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stevetonyweekly · 1 year

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SteveTony Weekly - May 7th

HELLO MY LOVELY FRIENDS I MISSED YOU!!! Last week was a mess BUT I closed on my house Monday (OMG) and now we’re in the home stretch before we move (!!!!!). Quick note:

I’m going to be moving May 21, so the rec list might be kinda off that weekend, but I’ll pre-plan something! Enjoy and be sure to drop a kudos/comment for your author!

~*~

Mark Zero by enkiduu

Tony wears his lack of soulmark with pride.

lover, we always fall by enkiduu

Dying in a world with reincarnation is easy. Living in one is hard, because history inevitably follows you, and you can't always decide what your legacy is.

You try to change history, but your Icarus only ever chooses the same thing he's always chosen.

(In which Tony is Icarus and Steve is the ocean.)

ignorance is (not) bliss by earliebirb

One of Tony’s hands shoots up to grab his wrist, gripping it tightly. Slowly, Tony opens his eyes.

Steve’s blood freezes in his veins. His heart sinks with dread.

“Tony?” Steve hopes that this is just some weird bout of sleepwalking, but Tony doesn’t sleepwalk, and from the thoughtful way Tony regards him, Steve knows that Tony is somehow very much awake, which means—

Tony swallows, his eyes wide and alert in a way Steve didn’t think they were capable of being twenty minutes ago.

“Steve,” he says, the single word carrying too much weight.

the stark-tangled man with a crappy plan by Serinah for AvengersNewB

*At first, it seemed to be an easy job: find the O, secure the O, and hand him over to his guardian and the fiance. Simple. Unfortunately, the omega wasn't onboard. At all.*

OR:

Steve has to return a runaway omega to his guardian Mr. Stane.

Where Lies A Home by XtaticPearl

They're in the middle of the most complicated and risky fight of their lives, placing their bets on a distant memory right now, and basically in deep trouble if the plan doesn't work out. Steve knows he should be stressed and somewhere in the corner of his mind, he is a little. Mostly though, he's having fun and strangely, so is Tony.

Yes, Just Like This by gottalovev

Tony wakes up in a hospital on another planet missing his memories of the last eleven years. It's now 2023, and he learns the Avengers saved half the universe. Unfortunately, not everything he forgot is good news.

(An Endgame Alternate Universe AND Civil-War fix-it and get together story, weaved through a space road trip with Steve, Carol and Nebula. Complete but cut in 5 chapters for ease of reading.)

messages from the stars by Thahire

Steve's not expecting to find anything remotely of interest when he steps into Macy’s, of all places, in a last-ditch effort to find a present for Tony.

Somehow, he ends up leaving with an engagement ring.

Still Got It by KandiSheek

Ever since Tony's close call in their battle against Thanos Steve treats him like he's going to break at the slightest pressure. He won't so much as look at the bionic arm either. So Tony takes matters into his own hands to prove that he can still handle himself just fine.

Soul Searching (The Hop, Skip, Jump Remix) by navaan

Tony lives a peaceful life in Irondale and then Steve Rogers drifts into town. It's the beginning of a romance — and not all is what it seems.

Code Icarus by FestiveFerret

Steve Rogers hates falling, but he hates being caught even more.

Truths, Lies and the Tipping Point by BlackEyedGirl

The news report seems more interested in the argument between the team during the fight than the way they eventually won. And then it gets worse.

Me in You by Captain_Panda

What if J.A.R.V.I.S. was Tony?

That is, what if a lonely genius Velveteen Rabbited his computer program into a real being instead of just his own thoughts talking back at him?

A deep dive into a broken psyche, contemplating Tony's loneliness, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s protectiveness, and the mother of all broken genius families. Mostly because Howard Stark never hugged his son.

Depthless by Captain_Panda

"Depthless: (1) unfathomably deep; (2) shallow and superficial."

Weeks after defrosting Captain America, S.H.I.E.L.D. finds Steve Rogers lying at the bottom of a pool. Assumptions are made. They have no idea what they are dealing with.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark, the man-in-the-spotlight, has demons lurking off-radar that are literally filling his lungs with water.

Ignoring either problem was never an option. This is the story of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark's collision course.

For What It's Worth by Captain_Panda

S.H.I.E.L.D. thaws out Captain America, expecting a combat-ready soldier to greet them.

They get Steve Rogers instead, a broken artist who turns to the violin for salvation.

hold your fire by JenTheSweetie

He watched Tony eat an entire steak and listened to him talk about the work he was doing on the Milano while he downed glass after glass of expensive scotch. Just as Steve was about to suggest they head back to the jet, Tony finished his last glass, put it down firmly, and said, "I want to blow you."

Steve stared at him.

"Let's get a hotel room," Tony said, like that was that, and somehow - and Steve never could explain how, not then and not now and not later - it was.

Say It Now by ishipallthings

“I’m glad you’re here, Tony,” Steve tells him. It’s not everything he wants to say, but it’s enough.

Steve thinks it might be one of the most important things he’s ever said.

(Steve and Tony have a conversation the night before the time heist. Maybe second chances aren’t impossible after all.)

a hop, skip, and a jump by IronSwordStarShield (SweetFanfics)

“Before I go, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions.”

“About?” they ask they return the stone to its place.

“Timelines. Alternate realities.”

Steve returns the stones to their rightful places in time, gets his dance with Peggy, and then embarks on a whole new search.

Give Me Just A Little More Time by Robin_tCJ

Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. A full summary will live in the author’s notes, so you have to click to read it, but the premise is that this is technically canon divergent in the sense that I’m treating it as… a few deleted scenes in the middle, there. It’ll only make sense if you’ve seen the movie, and if you haven’t seen the movie it will definitely spoil you for it. Written in kind of a sketchy, lots-of-really-short-scenes style.

falling like the stars by complicationstoo

When Tony starts at MIT, he's excited to finally be in the same city as his older brother, Bucky, again. Then he meets Bucky's roommate and best friend Steve Rogers and falls faster than he would have ever thought possible.

#stevetony #stevetony weekly #stony #stony weekly #fic recs #fic rec list #stony fics #stevetony fics #steve rogers #tony stark #captain america #iron man

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buckyssoldat · 5 days

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Chapter 52: Echoes

Warnings: strong language, death, grief, mentions of blood

A/N: This is part of my series, Forsaken - The Fallen Soldier. If you wanna be tagged in this, just send me an ask or a message. Feedback is always appreciated, don’t be shy to share your thoughts on this :)

It doesn't hurt me

Do you wanna feel how it feels?

Do you wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me?

Do you wanna hear about the deal that I'm making?

Twenty-two days had passed since Thanos’s snap made half of Earth’s population disappear. Nothing was ever the same. Everything was lifeless and dull, and ghost of those who had been dusted haunted those who had been spared.

Governments around the globe were spinning in chaos, desperately trying to salvage what they could with the remained people. Chaos seemed to reign in this new world order.

After spending two days with Steve and Natasha in Wakanda, Alice reluctantly accepted to returning to the Avengers Compound. Though her mind was shattered, the reality was clear – there was no break from the pain, no refuge from the grief.

Upon their return to New York, Steve found himself trying to convince Alice to stay within the compound’s walls alongside the remaining members of their team. She yearned for the solitude of her apartment in Harlem, a sanctuary of isolation in her sea of sorrow. But Steve knew better than to leave her alone in a time like that.

For the next twenty-three days, Steve, Natasha, Rhodey, Thor, and Rocked tried tirelessly to aid those who needed, trying to keep the rest of the population afloat. Meanwhile, Alice stayed in the confines of her room, her only break being the occasional coaxing from Steve and Natasha to go outside for a breath of fresh air.

Everything changed with the sudden appearance of Carol Danvers, bringing a glimmer of hope as she ventured into space to retrieve those who had fought Thanos in his home planet – Tony, Peter Parker, Doctor Strange, and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy. For Alice, the mere prospect of seeing those she thought were dead ignited a spark of hope within her aching heart.

But when Carol returned bearing only Tony and Nebula, that flicker of hope was cruelly extinguished. Pepper and Steve rushed to Tony’s aid, the once formidable hero now a mere shadow of his former self, barely able to stand. Alice remained on the main entrance with a cup of black coffee between her hands.

“Alice…” Tony greeted her once he arrived at her side.

Alice gave her cup of coffee to Steve so she could hug Tony. “I’m glad you’re alive,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Their last encounter was when Tony was trying to kill Bucky, but that didn’t matter anymore. She was glad Tony was okay.

The team gathered in the briefing room, a heavy atmosphere hanging in the air as they prepared to recount the events that had happened on Earth in the absence of Tony, Nebula, and Carol.

“It’s been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth,” Rhodey began, his voice carrying the weight of the dark news. Images of those lost to the snap flickered before them, a painful reminder of what they had lost. Bucky’s image flashed in front of Alice, making her avert her gaze, her eyes tracing patterns of the floor in a desperate attempt to shield herself from the overwhelming emotions threatening to engulf her.

“World governments are in pieces,” Natasha added, her voice tinged with pain. “The parts that are still working… are trying to take a census and it looks like he did… He did exactly what he said he was gonna do.”

“He killed half of all living creatures,” Alice suddenly spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, her gaze still fixed on her lap. Steve’s concern for her deepened, his eyes silently pleading with her to find comfort amidst the chaos.

The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of their collective grief hanging in the air. Though Alice carried most of the pain, each member of the team grappled with their own emotions as they struggled to come to terms with their new reality.

“Where is he now?” Tony’s voice shattered the silence, his eyes burning with a fierce determination. “Where?”

“We don’t know,” Steve replied solemnly. “He just opened a portal and walked through.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Tony turned his gaze towards Thor, who had remained quiet throughout the briefing, something unusual for him.

“He’s pissed,” Rocked interjected. “He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did, but there’s a lot of that going around, ain’t there?”

“Honestly, until this exact second I thought you were a Build-A-Bear,” Tony quipped, a hint of disbelief colouring his words as he stared at the talking raccoon in front of him.

“Maybe I am,” Rocket retorted.

“We’ve been hunting Thanos for three weeks now,” Steve explained, his voice heavy with the weight of their failed efforts. “Deep space scans… and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him.”

“Who told you that?” Tony retorted, his tone laced with frustration and anger. “I didn’t fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the store. That’s what happened. There was no fight because he’s not beatable.”

“Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?” Steve inquired.

“Pffftt…” Tony scoffed ironically. “I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn’t wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming.”

Steve rose from the table he had been leaning on, his demeanour firm. “Tony, I’m gonna need you to focus.”

“And I needed you. As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It’s too late, buddy. Sorry.” Tony pushed himself up from his wheelchair, his frustration boiling over as he flipped the plate that sat before him. “You know what I need? I need a shave. And I believe I remember telling all of you…”

“Tony! Tony!” Rhodey intervened, attempting to calm his friend, who had just removed the IV from his own arm.

“Alive and otherwise, that what we needed was a suit of armour around the world,” Tony continued, his voice rising, unsettling Alice. “Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That’s what we needed.”

“Well, that didn’t work out, did it?” Steve’s voice cut through, his words heavy with the acknowledgement of their past failures.

As Steve and Tony engaged in their heated discussion, the tension in the room reached a boiling point. Amidst the chaos, Alice seized the moment of distraction to slip out through the backdoor of the briefing room. The weight of their losses, the painful reminders of Bucky’s absence, and Tony’s accusations against Steve were all too much for her to hear.

Retreating to the sanctuary of her room, Alice collapsed onto her bed, seeking comfort in the embrace of solitude.

Steve noticed that Alice was gone once Tony fainted. He swept the room, his eyes landing on the vacant space where Alice once sat. He knew her well enough to anticipate her retreat to her bedroom in moments of distress.

Knocking softly on her door, Steve waited for permission to enter. “Alice?” he called out gently. “Can I come in?”

Her response was soft. “Yeah, sure.”

Entering her room, Steve found Alice lying on her back, her gazed fixed on the ceiling. Sensing her turmoil, he approached with caution, his concern etched on his features. “Look, we…”

“Lie down next to me,” she interrupted, patting the empty space beside her.

Reluctantly, Steve complied, settling himself beside her on the bed. “Look, we know where Thanos is,” he began, his tone tinged with urgency. He turned to see any kind of reaction from her but found her still lost in her own thoughts. “I know how hard this has been for you, but… We need to try fix this. It’s alright if you don’t wanna come, but I just wanted you to know this.”

Silence lingered between them, heavy with unspoken emotions. As Steve moved to rise from the bed, Alice’s hand shot out, gripping his wrist with strength. “Steve?”

“Yeah?” His voice was gentle, brimming with concern.

“I don’t know how to live without him…” Her words were barely a whisper, choked with the weight of her grief, tears threatening to spill over at any moment.

Feeling the weight of Alice’s sorrow, Steve sighed softly, his heart heavy with empathy. Without a word, he drew her close, enfolding her in a gentle embrace. He could sense the tension in her body, the weight of grief pressing down upon her. As he held her, he felt her gradually relax against his chest, the rigid lines of her body softening with each passing moment. In the quiet intimacy of the embrace, words felt unnecessary, replaced instead by the silent language of shared understanding and comfort.

When Alice finally spoke, her voice still soft, yet filled with determination. “I’ll go with you. I need to. I need to get him back.”

Steve held her tighter, his embrace a silent vow to stand by her side through everything. “We’ll do everything we can to bring him back, Alice. You’re not alone in this,” he assured her, his voice a soothing balm to her wounded soul.

Alice nodded against his chest, feeling a tiny flicker of hope amidst her grief. “Thank you, Steve,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

With a gentle sigh, Steve released her from the embrace and stood up, offering his hand to help her up from the bed. “Let’s go get everyone back,” he declared, a tough determination infusing his words. Parte superior do formulário

Together, Alice and Steve made their way back to the briefing room, their hands intertwined in a silent display of solidarity and strength. As they entered, sombre atmosphere hung heavy in the air.

Natasha, always observant, raised an eyebrow at the sight of Alice and Steve’s joined hands, a flicker of confusion crossing her features. They were close, but not that close. The subtle exchange didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the team, who shared knowing glances amongst themselves, but refrained from commenting.

Sensing the sudden scrutiny, Alice quickly withdrew her hand from Steve’s grasp, a blush staining her cheeks as she averted her gaze. Tony approached her, his expression tinged with concern as he took in her red-rimmed eyes. “You ready for this?” he asked, his tone surprisingly gentle.

Alice nodded, her voice steady as she replied, “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She drew in a deep breath, bracing herself for the challenges that lay ahead. Though uncertainty loomed in the air, one thing remained clear in her mind – she wouldn’t rest until Bucky was back by her side.

As the team finalized their plans, Alice knew it was time to prepare herself for the upcoming battle. Excusing herself from the briefing room, she made her way back to her quarters.

Inside her room once again, Alice wasted no time. Retrieving her suit from the wardrobe – a sleek, black ensemble with blue stripes down her body, the one she had wore to the battle of Wakanda. The one she was using when she kissed Bucky for the first time.

Next, she turned her attention to her weapons, carefully inspecting each one with precision. Her custom-made machine guns and double-edged sword gleamed in the dim light, their deadly potential ready to be unleashed upon Thanos.

With her suit secured and her weapons ready, Alice took a moment to collect her thoughts. The coming battle would be hard, but she was determined to face it head-on. With determination burning bright within her heart, she knew what she had to do – she would bring everyone back, no matter the cost. And above all else, she would bring Bucky back to her.

As the team settled into the ship, with Rocket taking command, the atmosphere buzzed with a mixture of tension and anticipation.

“Okay,” Rocket turned back to address the group, his gaze sweeping over them. “Who here hasn’t been to space?” Alice, Steve, Natasha, and Rhodey all raised their hands in unison.

“Why?” Rhodey questioned, a hint of confusion in his voice, while Carol let out a chuckle.

“You better not throw up on my ship,” Rocket warned, a note of mock seriousness in his tone.

“Approaching jump in three…” Nebula’s voice echoed through the ship, her countdown punctuated by the hum of the engines. “Two… One!”

With a sudden surge of acceleration, the ship rocketed forward, jolting Alice slightly against her seat as they breached the threshold of space. A kaleidoscope of vibrant colours appeared before her eyes, the beauty of the cosmos stretching out in all directions. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to forget what they were there for and to admire the mesmerizing view in front of her.

But the tranquillity of the moment was short-lived as they arrived next to the planet where Thanos was, a reminder of the dangerous mission that lay ahead.

Carol wasted no time, her voice crackling through the intercoms as she prepared to go to the planet’s surface for reconnaissance. “I’ll head down for recon,” she announced. With a swift motion, she disappeared into the vast expanse of space.

Natasha and Steve found themselves in a quiet corner of the ship. As Nat glanced at Steve, she noticed the faint smile that tugged at his lips as he gazed at a picture of Peggy inside a compass. It was a bittersweet reminder of the love that had shaped him, a love that still lingered in his heart. Natasha knew that, despite any feeling he may have developed over the years, Peggy would always be the one in Steve’s heart.

But as Steve abruptly closed the compass, the fleeting warmth in Natasha’s expression gave way to a sombre understanding.

“This is gonna work, Steve,” she tried to comfort him, her voice a gentle reassurance amidst the uncertainty that loomed over them.

“I know it will,” Steve replied, his gaze fixed on the vast expanse of outer space. “’Cause I don’t know what I’m gonna do if it doesn’t. I don’t know what Alice is gonna do without Bucky.”

“She has us,” Nat interjected, her voice tinged with conviction. But Steve’s uncertainty lingered, his thoughts clouded with worry for his friend.

With a heavy sigh, Steve acknowledged, “I know she has us, and she knows she has us. But that might now be enough for her.”

As Alice rose from her seat and approached them, concerned etched on her face, Steve and Natasha quickly composed themselves. “Is everything alright?” she inquired, her voice laced with apprehension.

Nat offered her a small smile, while Steve gently patted her shoulder. “Everything’s good, don’t worry,” he reassured her, though his own doubts still gnawed at him.

Suddenly, Carol’s return from her recon mission disrupted their conversation. “No satellites, no ships, no armies. No ground defences of any kind,” she reported.

This left the team bewildered, their confusion mirrored in their expressions. “It’s just him,” Carol concluded, her words hanging heavy in the air.

“And that’s enough,” Nebula added.

With their plan set in motion, the team made their descent, landing the ship a few miles away from what appeared to be Thanos’s secluded hut. The planet he had chosen as his refuge bore a striking resemblance to Earth, with beautiful trees and towering mountains marking the landscape.

It was decided that Carol would go first and lead the charge, launching the initial strike to incapacitate Thanos. The rest of the team would follow suit, helping to strip the Mad Titan of the Infinity Gauntlet.

The attack unfolded with ruthless efficiency, each member of the team executing their part with precision. Thor’s axe cut Thanos’s arm off, severing his connection to the gauntlet. Yet amidst the chaos, Alice found herself paralyzed, her gaze locked on the person who had taken everything away from her.

As Rocket inspected the severed arm, his expression darkened. “Oh no…”

“Where are they?” Steve demanded, his voice laced with anger and urgency.

Carol tightened her grip around Thanos’s neck. “Answer the question.”

“The universe required correction,” Thanos replied between breaths. “After that, the stones served no purpose… beyond temptation.”

“You murdered trillions!” Bruce’s voice rang out, his anger boiling over as he pushed Thanos to the ground.

“You should be grateful,” the Titan replied callously, showing no remorse for the devastation he had caused. Bruce’s fist connected with Thanos’s jaw.

“Where are the stones?” Natasha demanded.

Alice had finally pierced everything together – Thanos had a mission, he completed that mission and then got rid of the stones. He had destroyed them. Anger started to build within her.

“Gone. Reduced to atoms,” Thanos replied, his words echoing hollowly in the tense silence that hung over them.

“You used them two days ago!” Bruce retorted, his frustration palpable.

Alice stepped forward, her eyes blazing with anger, “He used them to destroy them. They’re gone.”

“My child, you really would be the perfect daughter to me…” Thanos turned to her. “And you are right. It nearly killed me. But the work is done. It always will be. I am inevitable.”

“We have to tear this place apart,” Rhodey interjected, his voice tinged with desperation. “He has to be lying!”

The grief that once consumed Alice’s mind now gave way to a seething rage. Every word that escaped Thanos’s lips fuelled her fury, pushing her closer to the brink of explosion.

“My father is many things,” Nebula finally spoke. “A liar is not one of them.”

“Ah, thank you, daughter,” Thanos acknowledged, his tone almost gentle. “Perhaps I treated you too harshly.”

But Alice had heard enough. In a swift motion, she activated her double-edged sword, the blade humming with lethal intent as she brought it down, severing Thanos’s head from his body. If Steve was worried about her before, he was even more worried now. It was as if Alice was slowly turning back into Forsaken, someone she had sworn to forget.

“What?” Rocket spoke in disbelief. “What did you do?”

“He took everything from me,” Alice declared, her voice cold and unwavering as she put away her sword. “So I took his head.”

With that, she turned and exited the hut, leaving the rest of the team behind in stunned silence. Thanos was dead, the stones were gone, and the harsh reality of their failure weighed heavily upon them all. There was nothing they could do to bring everyone back.

The trip back to the Avengers Compound was cloaked in an oppressive silence, a heavy sense of defeat hanging over them. Even Rocket, typically quick with a quip or retort, remained uncharacteristically silent in the face of their recent loss.

Upon their arrival at the compound, the team wordlessly made their way to the briefing room, each lost in their own thoughts. All except for Alice. Instead of joining the others, she retreated to her bedroom, a sense of purpose driving her movements.

Determined, Alice retrieved a duffle bag and a backpack from beneath her bed, swiftly gathering the documents, clothes, and weapons she deemed necessary. As she methodically packed her belongings, she was interrupted by Steve’s concerned voice.

“What are you doing?” he inquired, his worry evident in his tone as he observed her.

“Packing,” she quickly replied, her focus trained on checking her guns for ammunition.

Steve lingered by her bedside, a silent plea for her to pause and engage in conversation, but Alice remained resolute, ignoring his presence. With a heavy sigh, Steve reached out to gently grasp her left arm, a gesture of concern. In response, Alice’s reflexes kicked in, her instincts taking over as she swiftly grabbed Steve’s arms, locking him in place with surprising strength.

“Alice…” Steve’s voice was barely a whisper as she held his arms in a tense grip. “You’re not alright, and that’s perfectly fine, but-”

“You’re right, I’m not okay,” she cut him off, releasing his arms at last. “And that’s why I gotta leave. I’m going back to my apartment in Harlem. I can’t stay here. I just can’t.”

Steve took a deep breath, his concern evident in his gaze. “I’m going with you then.”

“No, you’re not,” Alice retorted, her tone firm. “I’m going alone. I need to be alone.”

“But you can’t be alone,” Steve countered, his voice tinged with authority. “You’re either staying here, or I’m going with you. Your choice.”

A spark of defiance ignited within Alice at his words, making her let out a sarcastic laugh. “You think you’re the boss of me? You think I’m just a soldier that you can command whatever you want? You think I’m Forsaken? Is that right, Steve? You think that I’m a soulless killing machine that is gonna do whatever you decide?”

“No, no,” Steve backtracked quickly, realizing the mistake he had made. “I don’t think that you’re back being Forsaken, I just-”

“Oh, you don’t think I’m Forsaken again?” Alice’s tone dripped with sarcasm, her words laced with bitterness and anger. “Is that what you thought when I ripped Corvus Glade’s head off? Or when I cut Thanos’ head off? You didn’t think I resembled Forsaken way too much?”

“I-”

“That’s what I thought,” Alice interrupted, a sharp edge to her voice as she grabbed her bags. “I did all of that to protect my friends, not because I’m Forsaken again.”

“So, you’re just gonna run away?” Steve scoffed, frustration creeping into his tone. “You always do this. You get sad, or angry, or depressed, or all of it, and just run away, ignoring everyone who cares about you!”

“And who cares about me, Steve?” Alice shot back, her voice trembling with emotion. “The two people I have ever loved are dead. Gone. There’s nothing left for me here!”

“I’m here for you! I have always been here for you, and you just ignore me!”

Fuelled by a mix of anger and grief, Alice stormed out of the room, ignoring Steve’s attempts to explain himself. With determined strides, she made her way to the garage, where her bike awaited. Ignoring Natasha’s calls from behind, she revved the engine and sped off into the night, leaving behind a trail of unresolved tension and shattered emotions.

As Alice rode through the city streets, the familiar sights of New York blurred together in a haze of melancholy. With each mile that passed, the weight of her grief grew heavier, dragging her deeper into the abyss of despair. Memories of Bucky haunted her every thought, his laughter echoing in her mind like a cruel taunt.

Despite her best efforts to escape, she found herself trapped in a cycle of despair, unable to break free from the grip of her own sorrow. The world around her seemed to dim with each passing moment, as if mirroring the darkness that now consumed her from within.

After Alice’s departure, Steve sought solace in the quiet solitude of the compound’s garden. As he sat alone, grappling with the aftermath of his fight with Alice, he felt a familiar presence beside him.

Natasha approached him with a knowing look, her gaze filled with empathy. “Steve,” she began, taking a seat beside him, “what happened with Alice?”

Steve sighed heavily, the weight of his guilt bearing down on him. “We had a fight,” he admitted, his voice tinged with regret. “She… she wanted to leave, go back to her apartment in Harlem. But I couldn’t let her go alone. I couldn’t let her be alone at a time like this.”

Natasha listened intently, her expression thoughtful as she absorbed his words. “Why did she want to leave?” she inquired.

“It’s… it’s complicated,” Steve replied, his gaze drifting to the ground as he struggled to articulate his feelings. “She’s hurting, Nat. I can see it in her eyes, feel it in every word she says. But she’s also pushing everyone away, including me. You know how she is.”

Natasha nodded in understanding. “She’s grieving,” she observed quietly, her voice laced with compassion. “And sometimes, that means pushing people away, even the ones who care about her the most.”

“I know,” Steve admitted, his voice heavy with sorrow. “But I can’t just stand by and watch her self-destruct. I have to do something.”

Natasha reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering him a silent gesture of support. “You’re doing the best you can, Steve,” she assured him. “Sometimes, that’s all we can do.”

Sensing Nat’s understanding gaze upon him, Steve took a deep breath, steeling himself to share the truth that had weighed heavily on his heart. “I told her… I told her that I’ve always been there for here,” Steve admitted quietly.

Natasha regarded him with a knowing look, her expression softening with empathy. “You’ve always cared about her, Steve,” she replied gently, her words a silent acknowledgement of the depth of Steve’s feelings for Alice.

Steve nodded, his gaze drifting to the ground as he struggled to articulate the complex emotions that coursed within him. “It’s more than that, Nat, and you know it,” he confessed. “Peggy was the one for me, but Alice… I’ve always… I’ve always loved her, in a way.”

Natasha listened in silence, her heart aching for Steve’s anguish. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering him a silent gesture of support.

Despite the pain in his heart, Steve continued, “Part of me… part of me was happy for her, you know? To see her find some happiness, some comfort, even in the midst of all this chaos.” He paused, his expression pained as he recalled the kiss he had witnessed between Alice and Bucky in the battle of Wakanda. “But another part of me couldn’t help but wonder… how things might have been different if I had told her how I truly felt before she found Bucky. I wondered if I did that, I could finally have a happy ending.”

“You did what you thought was best, Steve,” she offered gently. “And that’s all anyone can ask of you. It’s natural to wonder about the ‘what ifs’, Steve. But dwelling on them won’t change the present.”

Steve sighed, a mixture of emotions swirling within him. “You’re right, Nat. I just hope she knows that I’ll always be here for her, no matter what.”

Natasha gave him a reassuring smile. “She knows, Steve. And she’ll come to you when she’s ready.”

With Natasha’s words echoing in his mind, Steve felt a new sense of determination. No matter what lay ahead, he would stand by Alice’s side, offering her the support and love she needed to find her way back from the darkness. All that was left to do was wait for Alice to reach him again.

tags: @capswife

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masterlist

#forsaken the fallen soldier #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x oc #marvel fic #mcu fanfic #avengers fic #avengers fanfic #bucky barnes x original female character #avengers fanfiction #mcu series #mcu oc #avengers oc #avengers series #marvel oc #marvel series

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tinkertoysdamn · 9 months

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Despite All Your Losing Addendum

Since there were questions about how the timeline might be altered

aka How Thor's "Happy Ending" led to a Happy Ending

slightly NSFW

The prayer stretched across the universe and performed a minor miracle. After Thanos used the Space Stone to send his fleet across the universe, the aftermath of Thano's battle with Thor and the Hulk caught up with him.

Thanos: There are more Stones to collect, I must be at my peak if others try to resist me. I shall rest.

So, he took a villain nap. That gave the Guardians time to get to Knowhere first.

Peter: Give us the Reality Stone now.

Collector: And why should I give it to you?

Gamora: Thanos is coming. He will kill you slowly while breaking your collection one by one in front of you until he gets what he wants.

Peter: We'll give it back once he's dead.

Collector: Paper or plastic?

Thor, Rocket and Groot forged the Stormbreaker and Thor got to be impressive and restart the forge and all that good stuff.

Thanos arrived at Knowhere, ignorant that he was too late.

Thanos: Where is the--

Collector: The Stone is gone, your daughter has it.

Thanos: That's....inconvenient. I don't know where she is so I can't use the Space Stone; I'll have to adjust my plans. If I obtain the Mind Stone then I can exert my will and force the other holders of the Infinity Stones to give them to me. Yes, this will do.

Collector: Plot outside of my museum or buy a ticket.

Meanwhile, Nebula tricked a guard and escaped to Titan.

Double meanwhile, on Titan Dr. Strange used the Time Stone to see into the future while Tony Stark and Peter Parker wait.

Tony: What did you see, Strange?

Dr. Strange: Hmmm, oh everything's fine. We just need to sit tight and wait for a ride.

PP: Really? Can it be that easy?

Dr. Strange: In this universe.

PP: Yes, the Parker luck has been defeated.

Triple Meanwhile, on Earth, Wakanda and Team Cap prepared for their last stand. Events played out like the movie, the Children of Thanos fell, and there were lots of "wow, my favorite hero has done a cool thing" moments. Then, Thanos himself arrived to claim his long awaited victory.

However, in this universe he possessed only two of the Infinity Stones. He still wiped the floor with the Avengers but Wanda, in an act of profound sacrifice and love, destroyed the Mind Stone and with it, Vision. Thanos, thwarted, reached out to crush the skull of the Witch who has destroyed his dream when the Mighty Thor, Stormbreaker in hand, attacked.

In this universe, he did not miss, and thus rendered the Mad Titan's head from his body. It was over.

Steve called Tony with the news: Thanos is dead, we've won.

Tony, having hooked up his communicator to the ship Nebula stole received the message.

Tony: Thank god.

Steve: We lost Vision.

Tony: Look, I can help fix him when I get back, we're currently in space but we're hitching a ride with Blue Meanie.

Nebula: Call me Blue Meanie again and I'm leaving you here.

Tony: Fair enough.

On Earth.

Thor: Captain, call me when we have a victory party, I've got some post battle energy to work off.

Steve: Okay....

Thor: Where's the Rabbit and Tree?

Thor grabed Rocket and Groot and Bifrosted them all straight onto the Benatar.

Peter: AH! What the hell was that? You could have wrecked the ship, what is wrong with you?

Thor wasn't listening and he casually threw Peter over his shoulder.

Thor: Off to claim my prize, we'll be back in a few hours.

Gamora: Not without me you're not.

Thor: Wouldn't dream of it.

They all ran off to Peter's room, Peter cursing them out the entire time.

Rocket: What the flark was that?

Drax: A god like Thor must be full of hormones after a battle. He is off to have his way with Quill.

Rocket: I did not need to hear that!

Drax: Mantis, I know it must distress you that your brother and the Pirate Angel--

Rocket: Wait, brother?

Groot: I am Groot?

Mantis placed her hands on Rocket's and Groot's foreheads.

Mantis: Forget.

They forgot what they heard instantly. Then, for good measure, Mantis touched Drax's arm.

Mantis: Give me your Zarg nuts.

Drax handed her his package without a second thought.

Mantis sat by a window, looking out into the vast inky black of space while enjoying her Zarg nuts. The crunch helped block out the noise of her brother loudly enjoying himself.

#gotg fic #thorquillmora #fic addendum

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bedlamsbard · 1 year

Note

1, 21, 13 for the choose violence

1. the character everyone gets wrong

STEVE ROGERS. There's an overwhelming tendency to smooth down Steve's sharp edges and generally make him softer, sweeter, gentler, more innocent. This man is all sharp edges and while he's not always going to push himself past his limits, when he's holding himself back from them you can tell and it's -- it's very weird to see. It's most common in the ensemble films, like Avengers and AoU and Endgame, there's this air of like...restraint? And then the sharp edges come out when he gets too tired of holding himself back. One of my favorite Steve scenes is in CATWS, during the fight with Batroc, because it's a perfect kernel of Steve characterization. Not just the on va voir part, but the actual fight itself.

But also, like, Steve is mad ALL THE TIME. He's probably the angriest character in the MCU, Bruce Banner included. It's true from CATFA onwards. (I talk about his anger in CATFA a little in Horizon, so I won't reiterate it here.) I see Steve as someone who's always struggled with depression, and his anger is part of that, because he does have those lightning flickers from being functionally depressed and going through the motions to suddenly being blindingly, furiously angry -- Avengers is the most obvious example of this, but it turns up in AoU, CATWS, and CACW too; I don't think he ever hits angry in Endgame, though. He's functionally depressed but there's nothing in that film that kicks him into the anger side of it. (Caveat: my specific brainweasels function this way, which is why I read Steve's as doing so.)

also, uh, here is probably the really controversial read on Steve: there's a tendency in this fandom to give credit for anything and everything Steve does to his feelings about Bucky, and I don't...think that's true. yes, Steve cares a lot about Bucky, but it's a huge disservice to his character to say that Steve only went to Krausberg for Bucky or that he only crashed the Valkyrie because of Bucky or that he only destroyed SHIELD/HYDRA for Bucky or that he was only opposed to the Accords because of Bucky. sure, Bucky is a factor in most of those situations, but Steve would have done all of them anyway. give the man some credit for his own agency!

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

outside of this side of the fandom, probably Endgame, but that's a given. on the Tumblr/AO3 side of the fandom I don't think that's true at all lol.

in this side of the fandom -- uh, Thor, the first one. I've been going through Phase 1 lately and the first Thor film, which a lot of Thor and Loki fans I know feel very strongly about, is a chopped up mess -- I think it's the only film in the MCU that really, really suffers from having its deleted scenes removed, but even with those it's trying to do too many things at the same time and it can't give any of them enough space, plus its Asgard design is a hot mess -- TDW and later Ragnarok had to essentially bend over backwards to fix it. It does a lot of things very well, but it also does a lot of things not well at all. The Thor films are all inconsistent across the board, though; it's the weakest line in the entire MCU.

13. worst blorboficiation

I have THREE answers for this, all of which are bad in their specific ways, but for absolute worst: Tony Stark. I like Tony! He actually is a character I like! He is also super fucked up in ways that Tony fans just ignore or soften or whatever; the weirdest part to me is the desire to make Tony a ~soft dad to Peter, Shuri, Loki, Nebula...Morgan sometimes. This man took a fifteen-year-old kid to Germany to fight Captain America without telling him why, y'all. what about that says "good father figure" to you. he's also brutal to Bruce in IW.

the other two answers are Peggy Carter and Loki, which are pretty self-evident. I think I'd also actually put Natasha on this list, too, because she's another character who people really want to soften.

#thelurkinglark #bedlam replies #bedlam watches the mcu

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ao3feed-irondadspiderson · 8 months

Text

your electric touch (could build this ghost town up)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50650714 by genius_brokenaire_aroace_psycho (justcallmenibbs) You were supposed to swap bodies with your soulmate for one day every ten years. The countdown started when the oldest soulmate was born. Steve Rogers never swapped bodies— he assumed that was the one defective thing about him that even the serum couldn’t fix. Tony Stark never swapped bodies— he assumed his soulmate was dead, or perhaps he was like his best friend, Rhodey, who just didn’t have a soulmate, and didn’t really want one, either (though Tony had never related to that part). One day before everything goes to shit, Tony Stark wakes up in Steve Rogers’ body, and vice versa. It’s funny how fast you can forgive someone when you realize you got it all wrong. Words: 4337, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), James "Rhodey" Rhodes, James "Bucky" Barnes, Bruce Banner, Thor (Marvel), Peter Parker, Nebula (Marvel), Carol Danvers, Thanos (Marvel), some others are mentioned i'm feeling lazy ok buddy Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Bruce Banner/Thor, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, (if you squint) - Relationship, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Nebula & Tony Stark Additional Tags: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Steve's Seventy-Year Ice Nap Strikes Again Folks, this is to honor nat and tony, who died sometime around now i think, rest in peace my babygirls ur not dead to me, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, tony stark adopted nebula after iw CHANGE MY MIND, Superfamily | Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Parenting Peter Parker, and Nebula, fuck you nebula is part of the superfamily, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, The Avengers Are Good Bros, but slightly dysfunctional, CAROL DANVERS IS THE LOML, Implied aro/ace James Rhodes, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Canon Divergence - Post-Movie: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Breaking Up & Making Up, Fix-It of Sorts, kinda distant narration because this is my first time writing these characters and im scared, enjoy gorgeous read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/50650714

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #iron dad and spider son #spider son #iron dad #peter parker #tony stark

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sjsmith56 · 8 months

Text

It Mattered - Part 22, From There To Here - Bucky Barnes One Shots

Summary: Set during the Blip, Steve Rogers meets with a man who has acquired many official HYDRA files on Bucky.

Length: 6K

Characters: Steve Rogers, named original male character Grant Allman.

Warnings: Grief, disgust with HYDRA, lack of trust in government, Steve missing Bucky.

Author notes: The subtitle on From There to Here is Bucky Barnes One Shots. This part will not have Bucky actually in it, although he will be a topic of discussion. It mostly takes place about a year after the snap of Thanos' fingers, which turned half the universe's population into dust.. For the purposes of this story that tenure will be referred to as the Decimation. It is told from Steve Rogers point of view.

<<Part 21

🗂️

It had been almost a year since Thanos succeeded in dispensing with half the world's population. Six months of disbelief, raw grief, and anger, especially at the remnants of the Avengers for our failure to stop the alien mass murderer, psychopath, sociopath, narcissist and any number of descriptors ascribed to him by the survivors of his purge. It had been almost that long since I last spoke with Tony Stark, blamed by the latter for not being on the killer's home planet with him to deal with that evil presence, even though I was already leading the force against Thanos on Earth. It was unfair; I knew that objectively, but I still felt the guilt, still had nightmares of seeing Bucky, Wanda, T'Challa and so many others disappear in front of me.

One would think that with my early history of being a weakling that I would have adjusted better to losing that fight. As if adjusting to the deaths of billions was easy. It wasn't. Not since I lost Bucky after he fell from the train had I been so angry about not being able to get drunk. It would have been the bender of all time. At least there were still a few Avengers alive; specifically Natasha, Bruce, Thor, and Rhodey. We also had help from a couple of aliens; one of them a cyborg woman named Nebula who spent weeks alone on a space craft with Tony Stark, both of them trying to eke out their fuel and food to make it back to Earth. They were rescued by a human hybrid who apparently knew Nick Fury back in the 1990s. Captain Marvel is what we called her, but she started out as a fighter pilot on Earth by the name of Carol Danvers. She rubbed some people the wrong way with her manner, but Rhodey said if she had been a fighter pilot, she came by that attitude honestly. Her powers were incredible, and she confirmed the effect of the Snap and following decimation on planets outside of our solar system. There was also a talking raccoon named Rocket who came to Wakanda with a walking, talking tree person, Groot, who sadly didn't make it. Rocket and Nebula fixed their spacecraft, and we used it after we found Thanos hoping to take back the infinity gauntlet. But the bastard had destroyed the stones, stopping us from undoing his deadly snap. Thor lost it and killed Thanos outright. We were beaten and had to go back to Earth with our tails between our legs to tell them there was no hope, no chance of fixing it.

But losing the confidence of Tony Stark hurt the most. He'd had it, retreated from everything and everyone. Calls were not returned or even accepted; his email addresses were all erased. He became a ghost. Thor retreated to New Asgard, drinking and eating away the pain of not killing Thanos the first time, in Wakanda. Bruce retreated to Stark's remote lab in Mexico to find a way to combine the Hulk and himself but have them each in balance. I hadn't heard if he made progress. Clint went rogue after his family disappeared. We'd heard rumours that he'd gone on a killing spree of criminals who survived the Snap, but the rumours were hard to confirm. In Wakanda, both T'Challa and Shuri were lost. So much loss everywhere.

I lived in New York City, figured that I might as well stay in a place I was familiar with, but it wasn't the same without the people. There was a feeling of emptiness about it, a sadness that pervaded everything. With the Avengers out of commission I had to do something to pass the time, so I began attending a support group for those of us ready to try and deal with our losses. It helped and I became a counsellor for the organization that funded it. Three afternoons and three nights per week, I led a group of ordinary people to talk about those we lost, the effect it had on us, and how we handled life now. Turned out I was pretty good at it. The supervisor said I was very empathetic but objective enough to handle the depression that most people were feeling, once they got past the anger. Still, whenever someone lost it physically, my strength came in handy to subdue the individual calmly, with dignity, allowing them to get it out of their system without hurting anyone. The rest of the time I boxed, I ran, and I sketched or painted. I didn't date. The only woman I even considered seeing before, Sharon, was lost to the Decimation. I took it as a sign that maybe being celibate was how I was supposed to be. Ma would have liked to see me become a priest, but I didn't believe anymore, not accepting that God would allow Thanos to do what he did and walk away from it. So, I lived a boring life. At least I did until a man approached me after one of my weekend sessions.

He was just an ordinary man, in his late 30s, maybe early 40s, light brown hair, brown eyes, 5 foot 8 inches or so, maybe 170 pounds, muscular. Dressed well, he stuck his head in the door near the end of a Saturday afternoon session then waited in the hallway for me to be finished before coming in. I was stacking the chairs as he approached.

"Steve Rogers?" he asked, extending his right hand to me which I shook. In his left hand he was carrying a small leather case. "Grant Allman. I wonder if I could have a few minutes of your time."

"Were you interested in the counselling sessions?" I asked. "You just missed this session although I have one Monday evening, starting at 7 pm."

"No, I'm okay," he said. "I was already alone when it happened, so I didn't lose anyone. This is about a mutual friend of ours, Bucky Barnes."

He had my attention. "How did you know Bucky?" I asked. "You realize he is one of the decimated."

Grant nodded soberly. "It goes better with coffee and a donut," he said. "My treat. I think you may be interested in information I found out about him, about when HYDRA had him."

Now I really was interested. As soon as I finished stacking the chairs, I grabbed my jacket and locked up. Grant and I walked a couple of blocks, finding a coffee shop. I ordered a black coffee and a glazed donut. He asked for the same and paid for it, leaving the change from a $20 bill as a tip. We sat at a table near a window.

"I met Bucky when he was trying to get to Boston to buy passage on a cargo ship to Europe," he said immediately. "It was just after he met with two old hippies and a teenager in Townsend. He booked a motel room at the place I worked at. I noticed some guys checking out his car and let him know. Figured he was on the run, and they were up to no good so I offered to call some acquaintances who could lead them astray. He gave me several thousand dollars to do it, which surprised the shit out of me." He took a bite of his donut, and a drink of his coffee then studied me for a moment before continuing. "I offered to buy his ticket for him, which is when I recognized him, we talked, and when he found out I was a veteran he opened up more about who he was."

He showed me his infantry tattoo on his left forearm to prove he was a veteran, and drank some of his coffee, waiting for my response.

"Did you help him just for the money?" I asked.

"At first, yeah," he admitted. "I hadn't done so well after getting out of the military. I had substance abuse issues, and the job was all I could get. It was dead-end, minimum wage. But the more I spoke to him the more I realized that he had been through infinitely worse, but he was still a good guy, a really good guy."

We both took another bite of our donuts and drank some more coffee. So far, all Grant had told me was preamble. He obviously had something more to tell me and I wondered if he wanted money before he told me. I decided to cut to the quick.

"You run out of the money?" I asked. "Is that what this is about? You want more money to tell me something I likely already know?"

He smiled in a self-deprecating manner, but he didn't seem offended.

"No, I'm quite well off now," he said. "I've been to rehab, and I've been clean for almost 5 years. I have Bucky to thank for that. He gave me something before I left him in the Port of Boston at the dock of a cargo ship. He gave me the locations of a considerable number of HYDRA safe houses in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Because of his generosity in giving me that information I was able to come by a lot of cash, weapons, and a treasure house of unencrypted and unredacted HYDRA files on him. Some of the files were also marked with SHIELD stamps. So, the reason I came to see you was to see if you wanted them ... for free. It's the least I can do for the guy who literally saved my life."

"But he's dead," I replied bluntly. "It would all be moot, now."

"Yes, and no," said Grant, leaning forward. "I also found something mentioning the woman who founded SHIELD."

"Peggy Carter?" I asked. "There's a file on her?"

"Oh yeah," he said, "but I want you to see all of it because at the least you can clear Bucky's record. He was a victim and people should go to jail for what they did to him. Some of them should be shot."

He stopped talking then, his face set in a hard look. Opening his leather case, he gave me a file folder. I opened it and closed it immediately, so disturbing was the image. Then I opened it again, seeing an actual picture of Bucky in some sort of machine that was obviously torturing him. What was even worse was that the picture was taken at the same moment sutures in his amputated arm burst, spurting blood everywhere. The next few images showed him in surgery, repairing the damage caused by whatever that machine did to him. He looked dead by the time they finished. I stared at Grant, wondering what else he had.

"By the date stamp on it that was in January of 1945," he said grimly. "There are notes at the end, written in German. I had them professionally translated. The machine was basically a conduit for electroconvulsive therapy, ECT, but done at such a high voltage that it would result in severe seizures, followed by memory loss. From the medical experts I consulted about it the result would make the recipient very susceptible to suggestion. With his arm injury still healing the accompanying rise in blood pressure burst the sutures on his arm, resulting in him almost bleeding out."

"Brainwashing," I said. "They were brainwashing him and pushing his body to the limits to get it done."

Grant nodded grimly. It was obvious he wasn't about the money anymore.

"This is just the first file, the earliest one," he said. "The fucking Nazis documented everything as if they were so proud of the torture they inflicted on him as part of their mad science experiment."

He wanted justice for Bucky and I found myself liking Grant for that. As we finished our coffees we made plans to meet up the following day. Grant had an apartment in New York, giving me the address. I agreed to come over at about 1 pm and begin to look through the rest of the paper files he had. He left me with that first file, said that I should find a way to make sure no one ever went through that again.

At home I dropped that file on the coffee table in front of my couch. While I made something to eat, I kept glancing at it, hating what was in it but knowing I had to read it through, to look at everything, to understand what they did to my friend. After I ate I sat down and opened it, once again studying those disturbing images. Then I began reading the translated notes and read how they did this to him, over and over and over again. They had a transcript of what was said by Bucky and by anyone in that room with him.

At first Bucky would repeat the standard phrase all PoWs said to their captors: Barnes, James Buchanan, Sergeant, serial number 32557038. It was all the enemy was entitled to as part of the Geneva Convention, as if HYDRA ever honoured those rules. Then the command would be given for the machine to be turned on. My lips curled and I could feel the bile in my throat as I read through the multiple repetitions of that torture and each instance after. He fought them. God help me, when he told me in the quinjet that he fought them I envisioned him fighting physically but he couldn't even do that, being so injured and then restrained on that gurney. All he could do was endure the torture then fight them with his persistence and his very soul. Looking back it was obvious when I found him in Austria at that factory, that they had started the process there, with the serum injections and the memory wipes. He never said a word about it, was probably ashamed that I would think he had given himself up to the enemy.

"Buck, you should have told me," I whispered to myself. "I would never have put you into danger like I did."

He was probably already halfway to being a super soldier when I rescued him. It's why he survived the fall off the train. Whoever found him took him to HYDRA and they were only too eager to continue the process. My transition was done in one long moment of simultaneous multiple injections and a burst of Vita Ray radiation. Bucky's was spread through weeks, perhaps years of injections of the serum, in between the sessions on the ECT machine, all while still being seriously injured. The realization of the torture he went through hit me and I cried for him, for what the best man I ever knew went through, alone and without hope of rescue. Wiping my eyes and blowing my nose I finished reading that damn file. Although I barely slept that night, I knew that I owed it to Bucky to read the rest and find out exactly what HYDRA did to him.

I arrived early at Grant's apartment. He wasn't surprised to see the look on my face either. I imagine he had a similar one on his face when he began accumulating the evidence. Everything he found were stored in file boxes, marked with the days, months, and years they referred to. He brought us both a coffee and sat next to me.

"Before you ask, the money that I found in the safe houses has made me well off," he said. "I'll admit that. But I promised Bucky I would do good with it, and I have. After I got clean, I began sponsoring other vets with substance abuse issues to get into rehab. I invested some, that's what paid for this apartment and my lifestyle, which isn't flashy, but I do alright. I went back to school, and I offer my services to people who need help, either with a person, or a problem, or a situation. Officially I'm a private investigator. Unofficially I rescue people in trouble. I don't kill. Bucky was emphatic that he was done with that, so I've kept that up as my mantra. Every once in a while, I find someone who is named in these files and if they are HYDRA, I turn them in. If they were victims of HYDRA, I help them."

He turned to me, trying to gauge my reaction and I felt I should respond. "I'm glad to hear it," I said sincerely. "Bucky never did like bullies. It's how we met. He was like my big brother and when I found out he was still alive I knew I had to help him."

"There's another thing you should know," said Grant. "These files have taken me since 2014 to accumulate. They were scattered around all the safe houses, in no particular order. Maybe the people who put them there didn't want everything in one place. I know Bucky kept the list of European safe houses with him when he left. But I don't think he ever used it because I got word of someone trying to sell HYDRA files of him on the black market and that didn't sound like Bucky's style."

"There was a con man," I answered. "After Bucky got to Italy. He must have recognized Bucky and used his knowledge to trick him out of most of his cash and the list of European safe houses. That person might have sold some of the files to the CIA because they knew Bucky was in Bucharest in 2016. I saw the file myself. Bucky told me he ended up helping some Roma people, and they helped him in return. They got him to Romania, found him a little flat, and helped him find work. It gave him the time to get a lot of his memories back."

A small smile creased Grant's face. "Roma, huh?" He shook his head. "If they helped him that means he meant something to them. They must have adopted him. I have a Roma contact in New Jersey I can ask."

"Jovan?" I asked, remembering that name. "Bucky mentioned a guy by that name being from New Jersey."

"Yeah," he replied, nodding his head. "Damn he keeps his hands close to his vest. I came to him about some information for one of my cases, and he never let on that he knew Bucky even though I mentioned finding information on him."

Something occurred to me just then, as it seemed too much of a coincidence to let go. "Do you think he knew about Bucky's sister?" I asked. "She lives in New Jersey, in a very nice senior's home."

"That's a very good question," answered Grant. "If they did, they're probably watching out for her. If they made him family, then she's family by extension. I could check it out if you want. What's her name?"

I told him and we began our session, going through the files of what had been done to Bucky. The documentation was thorough, sickeningly so and I was ready to take a break when I read about the nurse who was shot in front of him because she gave him her name, Anya. They put Bucky through the wringer after that, an endless stream of ECT, serum injections, and torture seemingly just for the hell of it.

"They punished him for showing concern or empathy for people," I noted.

"Yeah, in fact, I only found one instance where they didn't, but it was an odd occurrence," he said, flipping through another box. "This is from later that year, 1950, I think, after he was taken to Siberia. His first metal arm has been attached and he awakens from some sort of anaesthetic, sees the metal hand and goes into a rage, trying to strangle an attendant. They stun him repeatedly with cattle prods and there is a discussion of a failsafe word to disable him quickly. There's talk about them realizing the serum is repairing the damage they've done to his brain, undoing all of their brainwashing. A woman scientist, Dr. Eva Waslewski, recommends cryostorage, as it was her specialty. She suggested it as a way to keep the brain from repairing itself too quickly and that using it judiciously would extend his lifespan, allowing them to bring him out only when needed."

"He thought that was so they didn't have to feed him so often," I said bluntly. "Maybe that's how it ended up being used because he was pretty sure they wiped him before and after each session."

"What is most interesting is that Dr. Waslewski was the sister of the nurse, Anya," said Grant. "It's not in the files but I did some research on my own. They were both born in Poland, were conscripted into the German army, and assigned to HYDRA. The doctor may have been a double agent, as she was seen speaking closely with Bucky, and treating him with kindness, something that was not allowed."

"You think she was working with SHIELD?" I asked.

"If she was, she wasn't the only one," said Grant. "Bucky was ordered to kill her, when she was betrayed by persons unknown. He did so, quickly, cleanly, and after he gave her a tender kiss. That was the only time on record he was not punished for showing mercy. That account comes from another SHIELD agent, unnamed, who sent a report directly to Peggy Carter." I wasn't expecting to hear that she was killed by Bucky or that Peggy knew about it. But Grant seemed to have another thing to say. "Eva and her sister Anya were raised by their maternal grandmother, a Roma, Kezia Pawlowski." He shrugged. "Another coincidence? There are so many and they are buried deep in these files. I don't know if Bucky were still alive, if he himself would remember as surely some of his memories are gone forever. I do think you and I should go to New Jersey. I would like to meet Bucky's sister and I would like you to meet Jovan Sakić. Perhaps we can get some more answers."

It sounded like a good idea to me. I hadn't seen Rebecca for a while, not since before I helped Bucky get to Wakanda. We had a good visit at the time but I had the feeling she kept some things from me. After that small break Grant and I went back to the files where we learned about the American super soldier who fought Bucky in Goyang in 1951. An African American, he was referred to by ugly slur words, as nasty in German as they were in English. They didn't even say his name but he apparently may have been sent to retrieve Bucky and bring him home. Instead, the fight got out of hand and he tore Bucky's metal arm in two. I remember him mentioning that when we came out of the Siberian facility and encountered T'Challa. Bucky told him the arm that Tony shot off was a replacement arm. I think he meant to tell me more but we didn't get around to it. Grant jumped ahead and brought out another file, a SHIELD file that was apparently copied and sent to Peggy. It identified the American soldier as Isaiah Bradley, then reported that he committed suicide in 1953, after being imprisoned on his return to the United States as his reward for defeating Bucky.

"That Dr. Zola had the fix in," said Grant. "He was part of SHIELD as well as HYDRA and insisted on Bradley being kept against his will as a test subject because they didn't know why the serum worked so well on him but not so well on the others." He made a disgusted sound. "They were all African Americans and were told the serum injections were vitamins. I tried to find his family, but I hit a dead end. It's like anything about him went into a black hole."

That angered me. We had our own issues with racism, having Gabe Jones as one of the Howling Commandos. Bucky knew him from the 107th as they were captured together, along with Dum Dum Dugan. Even with his language skills and communications know how, some of the powers that be didn't want him as part of our unit. Said it would give his people the wrong idea. His people ... humans just like me and the others on the team. I wish I had known about Bradley as I would have gone in myself and got him out of whatever hell hole they were keeping him in.

Before I crashed that Valkyrie aircraft, I knew the allies wanted Dr. Zola's know-how to continue on with Dr. Erskine's work. I was against it all the way but was obviously overruled. When Natasha and I found that electronic version of him in the computers in Camp LeHigh it made me sick to see how thoroughly he had infiltrated SHIELD, turning it into the errand boy of HYDRA. I told this to Grant, as I was done keeping secrets. He wasn't surprised having experienced some of the military mindset himself when he fought in Afghanistan. His own experience of how it seemed that everyday their enemies changed as war lords changed allegiances like we change our socks sounded all too familiar. It reminded me of what Bucky had said about the Vietnam War veterans he encountered in Townsend. Wars and soldiers didn't really change but the soldiers always paid the price in the end. With that we decided to call it a day and agreed to go to New Jersey during the week. He would contact this Jovan Sakić person while I would contact Rebecca then we would go see both of them and try to get some more answers.

As it turned out we didn't go to New Jersey that week or for some time after. Grant called me to say that something came up but when I pressed him, he admitted that he wasn't even in the United States. That's all he would say, other than he wanted to keep me, Rebecca, and the information he had already uncovered safe. It was another two weeks after that call before he contacted me again to say we could meet. I met him at his apartment and was shocked at his condition when he opened the door. He held his hand up before I could say anything and beckoned me in, making a show of locking the door behind me. Gesturing to a chair with the hand that wasn't covered in bandages and in a sling, he sat across from me and said nothing while I looked at the bruises that still covered his face.

"You've looked better," I finally said.

He smirked. "I've felt better but they fared worse than me. You know there are still pockets of HYDRA around. Turns out there are some people in the CIA who are "helping" them stay hidden. I contacted Jovan and asked him directly about Bucky Barnes. Turns out we've been searching for the same thing, except his focus has been on Europe while mine has been North America. He invited me to go with him to France because of a sighting of the man who conned Bucky out of the list of European safe houses. You were right, he had been selling the information that he found to the CIA."

I wasn't surprised. The CIA, known as the OSS during World War II, had a stake in Dr. Erskine's research. Their people were witnesses to my transformation. They were also witness to the removal of 12 vials of my blood after Dr. Erskine was killed. Eleven of those vials disappeared into the bureaucracy of the American government. One vial of blood disappeared with no trace, at least according to the SHIELD files that Natasha had released. I always wondered if either the CIA or HYDRA ended up with it.

"We, that is Jovan, some of his associates, and me, found the guy living the high life in Provence," said Grant. "His name was Leon Meier and he told the CIA about recommending Romania to Bucky, told them that he cut his hair and shaved his beard, that he was travelling on a German passport under the name Jakob Schmidt; he basically sold him out for money. That's why when that Zemo guy pulled his stunt it messed up their plans to take Bucky back into the fold. The CIA wanted him for themselves, to be their assassin."

Why was I not surprised? How long had HYDRA used him, successfully, to kill their enemies? It only made warped sense that the CIA was envious of their asset. Once again, someone didn't see the man, they only saw the killing machine they could control.

"So what happened?" I asked, gesturing at Grant's injuries. "Did he fight back? Did the CIA try to come to his rescue?"

"Yes to both," replied Grant. "You have to understand that the Roma were going to deal with Meier permanently. They see Bucky as one of their own, because he stuck his neck out for not just a Roma family but a whole community. He went up against the Russian mob for them and they knew enough about him to be properly scared if they stayed so he basically got peace for the whole Roma community in Zagreb. That's where Jovan met him, after Bucky took multiple bullets in several encounters with the Russian mob before finally confronting the head man there. He didn't kill anyone but he made it clear that he would, if he had to. Jovan had been in the military here, went over to help the extended Roma family when Yugoslavia fell apart and stayed. He drove Bucky to Bucharest, set him up in the apartment and made sure the Roma there watched out for him. But the CIA was also watching and they were watching Meier's place in Provence. They came at us as we were taking him elsewhere."

At this point I wasn't sure I wanted to know more. Grant sensed that and didn't try to justify what the Roma were planning to do to the man who cheated Bucky. Of more interest to me was that this Jovan had been searching for the same information Grant was, evidence of what was done to Bucky, or ... maybe it was evidence of what was done to Anya and Eva.

"Was Jovan related to the two women in HYDRA?" I asked. Grant shrugged slightly but nodded his head just as slightly. Perhaps that meant that the Romani people feel related to all the others of their background no matter where they were from in the world. "Did you find anything?"

"Yup," said Grant. "But Jovan won't give it to us. You know that a lot of Roma people were killed in concentration camps? Because many of them weren't officially registered in the country of their birth there is no official count, but Holocaust experts estimate the number is between 250,000 and 500,000 victims. The Waslewski sisters were Roma, but both were blond, fair haired, and their father was of Polish ancestry. I think they may have been plants to find Roma who were being experimented on by HYDRA and found Bucky in the process. With how quickly the brain washing wore off they would have learned quickly that he wasn't the killer HYDRA wanted him to be. Jovan thinks that somehow, they were able to get word out to SHIELD that he was alive and being tortured into becoming the Fist of HYDRA." He stopped as if he wasn't sure whether to go on. "You'll have to talk to Jovan directly about what evidence he has from the sisters. He knew about Bucky before he met him. Of that I am certain. They've been going after everyone who had a hand in the deaths of those Holocaust victims, and any other Roma victims of HYDRA since."

It sounded like the Roma had their own score to settle with the Nazis, HYDRA, and the CIA. Couldn't say I blamed them. A lot was at stake and Bucky's files were the proof of the spider web that had connected all of them. On advice from Jovan the file boxes that Grant possessed had been moved to a secret location, in a storage facility owned by Roma. Even though Jovan wouldn't give us his files he was willing to let us go and see them, and make copies of them. He was doing the same with the files that Grant had accumulated. I was to be brought into the fold, to be given the location and access to all of it. I told Grant that in the two years between when Bucky and I fought on the helicarrier and when I found him again in Bucharest that Sam Wilson and I had filed official requests for all military, SHIELD, and CIA records on Bucky. We received a lot, heavily redacted but still containing enough information to prove that Bucky was a PoW, abandoned through the efforts of HYDRA supporters within the military, SHIELD, and the CIA, in exchange for favours, and copies of the treatments being forced on him. He shook his head in disgust.

"When you say favours do you mean assassinations?" he asked.

I nodded. "Specifically a very famous one, of a sitting president." I didn't say anything more but Grant's eyes grew large.

"Shit," he muttered. "No wonder they wanted to find him. That's one of the biggest conspiracy theories out there. All of that to keep his existence a secret, to keep him bound to them, until they accomplished their goal."

"You don't know the final indignity," I said. "Alexander Pierce was willing to let Bucky die when he sent him to the helicarrier to stop me. Those helicarriers were to be used to take Bucky's place. From space they could target anyone, anywhere, and kill them with a laser weapon. They wouldn't need him anymore and they didn't care what happened to him. When I destroyed them, they wanted him back because that's all they had left, other than mercenaries, and goons they had turned. He had enough of his will return to realize he could never let them get control of him again. That's why he went into hiding. For two years he lived under the radar, working, not getting into trouble, not hurting anyone. At least now he's out of all of it."

"Yeah, but they still want to keep the secrets about him," added Grant. "We owe it to his memory not to let them get away with it." He stuck his hand out to mine. "Promise me, that we'll do this together. We'll make copies of all of it and make sure it sees the light of day. Bucky deserves that much. So do Anya and Eva Waslewski, and the hundreds of thousands of Roma victims, hell, all of the victims of the Holocaust because I can't see HYDRA caring who they experimented on. We won't let this get buried."

His words were true and I shook his hand. Even though Bucky was dead there were still people bent on hiding the truth about what was done to him. As his friends, fellow soldiers, and as decent men, Grant, myself, and Jovan, who I had yet to meet, were bound together in a pact to honour Bucky's memory by doing the right thing. We would make sure history knew who James Buchanan Barnes really was, and how he was the victim of the world's largest conspiracy, one that spanned decades and involved thousands of willing participants. It mattered, damn it, it mattered.

Part 23>>

Series Masterlist

#bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #steve rogers #hydra #medical experimentation #torture

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lokiinmediasideblog · 6 months

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if you're still doing the character ask game: mcu loki - 2, 3, 7, 8? (i know that's a lot, but i feel like they go together. you can just pick one pair if you like)

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

My love for Loki is because he is a schemer (I even love the pre-reincarnation evil old man comic book version). I just love sneaky, scheming characters that are disliked by those around them for either unfair or fair reasons. It's the trait I am drawn towards (see my love for SkekSil). I love how contradictory his traits are. His self-hatred and grandiosity. I love that he even loses when he wins. I also find him very projectable/relatable? Maybe because I also have difficulty maintaining relationships. I definitely think a part of me is so attached to the concept of Loki due to how Christianity demonized him, the most notable aspect in the MCU being Loki's horned helm that made my very Catholic mom scream at the fucking TV.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

This is hard because I feel like the flaws add onto him. My least favorite thing is his tendency to resign to shitty conditions. On relationships and plans. This can be shown by his sabotage of relationships (e.g. Sif). And his sabotage of plans that might prove too risky (e.g. trying to betray Thor in Sakaar so he won't leave to fight Hela and potentially die). Loki's a very pessimistic character, I'd say. While I am glad in the series he didn't become a Time cop, he still shows strong signs of that pessimistic streak by going at fixing the problem on his own without really talking things out.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

My favorite HC (by 100indecisions) is that he has mental scar tissue from the mind stone's influence that makes him difficult to enchant. I think I've claimed that I forgot it was a HC when S2 aired and people were wondering why he didn't just let Sylvie enchant him. I also like to see how people HC his magical abilities.

I love psychological analyses that don't denigrate mental illnesses. And I love analyses on motifs and symbolism, or interpretations of the character as metaphor for neurodivergence. I also love trauma HCs as the angsty bitch that I am.

Although I am a grimdark bitch, I enjoy GOTG + Asgard mashups where Loki didn't die in IW. He's a fun character to have interact with the GOTG, and there's the question of whether he'd know Gamora and Nebula.

And there's some cool TVA fics like pantiara's "Trapped in Time."

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I dislike HCs where he's this gentle bookish prince that has NEVER touched a blade nor killed anything before Thor (2011). Did you all not see him display combat skills in pretty much everything he's been on?

I loathe the way most people talk about Loki. Either he deserves eternal suffering, was evil from birth, "pretended" to kill himself, and has evil personality disorder, or he's "too good" to have the personality disorder and it's actually evil Odin that has the personality disorder.

And my least favorite kind of Loki fic is Frostiron where it's revealed Loki is actually as nice as freaking Jesus. Loki should be messy and not some waifish victim, especially if he comes from Asgard, land of "We don't talk about our feelings". And lol, I just don't like Tony.

I guess I also think ship wars are pointless and obnoxious.

Thanks for the ask!! ^_^

#mcu!loki #anon asks #ask meme

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themculibrary · 11 months

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hey, could you rec some time travel fics? preferably without any pairings but i'm not too picky.

Ásgarðrian Galdr (ao3) - Valerie_Vancollie T, 479k

Summary: What if Loki was able to warn his past self, so he did not lose control during his regency and was able to act as he normally would? What if he had been able to remain calm and in control of himself, and the situation? "How?" Loki demanded. "Betrayal," his future self stated simply, rage clear in every syllable. "But you must control your reaction and come to see me, or you will repeat my mistakes and we will miss an opportunity to take control and alter things in our favor." It would have changed everything.

Been There, Blown That Up (ao3) - GwendolynStacy

Summary: After Loki’s defeat and his fall from the portal, Tony starts preaching about a murderous purple titan out to get them in the depths of space.

Wait. What?

On the other side of the universe, Nebula loses her cool approximately two seconds after laying eyes on Thanos and finds herself on a wild chase through the galaxy. Now, where exactly was that pathetic piece of rock Terra again?

Born Of The Same Impulse (ao3) - GwendolynStacy T, 82k

Summary: Barely five minutes into the past and Tony has already taken care of Ultron, thus prevented Sokovia, thus – hopefully – made sure that the Civil War would never happen. All things considered, he was doing pretty well!

Then he just had to look up his fellow superhero turned time traveller on the internet.

the reactions of a dead man (ao3) - agloeian T, 67k

Summary: Loki wakes up in the past with all the knowledge he needs to stop Thanos ever coming to power in the first place. This somehow doesn't stop him from getting into trouble.

A Post-Infinity War Time Travel Fix-it Fic.

- Tori

#Anonymous #answered #found #time travel #gen

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milehighmechanic · 7 months

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@feralego moved from here

It’s not really what he wants to hear, but he’s too old now, he thinks–and too involved in superhero matters; in the plays of life and death games on a cosmic scale–to be talked down to like a child. To be pacified with false hopes. With lies.

He’s always respected Stark, but the feeling grows more personal now. Even if the honesty feels draining. Painful.

His shoulders slump, and he lets his head droop forward before clasping his hands together at the back of his neck. Peter can barely remember the last time he felt this tired. Even as a small, sickly, often hospitalized kid, this level of fatigue had been a rarity.

Stark rouses his attention when he slides it in his direction, and Peter gazes down at the iconic piece of armor, fixating on the eye slits as his breath catches in his throat. And he has to wonder if gazing into those cold, soulless eyes would make it any easier to record anything to have sent to May. If she’s even still alive.

Part of him thinks it might be. Part of him thinks that distinctly mechanical visage might help him control the emotions in his delivery more, making it easier to say what he needs to say, and quickly.

He lifts the helmet gingerly and moves to stand, tucking it under his arm.

"Thanks…“ He tries to smile, or to look anything but glum, but he can’t manage. "I’ll– I’ll do that. I’ll be in the back for a bit if you need me.”

Tony watches him---- the way Spidey droops, the look of defeat in his eyes. Probably a good reflection of Tony himself, ten minutes ago. It only steels his resolve. Tony knows he has a tendency to wallow in his own guilt---- his therapist has told him so.

He watches, silently, as the guy disappears through the doorway, and he’s just a KID, a teenager who shouldn’t have to be contemplating leaving a goodbye for his aunt.

Maybe losing to Thanos had been Tony’s fate, inescapable. The end of Iron Man. His last failure.But it shouldn't be Peter’s fate to die on this spaceship. To starve to death so far from home. Yinsen had lost EVERYTHING, but he’d never given up in that cave, he’d never let Tony give up. Maybe it’s Tony’s turn. ( Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? )

It hurts when he stands, worn down muscles aching, pulling, weak. But pain is an old friend. It’s second nature to grit his teeth and ignore it, to control his breathing and keep on going. He’s not going far. The engine is one of their problems; the console at the front of the ship is the other. Nebula said that they couldn’t fix it----- but Tony will rebuild this whole damn ship from scratch if he has to. ( With a box of scraps. )

Ideas spark across his mind, settling into one cohesive thought. He’ll have to discuss it with Nebula, with Peter even, because the kid is smarter than him, somedays---- but it’s a plan.

Maybe he’ll manage to not fuck this one up.

#feralego #thread: a stranger or a friend #v: accidental mentor #//cue building montage #//lmao i can't remember exactly what we had planned but like #//if you wanna have them talk more pete can come find him??#//or we could timeskip to them getting home either under their own power or carol's??

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airas-story · 2 years

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Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, Nebula & Tony Stark, Stephen Strange & Wong

Characters: Stephen Strange, Tony Stark, Nebula (Marvel), Wong (Marvel), Peter Parker, Loki (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Time Travel Fix-It, Not From Time Travelers PoV, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, thanos is already dead, Tony Stark Acting as Nebula's Parental Figure, Because Thanos Sucks and Nebula Deserves It, (But Nebula is Still an Adult Who Does What She Wants), Shovel Talk, Wong is So Done (Marvel), Wong is a good bro, Infinity Stones, Nebula Ships It, Cloak of Levitation Ships It, Wong Ships It, everyone ships it, IronStrange Bingo 2022

Summary:

Everything in Stephen's life is completely normal (if you can't the Mystic Arts as normal, which he does). And then he gets a text.

Hey Stranger Danger, I know you’ve got this whole ‘protecting reality’ thing going on, and you kind of seem like the magic first, ask questions later sort of person. So if a blue alien ends up on your rooftop, don’t kill her. She’s one of the good guys.

@ironstrangebingo

#ironstrange #fic #ironstrange bingo

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ironstrangeao3 · 1 year

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[N] Rescue

by Zeronay

A few years after seeking the Sorcerer Supreme's help after the Ultron-fiasco, Tony is sure he loves Doctor Stephen Strange. Maybe it's even mutual, he's sure he would've found out if it weren't for Thanos and his lackeys invading earth in search of the Infinity Stones. After eradicating half the universe, including Stephen, Tony does everything in his might to bring everybody back. Because a world without Stephen Strange and Peter Parker might not be worth living in.

Words: 16942, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange (Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Peter Parker, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel) - Character, Nebula (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Thor (Marvel), Scott Lang, Wong (Marvel), Hulk (Marvel), James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Thanos (Marvel)

Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Stephen Strange, Tony Stark & Stephen Strange, Peter Parker & Tony Stark & Stephen Strange, Nebula & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Cloak of Levitation, Stephen Strange & Cloak of Levitation, Peter Parker & Cloak of Levitation

Additional Tags: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Tony Stark, Protective Stephen Strange, Protective Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Protective Nebula (Marvel), Tony Stark Feels, Stephen Strange feels, Peter Parker Feels, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt Stephen Strange, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Love Confessions, Eventual Happy Ending, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Fix-It, Not beta read we die like Thanos, I wrote this so I can finally cope with Endgame, I can now pretend this is the way things ended, Stephen Strange is a sweetheart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Lives, Stephen Strange Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, BAMF Tony Stark, BAMF Stephen Strange, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, there's an awful lot of hand holding in this I'm sorry

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/43940625

#tony stark #stephen strange #ironstrange #fanfic #ao3

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idk-bruh-20 · 2 years

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Fic appreciations #2

Turning Tables

by IAmAllYetNotAtAll

It's that trope where Tony gets dusted and Peter does not. When he gets back to earth he learns that May, Ned, and MJ all were dusted too. Pepper adopts Peter and they become a family with Morgan.

This fic has lots of BAMF kind smart capable Peter, lots of angst, and a happy ending that made me cry. I love how IAmAllYetNotAtAll writes Peter. I love that he is brilliant and protective and heroic and just trying to do his best. Every relationship in this fic is satisfying.

Stefon voice: This fic has everything, it has:

Ironfam of Pepper, Peter, Morgan, Rhodey, and Happy

Peter being a genius

The media assumes Peter is Tony's son

Peter yells at Steve

Peter and Morgan being adorable siblings

Spider-Man identity reveal

Peter and Nebula friendship

Fix-it ending in more ways than one 👀

Word count: 128,676

#still waiting for someone to write a fic OF this fic's ending(s)#not even a joke I would read the shit out of that #fic appreciations #fic appreciation #irondad fic appreciations #iron dad and spider son #irondad and spiderson #peter parker #ironfam

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glorious-blackout · 2 years

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When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love.

I was tagged by the lovely @elorianna, thank you! 🥰 I’m a pretty terrible judge of my own writing, especially in retrospect, but here are a few fics I’m fond of regardless:

1) You’ve Always Been Here

Mark knows he should be happy. He's the renowned owner of the most sought-after hotel in the galaxy, gets to perform onstage to adoring crowds every night, and can gaze up at Earth from the lunar surface whenever he pleases. And yet, he cannot shake the feeling that something is fundamentally wrong. All-consuming weariness takes hold as his mind is weighed down by memories which are not his own, and the mysterious stranger in the bar spouting mad theories about simulated realities isn't exactly helping matters.

Crossover between Arctic Monkeys' 'Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino' and Muse's 'Simulation Theory'.

I’m still a bit blown away by the love this story received considering it started out as a self-indulgent piece written for @rock-n-roll-fantasy, but it was enormous fun to write something original using only lyrics and music videos for inspiration as opposed to a pre-existing plot. I’m not ashamed to admit that this story dominated my mind for months 😅 It also marked the first time I dipped my toe into writing for the AM/TLSP fandom which led me to meet wonderful writers within that fandom, and for that I’ll always be grateful 🥰

2) Is This What You Wanted

The world is in ruins. Alex has escaped Tranquility Base only to find himself trapped among the broken remains of his home, and on top of that, he's unable to determine if anything around him is even real or simply another fiction.Not that any of that matters. It's hard to care about the world ending when he gets to wake up in Miles' arms every morning.

Sequel to 'You've Always Been Here'.

Picking this may technically be cheating as it’s a sequel to my first choice, but the setting feels very different and I was faced with the unique challenge of trying to write a fix-it that didn’t negate the ending to the original. Not sure if I succeeded or not, but writing this one was just as fun (and all-consuming) as its predecessor. It also should be noted that this fic wouldn’t exist without @elorianna 💖

3) This Is Going To Hurt

Today is supposed to be a good day for Alex. He's caught up in the midst of an incredible Puppets tour, he's all set to play a mind-blowing gig in a new city and - best of all - he even finds himself waking in the comfort of Miles's arms. Unfortunately he also wakes with what feels like the most horrendous hangover of his life, and somehow his day only gets worse from there.

I’ve definitely become kinder to this one over time as it made me want to pull my hair out at several points during the writing process 😅 Pretty sure this was my first proper sick-fic though and it allowed me to finally unleash my inner medical geek, much to poor Alex’s detriment...

4) Watch Our Souls Fade Away

Nebula and Tony struggle to come to terms with everything they've lost as they make the journey back to Earth. Takes place immediately after the events of Avengers: Infinity War.

With a lot of my older fics I definitely fell into a trap of writing what I thought the audience would want rather than something I actually wanted to write, so I’m genuinely delighted that my most popular fic is one that I both remain fond of and was something I wrote entirely for myself. I still can’t believe how well it did considering it’s centred around an (at the time) underrated female character in a very male-centric fandom, but the response was overwhelming in the best way. It was one of those rare moments where my motivation to write was matched by a wealth of ideas and this fic became my life over the course of three weeks. It was also an exercise in problem solving as I would often write myself into corners and have to think my way out of them without breaking the narrative, but thankfully I found that to be a fun challenge rather than an off-putting obstacle 😅

5) What’s Left Unspoken

Gamora's aware that Peter loves her. Though it scares her, she thinks she's starting to love him too. The hard part is admitting it.

I think my days of writing for Marvel are long behind me and I’m not sure how well some of those stories hold up, but I was always quite proud of this one. Part of me sometimes wishes I could go back and rewrite certain bits of it, but for the most part I think it accomplished exactly what I wanted it to.

Tagging: @lanatural-books, @alexturne, @yellowloid, @alexxturner-me-on, @1llusionmachine and @rock-n-roll-fantasy if you guys want to join in 🥰

#my writing #tag game #I should probably have used this as an excuse to revisit some of my older fics but that idea makes me physically recoil 😅

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jammie3132 · 6 months

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Fandom: Glee Pairing: Blaine Anderson & Sebastian Smythe Chapter Title: Back to November Chapter Summary: It's been 12 years since he met Sebastian. 11 years since he lost Sebastian and Sam. 10 hours since Tony Stark appeared in a hologram telling him there's a way to fix it.

It would change everything he's ever known...no relationships with Tony, Brittany, Dave, Xavier or Clint. He doesn't even know if the Sebastian and Sam he'd wind up with were the Sebastian and Sam he dreamed of.

Screw it...he wants them back!

10 Days of Seblaine 2023 Day 10: I Want You Back Only 3 Days late! 🎉🎉🎉

Note: Endgame is over. Be prepared for sciency-timey-whimey/canon-schmanon/I made this crap up explanations.

November 9th, 2023

It's been 12 years since he met Sebastian. 11 years since he lost Sebastian and Sam. 10 hours since Tony Stark appeared in a hologram beaming out of a lightsaber telling him there was a way to get them back.

But that was for another time. Today was about Tony.

You were never my Dirty Little Secret. I didn’t build Dalton to replace my workspace at the house in Malibu. You were never a replacement for Peter. You might have never said anything, but I knew. Of course, I knew because…say it with me…I’m a genius. But I’m also an idiot. Forgive me?

Before I go, I want to share this one last piece of my vast wisdom…I love you, Blaine Anderson. It’s time for you to love yourself.

“What do you think, Sammy? Is it time for me to love myself?” The dog rolled over so Blaine could rub his tummy. “Yeah, I know you love me. I love you too.”

Blaine tried to push aside Tony’s complete message until later, but it was impossible. Prior to watching the hologram, he’d only been told the cliff note version of how the Snap became the Blip. It involved time travel and shrinking to the size of Ant Man. Except for Natasha (obviously), they’d thought it had gone well. No one anticipated Nebula being swapped out for her past version, her letting Thanos through the time portal and…KABOOM!!

But now he had the full story...and a decision. Besides the lightsaber, Tony left him everything required to go back to save Sebastian and Sam, as well as some (emphatic) advice. Before he makes a rash decision, fully understand the possible ramifications.

He wouldn’t be there to prevent Brittany’s genius being discovered. Dave and Sebastian’s friendship could be affected, a friendship that helped Dave recover after his suicide attempt. Xavier might never realize what a truly amazing person his son was. Sammy would die without his early round-the-clock care. Lots of the animals he brought to Dalton would’ve died.

Tony and Clint wouldn’t have him during the five worst years of their lives.

Thomas Anderson, the man who put him on a Nazi hit list, would be free to find new ways to make his life hell.

And there was no guarantee the Sebastian and Sam he'd wind up with were the Sebastian and Sam he’d dreamed of for over a decade.

He closed his eyes to quiet his mind. He had no idea what to do. In his past life, the one before half the world disappeared, he’d look for signs. Like the one that day in Miss Pillsbury’s office that told him to trust Dave. Like the one that told him to protect Brittany no matter what. Like the one that would never let him cut off his relationship with Tony no matter how mad he was.

Like the one currently telling him to read Sebastian’s letter.

He moved Sammy and ran to the wall safe. His hands were shaking so badly he had to ask Saturday to open it for him. Then, as usual, he began to overthink. After all these years of not being ready, why now?

What could have Sebastian written all those years ago that would help with his decision?

The only way to know for sure was to read the damn thing.

It wasn’t the grand proclamation of love he assumed when Dave told him why Sebastian wrote him the letter, it was so much better. This was the Sebastian he remembered.

Killer,

When you’re ready, come get me.

Sebastian

ONE MONTH LATER

Blaine’s first attempt talking with Professor Hulk…Bruce, was a disaster. The Scientist/Superhero never had to turn all the science mumbo-jumbo speak into what Blaine understands speak. Tony had always been there to translate. Which meant, even though he didn’t want her involved, he’d never be able to make a final decision without Brittany.

Bruce volunteered to come to Dalton. He was one of the few people who knew what was hiding in the basement. But he was the only person who knew what was in Tony’s final shipment.

“But they say Do not open. That includes you, Anderson” Brittany pointed out as she and Blaine helped the injured Avenger open the boxes.

“And if Tony didn’t give Blaine the lightsaber, we wouldn’t be opening them. Tony wanted backups of the technology we used in the Time Heist. He didn’t trust the government, meaning Ross…if he returned, wouldn’t confiscate it when they found out what we did. And of course, Tony Stark was right. They did.”

Department of Damage Control not only confiscated the pad built to send Steve back to return the stones, they declared the battle site off-limits.

Blaine let a snort/chuckle due to the picture in his head. “Of course, Tony was right. God, he’d be insufferable and pissed at the same time.”

Bruce was no longer paying attention. He was focused on the content of the boxes. “Ah, here they are. Blaine, would you pick up that small box?”

“Sure.” The only small box he saw was covered in some kind of cooling container. “This one?”

“Yes. What’s the temperature?”

“4 degrees Celsius.”

“Perfect. I need you to open the box very carefully. One of the downsides of my transformation is the inability to pick up small objects without crushing them.” Blaine opened the box and found several small vials full of a red fluid. “Good, none of them broke. Put them in the refrigeration unit and we can talk.”

The three of them sat on the floor and Bruce began to fill in holes. What they’d found was PYM Particles. PYM Particles were necessary to get to the Quantum Realm. That started Bruce and Brittany down a sciency-timey-whimey rabbit hole, so Blaine went to fix lunch.

When he returned, the rest of the final boxes were unpacked, Bruce explaining each item to Brittany. There was some sort of space suit and a bunch of laptops and other computer related items. The supply shipments he’d received in the past couple months were materials needed to build a portal and control panel. The boxes delivered right before Thanos attacked the Avengers Compound were what was necessary to make it all work. Unknowingly, Tony got them to Blaine at the last possible minute.

After lunch (which cost half his monthly food budget for the eight people currently living at Dalton) Bruce left with the promise to be available if Blaine decided to go back. He told the giant, green scientist no matter what, his final decision wouldn’t be until after the new year.

He’d promised Brittany a big, over-the-top Christmas at Dalton.

January 14, 2024

Blaine tried not to think of Bruce’s unexpected video call as a sign, but he was failing. Today would have been Sebastian’s 29th birthday.

“Is this stuff Britt will need to translate for me? You didn’t say she had to be here.”

“No, but it is a little complicated. Just ask questions if you’re confused.”

“Ok, what’s up?”

“I know you saw Steve at Tony’s memorial but there’s a reason we’ve kept what happened to him a bit of a mystery.”

“He’s not living on the moon?”

“No, the truth is actually even more unbelievable. After the service, Steve took the stones back like I promised the 2012 Sorcerer Supreme. He just didn’t come back….”

“He disappeared?”

“No, he went back to WWII and then had a life with Peggy Carter.”

“That’s not possible.”

“I assure you...”

Blaine folded his arms and leaned back into the couch as Sammy sat up to attention. “I don’t care. No way.”

Bruce tried to channel his inner Tony Stark to…yeah, that wasn’t going to work. “Why?”

“Because no way in hell would Steve Rodgers go live a happily ever after with Peggy Carter without saving Bucky Barnes from becoming the Winter Soldier first. He’d never sacrifice one of the loves of his life for the other.”

“Um…what?”

“The Avengers, well…not Clint, believe Steve Rogers, Captain fucking America, stormed a Hydra infested castle all by himself in World War II to rescue his childhood best friend?”

Now the supposed genius was even more confused. “Uh, yeah.”

“Left SHIELD, Peggy Carter’s legacy, immediately after discovering it was partially run by Nazis with flying battleships and millions of names on a kill list, including yours and mine, to find his army buddy?”

“Well…”

“Fought Iron Man in a Battle Royal, gave up his shield and destroyed the fucking Avengers to protect a poor tortured soul he knew 70 years ago?” Before Bruce could ask what the hell he was implying, Blaine added “I ship Stucky.”

"Ship?"

"Fan of the relation...ship, and I'm not talking not friendship."

Ok…oh…OH!! He and Tony always assumed Steve was a virgin. Maybe that only meant women. “Ok, that’s a lot to handle.”

“And he didn’t tell Peggy about Hydra being in SHIELD? Or stop the death of Tony’s parents? Or tell Thor what his brother was up to and stop the Invasion of NYC? Or…”

“Ok, ok, I get it. And if you could give me a minute to stop my mind from completely exploding, I might be able to explain, even the no rescuing Bucky part.”

Bruce took the fact the dog curled back down beside his owner as the sign Blaine was calm enough to continue.

“Steve didn’t come back through the portal after he returned the stones, but he did return. He was sitting on a bench 20 yards away, but he was old…over 100 years old, old and he had no idea what was going on.”

“What do you mean? Like dementia?”

“No, like no idea. Clues from his surroundings allowed him to fake his way through a conversation with Sam. Next thing Sam and I knew, Bucky had Steve on a plane to Wakanda. Evidently, he has a place there…” Blaine cocked an eyebrow and the thoroughly discombobulated man(?) paused when he realized why.

He had never seen Tony in Blaine before but now he’d swear he was his late friend’s long, lost younger brother.

“Ok, well, a few days ago, a Princess there, Shuri, she’s a lot like Brittany, she contacted me. Steve’s memory has returned, for the most part.”

“Great, I hope he and Bucky are happy. What does this have to do with me?”

“We had just enough PYM Particles for Steve to return all the stones and come back…or back to WWII. We only had those because Steve and Tony had to go back…”

“The 2012 Hulk got pissed about some stairs, 2023 Ant-man gave 2012 Tony a heart attack, and something about Alexander Pierce, America’s Ass and 2012 Loki disappearing with the 2012 Tesseract. Tony and Steve go to 1970 Camp Lehigh to get WWII Tesseract and raid Hank Pym’s lab.”

“I’m finally seeing the biggest difference between you and Peter. You get right to the point where he would have referenced Back to the Future or…”

“Bruce!” Blaine took a breath then put on a forced smile. “And the difference between you and Tony is he would have been done with this explanation by now.”

“Not if you told him what you thought about Steve and Bucky living together in Wakanda.”

For the first time since October 17th, Blaine laughed. Not snorted, chuckled or giggled. He laughed so hard it scared Sammy enough to run out of the room. “Maybe, maybe not. Clint came around but probably because his wife Laura is an even bigger Stucky shipper than I am. Now, if I promise to not mention Stucky again, you think you can promise to get…to…the…point?”

“Give me a minute.” Bruce tried to think of ways to streamline what he had left to tell Blaine. Maybe he should call Brittany. No, that girl was definitely a Stucky shipper.

“As Tony and I worked on the gauntlet, I also worked on the plan to get the stones back to where we found them. Steve had already volunteered to do it after Clint told us about the weird guy with a red face on Vormir. Anyway, I was setting up a way to protect the PYM Particles. The increased amount necessary to complete the mission also increased the chances something might happen to one. We had exactly enough to get everything back. And then…”

“What?”

“I spilled a vial.”

Bruce’s comment when they found the box of PYM Particles made more sense. “So, you had to go back for more?” Blaine asked.

“No, I managed to save enough, Tony and I were able to break down the formula and make a replacement, plus the box currently in your basement. That’s the problem.”

“How?”

“The replacement particles were the last Steve used. I set it up myself. When he went back into the Quantum Realm the final time, he expected to come out when and where Bucky fell off the train. He’d save Bucky then make sure WWII Steve got out of the plane, with his shield and the Tesseract, before it crashed into the ice. WWII Steve would have his happily ever after with Peggy."

Blaine was finally beginning to understand. "Our Steve would then come back, give the shield to your Sam and go have his happily ever after on this timeline with Bucky. What happened?"

"I don't know for sure about the Bucky part..."

"Bruce..."

“Fine! Steve didn’t come out at the train accident. He came out on the plane. The thing was he wasn’t on the same timeline as WWII Steve, he was WWII Steve but with all his 2023 Steve memories. He managed to radio Peggy he found a way to get off the plane before it crashed and to send help. He spent almost 48 hours on the ice before they found him, but you know, Super Soldier serum. Unfortunately, by the time he was rescued all 2023 Steve memories were gone. He was WWII Steve again.”

“That would explain Bucky but not how he showed up in 2023 on the same day at the same time, plus 30 seconds.”

“He still doesn’t remember and Shuri’s convinced he won’t. The problem is she can’t tell if it’s a side effect of the replacement particles or that he’s 100 years old. Do you understand what this means for you?”

“Maybe? Something like since my particles are the replacements, if I used them, we have no idea what will happen.”

“Especially since we have the unknowns of Steve having the Super Soldier serum in his system and being considerably older than you. We do have another option. Hank Pym is back. We could ask him. However, the man has hated anyone named Stark for half a century.”

“No offense, but Tony Stark is the reason he and his family aren’t still stuck inside a fucking Hoover somewhere. He can get over himself.”

“And he might, until he found out Tony and I borrowed his formula. We could ask Scott and Hope to feel Hank out but there’s a risk.”

“More than me trying to go back in time with possibly defective, no offense, particles?”

“No…but, depending on Hank’s mood when he’s told what Tony and I did, there’s a good chance he’d turn us in to Ross and the DODC. Dalton would be raided, you and anyone living there would be taken into custody, and…”

“And Ross would get his hands on Brittany despite everything Tony and I did all those years to prevent that from happening. Bruce, I’m sorry for how I’ve behaved. I know you’re just trying to help. But I think I need to be alone right now.”

“I understand. And Blaine, I know I’m not Tony, but if you need me, don’t hesitate to call.”

February 3, 2024

Brittany planned a surprise party for his birthday. Her idea of surprise was it was on Saturday, two days before his actual birthday on Monday. The fact she was constantly on the phone making arrangements with him in the same room, ordered everything using Dalton’s accounts with local stores, and kicked him out of the Warblers Commons (living room!) so she could decorate didn’t make a difference. It was a surprise party, so he acted surprised.

God, he’d missed her so much during those 5 years.

Besides Dave, his newly returned father and Xavier, she invited former New Directions and Warblers. She also invited Pamela and Cooper. He’d only seen Pamela Anderson once since she Blipped back. In his mind, she wasn’t his mother anymore and hadn’t been for a long time. As much as he wanted to let go of his anger, he couldn’t forgive her role in the Christmas ambush all those years ago.

Cooper had a role as well, but it was not giving him a heads-up when he found out the ambush was happening. The brothers talked about it during Cooper’s stay at Dalton the first 6 months after the Snap and he eventually forgave him…but Blaine never forgot. This time there was no chance of reconciliation.

However, if he was going to do what Tony offered, he needed to say goodbye. Even if Cooper and Pamela didn’t know that’s what he was doing.

The next weekend was his real party with his real family. Dave, Xavier and Brittany (and Sammy) were there but so were Pepper, Morgan, Clint, Laura and the kids. They hadn’t been to Dalton yet and he was pretty sure Nate wasn’t leaving without a dog. Morgan was doing a pretty good job on Pepper too, but her focus was a fluffy white kitten.

Pepper was in Ohio for another reason as well. The return of half the world’s population of animals was more traumatic than when they disappeared. Dalton was full again in a matter of days but Blaine kept letting them come. They managed, and it was a great distraction for that other thing, but they had to have a better plan than the old one of Tony sending supplies every few weeks to disguise his shipments of Iron Man technology.

That’s where Stark Enterprise's CEO came in. There was an abandoned baby food factory not too far away. Pepper finished the purchase while she was in town. The two of them planned to convert it to a pet food factory. Dalton needed the supplies and locals needed the jobs. It was a boon for everyone.

It was also a way for him to take care of his animals if he decided to take Tony offer.

But the person wanted to talk to the most was Clint. So, while everyone else watched Morgan, Nate, Lila and CB (a name agreed to when Blaine felt odd calling the Barton’s oldest child Cooper) ride the horses, the Birthday Boy and retired Archer grabbed a couple beers and went inside to have a chat.

“So, this is the infamous letter? Sebastian was a man of few words. I like him even more now.”

“You never met Bas.”

“But you loved him and Sam…in different ways, of course. You barely knew Nat and never met Vision, but you cried when Wanda and I told you stories about them.”

“I cry at Christmas commercials…at least I used to.”

“You made my point. Now, not that I’m not eternally grateful, but why are we in here instead of the barn? My wife is going to have a few words for us for leaving her alone with Nate and his pleas to go home with Sammy’s brother.”

“Thor is a great puppy.”

“He’s also around 6 months old. Do you remember when Sammy was 6 months old…5 years ago? That’s still so weird.”

“Think how I felt when I found out the golden retriever mother and litter of puppies brought in was Sammy’s family. Though it was amazing to watch the reunion. Sammy and his mom knew each other immediately. When you guys planned to bring everyone back, did you remember it meant animals too?”

“Not really but Scott says he figured out it worked because of the birds. I figured it out when I realized no one at the cell phone company ever got around to cancelling the accounts of people who Snapped. Then Thanos bombed the compound into oblivion and the rest is history. Why are you asking?”

Blaine went to the wall safe, put Sebastian’s letter back in and brought out a box he put in front of Clint. “Open it.”

Clint began to laugh when he saw the contents. “Stark finally built you a lightsaber.”

“It’s not a lightsaber.”

Hey, Bow! Miss me?

“Oh shit!” Blaine sat silently while the former Avenger watched the hologram his late teammate left behind. When it finished the lightsaber went back into the safe and he went back to the couch to wait for Clint to say something.

It didn’t take as long as he thought it would. “That’s the shit Banner was so frantic to find? Still can’t believe it took less than an hour. But it was some sort of miracle we found everything safe in a pocket of the building untouched by the rubble. Then again, I probably fell 200 feet down, had barely even a scratch and the Infinity Stones lying next to me.”

“That explains one of the questions I had for Bruce, but no. Everything I need Tony had been shipping back here the entire time you guys were building what you needed for the Time Heist.”

“Stark was sending shit to you?”

“Saturday, open basement.”

Clint watched the bookcases separate and shook his head. That was such a Tony Stark move. Five minutes later he was shaking his head again but this time also swearing at the top of his lungs.

“Stark wanted everyone to sign…he fucking signed, those fucking Sokovia Accords, giving the government oversight over the Avengers and the entire time he was hiding shit here in your basement at Dalton to keep it away…FROM THE FUCKING GOVERNMENT?!!”

“Yes, but if you could put Ronan back in the box for the time being, I really need this to be about me for the next few minutes.”

“Low blow Anderson. Also, well played. Start talking.”

Blaine told him everything from the moment he watched the hologram the first time. All the changes the change in his timeline could make, the voice telling him to open Sebastian’s letter, Bruce’s visit, the unexpected call from Bruce telling him about what happened to Steve and how all his particles were the replacement particles, how they couldn’t ask Hank Pym for new ones because of the treat he would turn them into Ross and the DOCD.

After a recap of the Great Stucky Debate so Clint could get a clear picture of Bruce’s reactions, he only had one question. “When are you going?”

“I haven’t decided to do it.”

“Kid, you decided the minute Sebastian told you to come find him.”

"You're right, I did. I want him back."

November 8, 2024

There was never any other date. 13 years since he met Sebastian. 12 years since he lost Sebastian and Sam. 1 year since Tony Stark gave him way to get them back.

It was also enough time to, for lack of a better term, put his affairs in order.

The pet food factory was running and highly successful, not only by providing for animals but they created more jobs than anticipated.

Just in case, he signed the deed to Dalton over to both Dave and Xavier. Dave was going to run Dalton farm but Xavier was to rebuild the school. It was to be in the image of Dalton Blaine remembered, but open to anyone (boy or girl) in need of a place to stay. So many people, not just those who Blipped, were in constant transit looking for jobs. The New Dalton would be a boarding school where children would be not only educated but well cared for (in a zero-tolerance environment) while their parents found stability.

Brittany gave him no choice. Sammy was staying with her. She and Blaine bonded over their loss of the real Sammy and she needed a cuddle buddy to sleep with. Lord Tubbington wasn’t a cuddler.

How that damn cat was still alive was beyond comprehension.

When the time came, the only people he wanted there were Bruce and Clint. They all knew Clint was moral support, Bruce was in charge.

It took the scientist a couple visits to realize they were missing one of Tony’s GPS wrist bands. It took devouring Tony’s copious notes to figure out the lightsaber hilt replaced it. Blaine’s Quantum suit had a special pocket inside his right sleeve where it fit. The button above the red on was for going back and the one on the bottom was for coming home.

The date and time Blaine chose to return to was November 8, 2012, as he and Sam arrived at Dalton to convince then-Warbler Captain Clarington to help him get use of the Grand Staircase to serenade his self-absorbed ex. He’d get Sam alone, tell him he changed his mind and to go back to Lima for his date with Brittany. Leaving over 2 hours sooner meant Sam would avoid the accident…easy-peasy.

The problem was getting his Kurt Hummel-mind-controlled former self to remember the date, the significance behind it and find out why Sebastian was upset all before leaving Dalton. Then the idiot had to not only realize he was really in love with Sebastian but stop him from going to his weekly dinner with Dave. Once accomplished, he presses the home button and comes back to live with the timeline changes he made.

If his replacement particles weren’t so fucked up he wound up wrestling dinosaurs in a real-life Jurassic Park.

Blaine came out of his thoughts when he heard “You’re good to go.” Next thing he knew Bruce began counting backwards from 10, Clint gave him a thumbs up and he pressed the top button on his lightsaber.

It becomes a blur after that.

November 8, 201…

The blur ended and Blaine was in the hall of the former Dalton. He immediately noticed two problems…he was wearing a grey and white striped cardigan and could hear the beginning of Uptown Girl down the hall.

It wasn’t the day he lost Sebastian. It was the day he found him.

Fuck!

TBC

Notes:

Tried to tell you…sciency-timey-whimey/canon-schmanon/I made this crap up. Hopefully, I included enough back story to make it work for you. HOWEVER, true to form for me, I underestimated and one more chapter is necessary to finish.

I don’t care how smart those people were. Or that they had a Super Soldier, a Hulk, 2 men with suits to give them super strength, and a (out of shape) God on the team. With only those 5, 2 mere mortals, a Cyborg and an enhanced Racoon, it would have taken at least a couple months to build what they did. Plenty of time for Tony to send parts somewhere else for safekeeping. And how they all felt about the government by then (even Rhodey), I don’t believe any of the others would question his actions (even Steve).

The Christmas Ambush was in Character 3.

Some sort of miracle = plot armor. I’d like to thank Clint Barton for the example.

#10daysofseblaine2023 #Day 10 #I Want You Back #seblaine #blaine anderson #sebastian smythe #seblaine fic #MCU Inspired #Blaine is a Stucky shipper

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