stray for too long as I felt Peter's eyes on me, I continued to look ahead as we approached another glass building. I stepped in through the open doors, and instantly felt the temperature change.
For the briefest of moments, I forgot about my predicament as I took in the rows and rows of flowers. Here were cherry red and snowy white geraniums, then there were candy floss pink petunias, followed by lavender pansies. My mouth fell open at the sight of the flowers, a full rainbow against an overwise dreary day. I gently touched the soft petals, held the leaves between my fingers.
From my side, Peter spoke but it was quieter than usual. "Do you like it?"
I turned to him, the surprising happiness still on my face and he took it in. A pure smile graced his lips. "I do," I whispered and looked back at the flowers. Peonies were my favourite, and I could see a collection of them in the corner of the greenhouse, their delicate pink petals the softest colour in the room. I walked straight towards them, and before I could help myself, I asked, "do you tend them?"
He snorted lightly and I turned to him once again. He had followed me across the greenhouse and was stood behind me, looking at the peonies and then back at me. "No, we have gardeners." His expression was slightly off, his eyes flickering all over my face, a question in his eyes.
"What?"
"That's the first time that you have smiled. At me."
And just like that, it was all back. This was not a boy showing me a handful of pretty flowers. This was a manipulator, someone who knew the things that I liked because he had researched me and wanted to use me. The smile fell from my face, and his faded slowly as well.
"Well-"
Before I could retort, we were interrupted by a man in a black uniform bursting through the door, clearly out of breath. He straightened up at the sight of Peter and me.
"Sir," he said. "Mr Stark needs to talk to you. He mentioned something about preparations for moving certain packages."
The guards' eyes flickered over to me, and Peter coughed, drawing his attention away. "That'll be all. Tell Tony that I will find him shortly, that I am currently with Miss Whittingham."
It looked like it pained the guard to speak further. He couldn't have been more than a year or two younger than me, but the infinite difference in his and Peter's rankings was evident. "Sir, I apologise, but he insisted it had to be now."
Once again feeling Peter's eyes on me like small daggers, roaming me and checking me over, I continued to look at the guard. On his chest, clipped to the outer pocket of his padded waistcoat, was what looked like an access pass.
Sighing at my side, I felt Peter brush my side with his hand as he moved to face me. I looked up at him, trying to paste an expressionless stare onto my features.
"Would you like to stay here whilst I deal with this business?" He was trusting me to stay alone? As if reading my thoughts, the corner of his mouth quirked up. "With Jared, of course."
"Right," I mumbled, doing everything in my power to keep the excitement out of my voice. "I would like to stay here. Please."
It must have been the right thing to say because Peter's hand rose up and cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking my skin. I did not flinch. I felt like I was barely breathing. "You can stay," he said, his chocolate eyes wandering from my eyes to my lips and back up. His touch was soft, and I must have been selling the part of docile prisoner well for him to consider leaving me. "Don't cause any trouble, darling." He leaned forwards, lips grazing my ear. "Let's not have to make me the bad guy."
And then he was gone, his hand sliding away from my cheeks, fingers lingering for only a second, as he then walked towards the open door. He muttered something to Jared, and then was gone with only one final glance back at me.
I watched him through the glass walls of the greenhouses all the way back to the office.
As soon as he had stepped back inside of the building, I knew that I had to act quickly. I started to walk between the aisles, gently brushing against the hanging flowers and their beautiful petals and waited to see what Jared would do. Whatever Peter had muttered to him must have been serious, because he followed along behind me, hardly further than three steps away at all times. I knew that he was guarding me, the eye he was keeping on me was purely one of duty, very different from Peter's. When Peter had been walking behind me, he had been gauging my reactions, taking in my movements.
Which was why this was going to be so easy. Peter would have been expecting me to do something, would have seen how nervous my breathing had become, how my hands were suddenly clammy. But not Jared.
I gingerly looked over to him, pasting a coy, girlish smile on my face. "Aren't they lovely?"
Clearly shocked at being addressed, he nodded with a bewildered expression. "They are, Miss Whittingham."
"Do you know much about flowers?" I continued.
"I cannot say that I do," he replied. "My girlfriend prefers chocolates as presents. She has allergies."
"Well, can I show you something?"
He hesitated but took a small step forward. Up this close, I could see the boyish roundness to his cheeks, and a small splattering of teenage acne. I had been wrong. He couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen, which made what I was about to do all that much harder. But I had to leave.
"Here," I gestured at the fuchsia rhododendrons in front of me. "Look at these petals."
Jared stepped again towards me and leaned down to look up close at the petal that I was holding between two fingers. As he did so, his eyes left me, and I took my chance.
Releasing the petal, I grabbed a large, ceramic pot and picked it up. Lifting it over my head, and realising just how heavy it was, I smashed it over the back of Jared's head.
He fell to the ground, unconscious before he could get a chance to yell out. Flowers, compost and shards of brown, ceramic clay coated the back of his head, his hair and his uniform, and I stopped only briefly to check that he was still breathing before snatching his access pass from his pocket.
Sprinting out of the greenhouse doors and towards the same gates that I had seen on my walk over, they seemed much further away than they had before. The air was even colder than I remembered and the sweat at the back of my neck was frigid, but my footsteps were steady, as was my grip on the pass.
And then I was at the gate, checking over my shoulder for any sign of Peter, or even Harry or Ned, but no one was there. No one had seen me run.
Through a small crack in the side of the gate I could see what looked to be one long road, and along each side was trees. There was no sign of any other humans, buildings, or cars. But I did not care. Once I was out, I would then focus on finding help.
I slapped the pass against the pad next to the gate, waiting for them to creak open, but that was not what happened. Instead, the pad flashed at me, bright red letters.
ACCESS DENIED.
My heart plummeted to my stomach, but I tapped it again.
The same thing happened.
I had put too much of my faith into this plan, such a desperate, mindless last-ditch attempt at freedom. But it had failed. I screamed, banging my fist against the metal gate and barely registering the pain that broke out through my knuckle. I did the same thing again, rage coursing through each and every part of my body. Rage at the unfairness of my situation, rage at my idiotic attempt at escape, and rage at Peter Parker for putting me into this predicament.
Blood cracked along each of my knuckles as I raised my fist again, but something stopped me. Something warm and brutally tight. It yanked me backwards at a bruisingly fast pace, turning me and slamming my already bleeding hand against the gate.
Eyes full of unadulterated rage glared at me, the colour I believed I would always associate with anger forevermore. One loose lock of walnut brown hair had fallen onto his forehead, reaching his eyebrows, which were furrowed downwards.
"Peter," I breathed before I could stop myself. My heart felt like it was going to fly out of my chest at any moment, it was beating so fast, and there was a lump in my throat that was practically stopping any air from entering my body.
The bones in my wrist were close to snapping from the pressure he was exerting to keep it pressed against the metal gate. "You asked to stay in the greenhouse," Peter ruminated lowly, his other hand clenched at his side. "You asked, so I kindly let you. And this is how you repay my kindness, Halston? By disobeying me? By attacking one of my men in training?"
"You kidnapped me-"
His eyes flashed, and every word I could have said left my body. "I am speaking. Do not ever interrupt me." The hand at his side came up to my chest, his rings glinting in the winter sun. "I knew that you were putting on that compliant little act for my benefit. Did you really think that it would work? Do you think me that stupid?"
The hand at my chest had been slowly creeping upwards, fingers lazily tracing the material of the shirt that he had chosen, but at the word stupid, his long fingers clenched around my throat. Eyes wide, I could do nothing but grip his wrist with my free hand, staring at him and all of his anger.
"I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"You aren't sorry, so do not lie to me. I was being generous to you before, letting you believe that I would like your co-operation. But I have never really needed it, darling." The hand at my throat tightened immensely, and I tried to pull it away from my neck, tried to regain some of the air I needed so desperately to live. My nails dug into his skin, but he hardly looked as if he noticed. "You will do what I want, do as I say, and eventually, you will stop fighting. I will break this rebellious spirit of yours as easily as I had your boyfriend killed."
It was a cruel and cold thing to say. So far, I had not known if Eric was dead or alive, if my brother had found him in time.
Tears welled in my eyes, and they spilled over as I tried to take a gasp of air. Pushing against his hand that held my near-broken wrist to the gate was as impossible as moving a car with my bare hands. The hand at his wrist had given up, now trying to push against his immovable chest. There was such little distance between us that I struggled to even do this. "Please-"
I could barely get the word out. Peter leaned down towards me, a savage sneer on his face, lips viciously curled in anger. His grip tightened further, and I started to sag against the gate as an endless blackness entered the corners of my vision.
"Your boyfriend is gone. Your father will agree to our negotiations. And the only way that you are leaving me is over my dead body. Your fighting is pathetic and a waste of my time."
Was he going to kill me? It certainly felt like it as finally my body started to give up, the darkness a living thing, crawling over my eyes as they fluttered shut. Just as I thought that it was over, he was going to let me die despite telling me that he could not kill me, his hand disappeared at my throat, and instantly moved down, a tight band around my waist as I started to fall. He pulled me against his body as I took in painful breaths of cold air, my lungs both frozen and on fire at the same time.
My forehead was against his shoulder, every limb numb, but I felt his lips against my hair. "The only way to reward disobedience is with punishment."
And then his hand was in my hair, yanking my head backwards so that it made contact with the thick, metal gate. A blinding pain hit the back of my head, taking over everything as I still struggled to breathe properly.
But he wasn't done. I was finally seeing the real side of Peter Parker, not the boy that he had been presenting himself as to me. Continuing to hold my hair, I was being bent over backwards, only his iron grip around my waist stopping me from dropping to the ground. My scalp was on fire.
He stared down at me with eyes full of flames of anger and a violence that threatened to take my life.
"I won't run again. I promise," I choked out, every syllable hurting my aching throat.
"Forgive me if I have trouble believing a single word that comes out of your pretty mouth." I watched as his eyes trailed down from my face to my heaving chest. "All of the things that I could do to you. So many options."
I increased my struggling again at his words, tried to pull his hand away but all that I succeeded in doing was getting him to yank again, my long blonde strands wrapped tightly around his clenched fist.
And then he turned, letting my waist go abruptly, but keeping his hand in my hair. As he marched, I was pulled by his grip, bent backwards awkwardly.
"Stop! Let me go!" I screamed. "Peter, stop!"
The words fell on deaf ears, and if anything, his grip only tightened so that there was no physical way for me to untangle his hand. All I could so was try to keep up with him, to create any kind of leeway possible to relieve me from the pain in my scalp and where he had slammed me against the gate.
This man was a monster.
Here I was crying, defenceless, and in an infinite amount of pain all caused by him, and he did not care. If anyone could see us right now, I prayed that they would intervene, but I doubted it. Everyone was frightened of Peter. I was learning that I should have been more scared.
We were back at the driveway when he finally let go of me. He viciously tore his hand free from my hair, giving me no time to reclaim my balance, and I toppled straight to the concrete floor, my shoulders, back and head thudding painfully against the hard surface.
I stared up as he stood over me, his figure tall and imposing. His hands were at his sides as he looked down. Every part of me was shaking, my head on fire. Every hair felt like it had been torn away - hair that I had grown so long over the years, treated to a trip to my hairdressers nearly every week. This was just another thing that Peter was taking from me. My life. My right to choose my clothing. My freedom. And now something I cherished as simple as my hair. I sobbed, raising a shaking hand to cover my mouth.
The edge of his boots were touching my hips. "You’re lucky that I’m so nice. Imagine if you were with someone who did not have as much patience as me. They might have done something horrible, by now." I sobbed again; a choked cry muffled by my own hand as a sinister smile graced his handsome face. "But disobey me one more time, Halston, and you'll find that I will actually do something about it."
I nodded up at him. He then put one of his hands out, slim fingers pointed down towards me.
Without even a second hesitation as I could see the anger in his face despite his smile, I reached up and took it. He pulled me to my feet easily, and the throbbing in my head intensified. Further tears fell down my cheeks at the pain and at how close I was to Peter.
"Now what do you say?" he said, his hand stroking a finger down my tear-soaked cheek. I closed my eyes.
"I'm sorry for trying to leave."
"And?"
I swallowed heavily, my throat sore. Surely there would be bruises later. "It won't happen again."
"Good girl," he whispered, the fingers almost tenderly caressing my jawline. "I really hope that you don't go back on your word, darling. I really do hate liars."
Nodding, I slowly opened my eyes and nearly jumped back. His face was right in front of mine. "What-?"
"Get in the car," he said, gesturing to an expensive-looking, blacked-out range rover.
"Where are we going?"' I did not move.
He clicked his tongue at me with a sigh. "I'm afraid that you have lost any right to ask me questions. Now, get in the car."
I did not want to anger him further, but the terror I felt at the idea of getting into a vehicle and going anywhere with him was causing my chest to constrict. My breaths were coming out painfully, small, gasping sounds.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t control myself.
"Halston, you need to breathe and do as I say."
"I can't," I whispered, a light-headedness starting to take over.
Thankfully he did not take my words in the wrong sense and feel that I was trying to disobey him. Instead, he reached down into his pocket, and pulled something out. I was too focused on trying to keep my breaths even that I did not look down and see what it was.
"I assure you, that this really is for your own good," he whispered, and as I struggled to breathe, I caught a whiff of that pleasant cigar smell of his.
"What-“
And then there was the smallest prick in the side of my neck, so familiar, but this time I accepted the way that my body started to shut down and my limbs started to give up. I let his arm wrap around my waist and leaned into him, my breaths slowing down, my head against his chest. I felt him lower slightly, and then I was in his arms, his grip under my back and knees keeping me afloat in a world that was otherwise fading away. My head fell backwards and I looked up to the pale, white sky before Peter filled my vision. His expression was softer now.
"You're smarter than this, Halston. Trying to escape is futile, and besides, what makes you think that I'd let you leave? I would find you, no matter what it takes."
My mouth was empty of words, no retorts coming to my blank mind, and as the world went black, I welcomed the darkness.
PREVIOUS PART //
Tagged -
@tomsirishgirlx @steveharringtonswifey09​ @slut4bradbradshaw @annellie​ @roxanne-ragnvindr​ @peachescream1723 @sydneybehlman
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themorningsunshine · 1 year
Text
Muffins
Pie - eyed over you - Chapter 3 
Mafia - Baker AU
Masterlist                        Series Masterlist
Previous Part 
Pairing - Mafia!Bucky x Baker!Reader
Summary - When a new baker in town refuses to abide by his rules, Bucky has no option but to go and take care of it himself. But nothing could prepare him for what stood on the other side. Nothing could prepare him for you.
Warnings - Mentions of murder, lots of fluff (gotta give the fluff before the angst for it to hurt more, yup I am evil), Steve and Sam being a menace 
Word count - around 6k 
a/n - So, after two delays, hell a lot of editing, and straight up changing the whole structure of this chapter and then combining it with another (hence the length), it’s finally here. Thank you so much to all of you for putting up with me. Please let me know what you guys think about this. Your kind words keep me going. 
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You placed the muffins in a tray for display before making a note in your diary to buy more chocolate chips when you go to the market on the weekend. 
Running a bakery all on your own is a difficult job but you wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. Even though you were not a morning person, the prospect of coming here and baking made it getting up from the bed every morning a tad bit easier. 
As you heard knocks on the door, you frowned before looking up, there was still some time left before it was time to open up the bakery. 
But when your eyes landed on the figure standing outside the door, looking like a complete misfit in his dark clothes and sunglasses and surprisingly, a baseball cap covering his forehead, a pathetic attempt at being discreet, you can't help the way your lips turn upward and your heart flutters. 
He was here just yesterday and yet it felt like you were seeing him after too long. 
Get yourself together. 
It's just a crush, it'll go away. 
You wiped your palms on your apron before walking towards the door to open it. 
You gave him a teasing smile before saying, "You're at the wrong place. Baseball convention is another mile from here." 
He rolled his eyes before stepping inside the bakery, bending a little, the door a little too short for him. "Hello to you too, sweets." 
You chuckled before walking towards the counter as he took his usual seat. Everything felt like a routine. Engraved in your soul as if it had always been there. 
"Gracing this bakery with your presence two days in a row. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Maybe I just missed my sweets." He shrugged as if it was obvious. 
"Continue this and you are going to get diabetic." You remarked with a smirk. 
"Not the sweets I was talking about, but okay." 
The smirk immediately left your lips as you could practically feel your heart beat out of your chest. He didn't mean it. He's just teasing. 
But no matter what you think, you can't help the way the red color crept up to your neck at his words. 
Okay, this crush is getting out of hand. 
"So, how's work?" You say in an attempt to change the topic. 
He tenses at your words. You had asked him what he did, and he had replied that he was a mechanic. It was becoming more difficult for him to lie to you. 
But maybe, he won't have to much longer. 
He was pretty sure Walker was on his way to screw things up. 
That son of a - 
"Earth to James!!" Your voice moving and your palm waving in front of his face brought him out of his thoughts. 
"I asked how was work." You said with a frown. James always got weirdly uncomfortable when you asked about work. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it, but you were no one to ask. 
"Oh, it's been fine. You know, the usual." 
"Yeah, yeah. Steve is a dorky idiot and Sam is an annoying prick. I know." You said imitating the words he had said to you not a long time ago. 
Bucky chuckles. Telling you about Steve and Sam was easier. Maybe sharing something about him which wasn't a lie, made him feel less guilty. 
He knew this was wrong. 
He was creating a web of lies that you will find out one day.
But Bucky Barnes wasn't a good man and he would take whatever time he has got before the inevitable happened. 
Which wasn't going to be today. 
He wasn't going to let Walker ruin this.
He will just sit there, hiding half of his face with the baseball cap. It would be easy. It wasn't like Walker would expect to see him here anyways. 
He was just here to make sure that he didn't hurt you. 
The both of you striked a conversation just like usual and you immediately felt better. You knew it was going to be a great day. Had started off on the best possible note, atleast.
The clock striked eight before you knew it and you got up from your chair to flip the sign at the bakery. 
"Why don't you hire someone to help you?" James asks, sipping his coffee. 
"Why, you're looking for a job?" You teased him with raised eyebrows. "Job at the garage doesn't pay enough for your baseball conventions?" 
He rolled his eyes. "When are you gonna let this one go?" 
"I think… never." 
He chuckled before asking again, "But, seriously, sweets, why not get a helping hand?" 
" 'Cause I am selfish." When he narrowed his eyes, you continued. "I know this sounds weird, but I don't like it when anybody else cooks the food. It's just never good enough." 
"So, why not hire someone to deal with the customers?" 
"That's literally the best part of the job." You half exclaimed. "People telling you whether they liked the sweets or not is the best part, James. Almost as good as getting to eat all the leftovers." 
James chuckled before setting his coffee mug down. "There is no pleasing you." 
You shrugged before walking behind the counter to get everything ready for the morning rush you were sure was about to walk through the door any moment now. 
When a few people came in, some regular customers and some students hoping to get in some caffeine to start the day, you saw as James involuntarily tensed. 
Bucky watched the front door with focused eyes as minutes ticked by. He knew Walker will be here any minute now. 
And he was proven right as he saw John Walker opening the door of the bakery and walking in with a smug look on his face, shoving away whoever came in his path. 
Bucky wanted nothing more than to pull him out of here, away from you and this warm place but he couldn't do that. There would be consequences, which he normally wouldn't give a second thought to, but the real nuisance would bring questions. 
He watched as you greet him with the same grin on your face that you used for all your customers, saying in a soft voice, "Hey, what can I get you?" And Bucky can swear Walker doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as you.
"Why not start by paying off?" Walker said with a tone harsh and loud enough that a few customers turned to see what was happening. 
You frowned your eyes in confusion, "I am sorry." You were still speaking in a calm, soft voice, trying your best to get whoever this man was to calm down. You didn't want a commotion so early in the day. 
"Walker." He said as if it was enough of an introduction before continuing, "And I think you have an idea of where I am coming from. You owe us." 
James watched as realization dawned on your face and you stood straighter, your smile turning into a forwn. "I don't owe anyone anything."
He leaned towards you, keeping his arms crossed on the counter, speaking with a smirk, "Don't try to act smart, baby doll. Pay up and no one gets hurt." 
He watches as you cringe at the nickname  and almost take a small step back, discomfort clear on your face. 
Bucky almost gets up from his chair, his first instinct to slit off Walker's throat with the knife he had tucked in his jacket. He would make it less messy too, but painful. 
Control, he isn't going to hurt her. 
"I am not going to pay you a single cent, Walker. So, why don't you take your ass out of my bakery and leave me alone?" As you speak, your hand inches towards the knife that you keep below the counter for situations like these. Even though you hoped you'd never have to use it, it was better to be prepared than sorry. 
John clenches his fist as his eyes bore into your skull, "Don't make this difficult. You don't know who you are trying to mess up with. The people I work with wouldn't blink an eye before dumping your body in a dumpster. Just pay every month and we leave you alone." 
"I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am not going to pay you to let me live." It's as if something switches inside you. The slight fear or discomfort that could be seen in your features is completely gone now. 
Bucky watches as Walker growls in impatience before reaching for his jacket pocket. 
Nope, not happening
"Listen to me, you little bitch - " 
Walker is cut off immediately when a larger figure stands between him and the counter. 
James shields you from him, obstructing his view. 
"Leave her alone." The sound is almost a growl. And if Walker hadn't been too preoccupied he would have noticed how familiar that sounded. 
"And who the hell are you?" He spat. 
Bucky looks down at him and watches as all the color is drained out of his face when he recognises him. 
"S - si "
"Leave her alone and if you show up around here ever again, it will be you in the dumpster, cut into more pieces than you can count." 
Fear is obvious on Walker's face, as he completely forgets the weapon he was reaching for, trying to get his senses to work, confusion evident on his face.
Before he can ask any questions, Bucky takes a step towards him, with sheer coldness in his eyes as if he could slit Walker's throat right now and wouldn't blink. 
You watch as the man - who had introduced himself as Walker- saunters out of the bakery with quick steps. 
You frowned your eyes at whatever had happened here. 
You weren't going to pay the mob any money, you knew that. But you also knew that you couldn't have overpowered that man, especially if he had a weapon hidden under there somewhere. 
"You didn't have to do that, James." You said softly, in an attempt to get his attention away from the door he was boring holes in. 
He turned back and you watched as his expression turned into the soft one you were so familiar with. 
You walked from behind the counter towards where he was standing before explaining, "He works for the mob. Trust me, you don't want to get involved with them." 
Bucky's breath hitches at that. How could he explain to you that he wasn't just involved with the mob?
"It's okay, sweets. They won't hurt me." That was some truth. They were never going to hurt him, and before Walker could utter a single word to anyone about the events of the day, he would be fired. Bucky would make sure of that. 
"I know." You sighed, looking down at the floor as if contemplating something. It was silent for a moment before you looked up, "Thank you, James. It does mean a lot to me." You said with a soft, grateful smile on your face and your hand reached out to his. 
"Anytime, sweets." 
A moment passed before anyone of you dared to move. Your hand was now brushing his arm in slight touches. 
You broke the silence, "Come on, have some muffins. They are on me." You said before turning back and walking towards the counter. 
Bucky had to stand there for a moment because his skin had suddenly started to feel cold and empty. Like it wasn't enough without your touch, before walking back towards the counter and standing right in front of where you were taking out some muffins on a plate. 
"So, Ms Feisty, something against the mob?" He said, trying desperately for his voice to sound joking. 
You shrugged while passing the muffins to him and turning to pour some coffee for yourself. "I am not going to pay them money just because everybody else does. Why the hell do I pay taxes?" 
"But the way you were standing, you don't just want to rebel, sweets. You hate them." He said, an emotion in his voice you couldn't really place. He prayed that that wasn't the case, that he had read the situation wrong and maybe you didn't really hate the mob. 
"Hate is a strong word, James. I - despise them." You reply before looking up at him to meet his eyes, but he looks away, almost as if looking at you right now would physically hurt him. 
"I mean, they aren't really that bad, right? It's not like I know a lot about them but I have heard they protect the city." He tries.
"Uh-huh. They are not good people. You remember that day when we met? When it was raining and I had lost my way, and you were there - "
"I remember the day we met, sweets." He interrupts. Every part of that day was engraved in his mind.
"Yeah, yeah right. So, that day I was coming back from a friend's house. She has a daughter, Ellie, about 5 years old." 
He hums, nodding his head, not sure where you were going with this. 
"Both of them were switching houses. Leaving their home, that they had built, to live in a one bedroom apartment in the not so respected area of the town. You know why?" 
He narrowed his eyes. 
"Because her dad was killed." You took a deep breath, trying to keep the rage from bubbling up to the surface. "A 5 year old lost her father, James. And why? Because of some stupid mob feud." 
"What was her dad's name?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. 
"Jake" 
Bucky's moments halted as images came back to his mind's forefront. He had killed that man himself. Shot three bullets straight into his chest. He had felt no remorse then. That man was a traitor. Had joined hands  with the enemy, knowing very well what the consequences could be. 
He had felt no remorse then because he hadn't given a moment of thought to the people he might be leaving behind. It made his work easier. Pretending that there were no consequences to whatever they did. 
But now he could see the consequences. In the form of rage in your eyes at the tale and the hurt he felt in his chest, thinking about the girl. He knew how that felt. Being alone, and helpless. 
"She didn't deserve that. None of them did. Nobody deserves to lose somebody they love, James. But it hits the worst when it's unforeseeable. When the people who did it are out there in the world, as if their hands aren't tainted with blood, living their life and you can do nothing about it."  You say, swallowing the lump in your throat. Thinking about your friend and Elliot always brought you to tears. You tried to help them as much as you could, but there was only so much you could do. 
Bucky looks into your eyes and sees tears in the corner of your eyes. He wants to hold your hand, to comfort you, to tell you that they are going to be fine. But how could he, when his were the hands that were tainted with blood, that had taken the life of that man without a second thought. 
So, he just sits there, listening to you talk about the lady and her kid, even though each of your words is like a sword stabbed through his chest. 
When he knows you are fine, he takes his leave, bidding you goodbye before walking out and calling Steve. 
"Steve, I need you to do something." 
"What's up, Buck? Everything okay?" Steve replied in a concerned voice. Even after everything, his concern for his best friend never faded. 
"I am sending you some details of a lady and her kid. Send me the contacts of the person who bought their house." 
"Give me half an hour. But who are these people?" 
"They are going to be our responsibility, Steve." 
He cuts the call and sends a quick text with all the details he might need. 
He can't help but turn back towards the bakery to have one last look. He has made up his mind. He was going to tell you the truth. 
he didn't care if it meant you would hate him. There were many people in the town who despised him, what's one more?
But when he turns back and his eyes land up on you, handing a cup of coffee to a middle aged lady, talking to her with a softness unique to you. 
As if you can feel his eyes on you, you turn towards the window and as your eyes meet, your smile grows wider. A smile that's only reserved for him, he realizes. 
And he would have hated himself for how quickly his resolve fades away. 
But Bucky Barnes was not a good man. 
And maybe many people in this world did hate him, but he would be damned if you were one of them. 
He wanted this. The weekly bakery visits, the warmth, the sheer simplicity of it all, even if it was all this was ever going to be. 
And it was about damn time he got what he wanted. 
Why should he apologize for the monster he has become when no one ever apologized for making him this way?
Maybe, one day you'll find out the truth and hate him more for lying to you, but it wasn't going to be anytime soon. He will make sure of that. 
So, he straightens his coat and walks away from the bakery, choosing to not pay any mind to the inevitable doom that could leave the both of you shattered. 
**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**
"James Buchanan Barnes" 
He turns back from what he is doing to find you, cross armed, shooting daggers at him. 
"How could you, James? It's like you're not even trying." 
He can't help the smile that finds its way to his lips at the way you look. Your christmas sweater that you had deemed "perfect" for the occasion and a scarf draped loosely on your neck, trying to look intimidating, just makes you look even cuter. 
You walk towards him and take the candy decoration from his hand, to place it exactly just an inch away from where he was going to, because it looked in your exact words, "more festive" 
Bucky just smiles at you as he watches you ramble more about Christmas decorations. 
When a week ago, he had heard you reminding Pietro that he had to come over to help you decorate, he had stepped in and offered his help. He was free that day anyways, he had told you. There was an international shipment that he had to sign off that day, but that could wait. 
When Pietro had shaken his hand and thanked him for 'saving him', he didn't understand, but now he did. You were extremely particular about how each and everything had to look for christmas and was not shy to tell the other person what a terrible job they were doing if it wasn't exactly the way you had wanted.
But if the cute pout on your face and the warmth that it caused in his chest was any indication, it was worth it. The cookies whose smell reached him even in the living room was just an added bonus. 
Right now, standing in the middle of your apartment, surrounded by incomplete decorations that signaled the arrival of a festival he wouldn't have cared the slightest about a year ago, being scolded by you for not hanging the canes correctly, he regretted nothing. 
3 hours and a lot of debates later, all of which you won, the house was finally decorated enough for the festival. 
"Here you go." You said, handing him a warm cup of coffee and placing a plate full of cookies on the table in front of him. It was your way of saying thank you. 
Bucky looks around your apartment. It's just above the bakery and much smaller than the mansion he lived in. But it felt different in a way he couldn't point out. 
A shelf filled to the brim with books standing in the corner, pictures adorning the walls, each telling a different story. Some soft music playing on the speaker, it was like a blanket of warmth stood over your house. A little messy, but beautiful nonetheless. 
His eyes then land on you, sitting across from him on the sofa, sipping your coffee with a warm, content look on your face, your scarf now lying on the table. 
As if you could feel his gaze, you turn back to look at him and your breath hitches in the throat at the way he is looking at you. 
It's as if the world could crumble around him and he wouldn't blink an eye. 
You can't get yourself to look away. So, you just raise your eyebrows, because you have suddenly forgotten how to breathe and if he didn't look away right now, you are not sure you will be able to survive longer. 
He just shrugs and turns towards his coffee, as if it was a natural occurrence. As if your whole world hadn't stopped spinning for a moment there. 
Bucky looks at you through the corner of his eyes and watches as red color creeps up to your neck and you try your hardest to not smile. 
He now recognises the feeling. 
Your apartment feels like home. 
And the next realization brings with itself questions and doubts he wasn't ready to answer. 
He wouldn't rather be anywhere else. 
**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩
He clenches his fist as he drags his feet towards the bakery. 
It was pretty late. He knew that. 
But he just had to be there. 
He liked his work more often than not. The impending guilt and the danger aside, the reason that had initially brought him to this world still stood. 
It made him feel something. The adrenaline of each task, the satisfaction of seeing everything that belonged to his enemies burning down till there was nothing but smoke.  
The mafia world had welcomed the darkness that he had inside of him and made him one of their own, for which he will be eternally grateful. 
But for some time now, it hasn't been enough. 
The darkness that had surrounded and consumed him for so many years now was suddenly not enough. 
Something inside him changed. 
For the first time in as long as he could remember, he had thought twice before shooting that man today. The whispers inside him that asked him every time 'if there was any other way' had become louder now and even the noise of the bullets couldn't silence it. 
He knew what was happening. 
He was seeking the light.
And every single part of him knew that this could only end in disaster. In a fire that threatened to burn every single thing to the last piece. 
But that didn't stop him from taking the next step. Or the one after that. 
He was still walking to the one place that could silence away his thoughts and make it all go away. Like a moth attracted to a flame. 
Maybe this was selfish of him. Maybe he was tainting you with his darkness. 
He will think about that some other day. 
When the bakery comes into view, he realizes just how late it is. 
You would be about to close now. 
Maybe he could catch a glimpse before you retired for the night. It wasn't enough. It was never enough. But it had to do. 
As he reaches the bakery, he watches as the door slowly opens and a young boy steps out. 
He frowns before walking ahead, and his eyes almost widen with who he sees. 
"Peter, what are you doing here?" 
Peter looks up from the book he is currently holding and his eyes widen with fear at the figure who stands before him. 
"S - sir, I - I was just - " 
A voice from inside the bakery calls out to him. A voice Bucky recognizes all too well. 
"Peter, you forgot this." 
You step out of the bakery with a textbook in your hands as you hand it over to Peter. 
Peter opens his mouth to speak but then closes it. Too afraid about what was going to happen. 
You turn around and when your eyes land on James, your lips turn into a grin before you know it. 
"James, hi"
Peter's eyebrows shoot up as he looks between the both of you. You have a glint in your eyes as if you couldn't be happier by anything else and the man he had feared with everything he had for the last couple of years, had a softness to his features that made Peter wonder if he was somehow swallowed into an alternate dimension. 
"Hey, sweets." Bucky says almost on instinct, before turning towards the boy who is still looking at the both of them as if he just saw a dolphin flying in the air. 
You probably notice it too, because you then point towards Peter before saying, "James, this is Peter, and Peter, this is James Barnes." 
"James?" Peter says almost on instinct, confusion evident in his voice. 
"Wait, you know him?" You ask, looking between the both of them now. 
Peter looks at Bucky and almost crumbles with fear by the warning glare he is shooting towards him. But there is something else there too. Something, he can swear he has never seen in the mob boss' eyes. 
There is fear in them. A tiny flicker of it. He fears the answer he is going to tell you. Whatever it was, it was too important for him. 
"No, no. I don't think we have met before." 
"Oh, okay." You say, confused as to what had just happened here. "All the best for the test and tell MJ I said hi," You give him an easy exit from a situation he was clearly uncomfortable in. 
You watch as a small blush spreads across his cheeks before he bids you goodbye and glancing at James once, takes his leave. 
"He is a nice kid." You break the silence after Peter walks away, out of earshot. "Pretty smart. I was helping him with his test tomorrow." 
Bucky looks back at you and shrugs in response. "Good for him." 
"By the way, it's closing time, James." You say with a teasing voice and he is relieved that you don't ask any further questions. 
"Come on, sweets. You could make an exception for your favorite customer." 
You roll your eyes before replying. "What about this? You help me clean up, and I get you something special I made today." 
"Help you clean up?" 
"Aww. The prince doesn't like to get his hands all dirty?" You smirk. 
"This special treat should better be worth it, sweets." He huffs before walking inside the bakery. 
You walk in behind him while giggling. 
__
"And that's it." 
You look at him with a smile and silently clap your hands together with an impressed look. 
If any of his men would see him right now, wearing an apron with a bunny on it, hands covered in flour, working in a bakery with soft music playing in the background, their eyes would pop out of their heads. But he couldn't care less. 
"Great job for a first timer, Barnes. You have earned yourself a serving of something special." 
Bucky smirked before replying, "Something special, you say?" He leans in and sends a wink your way. 
You roll your eyes before turning towards the kitchen, hoping that it wasn't evident how flustered you were.
You take out something from a box and place it on a plate in front of him. 
Bucky looked at it closely with a frown. It was clearly made of chocolate and was shaped like a dome. He could swear he had never seen it in your bakery before. 
"Come on, give it a try. If I wanted to poison you, I would have done it ages ago." 
He picks up one and after a moment of close inspection, takes a bite. 
As the taste of chocolate invades his senses, he moans and puts the whole into his mouth. 
You watch as his head falls back in delight. 
Once he is done, which is faster than he would have wanted, he says, "Sweets, that was the best damn thing I have ever had." 
You chuckle, "You say that every single time, James."
"And I mean it every single time." 
You just smile at him before putting another on the plate. 
As he devours that one quickly too, he inquires, "What is it called?" 
You smirk before replying, "James." 
"Yeah?" 
"James. That's what it is called." 
His eyes widen and he takes a moment to reply, "You named a sweet after me?"
"Well, technically, you were the inspiration for this." 
He frowns. "How so?" 
"Well, It's full of chocolate and exceptionally sweet. It's exterior is hard but its insides are so soft, they practically melt in your mouth." 
Bucky looks at you, baffled and you look away, unable to meet his eyes. 
He opens his mouth to say something, but is suddenly shushed by you. 
"That's my favorite song." You whisper, as if not wanting to obstruct the soft melody. 
Bucky listens to the sound coming from your phone.
Wise men say
"Only fools rush in"
But I can't help
Falling in love with you
He looks back at you and at the way you have a soft smile on your face, your features highlighted by the soft glow of the kitchen light. 
You look at him and with a teasing smile puts your hand forward, indicating to him to take it. 
He looks between your outstretched hand and your face with a frown.
"Dance with me." Your voice is so soft, he just can't get himself to say no. But, who is kidding? He will set the whole world on fire and watch it burn with a smile on his face if you asked him to. 
He slowly places his hand in yours as the music continues. 
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help
Falling in love with you
The both of you stand in the middle of the kitchen, the moonlight sweeping its way through the windows. 
Everything is brightened in a warm glow but you know nothing will ever shine brighter than the way his ocean blue eyes do right now. 
Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help
Falling in love with you
One of his arms finds its way around your waist while the other holds yours. 
You place your free hand on his shoulder and he gently pulls you closer. 
The both of you stay like that for the rest of the song, swaying slowly to the music. 
Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
You don't know who  leans first but before you know it, the distance between the both of you starts decreasing. 
You hold your breath and your gaze move from his eyes to his lips. 
You would be lying if you said you had never thought of this before, of how his lips would feel against yours, how he would taste like. 
This man had occupied your thoughts since the day you had met all those months ago and you were pretty sure he had no idea of the effect he had on you. 
Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help
Falling in love with you
For I can't help
Falling in love with you
Just as the song is about to end and there's nothing but an inch of distance between the both of you, the door to the bakery was suddenly pushed open with a force and the sound of the bells invaded the comfortable silence that had covered the room in a blanket. 
The both of you took a sudden step away, and you needed a moment to calm your heart which felt like it was about to beat its way out of your chest, before looking up to see who it. was. 
You squinted as two men, one blonde and the other dark haired, stood at the door, looking comically too big, having no idea of what transcribed in the bakery before they had not-so-smoothly barged in. 
The blonde one speaks, breaking the silence, "I knew we'd find you here." 
You watch as he steps towards James, who looks at him with sheer annoyance. "What the hell are you doing here, punk?" 
The other man looks at you and forms a smirk before stepping towards you. "So, this is where you always sneak off to? I guess I understand why." 
James huffs in annoyance and with a sten face stops him, "Shut up, Wilson." 
You look between the men who looked like they were in a staring contest when realization hit you. "Steve and Sam?" 
All the men look at you at the same time and you feel like a deer caught in headlights before you stand up straighter reminding yourself that no matter how intimidating the situation was, this was your bakery. 
"And you must be y/n l/n. It's great to finally meet you, Ms l/n" Steve says, smiling. 
"Please, just call me y/n." 
"Or we could call you beautiful." Sam replies before stepping forwards, stretching his hand to take yours for a shake. 
You let out a chuckle before shaking his hand. "Y/n is fine." 
"What are the both of you doing here?" Bucky speaks up, shooting daggers at Sam, his fists clenched. 
"There's an emergency. We need to go." Steve replies, a serious expression adorning his face. 
Sam interjects them "What's the hurry? I have heard so much about this bakery. We could eat something before leaving." 
Bucky spats at him, "This bakery has closed, Wilson. Time's up. Get your butt moving." 
Sam pouts and you chuckle at the antics of these grown men, "Why don't you come here some other day, Sam, I have something that I think you'll like." 
Sam looks at you, a childlike smile replacing his pout, "I like her already." 
Bucky steps forward towards Sam, pulling him away. "Don't listen to him, sweets." 
Steve and Sam turn their head towards him so fast. you are sure they will get a sprain later. Sam raises his brows with a smirk on his face, while Steve looks at him with a smile on his. 
James then quickly bids you goodbye before pulling the both of them outside the bakery. 
Once they reach the car Steve and Sam had driven in, they both look at him with amused grins. 
"Back off, the both of you. What's the emergency?" 
Steve's expression turns serious as he replies, "Our shipment from Iran has been stopped at Morocco and they are refusing to comply." 
Bucky narrows his eyes at the information. Who would dare to stop their shipment and risk getting on his bad books? "Who is it, Steve?"
"It's Alexander Pierce." 
Bucky lets out a breath before looking in the direction of the bakery once more  and then turning towards Steve and Sam. 
"Get in the car. We need to leave right now. This is going to be a long assignment."
Next part
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pretty-bratty · 2 months
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Every Mafia AU
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winterspiderpurrs · 5 months
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Prompt:
Where Tony and Peter meet because Peter runs the Maria Stark Foundation
Peter was reviewing the books, and the numbers just don't look right.
Peter was so focused on the good this foundation does he never realized the ties to the crime family.
But when it gets brought up to Tony. Well Tony gets mad.
1) His mother's organization was never supposed to be touched by his group - keep it clean
2) How come no one told him this cutie took over running it?
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bunnibitez · 5 months
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Messy Hands - Part One
Pairing: Mafia!Miguel x Shy!Reader AFAB
Word count: +4.3k
Summary: Miguel is having a rough time keeping himself in check. He’s getting angrier and just wants his dues. Besides, mob protection is so hard to come by these days. Unfortunately though, you might be under his “protection” now.
CW: 18+ so MDNI, NSFW. Mentions of blood, gore, violence, guns, criminal undertones, death, choking, murder, language, slow burn, eventual smut, no use of y/n
AN: So this is my first fic EVER. Idk what I’m doing so forgive me. I speak some Spanish but not that well so sorry in advance.
There’s a scent that hangs in the air of the warehouse. The hefty and pungent stench of iron and salt wafting through, sticking to the walls. Blood splatters as it’s coughed up onto the floor. Strangled chokes and gasps of desperation bounce off concrete as a bound man fights against the ichor that fills his now punctured lung. Heaves and wheezes fill the space, nearly drowning out the sweet melody that plays. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major. Precise movements over the strings of a recorded cello, attempting to mask the groans and whines of a weakened subordinate. The Boss had always mentioned that classical music soothed him, allowed him to work better. Something about it just calmed the fire raging in his chest. The prisoner hangs his head low as blood pools in his mouth, mixing with saliva and dripping out in fat blobs onto his chest. He’s grateful for the moment to even hang his head, or at least he should be.
Hours have passed since he was dragged here, sack over his head and hands tied behind his back. That was so long ago, he thinks. Now the bag has since been removed and he’s been fastened to a chair in the center of the cold cement warehouse full of shipping containers, the contents of which he is oblivious of. His consciousness is fading in and out as he tries to focus on the sound of his rattling chest and the crescendo of the tune. But his ears prick as the crack of knuckles catches his attention.
He didn’t dare lift his gaze, already knowing damn well of the monster looming before him. A laugh rumbled from it’s chest as heavy footsteps approached. He could’ve sworn he felt the earth shake as it approached, but the man did his best not to show the absolute terror he truly felt. Suddenly from behind, a hand trails through his short black hair, yanking his head back in order to look upon the beast in front of him. Dark brown eyes squint at the harsh lights and he groans. His face may have been handsome once but now it was unrecognizable, broken, bloodied, and bruised; split in places not even thought possible. Peter’s hand jerked his head from side to side, ensuring he was still alive. The scruffy fellow cracked a smile and laughed as he stood behind the poor sucker. Parker was merely there to assist with refocusing his gaze. With his eyes now tracing upwards, he could see the figure ahead of him. He simply whimpered softly.
Miguel was a sadist for sure. A toothy, fanged grin spread across his sharp features as he began to wipe the blood from his brass knuckles onto his wife-beater. He carefully slipped them into his pants pocket. It had gotten everywhere at this point, Miguel believing that there was more blood and bile on the floor than in the barely breathing body beneath him. Thankfully he had enough foresight to at least remove his suit jacket, tie, and button up before beginning the torture. He stood there now, splatters of gore painting the once pure white undershirt and part of his perfectly bronzed skin. A thin layer of sweat coated his forehead and massive arms. His crimson eyes glowed, dilated as he focused in on his pathetic prey. He found it funny really, amusing. He let out a deranged laugh as he ran a hand through his messy brown locks before he spoke.
“Ya know.. I can’t lie,” He said lowly as he stepped closer, “..Realmente estoy disfrutando esto.” He growled.
There was a madness in his smile. A hidden darkness in has eyes that showed just how badly he wanted this, how he needed it. It wasn’t often that he found a mole in his ranks, attempting to demolish the empire he had built with his own two hands. It wasn’t often that he was ‘forced’ to be merciless and violent. It was a shame, he thought. Trust was something so hard to come by in his line of work. When that fragile trust is broken, an example must be made. So, when a young buck gets bold enough to start selling Spider family secrets and stealing more than his cut, Miguel is simply doing what he has to in order to secure his power and place in Nueva York. He’s worked too hard and spilled too much blood to just let it all slip away.
Finally, he looked down at the heaving mess he had made, labored breaths getting fainter as they made eye contact. Miguel snaps his fingers and swiftly, Ben shuts off the music that filled the room. A deafening silence falls on the warehouse. Miguel’s monstrous form crouched, coming to level with what was once the face of a rat. His broad and calloused hand raised to squeeze the bloodied cheeks, roughly manhandling his head, turning it over and kneading it carelessly. He sighed deeply, hot breath fanning over his victim’s features before he looked up at Peter, lifting his brows for just a split second. It was a silent command, ‘Get the gun’.
Peter released the rat’s hair and stepped back to retrieve ‘LYLA’, a stainless steel Colt XSE with a custom black grip panel etched with the red silhouette of a spider. She was beautiful. Sleek and elegant but capable of obliterating a man’s skull in a matter of milliseconds. As Miguel waited, his eyes drifted back down. His grin had fully faded as the fun of the it all was beginning to die down. The rage that had been simmering in the back of his mind had begun to boil. He liked to believe that he was a reasonable man most of the time, calm and sometimes even forgiving. But now he had no patience. Right now he felt a sort of virus infecting him, shutting down all logic and leaving him with just unadulterated hatred. Venom spilled over into his words as he spoke in a low tone, growling out as he spoke slowly.
“I can’t fucking wait to see your brains painting the walls.” He hissed out. His tone was cold and flat. His face was deadpan now, ready to carry out his final act of justice. In a fleeting moment of bravery, the rat hummed lowly. Squinting his eyes, hollowing his cheeks, and jutting his head forward just so, the rat spit at Miguel. A plump glob of blood and drool landed on Miguel’s cheek as the rat gave a half toothed smirk.
“Fuck you.” It came out broken and slurred, but the rat was proud of himself.
Miguel’s eyes darkened as his thumb slowly swiped across his cheek, effectively removing the carmine mixture. His gaze was fixed on this thumb before it calmly returned to leer at the smug prisoner.
“..Y pensar, yo iba a mostrarte misericordia.” Miguel uttered quietly as he rose up from his position on the ground. He loomed over the man, whose smirk had dissipated by now. Large sepia hands shot out, tightly coiling around the rat’s neck. Miguel was slow, methodical about it. Digging his nails into flesh as he applied pressure to the trachea, crushing and throttling at once. Wheezing ensued and panic filled the man’s eyes as his throat was forced close. His eyes widened, nearly bulging out of his skull as raspy whispers and choked gasps were the only sounds he could make. Tears rolled down his cheeks as his eyes rolled back into his skull. Within moments, the rat’s body went limp in Miguel’s hands. Peter was just striding back into the room when Miguel threw the corpse to the ground, still bound to the little metal chair. The useless cadaver clattered loudly on the floor.
“You seriously couldn’t wait a minute?” Peter said with a snicker as he came up to his side, handing over LYLA.
“Shut the fuck up, Parker.” He spat out coldly, tucking the gun away as he turned his back on the body.
“Call the cleaning crew. I want this place scrubbed down.” Miguel growled out as he snatched his clothes from Ben’s hands. The scruffy lackey simply shrugged and shook his head, pulling out his phone to obey as he smirked to himself.
And with that, the trio headed towards the door, piling into a black Escalade. Miguel grumbled to himself as he laid his clothes down on the empty seat next him. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he retrieved a pack of cigarettes and a silver zippo. After lighting a cigarette between his teeth he took a long drag and hummed, savoring its flavor. He let out a deep sigh, smoke billowing past his parted lips as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, appreciating the momentary silence. He felt a sense of calm wash over him, a low dulling hum in the back of his mind that seemed to get fainter as the car began to drive away from the warehouse. By the time they reached the highway, Miguel’s little hum was gone and his rage sat dormant, waiting in the back of his mind for now.
He felt his body ache now, finally taking in the toll of senselessly beating with his bare hands and a few other tools for hours. He let out a low groan, spreading out in the backseat. He was so so tired but knew there was still work that needed to be done. There always was.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
The morning sun came streaming in through your curtains, stirring you awake from your bed with a groan. Plush warm sheets coaxed you into spending five more minutes among them. Your eyes had just barely shut when your phone alarm rang. An exasperated sigh left your body as you heaved yourself from the mattress, tossing the blankets off. You stretched with a whine before standing up and you swear you thought you heard your back creak. Hastily getting dressed and slipping your apron on over your clothes. Checking the time, you slipped on your shoes and headed out the door of your cozy little apartment. Brooklyn was nice, pretty with plenty to see and do with its fair share of safe and friendly neighborhoods. Unfortunately for you, you didn’t live in one of those neighborhoods. You lived on the seedier side of town with less friendly faces and cheaper rent -the side where quarrels between your neighbors could be heard through the paper thin walls and a strange smell often wafted up from the kitchen pipes. It wasn’t much, hell it was barely considered habitable but it was home. Your own little place in the world where you felt somewhat safe, far away from your old life. A fresh start was just the thing you needed. The only current upside of your living arrangement was that it was only a 5 block walk from your job.
‘Bellaginos’ was a small, family owned Italian restaurant that sat on the corner of 48th street. The dining room was divided into 2 parts; the main dining room with booths and chairs has a casual feel to it, and the private dining room with a few more candles and nicer decoré. The private dining room was just separated by 2 French doors, inside was one large mahogany table and enough chairs to seat 12 people. It was typically just used for private events and large parties, at most though in recent years it hosted a birthday dinner. The menu was nothing revolutionary and the atmosphere didn’t exactly read high class, but it was nice enough. The dingy and peeling yellow wallpaper had it’s own sense of charm to it. Your boss claimed that back in the day, “It was one of the classiest joints in town.” Obviously true by the stained and sticky carpet and how well it complimented the out of place faux Roman vases in the corners of the room.
You kept to yourself mostly, not wanting to bother the owner or the cook too much with trouble. Being polite and kind was how you ended each day with a full belly anyway, curtesy of the chef. You’d only been here for about 2 months, working as a waitress. Most days you could sit unbothered in your favorite little booth.
The day was flying by quickly and you were halfway done with your shift, sitting at one of the little red vinyl booths in the corner of the almost empty restaurant. It was tucked away in a way where you could see most of the main dining room without having to move. Your hands were busying themselves with a paper and pen, doodling away, when the little bell above the door jittered to life. Two men walked in. The smaller, leaner man with a scraggly 5 o’clock shadow held the door open, its whiny hinges complaining at the movement. He moved aside and when he did, that’s when you saw him. Dark brown slicked back curls just barely ducked below the door frame in order to step inside the shabby little eatery.
Big.
That’s the first thing you noticed. He stepped into the cramped room and his presence within made it feel like it shrank by two sizes immediately. His friend stepped in behind him, letting the door close with a slam. The second thing you noticed, were his eyes. Piercing and criminally beautiful scarlet irises that tracked around the room lazily. A bored expression played on his sharp features, as though he’s been here many times before. He runs a calloused hand through brushed back locks, a few strands disobeying him and laying messily, before breathing out an annoyed sigh. He seemed tired. No, exhausted more like it. The bags under his eyes aging him a bit, but if anything it only added to his charm. You’re about to get up from your little hiding spot to greet the pair when the owner, Mr. Caparelli, bursts out from the kitchen. For the first time since you’ve seen him, the plump and hairy little Italian man looks damn near jolly.
“Caio Miguelito!” He says through a thick Italian intonation, his joy sounding a little forced compared his usual grumbles and gripes. Mr. Caparelli was what some might call a ‘proud man’. He didn’t take criticisms well. He firmly believed that the moment you set foot within his restaurant, you owed him respect. Yet for reasons that evaded you, the giant needed not waste time with false niceties and earning his kindness. Your employer approached the tan mountain of a man with wide arms, his white mustache stretching out as he forged a smile. The behemoth pulls one hand out of his pocket and wraps an arm around the stout little man, patting his back heartily. The rings on his fingers glint as they catch the afternoon sun.
“Caio, viejo.” His voice rumbles out and you feel a heat creep across your cheeks. It’s deep and low and rattles in his chest, commanding attention. He masks his dull expression instantly with a warm smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. It’s fake, well practiced.
“How’ve you been, Miguel? Feels like the last time I saw you was uh.. six months ago. Normally you don’t come in to collect...” Your boss chuckles as he pulls back, looking up into the monster’s eyes. You don’t quite notice the way his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he swallows thickly. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing at attention. “Everythin’ alright?”
Miguel, as you’ve now learned is his name, nods his head slowly, humming in response. He doesn’t look Caparelli in his eyes, already done with the conversation before it began. Now, he’s merely looking down on him with half lidded eyes, sizing up his prey.
“Sí amigo. We’ve just got business to discuss. Price changes an’ all that.” Miguel slides his hand back into his pants pocket.
Caparelli’s smile falters for only a moment before he nods his head.
“R-Right,” he clears his throat, “Of course. Lemme uh.. lemme make you somethin’ to eat and then we can talk. Ragazza!” His head whips towards the little booth that you’ve been sitting in. Somehow you’ve managed to go unnoticed by both Miguel and his associate. The shaggy man smirks and rubs his hands together.
“Finally! I am absolutely starving.” He states as he licks his lips, causing Miguel to roll his eyes.
“You’re always starving, Peter.” Miguel mutters, more so to himself than to anyone else. Peter has always had a proclivity for annoying Miguel, so much so that sometimes he can’t quite recall why exactly he was his right hand man. Miguel firmly believed that the only reason Peter did anything was because it would lead to a hot meal. Such simple motivations almost made Miguel envious. Almost.
“Cara! Seat my friends in the private room.” He calls to your direction.
It takes you a moment, but slowly your form rises up from the booth and you begin to approach the men, stuffing the pen and crude drawing into your apron pocket. Miguel’s eyes widen just barely as he looks at you, taking in the sight. Meekly, you grab two menus, keeping your head down as you tried to find your words.
“Follow me please..” You say in a voice barely above a whisper. Miguel is silent, taking a moment to watch you turn around and walk towards the private dining room before he follows. You set the menus down at the head and the first chair on the left. The two take a seat, with Miguel at the head, as you fetch your notepad and pen from your apron. There’s a thick tension about the room as Miguel rests his chin on his fist, now wearing the same disinterested expression. His eyes are cold, raking up and down your body in a silent motion.
“Can I start you off with something to drink, sir..?” Your voice is soft, sweeter than he realized it was when you first spoke at him. He’s too distracted by your tone and the way you call him sir. It’s been too long since that kind of innocence was presented to him, tempting and teasing him. You must know what you’re doing, he thinks. He focuses intently on those plush lips of yours. So pretty and soft, blessed with a hardly noticeable sheen from your lip balm. He wonders how it must taste and how pliable your lower lip would be between his teeth. It takes him a moment before he’s broken from the trance and looks up into your eyes. He must’ve been staring for too long since you’re now looking at him with furrowed brows in confusion, head slightly cocked to the side like some wide eyed puppy.
“Sir..? Did you hear me..?”
He clears his throat, closing his eyes for a moment in order to ground himself. Biting the inside of his cheek, he hardly grumbles out a response. When he opens his eyes again, he’s looking down, suddenly finding the dingy white tablecloth to be very fascinating.
“Yeah yeah, te oí..” His hands tense around the edges of his menu, needing to sink his nails into the brown pleather of its cover for relief. “Just get me an ol’ fashioned.”
You nod your head, scribbling the order down and turn your attention over to Peter who was already beaming up at you.
“Just a water for me, thanks. Tonight May and I are having a tea party so I gotta hold off on the sugar.” He chirps as he chuckles, elbowing the growling beast beside him. “Oh and can we get some bread too? And some butter! And-“
“Enough.” Miguel cuts him off. He shoots a side glare at Peter, waving you off with his hand. You tremble a little at the way his voice boomed. You nodded your head quickly and turned on your heel, rushing through the French doors. Miguel doesn’t watch, feeling an odd humming in the back of his brain and knowing that if he saw the way your hips swayed and bounced as you scurried away from him in fear would only make it worse. He kept his eyes down, slowly letting them close, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he let out a low breath.
“You alright, big guy?” Peter asked, clapping a palm to Miguel’s shoulder. “You look so tired lately.”
“M’fine.” He snapped. He lifted his head and looked into the warm brown eyes of his companion. Peter retracted his hand, shooting both up in defense and going silent. In truth, Miguel wasn’t just tired. He was fucking drained of every last bit of energy he had. Business had been booming lately and with the rise of idiots in Nueva York trying to take what was rightfully his, Miguel hadn’t been able to rest. Scum like Kingpin had been hiring his own men, bribing them into selling out the family. Loyalty was becoming a scarce resource, causing more and more rival gangs to crawl out from the woodworks to oppose him. One of the biggest things the Spiders dealt in was “protection.” The Spiders would offer their protection to whomever could afford it, but the higher the demand got, the greater the cost grew. This of course was the only reason Miguel was sitting here today. A couple of Spiders had attempted to inform your boss of the rising cost of protection, but the pig headed brute refused to listen. Miguel had decided that he’d pay him a visit as a last chance before escalating things. Miguel was cold and calculated and knew the only way to make people listen was through fear.
In the beginning of it all though, he tried to be merciful. He tried to be patient and understanding, but his kindness was mistaken for weakness. His mercy was abused and left him with nothing but a fraction of the man he once was. Now the bloodlust was near maddening. Managing his rage had become a dangerous dance. The stress of running an empire often left him craving release in one form or another. First it was women, then liquor, and now his latest vice was violence. Unbridled carnage that truly let his mask of sanity slip. He was trying harder and harder now a days to keep his wrath in check but with so many people working to test his patience, he was bound to snap. The poor fellow in the chair last week had merely been the victim of shit luck. Miguel had intended to show him some mercy and make his death quick and painless. Unfortunately for him, his tongue worked faster than his head and he thought that pushing Miguel’s buttons would buy him some time. Miguel had been pent up with rage for weeks and just needed to release it on something. Part of him feared he’d always have to live with this anger, never really able to escape it, just find gaps between the killings. That is until he saw you.
For the first time in a long time, when he heard fear in someone’s voice, he didn’t want there to be any. You looked so small and soft. So delicate, like a fragile little flower. The humming in the back of his brain tuned out the constant wash of anger. For once, he wasn’t focused on work or power. In the seconds he took to gaze upon your angelic face, he felt peace, an emotion he thought he was no longer capable of.
When you finally returned with their drinks, Miguel watched your eyes flit to the floor as you approached him. He could’ve sworn he felt his heart palpitate in his chest, not fully understanding himself why he wanted you to look at him. You set down the drinks along with a basket of bread and butter and placed your hands behind your back.
“Mr. Caparelli will be here shortly to speak with you. Is there anything else I can get you..?” You questioned softly. Slowly you lifted your head, anxiously shifting your weight. Cautious as ever, you stole a glance at Miguel’s eyes. They gleamed like rubies and for a moment you felt a shutter in your chest. A whimper would’ve escaped you, had you not been more wary.
Miguel simply shook his head and looked down at his drink.
“No, thank you. That’ll be all.” Miguel says as he picks up the glass, bringing it to his lips. His tone seemed softer, just barely so. You hum in response, allowing the corners of your mouth to just barely turn upward and once again turned towards the doors. You only halted once Miguel called your name, feeling a chill crawl down your spine.
“Y-Yes sir..?” You glance over your shoulder back at him.
“Close the door on your way out.” He said coldly, losing any sense of warmth he may have just had. With that you weakly nod and close the doors behind you. The doors to the private dining room remained closed until your stout manager exited the kitchen with a serving tray of food and nervous sweat beading down his forehead. Mr. Caparelli entered the room and slammed the door shut behind him, simply hoping to survive and atone for the sins that had lead to this meeting with a killer. Caparelli set down the plates of food before the two men, taking a seat on the far end of the table, directly across from Miguel. His trembling only fed Miguel’s ego, causing a malicious grin to spread across his face. He chuckled lowly, his scarlet eyes half lidded and glaring directly into Caparelli’s soul.
“Aye viejo, there’s no need to be so scared…”
“I won’t bite.”
Part 2
@whisperwispxx
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of-many-fandomss · 3 months
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Guess who loves mafia!au’s?? *raises hand* I do! Send in some requests :)
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buckyalpine · 2 years
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Home
18+ Minors dni
Mob!Bucky x f reader
A/N: Wanted to try writing something for Mob Bucky so here we have: comforting Bucky after he has an awful day. Please Reblog, Like and Comment! <3 
Warnings: Angsst, death of a character, fluff, mentions of nudity but nothing sexual 
Word Count: 800
The door slammed shut, which was the first sign that Bucky had a bad day.
Bucky gave you the world; as soon as he stepped inside your beautiful shared home, he was no longer a feared mob boss. He was your protector, your baby, your absolute everything. Anything that went down with his work always stayed outside of your home, a rule he created for himself the day you agreed to live with him. He wanted to give you everything; you deserved happiness, peace and he vowed to himself to never let you take the burn from the dangerous of his work.
Whenever he came home, he would leave the weight of his work at the door, wrapping you in his arms, kissing every inch of your skin, listening to you ramble about whatever you did in the day. It was beautiful. It was home.
But there were slip ups. Like tonight.  
Bucky stormed up the stairs, slamming the door to his study. He had ignored the worried look on your face, unable to talk about the disasters of his day. He poured himself a glass of whisky, downing two glasses before slowly sipping a third.
You found Bucky slumped over his office chair, his head in his hands. You had never seen him look so defeated; he had never showed weakness to anyone, including you.  
“James?”
Bucky remained silent. You only used his formal name when there was a serious problem. You made your way over, kneeling in front of him. His expression was cold, his jaw clenching as he sat up straight in his chair.
“I’m fine. I need to take care of some things y/n”
You noticed the tick of his jaw, his knuckles white from the grip he had around his glass. His eyes continued to shift around the room, refusing to meet yours. You could see his mind racing, his breaths becoming laboured.
You said nothing. You stood up, moving to his on his lap, wrapping your arms around him. Your face was buried into the crook of his neck while you rubbed his back, soothing him. You pulled away, moving your hand to cup his face, kissing his nose and then forehead. As soon as your lips brushed his forehead, his walls began to crack. He leaned into you, arms clinging around you like you were the only thing keeping him alive.
You held him close, stroking his hair and rocking him while he sobbed into your shoulder, the weight of his day unable to be contained anymore. You continued to silently comfort him, allowing him to release everything he was feeling, placing soft kisses on his temple.
“Peter….” His voice was raspy, shaking as he remembered everything that had gone wrong. Your heart stopped. You didn’t want to overwhelm Bucky with the million questions that flooded your mind. You loved Peter. He was the youngest member in Bucky’s gang and he had a special place in your heart. You would pick up a gun yourself if anything happened to him. “Is he okay?” Bucky nodded and you breathed a small sigh of relief. “What happened Bucky?”
“His aunt….she’s….that fucker Rumlow, they…” Bucky couldn’t continue, feeling his composure break again, fresh tears stinging his eyes. “I can still hear his screams y/n”
You didn’t need Bucky to continue to know exactly what he meant, your own heart shattering. You knew Peter only had his aunt after his mother and father passed away. He needed extra money and insisted on working alongside Bucky, refusing to take no for an answer. Bucky reluctantly allowed him to do small tasks, always keeping him out of harm’s way. Until now.
“He has nowhere to go, he’s alone” “He can stay with us” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in your voice. Peter was like your baby brother and you knew Bucky wouldn’t want Peter anywhere else.
“Baby are you sure it, could be danger-”
You immediately cut him off. “No. He stays here with us. We are his family Bucky”
Bucky looked at you, tears welling in his eyes again, this time because of the love he had for you and the fierce way you loved others. You led him to the bedroom, helping him undress until he was bare. You slipped your clothes off, pulling Bucky into you, hoping the feeling of skin on skin would ground him. You wrapped your arms around him, letting the warmth of your bodies relax him. His hands roamed your soft skin as he nuzzled into you trying to get impossibly closer.
There was nothing sexual in that moment. His heart felt heavy but he closed his eyes melting into your touch. You allowed him to feel, you didn’t pry, you comforted him in a way he didn’t know was possible. He knew this wouldn’t be the first time he would feel like this again. But he also felt a sense of calm.
Because he knew. This was home.
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starkersblog · 6 months
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Mafia boss Tony has a soft spot for his little baby and has sworn to protect him at all cost🖤
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liz-allyn · 1 year
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sugar and vice, pt. 23 [mob!tasm!peter x fem!oc]
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summary: in the beginning, there was darkness...
words: 5.1k
chapter warning: gratuitously deep philosophical nonsense.
series warnings: mob-typical bang bang violence, hurt/comfort. smut. Spicy situations. spousal / domestic abuse. family trauma. verbal abuse. PTSD, psychotic breaks/episodes, drug use. coercion. manipulation. kidnapping. gore. blood. possessive!peter, protective!peter. toxic/yandere!peter (maybe, sorta), negative self-talk, shameless forced proximity trope. ‘only ten one bed oops’ trope, imprisonment. slowest burn. a dash of questionable and/or morally grey intentions. extremely toxic relationships. having happiness ripped away from you.
This version of TASM Peter is not canon. The relationships and characters here are not healthy.
Don't date a mob boss.™️
18+ You’re responsible for your own media consumption, but if you think that this symbol
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is the logo of some off-shoot programming block on Nickelodeon, then you're wrong. But are you? Regardless, live a little and come back later.
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Part 23
Tick... Tick... Tick... Tick...
Peter thought of the elements. 
Tick... Tick... Tick... Tick...
The Greats. Earth. Wind. Water. Fire. Space. Born out of Hinduism’s sacred literature. Also, Captain Planet’s sidekicks.
Tick... Tick... Tick...
The Chemical Elements. Only 118 of them have even been discovered. Only 95 of those are primordial, whereas the rest are man-made. 
His dad used to talk for hours about this stuff.
Tick... Tick... Tick...
The interrogation room he was in was dark, despite the flickering fluorescent bulbs. The buzz of the lights sounded like a buzzsaw. The air was cold, too. The thin NYPD-branded, crew neck tee that Peter had been given to wear didn’t help much. 
Tick... Tick... Tick
The lights flickered again, this time with a greenish hue. 
Argon. Symbol: Ar. Number 18. A noble gas. Mercury. Hg, number 80. Also known as quicksilver. Highly toxic. Phosphorous. Number 15.
In his class, he was Number 2.
Atoms aren’t even as old as people assume. After the Big Bang, the universe was still nothingness—white, hot light that scorched everything out of existence. The heat was uninhabitable. Hydrogen didn’t make its appearance until roughly 370,000 years later. 
370,000 years of hot, blinding nothingness.
Tick... Tick... Tick...
Hour after hour, they came at him like waves of radioactive light.
First, there were two detectives—both a bit too junior to be assigned to such a high-profile case, but Peter figured that they didn’t know that. A reserved Eagle Scout named Sousa and a snarky blonde female named Carter. 
Or just ‘Sharon,’ as her boss Alexander Pierce referred to her, to her thinly-veiled ire. 
The Commissioner waltzed into the room mid-interrogation and essentially asked his naive detectives to go back to coloring while the adults talked. Both detectives walked out of the interrogation room with a scowl on their faces.
They probably didn’t know it, but Pierce wasn’t concerned about their abilities as detectives, or the integrity of the case. All he needed was to get Peter behind bars, where crooked guards and violent inmates could take over. Where he could give Peter the same welcome that Miguel had.
They probably didn’t know it, but Peter could tell by the scent of Pierce’s cologne: a $1,200 bottle of Bond 9 Dubai that not even New York’s police commissioner could afford. 
Peter recognized the scent. It was Wilson Fisk’s favorite gift to give his friends.
They probably didn’t know it, but Peter did. 
Pierce had no intention of letting him make it to trial.
Peter was disconnected. Drained. Eventually, even Matt’s voice became static which blended into the tone of the room, and droned beneath the ticking of the clock and the god-awful buzz of the lights.
“—he’s in’a world’a trouble...”
“... absolutely no evidence —not even formal charges have been presented...”
It might not have been productive, but Peter allowed himself to tune out. Matt was a good lawyer.
“—lucky we’re not pressing charges against the department after Captain Stacy’s unwarranted attack on my client, whom he’s been stalking for years—”
Oh man, that’ll piss George off when it gets back to him. A very good lawyer.
Despite his earlier act, he still felt a great amount of sorrow for George Stacy. Not exactly sympathy... and not quite guilt. Just sorrow. 
Looking into his eyes was like looking down into a sinkhole. Or passing a destroyed car on the highway. Unidentifiable. Cold. Hollow. Empty. Somehow the emptiness in Gwen’s father always triggered an empty feeling in him. It was a secret weapon that George had over Peter that his estranged father-in-law didn’t even know he had.
On the outside, Peter could wear a mask that projected cockiness and make lewd comments about the man’s wife. On the inside, George could eviscerate Peter with a look.
370,000 years of nothingness. Nothing but white, hot rage.
Peter tuned back in for a moment when Pierce said the name Walker. He hadn’t even heard the question fully and already his blood was boiling. He wished that he was guilty of that bastard’s murder. He wished that he had killed him. He tried to focus on something that Felicia said months back which resonated with him: about how Honey needed a chance to stand up for herself.
Maybe Felicia was right. Maybe it was just a terrible thing that needed to be done, and Honey was the one that needed to do it. 
Honey wasn’t Gwen. 
The history she shared with that dead asshole was a far cry from the tragic turn of events that led Gwen to shove a man off the ledge of a clock tower. 
Honey wasn’t Gwen.
The look of heartbreak in her eyes. He’d never forget it. 
George looked at Peter that way once, too—after a closed-casket funeral when he laid his daughter in the dirt.
They looked the way Peter felt all the time. Devastation. Ruin.
How could Peter possibly be capable of such cruelty? The world was full of monsters. Sometimes Peter was one of them.
Honey wasn’t Gwen.
In the beginning, there was darkness. Then, there was an explosion. Then there was an inferno that burned so hot, even the basic building blocks of the universe could not begin to form.
Honey wasn’t Gwen; she was Peter’s universe. The stars in his sky. She was a vast, endless expanse that surrounded him. That held him in an ever-growing, outwardly-expanding gravitational orbit. She was everything, and outside of that, there was nothing.
And every second in that room he felt himself getting further away from her.
Peter’s bones hurt. His back was in so much pain it was difficult to sit still. On top of that, he was weary. He was traumatized. He was grieving the loss of his security, his home. Grieving Eddie.
Despite that, Peter could toss the table like a Coke can. He could punch a hole in the wall and stroll out if he wanted to. Or crawl across the ceiling, to Pierce’s astonishment and horror.
Pierce was staring at him again. This time, there was a self-satisfied smirk on his lips.
Even if Peter did escape, he had too much to lose. Peter knew it. Pierce did, too.
In all the ways that mattered, he was trapped in his own web.
After several more minutes (or hours, maybe) of grandstanding on both sides, the door to the interrogation room swung open. A stocky figure silhouetted the doorway. Intense features, sharp lines in his jaw, brow, and aquiline nose, as much shadow spilling over him as there was light. 
The temperature of the room shifted. Matt and Pierce stopped talking. Peter froze, lifting his chin as he met the dark glare of Manhattan’s district attorney. 
“Frank,” Pierce said with a tinge of discomfort. “I wasn’t aware you’d be joining us so soon.”
Matt’s voice warmed but maintained a snarky edge. “Ah, is that the Honorable Francis Castiglione?” he bitingly beamed. 
Despite the smile on Murdock’s face, Peter could hear the pace of his lawyer’s heart pick up. Which... wasn’t a great sign. Even Pierce started to sweat. 
“Mr. Murdock,” New York’s toughest DA replied without batting an eye. Unswayed. Uncompromising. Undefeated. He held a stone, straight-laced expression. Even beneath a conservative black suit and tie, he was one of the most intimidating men Peter had ever laid eyes on. He was at least a solid 170 pounds, Peter supposed, of solid muscle and righteous fervor.  
“Just having a little fun, Mr. Castle,” Matt charmed with obnoxious flair. “How could I forget your name with all of the posters still hanging around? ‘Stand Your Ground.’ Great campaign slogan, by the way. Especially for a pacifist who managed to ban every firearm in the five boroughs. Although, I’m certain you won’t be getting any gift baskets from the gun lobby—”
“I wanna speak with your client alone.” Frank’s deep voice rolled through the room like the first tremors of an impending avalanche. The other men stared back, blinking silently.
Matt’s sunny disposition dimmed as his jaw tightened. Pierce’s hackles were raised, although he tried to suppress it. Wordlessly, they blinked and flinched and tried to wrap their heads around the request.
A humorless laugh left Matt’s lips. “Yeah. That’s not gonna happen—”
“That’s fine,” Peter answered. He and his lawyer spoke simultaneously, their voices crossing each other in converse directions. 
Matt turned his head towards Peter’s side of the room, his whole body going stiff. The flesh behind his light stubble turned pale. “Um,” Matt subtly cleared his throat while his heartbeat hurled alarmed profanities at Peter. “Uh, that is... not advisable.”
“S’okay, Matt,” Peter calmly replied, keeping his eyes locked on Frank. He could hear the sounds of his lawyer’s brain overheating while trying to reboot. Pierce pinched his lips in an anxious pout, avoiding looking directly at the district attorney.
Matt gripped the head of his cane tight enough to nearly break it. “Uh... Um. Oh-okay.” Awkwardly, Matt pushed his chair back as he came to a stand, shuffling to his feet. 
Leaning back into the chair rest, Pierce visibly relaxed until Frank sternly added, “You too, Commissioner.”
The irritation in Pierce’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed. Shoulders tensed, teeth gritted, the man stood from his chair. He mirrored Matt as he sidestepped from the table and towards the exit.
Matt lingered for a moment at Peter’s side while his nails anxiously scored the cane. Peter noted the pinched expression behind Matt’s ruby-colored glasses.
“It’s okay,” Peter murmured under his breath, repeating an earlier sentiment that Murdock was skeptical to believe. And with that, Matt was powerless. Hesitantly, he gave them a parting nod, and followed Pierce out of the room.
The metal door echoed as it slammed shut, leaving the two of them alone in the cell. 
Peter threaded his fingers together, the metal in his chains clinking, and leaned back as far as his restraints would let him. Thighs spread and chin tilted off axis, he fixed Frank with an unimpressed glare as a smirk played on his lips.
The prosecutor shifted like a monolith unearthing itself. Frank measured the cocky, sharp-tongued mafia ringleader with eyes colder than steel as he strode to the table. He pulled out a chair across from the prisoner and lowered himself down into it.
The two of them sat quietly for a moment on opposite sides of the room. But it was their positions on opposite sides of the law that created friction. 
Frank was at least a decade older than Peter, but Peter seemed even more juvenile by comparison. The mob boss looked and acted like a young prince, leaned back in his seat with a smug face. Alternatively, Frank glowered down at him with the authoritative scrutiny of judge, jury, and executioner.
“Hot daaamn,” Peter said, mouth curved into a smile. “You put on some weight since I last saw ya, bub.” Waggling his eyebrows, his eyes flicked over the other man’s form. “You been workin’ out? Crossfit, maybe?” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Forget bein’ the scourge of New York’s underworld— Bro, you must be killin’ it in the gym.”
Unfazed, Frank disregarded the remarks without a single blink. His dark eyes bored into Peter, and he remained more than comfortable with the uncomfortable silence that followed.
Peter glared at him with darkening eyes, balling his fists against the table. “Is it safe to assume the cameras are off at this point?” Animosity sharpened his voice to a razor’s edge. “I mean, that’s the only way you’d ever allow yourself to be seen fraternizing with a criminal like me, right?”
The temperature of the room pitched downwards even further. Icy waves surged off of Peter. Frank was a stone wall, letting each wave crash over him and fall back into the surf.
“I’m not the one who put you in those cuffs, Peter,” Frank answered, nonconfrontational. “I’m not the bad guy here. And I never wanted to be your enemy.” He kept his voice soft and respectful, wisdom shining from his eyes. “You and I—we’re not so different. We’re not monsters; we’re men. We’re bound by the law. Both of us, judged by the law.”
The smile faded from Peter’s lips. “Well," he glowered, bitter frost in his bite, "aren’t you a modern-day Moses on the Mountain.” His words were punctuated with ire as he scrutinized him with disdain. “Y’know, they told me ya caught religion, but I didn’t realize what a holy roller you were. When we’re done here, I’ll give ya Matt’s number. Give ya tons to talk about. Bet'chu two would be a hoot at parties.”
Peter sneered at him a moment longer, then let out a bored, depreciating sigh. “M’not much of a Bible thumper, myself,” he half-shrugged. “Only verses I know by heart are Ezekiel 25:17... and, uh... whatever that bullshit was in Shawshank.”
Frank glanced down, deep in thought. “‘His Judgment Cometh and That Right Soon’,’' he said, recalling the prop he referenced. It was a tapestry embroidered with the Bible verse hanging in the corrupt Warden’s office—a MacGuffin in the film’s plot. 
“That's not a real verse,” Castle noted, matter-of-factly. “You’re probably thinkin’ of Psalm 98:9—’Let them sing Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: With righteousness shall he judge the world and all of its people equally.’” 
Peter’s eyes narrowed. “Well.” The word tasted bitter on his tongue as resentment spread through his chest like a tumor. “I’m Jewish. And even then, I never drank the Kool-Aid. S’not really my thing.”
He waited, expecting Frank to take offense. To Peter’s dismay, he remained as peaceful as a lake on a windless day. 
“I get that,” the older man mused somberly. Contemplative, he looked up at Peter with sympathy coloring his face. “If what happened to you, happened to me,” he said, “I don’t know if I’d like who I’d become either.”
As he said it, his gentle eyes settled in on Peter with a knowing expression. Pity. It made Peter's teeth grind and his temper burn. It took all of his self-restraint not to break out of his chains and (re)break the prosecutor’s nose. Indignation writhed inside of his chest, souring his face and his stomach.
“Heard you were gunnin’ f’me real hard, too,” Peter muttered bitterly, tossing words like daggers. “Really put the heat on me— M'actually flattered.” Salaciously, he flashed his canines with a wink. “But ya didn’t hafta go to all that trouble, Frank. If y'wanted to get me alone in a dark room, y'coulda just hit me up on Grindr.”
“Are you done?” he replied witheringly.
“Oh, c’mon,” Peter taunted, equal parts threatening and scandalous. “I mean—they don’t call ya ‘The Punisher’ for nothin’, right? Well, go on. Punish me, Daddy. Why doncha just bend me over your knee?”
Frank’s eyes flicked to the black, mirrored glass window, shaking his head in frustration. “Always a comedian,” Castle huffed, annoyed. “Between you and Wade Wilson, it’s like watchin’ a hundred-car pile-up of clown cars. Can’t even be just a little real, not even for a second—” 
“That’s not true,” he pouted. “My tits are real...”
Fed up, Castle shook his head and grumbled, “Y’think everything's is a joke! Can you at least pretend like you give a shit about any of this—?” 
Peter’s temper flared suddenly, hitting a flashpoint that boiled the humor out of their rapport. “Y’know what I think?” he snapped back, eyes dark with rage. “I think you’re a God-damn hypocrite! That’s what I think! You and this whole corrupt, bullshit organization. That’s the joke.”
Frank shook his head, grinding his teeth. “There you go. Always a martyr.”
“Again, with the religious talk?” Peter rolled his eyes into the back of his head while letting out a dramatic sigh. “Look, ‘m’not interested in joining your little MLM cult-club, alright?”
“‘Mob Boss,’ my ass,” Frank scoffed. “Ya act like a fuckin’ child! Always whining about being the victim! Like you’re the only one in this city who's ever lost somethin’! Arrogant prick, I did three tours in Iraq while you were doodling in your diary! I was washing the blood of my brothers off my uniform while you were crying into your pillow at night! People die! Thousands of ‘em, every day! All tragedies, all the time, yet— somehow—yours is special!”
Frank’s voice boomed off the concrete walls, patience shattered. “You wanna talk about hypocrisy?” Castle said sharply. “Punishment?! How about three weeks ago in Forest Hills? Right in your backyard. Cops got a call about a domestic dispute. When they got there, the perp somehow ended up with a bullet hole in the back of his head, even though no one in the house owned a gun. You know anything about that?”
Peter straightened his lips into a thin line, lifting his chin. “Sounds like the dispute was resolved.”
“How about that hedge fund manager that committed suicide last spring?” Frank said, skewering him with his gaze. “The one that decided to swallow a container full of gasoline and light up a cigarette before jumpin’ off a roof on Park Avenue?”
“Tragic,” Peter replied, deadpan. “I read about it in the news. Guess the shame of stealing $8 million dollars of pension money from a firefighters union must’ve really burned him up inside.”
Agitated, Frank scowled with his eyes narrowed into slits. “How ‘bout in Brooklyn last fall? How do three seasoned drug pushers end up OD’ing on half their own supply of Fentanyl?”
Peter remained expressionless. “Dunno, Frank. Guess the Lord works in mysterious ways." The attorney huffed with nostrils flaring. By contrast, Peter idly see-sawed his head. "Rather poetic," he said, "as far as justice goes.” 
“That’s what I call ‘punishment,’ Parker. Not justice! Vengeance! Plain. Simple. And cold-blooded.”
Peter sat up, leaning forward as his colorless eyes flashed with rage. “Before you accuse me of anything else you can’t prove—especially the messes that New York’s Finest shoulda handled—how ‘bout you explain to me how two innocent women were butchered and burned to death in Midtown and not a single arrest has been made?”
Frank turned silent.
“How ‘bout the dozens of immigrant families who’re bein’ forced against their will to launder the Mayor’s drug money so he can spend it on campaign ads?”
The other man’s jaw clenched while Peter continued his attack. “Let’s keep goin’ shall we?” he hissed. “Tell me how a Russian oligarch and his buddies park a yacht in the harbor—filled with stolen girls—children, practically—and somehow just... get away?” Veins protruded from his neck as anger rippled through his chest. 
“Got any answers for me, Counselor?” Peter spat harshly, jabbing his index finger at Castle as far as he could while in handcuffs. “Wanna phone a friend? How ‘bout you call your boss, yeah? Why don’t you ask Wilson Fisk? Ask yourself! If you’re such a holy man, then how can you work for the Devil?! How can you even sleep at night, huh?I”
Outwardly, Frank was stoic with nothing but a crease between his brows to telegraph his thoughts. Inwardly, Peter could hear the attorney’s heart rate drumming up as Peter relentlessly dressed him down. Castle’s jaw was locked tight, holding his breath.
“And tell me one more thing,” Peter added, eyes flashing with rage. “How many times do you think about what woulda happened if I hadn’t been in the Park that night?” He blurted out the statement with a livid snarl and a dry throat. “What if I hadn’t intervened in the Blacksmith deal? What woulda happened if I hadn’t gotten your wife and kids outta there before the guns started goin’ off? You ever think about that!?”
Peter’s voice buckled on the last word. Memories of the violent night in Central Park five years ago flooded them both, bringing a tidal wave of conflicting emotion that swallowed him up. 
It was Peter that covertly led the FBI to a plan to eliminate several gangs (and Peter’s enemies) at once. Practically a gift from the gods, it seemed, to take out all of Peter’s competition in one swoop. 
Once it was clear to the young mob boss that the FBI cared more about making headlines than making sure the park was clear of innocent people, Peter chose to intervene. In the end, it was a disaster anyway.
When the other gangs realized they were being set up, a shootout erupted. Lives were lost. Peter saved as many people as he could, including Frank Castle and his family. For everyone else, it was still a tragedy. 
Gwen included.
It was the first and last time the two men had met. And subsequently, a night that neither of them ever talked about. 
Until now.
Peter’s eyes glazed over, tortured by the consequences of his choices. A tidal wave of conflicting emotions swallowed him up as his mind flooded with horrible thoughts. Betrayal, and resentment, and bitter, evil, disgusting jealousy that Peter could save Frank’s family but not his own.
Peter looked contemplative, then. Haunted. He fixed his weary eyes on Frank, continuing to unravel.
“And I’m gonna level with ya, pal,” Peter said in an unnervingly soft tone of voice. “Fuck. You. If you think that you and I are the same. You and I are not the same. Never will be.” Heartache pierced his throat, compressing his voice. He jerked his thumb toward himself. “Because somebody saved you.”
Tears glistened as Peter breathed hotly through flared nostrils. “Fuck your judgment!” he growled. “Because if what happened to my family happened to your family—ya wouldn't last a goddamn day! You’d be a nut job! You'd be beggin' for a bullet in ya head, rather than see what I’ve seen!” 
Fury vibrated through the younger man’s being, indignation piercing each sentence. “I don’t give a shit what nickname they call you,” Peter seethed, “in the media... in the Marines... not even in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! When it’s your family filled with bullet holes—believe me— that shit hits different.”
Peter’s eyes were wild—black with anger, wet with tears. “‘You wouldn't like who you'd become either?’” he repeated, muttering spitefully. “Fuck you!" Peter’s voice echoed, bouncing off the walls and reverberating in Frank’s chest. 
He took a measured breath. His throat bobbed, cords pulled tight. "I may not be a religious man," Peter added as his chest heaved, "but I pray you never have to find out.” His volume abruptly dropped, adding a foreboding sentiment to the words. Like whispering a dark secret. A warning.
Blinding, white hot rage obliterating everything in its path. Scouring any sign of life before its existence.
Castle sat stoically with his arms crossed. Breathless from his outburst, Peter slowly retracted himself back into his seat. Frank studied him with a contemplative gaze and a tight-lipped mouth. 
Until he broke his silence. “Every night.” 
It was barely a whisper. Peter blinked at him with a crooked brow while the other man held Peter in his gaze.
“Every single night,” Frank answered, a little louder, “I think about what would’ve happened to my family if you hadn’t been there.”
Peter pressed his lips together, jaw flexing stiffly. Mist gathered on his lashes. He drew a shaky breath, lip trembling. To keep his eyes from betraying him further, he hardened his brow.
“You’re a hero, Peter,” Castle said simply. It was just a fact. “And a good man.”
Peter averted his gaze, casting it down while he swallowed a thick lump in his throat. 
“You have the power to do good,” he said. “So much more than you realize.” Frank’s eyes swelled with something like reverence and admiration for his antithetical counterpart. “And yeah,” he noted matter-of-factly, “I do pray." He watched him placidly and empathetic. "And when I do, I pray that one day, other people will see you for the man you really are. And maybe... just maybe—you'll see it, too.” 
Shooting pain in his fingers alerted Peter to the fact that his knuckles were clenched white. He kept his head lowered, eyes hidden and fixed on the shackles around his wrists. 
“I pray that you find faith in yourself,” Castle said, then. His soft voice sliced through Peter’s toughened heart. The older man’s lip tightened into a line, his deep voice thick with sorrow. “And salvation... from yourself.”
Peter looked upward. The attorney gazed back at him in earnest. The silence which followed felt like the end of an era.
“You and I want the same thing,” Frank then said, returning to a sense of formality. “You want to expose Wilson Fisk as the Kingpin. So do I.” 
Peter studied Frank’s heart—and his own. Steady. True.
“The only difference,” Castle added, “is I want to do it right: by the law. Justice. Not revenge.” Peter couldn't help but roll his eyes. “Because if we can’t do this right, then it’s not worth doing at all.”
“The only difference is,” Peter countered, “when I take Fisk down, he’s gonna stay down.”
Frank gazed at him incredulously. “That’s nice. Good stuff. You want me to write that down and read it at your funeral?” Peter glared bitterly but had nothing to say. 
“Cards on the table,” Frank explained. “I don’t have enough evidence to charge you. Not today. Now you can walk outta here, go back to your old ways. End up in a casket, or in a jail cell sooner or later. Take my word, there are plenty of people in this building that want you dead. You won’t last a night at Ryker’s without someone tryin’ to stab a broken toothbrush through that giraffe neck of yours.”
“Sounds like it’s gonna be painful,” Peter muttered in a low voice. “For them.”
Frank fixed him with a stern glare. “Alright, smartass. Then what? These people are comin’ for blood. And they’re not going to stop with just yours.” He paused, then added, “You should know that, more than anybody.”
Peter had nothing to say to that. The thought alone stole his breath.
“You wanna fight the system?” Frank said. “You wanna take down Fisk? Then you bring me proof to put ‘em away. All of ‘em. Fisk, Pierce, his little ‘Shield’ SS hit squad. Every last one of them.”
Peter bit his tongue, contemplating the idea.
“And most importantly, you keep your hands clean,” Frank declared sternly. “No more dead car thieves in the river. No more pimps gettin’ scraped off the subway tracks.” His tone was cold, eyes sharp as he skewered Peter threateningly. “There’s enough killing in this city as it is. You cross that line, and I will come for you, you understand? Deal or no deal, our history be damned—you are not allowed to take the law into your own hands. You got that?”
Peter raised his chin, peering at him through the fringe of his slitted eyes. 
The clock ticked on. Primordial elements as old as time surrounded them. And for reasons that Peter could not fully understand, he walked into a coffee shop one day and walked out with hope. A dangerous seed. 
A force that could save the whole city. The world.
Maybe even his own soul.
The district attorney came to a stand, holding the mob boss in his stare. “You’re a free man, Peter,” Frank said. “What happens next is up to you.”
After another moment, he headed for the door. As soon as he placed his hand on the doorknob, he glanced back at the man who he owed his life. With a stone expression, Castle made one final plea.
“Whatever you do... Don’t let me catch you.”
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It was half past noon when Honey walked into her modest apartment in the Theater District off 45th Street. 
Flipping on the lights, she peered hesitantly inside. Stepping through the threshold felt like tumbling down a wormhole through time.
More or less, the studio apartment looked exactly the same as it did nearly a half-year ago, when she left for work at the coffee shop. 
It was a bit tidier than how she’d left it—her cheetah print throw blanket neatly folded on the edge of her thrifted loveseat. The smell confirmed that all the perishable food had been discarded. An empty vase sat alone on a scuffed, white, gateleg table that was crammed into a corner of her kitchen. The daisies that it once held had wilted and been tossed long ago.
The world was alien to her. It was like walking through a dream, or onto a theater set piece constructed for a play about her life. These were the possessions of a person she didn’t know anymore.
“We had someone come by earlier with groceries,” a voice said from behind her. She turned as Karen Page strolled into the apartment wearing camel wide-leg wool trousers and a matching double-breasted blazer from The Row paired with Salvatore Ferragamo Vara-bow pumps. “A maid came in once a week to tidy up, but other than that everything should be as you left it.”
Honey blinked with wide eyes as she watched the strawberry-blonde haired woman breeze through her home—former home. She pulled a rolling carry-on case behind her filled with a small portion of Honey’s wardrobe. Karen came to a stop in the center of the apartment. With neatly manicured nails, she produced a keyring from her blazer pocket.
“New keys,” she explained, handing it over to Honey. “Any pertinent mail has been left for you on the counter. The new wifi password is on the sticky note next to it, along with your new cell phone number.”
She had almost forgotten. Honey reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the latest model of iPhone. She stared down at the foreign object queasily. This one had no spider decal, she noted. 
“There’s also a debit card, too,” Karen explained methodically, as if reciting a monotonous dialogue. “New bank account information is in the folder. We’ve made a small deposit to compensate you for your troubles, at least until you find a new job. But you shouldn’t have any more problems from here on out.”
A few seconds of silence passed as Karen eyed the peeling paint on the walls. “Well. I’ll leave you to it, then,” she said, straightforward. 
Honey’s eyes darted over to Karen as the woman turned to leave mouth “Wait!” she called out, her forehead creased and mouth hung agape. Karen stopped in front of the doorway. “Wait... is that it?” she said, dismayed. 
Karen blinked her radiant blue eyes. “Was there something else you needed?”
Her nose crinkled at that. “What about Peter?” Honey said, almost in a demanding tone. “What happens to him?”
Karen cast her eyes to the floor, sighing uncomfortably. “I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that.”
Honey glared at her crossly. “Well, can I at least talk to him—?”
“It would be best to limit contact at this time.” The pleasant formality of her voice made Honey want to punch her.
“For how long?” she scoffed.
Karen gazed at her for several moments of silence. Which continued on, until Honey realized that an answer wasn’t coming.
“We’ll be in touch,” Karen added gently.
As the woman stepped out into the tenement corridor, Honey nearly jolted after her. “Wait... M-Ms. Page?”
She waited.
“What do I do now?” she asked meekly. Her voice sounded timid to her own ears.
Karen stared back at her then lifted up one of her shoulders. “Whatever you want.” 
And with that, Honey was left alone for the day.
And the next.
And the next.
And the next.
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Continue to Epilogue
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abbatoirablaze · 1 month
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Deal With The Devil Master List
The five boroughs in New York City are run by the five families.
Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton, and the most dangerous of all, Steve Rogers.
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But that's just where the story begins.
With Steve Rogers. The loud-mouthed kid who's charming, witty, and beyond manipulative.
He knows just how to get what he wants. And after hearing about the newest reason that the boroughs are up in arms, he wants his cut.
Inez Stark.
No one knew that Tony had a younger sister, That is, not until someone from his inner circle let it slip.
Peter's out, because he's Pepper's cousin.
And with Steve, Thor, and Clint all vying for the chance to get into the alliance between Peter and Tony, they all want her hand in marriage.
Only, Tony knows that.
He also knows that he can't protect his baby sister anymore. He has to make a deal with the devil.
Too bad Steve's number 2, Bucky Barnes fell in love with her first.
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Chapters
The Hobbit
Negotiations
Expectations
Fiances
The Bachelor Party
Like A Dog
What Family Is For
Know Your Place
Blindfolded
Cuck
The Meaning Behind 'I Do'
Sex On The Beach, And Blitzed On A Binge
Stay
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macadoodlewrites · 2 years
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Welcome to the Masterlist - my work contains subjects that may upset some readers such as non-con, dub-con, smut, swearing, kidnapping, etc. Please read at your own risk <3
Smut = ❤️‍🔥 Dark content = 🖤 Fluff = 💗
Rafe Cameron
Dangerous Love - Avery Routledge is John B's cousin, and she has just moved to the OBX - just in time for a treasure hunt. But with John B keeping secrets in order to protect her, he pushes her into the arms of the Kook King. She becomes tangled with none other than Rafe Cameron, but will she realise how damaged he is before it is too late, or will he ruin her before she can get away? (work-in-progress) ❤️‍🔥🖤💗
Peter Parker - Series
The Devil Doesn’t Bargain - Peter Parker is well on his way to taking over his adoptive father’s business – but with new threats emerging, Peter and Tony Stark decide that a deal between rivals needs to be brokered. A marriage proposal between enemies brings Hallie straight into the arms of Peter, and it won’t take her long to realise that escape will not be easy. (work-in-progress)❤️‍🔥🖤💗
Peter Parker - One-Shots
I’m The One - Once again, Peter Parker's best friend is crying over another boy, and he has finally had enough of it. Why can't she see that he's the one that she belongs with? Peter sees his chance, and nothing is going to stop him from taking it. (one-shot)❤️‍🔥🖤
Nighttime Crawler - Peter Parker’s girlfriend has broken up with him, but he can’t accept that. They were meant to be together forever, and he is going to make her see that, no matter the consequences. (one-shot)❤️‍🔥🖤
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monster-cock69 · 1 year
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peter on the run from an abusive ex and desperately needing an unregistered gun only to fall straight into mob boss tony's hands when he tries to buy one off of his guys
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pretty-bratty · 2 months
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THIS IS FAMILY BUSINESS
Mafia boss Tony getting Bucky to babysit guard his precious baby Peter. With Peter being a bratty terror, Bucky having issues, and Tony and Steve trying to deal with a looming threat, what can go wrong?
Mafia AU. Including brat Peter, Daddy boss Tony, Bucky who has issues but is warming up under Peter's influence, softie Steve, and Dum-E and Mark as Peter's dobermans.
Also including found family trope, lots of Star Wars reference, discipline and spanking.
Chapter 8 is up!!!
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winterspiderpurrs · 9 months
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Prompt:
Peter is Mob Boss Tony's favorite [ stripper/waiter/hotel receptionist/coffee/deli/newspaper delivery whatever person] so sure he offers to help Peter out if he needs him. Which we all know means you are gonna owe him a favor.
But as Peter is locked in the bathroom at his boyfriends apartment, nursing a bruised eye, busted lip and a sprained wrist.
He finally calls him to help him escape the bathroom. Maybe even have the threats toward Peter being over heard on the phone when he calls.
And cause I like dramatics.... wouldn't it it be funny that Peter's boyfriends name was Howard. And it gives Tony flash backs of his abusive dad???? Just maybe he will help out for free...
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