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swan-of-sunrise · 5 months

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His Girl Friday

Summary: At Tony Stark's forty-fourth birthday party, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist and his longtime personal assistant finally address what's remained unspoken but secretly acknowledged between them for many, many years.

Pairings: Tony Stark X F!Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Hi guys! This is my first time writing a Tony-centric fic and I had a lot of fun with it, so thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy!

His Girl Friday May 29th, 2014 Avengers Tower, New York City (Fanfiction Masterlist)

Being employed as Anthony Edward Stark’s personal assistant was a challenging and often times perilous job, and that was before he’d announced himself to the world as Iron Man. But (Y/N) (Y/L/N) was no ordinary personal assistant; she stood by the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist when he vowed to stop producing weapons at Stark Industries after being imprisoned by terrorists for three long months, she stuck with him when his secret illness and subsequent erratic behavior drove nearly everyone else away, and she flat-out refused to believe he’d been killed at the hands of the Mandarin. It was evident that Tony Stark was the closest thing she had to a best friend. Lately, however, she’d begun to notice a significant shift in her feelings towards her employer, feelings that definitely went beyond friendship and feelings that she suspected he was feeling as well; she tried her best to keep them at bay, fearful of ruining such a meaningful friendship and throwing away the only job she’d ever truly enjoyed on a baseless suspicion, and thankfully, there were always plenty of distractions to keep herself preoccupied with in her unique line of work.

From her place at the back of the room, (Y/N) scanned over the enormous checklist in her hands to see if she’d missed anything important; the guests were chatting, dancing and taking full advantage of the open bar while the DJ was playing all of Tony’s favorite songs in honor of his forty-forth birthday. All in all, not one of the worst birthday parties I’ve ever planned for him, she thought to herself, a reluctant smile playing on her lips as she recalled the disastrous thirty-ninth birthday party that resulted in the Malibu mansion’s near destruction at the hands of Tony and Rhodey. That particular birthday party was the reason why she’d initially been a little nervous at the prospect of the Avengers attending the soiree, but it only took a brief glance around the bustling common room to see that they were the perfect guests; Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson played pool with Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, while Bruce Banner hovered near the back of the enamored crowd of people that surrounded a slightly-inebriated Thor and listened to his enthusiastic re-tellings of the adventures he’d had on Asgard. Pepper and Dr. Helen Cho were seated at the bar and chatted over glasses of Chardonnay while Happy was hyper-focused on his phone, no doubt catching up on an episode of Downton Abbey. With an inward chuckle, the personal assistant returned her attention to her lengthy list of tasks as the classic rock music continued to play.

“Hey beautiful, how ‘bout a dance?”

“Sorry, but I’m worki-” (Y/N) looked up to see Tony Stark himself standing before her, looking as handsome as ever in his expertly tailored black tuxedo and flashing her his signature grin that never failed to make her heart skip a beat. “Hey, you. How’re you enjoying your birthday party?”

Tony tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged noncommittally. “It’s one of your better-executed extravaganzas, I will say, but it would absolutely skyrocket to the top if I could spend the rest of the evening with my favorite personal assistant.”

(Y/N) arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Tony, I’m your only personal assistant.”

“Exactly, which meant you get the title by default. Yay you!” The billionaire gave her a small applause and she simply heaved an exasperated but fond sigh at his typical theatrics. “C’mon, Girl Friday, you’ve been working your ass off all night and the Birthday Boy says that you should take a well-deserved break.” As his trademark smirk softened into a gentle smile, Tony took his hand out of his pocket and offered it to her in a clear invitation to join him. “Please?”

Although her heart was screaming at her to take his hand and allow him to whisk her into an evening of laughter and coy flirtations, the rational part of her knew that she had a job to complete and that anything more than a friendly conversation could jeopardize their platonic relationship. Masking her disappointment with a shrug and apologetic smile, (Y/N) shook her head and held up her checklist for him to see. “I’m sorry, Tony, but I still have so much to do; I’ve gotta do another check-in with Maria and the security team downstairs, make sure that the pastry chef brings out the cake on time, that the waiters serve the guests champagne at the right tempera-Tony!” She exclaimed when Tony’s hand shot out and snatched the checklist out of her grasp. “Anthony Edward Stark, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting rid of an obstacle,” Tony easily replied, holding the checklist above his head and snickering when she unsuccessfully attempted to snatch it back. “Seriously, Girl Friday, just one dance and I’ll let you get back to your boring planning. I’ll even avoid bugging you the rest of the night if it means I can spend a little time with one of my best friends.”

Tony’s rare sincerity softened (Y/N)’s heart, and she felt her resolve crumble as she stared into his gleaming brown eyes. “All right, one dance. Do you ever get tired with always getting your way?”

“Nope!” Tony happily popped the ‘p’ and tucked the checklist into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket before offering her his hand once again, and (Y/N) smiled to herself as the billionaire escorted her to the edge of the dance floor and whisked her into a slow dance to Bon Jovi’s ‘Bed of Roses.’ The warmth of his hand on the curve of her waist combined with the feel of his body brushing up against hers caused her heartbeat to quicken its pace, and she silently prayed that he wouldn’t notice the effect he had on her. “You know, I was being serious before. You’ve truly outdone yourself tonight, (Y/N), and can I just say that you look amazing?” Tony’s eyes briefly glanced down at her red chiffon evening gown and he gave her an appreciative nod. “Mm-hmm, hot-rod red is definitely your color. So, what’s your secret? How is it you can organize and schedule a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist’s entire life and look drop-dead gorgeous while doing it?”

(Y/N) chuckled in amusement, the skirt of her gown swirling around her legs as he twirled her in a circle. “We all have our own superpowers; you fight aliens and terrorists in a red and gold Nitinol suit, and I oversee the hectic life of the man inside the suit to the best of my abilities.”

“Not sure which is the more dangerous job, to be honest.” Tony smirked, expertly guiding her back into his arms and holding her slightly closer than he had before. “But if I could do that death-glare that you’ve perfected over the years, then that would sure make my job a helluva lot easier and people would think twice before messing with Iron Man.” (Y/N) arched a brow and in response, Tony snickered. “Yep, there’s the death-glare!”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but this death-glare is tailor-made for Tony Stark and Tony Stark alone,” (Y/N) replied with a wry smile, and the billionaire’s grin widened as she looked into his sparkling brown eyes. They danced together in a comfortable yet expectant silence, almost as if one was waiting for the other to speak first, but both remained quiet while the 80’s power ballad continued to play; it wasn’t until she noticed the way he was biting his lower lip – one of the few tell-tale signs that there was something weighing heavy on the billionaire’s mind – that (Y/N) finally mustered her courage to address him. “You got a lot of cool presents this year, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable donations gifted in your name. Not too shabby, huh?”

Tony shrugged and replied, “I’m a sucker for gifts and I’m beyond stoked that we’ve raised so much in donations, but…” His eyes briefly flicked downwards to focus on the fluttering movement of her chiffon skirt, suddenly appearing as anxious as (Y/N) felt. “Can we play a quick round of Hypothetical Hold’em?”

A nostalgic feeling washed over (Y/N) at the mention of their old game. Back in the more impulsive and less responsible days of Tony Stark, it had been an effective form of decision-making created out of the billionaire’s respect for her opinions and general advice; they hadn’t played very many rounds in the years since he announced to the world that he was Iron Man and while she was happy that he’d grown and matured so much over the years, a small part of her missed their little game. “I’m a little rusty but I think I’ve still got it. Shoot.”

“A guy I know, Walter, he’s got just about everything he could possibly want in life, except the only thing he really wants is something he can’t have. You see,” Tony expertly dipped her and her breath hitched at the sudden movement, their eyes connecting as he continued. “There’s this woman – let’s call her Hildy – and he’s been in love with her for a while. And Hildy, she’s goddamn fantastic: smart, kind, funny, gorgeous, the whole enchilada.”

Heart sinking into her stomach, (Y/N) mustered up a small smile to hide her pain while he slowly righted her. “Hildy sounds wonderful. So, what’s stopping this Walter guy from telling her how he feels?”

“A couple of things, actually.” He took a deep breath. “She’s not just one of his best friends, but…you see, she’s also his personal assistant.”

The din of the party faded away as (Y/N)’s eyes widened in shock at the billionaire’s candid words; if not for the seriousness written across Tony’s face and the longing gleam that had formed in his brown eyes while he stared into hers, she would’ve assumed that he was pulling her leg. But she knew him, knew him far better than almost anyone else in the world, and it was clear as day that he was speaking directly from the heart. “…Oh.”

Tony nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a tried and true attempt to hide behind a more lighthearted façade. “She’s taken such good care of him. He was a loose cannon for a long time…still is, in a way, but she’s gotten him through all the tough spots. He’s good friends with some ex-assassins, a super-soldier and a literal god, but she’s the strongest person he’s ever met and the only person he could ever imagine giving his heart to. But as much as he loves her, he’s not willing to roll the dice and risk losing her from his life forever; that’s why he…” Tony cast his gaze downwards and his hand gripped hers tight. “That’s why I never said anything before.”

“So, what changed?” She whispered as she slowly moved the hand that had been resting on his shoulder to press against the spot where his arc reactor once resided, feeling his rapid heartbeat and silently marveling at how perfectly it matched her own.

“Looking across the room and seeing you with your checklist; you’ve planned over a dozen successful birthday parties for me, but that didn’t stop you from treating tonight as if it was the first. It’s one of the thousand ways you show how much you care about me, and that’s what gave me the courage to walk to the back of the room and finally ask you for a dance.”

The booming opening chords of AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ filled the room and while more guests took to the dance floor for the lively song, (Y/N) grabbed Tony’s hand and practically dragged him away from the crowd, not stopping until they were tucked away from any prying eyes in Captain Rogers’ nearby office. When she closed the door behind them and turned around, she was met with an apprehensive-looking Tony and her subtle smile grew into an all-out grin as her eyes filled with happy tears. “You love me?”

“I love you,” Tony replied, his voice growing steady and his eyes filling with confidence at her obvious happiness. “C’mon, Girl Friday, you’re killing me here. Do you love me or what?”

Beaming with joy, (Y/N) brought her hands up to cup his face between them and nodded. “You’re such an asshat, but I love you with all my heart.” Tony’s grin grew to match her own and he leaned forward to kiss her, but was halted by her fingers covering his eager lips. “And in the spirit of covering both our asses, I’d like to take this moment to formally tenure my resignation, Mr. Stark.”

“Duly noted, Miss (Y/L/N). And since I’m such a good ex-boss, I’ll send your resume and a letter of recommendation to a certain defrosted super-soldier who could use all the assistance he can get.”

“Becoming Captain America’s personal assistant? It’ll be a cake-walk, but at least I’ll have my favorite hot mess to come home to.”

(Y/N) moved her hand and giggled at how quickly Tony’s arms wrapped around her waist to tug her closer, but her amusement soon gave way to passion as their lips finally met in a long overdue kiss.

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A/N: I figured that we all could use a little fluff, and what better way to deliver it than in a friends-to-lovers trope-fest? Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, and I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season!

Fanfiction Masterlist

Marvel Taglist: @brooke0297

All Works: @crowleysqueenofhell @momc95 @groovy-lady

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ecoamerica · 30 days

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The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

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marvelstarker-mha98 · 2 years

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The Runaway Distance Life Of A Little Stark Chapter 3: The Expo

Pairing: Tony Stark & daughter!Reader, Friday & reader Nick fury & reader Summary: Reader goes to the expo

Warning: bombs by justin robot, panick attack, almost dying, hiding, knife wielding, stealing Co author with: callikc next chapter

A few months had turned into more and now you had been stuck in the large warehouse for another six months. And, since cereal and water alone wasn't as sustainable as you'd hoped and had caused a few blackout spells, you'd been forced to get a job to pay for real food. It meant being especially careful when buying in case one of the cameras saw and identified you as (Y/n) Stark. Thankfully, though, the new look was holding up and you were doing okay.

In other news, the job wasn't as bad as you expected. It was simply waiting tables in a small cafe in a lesser known area of the city. It's what you were doing now, the cafe's logo on the small apron you wore, and a plate of bacon and eggs in your hand.

"Table four in the corner." Your boss instructed.

He was a nice guy, not a complete jerk but also not a pushover. You got very lucky in that department, even more so since he had no idea who you were.

You had now gotten used to the new look and started to feel more like you than ever before. You didn't have to wear anything expensive or over the top, the short hair was actually more convenient, and the new color was much prettier.

You went all out for the disguise, barely leaving anything from your old life around. Then again, since you had nothing to lose, it only seemed fitting to hide from everything and everyone in any way possible. You had gotten so used to running, you couldn't stop. It didn't matter if Obadiah was dead or not.

"Here you go. One bacon and eggs." You said politely, putting the plate on the table with a fabricated smile.

"Thank you, dear." An elderly man behind a newspaper said. As he put the paper down, you noticed a specific article about the once famous Stark Expo. A frown appeared on your face as you tried to read it. However, you realized you were lingering and had no choice but to walk away. But, fortunately, as you walked towards the back for more orders, you heard two men discussing that very thing.

"The Expo's opening ceremony is tonight, isn't it?"

"That's right. I can't believe it's been thirty-four years!"

"It's supposed to go on for an entire year!"

"I've got my ticket. For the end of the month."

"How did you manage that? They're supposed to be near impossible to get."

"I know. Courtesy of Justin Hammer himself."

Your blood ran cold. You'd never met the man, but Hammer was the CEO of Hammer Industries, a weapons manufacturer much like Stark Industries. You knew he hated your father and vice versa. Why on earth would he be giving out tickets to his rival's expo?

Because of past experience, your first thought was negative, that he might be plotting something like Obadiah had been. You wondered if you were being paranoid, but reminded yourself that it wasn't wise to risk it either way. You may not have liked your father much, but it didn't mean you wanted him victim to another plot or scheme. Even if Hammer was just being a nice guy, you wanted to see for yourself.

As the two talked about the upcoming Expo, you saw the guy with the ticket show his friend. He then placed it inside his pants pocket and you knew you had to get it somehow. You definitely didn't have the money to purchase one yourself so it was the only option.

All it took was a single glance around the cafe to form a plan. You grabbed the scolding hot fresh coffee and brushed yourself down, trying to make yourself somewhat presentable and less messy. The small heels of your boots clicked on the floor as you walked over to the two men, plastering a smile on your face.

"Refill, gentlemen?" You asked sweetly. Both nodded and moved their cups towards you as they talked about the Expo some more. You filled up the friend's cup first before moving on to the ticket holder's. You didn't stop pouring until it overflowed and spilled on his lap.

"Oh, my - I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed, putting on a look of embarrassment. "Allow me!"

As the man cursed and hissed in discomfort, you ran for a cloth and gently dabbed at the stains. As your hands neared the pocket with the ticket, you casually slipped one inside and retrieved it.

"Watch what you're doing in future or I'll have your fired!" The man seethed.

You nodded apologetically. "I'm so sorry, sir. Please accept a free beverage or meal in compensation."

He scoffed and waved you off. You kept the look of embarrassment on your face until you moved into the back room. Then it turned into a smirk as you studied the ticket.

It was for the night of the 31st, about twenty-four days away.

You had to remind yourself that you weren't going to see your father and reconcile, you were going to see what Hammer was up to.

Hopefully nothing. Hopefully you'd just get to go home to the warehouse and relax for once. -

That night, you decided to watch the opening ceremony of the Stark Expo anyway. If you were going to get in, you needed to know what to expect.

Naturally the entire thing was as flashy as humanly possible. Evidently your father paid no expense. There were fireworks of innumerable colors and patterns, lights giving a new color to the night sky, bathing it in pinks and blues and oranges and reds. The main stage was littered with people, all cheering and chanting Tony Stark's name. There were dancers up there too, all women dressed in crop tops and tiny shorts resembling the Iron Man costume.

When Tony arrived, he did it with fashion.

He flew over New York City, only to land in the scenario of the Stark Expo and host its opening ceremony for a cheering crowd. As they screamed his name, he praised his own achievements as Iron Man, mostly bringing the longest uninterrupted period of world peace. He talked about the purpose of the Expo, the importance of legacy, and how organizations from all over the world would join efforts for the sake of a better future.

You could scarcely believe it, just how long it had been since you last saw him. It was almost a year now with the months he was kidnapped and then all the months you'd been on the run. You wondered how everyone was doing.

You missed Happy, you missed Rhodey, and you missed Pepper. They were all so kind to you growing up despite the distance between yourself and your father. They raised you, and you wondered if you'd ever see them again, if they missed you as much as you missed them. But before you could ponder more on this, the reporter on the TV started talking again.

"We are coming to you live from the kickoff at the Stark Expo, where Tony Stark has just walked offstage. Don't worry if you can't make it down here tonight because this Expo goes on all year long! And I'm gonna be here checking out all the attractions and the pavilions and inventions from all around the world." With a sad smile, you looked down at the ticket you'd stolen.

The end of the month.

It seemed that the great Tony Stark couldn't stay out of trouble for long. Not even a day after the opening ceremony for the Expo you'd read that he was supposed to be attending the Senate Armed Forces Committee in Washington, D.C., about his Iron Man suit and the danger it posed if not shared with the world.

Naturally, you were curious and couldn't help watching as the cafe played it live. Then again, everyone was far too immersed in it to actually bother with the work so you easily went unnoticed.

The court room was packed with all kinds of people. Tony Stark, Senator Stern, and dozens of officials. You also noticed Pepper sitting behind your father.

"Mr. Stark, could we pick up now where we left off?" Senator Stern tried asking, banging his gavel to get your father's attention. It didn't seem to work. "Mr. Stark, please."

Eventually, he turned around. "Yes, dear?"

Some of the crowd chuckled and even you had to fight a grin at the lazy smile on his face.

"Can I have your attention?"

"Absolutely." Stern had the kind of the face that made him look constantly constipated. You didn't really like him. In fact, you didn't seem to like anyone since running away. Alongside the paranoia, you'd developed a lot of trust issues because of it.

The Senator went on to argue about if the Iron Man suit was deemed a weapon, something Tony strongly disagreed with. He cracked a few jokes as he did, making the crowd laugh and the senators aggravated.

Your dad had never been serious in these situations and it almost always got him into trouble. When you were younger, you thought it was cool and badass and you wanted to be exactly like him, but now you knew better.

But when Senator Stern called in Justin Hammer, you paid more attention. Your dad also straightened up, his laid back demeanor faltering. You narrowed your eyes, finding the arrival even more curious. You couldn't shake the bad feeling you were getting from this Hammer guy.

He went on to argue that even though Tony might have believed he was doing good, there are threats in the world that he can't foresee. That was when Senator Stern called in Rhodey.

You stood in surprise, almost knocking a stack of plates over. The photographers on the television went wild, snapping every shot they could. Tony stood to greet his best friend and they shared a few quiet words before taking their seats again.

He was made to read a selected paragraph of a report made on the suit, but it was obvious the senators wanted it to sound bad. Rhodey tried to explain the final summary was more in favor of the suit than against, but the attempts were futile.

"I'd like to go on and show, if I may, the imagery that's connected to your report." He said, looking at Rhodey still.

Rhodey seemed uncomfortable. "I believe it is somewhat premature to reveal these images to the general public at this time."

"With all due respect, Colonel, I understand. And if you could just narrate those for us, we'd be very grateful." Knowing there wasn't a way out, he just motioned for them to get it over with. The screen in the corner showed a series of recorded images, mostly of places that looked hidden or that they should be confidential.

"Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are, in fact, attempts at making manned copies of Mr. Stark's suit. This has been corroborated by our allies and local intelligence on the ground indicating that these suits are quite possibly, at this moment, operational."

You sighed. This wasn't looking good for him. Your dad was being played out as an inconsiderate menace, and, despite your complex opinion on him, you knew he wouldn't do this on purpose. When he leaned over, his phone in hand, you watched curiously.

When you realized he had just 'commandeered' the screens, you sighed a second time. No doubt he was about to show them all up with something.

True enough, you observed as the hijacked screen began to show videos of failed attempts at replicating the suit. There were videos from North Korea, Iran, and, much to everyone's surprise, one from Hammer.

"Is that Justin Hammer?" Tony asked, pretending to be shocked. "How did Hammer get in the game?"

Hammer himself was desperately fiddling with the monitor, trying to turn everything off. The screen showed the suit failing miserably in a mini explosion of sparks and loose wires. Hammer looked incredibly embarrassed as he finally turned the screen off.

Your dad went on to explain that most countries were about five-ten years off even coming close to his design and Hammer was left to make excuses for the video, claiming the person inside the suit wasn't harmed. Senator Stern was bright red as he stood up.

"I think we're done, is the point that he's making. I-I don't think there's any reason to-" "-The point is, uh, you're welcome, I guess." Tony stated in a nonchalant manner. "Because I'm your nuclear deterrent. It's working, we're safe, America is secure. You want my property? You can't have it. But I did you a big favor. I've successfully privatized world peace."

He stood up, turning to address the crowd. He raised his arms and threw up two peace signs. Everyone started clapping and cheering, standing from their seats also.

"I tried to play ball with these ass-clowns." He laughed.

"Fuck you, Mr. Stark." Senator Stern said. "Fuck you, buddy."

The clapping was only getting louder and he could barely be heard. Tony simply smiled like he owned the world as he put on some sunglasses and blew kisses.

You stood in silence, not sure if you were in more disbelief or amazement. Probably an even amount of both. A small part of you suddenly felt proud to be a Stark, but you were understandably a little embarrassed with his antics.

However, Hammer caught your attention again. The way he was looking at the senators screamed guilt and the bad feeling in your gut got worse. If your issues weren't bad enough, they definitely were now, with the revelation he'd been trying to replicate your dad's suit.

It had been about a week and a half since the congressional hearing and you were tinkering with the jet in the warehouse again. You still hadn't quite figured out what it was, but it looked a lot better than when you'd first found it. According to FRIDAY, your work had greatly paid off and it was now flyable. You were just adding random little perks to pass the time. As you worked, you had Metallica's Enter Sandman playing through the speakers you'd installed. You hummed along to the lyrics, occasionally pausing to discuss things with FRIDAY.

You were thinking about installing some security measures. The warehouse seemed like a fitting home for you now. It was isolated, large enough to hide in, and backed by a large lake. Plus you already had so much stuff in there, it'd just be a pain to move it all.

"FRIDAY, how we doing?" You asked over the music.

"The jet is 94.7% operational, Miss."

"Nice." You stood up, hands on your hips as you looked around. "Hey, what do you think about using some Merlin engines to give this thing a kick?"

"It would be a risk, but a state-wide search suggests a contractor nearby may have the materials needed."

"Brilliant. Thank you."

You'd have to steal it. You'd gotten used to doing that recently.

As you finished up, wiping your hands on a rag, you turned down the music. You would have turned it back up since Halestorm came on, but something on the television caught your attention instead.

"Well, what's the use in having and owning a race car if you don't drive it?"

The Monaco Grand Prix. Your dad.

Was he driving?

"You've gotta be shitting me." You muttered, quickly turning up the volume to listen.

Why was he driving? Was he not aware of how dangerous it was? Or was he aware, but simply not caring about it?

You watched him get in the car with the original driver storming off. He seemed to relish in the moment, all those eyes on him. You scoffed, moments like these being the ones that made you remember how he never had time for you. It hurt.

When the race began, you couldn't deny the worry shining through the hurt and annoyance. The chances of someone dying in the races were slim, but the chance of being hurt were much higher. You just had to hope your dad was competent enough to drive properly.

And things were going well. They really were. Until some man walked right onto the track and quite literally tore one of the cars in half with some kind of electrical whips. Looking closer, your eyes widened when you noticed the arc reactor in his chest. It was almost identical to your dad's.

"Who the hell are you?" You muttered, subconsciously leaning even closer.

He looked rough, his hair long and greasy and his tanned skin covered in dirt. The top half of his jumpsuit was burned away from the arc reactor. He looked like a convict.

Your heart damn near shattered when he tore your dad's car in half as well. The bigger part cartwheeled through the air and landed with a sickening bang against the side fence, upside down. "No!" You shouted, grabbing the television. "Dad... Come on. Get out. Come on!"

More race cards skidded to a halt behind the strange man, causing a chain reaction explosion as he stalked towards the wrecked Stark vehicle. However, when he again struck it with one of the whips, you could just about make out that there was no driver. Your dad made it out.

And, true enough, he attacked the man from behind, hitting him on the head with some scrap from the wreckage. The man retaliated and your dad tried to get out but it wasn't looking so good. Until a new car arrived on the scene. It was Happy and Pepper, and the man tore off the side of the car before your dad managed to grab the case containing his suit.

The fight was fairer that time around and your dad successfully defended himself for a while, even defeating this strange man by tearing out the arc reactor. The man was taken away after but only laughed after.

You were so on edge that tears were clouding your vision when you all but collapsed in pure relief.

Your dad was okay. Barely. -Tony POV-

Celebrating his birthday had always been a big affair for Tony. Bands, plenty of booze and food, loud music booming throughout all of Malibu, and even strippers had been involved. But this year it was different.

He was dying, he knew that, but no one else did. He was never one for birthday wishes or pleas, but if there was one thing he wanted, it was you. His little girl. Almost a year of your absence had hit him harder than he ever expected. He wished to have you back.

His searches around the globe had turned up nothing. He didn't know what he'd been expecting considering how smart you were. The only true bonding you ever had was when you watched him create JARVIS but he was well aware you observed everything in the house and were more than capable of inventing something to hide yourself.

He wondered why you hadn't come back after Obadiah's death. He knew the man was the reason you ran away, and he was furious at the threat he made to you, but it was safe. Surely you had to know that.

He was drinking more than usual that night for many factors. You being missing and the fact he was dying were the main ones.

And Rhodey was getting annoyed by the behavior. He'd had enough, especially when he'd just stuck his neck out for the guy.

He'd taken one of Tony's earlier suits and crashed the party, telling people to get out before facing off against his friend.

"You don't deserve to wear one of these." He told him. "Shut it down."

Tony rolled his eyes and looked at the DJ setup. "Goldstein."

A very nervous looking man popped his head over the laptop. "Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy's ass too." He giggled as Another One Bites the Dust started playing.

"What about (Y/n)?" Rhodey asked suddenly. "Do you think she would have wanted this? I don't." Tony's expression turned stone cold, a complex arrangement of hate, sorrow, guilt, and anger flashing through his eyes. He looked at his best friend, breathing heavier than before.

"Don't say her name." He warned.

"Tony, she is your daughter! She did everything to try and get you to like her but she got nothing in return. For once in your life just think about her and stop this. (Y/n)-"

Before he could finish, Tony had fired a repulsor beam, sending him flying backwards.

After that, the fight began.

-(Y/n) POV-

It was time.

As you walked into the Expo, you wore plain pants, a striped shirt, and a white hoodie covered by a denim jacket. The hood was up, hiding your identity, and you stayed at the back of every crowd. You weren't here for the fun of the Expo or to see your dad, you were there to see if Hammer was up to something.

His 'advanced weapon systems' presentation and demonstration was supposed to start any second. You had no idea what it was, but the vibe you were getting from that man was still over the top and extremely weird. You didn't trust him as far as you could throw him.

As Pick Up the Pieces started playing from the PA, Hammer waltzed onto the stage, practically bathing in the blue light as he approached the lectern up front.

"Yeah!" He cheered when the music died down and the clapping got quieter. "That's what I'm talking about. Thanks for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, for far too long this country has had to place its brave men and women in harm's way. But then the Iron Man arrived and we thought the days of losing lives were behind us."

As he started the rant, you rolled your eyes, already fed up. You didn't know why you felt so annoyed with everything lately but you assumed it was the stress of keeping a low profile at an event such as this. After all, the Stark Expo wasn't just your dad's thing, but it was your legacy too. You were a Stark whether you liked it or not. "Ladies and gentlemen." Hammer began again. "Today I present to you the new face of the United States military. The Hammer drone!"

From the back, several drones, built in a way that resembled the Iron Man suit, rose on platforms. They were large and chunky, and there were about eight for each type of division including army, navy, air force, and marines. The crowd went wild but you remained stony-faced, eyes narrowed at the drones.

They weren't like your dad's suit which was light and somewhat non-threatening in appearance, they were very clearly meant for offence only and were extremely intimidating.

But these thoughts were shaken from your head as Rhodey showed up in a suit that was actually one of your dad's, only military modified. Had he stolen it or had he been given it? Either way, Hammer introduced him as the War Machine.

But then came the rumble in the distance. The sound of thrusters.

You turned and were one of the first to see the light streaking through the sky as it headed for the stage. Quicker than lighting you pulled her hood further down your face to block your identity as the Iron Man whizzed overhead and landed on the stage. The people around went absolutely wild.

Your dad and Rhodey stood together, waving, but you knew something was up. Hammer tried to play it casual but it was obvious he was seething. That was when the minigun attached to Rhodey's shoulder locked onto your dad, startling everyone. The drones followed suit.

Something was wrong.

Your dad shot into the air and the drones, as well as Rhodey, followed within the second, the guns firing and smashing the glass ceiling.

"Shit!" You cursed, ducking and covering your head as shards crashed all around.

A couple scratched your hands, but the pain was barely noticeable as people shoved past in an attempt to escape. About four times you almost fell to the floor and twice you stumbled into pavilion pillars. Once outside, the chaos was somehow worse. People ran shouting and yelling, Hammer drones were wreaking havoc and destroying things and killing people, there were small fires brewing from explosions, and the air was polluted by smoke and gunfire. You felt your breath hitch and your insides squirm as the drones planted themselves in the ground and shot at both your dad and the innocents.

A cry nearby caught your attention and you turned to see a boy in an Iron Man mask staring up at one of these drones. He didn't seem afraid, but the drone had clearly surprised him. You ran forward, a protective instinct you didn't even know you had taking over.

As the drone aimed the minigun at the boy, you jumped up, pushing the large barrel as upward as you could and making it shoot up at the sky instead. Completely by coincidence, you managed to shoot down one of the other drones in the process. But you didn't have time for victory.

The drone turned on you and you did an extremely fast assessment, picking up every detail you could. You noticed a tiny gap between the body and head and reached into your pocket for the knife you had hidden. You shoved the blade inside the small gap and immediately felt wires inside snap.

The drone malfunctioned and stuttered, sparks flying from inside. You finished it off by tearing the knife back out and pulling the entire thing down to the floor. It was much harder than it initially seemed but you managed.

The boy you'd saved stared up at you but you couldn't see his face from the mask. You couldn't tell if he was terrified or in awe. Another drone flew past and knocked into you, however, sending you flying into a pillar nearby.

You coughed as the air was knocked from your body. Rubble fell around and you could only imagine the mess you looked like. The drone that took you marched to the boy like the first one had and pointed a gun at him again.

But before you could save the kid a second time, your dad appeared and took it down with a repulsor beam.

Time seemed to freeze. Your breathing became shallow and shaky and the surroundings darkened as your nails clawed at the concrete ground in an attempt to stand. From the top of your head to the tip of your toes, your entire body was screaming.

You staggered backwards, hitting the pillar again, and the world started to swirl around. You couldn't focus because the place was moving in circles. It was like sitting in a chair on the edge of a cliff and being about to fall.

You tried to talk, but only a hoarse whine left your lips. You tried to move, but were rooted in place because of the fear. Your legs ached to run, to run and embrace your dad, apologize for running and scaring everyone.

But you didn't.

He was gone before you could force yourself into action. It was only the little boy looking around in worry that stirred you back into reality. After a shaky breath, you ran over, kneeling in front of him.

"Hey, kiddo." You tried to smile despite the tears in your eyes and the chaos unleashing. "Where's your family?"

He couldn't speak but somehow managed to point in a direction with a shaky hand. You picked him up and took off, almost bumping into a man wearing a suspiciously clean suit on the way. You paid him no mind, however, and didn't stop until a couple ran up to you, yelling for the boy. They thanked you before taking him and running.

You spun around, on the verge of a panic attack as the explosions and screams berated your senses. -

A week had passed since the close encounter with your father. You could barely process being that close to him after so long. Even now you wondered if you should have moved.

Would it have been worth it? Exposing yourself after so long? All those months of running and hiding... Would it have been a waste?

You shook your head, not wanting to think about it. You'd made it this far alone so what was a few more weeks? And all that Expo business was done anyway. Hammer had been exposed, and the drones all destroyed.

But the last thing you expected to see as your warehouse came into view was a giant aircraft in the middle of the clearing with dozens of armed people in uniform piling out. Your heart stopped for a second and every bone in your body screamed at you to turn and run. You were about to, but more of those people miraculously appeared behind you as well.

"Who the hell are you?!" She exclaimed, reaching for her knife despite knowing it wouldn't do any good.

"Please stay calm." One of the group, a woman, said, her hand raised to show she wasn't going to shoot. "Head inside."

"Uh..." You looked at all the uniformed people with her, a brow raised. "How about no?"

"Trust me, it's easier if you go willingly."

"Yeah, that makes me just wanna say no again."

The woman sighed. "There's someone who wants to meet you. Take a look and you can stab us with your cutlery after if you don't like it."

You furrowed your brows and she nodded to the knife hidden in your pocket. You knew then going quietly was perhaps the only option. You were most definitely outnumbered and you didn't think a knife would do much against innumerable guns.

"Fine." You raised your hands. "But I can't promise I won't break both your legs if I don't like this." She merely chuckled and motioned towards the warehouse. You asked questions as she guided you inside but she didn't say a word. You first thought was that she was a spy or something since she was dressed all in black with a tight bun holding her hair away from her face, and all of a sudden you panicked.

Obadiah's threat. What if these people were part of it? What if they were there to kill you?

You decided to make a run for it but before you could, a man with a deep voice spoke up.

"Hello, (Y/n)."

He wore a long leather trench coat, all black, and had an eye patch covering a badly scarred eye. Whatever happened to him, it didn't seem pretty.

"Who are you?" You asked hesitantly.

He gave a smile that more resembled a smirk, and clasped his hands behind his back. "My name is Director Fury. I'm here to talk to you about SHIELD."

#tony stark #ironman #Nick Fury #tony stark x daughter!reader #tony stark imagine #tony stark imagines #mcu #marvel imagines #marvel imagine #peter parker #Justin Hammer #friday #jarvis

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gingiesworld · 6 months

Text

Fatal Attraction

Chapter Three

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x GN! Reader/Wanda Maximoff x Jarvis Stark

Warnings: Angst. Fluff.

Taglist : @natashamaximoff-69 @canvascoloredin @wizardofstories @louxbloom @wandanats-goodgirl @the-ox-fan20 @ladyqueenxoxo @aemilia19 @wandaromamoff69 @mfd-101 @dorabledewdroop @marvelogic

18+ MINORS DNI

The first week had passed by pretty swiftly, Wanda had learned everything that there was, she even shadowed Y/N to a few meetings too, taking the notes that were necessary and more just in case Y/N had missed anything.

She could truly say that she admired Y/N and how they worked with their employees and clients. They weren't hostile or agitated, they would listen to the needs of the other person and would reassure them.

"I want to see this little one when he is born." They told Jean as she packed her things with their help.

"You will." Jean smiled as Y/N picked up the box.

"Is Scott picking you up?" They asked her as they walked with her towards the elevator.

"He is waiting downstairs for me." She told them before Y/N turned to Wanda.

"Would you like me to pick you up a coffee Ms Maximoff?" They asked her with a gentle smile.

"Please." She nodded before she went back to work, she felt at home working here. It was easy and stress free, although she wishes her marriage would be stress free.

"So, how many meetings have I got today?" Y/N asked as they placed her coffee on her desk, Wanda moved to pick up a few files.

"You have three meetings, one this morning with Hammer Industries about the project, two this afternoon, Ms Bishop and Mr Stark." She told them as she handed them the files.

"You can sit out of the one with Mr Stark." They told her as she gave them an unsure look. "He is your father in law and I assume your husband doesn't know you work here because you still work here." They smirked as Wanda chuckled lightly at them.

"Yes, Jarvis doesn't know." Wanda told them as she leaned back in her chair. "But he doesn't really have a say on where or who I work for." She countered as Y/N smiled proudly at her.

"I like you." They smiled as they took the first file from her. "It's a pity it's only temporary." She smiled as she watched them walk into their office to read up on the first meeting.

Just 30 minutes later, Y/N and Wanda made their way to the meeting room. It was a room which had a large table in the center, chairs lining on either side and one at the head. Y/N took their seat at the head as Wanda took the one beside them.

"Do you need a drink?" Wanda asked Y/N before the room filled up.

"No thank you." They smiled as soon as Justin Hammer walked in, the two shook hands before he took the seat across from Wanda.

"So, we have the stats on the project." Y/N grabbed the file and laid it in front of them. "Some of the materials have been hard to come by because of the radiation content but we have managed to get it through a trusted friend of mine."

"So, it's almost ready?" He questioned as Y/N sat back.

"Not quite yet." They informed him. "We still need to test it out and Mr Osborn has trusted me to lead the testing, so we have plans in the next few weeks to take it to Nevada, near Area 51 to test."

"Is it possible for myself or my assistant to accompany you?" He questioned as Y/N licked their teeth.

"I'm afraid not, it's purely for insurance purposes." They told him. "But Wanda here will take notes and maybe we can also record footage of the testing for you too." The rest of the meeting went by smoothly as Y/N shook hands as Justin was led outside of the room, leaving just Y/N and Wanda.

"When were you going to tell me about the trip?" She questioned as she closed the door before they could leave. They smirked as they watched her, seeing how she stood with her hand on her hip and the other on the closed door.

"When I had the details finalised." They told her as they stood up, gathering the files as she moved closer to them.

"You still should have told me." She told them firmly as she gazed at them intensely.

"I should have, yes." They told her as they straightened up, towering over her as she visibly gulped. "But either way, the dates are not set in stone as the project isn't near completion." Wanda tried to remain confident but she felt strange as they towered her, their eyes boring into her own had her feeling a way it shouldn't. "My apologies Ms Maximoff."

"Why do you insist on calling me Ms Maximoff?" She questioned as she followed them out of the room.

"Well, that is your respected name, no?" They raised their brow as they entered the elevator.

"You know what I mean." She stated as the elevator stopped. Wanda watched as Y/N pressed the stop button, turning to face her.

"I call you Ms Maximoff because I respect you." They told her as she backed up against the wall. "Also, the more I call you Wanda makes me want to say it in a more unprofessional manner and I can't do that because you are my employee, and there are boundaries I will not cross." They stood toe to toe as their hand rested on the wall beside her head. "Is that ok Ms Maximoff?" They questioned with a raised brow.

"It is." She whispered as she never turned away from their burning gaze.

"Perfect." They moved away and started the elevator again as Wanda tried to regain her composure, although her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as her mind raced with many inappropriate thoughts.

Since the moment in the elevator, Wanda found herself observing them more and more. She watched how their forearms looked when they removed their jacket, sleeves folded up neatly as they moved around their office, speaking on the phone. They soon beckoned for Wanda to enter the office before finishing up their phone call.

"It appears that we have been asked to attend a charity ball." They informed her. "I am to bring a date and I usually take Jean but as you can see that is impossible."

"So, you want me to be your date?" She questioned as they sighed, a tight lipped smile on their face.

"I don't want to put you into an uncomfortable position but I usually prefer to take someone I know and trust." They told her.

"You've only known me for a little over a week." She reminded them as they nodded.

"And I do trust you Wanda." They told her as they reached for two glasses and a decanter, pouring the golden liquid into the glasses. "I am not pressuring you into saying yes, it is entirely your choice and you can say no."

"I don't know." She whispered as she took the glass from them. "If you have been invited, then maybe my father in law and husband may have been invited."

"Well, just let me know." They told her as they finished their drink. "I can take Gwen if need be."

"I don't think I can." Wanda whispered as Y/N nodded in understanding. "Working here and lying about it is already affecting my marriage."

"It's ok Ms Maximoff." They told her softly. "Don't worry about it." They took her own empty glass and took it to the small bar they had. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off."

"I can't do that." She whispered as they gave her a soft smile.

"Yes you can. Take it, you won't lose any wages." They told her. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." They helped her stand as she nodded, mumbling a quiet thank you before she absentmindedly gathered her belongings and left the office. Picking up some food on her way home, just in time for Jarvis to return home.

"Wanda, what are you doing here?" He asked her as he wasn't used to her being home early.

"I had the afternoon off." She told him as he did something on his phone before scoffing at her.

"And you didn't tell me?" He questioned her.

"I didn't know I had to tell you." She countered as he shook his head. "Besides, why are you home?" She asked as she looked at the time, it was only 3pm as he just glared at her.

"I live here." He told her. "And also, we have a charity ball coming up." He told her. "So you need to buy a new dress, not any of the old ones you have in the closet. You know what, I'll just send Pepper's stylist your measurements and I'm sure they'll pick something nice for you." With that he left, leaving Wanda in the kitchen alone. She still sometimes hoped that the man she fell in love with was still inside him somewhere. Hoping that this marriage wasn't entirely a waste of time.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #marvel #elizabeth olsen #wanda x you #elizabeth olsen x reader #wanda x reader #wanda x y/n #wanda maximoff x you

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punkshort · 9 months

Text

Chapter warnings: language, violence, m masturbation, smut

Chapter Eight

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader, pre-outbreak and post outbreak

AU (the only thing I kept was the outbreak, Joel, and Tommy's characters. Joel's backstory is different, and the way he finds Jackson is different. I may include Ellie one day, I just haven't planned that far)

Fic Summary: You worked for Joel and Tommy a few months before the outbreak. The outbreak happens, and you and Joel get stuck traveling the country and keeping each other safe. Neither of you spoke about the feelings you had for one another pre-outbreak, and in a post-apocalyptic world, it seems like survival should be your only focus. But feelings can't be ignored forever.

Fic tags: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI), Smut, Language, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use, Age Difference (Reader is 10 years younger than Joel), slow burn, mutual pining, angst, trauma, SA referencing later but I will put a big warning on those chapters

Back in your apartment, the two of you set to work quietly organizing everything spread out on the living room floor that you could think of to pack. The biggest section was food. Luckily you were still used to a dorm room diet, so you had tons of useful items to take on the go. You had focused on the cans with protein like tuna, chicken and beans, then moved on to granola and protein bars, nuts, dried fruit, ramen noodles, cereal, instant rice and easy mac. Joel packed each of you a flashlight with extra batteries, and handfuls of matches and lighters he had found rummaging through your floor. Justin's camping equipment came with a canteen, plate, bowl, and foldable silverware for each, and a small first aid kit, which Joel significantly bolstered after raiding all the bathrooms on the floor.

He told you to only pack one or two extra sets of clothes, that you would have to break into houses or stores along the way if you needed more. He didn't want to waste the space in your packs that could be used for food and medicine.

You both set to work filling your bags with as much stuff as you could. Joel slipped a map into his pack that he had picked up from a kitchen drawer down the hall, and you had snuck in an unopened box of tampons and a folded up picture of your parents in yours when he wasn't looking.

It was around midday when you were all set to go, making sure to eat something left behind in your cupboards one last time.

You closed the door behind you, but you didn't lock it in case someone came along and needed something. Then sadly, you turned and gripped your baseball bat, following Joel down the long hallway, down the stairs and to the lobby.

Before Joel pushed the lobby door open to the outside, he turned to you.

"Which way's the subway?"

You pointed down the street to the right.

"It's about 3 blocks that way, not far. It's mostly all apartment buildings and a few stores on the corners."

Joel nodded, cracking the door open to listen for any sign of trouble. It sounded clear, so he ventured out to confirm before pulling you out behind him.

"We gotta be quick, but not too quick. Don't want to accidentally sneak up on somethin' out here," Joel explained in a hushed tone. "If you hear anythin', stop and don't make a sound. And you tell me if you see anythin' at all, understand?" You walked closely next to him as he was speaking, the whole time looking all around you frantically, your senses in overdrive, and your heart hammering in your chest. All you did was nod, not wanting to risk making too much noise.

The streets were quiet. Joel peeked around the corner and made sure no soldiers or infected were nearby before ushering you across the open street and back behind the safety of a building. One block down.

The two of you trotted down the sidewalk, swiveling your head around every few feet to see if there was anyone behind you. You almost made it to the next corner when Joel swung out his arm to stop you. You held your breath, heart racing as you focused on the noise he heard. It was the slow rumbling of an engine that reminded you of the FEDRA truck you heard patrolling outside your apartment last night. Joel must have figured that out, too, because he grabbed your arm and pulled you over to hide behind a dumpster that was sticking out of a narrow alley. You both crouched down and waited for the truck to pass. Fortunately, it didn't turn down the street you were on, where you would have been exposed.

Once the noise faded, Joel stood up slowly before motioning for you to follow. Again, he poked his head around the corner and took extra time to make sure no one was around before dragging you across the street once more. One more block to go.

You were halfway down the block as you passed a pawn shop, windows smashed in and the place ransacked. You grabbed Joel's arm and his head whipped around in a panic. You shook your head to tell him nothing was wrong and pointed into the pawn shop.

"Weapons?" you mouthed.

He hesitated a moment, trying to decide if you should press on or see if there was something useful in there before ultimately deciding to check it out. If the subway had infected in it, it would be better if there was more than just one knife between you. Joel stepped through the broken glass door carefully, glancing around at the small shop before holding his hand out to guide you through the opening. You both took a quick look around, noticing anything valuable was long gone, and most of the knives were picked over, but you did find a decent sized switchblade for yourself. You tucked it into your jeans pocket, and you carried on down the street towards the subway entrance.

You had a long way to go down the dark tunnel, but so far it had been quiet and uneventful. Your flashlight beams bounced off the brick walls as you walked in silence, trying to stay focused on your surroundings. Your anxiety spiked with every new subway station you passed, reminding you of just how much deeper into the city you were getting. From what the soldiers had said, more densely populated areas were worse off, and so far in your limited experience that had proven to be true.

You were two stations away from the one you stopped at for work when you first saw people. It was just two families, huddled together on the platform. They had seen your flashlights long before you saw them, so trying to sneak by was useless. They seemed like they were just innocent survivors, so Joel kept walking, holding his head up. He made eye contact with two of the men in the group and gave them each a firm nod, hoping to convey you were just passing through and not looking for trouble. They nodded back wordlessly, and you carried on your way.

The next station had more people who had sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, and lanterns. It looked like they were trying to wait it out underground long-term. A few of the men approached the end of the platform to address Joel.

"You soldiers?" one of them asked.

"No, just passin' through, tryin' to stay off the streets, sorry to disturb you all," Joel replied. He paused for a moment, and looked back at the men who were still watching you carefully. "Any of you see any infected down here?"

One of the men shook his head. "Nah, man, that's why we're sitting tight down here. Soldiers must be keeping them busy up top."

Joel nodded. "Thanks... good luck to you."

Finally, you approached your stop for work and found the platform to be filled with people, just like the previous one. They were kind and immediately helped you both up off the tracks. You introduced yourselves and explained you were headed to Joel's apartment not too far from there. One of the women, Josie, warned you the closer you got to the heart of the city, the worse it was.

"We heard, thank you. Once we get up top it won't be a long walk," you said, swiping the back of your hand across your forehead to clear the sweat collecting there. "We've been walking for hours. Joel?" You turned to him, interrupting a conversation he was having with Josie's husband, Peter. "Can we rest here for a bit?" Joel turned back to Peter.

"That ok with you folks?" he asked. Peter and Josie nodded, seemingly the leaders of the small group of strangers huddled on the platform.

The two of you slunk down against the tiled wall, pulling out protein bars and your canteens after sitting down. You shut your eyes for a few minutes, leaning the back of your head against the wall, chewing and grateful to be taking a break.

"You holdin' up alright?" Joel asked softly beside you. You nodded, keeping your eyes closed.

"I'm just tired," you replied, taking another bite of your protein bar without looking.

"It ain't much further, once we get on the street it's another few blocks. We should be able to get there before - "

Joel's sentence was cut short by screaming, and your eyes flew open in surprise as you dropped your protein bar and grabbed your bat while fumbling around in your pocket for the switchblade. Joel was already standing, gripping his bat and trying to locate the source of the scream in the group. One of the men, who looked asleep when you arrived, was snarling and had his teeth clamped down into the shoulder of an older man, blood pouring down his arm and soaking both of their shirts. Peter and another man jumped into action to pull the infected off the poor man screaming in agony, struggling to pin it to the ground.

Joel charged forward before you could stop him, your hands desperately clawing at his t-shirt, but he was already throwing himself into the group to help. You watched in horror as the three men struggled to hold it down, and just as Joel was getting ready to bash its skull in with the baseball bat, it lunged forward, knocking Peter and the other man off to the side and pushing Joel onto his back.

Joel held the infected up by its shoulders as it pinned him down, snapping and growling inches from his face. Joel's jaw was clenched tight, his eyes flashed with rage as he summoned all the strength he could manage and pushed it off him, making it stumble backwards. It was just enough time for Joel to reach to his side for his hunting knife and plunged it into the infected’s skull with a guttural yell.

The infected went limp immediately and fell to the floor. Joel stood over the body, tense, covered in blood, and panting heavily with the knife still clutched in his hand. Peter and the other man rushed to join the rest of the group helping the one who was bit in the shoulder, but you raced straight to Joel, wrapping your arms around him tightly. Surprised, he lifted one arm to place it reassuringly on your back, the other still clutching his knife.

You let him go, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks as you frowned at him angrily. He looked down at you, the adrenaline wearing off, and saw the anguish on your face. He reached his hand out to you, but you slapped it away and instead shoved his chest heatedly, making him stumble just a bit in surprise.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" you seethed, narrowing your eyes at him and fighting to keep the tears from falling. "You could have gotten killed!"

Joel stared at you, still panting slightly, then put the knife back in its holder. He couldn't gauge your reaction. Were you upset he would be killed because then you would be alone, or upset because of something else? He sighed and reached out to you again. This time, you didn't shove him, but you didn't go to him, either.

Josie approached you, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you, Joel, for saving my husband," she said, clutching his outstretched hand in her own, then turned to you. "Don't be mad at your boyfriend, dear, he just saved us all."

Your mouth fell open, and before you could correct her, she went back to Peter and hugged him tightly. Joel cleared his throat beside you, seemingly pleased with himself.

"You heard her," he winked at you. "Can't stay mad at me." You scowled back at him, and with a more serious tone, he added, "us or them, remember?"

You sighed, relaxing your brow. You knew he was right, but you were still pissed off. You turned on your heel and headed back to your abandoned protein bar, effectively ending the conversation.

Joel joined you and watched as the group deliberated quietly on how to deal with the man who was bit. You had learned he likely only had a few hours before he turned, based on the location of his bite. Ultimately, Peter volunteered, and he quickly and privately put the man out of his misery with a kitchen knife. You winced when you heard the squelch of blood from across the platform, burying your face in your shoulder.

You didn't stay much longer after that. Once Joel had gotten his strength back, you picked up your belongings and gave your farewells. Josie and Peter thanked Joel again, and you headed up to the familiar street corner, dusk fast approaching.

It took you both an hour to walk to Joel's apartment, which normally would have taken ten minutes, but he insisted on going slow and being careful at every turn. When you approached his building, you had to crane your neck all the way back to take in the full height. His building definitely used to have a doorman: it was fancy. You walked into the ornate lobby and turned around in a slow circle, taking in everything from the detailed crown molding to the beautiful, tiled floor that looked more like a piece of art. You almost felt bad for stepping on it. Even the ceiling was vaulted and decorated in tiny, intricate squares with gilded chandeliers hanging from it. Finally, you looked straight ahead and saw an arched window that overlooked a private garden.

"Shit," you whispered, "I almost got an apartment in this building."

Joel turned back to you, surprised, then realized you were being sarcastic when he saw your grin. He smiled to himself and shook his head, leading you down the hallway towards the stairwell door.

"I take it you're not on the second floor?" you asked him quietly as you began to climb the stairs.

"No, little higher than that," he replied. "30th floor."

You stopped dead in your tracks, which made him stop and turn back to you questioningly. He could tell what the problem was when he saw the pained expression on your face without you even having to speak.

"I know, it's gonna take us a while, but we can stop and rest whenever you need to." You sighed and hung your head, continuing your journey up the stairs.

You made it to the halfway point before you had to take a break, sitting on a step, panting and chugging water from your canteen while Joel leaned against the wall across from you, sipping his own water. The sun was going down, so you each dug your flashlights out of your packs before continuing.

"Not much further," Joel panted, turning the corner of another staircase, "then we can rest. No point in diggin' around in the dark, it's been a long day." You nodded, choosing not to speak to conserve your energy, and focused on the flashlight beam ahead of you.

You weren't sure how long it took, but finally you climbed the last step to face the door marked with a big, red "30". That's when you looked up and noticed you were on the top floor. Of course he lives on the top floor.

Joel pushed the door open a crack and peeked down the hall, which was very short and only had two doors and an elevator at the other end. He held the door open for you to walk through, then gently closed it. You frowned, looking back and forth at the two doors, puzzled.

Joel looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight when he saw your confusion, before mumbling, "It's a penthouse," and brushed past you to unlock his door.

You had never seen a penthouse before, but you knew they were for people who were really rich, especially in New York City. He opened the door, locking it behind you. You couldn't really see much other than what your flashlight exposed, but you could tell the room you were standing in was massive. You briefly flicked your light around, taking in some couches, bookcases, a fireplace and some other furniture. You stopped when you noticed the entire wall was top to bottom windows with a balcony attached, and covered your flashlight quickly. Joel kicked off his sneakers, and noticing the dimmer light, turned his flashlight to shine on you questioningly.

"Can't people see in? Like, the lights moving?" you asked. He shook his head.

"Privacy windows," he explained, then turned and headed towards another room. You quickly kicked your own shoes off, skittering after him, sticking close. The place was so huge you were afraid you'd get lost, and the darkness mixed with the eerie silence from lack of power and road noise made the hairs on your arm stand up. As you walked, you shined your flashlight on everything around you, baffled by how far the apartment seemed to stretch. You were so engrossed in your surroundings that you bumped into him when he had stopped walking.

"Oops, sorry," you whispered.

"Why are you whispering? We're safe here," he replied at full volume. You shrugged.

"I don't know, this place is huge, Joel, give me a minute - oh my god, is this your kitchen?!" you exclaimed as your jaw dropped, noticing the kitchen island in front of you that must have seated ten people. On one side. Easily. The island, made of marble or quartz, was white with silver and black specks. You noticed the counter was the same all over the kitchen, even on the built in bar in the corner. The cupboards were a light oak that was soft against your fingertips as you gently trailed them against the wood, wandering around his kitchen in amazement.

Joel watched you as you walked around his kitchen, gently touching the handles of the knives in the block and running your fingers along the countertop. You looked like you had never seen anything like this before, and his chest ached when he wondered what would have happened that night if you agreed to come home with him. You could have seen this place in a whole different light. He could have made you a drink from the bar and played you some music over the sound system. If he was lucky, he could have laid you down on the kitchen island you were so currently fascinated with, your fingers gripping the edges as he slipped his fingers inside your underwear to explore your soaking wet folds, pushing one finger inside you, and then another, slowly teasing you until you begged him for more.

Having you in his place was clouding his mind, he needed to focus. He cleared his throat before heading towards the pantry door. You eagerly followed closely behind and when you realized the pantry was a room as big as your own kitchen, you moaned with envy, causing his eyes to flutter shut momentarily.

"This place is amazing," you told him, sifting through the food on his shelves. You grabbed some peanut butter and crackers, turned and headed back to the kitchen.

"Where's the silverware?" you asked over your shoulder.

"Drawer next to the sink," he replied, and watched as you grabbed a butter knife. He picked up a can of Beefaroni off the shelf and opened the drawer in the kitchen with the can opener after picking a fork out from the silverware drawer you left open in your haste to eat.

He sat across from you at the island, eating his cold Beefaroni out of the can while you slathered crackers with peanut butter and popped them in your mouth. You smirked at his choice of food.

"Chef Boyardee?" you asked curiously, eyebrows raised. "I'm sure your private chef could have made you the real thing from scratch." Joel chuckled.

"Alright, I ain't got a private chef. Besides, this is the real thing. Nothin' beats it."

You smiled, fascinated that a man who lived in such a lavish apartment would have Beefaroni as his guilty pleasure. Feeling full and sleepy, you twisted the top of the peanut butter jar closed, and out of habit ran your tongue along the butter knife to clean it. You didn't even realize how that looked until you heard Joel's breath hitch and he looked down to study the empty can in front of him. Your cheeks felt warm from embarrassment, but luckily, he couldn't see it under the cover of darkness. You cleaned the knife (with a sponge, this time) and Joel's fork, putting them back in the drawer.

"Alright, let's get some shut eye. We should try to get an early start tomorrow, I want to get out of this city as soon as we can," Joel said, grabbing his pack he had set down when you walked in, and headed further down the hallway.

You followed him nervously, looking at the expensive-looking art on the walls and even a few statues on pedestals before reaching his bedroom. He pushed the door open, and your flashlights bounced around the room to illuminate the corners the moonlight hid from view. As expected, his bedroom was spacious with a bathroom and two walk-in closets attached. You noticed one of the closets was void of any clothes, and the other was packed to the brim. You poked your head in his bathroom, sighing enviously when you saw the huge, glass walk-in shower and built in vanity. You turned around to find Joel had dug out a couple lanterns from his closet and placed one on each end table so you could conserve your flashlight batteries. You clicked it off and walked over awkwardly, not sure what the sleeping arrangements should be. Unlike you, he has couches more than big enough to accommodate a grown adult, but the thought of being alone in the living room of this huge apartment made you nervous.

It hadn't even been a question in Joel's mind.

"Hop in and make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back," and he left the bedroom, back down the hallway to double check the locks. You rummaged in your pack for some more comfortable clothes to sleep in, and quickly changed before he returned, nestled under the covers on the most comfortable mattress you had ever been on in your life.

When Joel reentered the bedroom, his thoughts didn't even have time to catch up with how fast he felt the blood rushing to his cock. He squeezed his eyes shut as he blindly walked right to his closet and shut the door so he could change into his pajamas, willing his erection away. He groaned quietly, leaning his head against the wall of the closet, frustrated with how distracted he's been. If he doesn't stop, it could get you or him killed. He would have to do something about it before heading out tomorrow. He was lucky so far, you've had relatively safe places to hole up in, but that was going to end.

When he finally got himself under control, he exited the closet and got into the other side of the bed. You already had your lantern off and you were laying on your side with your eyes closed, exhausted from all the walking and events of the day. His bed was much larger than yours, and he hoped the extra space would help him get his mind out of the gutter. He turned his lantern off, and leaned back into the familiar pillow and sheets, closing his eyes. It was silent for a few minutes before you spoke.

"Joel?" you squeaked.

"Hm?" he replied, keeping his eyes closed.

"This is the nicest apartment I've ever seen, how long have you lived here?"

"About six years or so," he said, shifting a little under the covers. "But I like your place more," he admitted.

"My place?!" you said, outraged. "You could fit my entire apartment into this bedroom, you're crazy."

"Yeah, well, your place felt more..." he trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Like a home. This place feels like a museum."

"I'm sure you could make this place feel just as cozy," you yawned before adding, "this bed, for instance, is the most comfortable thing I've ever laid on." Joel smiled.

"Glad you like it." Sweetheart.

He waited until he was sure you were sleeping deeply enough before he locked himself into his bathroom and pulled his sweatpants down just far enough to free his throbbing cock, stroking it steadily with one hand while the other propped him up against the wall, eyes screwed shut. His thoughts picked up where he left off in the kitchen, his fingers deep in your pussy, but then he would add his thumb to your swollen clit, making your back arch off the cold counter and gasp his name. His thumb would pick up the pace, keeping up with your moans, rubbing tight circles and flexing and thrusting his fingers inside of you until your body finally stilled under him, whimpering his name as you came.

He imagined you gazing up at him hazily, the same way you looked at him last week outside the bar, but now you would reach out and grab the waist of his jeans, pulling him closer and whisper hoarsely to him, "Please, Joel, I need you, I need more..."

He imagined what it would feel like to slide inside you, your cunt soft and warm, so welcoming and taking him inch by inch. He would grasp your hips, his feet firmly on the ground and your legs wrapped tightly around his waist, one of your hands lost in your own hair and the other firmly holding onto his wrist, eyes rolled towards the back of your head, moaning, as he stretched you out. When he would start moving, he would go slow at first and enjoy the way your tits bounced gently along with his movements. He would do his best to take his time, but he imagined you asking him - begging him - to fuck you harder. Of course, he would give you what you wanted. He would slam into you, over and over, groaning as he would feel your cunt squeezing around him, warning him you were close. His thumb would travel down to your clit once again, pressing firmly from side to side until you were screaming his name and he felt your warm release spill over his cock.

"Fuck!" Joel grunted out into the darkness, as he shot thick ropes of cum over his hand and onto the tile floor, completely losing himself and forgetting to grab a tissue. He stood there a few minutes, catching his breath, his forehead pressed against the bathroom wall. Finally, he pushed himself away and cleaned up his mess carefully, using his flashlight to make sure he didn't miss anything. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He hoped that would help keep him sharp and focused for tomorrow.

He opened the bathroom door quietly, relieved to see you hadn't moved a muscle since he left. You were still sleeping peacefully, facing his side of the bed with your lips slightly parted. He smiled at the sight, setting his flashlight down and about to slide back into bed when he heard a noise coming from down the hall. He froze, listening intently, trying to figure out the source. He glanced down at you once more to confirm you were still asleep and headed quietly out the bedroom door, carefully closing it behind him.

He walked down the hallway, now on high alert, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He walked by a statue, grabbing it and turning it upside down so the square base was upright in his hand. He gripped it tightly as he neared the kitchen, now hearing rustling and seeing a beam of light coming from the pantry. He glanced around the room before peering around the open pantry door, seeing someone crouched on the floor and rifling through his food, but all Joel could focus on was the revolver on the floor next to him, shining in the moonlight. Shooting one more glance over his shoulder, Joel stepped inside, silently placing the statue down on the floor, and then lunged forward, quickly wrapping his arm around the intruder’s neck, and using his other hand to lock his arm in place. Joel yanked them both up to a standing position, putting his foot over the revolver and shoving it under the shelves in the pantry, out of arms reach. The intruder slapped wildly at Joel's arms, then tried clawing at his face, desperate to loosen his grip so he could breathe, but Joel didn't budge, his grip strong and unmoving, his face contorted in a fury and a heat he never felt before. It didn't take long before the man passed out, but Joel held on a few minutes longer to make sure the air didn't revive him.

Once he was satisfied he was dead, Joel laid him gently on the pantry floor, frantically trying to catch his breath. He slowly picked the statue back up, temporarily forgetting about the gun, and then closed his eyes a moment as his breathing began to stabilize. He reopened them, nostrils flared, and jaw clenched. He needed to make sure the man was alone, and you were safe.

He left the pantry, glancing around the room once again before stepping forward. He was about to enter the hallway to head back towards the living room when something hard hit him across the chest, sending him crashing loudly back into the kitchen, dropping the statue. Joel gasped for air in the darkness, scrambling backwards and reaching around blindly to try to find his statue, but the other intruder kicked it away and pinned Joel down with his own baseball bat. The bat was being pressed to his throat, and Joel struggled to push against the man's weight.

"Who else is here with you?" the intruder sneered. Joel was barely able to make out his face in the darkness.

"No one," he gasped and shook his head, pushing back harder now that he was reminded of you sleeping sweetly in his bed, hoping and praying you stayed in there.

"Bullshit," the man spit. "I saw the shoes by the door. Maybe I'll have a little fun with her after I kill - "

Suddenly, the pressure was gone, and Joel coughed, holding his throat. He whipped around frantically, trying to find anything to use as a weapon, when he heard wet thumping over and over. He stood up, desperately trying to make his eyes adjust to the shadows. Remembering the flashlight, he scrambled back in the pantry and snatched it up, casting the beam of light over the scuffle.

You were bent over and brutally caving in the skull of the man who almost killed him.

Over and over, you aimed the corner of the statue at the man's disfigured face, beating him to a bloody pulp, the squishing sound of blood echoing in your ears. Joel calling your name and grabbing you around the waist was the only thing that stopped you. You dropped the statue and looked him in the eye, like a wild animal cornered and ready to strike. He grabbed your face, repeating your name until your eyes focused back on him. The enormity of what you did hit you in an instant: you just killed a man.

Tears welled up in your eyes and your lips trembled as you continued to stare into Joel’s eyes. He shook his head when he saw the emotion on your face.

“No. No, no, no, no. C’mere,” he said, pulling you into his embrace, and it was then you let the tears flow as you sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, gripping his t-shirt in your fist like a lifeline. He snaked his arm up your back, so his hand rested at the crown of your head, and his other arm tightly squeezed you around the ribs. You both slunk to the floor of his kitchen, holding onto each other for dear life, the horror of the world around you finally making its mark on you both.

Chapter Nine

#joel miller fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fic #joel the last of us #tlou hbo #the last of us hbo #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller series #joel x reader #joel x reader smut #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us game #the way we were joel miller fic

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kdogreads · 8 months

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Bad Girlfriend

Frank Castle x f!reader

TW: smutty smut (minors DNI pls), alcohol consumption, slightly jealous!Frank, pinch of degradation/praise, public sex🤭

A/n: This song popped up on my shuffle and all I could think about was Frankie being proud of his badass girl 🥵😍 Happy Beardthal Bash, fellow delulus 😏

The two of you often found yourselves here: getting hammered in your favorite little dive bar in Hell’s Kitchen. It was close enough to walk home, so this was basically your excuse to get shit-faced then go home and eat whatever alcohol-fueled concoctions you could come up with and each other.

Tonight started out just like every other night at the hole in the wall you’d come to love. Frankie sat on a barstool behind you while you swayed and danced to the music, stopping every so often to wrap your arms around his neck and plant a sloppy kiss on his lips.

“Have I told you how good you look tonight, baby?” Frank whispered into your ear while he held you close.

“Only about a hundred times, Frankie,” You giggled and pulled away to give him a flirtatious smirk.

“My girl just looks so,” he paused and looked you up and down before sliding one hand down your back, reaching your curved bottom and giving it a nice squeeze, “good.”

You squealed his name at the feeling and swatted his hand away, trying to acted embarrassed and not totally turned on. He just smiled that heartbreaking smile and pecked you on the lips before you turned around to dance between his legs some more.

A few minutes passed before you felt a strong hand on your waist.

“Gonna hit the head. Wait here?” Frank pecked your cheek before sliding out from behind you.

You took his spot on the barstool, waiting for the bartender to come over so you could order another drink. It was as good a time as any to quickly check your phone, making sure there weren’t any fires needing put out by you or Frank. You scrolled aimlessly through your notifications, nothing popping out at you as “urgent,” so you slid it back into your purse and smiled at the barkeeper you’d come to be friendly with. He signaled you he’d be there next, so you let your body start swaying to the music again.

“Pretty girl like you really here all alone?” You hadn’t noticed that a tall, muscular beef cake-looking guy had sat down on the stool next to you until he spoke.

“Oh,” You scoffed quietly as you realized he was flirting with you, “Don’t need company to have a good time, right?”

He laughed a little too hard as the bartender slid your mixed drink in front of you.

“Put that on my tab, bro,” The man piped up as you took a sip. You tipped your glass his way in thanks. This was going to be so fun.

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Frank take a seat at a barstool a few feet away from you. He had a smirk on his face as the barkeeper gave him a confused look. Frank must have muttered something about his little game as the bartender shook his head and laughed while handing him a new drink. His eyes were glued to you as you slowly slid back onto your feet, letting the music sway your hips as you listened to your admirer going on and on about his gym routine or something.

Your new friend, Justin or Jason or something like that (you chose not to remember), was still going on about his favorite protein powder when you felt a hand on your arm, “So, what do ya say we take this party to my place?”

You stopped dancing and shot a glance over to Frank. He was clearly not happy based on the way he gripped his glass so hard you thought it might shatter, but stayed in his seat as he rubbed his free hand over the back of his neck, trying desperately to keep his cool.

“I appreciate the offer, Jackson, but I have somewhere to be,” You spoke sweetly as you set your empty glass on the bar top and went to turn away.

“It’s Jordan,” He corrected and kept his hand on your arm, tightening his grip just enough for you to notice, “Come on, baby, I just wanna get to know you better.”

The pet name triggered something in you — something that had your adrenaline pumping and led you to react before you even realized.

In one swift motion, you gripped his bulky wrist and twisted his arm in towards you, threatening to pop his elbow out of place and dropping him onto his knees in an instant.

You didn’t see Frank come over to you, but when you glanced back up he was right beside you with his hand on the arm you currently had on the creep.

“Tsk,” Frank tutted as he reached up to cup your face, “Baby, you don’t want to hurt the little boy, now do you?”

You smiled and let go of the man’s arm as Frank leaned in to kiss you deeply, claiming what was his.

It was the muttering of “crazy fucking bitch” that broke Frank’s lips away from yours and lead his fist to collide with the guy’s jaw. He tumbled back into the foot rail on the bar and pressed a hand to his already-swelling cheek.

“Thanks for the drink!” You exclaimed cheerfully as Frank wrapped his strong arm around you and headed for the door. He stopped only to hand a fifty-dollar bill to his barkeeper friend with a small “sorry” and cheeky grin on his face.

——

The two of you strolled into the brisk night air as if nothing had happened. You walked in relative silence until you reached the corner of the building when Frank pulled you into the dark alleyway beside it.

You gasped as Frank slammed his lips to yours, his broad hands already wandering all over your body.

“Frankie,” You whined between kisses, “What are you doing?”

“My girl is tough as nails,” He kissed his way down your jaw to your neck, “And so fucking sexy.”

You giggled as his stubbly face tickled your clavicle, trying to keep your knees from buckling, “So you like seeing me with other guys, then?”

Your teasing did exactly as you hoped. Frank stood up straight looked down at you, a pained look under his furrowed brows, as his hands worked feverishly on unbuckling his belt. You bit your lip to hold back an excited moan from escaping your lips.

“No, baby, I don’t,” He hummed as he hiked your dress up around your waist, wasting no time dragging his thick fingers over your aching core, “Now I gotta remind you who you belong to, huh?”

Before you could come up with a snarky response, Frank slid your panties out of the way and rubbed tight circles over your throbbing clit. You settled back against the wall in a desperate attempt to stay upright. He practically growled in your ear as he boxed you in against the wall, his strong arm reaching under your knee to give him more access to your dripping center.

“That what you wanted, huh?” He slid two thick fingers into your tight hole, your nails digging into his back and eyes rolling shut, “Wanted me to fuck you out here in front of everyone like the good little whore you are?”

You gasped as he fucked his fingers into you hard and fast, his jeans growing tighter by the minute. You clawed at his toned shoulders as you already teetered on the edge. The way Frank’s thick fingers stretched you so deliciously and his thumb worked tight circles over your clit had you keening under his touch.

“Fuck, Frankie,” You panted into his shoulder, biting down to keep from crying out, “please.”

He pulled his fingers out of you with a pop and a gasp escaping your lips. Before you could even whine at the loss he had his jeans and boxers pulled down just enough to free his achingly hard cock. He lined himself up with your entrance and slowly sank in, filling you all the way to the brim before both of you let out desperate groans.

“Fuck, baby girl, you’re so fucking tight,” He growled into your ear as he hiked your other leg up off the ground, his broad body holding you up against the cool brick wall.

He slowly slid almost all the way out of your dripping cunt before slamming his hips back into yours, a high-pitched wine danced from your lips and made Frank twitch inside of you.

Frank set a hard and fast pace and he kept plowing into you, over and over, until you felt yourself approaching the edge once again.

“Frankie,” You panted, your fingers gripping onto the short hairs at the back of his neck, causing a hiss to escape Frank’s gritted teeth.

“Tha’s right,” One of his hands wrapped around your thigh to put a delicious pressure on your pulsing clit, “Cum all over daddy’s cock, baby, come on.”

You felt Frankie’s hand cradling the back of your head as your walls squeezed his cock rhythmically. Your legs shook in his grasp and your hands grabbed at every part of him you could reach as the white hotness rushed through your veins. A string of praises spilled out of Frank’s parted lips as you fell apart around him.

Good fucking girl.

So goddamn beautiful, baby, look at you.

Attagirl fuckin’ squeezin’ me like that.

Gonna fill this little pussy up; make you mine, baby girl.

All you could do was frantically buck your hips into his as your mind slowly settled back down to earth, the overstimulation already fogging your brain again.

Frankie’s cock pounding into you, the brick scratching lightly at your exposed skin, the chance of someone turning the corner and catching you two like this — it all felt too good and another high came crashing into like a fucking train before you could even recover from the first one.

Frank crashed his lips into yours to keep you both from moaning out into the wind. He couldn’t hold back anymore as your walls clenched around him again and he fucked into you even harder as he filled your cunt with hot, white ropes of his seed.

You stayed in each other’s arms for another moment, panting and trying to catch your breath. Frank’s forehead rested against yours as he let out a shaky laugh.

“Holy shit, sweetheart,” He kissed the tip of your nose and carefully slid out of you, your feet slowly sliding back down to the ground.

“Holy shit yourself, Frankie,” You gripped his shoulder reflexively to keep from falling on your face, even though Frank’s strong hands held you firmly in place in front of him.

He laughed a fuller laugh this time, smoothing your dress back down over your shaky thighs. He pulled you into his chest and planted a kiss to the top of your head.

“Let’s get you home, you fuckin’ tease,” Frank winked at you before sliding his arm around your waist.

You let out a gasp of feigned shock, your hand coming to rest over your open mouth.

“Francis! I would never,” You couldn’t even finish your thought without a giggle bubbling up from your chest.

Frank just grumbled a sarcastic Mmmhhm and pulled you closer to him before heading off in the direction of home.

It was going to be a long night and you couldn’t be more excited about it.

#Spotify #frank castle #frank castle fluff #frank castle smut #frank castle x reader #frank castle fanfiction #frank castle x you #the punisher #jon bernthal #beardthalbash

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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youtube

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addict-rat · 1 year

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Your Eyes Betray You

Summary: You have a rivalry with Zemo and his team, but you also have mixed feelings with him, in one mission you both finally end up saying what you feel and more.

Words count: 2880

Paring: Helmut Zemo x F!Reader

Warnings: +18 Explict, swering, very poorly written smut, wall sex, semi-public sex, unprotected sex, fingering, p in v.

Author’s note: Buenas, I just want to say a few things, frist this is my frist smut written in english, that leads to the second thing english not my first language I know a bit of the language but still learning so I used a translator from time to time if you see a mistake in the grammar or in general please let me know, I accept criticism but I don’t tolerate hate comments or similar. I probably gonna write more fanficons so I accept request in the future and I in the process of writing a Namor fanfic x!Reader. Gracias enjoy the fic :D

My masterlist.

Your career as a government agent was going pretty well. Not long ago you had been promoted to a position now you have your own team of agents to lead although you still had to follow orders from your superior, Secretary Ross. you could say that you had done everything to be where you were now, and you knew that one day you would be in a higher position than the one you were currently in, you worked hard to have a record of success in most of your missions, that was one of the reasons why you were given this position, however everything changed when you met your now "enemies" the Thunderbolts.

Thunderbolts was a team similar to yours except they had two supersoldiers, Ava Starr better known as Phantom, Justin Hammer and criminal mastermind who more than once could take you down. While your team was not bad, the problem was that it turns out you were not the best person to lead, since most of your life you had and preferred to work on your own.

Valentina and Ross were on the same path, therefore Thunderbolts and your team ended up on the same mission so you saw them very often, they were a headache for you because you knew you had a half chance of succeeding in the mission and a half chance of losing because of them.

Everyone already knew each other, it was like seeing co-workers who had been together for many years, but as team leader you knew all the opposing team better, especially their leader.

Helmut Zemo.

Being both team leaders you had faced him before, at first you could say you had no opinion of him, after meeting him on a mission where you lost, you began to hate him especially when you realized how much you found yourself thinking about him, you were not going to admit the obvious you had to stay focused on what mattered.

You weren't a fan of missions that involved having to infiltrate parties and looking like you were enjoying being there, usually these types of missions you would send someone from your team, but this time you had to go, so there you were finishing your fifth drink. You were waiting for the host of the party to come out of his office so you could go and get some files that could put a big f behind bars, you heard in one of your headphones that he had already left his office and that you could move on, so you preferred to go and finish the mission instead of having your sixth drink, you walked straight to where there was a crowd of people dancing.

"I thought you didn't like these kinds of events" you pulled away a little when you saw how close you were to him "I don't I'm here beacuse of work, look like you a really having fun" you said in a mocking tone "I'm here beacuse of work too and your distracting me, can you even fight in that? "You tried to ignore the previous comment even though you still felt that feeling that had become recurrent in your stomach and you knew that he was the reason for your behavior. Your thoughts left you when you heard one of your colleagues telling you to hurry before he went back to his office "I don't have time for this and yes I can fight in this" you said walking to where you should have been a few minutes ago.

You felt someone pulling you by your arm so hard that you ended up glued to the body of the man who had pulled you, obviously it had to be the last person you wanted to see here and who in fact you were expecting to see.

The mansion you were in was so ridiculously big that it took you a little longer to get there, in some corridors there were people around so you had to find another way or wait for them to leave. You were a little more relieved that you were so close, you just had to look for the files and leave being as cautious as possible. Already in front of the door you looked to the sides before placing your hand on the door handle but before you could open the door, you were a little scared since no one had warned you that someone was already inside but your concern was gone when you saw Zemo in the door frame, the two looked at each other for a few minutes, you still did not understand how he had arrived so fast.

"If you are looking for the same as me, good luck, I doubt you will find a copy" whenever he was in advantage or beat you he always put that mocking smile, you saw him walking away while you doubted if you were really looking for the same or were different motives of the mission, but still you went after him, you approached him and he stopped walking when you reached him "Do you really want took me into a fight in that dress?" he asked this time looking at you again from head to toe "Do you want to try me? Baron" he approached you, cornering you in the wall "Do you know I love when you use my title?" you were going to answer him but you both became alert when you heard footsteps and you heard your team warning you that someone was coming in the corridor, obviously it was going to be suspicious to see you two standing near the office and there was no time to go anywhere else.

You grabbed Zemo by his coat and pulled him closer to you, you whispered an almost inaudible "sorry" before you started kissing him, obviously nobody was going to suspect two lovers looking for a place to be alone, at first Zemo was a little astonished he didn't expect you to do that, but he understood that it was to cover the two of you and not to raise suspicions, so he didn't let go of you, his leg got between yours applying some pressure, which made you moan in the kiss, he took the opportunity to dominate more the kiss and taste inside you, you didn't want to admit it but it was the first time you had been kissed so well.

You remembered that this was your chance to look for the files in his coat, your hands traveled through Zemo's coat, trying to find the files but he noticed what you were doing, he took your hands and slammed them against the wall, pulling something out of you between a sigh and a moan, something you were going to regret later "You like that don't you? You like it when someone else takes control" He said close to your lips, you started to move your hips a little on the leg he had between yours, you did it by mere instinct you hadn't even noticed, " Egear are we? " He murmured as he left a path of kisses from your jaw to your neck, you let out a gasp as you felt his wet kisses, your weak legs brought you back to reality and you saw that there was no one but the two of you in the hallway "T- they're already gone" Zemo let go of your wrists "Yes, I know they left like two minutes ago" he left a kiss on your cheek "Looking for this, Draga? "He took out a small usb from his coat and put it back almost immediately, while you were still stunned and bewildered by what had just happened a few seconds ago.

You followed him down another corridor when you had already put your feet on the ground again, when you got to the corner where he had crossed he was not there, you looked around, but it was useless, there was no one there, you walked back from where you came but you saw from afar that a group of people were coming and you saw that from the other side of the corridor as well. For a moment you were paralyzed, but they dragged you to another small room, that looked like a cellar or something similar, the room was only illuminated by the small lines of the shutter that almost completely covered the window of the door.

"What..."

You couldn't finish.

"Shhh."

"Don't shhh to me"

He put his hand on your mouth "Shhhh" you heard murmurs that were going to close where you were, you did not pay attention to what they were talking, you were more focused on watching him even with the little light that came from the hallway, his dark eyes staring at the door where he had you nailed, you saw how he frowned to concentrate on what the other people were talking, his dark hair well combed and how soft it seemed to be, you wanted to pass your hand touching him.

"Enjoying the view?" He ask with that cooky smirt and removed his hand from your mouth "I do, although I preferred the way you looked in the hallway" he tilt his head, his hands went to your hips "You didn't look at me like you hated me... but you don't, do you? Well you did at first, but then you pretended to" Your eyes widened in amazement, after all this time you were still impressed by how capable he was of reading you despite how good you were at pretending.

"Your eyes, your eyes betrayed you" he replied as if he knew what you were going to ask, it was no secret that he no longer saw you as if his gaze could kill you, at first he detested you especially you being the one who had beaten him a few times, but that had been a long time ago.

Your lips approached his, when it finally looked like your lips were about to touch his, he moved a few inches away from you "Tell me what do you want, darling?" You bite your lip, his hand slowly went down to the hem of your dress, caressing your thighs under your dress "Please, please Helmut... Touch me, make me yours please fuck me please" you begged pathetically for the other man to touch you, you never thought you would beg like that for anyone ever in your life, but for him, you didn't mind doing it.

This time it was his lips that found you and he drank you in almost the same way he had done in the past kiss, his kisses went down to your neck and his hands this time went up your dress to your waist and into your panties playing with the now wet fabric, you were about to beg for more, when you heard the rustle of the fabric tearing, You gave a gasp of astonishment that quickly turned into a more erotic one as you felt his fingers in your wet folds "You won't need these" he said finishing removing your panties "You already so wet for me" one of his hands took your leg to lift it a little, your fingernails dug into his shoulders to steady you.

"Don't stop Zemo ples...Ah" Two of his long and thick fingers penetrated into your wet cunt, his fingers curled in that place that made you forget where you were. "Ah" you moaned loudly feeling how his fingers stretched you and at the same time his thumb started massaging circles in your clit. You began to feel that sensation in your belly that indicated your orgasm was beginning to form, your nails dug deeper into his shoulders. His lips so close to yours that you could feel his breaths heaving and he could feel your gasps and moans.

"Zemo... I..." His lips caught your lips in a kiss before you could raise your voice any more, you heard footsteps and murmurs outside, across the hall but they gradually receded. "You have to be a little more quite, my love... As much I would love to hear you, we can't let anyone hear us, do you understand?" Zemo asked you shortly after you came down from your state of pleasure. "Yes, Baron" you said he kissed you again, this time a little shorter "Good girl" you were surprised when he turned and your face pressed into the door, you heard the sound of his belt unbuckling as well as the zipper of his pants, one of his hands was on your hip gripping you tightly then you were to find the bruise in the shape of his hand on your hip, with his other hand he said the tip of his cock was moving in your wet folds "Stop teasing me, baron please" a choked moan came from your lips as you felt him slowly penetrate you, it was much bigger than you had thought, your count trembling with the strecht as inch after inch.

You both let out a sigh when he fully stettled, both of his hands on your hips "Fuck, you're so thigt" He whisper in your ear leaving a path of kisses and hickeys in your neck, you moved your head to the side leaving him more space, you let out a loud moan when you felt his teeth penetrating the skin between your neck and shoulder "Oh! Don't mark me you possesive... Oh fuck" you whimper when you felt how he came out completely and penetrated you again in a single movement, his nails dug into your hips while he came out and entered you in a constant pace, Zemo grabbed you by the neck turning your head so he could kiss you, his kisses were hungry, a little violent, you tried to follow the same rhythm as him returning him with kisses full of lust and needy, you didn't separate until you were both out of breath, a loud moan came from your lips when he hit that place that left you wanting more, your back arched and he noticed it by the way your legs weakened and by the way your walls squeezed his cock, his pace this time faster hitting that sweet place. Even though you wanted to be quiet because you were not exactly alone, anyone could pass through the hallway and hear you, but Zemo made it difficult for you to be quiet, his arm grabbed your hips while the other one massaged your clitoris, a gasp escaped your lips from the pleasure he was giving you, it wasn't a few minutes later when you felt your second orgasm come again.

"I'm so close... I'm gonna come" you let out a loud moan "Come for my draga" he grabbed your neck bringing your head to his shoulder, he applied a little pressure to your neck, which brought you to your second orgasm with a sigh and a gasping moan, Zemo waited until your breathing was no longer so agitated and came back with the same pace he had before. You felt his seed fill you deep inside your walls, you heard profanities between Sokovian and Ingles in between cut off by his agitated breathing.

After a few minutes you both had come down from your euphoria, you felt Zemo's lips on your bare shoulder, his short but affectionate kisses were going up to your cheek, his hand grabbed your jaw returning it to his face leaving a soft and affectionate kiss on your lips, you kissed him back, you let out a whimper in the middle of the kiss when he came out of you, you felt his semen going down your thighs "We could have had fun a long time ago... you know it was much better than I had fantasized..." you weren't going to admit that you had also dated him in this way, but that wasn't something you would say out loud at least not today. you know it was much better than I had fantasized" you weren't going to admit that you had also fooled around with him in this way, but that wasn't something you would say out loud to him at least not today. You both began to arrange yourselves to hide any kind of evidence. You looked for your panties on the floor, when you found them they were torn "Great, now I have to go back without underwear thanks Zemo" you said showing him your ruined panties, Zemo took them out of your hands and put them in his coat "I will buy you new ones, and next time I won't tear them" you both left the room and walked down the hall "So now we will do this on every mission we see each other" You smirk devilish "I can't promise you that I won't, but I'd prefer it to be somewhere more private" they both laughed a little "What a strange way to propose a date but ok I'll take it" they both headed for the exit and went their separate ways to where each team was waiting for them, and there Zemo noticed that you had removed the usb.

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dixonlvr-online · 2 years

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Build-a-Dad

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x F!Reader

Warnings: Swear words, violence, suggestive content

Genre: Fluff with a little spice

Challenge: Reluctant caretaker / Up against the wall kiss (alt. prompt) @flufftober / "Are you serious?"

A/N: Not exactly a wall but it's the thought that counts ;)

Day 35 of the bridge project was going well. You’d been enjoying your time at camp, believe it or not. Days spent building supports and chatting with friends, nights spent sitting around campfires and then retiring to your tent with Daryl. What more could you ask for?

Today, you were nailing boards onto the bridge’s structure beams. It was all coming together, and spirits were generally high, if you didn’t count the Saviors. You held a board up for someone to hammer, watching the rushing water below you. Behind you, you heard Aaron regaling Daryl with his tale of changing Gracie’s diaper. You smiled, knowing Daryl would have no idea how to respond.

“Sounds like good times,” was what he came up with. You snorted, lifting a hand to cover your reaction. Aaron spoke again, and you grew still at his words.

“You’ll see,” he said. You glanced at Daryl, watching him stiffen. Aaron chuckled at his reaction.

“What? You’d be a great dad,” he said. You smiled in spite of yourself, picturing Aaron’s words and knowing they were true. Daryl shrugged him off, but he caught your eyes before returning to work.

The two of you weren’t opposed to children. In fact, you’d talked about having them before, and you were both in favor. There just hadn’t been a good time. Aaron, curse his good intentions, had distracted you with his offhand comment and got you thinking about children.

Imagining Daryl as a dad, knowing how amazing he would be. He was the most caring person you knew, and he was so good with Judith and Hershel Jr. You bit your lip, heat rushing to your face. God, and he would be so hot as a dad.

Before your mind could turn to other thoughts, there was a commotion behind you. You turned to see one of the Saviors, Justin, on the ground, little Henry standing above him. You quickly scanned Henry for damage, but saw none. Only Justin seemed upset as he got to his feet, snapping at one of his companions.

You gasped when he reached out for Henry, but relaxed when he was apprehended by Daryl. They exchanged words, and before you knew it, Daryl was punching the holy hell out of Justin.

You watched in awe, never quite getting used to your man’s fiery temper. Not that you hadn’t seen him fight plenty of times, it was just that it never grew less mesmerizing. He was so fluid, so powerful, you struggled to peel your eyes away.

Daryl kept hitting and pushing, nearly sending Justin over the wall. You shook yourself out of your trance and rushed forward, thinking you should do something, when you saw Rick. He pushed his way between the men and separated them, sending Daryl a knowing look as he continued to fight.

Finally, Daryl pulled away, spitting blood onto the ground. You ran over to him, taking his face in your hands. When his eyes landed on you, his shoulders relaxed, the fight in him fading a bit. He sighed, casting one last glare at Justin, before taking your hand and leading you back to camp.

You followed him without a word, thoughts still racing over the events of the day. The two of you made it back to your tent, Daryl holding the door open for you as you stepped in and closing it behind you.

When the door shut, you spun on your heels to face him. He began to say something, but you cut him off with the smash of your lips to his. He moaned into the kiss, wasting no time in matching your pace.

You held his neck, pulling him impossibly closer. He mimicked your actions by grabbing your waist, pulling your body flush against him. The two of you were so entangled, you didn’t notice you’d been moving until your back hit the pole in the middle of the tent.

Daryl pulled away, breathing heavily against your lips. You met his eyes, loved the way his pupils were blown out with lust. You tilted your chin up, begging him to close the distance, when he pulled away.

“Not that I’m not enjoyin’ this,” he said, “but what the hell’s gotten into ya?”

You grinned, tracing his jaw with your hand. You leaned in, replacing your hand with your lips, eagerly kissing up his jawline. He groaned, tightening his grip on your hips.

“Because,” you said between kisses, “it was hot watching you fight. And I heard your conversation with Aaron today, about you being a dad.” You paused, glancing up at him again. His eyes were drilling into you, awaiting your next words. You smiled.

“He was right, you would be a great dad,” you said, lowering your voice to a whisper. “Let me make you one?”

Daryl’s eyes widened, gauging the seriousness of your words. You smiled mischievously, sliding a hand up his arm slowly, teasingly. He swallowed, gaze flickering between your eyes and your lips.

“Fuck,” he groaned, and pulled you in for another searing kiss. You let him take the lead, gasping when he pushed you up against the pole. The wood was digging into your back, but you didn’t care. Daryl, however, noticed the discomfort of your position and wrapped an arm around your back, cushioning you. You smiled into the kiss, loving this man and how caring he was, even when he was greedily making out with you.

You gently pushed him back, moving the both of you away from the pole.

“Bed, now,” you said.

“Yep,” Daryl nodded. The two of you reconnected and fell onto the bed, not letting up for one minute. A year from now, you would have a baby to care for, to parent, to love with all your hearts. For now, you had each other, and life couldn’t be sweeter.

#flufftober2022 #flufftober #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon imagine #twd #the walking dead #norman reedus

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zombiewhor3 · 1 year

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WE HAVE RULES!

daryl dixon x fem reader

WARNINGS: violence, mentions of gore, fighting, name calling, language, mentions of possible death (no actual death).

A/N: i know it's been forever i've honestly been so busy with school, after school stuff and lots of managing other accounts like my wattpad i was trying to upload stuff on there so my apologies surely i'll have more chapters and one shots out soon it just depends on my schedule and my motivation :)

she could hear the sound of the hammer hitting the nail into the wooden plank as she felt some sweat running on her forehead, she thanked Henry as she took a cup of water from him.

she patted his head ruffling through his blonde strands of sunshine blonde hair watching as he trotted along passing out water to some of the others who were working on the bridge.

she tucked away her hammer and rolled up the sleeves to her flannel as she took a gaze at the rushing water just below the project they were building, she could see men working and the sound of nails being hit was a constant source of noise around her.

she smiled softly looking at the progress they made so far, sure it was a lot more to be done but she never imagined it could go this far, she wasn't even sure the war with the Saviours could end.

She patted one of the hard working Saviours on the back softly before she made her way off of the bridge and into the clearing of the woods that laid out in front of them.

she followed the path built by Rick and the people from Oceanside, a path that connected all of the groups and all of the territories together, one where it was like a giant camp.

she grabbed a large bowl filled of fresh fruit that was placed out on the table, smiling at one of the curly haired girls who sat carving up a new piece of wood to create a stake as her weapon of choice.

young but fierce-full is how y/n would describe her because she looked no older than the age of ten, maybe even eleven if she had all of her gear on and held her large wooden stake.

y/n had her journey back to the bridge after all she was the one in charge while Daryl was out keeping things together at the Sanctuary and the city of Alexandria.

she held the wooden bowl of fruit in her hand, she stood up on a few slabs of wood and whistled out to call the boys attentions to which they set down their tools in their belts and lined up ready to get their share of the food for working.

she didn't have to give them anything, she didn't even have to make Henry go around with a water jug and give these pricks an ounce of the water they worked hard to collect and sanitize.

but she did it because she knew that truly not all of them were bad, she did it because she cared and well she did it because she wanted a future one where she could have a kid someday.

one that was fair and friendly and safe, not one filled with war and the anger of the Saviours around them because even though that's what some of the others wanted it wasn't what she wanted.

hell it wasn't what she believed in.

she stepped off the wood watching as the last man in line tried to grab two but she pulled his hand away, she grabbed one of the apples and handed it to the small blonde boy next to her.

"why does he need some? he's just a water boy!" Justin remarked pulling the apple out of Henry's hand watching as he remained silent and tried to slip his stick out but y/n pressed a hand out to stop him.

she snatched the apple back and placed it back into his hand, "because he's been working to, he's been scavenging the water for you guys, and he's been harvesting fruit" y/n spoke setting the now empty bowl down onto the wood behind her.

Justin reached out to Henry again only to feel y/n push him away, "why does this bitch decide how much we get for rations? you don't work as hard as us men on the bridge it's bullshit!"

he poked a harsh finger into her chest and she swallowed and looked him in his eyes, she licked over her lips silently and she could feel the slight feeling of him pushing her.

she pushed back but quite not as soft, she could watch him stumble softly and almost fall back on his ass causing a soft chuckle to erupt from one of the men pulling apart an orange.

"she almost knocked you over there bud"

the Saviour remarked taking a piece of the orange and popping it into his mouth she watched as he chewed down on it un-expectant to the fact Justin had thrown a full force swing at her.

she closed her eyes feeling her head slightly be thrown back as the punch was so hard she could feel her eye throbbing, she tried to throw a punch back or maybe even reach for her knife but before she knew it she had been tossed against the pile of wood with a loud thump erupting throughout the bridge.

she could feel another swing of his fist strike at her jaw making her bite down on her inner cheek so hard she could taste the fresh copper flavor of blood pooling a top of her taste buds.

she spat out her blood onto the ground her hand on her knife but Rick had stepped in the middle of it, he had been the one to pull him off of her, and he was the one to help up the dizzy y/n.

it felt like her head had hit the wood from how dizzy she was, the world seemed to be a blur and the sound of the commotion and the yelling of people trying to pull him off was almost a quite messy haze.

she could feel the soft feeling of her being lifted up onto the back of the horse, she could hear the muffled foot steps of the horses hooves clacking against the forest ground.

she hadn't remembered much besides the fight with Justin but she had woken up in a dim and dark tent, an apple and a bottle water by her side as she sat up placing a hand on her head and it seemed like she was having a bad hangover from the raging headache that was pushing through her.

she could hear a soft clatter outside the tent to which she pulled it open and slipped out of the tent to see Enid and Aaron who had been waiting for her to awake, they sat at a table and gave her a soft smile while Enid had yet another bottle of water for her.

"How long was i out for?" y/n asked as she adjusted the belt that was wrapped around her, slipping a hammer that rested on the table into one of the empty slots the belt held.

Aaron tried to pull it away from her but she simply took a step back and folded her arms, "how long was i out?" she repeated her question watching as it was Enid who finally spoke up.

"couple of hours i mean you hit your head y/n, you needed the rest especially after whatever happened on the bridge" Enid spoke watching as she took the bottle from her hands and took a sip before patting Enid on the back with a soft sigh.

"they need my help out there, i'm in charge of them" y/n spoke almost as if she had slowed them down, almost as if it was her fault she had been punched in the face.

"you don't need to work y/n, you need to go sit back down before you end up hurting yourself" and even with Aaron's words she wobbled slightly and reached out to grip the table for help.

"i'm fine" she bitterly lied, she knew she wasn't fine, she shouldn't even up and moving if she had a head wound but this was her job, this was how she was meant to live, its how she was meant to be.

"Rick is watching over the crew so rest we promise everything will go fine we'll make sure of that" Enid spoke watching y/n slam down the hammer back onto the table before slipping into her tent.

she laid against the pillow propped for her and tried to close her eyes but it seemed like she couldn't, it seemed like the world was spinning so fast and she just couldn't make it stop.

Daryl had slipped into the tent watching her sit up shocked at the commotion only to see that it was him, she let out a sigh of relief watching as he licked over his lips, his brows furrowing.

"what happened?" was all he said, he hadn't greeted her or anything unless you count the sudden grasp his hand had on hers.

"nothing just a small tussle" she spoke her eyes tracing down to the crossbow that was rested against the side of the tent, she knew that he wasn't buying her lie but it was worth a shot.

"y/n what happened? Who hit you?" he bit down on his tongue as he spoke looking over at his wife who had a slight guilty conscious on her face because she truly did hate lying to him.

"Daryl i'm fine, it was just a small fight no need to worry" she lied again, there was reason to worry, there was a reason to worry because these were the people they were working with, and she knew there could be a chance of this happening again.

he lifted her chin up forcing her to look at him, and even though she tried to hide away at the black and bruised eye she had it was no use because he was staring directly at it.

"who y/n?, just give me a name please" she took in a deep breath before managing to spill the name of the man who had left her knocked out with a bruised and blood shot eye.

"you think hitting a woman is alright?" Daryl spat at the man who stood against the tree forming a stood forming a cocky smile on his face.

“when she’s a mutt like yours I do, besides that bitch needed some common sense knocked into her anyways” his voice had confidence that he was surely gonna rile up a fight, that's all Justin ever wanted was to knock Daryl and y/n out of his way for good.

y/n froze at the words slipped so bitterly from the mans sour mouth as she watched her husbands hands ball up into a set of rock hard fists to which she had grabbed Aaron’s shoulder whispering for him to go get Rick who was still working on the bridge.

“Say it again I dare ya, call her a bitch again” Daryl spat back taking a step closer and before Justin could even push the sentence out the two men were tussling with each other, or well Daryl was starting to beat the living shit out of the Saviour who was pressed against the ground his hands gripping at the fabric of Daryl's vest.

she watched in a shock as he had used a metal pan to strike over his head causing a loud thump to erupt from the silence of the woods.

"Stop it both of you cut it out!"

she yelled at the boys, her hand resting on her husband's back as the others came out of their tents and stopped their jobs while watching in such disbelief at the two men going at it, one of them had their gun cocked and ready to shoot but y/n forced them to stand down.

she could see his fists covered in blood, Justin's face a bloody mess while Daryl couldn't seem to stop punching him over and over maybe until he was a slush of blood but whatever he had planned she knew she had to stop it somehow she needed to separate them somehow.

"stop! please Daryl stop!" no matter how much she cried and begged and tried to pull each of the men off one another it was no use because now it was a full fight.

a fight that caused such a commotion that some gasped at each strike each man had seemed to strike, they were both equally strong, she could physically see it on their faces.

as Daryl had blood from a cut on his face to the bruises Justin had caused lingering over his eye, but with one strike of the metal pan again Justin had almost given up from the way his head was thrown back.

Daryl had broken one of Justin's eye sockets, his nose, and maybe he had knocked out a few of Justin's teeth by the looks of the blood pooling out from his mouth.

it was quite obvious the men weren't struggling anymore or at least Daryl had the bigger advantage as he continued to punch him like a punching bag over and over until he himself was exhausted, but even then he hadn't stopped when his arm felt limp and his fists started to ache from the pain inflicted on them, it had taken Rick and y/n just to pull him off the man and it took Aaron to help hold Daryl back to make sure he hadn't lunged back at Justin again.

"what the hell are you thinking?!" Rick yelled as a hand on his back guided him into the medical tents where Siddiq had began to try and clean up the work Daryl left on him.

Rick had his gun ready, not that he was actually going to shoot Daryl but it was to get the damn point across so the angry man couldn't beat the Saviour to death even though it's what many of the others believed would be right.

both men sat on opposite sides Daryl could feel the cot shift slightly from the weight of his wife sitting next to him, she watched as Enid used a fresh alcohol wipe to clean over his cuts.

"i was thinking that he should know how to treat women, especially women like y/n" Daryl remarked seeing as Rick had gazed down at the nasty mark Justin imprinted against her eye.

"we have rules, and i want to know why you felt the urge to break them? so tell me what the hell happened on the bridge"

Rick remarked his hand slipping back his pistol into his holster watching Daryl's eyes trace against it, Enid had put a fresh bandage against one of the cuts and patted Daryl on the shoulder before she started to focus on the critical patient.

"he was irritated about the rations and tried to take Henry's so i stood up for myself and Henry and i ended up knocked out with a black eye and the next thing i knew i woke up in my tent"

she folded her arms as she looked down at the floor, she could hear Justin spit and she had watched it drop down by her feet to which she pressed a soft and gentle hand against Daryl's chest to prevent him from causing anymore unnecessary damage,

"Daryl you know you can't do this, you could've killed him and then we'd be short a worker you hear me?" Rick could tell that the man who committed the fair act of breaking the rules hadn't even had an ounce of sorrow or empathy for the man laying on the cot with his face broken and bashed into like he was a punching bag.

"what if he killed her? what if he continued punching her before you got there and he killed her? would you just let me work with him without any type of fair treatment, you wanna talk bout rules then talk bout the ones he broke, she has been nothing but kind to those bastards after they did what they did where's that justice!"

Daryl slammed his hand down out onto the empty metal side tray that made both girls in the tent jump softly, he ran his hand over the stubble of his beard and she could see his torn up knuckles.

she was silent, because she didn't know what to say to him, she knew he was right but she still kept her eyes on the ground and her lips sealed shut as a hand was placed on her thigh.

"you're right Daryl trust me i know but we need to set rules, we can't have this behavior from either of you besides after the bridge is done you can go your separate ways"

Rick concluded watching as Daryl still seemed to be left un-satisfied with his response, he slipped out of the tent leaving them be and leaving the two be in there own awkward silence.

"sorry i didn't say anything just wanted to let you two handle it" y/n murmured to him watching as he forced a soft smile on his face, the muscles of his lips turning upwards just so he could give off the appeal he wasn't still as angry as before.

"if he touches or even looks at you wrong i'll kill him you hear me y/n, if i see it or i hear it i won't hesitate and i mean it"

he whispered to her feeling her shiver softly before she rested her head against his shoulder soaking in his warmth.

"i hear you Daryl"

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averagewriter-inthedark · 1 year

Text

Love Across the Galaxy 🌌 | Helmut Zemo Imagine

Contains spoilers for GOTG Vol.3

Link to my Marvel masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Baron Helmut Zemo x Roman Goddess/Guardians!reader (romantic), The Thunderbolts—Baron Zemo, Bucky Barnes, Thaddeus Ross, Valentina Alegra De Fontaine, John Walker, Ghost, Justin Hammer, Taskmaster, Yelena, & Red Hulk (platonic), The Guardians of the Galaxy—Quill, Mantis, Nebula, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, & Cosmo (platonic)

Content Warnings: profanity, light angst, fluff, mentions of death, fighting & violence, spoilers for GOTG Vol.3 (don’t read if you haven’t seen it!) | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 4.9k

Requested 📨 yes/no (rules for requests)

Premise: In which Baron Helmut Zemo, hater of the Avengers and desire to rid the planet of enhanced beings, becomes a member of the antihero team led by General Thaddeus Ross & CIA Director Valentina Fontaine where he meets the legendary group of misfits turned Guardians of the freakin Galaxy and loses his heart to a Goddess with a love for 80s music and talent for cutting of limbs.

Note: GOTG Vol 3 has permanently altered my brain chemistry and I cannot stop thinking about it. Truly the best film since Endgame & it’s inspired me cause I’m also back to loving Zemo again. I refuse to believe Marvel would give us a Thunderbolts film w/o Zemo so I will make sure he’s in this team.

After learning about all the Gods in Thor: Love & Thunder, picture you are Minerva, the Roman Goddess of Wisdom & War (Roman equivalent to the Greek’s Athena) and has cosmic powers similar to the Eternal’s Thena and has been with the Guardians since the events of the first GOTG film.

————————

Fall 2023

“I don’t see why we need these people to help us,” Zemo rolled his eyes, strolling beside General Ross with the rest of the team around them. Once outside the cool breeze hit him, ruffling the lapels of his coat as his eyes squinted from the bright light.

Ross lets out a tired sigh, “Because, Zemo, as much as it galls me to admit it this threat is far beyond what we can deal with. It’s not terrestrial and chances are these…” he had trouble coming up with the word, “let’s just say they’re more experienced for this situation.”

They all stop before the flight line. It’s clear all around them with no sign of an approaching vessel.

“Who are these guys again?” Justin Hammer popped some jelly beans in his mouth. John looks down at the file in his hands, making a face as he does.

“They call themselves…The Guardians of the Galaxy.”

“Oh God,” Bucky moans, immediately making mental notes to protect his mental arm knowing a certain talking animal was on the hunt for it. He was gonna have to sleep with one eye open.

Zemo raises his brow, “Friends of yours, James?” Bucky is not pleased by the assumption.

“I wouldn’t call them that.”

“Aren’t they part of the Avengers?” Ava’s tone is slightly disapproving. While Scott Lang and the Pym/Van Dyne’s helped her, she still got bad rep despite doing what she did to survive.

Zemo, not happy with the idea of working with Avengers, snatches the file from Walker.

“Not technically,” Ross replies while Zemo reads over the page. “They arrived with Thor in 2018 against the first battle with Thanos, remained an associate to the team while continuing whatever the hell it is they do in space, and returned in 2023 to defeat the purple bastard once and for all.”

“Did you fight with them, Bucky?” Yelena asks from beside the soldier.

“Yeah,” the memory appears in his mind. Specifically where he grabbed Rocket by the scruff and spun them in circles to cover more area as they fired off their guns. “Our interactions were brief…but memorable.”

The Baron had seen many things over the years, like the rest of humanity with the formation of the Avengers and reveal of intergalactic and enhanced beings, but to stay he wasn’t thinking, ‘what the fuck?’ by the picture in front of him would be a lie.

An earthling turned ravager, a blue mercenary, a woman with antennas, a genetically engineered raccoon, a living tree, a gray alien that could take down Thor, a man with a metal Mohawk, a telekinetic dog, and an exiled sword wielding Goddess. All misfits and outcasts, mostly space criminals turned superhero guardians of the cosmos.

Well….they were quite the bunch.

“They are not still with the Avengers, I take it?” Zemo wanders around, eyes lingering on the Goddess. White streaks adorned her natural hair color, eyes gold and lips painted with what appeared to be a permanent smirk. She wore a gold and white headpiece that had an owl extending its wings.

Name/Alias: Minerva, Goddess of War; Race: Deity; Planet of Origin: Caelum; Age: approx. 2500 yrs (39 Earth yrs); Occupation: Warrior/Mercenary/Defender of the Andromeda Galaxy; Allegiance: The High Council of Caelum (formerly), Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, God of Thunder, The Avengers (formerly); Abilities: Cosmic manipulation, enhanced strength, agility, speed, & durability, thermal detection & mental teleportation; Specialization: artillery and battle strategy.

Ross let out a sigh, “only when the planet is about to go to shit due to an intergalactic threat. Which we’ve now got on our hands, but considering the Avengers are all on sabbatical I’m sending you in,” he checks his watch, “but I need all the extra hands and like I said, they’re experienced.”

Zemo stares at the blank sky, “How will we know they've arrived?”

“Believe me,” Ross mutters under his breath. “You’ll know.”

A loud rumbling noise caught everyone’s attention, gazes turning upward as a hexagon shaped breech in the sky revealed a very large spaceship in its wake, followed by the distinct lyrics of AC/DC’s ‘Back to Black.’

“Back in black. I hit the sack. I’ve been too long, I’m glad to be back. Yes, I’m let loose. From the noose. That’s kept me hanging about.”

“Oh my,” Yelena breathed out, hair flying back from the gust of wind. Zemo lifted a hand to cover his face from the leaves, as did the others, many wide eyed.

“I’ve been looking at the sky. ‘Cause it’s gettin’ me high. Forget the hearse ‘cause I never die. I got nine lives. Cat’s eyes. Abusin’ every one of them running wild.”

“Great song,” Justin voiced, grinning from ear to ear. The ship made its descent, music getting louder.

“‘Cause I’m back. Yes, I’m back. Well, I’m back,” it approached the tarmac, “Yes, I’m back. Well, I’m back, back.” wheels hit the tarmac, engine powering down but music still blasting, “Well, I’m back in black,” the ship doors opened, revealing steps extending to the ground, “Yes, I’m back in black.”

It was almost like a scene from a movie. Slow-motion if one will by how the Guardians exited their ship and stepped foot on the tarmac with AC/DC on full volume. All dressed in their new suits of red and blue leather with the Ravager flames on the chest.

Arriving in style.

Quill led with the rest flanking his sides. Drax munching on snacks while Nebula looked menacing and Groot towered over everyone. Cosmo had her tongue out in excitement, Rocket carrying his gun strapped to his back. Mantis’s chin held high, like she was on top of the world and Kraglin trying not to appear lost. Lastly Minerva was drinking a caprisun, Ray Bans covering her gold eyes.

Zemo tilts his head in amusement at the sight. He expected the Goddess, of war nonetheless, to have a more menacing approach like Nebula considering her reputation. But she was just as relaxed and laid back as Drax.

The Guardians walked several paces until they were directly in front of the Thunderbolts. It was then the music stopped, Ross being the first to address them. “You sure know how to make an entrance.”

Quill gave a smug grin, “We know.” Hands go to his hips, “You’re wearing a suit so you must be the boss man. Although I believe there’s also a boss lady we’re here to do business with.”

“Director Fontaine is currently occupied. She’ll be arriving in the morning.”

“I assume we won’t be knowing a damn thing until that happens, huh?”

Ross tightens his lips, “You assume correctly.”

“I told you we should’ve handled it on our own,” Minerva’s glances to Quill annoyed. Surprised by her voice, Zemo's eyebrows raised at her sudden input. Her accent was slightly Italian given her mythological origin is Roman.

Quill clicked his tongue, “We don’t have authority here, Minnie.”

“Midgard is part of the Andromeda Galaxy. Technically we should.”

Now the man was giving her a pointed look after Ross’s body language turned defensive, “I’d rather not get our asses thrown in Earth’s prison system. We go by the rules—the ones we established.”

Minerva grumbles under her breath, finishing the last remnants of her juice pouch, “Would’ve finished the job faster. They wouldn’t even know we were here.”

“Okay well, we’re doing things this way. We’re here as a team to work with a team. Right, Mr. Secretary?”

Ross’ disapproving eyes linger on Minerva, who in return rolls her own, before turning his attention back to Quill, “Yes. Now let’s move on shall we?”

He lets out a breath of relief, “Agreed.” Bidding a warning look to each of his teammates, they all wait for what the man in the suit has to say. Ross extends a hand to the people on either side of him.

“This is my team. All with different levels of skill and experience. Justin Hammer is our tech and weapons specialist,” Justin gives a wave, “Yelena Belova,” Ross points to the blonde in a white tactical suit, “former Black Widow and master assassin.” At the mention of Black Widow Rocket, Nebula, and Minerva all tense, faces becoming solemn at the memory of Natasha. They were the three remaining Guardians during the blip, becoming close with the Avenger.

“Ava Starr, she can phase through anything,” they all look impressed, finding the talent cool. “Antonia Dreykov, who we like to call Taskmaster.”

“Why’s that?” Kraglin asked intrigued.

“She has photographic reflexes and can mimic your fighting powers. Basically use your own moves against you.”

“Niceeee,” all the Guardians echo. Ross points to the two individuals in between Zemo and Yelena.

“Our super soldiers, Captain John Walker and I believe you all know Sergeant Barnes.” Bucky tightens his mouth with a curt nod.

“You still got that arm on ya?” Rocket muses, earning a nudge—well more like a kick—from Minerva. The rest of the Thunderbolts besides Bucky all become wide-eyed at the talking Raccoon…even though it said on the file he could.

But how the fuck else were they suppose to react to a talking raccoon?

All Bucky does is glare, “Don’t even think about it.” Rocket shrugs, “Worth a shot.”

“Why is that one carrying a giant frisbee?” Drax’s mouth is filled with Zargnuts. Walker, the man in question, becomes visibly offended.

“It’s a shield not a frisbee.” Zemo bites back a smirk at the soldier's tone. Not to mention the Guardians' reactions were priceless.

“A shield?” Mantis repeats confused.

“It’s a frisbee,” Drax mumbles.

“Like that circular object Minerva conjures to deflect attacks,” Nebula tiredly explains. Mantis’s mouth forms the shape of an ‘o’.

“And lastly,” Ross sounds just as exhausted as the cyborg, “Baron Helmut Zemo, former intelligence operative.”

“I am Groot,” Zemo’s attention goes to the tree alien, confused by his words. Minerva, seeing his expression, addresses it, “He says he likes your fancy cape.”

‘Cape?’ He thinks, but doesn’t comment on it and his perplexed reaction makes Minerva smirk. Instead Zemo says, “Well, I appreciate the compliment. Thank you.” Groot’s pleased, grinning wide like a child.

It’s then Quill’s turn to formally introduce the Guardians. The Thunderbolts bite back their own amusement at the nicknames and surprise of hearing the dog, Cosmo, speak through her suit with a distinct Russian accent. Afterwards Ross leads them all into the hangar, Minerva removing her sunglasses now that she was inside, allowing her gold eyes to be visible.

From there they all interact, awkwardly for the most part as they have no idea what the hell to do as they wait for further instruction. It soon becomes bickering and even challenging someone in hand-to-hand combat.

Well, what can you expect when a team of heroes meet a team of villains/anti heroes? Rivalry at its finest.

“Any day now, Quill,” Minerva groans, relaxing her stance. Across from her several feet away was Walker, confused by why she was taking so long to attack. They were standing in the middle of the squared off area with the teams surrounding them, but giving enough space to avoid being in the crossfire. Quill was scrolling through his Walkmen.

“What’s he doing?” Zemo whispers to Kraglin, eyes flicking back and forth from the human Guardian and the Goddess.

“Trying to find a good fight song. You know, get the vibes going.” Out on the square Minerva lets out a loud huff signaling her annoyance was increasing.

“Just give me another second—.”

“Quill.”

“I almost got it.”

“Pick a goddamn song!”

“Fine!” Quill shouts, randomly selecting the first one his finger hits. A second later Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry Like the Wolf,’ blasts through all the speakers attached to the Guardians arms. The antiheroes become perplexed, while also noting the song choice. Justin and Yelena started to bop their heads.

“Darken the city, night is a wire. Steam in the subway, earth is afire. (Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do)”

Minerva smirked, retaking her stance. As she lifts her hands, cosmic energy around her consorts to physical matter, taking the shape of a spear and shield in either hand. Wide eyes take over the Thunderbolts.

“Woman, you want me, give me a sign. And catch my breathing even closer behind. (Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do)”

“Wow,” Justin exhales. “In touch with the ground. I’m on the hunt, I’m after you.”

“That’s so cool,” Yelena muses, others muttering in agreement. “Smell like the sound, I'm lost in the crowd. And I’m hungry like the wolf.” Keeping his admirations to himself, Zemo watches the scene unfold in silence.

“First one to step or get thrown out of the square loses,” Bucky shouts over the music, “Ready….” Walker clutches the strap of his shield, Minerva twirling her spear once, “Fight!”

“Stalked in the forest, too close to hide,” Walker lets out a cry, charging at the Goddess. “I’ll be upon you by the moonlight side (Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do,” Minerva blocks his attack, pushing back slightly only to crouch to swipe at his legs, “High blood drumming on your skin, it’s so tight,” Walker dodges her spear, but fails to avoid her kick to his chest, sending him backward. “You feel my heat, I’m just a moment behind.” He brings his shield up in time as her spear barrels down at him. “Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.”

They continue their one-on-one for several minutes, both coming close to getting the other out of the square and the song changing to ‘Cherry Bomb’ by The Runaways—a favorite amongst the Guardians. The entire time Zemo was mesmerized to say the least. Every move she made was effortless, showcasing strengths and ability to predict Walker's moves.

He hadn’t felt such attraction to a woman in so long. And here he was experiencing a feeling that was almost unfamiliar.

Ultimately Minerva wins the battle in what one would call a divine move. At the peak of the song, Minerva’s golden eyes glow bright resulting in the eyes of the owl headpiece to also glow and become animated. It takes form, coming to life and soars straight at Walker, throwing him off by covering his face.

“What the—uuugh!!” He’s flying through the air, back meeting the harsh ground with an audible groan. The owl leaves him, returning to Minerva and consorting back into a headpiece. When it does her eyes dim back to their normal hue. Her team broke out into whistles and hollars, meanwhile Walker’s were unimpressed.

“Guardians for the win!” Rocket cheered.

“I am Groot!”

“Never underestimate the power of Duran Duran!”

Minerva helps Walker up, “Not bad, soldier.” As she turns to head off the pad, her eyes lock with Zemo’s and a wink is sent his way. Heat rises in the Baron, glancing away to hide his smirk.

Oh boy, trouble was on the horizon.

Next Yelena went against Nebula. Their fight was even more intense and nearly ended in a draw. Eventually Yelena overpowered the cyborg and got her to step out of the square. It was a tie. Groot and Rocket teamed up against Ross in the form of the Red Hulk—which took a lot of convincing—the two claiming the win after fooling the General. Taskmaster beat out Quill, handing his ass to him which had the Guardians in a heap of laughter.

“I enjoyed that more than I should have,” Minerva teases, crossing her arms as she takes a spot beside Zemo. He glances at her, mirroring her expression.

“Not a common occurrence for your friend to lose a fight?”

She scoffs, “You’d be surprised by his record.”

Lastly Bucky went toe-to-toe with Drax, and of course Rocket had to yell, “Take his arm and give it to me!” And well….it ended with them tackling each other out of the square.They didn’t know who won at that point, so the teams were tied 2-2 initiating a debate on who should be crowned the best.

“Okay, let’s call it a day,” Ross announces, ending the squabbling between the groups. “Night’s upon us and frankly I could use a drink. We’ll return here first thing in the morning—7am sharp to discuss the threat and where to go,” he turns to Quill, “we’ve got sleeping quarters arranged for you all if you please. Otherwise my guess is you’ll remain in your ship?”

About an hour later, after both teams settled for the night, Zemo decided to take a walk around the flight line. It became a habit of his since joining the Thunderbolts. A way to clear his mind after a long day of briefings and training. He basked in the peace that came with being alone, but there were times he felt lonely and longing for company to share the peace with.

Ten years since losing his family and the pain never strayed. Yet, he managed to live with it. He accomplished his goal in 2016 when he tore apart the Avengers. Likely is to blame for the loss against Thanos resulting in half of the universe’s population turning into dust for five years.

Did he feel remorse for the consequences of his actions? Possibly. Did he regret it? No. At this rate he’s accepted the reputation he painted himself to be.

“Zemo, correct?” The sudden intrusion spooked the Baron, jumping slightly by the glowing eyes in the darkness. A moment later Minerva stepped into the lighting, eyes dimming to normal. She was still in her suit, though her hair was pulled back, white streaks seeping through the natural color.

“Yes, but you may call me Helmut,” he replied, nodding in greeting to the Goddess.

“Helmut,” she tests the name, “like the headwear people use when they ride bikes or spacesuits?”

“That’s one way to look at it, but yes I suppose so.”

“Interesting. What brings you out this late in the evening?”

He shrugs, “wanted to get away from the constant complaining of my comrades,” eyes go to the sky, “and I like to admire the stars.” Minerva moves to his right, glancing up as well.

“They’re much more incredible up close.” He peers down at her, not bothering to question her judgment. She lives in space after all.

“I bet so. I’m sure the view from here is nothing compared to what you’ve witnessed.”

She shrugs, “These stars you don’t even know if they’re still alive. It took years—possibly millions—for the light to reach Earth.” Zemo looks back up, focusing on the North Star.

“For all we know they burnt out ages ago.”

Their eyes connect, Zemo feeling a weight on his chest by the intensity of her gaze. It’s followed by unease when she says, “Natasha told me about you.”

Instantly he looks away, feeling an unfamiliar wave of dread. “Ah.” Here was a discussion he was not expecting, nor willing, to have.

But Minerva didn’t show criticism. In fact, her gaze and tone resembled understanding. “How do you do it?” The question took him aback.

“Do what, exactly?”

“Align yourself with people who go against what you stand for?” Minerva’s tone wasn’t condescending at all, only curious. “Most of your team are enhanced individuals—two are super soldiers to be exact. You went to many lengths to disband the Avengers and put an end to superheroes,” there’s a slight tilt of her head, eyeing the Baron with intrigue, “but you join a group consisting of people who fall between the spectrum of hero and villain where most are the exact thing you wished to eradicate. Not to mention led by two people you wouldn’t say you share similar moral values with. Why join them?”

For the first time in his life, Zemo was at a loss for words. Not a single word uttered as he tried to comprehend what Minerva had just confronted him with. How could he explain? Hell, he didn’t even know the real truth other than wanting to stay out of his cell. A big price to pay in exchange for freedom.

Minerva spoke again before he could respond, “I once committed an act similar to you,” the surprise is evident on Zemo, “Vengeance against those who were responsible for the death of my loved ones. It’s why I was exiled,” a frown appears, her attention returning to the stars. “So I understand you, probably better than anyone here. Understand why you committed those acts to destroy the Avengers. I don’t fault you for what you did—if I did it would make me a hypocrite. You’re not the villain Ross and the Avengers made you out to be.”

“How so?” His voice is strained, “what have you lost?” He didn’t mean to come off as defensive, but the conversation was bringing up emotions Zemo didn’t want to face.

“As Goddess of War all I knew was bloodshed. How to prevent it and how to fight it. Battle strategy was my domain, and the High Council knew better than to question my judgment,” she releases an exhale, “but Mars, the God of War and my brother, was my ultimate rival. He hated how much our father doted on me and agreed with plans I coordinated. It made him feel inferior. He’d do anything to prove himself.” Her tone remains neutral despite the painful memory surfacing.

Zemo remained quiet, picturing the scene as Minerva relayed it. Though stoic the Baron could see the pain and sadness lurking behind her eyes. Managing it as best she could for the sake of her friends. Who knows how many years it’d been since she lost whoever it was close to her. But the hole would always remain.

“To put it short,” she started again, bidding a glance, “Our home was under attack and his rash decision to slow down the enemy led to the death of my family—my husband and children.” Sympathy arose in the Baron, understanding her anguish, “An intentional move on Mars’ part because he believed I wouldn’t be fit to remain on the High Council after stuffing such a loss, therefore he would take my place as Head Commander of our armies and my father’s second Command.”

“He wasn’t exiled?” The question left Zemo before he could stop it. Confused by how the God avoided persecution for his crime, Minvera was shunned. “Your family was targeted.”

Minerva’s smile was bitter, “because their deaths were a result of war, the High Council viewed it as collateral. They failed to see Mars’ responsibility, believing he didn’t intend to kill them. So, I took it upon myself to bring justice. Not only to Mars but also the High Council.” Her smile fell once more, “I made sure they would pay. And they did, but it was far from over after finishing the job. Those who survived didn’t hesitate to throw me out to the wolves once I was contained.”

Zemo nods his head, “where did you go afterward if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I was imprisoned on Xandar for some time,” well they certainly had some things in common, “Once I escaped I became what your people would call a bounty hunter. Where it led me to meeting those clowns I now call my family,” she pauses before adding, “and escaping prison for a second time. Only it was to save the Galaxy.”

The laugh that escapes Zemo surprises him, “I guess it all worked out then.” Once more they lock eyes, twinkling against the stars shining down above.

“I suppose it did.”

Three Years Later

Zemo raced out the door the moment he awoke to rumbling that shook the foundation of his home. After three years he’d recognize the sound in an instant, only this time it was without warning.

An action that rarely occurred.

Throwing on his coat and house slippers, the clock read 2:30 am, flooding the Baron with worry. ‘What is she doing here at this hour?”

Usually when Minerva drops in she gives Zemo a heads up. A day or two’s notice, but recently he couldn’t get a hold of her and passed it off as the Guardians on a job. With the unexpected visit, so late at night, Zemo instantly knew something was wrong.

Hurrying out to the front lawn right as her ship landed, Zemo jogged to where the stairs extended. When they did, the doors revealed his Goddess, still wearing her suit, standing before him. Zemo noted the exhaustion painting her demeanor. Dark circles beneath her eyes, which appeared dimmer than usual, and scars indicating recently healed wounds.

His arms are around her the moment she’s within distance, her own around his neck, “This is a surprise.”

“Sorry I didn’t call,” the exhaustion was evident in her voice. Barely above a whisper causing Zemo to tighten his hold.

“It’s alright, darling. I’m just glad to see you are okay,” his hand runs along her hair, “wanna tell me what happened?” He hears her sniff, increasing his dread, “Close call?”

“Too many,” her voice cracks and there’s a pause. “We almost lost Rocket. We saved him thankfully, but then we nearly lost Peter. And I almost—,” she stops short, not wanting to relive her near death experience. “This was…it was too much for all of us, Helmut.” A kiss is pressed to her head, offering comfort.

“Let’s get you inside, mein schatz.” Zemo leads Minerva into the home, sitting her in the living room while he goes to put a kettle on the stove. Filling two cups of cherry blossom tea, Minerva’s favorite, he joins her in the living room.

After taking her first sip of the brew, Minerva removes the headpiece from her hair and makes herself comfortable before giving Zemo a play-by-play of the past three days. He stays quiet, listening intently but visibly reacts with each awful detail Minvera relays to him. From the unexpected attack from Adam Warlock, to the disgusting abuse Rocket endured at the hands of the High Evolutionary, to Quill nearly imploading in space had it not been for Adam’s change of heart.

Zemo’s knuckles turned white when Minerva spoke of what happened to her. Anger consumed him and he wished he had been there to protect her. Seeing his distress Minerva placed her hand on his, gently squeezing, “I’m okay, Helmut. I’m here now and we all made it out. There were many close calls, but we’re all alive and that’s what matters.”

Taking her hand, Zemo brought it up to brush his lips against her fingers, softly kissing her knuckles. “I don’t know what I would've done if I lost you, Minnie. I—-,” he stops himself to exhale, squeezing his eyes shut, “I would’ve found a way to fly across the galaxy to avenge you.”

“I know you would,” she murmurs, removing her hand but positioning herself in his lap. Arms snake around his neck, pulling him so they were inches apart. “I’d expect nothing less. Also I’d be a hypocrite considering I would do the same for you.” A playful smirk formed, “I was already plotting when Ross let you get captured by those bastards last year. Had it ended any other way, Ross would cease to exist.”

Zemo snickered, “I see we haven’t really changed completely despite our friends believing the opposite. Neither of us hesitating to return to old ways if it comes down to such circumstances.”

She smirks, “No, I don’t suppose we haven’t.”

“What a pair we are,” leaning in, his lips meet hers in a soft caress. Warmth seeping through his veins. That effortless high he believed he’d never have again after the loss of his family.

But he found it with a Goddess in the stars. Where love swept across the galaxy.

When they pull away after a moment, Zemo keeps his forehead against hers. Gold meeting brown. “I’m not sure I can let you go now, liebling. At least not for a while.”

“You never have to anymore,” her words have him startled, the man pulling away slightly to get a better look at her.

“What are you saying?”

Minerva’s gaze turns soft, though there’s slight nervousness, “After everything we all realized something. We found the family we were searching for, but some of us needed to find ourselves. Peter’s here on Earth to find his grandfather. Mantis is off on her own adventure. Drax and Nebula are on Knowhere to help raise the children we saved from the High Evolutionary. Rocket and Groot are leading a new era of the Guardians. And me,” she stops, emitting a gaze full of love that takes Zemo’s breath away. “I’d like to be here. With you, Helmut. If you’ll have me.”

If his heart could explode from the happiness Zemo was feeling it would. Tears were threatening to prick his eyes, the Baron willing himself to remain composed. “Oh, Schatz,” he croaked, cupping the side of her jaw. “I should be the one asking you that. Of course I’ll have you. I love you more than every star in the galaxy.” With that he kisses her, putting all his love and passion it causes her own eyes to water.

“I love you too,” she kisses him again. They remain on the couch, falling asleep eventually curled up in each other’s embrace. Their last thoughts filled with joy as they awaited the new adventure on the horizon.

An adventure just between them. A reinstated Goddess and a fully pardoned Baron opening the next chapter of their lives. Together.

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myveryownfanfiction · 27 days

Text

18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

tags: @illiana-mystery, @ali-griff

warnings: swearing, smut, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it kids)

AN: it took so damn long and I’m sorry but here it is!

It was a game we played, Justin and I. How long it would take for the other to lock eyes. Usually, I won. Justin always had the biggest crowd around him so it wasn’t hard to find him. And he was always on alert, knowing I was looking at him fairly quickly. I looked down, blushing. It was almost like a sea parting when Justin broke away from his group and made his way over to me, excuses being used over and over again.

"Why hello there." Justin said softly, hand coming up to my elbow. “I noticed you looking at me from across the room. Like what you see?”

"You know I do." I whispered back, hand coming up to smooth over his tie. Justin smiled at me, the kind of soft look in his eyes that only I got to see. "What do you say we get out of here?" I made a small show of looking him over, relishing in the small blush that covered his cheeks.

"I wouldn't say no to that." He said, carefully leading me to the door. "The only question is your place or mine?" I laughed quietly as we passed the group that had surrounded him earlier. Men and women alike scowled at me as we passed.

“how about yours?” I said, turning to look at him with a smile. Justin nodded.

“we could do that.” He nodded. “Did you get your bed replaced yet?” I blushed and ducked my head as he opened the door for me, watching as the limo he arrived in pulled up.

“not yet.” I whispered. Justin looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Oh come on Justin, I’ve been busy. Work happened. Bed shopping isn’t high on my list right now. The mattress is fine so I’m not terribly concerned.”

“it will be when i show up unannounced and the next day i have back pain.” He teased, helping me into the limo. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

“so buy me one.” I leaned into him and smiled smugly at him. “You do like to spoil me.” Justin chuckled, drawing me in for a kiss.

“I really do.” He hummed, pulling me deeper into the kiss. Making out made the drive seem shorter than it actually was, the two of us stumbling out of the limo and into the house. Justin pinned me against the wall, kicking the door closed behind him. “I’m not worrying about it that right now though.” I hummed in agreement as he picked me up, letting me wrap my legs around his waist. Justin pulled his jacket and vest off as he adjusted my weight in his arms.

“so you plan on spoiling me another way?” I teased as he pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it into the pile of clothes. Justin chuckled as he ducked his head and buried it in my neck. He slowly nipped and kissed at my skin as he pulled me away from the wall. He carried me down the hall to his bedroom, softly setting me on the bed. I moaned as he started to kiss down my chest. I reached down and threaded my fingers through his hair, making Justin look up at me. He pulled off his glasses and tossed them on the bedside table.

“perfect.” He murmured as he kissed my stomach. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Justin.” I moaned, tugging on his hair. He smirked at me as he moved back up to kiss me deeply. My hands fell from his hair and settled on his back. “When did you take off your shirt?” I laughed. Justin smiled at me.

“someone’s already cock drunk.” He mused. I rolled my eyes as he went to kiss me again. I felt him fumbling with my pants, trying to take them off before he took his off. “A challenge. I like it. Let’s see how fucked I can get you.”

“Justin.” I moaned as he teased me with the head of his dick. “Please.” He chuckled as he slid into me. “Fuck me.” I moaned, my head falling back.

“I think I am darling.” Justin laughed, burying his head in the crook of my neck and he started to thrust into me. “Oh fuck.” He moaned as I brought my hips up to meet him.

“I’m not the only one fuck drunk.” I giggled as his hands started to roam. “Justin…please.” He sucked at my skin, marking me as his. My head tilted back even more and gave him more access.

“what do you need?” He breathed out, pulling back and hazel eyes meeting mine. The love and lust there nearly knocked the wind out of me but I pulled him back down for a kiss. “Tell me. What do you need?”

“harder.” I panted. “Fuck me harder.” Justin groaned as he complied. I dug my fingers into his back, my nails leaving small marks in their wake. Justin moaned. His fingers dug into my hips, pulling me up to meet his thrusts. They grew sloppy as Justin added a matching mark on my collarbone. I moaned as I orgasmed.

“fuck.” Justin moaned as he followed me over the edge. He collapsed on top of me, breath coming in short bursts as he tried to catch his breath. “You alright?” He asked, lifting his head and propping his chin on my chest.

“im good.” I said, reaching up and playing with his hair. He smiled softly at me, squinting slightly. “How are you? Do you need your glasses?” He shook his head.

“I’m good.” He assured me, reaching up to grab one of my hands and bringing it to his cheek. Justin turned to kiss my palm, making me blush. “Hmmm. Something about you blushing at a small and vanilla after we’ve just gotten down and dirty is kind of endearing.” I gently shoved at his face.

“shut up.” I laughed. Justin smiled at me again before grabbing the blanket and pulling it over us. We curled up around each other before drifting off.

#Justin hammer #Justin hammer x reader #Justin hammer fanfic #justin hammer fanfiction #justin hammer imagine #sam rockwell #sam Rockwell x reader #Sam Rockwell fanfic #sam Rockwell fanfiction #Sam Rockwell imagine

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lipglossanon · 3 months

Text

When You’re With Me I’m Smiling

⁂—————✵————— ⁂

Ark Thompson x fem!reader (one shot)

Warnings: cute fluff!, kissing, flirting, cheesy banter 🤭 Ark’s just a soft boy who I wanted to write ✍️

not proofread 👌 kinda came out of nowhere and wrote this in like an hour 🫣

Title from Lady by Styx 💜

⁂—————✵————— ⁂

He’s quiet. Something you’ve come to appreciate the more you work with other agents. His friend Leon tends to be a smart ass on the best of days, so when Ark is the only one teaming up with you on projects (no sandy haired menace in sight), you can breathe a sigh of relief.

He works hard and keeps his head down, but also jumps into it when he needs to get his hands dirty. You tend to stick to the admin side of things, being the researcher and liaison for the missions you both take on for the agency. All in all (when you’re not able to work with Rebecca) Ark is your next choice on the roster.

It’s how you both end up working late nights, ordering Chinese takeout and comparing which 90’s boy band had the worst hair. This particular Friday evening is the great debate between 98° and LFO on who is least remembered.

“If it wasn’t for Nick Lachey marrying Jessica Simpson, no one would remember them,” Ark points out, spearing a piece of broccoli onto his fork and pointing it at you.

“Exactly,” you roll your eyes, reaching for the soy sauce, “they’re more recognized because of the association. No one in hell remembers LFO.”

Ark cracks a smile at you, tossing a fortune cookie at you, “Alright, I guess I can see your point. I only know the one song by them anyways.”

You gesture with your arm while closing your empty container, “Thank you. I deserve this win after you won against Justin’s ramen hair.”

“Two words: frosted tips,” he laughs as you flip him off and grab your fortune cookie.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” you scrunch your nose, “why was that even a thing in the first place?”

He shrugs easily, leaning back into his chair, “Same reason tribal tattoos around the bicep were in style.”

You both make eye contact before cracking up loudly.

“God, I’m so happy some styles die out with time,” you giggle, standing up to toss your stuff into the trash.

Ark follows suit, walking with you out of the conference room to the nearby break room, recycling what needs to be and throwing away the rest.

“You doing anything this weekend?” He asks, stalling by the door until you’re finished as well.

You fall into step with him as you head over to your desks out in the bullpen.

“Binge some brain rotting television and clean my messy house,” you grin, shouldering him before stopping at your desk to grab your jacket and purse, “what about you?”

He hums and shuffles awkwardly as you slip your jacket on, “I was, uh, going to see if you wanted to meet up tomorrow sometime?”

You frown, “To work on the case?”

You watch as a blush colors the tips of his ears before sweeping down to his cheekbones. His brown eyes dart away and then back to you.

He clears his throat nervously, “Not exactly. I was wondering if you’d want to go out on a date?”

“Oh,” you draw up short, eyes taking in his flushed face and nervous uptic of his lips.

Nodding, you give him a shy smile, “Y-yeah that sounds nice. You have my number, right?”

His smile broadens until you can see a flash of teeth, “Yep, I’ve got it. I’ll call you tomorrow to hammer out the details?”

You laugh, “Maybe work on the sweet talk, huh?”

He flushes harder and rubs the back of his neck, “S-sorry, kinda nervous.”

Chest fluttering with butterflies, you link your arm with his and walk over to his desk.

“We can work on it.”

Stopping to grab some files from his work area, Ark walks with you out into the company parking garage.

“See you tomorrow,” you press a quick kiss to his cheek, “drive safe.”

Smiling bashfully, he rubs the skin you pressed your lips against, “You too.”

By the next afternoon, Ark calls and invites you to try out a new Italian place that Leon swears is the best. Much to your surprise, it’s actually authentic and delicious. You both spend the next couple of hours chatting over pasta and bread, work being completely off the table as a topic. After learning that Ark has never been to the local malt shop (who knew they even still existed!), you convinced him to make that your next stop.

Now, milkshakes in hand, you walk along the pavement to the nearby park, the late evening sun casting long shadows. Coaxing Ark to sit on a bench, you sit thigh to thigh, sharing bites of your cold treats until you’re both giggling and sharing sticky sweet kisses. Sitting your empty cups to the side, Ark takes your face in his calloused hands and presses the softest of kisses to your cold lips.

“I’m glad you agreed to go out with me,” he murmurs in the small space between your mouths, “I’ve been crushing on you for months.”

Your eyes light up, giddy excitement bubbling in your chest, “Really? I never picked up on it.”

Ark grins, thumb coming up to tug your bottom lip down, “Kept it close to the chest, didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You melt into him a little, nipping his thumb before leaning in to kiss him more firmly than before. Losing track of time, the sound of cicadas alerts you to the late time when Ark finally pulls away from you, lips looking bee stung and swollen (you’re sure you don’t look much better).

“Let’s get you home,” his voice comes out rough, sending chill bumps skating across your skin.

Holding hands from the park to his car, he only lets go to help hold open the door for you to get in before climbing into the driver's seat and taking your hand up once more. He randomly kisses your knuckles as he drives, shooting you soft little smiles that make your heart beat fast. Making it back to your apartment, Ark walks you all the way up to your door.

“I had a really wonderful time,” you bite your bottom lip, feeling a little zing at the soreness you feel from your earlier make out.

“I did, too,” he rumbles, eyes dropping to your mouth before flicking back up to your eyes, “can I kiss you goodnight?”

“Please,” you breathe out, hands reaching around to tease the soft brown hair at the nape of his neck when he leans down into your space.

With a soft groan, he kisses you deeply, tongue licking past your swollen lips to rub against yours. You eagerly suck on the slick muscle as your nails scrape against the base of his skull. A deep hum echoes from his chest making you press the dough of your thighs together. He pulls away, resting his forehead against your temple as you both catch your breaths.

“I’ll call you when I get home?” The last word lilts upward as in a question and you smile, stepping back to your door.

“I’d like that,” you murmur happily.

He grins, boyish and charming, “Alrighty. Have a goodnight.”

He dips back in for a quick kiss to your cheek and leaves back to the elevators. You quickly unlock your door and slip inside. Once you’ve shut and locked it back, you slump against the hardwood with a sigh. Feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl, you laugh out loud and press a hand to your lips.

Seems like Ark might take the top spot as your favorite partner to work with from here on out.

#lipglossanon #lipglossmasterlist #ark thompson #ark thompson x fem!reader #ark thompson x reader #Ark Thompson x you #resident evil survivor au #resident evil fic #fluff #fem!reader #resident evil au #resident evil fanfiction #don’t ask what this is cause I have no idea lmao

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frostironfudge · 2 years

Text

I Think I Met You In My Dreams Once - Bucky Barnes - Epilogue

Summary: After receiving an honourable discharge from his military service that was caused by the loss of his arm, James Barnes begins to come to terms with several things. He also finds solace in youtube videos, memes and on social media, where he happens to find you.

Pairing: Ex-Military!Bucky Barnes x Fem! Plus Size!Reader (Modern AU)

Chapter Warnings: fluff, angst, swearing, smut, praise, car sex, oral f receiving, p in v, fingering, making out, smut, dirty talking, a little angst from reader's dad, fluff, hurt/comfort, love, happy ending.

Word Count: 11.6k || Dividers: @firefly-graphics

Fic Masterlist || Main Masterlist || AO3 || Fic Playlist

Chapter Fourteen

Matt holds his breath, standing as they wait for the Judge to take her seat at the Bench. He hears Bucky open and close his fist rapidly.

“Barnes.” Matt whispers to remind him to not be nervous they had this in the bag.

“I know…” Bucky takes a steadying breath.

“I know, I feel it too, Barnes.” Tony mutters.

“You may be seated.” The Honourable Judge Ramonda speaks, her voice clear and powerful. There is a rush of sounds as everyone takes their seats.

“We have observed this trial and several branches of its tree. This trial took us to two countries. Involving several misdemeanours and even the usage of a firearm. The jury has deliberated for the entirety of the assigned two days due to the volume of the case load.” She gazes across the courtroom.

“Jury, do we have a verdict?” Ramonda gazes at the jury panel, as a man stands.

“Yes, Your Honour.” He says, gulping nervously.

“Alright. Let us begin in the case of the intellectual property stolen from Mr. Anthony Stark and without patent production of the stolen bionic device the accused are Justin Hammer and Elmore Beck.”

“The Jury finds them guilty on all counts your honour.” The man reads from the paper.

Tony and Bucky breathe slightly easier.

“In the case of Elmore Beck and the embezzlement of 75.4 Million US Dollars across 15 countries?”

“Guilty on all counts.”

Matt breathes easier.

“In the case of Mr. Quentin Beck using a firearm on Mr. James Barnes.”

“Not guilty.”

Bucky purses his lips as your gasped, “What?” reaches his ears. He turns to look at you shaking his head.

“They considered it self defence.” Matt mutters, Tony scoffs, earning a pointed glare from the Judge.

“In the case of Quentin Beck being involved in the financial embezzlement?”

“Not guilty.”

“In the case of Quentin Beck coercing Mr. Brock Rumlow?”

“Guilty but your honour, the jury would request his sentence be lessened as it is evidenced he was being abused by his father, since childhood, we think he was forced to put his name into this entire ordeal.”

All eyes move to Quentin, who on cue begins to shake his shoulders and has to have his own legal team quietly console him.

You look at the Judge, her expression impassive.

“We shall consider the Jury’s request.” She announces.

You bury your head in your hands. Bucky gazes back at you, he knew this was not the outcome you wanted. Nor did he, but he knew Beck would weasel his way out of the case. It was all decided on the fated day in the office.

“Ms. Sharon Carter for supportive coercion?” The Judge gazes back at Sharon.

“Guilty.” The Jury informs, Sharon bursts into tears.

You look back up at Bucky, the Judge’s voice fades as his blue eyes greet yours, silently providing support to each other. Matt taps his shoulder, Bucky faces forward. Tony gazes back apologetic.

You dare to look at Beck, who gives you a smirk and a wink. You glare at him, turning away tuning into the Judge assigning the years to the crimes. When it comes onto Quentin’s one guilty count. Your heart breaks as she says six months.

Justin and Elmore are led out in handcuffs first. Followed by Sharon, Quentin is held back.

The courtroom erupts into chaos, there is a flurry of reporters wanting to get one final comment. A bite of content. Tony’s security head, Happy Hogan enters to lead you all safely outside, in tow with more security.

You move from the seats as Bucky waits for you before everyone continues walking. A harsh tug pulls you back. Bucky stumbles with you as your hands were intertwined.

“You’re going to regret choosing him, little princess.” Quentin Beck sneers, you pull your arm away from his harsh grip.

“I think you should understand and grasp that I am happy with my James. My only regret is ever allowing you to hurt me.”

Bucky steps in front of you, “Beck, back off. You were given your judgement. Respect it.”

You grab onto Bucky’s arm, he gazes down at you.

Quentin moves quickly, hand raised,

“Bucky!” You warn, trying to pull him back, his hand leaves yours and the punch is held inches away from Bucky’s face.

The officer swiftly grabs Quentin’s free hand pulling him back.

“I am warning—,” Quentin is tugged away before he can say more.

Bucky turns cupping your cheek, “I’m so sorry, Doll. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t ever try to get close to you again.” he promises, gaze moving to your arm, he breathes easier as he realises the fucker didn’t hurt you.

You cup his palm with your own, “I’m okay, just, just, want to go home.” Bucky nods, looking up to Happy who is speaking to the officers and is making sure Beck’s behaviour is added onto the list of things he has done.

Once you are led out into the hallway, Matt leads you all to a smaller conference chamber.

“Press is outside and scavenging for something.” He says, hands resting on his hips.

“We’re trying to have the cars be there and have you all just be moved safely, however, do not engage, make statements. Also you will be lead to Stark Industries HQ and then free to go home.” Happy explains.

“Your addresses have been sealed, but incase there is a leak please let me know, I will arrange the necessary formalities.” Matt nods as everyone mumbles out an affirmative response.

Bucky places a protective arm around you, as he guides you down the steps, there is a flurry of flashes and shouts as you all make it to the lined SUVs with tinted windows. You find yourself pressing more into Bucky’s side, his voice somehow even as a whisper is loud among the crowd.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you, just a few more steps. Doll, you’re doing well, focus on me okay?”

You don’t understand why you find yourself overwhelmed even as you sit in the SUV. Bucky makes sure to have you tucked into his side.

“You okay there?” His brows furrow with worry.

“I, I just feel overwhelmed.” You admit, gazing up at him.

“I’m sorry, I thought it would be better if I had you with me.” He cups your cheek, biting his lip with more worry, “Fuck, Doll, I’m so sorry.”

“Bucky, this it isn’t your fault.” You shift the partition between the driver and your seats was up and you really, really wanted to be near him.

“But—,”

“Bucky, no, just, no, this is not on you. Do you understand? I think the crowd and what happened inside threw me off. I have you, I feel better, thank you for getting me through that.” You push off your shoes, moving to straddle him. Fingers running through his hair as he gazes up at you.

You knew this look intimately, the way he ran his eyes all over you, the way his palm would follow, cataloging every part of you. Even a hair out of place wasn’t missed by his observation. You were subjected to this gaze even on video-calls that had gaps between them, it was his way of making sure for himself if you were okay.

“Bucky,” The warmth of your thumb brushing over his cheekbone brings him back to you, he nods.

“I’ve thought about it you know.” Bucky knows what he’s doing, he shifts his hips, you bite your lips.

“Ab-about what?” You’re acutely aware of his thumb brushing over the sweet spot upon your neck.

“What it would be like, to have my pussy squeezing my cock in a car.” His pupils dilate, tongue moving over his bottom lip, “How you would have to bite down on my skin to stop your pretty little moans. Fuck, Doll.”

Bucky groans as you grind down on him, his words turning you needy by the second.

“How long?” You question, fingers playing with the button of his shirt, you were wearing pants and—, “About twenty minutes away.” Bucky informs you, thinking of how would you pull this off.

All his thoughts fly out the window when your lips press fervent against his own. Your lips are haven and Bucky lets himself drown in the taste. His palm on your ass tightens, squeezing the flesh as a speed-bump has you both moan in the kiss.

You shift back as Bucky undoes the button on his pants, the deep navy suit sending you into overdrive now that you’re finally taking it in, you shift back into your place taking your own pants off. The clothes remain discarded on the floor, Your shirt undone will he can have a perfect view of your tits.

His shirt completely off, boxes and pants pulled down to the thighs upon which you’ve made a complete mess.

Bucky’s thumb moves over your clit, your hips press down almost begging on your behalf for more.

“Look at you, so needy, my pretty little Doll.” He praises as your grip on his shoulders tightens, “Come on,” He whispers, hand moving from your cunt to your hips to guide you to him, slowly as you sink down on his cock, Bucky groans as he bottoms out.

You breath in short pants, feeling stretched out and full. Oh so full.

“Bucky—,” you mewl as the car moves over a speed bump, making him thrust inside you and you clench around him.

“You’re doing well, I’ve got you, want to move Doll, think you can?” His lips move along your chest, biting down as you begin to move, his palm stays on your hipbone, guiding you.

Groans begin to fill the car, your voices melding as you begin to lose every fibre to Bucky, his taut shoulders and muscles as your hands begin to wander, retracing your etched sanctuaries upon his skin.

The car pauses at a signal, your movements continue, Bucky stops you as he is halfway inside and he thrusts into you, hard, his pace quickened as your head thrown back, the wet sloshing of your arousal fills the car. as the signal starts you lurch, clit pressing deliciously on his pelvis you cant help but cry out.

“Bucky, Bucky, Bucky, please, please, please—,” you choke on a moan as his thumb finds your clit again, Bucky watches you intently looking so beautiful on the brink of bliss. His own cock throbbing, needing release. Your walls clenching trying to keep him in, your head falls forward as you clench tighter around him.

“Not going to last long, Doll.” He groans as you bite down upon his shoulder, moaning against his skin as your thighs begin to shake, indicative of how close you are, Bucky and you both pick up the pace, movements swift, bordering on sloppy.

Words whispered, praises falling from lips, a prayer of each other’s names. You press your lips to Bucky’s as your orgasm takes over you triggering his own as he cums inside you. Aftershocks move through your body, Bucky’s movements on your clit slow down to a stop.

The glass is fogged, Bucky begins to pepper you in soft kisses.

“Did so good for me, so good Doll. Fuck just want to stay buried in you all day.” He nuzzles into the crook of your neck.

“Want you to stay inside me too.” You murmur, you feel him twitch inside of you and he groans as your cunt clenches in response. Both of you absolutely addicted to each other.

“Let us get cleaned up. Otherwise I’m going to have to keep you in the car for the remainder of the day.” Bucky chuckles when you swat him, but the two of you know he is very much capable of getting his way.

You place a kiss to his chest, right over his sternum, Bucky closes his eyes savouring the soft tender moment. When your hands return to cup his cheeks, he kisses both of them. A soft blissful smile on his features.

“God I could use a whole drink after that shit show with Quentin.” Tony plops down on the couch in the room, most of the building is free, since he knew it wouldn’t be a productive day and everyone go a head start on the weekend. Bucky nods in agreement.

Peter goes over a few things with Tony, as he seeks advice on his other projects and softwares, Bucky admires the dynamic the two share.

You both were presentable enough to pass what occurred in the car as a heavy make out.

When the elevator doors open you stand from your own place and run upto the people coming out, Bucky beams as he watches you lift Morgan up as she comes in running with Peter followed by the babysitter Tony had called for them.

Her arms wrap around your neck and she giggles as you say something. Then Morgan gazes at Bucky then whispers something to you. Making you laugh, you meet his gaze from across the room. Whispering something back to her, Morgan squishes your cheeks to make you gaze back at her.

“Juice Pops!” She announces loudly her excited squeals as you lead her towards the kitchen.

“I see Mr. Barnes is having thoughts.” Tony saying in a teasing manner, but the smile on his face has him know it comes from a place of respect and love.

“What are you implying?” Bucky wonders, eyes immediately finding you as you still hold Morgan while animately telling her a story as she eats her treat with a smile.

Morgan had immediately taken a liking to you, even so far as to trusting you with her favourite crayons within an hour of knowing you. Not even Bucky had that honour till date.

“You see a picket fence future don’t you?” Tony just smiles when Bucky’s eyes widen.

“Well, yes. However there are complications…” Bucky admits.

There was what you wanted to do post your bachelors, if you even wanted to settle in this country, his little plan involving your dad, you had moved into his apartment for this trip of yours and Bucky couldn’t help himself but imagine it to be your life together.

Alpine loved snuggling on you chest, Bucky had several pictures of the two of you napping. The apartment started feeling more and more like home.

“Ask her, I know she won’t say no to it, they way I see it are two people in love who do have a future together.” Tony chuckles as Morgan tries to run in your little game of catch the crook as you speed behind her humouring her agility.

“It is a lot to ask of her.” Bucky purses his lips, looking down at his palm, thumb tracing over the callouses on his skin.

“It is upto Y/N to decide if it is a lot for her, James, complications exist and will persist, you yourself know that, you’ve been through hell. If you have a chance at happiness, grasp it.” Tony stands as Morgan and you make your way over. He pats encouragingly on Bucky’s shoulder.

“You two are endgame, Mr. Barnes.” Peter adds with a smile. Bucky shakes his head amused.

Morgan lifts up her arms and Tony picks her up with a smile, “Hey kiddo.”

“Hi Dad.” She places her head on his shoulder, giving a wave to Peter and Bucky.

“Did you have fun with Y/N?” Tony enquires, mouthing a thank you to you as you settle down next to Bucky.

You mouth back a your welcome before you rest your head on Bucky’s shoulder.

“I did, she let me have more juice pops, and she told me a funny story from her childhood.” Morgan recounts the events as Tony listens intently, his gaze softens as she yawns tiredly.

“Wanna go home?” He questions she nods, “Peter come on, I’ll drop you home too.”

Peter grins, they all wave as they move down to the basement to leave in the cars that Happy had arranged yet again.

Bucky looks at you, your fingers playing with his while you’re lost in thought, Tony’s words echo in his mind, and one set of keys in the key ring weigh heavy in his bag and heart.

“Hey Doll?” he takes a deep breath.

You look up at him with a smile, “Yes, Bucky?”

“I want to take you somewhere… are you up for it?” He seems nervous, your brows furrow but you nod.

“Is everything okay?” You wonder, he nods.

“Everything is, just, I have to do this today.” He says, standing grasping your hand and leading you back to the basement parking.

The drive is silent, Bucky’s leg bounces and you recognise the area outside even at dusk. It’s near his mom’s home. You gaze up at him questioningly.

“Are we visiting, mum?” You wonder, he shakes his head but smiles at you calling her mum as well.

“Not exactly but the place is about eight minutes away from here.” He explains and you pass by the neighbourhood where she stays.

The car stops in front of a quaint house, with exposed brick and a little pathway lined with small solar lamps, Bucky rummages through his bag before joining you at the pathway.

“Remember I asked you a question, a while ago?” He says as you walk upto the main door. You do a double take recalling the conversation.

“Bucky did you, did you—,” You stutter, the key turns and he opens the door, letting you enter first.

He finds the main fuse box, the house lights up.

You gasp at the layout, its more so empty but the back windows are large and give a beautiful view of the back yard. The wooden flooring expands across the large floor and there is a short staircase leading up.

You turn to Bucky, tears brimming in your eyes at what this implies for the two of you.

“I, I had spotted this on the market, at first I was going to rent it out, but something about it made me extremely selfish,” He intertwines your hands leading you towards where the kitchen is, it’s almost exactly as you had described to him.

You reach out to touch the countertops, hand running over the stone. The windows here also provide a view of the yard.

“I want a future with you.” Bucky tells you, you look up at him. “i’m not saying today, right this minute, but I see us in home as this, surrounded by kids making a mess of the kitchen, us waking up in turns to change diapers, driving you around, having firsts with you in our home. A life with you. I want it, wherever you want to stay I will give you the future you deserve.” His eyes are brimming with tears, you reach up to wipe the ones escaped with your lips, then you pull him in for a kiss. Searing with your love for him, salt mixes into the kiss.

Bucky grins lifting you to the counter, your legs wrap around his waist. He has his answer. He knows he has a future with you. He thinks to the small box tucked away in his sock drawer at his mother’s house.

“Thank you.” You mumble out, hugging him tightly. You can see it too, anywhere in the world with him, but right here you could make this house a home together. Warm scents filling the home, soft corners full of memories. A backyard full of giggles and mirth, Alpine claiming the spot that would be warm.

Bucky and you growing old together.

Two Months Later.

You giggle for the umpteenth time Bucky huffs, lugging his suitcase into the boot of Steve’s car. He gives you a glare as you stick your tongue out at him, your much lighter suitcase having zero effort needed.

“Remind me again why my suitcase is heavier?” He grumbles and Winnie rolls her eyes at his childishness.

“Because I have a closet of clothes waiting for me.” You remind him.

“Should leave some of my clothes there too.” He mutters, going back inside to give Alpine more head scratches and snuggles.

“He’s in a mood because of the software bug.” Steve explains, he doesn’t know the details but Bucky was ranting off to him, Winnie shakes her head.

“Nothing, Y/N can’t handle.” She adds with a smile, you look away with a smile on your face.

“True. True.” Steve agrees, Sam emerges with more cookies from Winnie’s cookie jar making everyone laugh.

“Take care of yourself okay?” Winnie faces you, hand running over your head.

“I will.” You promise.

“And if he doesn’t take care of you, you call me.” She smiles, “Oh I’m going to miss you, i know it’s just three weeks but I’m so used to having you both come over so often even if you both are in Brooklyn most of the time.” She smiles again, as she pulls you into a hug.

“I’m going to miss you too. I have so much happiness when I spend time with you.” You hug her tighter, Bucky moves out of the house, his anger dispels in the slightest at the two of you hugging.

“Cookie?” Sam offers and Bucky takes it from him.

“How many did you eat?” Bucky questions relishing the taste.

“You got the last one.” Sam shrugs, some how producing another cookie out of thin air. You look at Sam, he holds out the cookie as was promised to you.

“To think I kept beating him at UNO for this initial denial of cookies.” You shake your head, Sam grins.

“It’s good payment.” He laughs.

Bucky huffs as he walks over to Winnie, she gives him a pointed look, “I’m sorry, Ma, but you know how it is and we’re leaving—,” He quiets down when she continues the warning look.

“I know you’re passionate but you don’t have to be grumpy about it okay? You will figure it out.” She pats his cheek, “Now give your mother a hug.”

Bucky pulls her into a hug, it reminds you of a picture they have from when he was ten, the soft smile on his face reminiscent of baby Bucky. You whip out your phone taking the picture. Sending it to Winnie knowing it will be printed and hung up somewhere in the house.

You look through your gallery, heart warming at the picture you took of her wall, in your second week of visiting her you noticed new picture frames. Upon closer inspection your heart caught in your throat. The three frames were simple white bordered, each contained a picture, one of Winnie and you and the other of Bucky and you.

The third was your favourite, it was Winnie, Rebecca, your mom of the laptop on FaceTime, Bucky and you. A small family full of laughter and love.

When you look up Winnie is in front of you, a warm smile on her face, “I love having pictures in the house, I started the tradition from my own home before marriage, always wanted to pass it down through the family. Bucky has pictures scattered but not enough, also always make digital copies as back up.” She advises.

“I, you don’t know how much love I felt by that simple gesture. I feel, you make me feel like a part of the family.” You admit, throat tightening with emotion.

“You are family, Y/N.” Winnie reminds you, you simply hug her in response.

Bucky watches you both speak with a soft smile on his features.

“When are you doing it then?” Sam whispers and Bucky gives him a glare.

“Shut up.” Bucky rolls his eyes.

“What she cannot hear me, hey Steve can you hear me?” Sam whispers.

“Loud and clear,” Steve guffaws as Sam shows him his middle finger.

“So when.” Sam demands.

“Not for a few months at least.” He says, straightening up as you walk over.

Steve and Sam exchange a look, you raise a brow at them.

“Come on love birds you have a plane to catch.” Steve adds, all of you wave at Winnie as the car pulls out of the driveway.

Sam scrolls through twitter and looks back at Bucky.

“What?” You ask on behalf of him.

“The jail where Beck is being held? It had conflicts internally, list of prisoners injured severely include his name.” Sam reads from the article, Bucky shrugs.

“He probably didn’t control his mouth.” Your boyfriend reasons, adding another shrug and Steve catches his gaze from the rearview mirror.

“Possibly, he does have a punchable face.” Sam turns back, Bucky finds your curious gaze.

“Did you…” You tilt your head, even the thought is absurd, “Lock the balcony door at the apartment?” You switch the question and Bucky nods, seemingly glad you didn’t ask further.

What you didn’t need to know, you didn’t need to know.

The flight back home was delayed by three hours, you groaned as you plopped down on the seats near the gate.

“I know, but you can finish up grading assignments.” Bucky suggests, taking his own laptop out, the furrow in his brow returns as he glares at the screen trying to find the answer to the stupid bug.

“What if you rewrite it? I know that is taxing but, you could know then where the issue is?” You offer,

“I think I can figure it out.” He snaps, “Doll, I’m sorry just, this is really important…” He meets your gaze, you don’t say anything. You knew the timing of the trip became inconvenient the second the software crashed. Despite your insistence Bucky had wanted to come along. He hated the thought of being in different timezones.

You then retrieve your own device, work did tend to stress him out but he knew when he would cross a line or say something, it wasn’t frequent but you had your fair share of angry snaps at him too. So you understood and the two of you would return to what happened and why and would sort the matter out.

Living together, adjusting after a period of distance and all the stuff you two had been through, it wasn’t easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy. Relationships took work beyond three words, gifts and sex. You both learned that during the distance and learned to apply it while being together.

Your work finished and Bucky was still staring at the same goddamn lines. He knew he shouldn’t have spoken to you that way, he raises his gaze from the screen to you, reading a book now with your headphones in, he sighs, opening up a new page entirely and rewrites the code from scratch.

After ten minutes, he realises what was wrong. You were right, if he had just listened about an hour ago. Bucky closes his eyes, exhaling. When he looks up you aren’t in your seat. He retrieves his phone.

Doll🌸: Have gone to get coffee, bringing you one as well.

Doll🌸: You looked busy so didn’t want to disturb you.

Bucky🌻: Thank you, I’m sorry I snapped at you. Your method worked, should have just listened to you.

The read notification comes in but you don’t respond to him. Bucky thinks of texting you again when he spots you holding two cups and a paper bag under your arm. He grabs the bag from under your arm setting it on the hand luggage and the cup that you offer him.

“I’m sorry.” He says again, you sigh.

“It isn’t okay, but I can understand why.” You let him know.

“I know. Your method worked, in ten minutes I figured it out.” He says with a smile, you play with the edge of the cup.

“Was actually your method… When I snapped at you two weeks ago, about the essay… you said the same thing. Figured it would work.” You meet his bright blue eyes, he smiles.

“We’re too stubborn aren’t we?” he observes.

“At times yes.” you chuckle, “Oh also I got an email while in line at the coffee place.” You hold up the email as Bucky’s eyes scan the contents he grins widely.

“Congratulations, Doll!” He cheers, kissing your forehead, cheek then lips.

“I can’t believe it so I’ll begin teaching online only and the timings are adjustable as per my schedule and days available, now I just need to be able to secure a place at uni for masters.” You grin.

“i’m so proud of you, so very proud and you will get that place.” He assures you.

You smile as you sip on your coffee, the money earning was a big check mark to contribute at the apartment towards expenses, even though Bucky’s card sat heavy in your wallet scarcely used unless you were stepping out for groceries.

“The hybrid programme would be great, you know considering everything?” You observe, Bucky nods.

“It gives you a lot of flexibility. More control.” He smiles, extremely proud.

In the two months a lot had changed in terms of your goals and where you saw yourself. Bucky was there by your side supporting you, holding your hand through it all.

You had decided you enjoyed tutoring for the students via your university back in your home country. This new job it was sort of an online tutoring service which expanded across various subjects, they were based in Los Angeles but had tutors from all over the globe offering their expertise.

Bucky was intermittently swamped at work, some weeks you both spent a lot of time together even after navigating your four hours of online learning and tutoring. Some weeks he would find you curled up on the couch with Alpine and his dinner in the fridge with a sweet little note.

He was immensely proud of you and you of him. This trip was for a few things one to begin shifting your base to the US provided you got your placement, two if you didn’t Bucky would move down for you for two years and work as he did while he was there for the whole Hammer-Beck debacle.

Your mother was in favour of either solution, her word of advice? She wanted the two of you happy, wherever in the world that may be.

When you thought about it, you did see a future in either place but the working on different timings, it was awfully reminiscent of the distance.

“Doll?” Bucky tilts your chin, “What’s going on in that sweet little mind?”

“Thinking about the options we have… where and how to live…” You trail off, leaning into his touch.

“Well, we have time to decide that, and factor in other things you know…” Bucky shrugs, “We’ll figure it out whatever it is and however it is, also I can always just leave Stark Industries.”

“Bucky, no.”

“No, Y/N, look I’ve thought about it, living on timezones despite being together? long term, it doesn’t make sense, that was hardly any time to even understand and even then on days where things got crazy we hardly got time.” Bucky sighs,

“I can find coding work anywhere or design apps, what I can’t find is home without you.” He rests his forehead against yours.

“Bucky… you’re planning on giving up so much… home is you, heart is you.” You close your eyes his breath fans over your face, coffee with a hint of lingering mint.

“I’m not giving up anything, I’m gaining all that I’ve wanted, needed, wished for, hell, prayed for on nights I’ve sobbed.” He reveals, your eyes meet his, azure holding so much love for you.

“You decide, even if you want to stay back, I will stay with you.” Bucky gives you all the power, you take a deep steadying inhale.

“We’ll wait for how things pan out, then we will make a Pros and Cons list.” You nod, then nod again. Bucky chuckles.

“As you say, Doll.” He kisses your cheek, “How is that book you’re reading?”

“Oh, its good, morally grey guy,” you begin to explain,

“Your not-so-secret faves.” he teases,

You laugh, “You sound jealous Mr. Barnes, well he’s the CEO of a firm but when he’s pissed off he ruins lives of actual bad people.”

Bucky chuckles, “Sounds like a catch.”

“He is,” You dreamily sigh, he huffs irked.

“Jealous baby.” You deem, taping his nose with your index finger.

“I’m not jealous.” he grumbles.

“Well I have my very own little morally grey man, this CEO holds nothing, to my tech whiz.” You smile up at him, kissing his cheek.

He cracks a tiny smile, he did have one little more morally grey thing to do.

“You’re it for me, James Barnes.” You tell him.

“Good because I am very selfish about what is mine.” He brushes his lips over yours, all coherent thought flies out the window when he pulls you in for a searing kiss.

Only pulling away when the boarding call. Bucky has a smug grin on his face seeing you flustered.

“Be good and we might just have some fun on the flight.” He whispers, tugging on your earlobe as you stand in the line.

“Bucky.” You can’t identify if your voice is pleading him or telling him to behave.

“So you don’t want my fingers buries inside you under the blanket?” He tugs again, nipping at the skin of your neck. You bite your lip.

“Could make you cum so many times, Doll.” Your thighs clench at his promise, a whimper manifesting in your throat.

“Why do you think we’re travelling first class? You can sit on my lap and cockwarm—,”

“Good Evening. May I see your boarding pass and passport?” The ground staff breaks you out of the haze, Bucky hands over the pair of documentation.

“Alright, good to go.” They hand back the documents and you breathe a little easier, then look up at Bucky.

“What?” He questions innocently.

“When I cock warm you, I’m going to make sure you feel each squeeze. I’ll get myself off and you can stay hard for a while.” You warn him voice low so no one else can hear.

“Getting bratty are we?” He smirks, raising a brow.

“You started it.” You reason, he chuckles darkly.

Your cockiness falls out the aerobridge.

“You’re going to have to learn to control that mouth, Doll. Because the entire plane might know what I’m going to be doing to you.” He admires the way you shiver under his heated gaze, you reach the door of the plane, the steward guides you to your seats, offering drinks.

“Savour this, once the signs are off, you’re on my lap.” He squeezes your thigh.

Natasha tilts her head, as you sort of limp towards her, despite having the trolley for support. Bucky has a smug smile, she pieces the two dots.

“Well, well, well, welcome to the Mile High Club.” She grins when you glare at her.

“Geez, what happened?” Nat questions, Bucky only laughs as you mutter something.

“I’ll tell you later.” You grumble.

“You had fun.” Bucky defends, with a shit-eating grin.

“Bucky the poor old lady almost fainted.” You groan at the memory. Nat just starts laughing at your misery.

“But she was okay, also she said the right thing.” He reminds you.

“What did she say?” Nat questions, as your suitcases are placed into the boot.

“With a man like that you should be sitting on him all day, I know I would.” You recount, Nat’s laughter only booms further.

“She also asked if I had a single looking to mingle grandfather.” Bucky adds laughing as well.

“Damn grandma was cool.” Nat observes, the drive is not long since it is still early in the morning. The occasional swirling of ice in Nat’s tumbler keeps you awake. Bucky sends out the messages to everyone about landing safely.

Soon enough you all are in the familiar apartment complex, Nat updates you on the happenings at University, pretty mundane apart from a being a story of you eloping.

“Maybe we should buy a ring.” Bucky jokes as you chuckle.

“If we eloped they might think I’m pregnant.” You look at Nat she nods in agreement.

“That can be arranged too.” Bucky adds cheekily, you lightly swat his chest.

“Oh by the way the mums wanted a catch up dinner, Bucky you’re invited too.” She says as you all enter the apartment, “Food’s in the fridge incase you guys are hungry.” Then she disappears to her room.

You crack your neck and groan, Bucky rests his chin on your shoulder as you peer into the fridge. Arm around your waist, you lean against his chest.

“Hungry?” He wonders, you shake your head.

“You?” You grab two waters,

“Nope, just need to sleep.” Bucky says, kissing your shoulder, you enter your room, looking up at the starlights.

“I missed these.” You admit, smiling up at them.

“I’ll configure it to stay on while we sleep.” Bucky retrieves his phone, pushing you towards the bathroom to change.

When you come out, you sit at the edge of the bed, admiring the lights as Bucky goes to change, he comes out in nothing, your eyes fall to his hardening length.

“Actually I am hungry.” He says, kneeling in front of you, your fingers run through his hair.

“Me too.” You admit, finding your clit pulsing for him.

He chuckles, tapping your hips, you stand helping him take off your PJs. Then sit at the edge of the bed, legs spread apart.

Bucky admires your flesh, kissing over your thighs, stubble brushing against the flesh, “Can’t wait for a taste, Doll.” His tongue runs circles around your clit before he sucks on it, then he traces down to your entrance, humming deeply at your taste.

You fall back, your legs over his shoulders, Bucky nibbles on your clit, your back arches, his arm encircles your thigh, palm resting over your hipbone, he pushes down, anchoring you into place.

Bucky laps at your entrance like a starving man, your moans urging him on, he is painfully hard as each plea from you goes right to his cock.

Your fingers intertwine between the web space of his, your other hand fists at the sheets as Bucky pulls cry after cry from you, alternating between circles, spelling his name, sucking and biting at the flesh, the stars above blur as you lose focus, all you can feel is him, Bucky, Bucky, Bucky, Bucky.

The way your voice reverbs into his being he groans as your hips still try to chase his mouth when he pulls away in the slightest.

“Greedy girl.” He blows softly over your heated flesh, drawing a loud moan from you.

Bucky smirks, at the way you’re losing focus on everything but him, your arousal coats his chin as you gush on his tongue, he groans at your taste, lapping up every drop you give him. Your thighs shake as he kisses his way over your stomach, breasts and sternum, pushing your shirt off. His lips find yours allowing you taste him, his tip moves across your folds, marking himself with you. You whimper, nails sinking into the flesh of his back and shoulder, Bucky thrusts into you, unable to be patient.

“Fuck, B-Bucky—,” You preen.

“So fucking tight.” Bucky groans, pressing soft kisses to your jaw, “Feel so good, Doll, fuck, need you.” He mumbles, you nod in response he begins to move, hips snapping against yours, your nails dig into his back, legs wrapped around his waist, keeping him close.

You clench around him, pleasure fogs your mind, the vein of his length brushes over the sensitive spot stars further cloud your vision. Bucky shifts, kneeling on the bed having your hips rise, you moan feeling him deeper. Bucky loses himself in you, the warmth, you look so fucking beautiful this way, taking him so well, an angel under the soft light.

“Gonna fill you up, Doll. Fuck you look so beautiful this way, so pretty under stars, you gonna cum with me doll?” He questions, his thrust deeper as he slows the thrusts down to make sure to have him imprint every inch of you.

You nod, unable to form coherent sentences, “Mark me, claim, Bucky please—,” You manage to demand, Bucky lets out a filthy groan, your orgasm drawing closer and closer.

“Want me to mark you with my cum, fill this pussy up, fill my pussy up? Have you dripping a mix of us onto these fucking gorgeous thighs? You’re gonna feel me for days Doll.” His words throw you over the edge, you cum with a sob are fiery hot pleasure sears through you.

Bucky loses himself in the way your walls spasm, milking his cock, his lips sloppily find yours he still ruts into you, your hearts beating wildly.

“Bucky?” you question, feeling absolutely like floating,

“Right here, Doll, you did so good.” He praises, your little blissed out smile oh so endearing.

“Do, do you feel floaty?” You question, he chuckles, “I do baby, I’m going to pull out now okay?” he says, slowly moving away, your hands grip onto him, legs tightening.

“Doll—,”

“Don’t—,”

“Not, going anywhere, just want to give you some water and snuggle you.” He assures, slowly you let go of him, he pulls out the wet squelch has you preen. Bucky guides you to move further along the bed, pulling you against his chest, brushing your hair and having you take slow sips of the water.

You nuzzle closer to him, Bucky keeps you close, the stars continue their pattern as the two of you watch quietly.

“You with me, Doll?” He asks after a while, you nod, heat creeping you skin. Slowly coming to yourself.

“Floaty?” He squeezes your side, drawing a laugh from you.

“Nope, not floaty anymore.” You look back up at him, “I love you.”

“I love you.” He smiles, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips.

Slowly slumber tugs at the two of you, Bucky keeps you close as you both sink into sleep.

The next day passes in a blur of waking in the afternoon, Bucky and you still tangled in the sheets. You admire him in the afternoon light, a soft smile graces his relaxed features and you wonder what he dreams about, Your fingers carefully trace his jaw, over his dimpled chin. His breathing alters, a low hum. Your fingertips trace over his lips.

Bucky smiles wider, eyes still closed as his lips part, as he playfully tries to bite your fingers, you laugh pulling your hand away. Bucky grabs your hand bringing your fingers back towards his mouth.

“Bucky!” You giggle, till the last second he pretends he’s going to bite them then he presses a soft kiss to each fingertip.

“Morning Doll.” His bright blue eyes gleam with mirth.

“Morning Bucky.” You greet, he nuzzles into the crook of your neck.

“I love waking up next to you.” You tell him, feeling him smile against your skin.

“I do too. My favourite is when I dream of you and then wake up to you.” He places kisses along your shoulder.

You sigh contented, until there is knocking at your door.

“Lovebirds, come on out, decently.” Nat’s voice calls out.

“Alrighty!” You cheerily call out, reluctantly getting out of bed when you notice Bucky is in his sweatpants, you don’t remember feeling those rubbing against your skin.

“You woke up?” You wonder confused.

“Yeah, eyes opened at like eight-ish, sent out a few emails and then came back into your warmth.” he hands you your PJs.

“How did you pull away in the first place?” You wonder, teasing.

“With immense reluctance and hardship, plus the urge to pee.” He kisses your cheek, you laugh.

Bucky puts on his t-shirt, you glance at the clock almost four thirty in the afternoon. Moving out of the room, you walk into the living room.

“Thank you for finally joining the land of the living.” Your mom shakes her head, a smile on her face, you run over to hug her.

“Hi mum.” you beam, she kisses the top of your head.

You tighten your arms around her, Bucky smiles as she beckons him to join the hug.

Her heart full to see you both safe and happy.

Hours later you’re all laughing at the table of your mom and Nat’s mother’s favourite restaurant. Bucky is sharing the anecdote of finding out you like to arrange your books by height uncaring for alphabetical order.

It is then your mother pauses from her own addition to the story, the eyes of your group turn as your father makes his way to the table, but he says nothing, anger filled eyes trained upon Bucky.

“Fix it.” He shouts at him.

Bucky furrows his brows, “I’m sorry what?” Confusion laces his words.

“You can fix it because you stole it. You and you posse of hackers.” Your dad seethes.

“Dad, what even are you talking about?” You try to understand.

“Shut up fucking whore—,” Your dad pauses as Bucky stands towering over him.

“I suggest you keep your voice down, we’re out on a family dinner. I also suggest you ask your latest additions to your family about this and not me. I got you your invested amount back. I urge you to recollect what occurred the last time you disrespected, my girl and her mother. It can get fucking uglier, and leave a mark.” Bucky speaks tone clear, there is an eerie silence in the restaurant. The staff and customers watching quietly.

You grasp at the back of his sleeve. Bucky gives you an assuring look, taking your hand into his own and rubbing circles upon the back.

“No, my girlfriend wouldn’t dare, she loves—,” Your dad pauses as his phone rings, his face growing redder with every passing minute at what is being said on the call.

His phone clatters to the ground, “She ran off. That whore ran off with my money all of it gone.”

Nat and you exchange a glance. Bucky sits back down, kissing your hand before placing it on his thigh. He raises his hand, “Excuse me, waiter?”

The head waiter comes to the table, “Please set up a table for this gentleman, his meal is on me tonight.” Bucky smiles, “Oh and add a bottle of your finest whiskey for him, he’ll need it.”

“How the fuck did you know?” Your father bellows.

“I run background checks with everyone I interact, she did the same to the previous man she was involved with, I’m sorry Mr. Y/L/N, you conduct business very poorly maybe even worse than your personal life.” Bucky shrugs not really sorry.

Bucky made sure the money was backed into off shore accounts, where as the extra marital affair woman just needed another rich man to whisk her away.

Which is where Steve’s shady friend Nick Fury came in, currently that woman was in an unpaid for five star hotel room in anticipation to be whisked away and had a bill racking up without means to for pay it.

Bucky takes a sip of his drink, you look at your mother who is looking at your father. Bucky’s hand finds yours again.

“Y/mum/N, I’m I was a fool for all I put you through—,” Your father begins trying to apologise to have her fall into his false promises again.

Bucky tsks, “Sir, come on, save some remaining dignity.”

Your mother laughs, Nat’s mother chuckles.

“You did this.” Your father accuses, lunging for Bucky. You grab your glass the splash of water on pauses him mid-stance.

“You fucking piece of—,” He roars at you.

“I’m recording this.” Nat warns him, he lowers his hand.

“You have no proof that I did this, you did this to yourself. You had an extra marital affair, you gave your illicit affair access to your accounts. Not me. I landed this morning, I have been working in the US, I did my part by getting you your investment amount back.” Bucky scoffs.

“Get me my money back I have apologised for what I did to these bitches.” Your father seethes.

“One, I don’t have means to ring back your stolen money and two if your sincere apologies fixed their turmoil and trauma, I’d be happy for them. Three, I don’t believe I will even bother helping you. Unfortunately, I don’t think you have any options left here.” Bucky shrugs, clearly bored.

Your dad’s anger reaches a new peak, “You fucking pathetic—, I’ll take back what I gave to these two money hungry—,”

“How? The divorce is done, the properties were always on her name, Y/N has her old bank accounts closed down and you gave her the money out of your natural love and affection, you think I didn’t tell her to save those messages? I knew at the next inconvenience you would displace your anger. Go have your free alcohol and meal, please stop bothering us.” Bucky rolls his eyes as your father stomps out of the restaurant.

Dinner is quiet after that,

“Well that was entertaining.” Nat’s mum comments,

“Almost as entertaining as Dad’s breakdown in court.” Natasha reminds everyone shakes their heads.

Bucky looks over to your mum, “You sure you’re okay?”

“I am, thank you for telling him off, I always knew she would run him to the ground.” Your mother shakes her head.

“Well at least you get to watch his ass get kicked by karma.” Nat jokes making everyone laugh. From that point dinner resumes to be how it was before the interruption.

You lean into Bucky as you wait for the Uber to come in, Nat opting to spend the night at her Mum’s allowing you two to have the place to yourselves. Your mum expected the two of you back home tomorrow bright and early.

His chin rests on your shoulder, slowly you both sway to the distant music drifting from inside the restaurant. You think over the conversation and the surety with which your father tried to accuse Bucky.

You don’t feel bad for the man, you bite your lip.

“I’m sorry he spoke to you that way…” You feel Bucky stiffen.

“Doll, what have I said about apologising for his actions?” He demands.

“I’m not supposed to… but,”

“No, none of that. I don’t care about him, he is insignificant. All i want is for you to be okay, also I should thank you for coming to my rescue, impeccable aim.” He praises.

“Well my boyfriend was a sniper, he taught me a few things.” You giggle as he kisses your neck, his stubble tickling you.

The Uber comes in, you both settle in for the drive back to the apartment.

As you apply your moisturiser, a question does burn at the back of your mind, you knew your father’s affair did lack the caliber to pull off a con of this magnitude. Your boyfriend observes the small furrow in your brows, he stands behind you, intently observing you in the mirror.

Bucky kisses his way from your shoulder to your earlobe, knowing your curiosity is moving into over drive, “You did say you prefer morally grey.” he whispers.

Your eyes widen how did he know what you were thinking, “How—, You what—,”

Bucky presses his lips to your temple, “I’d burn the world down for you, Doll. You just have to ask.”

You gape at him, mind running a mile a minute, “How… why?”

“He hurt you, I warned him.” Bucky speaks nonchalantly, “As for how, well it was a fun process.”

“That was months ago, Bucky he—,”

“He will survive, he has enough to get by just not as much as before. I had to plot everything, Doll. Took time but I figured I take his favourite thing.”

You take in his words, Bucky knows it is a risk admitting his actions, but he needed you to know. He wanted you to know he would take care of things for you, take care of you.

“Yeah, that book’s CEO has nothing on you.” You grin up at him, a part of you glad he did what he did. Bucky laughs, it echoes in the chambers of your heart.

One Month Later.

Alpine tilts her head, blue eyes watching the red dot moves across the wall and then back. She leans back, her furry little tush shaking as the dot appears again this time moving from the bottom up.

She leaps off of her perch bounding to the wall, her paws launch the attack and the switch flicks as her paw touches the red dot.

Bucky cheers in triumph, Alpine looks at him bewildered.

Bucky looks at you his smug smile illuminated by the lamp, “I told you so.” he gloats.

You peer at him from under the covers, “Yeah, yeah.” Your stuffy nose, prevents you from speaking clearly.

“Stupid allergy.” You grumble.

“I told you not to clean the room without a mask.” He shakes his head, despite knowing its just your nose blocked due to the dust, he checks for a fever.

“I had a mask the stupid sting broke.” You huff, breathing through your mouth, you glare at the boxes that line the room.

“This puts us off of schedule, Bucky.” You shake your head, when he tries to reason with you.

“Doll, its okay, I know you wanted to set up, but health comes first okay? I know moving isn’t fun or anything.” He kisses your temple.

“I wanted everything nicely set up.” You sigh, turning to face him.

“Its okay though. We’ll have it set up before university starts.” He assures, you remain quiet, you wanted to set up the living room area with pictures you had framed.

It was going to be a surprise along with tickets to the premiere of his favourite franchise’s latest movie, complete with an intimate talk scheduled with the makers and actors. Your teaching job turned out to be great, student reviews had your schedule become fuller and your salary increased that you were happy and not financially dependent on Bucky.

When it was decided to move out of the old apartment he lived in to one which was in Brooklyn but closer to Stark Industries and Columbia. Bucky had decreed you would not be contributing to the rent, if you wanted to handle an aspect of the living situation it would be groceries, only after looking at your finances and helping you make better decisions did you realise you can manage them in a manner that left you with a good chunk of savings.

You reach for your phone, at least wanting him to be surprised by one thing.

“What is it?” Bucky questions as you hand him your phone, his eyes go over the email widening as he sits up excitedly.

“Oh my god.” He gazes at you wide eyed and happy, “how, when—,”

“Well I had savings and you were talking about it, Sam told me its there and that Steve and him got invited cause of their channel, I asked if they could get me in touch with the ticketing person—,” Your explanation is cut off as Bucky kisses you, the force of it throws you both down on the bed. You laugh into Bucky’s little grumble of ow when the phone presses into his side.

“I love you.”

You cup his cheek, sniffling lightly before he kisses you senseless again. His heart extremely contented to have you with him.

A Month Ago.

You walked into the apartment with a solemn expression. Bucky felt his shoulders drop. His heart didn’t break, but he knew how much you were hoping to not have him be the one uprooting his life.

You take in the little blanket fort with dinner he set up. Your warm eyes shifting to his blue.

“Doll, it’s a celebratory dinner either way I get to stay here with you—,” His words cease on his tongue as you run towards him, his arm extended and you crash against him as he easily lifts you. It always takes you by surprise and a hint of turning you on at his strength.

“I’m moving to New York City, so you can’t stay here.” You tell him, a wide grin and tears brimming from your eyes.

“You got in?” He reconfirms, you nod, his lips on yours.

You smile into the kiss, cupping his cheeks, holding your entire world between your hands. You desperately wanted to get into a University in New York City or somewhere close. You didn’t have much of a life here in this country, your mum was here, she had her own support system. Natasha was heading to Australia unless she got a better opportunity in USA.

You knew your life with Bucky was there, he had helped you to learn to build something of your own and now you wanted to build a life with him.

“I got in.” You repeat happily, Bucky places affectionate kisses all over your face.

“I’m so so so proud of you.” He beams at you, placing you back down as your legs unwrap from his waist.

“I love you.” You tell him, still cupping his face, “I know you were ready to move, but, but my life isn’t here, not anymore, its is far away from all that held me back. With someone who helped me see my potential who taught me to harness it, you made me learn to be someone for myself Bucky. My future is with you, every step of it, from the apartment to the house we’ll make a home.”

Bucky finds his eyes watering, blinking back tears, and his lips hurting from the wise smile on his face. He doesn’t know what to say, what to say to agree with you, because he thinks back to the small box in the pair of socks still hidden in his suitcase.

“I love you. I hope to keep being the man you need me to be.” He says instead, watching your eyes shower him with love, you hug him tightly. Pulling him into the same embrace and warmth that saved him in so many ways.

Twelve Months Later.

Bucky🌻: how did it go?

Doll🌸: i’M DONE WITH MY MASTERSS! <GIF of Elle Woods saying we did it>

Bucky🌻: that’s my girl! i take it this exam went really good?

Doll🌸: extremely, you were right I was scared over nothing

Bucky🌻: i do tend to be right

Doll🌸: yes, yes, gloat

Bucky🌻: so we’re on for tonight right? that special live post mortem episode before Shane and Ryan go onto their own channel combined with your favourite blanket fort and blanket fort contractor?

Doll🌸: I’m so excited, it’s our first anniversary, i just feel butterflies all around me, but why are we going home? Is something wrong at the apartment? Did I leave the oven on?

Bucky winces, he knew this question would arise. He only hoped you would buy the lie.

Doll🌸: Bucky????

Bucky🌻: well you know that leaky faucet in the guest bath that drives you nuts? they had to take the tiles out and there is mould. Alpine is at Mum’s so while they work to get it out, we need to be out of their way, they’re planning to check the other rooms as well. No you did turn the oven off.

Doll🌸: did you contact the landlord? We aren’t paying this month’s rent.

Bucky laughs, shaking his head.

“She bought it?” Steve wonders and Sam cheers as Bucky nods.

Bucky🌻: I know its inconvenient-ish but the bathrooms work there and I’ve gotten the blanket fort supplies and my portable wifi.

Doll🌸: sometimes I feel you love that device more than me.

Bucky🌻: I love you two equally.

Doll🌸: You look at it as if you want to marry it 😂 one day i’ll wake up and see a diamond welded into the device.

His lips part, you’re going to re-read this conversation and really be baffled.

Bucky🌻: Diamonds won’t suit it, they would however suit you.

Doll🌸: <insert meme of corgi dog giving a side eye glance> buttering me up won’t deny the fact you love that device.

Bucky🌻: i’m not denying nor am i confirming.

Doll🌸: on a serious note, Kate and I are going to grab a celebratory cookie, do you want any? Nat might be joining us, so I might just meet you directly at the house.

Bucky🌻: that’s alright, oh yes, a chocolate chip and red velvet one please. thats good, enjoy yourself, i’ll be waiting at the house for you.

Doll🌸: i’ll bring you two of each, you always want two but say one and then you get this little cute pout and it makes me want to kiss you. so forget the fact i’m getting two so i can kiss the pout.

Bucky🌻: just say you love kissing me

Doll🌸: i am not denying nor am i confirming

Bucky🌻: you’re a little brat

Doll🌸: you love me

Bucky🌻: i do, i really, really do

Bucky places his phone back in his pocket, turning to Sam and Steve who are arranging the lights across the ceiling. He is going all out, taking trinket moments from the one year of being your boyfriend and incorporating them in someway.

Tiramisu for homage to the first date, he bought in the teddy bear he won you from the carnival date, a sunflower and lily, the polaroid picture of you two meeting for the first time, the polaroid picture of both of you stuffing your faces with gyros and his favourite— the picture his mum took of the two of you during your first experience with snowfall in her backyard.

The photos would stay hidden because the lights would be dimmed, Sam and Steve had let him borrow their vlogging camera and GoPros fully charged. None of them would be here, and he wanted to record the proposal, his palm began sweating again at the word. Kate and Nat sent him pictures of you, completely oblivious of what is to come.

He shoves away the nervous thought and moves to assist an arguing pair of Sam and Steve, over how to loop the lights effectively.

The way he set up the lights and blanket fort you can’t take your eyes off of any surface, he’s set up a small TV connected to his laptop set with the live video countdown. The little scrapbook you made of the memories fails in comparison to his set up.

Maybe Nat’s lingerie idea was good, though the stupid lace pokes you if you sit a certain way.

“Bucky this is beautiful!” You hug him tightly, he smiles. resting his cheek on your head.

“Only the best for you.” He murmurs, placing a kiss to your forehead as you both part.

“Happy Anniversary Doll.” He strokes your cheek.

“Happy Anniversary Bucky.” You beam up at him, leaning into his touch.

He leans down, capturing your lips with his, he hums at the taste of you. Almost losing himself and wanting to take you apart right then and there.

Your wandering hands were breaking his resolve, he manages to pull away.

“In due time, first food and look, in thirty seconds they are starting!” He points to the screen. Bucky leads you to the plush mattress pushes against the wall and the blankets making a fort the lights add harmony and you just feel surrounded by Bucky and the one year you have spent together.

The plates are set up, take out boxes and cutlery in place.

“Hey everyone, today is a special live episode from your ghoul boys.” Ryan smiles as the episode begins.

“Better not say something stupid.” Shane adds,

“You’re the one I’m worried about.” Ryan rolls his eyes, shaking his head.

“Well let’s head onto gramtown then, pick a question any question!” Shane grins as they both begin scrolling.

“Damn, I forgot the drinks,” Bucky stands and moves towards the kitchen you, grab his arm.

“Hey no its okay—,”

“I feel parched, I’ll be a second.” Bucky goes to the kitchen you turn back to the screen.

“Ah, here’s one from @/mario_kart_connoisseur, they say ‘if you had to exchange places with an anomaly you’ve explored who would it be and why?’” Ryan reads, and taps his chin pondering.

“Bucky? This is a good question…” You laugh a little at Shane’s expression.

“I hear it, I think he’ll say Mothman?” Bucky calls out, looking down at the ring in the box, taking deep breaths.

“I’m going to say Mothman? he’s a cool, funky dude also flying would be cool? Plus his merch is badass.” Shane offers, Ryan raises a brow.

You laugh, “You were right.”

“Honestly I expected you to say big-foot. Or the Goatsman.” Ryan shakes his head.

“Why would I pick the latter? I already have his bridge.” Shane shakes his head to say as if, and that Ryan should keep up.

“Bucky? Do you need help?” You ask looking towards the kitchen as he comes out with a tray holding the cans, the ring box in his pocket.

“I got it, sorry,” he places it downward you take it from his hand to allow him to sit.

“Well I think I would pick Big-Foot you know? Nice wilderness, calming streams, one with the earth, people never taking a good picture of me, ya know the usual?” Ryan glares at Shane.

“Oh come on it is meme material.” Shane defends.

“Shoot, forgot the ice.” Bucky tsks quickly going to the kitchen again but this time he carefully places the camera on the floor, making sure you aren’t looking this way, where it will be able to capture the two of you, the GoPro already recording everything on the opposite end.

“And our next question is from @/b.barnes, he asks,” Shane narrows his eyes and turns his phone to Ryan, your eyes narrow confused.

“Bucky they are looking at your question?”

“Oh? I forgot what i sent?” He calls out, from the kitchen.

“I think it is appropriate for Live.” Ryan shrugs, “Read it line by line?”

“Sure,” Shane clears his throat and you observe Bucky stand holding the ice bowl facing the screen.

“‘So my girlfriend and I actually met because of your show, she replied to a comment I had made so i want to ask you to ask her something, it would be our first anniversary,’” Shane reads, Ryan smiles taking the phone.

Your jaw is on the floor your eyes not leaving the screen.

“‘Could you please ask her to look to the left? After that I’ll do the rest. Thank you.’” Ryan looks at the camera as does Shane.

“James I hope she is looking,” Ryan seems hopeful,

“Y/N why are you looking at the screen look at James!” Shane emphasises using his hands to motion to the left.

The video cuts off and the starlights brighten, you look at Bucky and he is down on one knee, a small velvet box open in his palm. Your hand flies to your mouth as you scramble to stand, tears already pooling at your eyes, you blink them back.

“A year, three months and five days ago you came into my life, one small comment from you and a little bit of me trying to know if I could zoom in on the picture of your profile, you were in my dreams that night, ever since then I’ve strived to make you my reality,” Bucky’s voice cracks, eyes tearing up, “Everyday with you is beautiful, be it laughing or when we argue, I’ve seen hell, I’ve lived in hell, even when there was distance between us I found myself in heaven. I found my home in you, i have loved you with all of me,” Bucky gives you a watery smile and inhales deeply before continuing,

“I bought this ring the day I shopped with your mom for your earrings. However, I knew the day I bought you your first bouquet of flowers that one day I’d be down on one knee for you, and here I am, so my sweet, sweet Doll, will you give me the absolute honour of being your husband? Will you marry me, Y/N Y/L/N?”

You can’t stop the tears, as you cross the short distance, kneeling in front of him. You wipe at his tears, they keep coming as do yours, your heart hammering so loud you wonder if Bucky can hear it.

Bucky gulps, his heart in his throat, then you smile, nod, and whisper, “Yes,”

“Yes,” You say louder, “A thousand times yes.” Your arms wrap around his neck, his moves around your waist, as your lips meet his, the kiss is soft so reminiscent of your first one shared.

Bucky pulls away, slowly.

“Hold the box? Wanna do this right.” He requests, as you hold the box in your right hand, he retrieves the ring from its place and you offer your left hand. The ring moves into place, fitting perfectly, the diamonds reflecting the starlights.

Bucky takes your hand in his, placing a kiss to your palm and over your knuckles. He looks up at you a giddy, ecstatic grin on his features, you can’t help but mimic it.

“I love you.” you say, leaning towards him, your ring glad hand on his chest.

“I love you.” he says, leaning in, as your lips meet once again.

A.N: i honestly, it has not hit me that this fic is over, maybe after a day or two it will, i want to thank all of you for reading and coming along the journey of doll and bucky over these fifteen chapters. thank you for your sweet comments, reblogs and love, thank you for giving my fic a chance to be with you, to maybe provide comfort, provide a distraction or anything that this fic was or is for you.

i want to remind you that i will be open to writing more for this pairing more so one shots or drabbles about different moments, you can send in requests and i may come up with a few concepts but it will be a while before i post anything, i do have another bucky fic lined up might post about it in a week? idk.

A big hug from me and forehead kisses to all of you, thank you for everything you have provided to me by showing my story so much of love and care, i am so thankful.

big big big hugs and kisses on the forehead, happy vibes to my entire taglist!

permanent tags: @stevesmewmew @pandaxnienke

fic taglist: @harry03bb @et-homephone @sebsgirl71479 @blackwidownat2814 @littleone2223 @elbell20-blog @lexhalstead3

@lissettacevedo14 @simpingfortoomanypeople @ebonyhogan24

@sammyisfat @juulle987 @elle14-blog1 @bye-moonchild @salenorona23 @slutforsexyseabass

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strawwritesfic · 1 year

Text

Tony Stark x Female!Childhood Friend!Reader: Brightest [Ch. 17]

Summary: [F Name] [L Name]: Tony’s Stark’s “invisible friend.” She’s invisible in all the wrong ways–at least until Tony spots her years after telling her to get out of his life. With Yinsen’s words in mind, Tony decides to pursue their lost relationship, only to find that [Name] might not be as willing as before. What Tony doesn’t know, however, is that the confusion of her life might end up the best of his.

Ratings/Warnings/Tags: M (love triangles; friends with benefits; sexual situations; non-consensual sex with a significant other (note: I will mark this specific chapter accordingly); cheating on significant other portrayed in a positive light; verbal abuse from parents and significant others; toxic relationships of several kinds; rumors of an inappropriate relationship between an older man and his son’s teenage friend; set in between Iron Man 2 and Avengers (2012); references to characters not yet established in the MCU as of time of writing)

Pairings: Tony Stark/Reader; Justin Hammer/Reader; Tony Stark/Reader/Justin Hammer; Pepper Potts/Happy Hogan; past!Pepper Potts/Tony Stark

Tag List: @imaginesfire; @frostay; @downeyreads; @angelcakes12332; @sleep-i-ness; @jkknoxvilles

Master List

Chapter 17: The Prettiest Girls

Your reflection in the mirror the following morning startled you. Back and forth you paraded in front of the glass for the hour and a half or so that it had taken you to get ready to spend the rest of your day taking photographs for your gallery. You hadn't done anything major, just showered and applied makeup and put on regular clothes as usual.

Okay, so maybe you'd dressed up a little, knowing that Tony would see you briefly in this getup. Putting on your "photography costume" while still inside your parents' home was out of the question. Still, anyone who knew you—the real you, the you not gearing up for a magazine shoot for your father or prepped for another interview that would inevitably turn to questions about your sordid relationship with an older man—wouldn't call this "dressed up." You hadn't exactly donned a ball gown for the occasion; you'd simply forgone your usual no-one-important-is-seeing-me-today standard of sweatpants and a tank top.

But it wasn't your clothes or your face or your hair that startled you about the woman staring at you from the mirror. What was it? Leaning in, you examined yourself from every angle. Nothing seemed different. Your skin had the same blemishes and your forehead the same wrinkles. You even had a zit in a familiar place. On the other hand, your shoulders looked a little straighter. Something in your eyes sparkled. You weren't huddling in on yourself like you usually did before you strode out of your room to discover just what you'd done wrong with yourself this time.

What was it that your mother had accused you of yesterday? Being so happy that someone was bound to notice? Could that be it? Could the significant change in your appearance be chalked up to a sudden influx of happiness?

The blaring tone of your text alert put an end to any further musings on this subject. You leaped as though the noise were a gunshot, all thoughts of happier girls being prettier girls flying far afield. Who could be texting you so early in the morning? A quick mental run-through of the short list of people who bothered texting you at all only made you worry more. Your mother never got out of bed before eleven if she could help it. Your father wouldn't bother resuming speaking relations without being there in person to yell at you. Rhodey wasn't a texter.

You didn't need to be the genius your father wished you were to know just what you would find on that screen once you picked up the phone. Tony wanted to cancel. Of course he did. Why on earth would he want to spend time doing anything with you that didn't involve lackluster sex? Photography was your hobby, and a lousy one at that. He had better things to do with his time than help a mediocre photographer with her work. You should never have pestered him with an invitation. If he hadn't desperately wanted a shower with you, he never would have agreed to join you on today's expedition in the first place.

The dread built up higher and higher in your chest the longer you stood there staring at your phone. You forced yourself to scoop it off the table before the text alert could chime again, but you could go no further. You couldn't look. You had to. You couldn't. You would. Showing up and waiting for him for hours when he had no intention of showing up would only look more pathetic. One gulp seemed to squish your anxiety down just the notch you needed. Only after that did you peek at the screen.

Good morning, Sleeping Beauty, read the message punctuated by a sparkling heart.

Since when had Tony started calling you by the name of specific princesses? As you frowned at this text, another came in:

[Name]? Hellooooo? It's about time to get out of bed, don't you think?

Why was Tony so concerned you wouldn't make it to your prearranged meeting spot on time? You'd never been late to anything having to do with him before.

Are you sleeping? Or are you just too busy to bother talking to me again?

That was when the name above the messages finally caught your eye. Justin was the one giving you a wake-up call. You really needed to pay more attention to the little details, preferably before failing to do so gave you a heart attack. But for once, seeing your boyfriend's attempt to contact you flooded you with relief. Tony wasn't canceling on you after all!

You unlocked your phone to reply, but Justin didn't give you the time to formulate an answer.

What is it that's got you so busy these days anyway? I know your dad kicked you off the project. It's not like you've got anything important going on. Would it kill you to check in with me every once in a while? I haven't heard anything in over a week!

Had it really been that long since you called Justin? Your thumbs froze mere millimeters above the keypad as your mind whirred. No matter how hard you racked your brain—or how far down you scrolled through your recent calls list—you could find nothing to prove him wrong. So caught up in your real project (and finding new places to have sex with Tony) had you been that you'd simply stopped trying to get ahold of your actual boyfriend.

A surge of guilt washed over you from head to toe. Could there be a worse girlfriend anywhere? Sure, you were sleeping around behind Justin's back with his worst enemy, so you really didn’t have a leg to stand on to begin with—but, as your mother had pointed out, that was only a temporary dalliance! The least you could do while this was going on was to make sure your real boyfriend was doing all right from time to time!

Justin, you started to type. You're absolutely—

Hey, do you mind if we get together about an hour early?

This new text did come from Tony. It did not immediately quell your fear that he, too, found your interests too silly to indulge any longer. Your unsent apology to Justin forgotten, you quickly responded to Tony instead:

Why? Do you have something else to do? You don't have to come if you don't want to.

Nice try. You're not getting rid of me that easily, he answered, then followed up with, I just had a great idea is all.

What kind of great idea?

A great surprise idea.

I'm not sure I'm up for one of your “surprises” this early in the morning.

[Name], it's past nine. It's not that early. And anyway, it's not THAT kind of surprise this time around.

You make plans regarding other stuff?

Occasionally. Otherwise, the government would have a completely different reason to want to get their greasy paws on my armor.

Hello??? [Name]???? Justin fired off several rapid texts in succession. Are you ignoring me????

Oh, right! You'd been trying to make amends with Justin before Tony distracted you. Justin must have seen that you had read his text and wondered why you weren't rushing to explain yourself to him.

My surprise has to do with our work. If I can pick you up early, we can start exactly when you wanted to, Tony said.

Honestly, I don't understand what's gotten into you lately. It's like you've turned into someone else. What happened to my sweet little [Name]?

What had happened to Justin's sweet little [Name], you wondered. Your reflection in the mirror certainly seemed to say you'd turned into someone else. You thought you'd only made improvements, but would Justin still love you when he came back from Queens? And how could you tell him how those changes came to be made?

So are you in or are you out? Tony asked.

Your thumbs hovered in place once more. This hesitation only lasted for half a second, though, before you swapped back to your conversation with Tony and quickly typed back: I'm in.

******

JARVIS didn't need to alert Tony to your reply. Tony still grasped his phone in his hand when your answer to his suggestion came shooting back. You were in. A breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding escaped from his chest the moment he saw that. Every day the same scene played out as he waited for you realize what a bad choice he was—but today was not that day. Today you still wanted to speak to him.

"Sir—"

"Yeah, I see it, JARVIS. Thanks. Hey, Pepper."

Tony slipped back inside his lab to find it completely unchanged from when he stepped out to text you minutes before. Over by the largest table in the room stood one of his closest friends, her hand on her chin as she observed the enormous holographic tower blueprint hovering mere inches from her face. Pepper looked up, however, when she heard him speak her name.

"Yes?" she asked.

Tony held up his cell phone. "Heard back from [Name]. She's agreed to meet me a little earlier than we planned this morning, so..."

"So let me guess: You want to me to fetch myself a clean toothbrush and make myself scarce before she gets here."

"Exactly. Minus the toothbrush. I think I've gone through the bulk supply you got me."

Pepper cocked her head to one side and regarded him in that way that only she could. Tony felt as though he were being x-rayed for any inappropriate motivations for skipping out on a business meeting. Then:

"All right," she said, picked up her purse off the floor, and swung it over her shoulder.

"Thanks." Tony opened the door for her before her acceptance hit him. "Wait. That's it?"

"What's it?"

"No argument? No snide remark about my behavior around women? No reminder that the board of directors is out for blood and no amount of garlic will keep them away from me?"

"Tony, you're a grown adult. You don't need me to remind you to do your homework, or wash behind your ears, or to not mix colors when you do the laundry."

"Actually, a reminder for the last one every so often probably wouldn't go amiss."

"Besides," Pepper went on, without acknowledging she'd probably seen his handful of newly-pink dress shirts waiting for ironing on her way to the lab, "we've done enough work this morning that I can let you play hooky the rest of the day. And I like [Name]. I think it's good that you're spending time with her."

"You do?"

"Well, not if my saying so makes you want to spend less time with her. What?" she added when Tony snorted.

"Nothing. She thinks I'll do whatever you say to make you happy. You think I only do the opposite of what you say to drive you crazy. I just can't please anybody, can I?"

"Why does [Name] think you always do what I tell you?"

"Probably something to do with you being so desperate for some peace and quiet that you're willing to send me all the way across the country."

"Is that what you told her? Tony, you know very well that I want you on the clean energy project in Manhattan because you're the best man for the job."

Tony shot her a knowing look.

"And it would be nice to not worry so much about what you're doing in your retirement," she allowed.

"Well, whatever the reason, [Name]'s not crazy about me moving to New York just because you think it's a good idea."

"And her opinion matters to you?"

"Of course it does. I mean," Tony did not like the little smile on Pepper's face, "not as much as how much of a hassle it's going to be to move all my armor up there without anyone noticing. [Name] and I aren't anything serious. Once we're done with our project, she'll be glad to see the back of me, and I'll be ready to sing Sinatra whenever you say the word."

"Really." She didn't allow him to get a single word out to retort. "Be that as it may, I think it's sweet that you're helping her put together a photo gallery."

"Yes, real—who told you about the photo gallery?" Tony asked.

"Rhodey told me."

"Of course he did. Guess you got all my friends in the divorce," he grumbled.

Pepper's smile widened before she leaned in and kissed Tony once on the cheek, much to his surprise. "I'm just glad you're happy, Tony."

"Me, too. I'm glad you're happy, too. You are happy. Aren't you?"

"Yes, Tony. I'm very happy." She stepped into the hallway leading to the stairs at last. "And now I'm going to leave before [Name] shows up. Maybe I'll pick up some coffee for Happy on the way to work, since I have a little extra time."

"He'd like that. Goodbye, Pepper."

"Talk to you soon, Tony."

She vanished quickly up the steps. Tony listened as the sound of her heels faded to the floor level of the house, then disappeared entirely when she exited through the front door. Pepper was gone. For the first time in what felt like ages, he didn't feel bad about her going either. But he didn't have long to think about what might be behind this change in attitude. He had a few things to put together before you arrived.

******

Something was wrong. You couldn't put your finger on what exactly, but nothing around you felt real. Maybe you'd fallen asleep after you got to Tony's house, and everything since had been a dream. Perhaps you'd never arrived at your destination to begin with. Could it be you'd got knocked on the head by someone suspicious of your activities before you'd even left your own home? What were the chances that you'd simply died and somehow earned a happy afterlife?

You could not have asked for a more exceptional morning. The sun shone so brightly that your surroundings disappeared into a haze on the edges. Cool but not cold, you could smell the sea salt on the breeze without its scent overpowering that of the boxes upon boxes upon boxes of sugary doughnuts sitting in the back of Tony's pickup truck stationed in the lot of your favorite photography-taking park.

(Yes, Tony's pickup truck. A modest one, too. "What?" he had asked at your obvious shock at seeing something a normal person would drive pulled from his garage. "It's my getting-out-of-town-unseen car. Rhodey went camping last week, so I asked him to take the truck and not bother cleaning it when he gave it back.")

Around this plethora of breakfast treats gathered a crowd of people. Some wore exercise gear in pristine, eye-searing colors. Plenty others wore casual outdoorsy clothes. Most, however, wore a patchwork in varying colors of fading, gray, or dirt. All of them had been coming and going since you and Tony had set up camp—a few people more than once.

"Hey."

Caught daydreaming instead of paying attention once more, you looked up, hot-faced, to see one such gentleman standing in front of your table. He had on multiple layers of old clothing. The moment your eyes met his, he went on without waiting for you to acknowledge him:

"You saying I have to sign one of these before I can have another doughnut?" He pointed to a stack of permission forms resting on the table next to your elbow.

"Oh, no, sir!" You couldn't scramble out of your fold-out chair fast enough. "Please, take a doughnut! If there's a picture of you here and you don't want it to be used in my art gallery, then don't sign anything. You can just point it out to me, and I'll destroy all my copies of it as soon as I get home."

The man narrowed his gray eyes at the line of photographs on your table. You held your breath. He would not be the first person to yell at you that day, nor would he likely be the last. But you would keep your word and get rid of anything he told you to, whether the subject of the picture looked like him or not. After a few seconds, he snorted and rejoined the throng around the back of Tony's truck.

"Do you even have a picture of that guy?" you heard someone behind you ask. When you looked over your shoulder, you found Tony standing there. "That's about the sixth time he's come over here to ask...and the fifteenth doughnut he's left with," Tony added as the man headed off toward the public restrooms.

"Maybe he's not sure if he wants to give me permission yet. And it's not like you didn't bring enough food for everyone, plus some."

"I don't care how much food he leaves with. It's more about his tone. You're trying to help him out, but he clearly thinks you're up to something."

"I really don't mind. He has every right to be suspicious."

"Yeah, you really look like you're into something nefarious. Money laundering via doughnuts is a crime on the rise in this city, I hear."

"He doesn't know me from Eve," you said. "He might not even know that I took his picture, if I did."

"He could still quit accusing you of bribery."

You let out an incredulous laugh. "Tony, this was all your idea."

"Which just goes to show you that even I come with duds once in a blue moon."

"Well, I think it was brilliant. We need permission to feature the photographs, and now no one goes home hungry. It doesn't matter to me if no one else agrees to let me use their image. A small gallery is better than no gallery at all."

"You only think I'm brilliant. I've blinded you with my good looks and charm."

"I don't think that's it," you said with some feeling. "This really means a lot to me. Thank you, Tony."

"Anything to make you smile, Princess."

Something about Tony's mouth looked different when he used his nickname for you that day. This you could put a finger on: It wasn't his usual sardonic smile. He just grinned, causing your heart to jump straight into your throat. You swallowed it back down at once. What were you thinking? Of course it was still sardonic! If you waited around much longer, he'd probably follow it up with a suggestion to try out car sex in a pickup. Worse still, he might figure out how easily his smile made you weak at the knees. Then he'd pack up, drive away, and ruin an otherwise perfect day.

Before any of that could happen, you moved to put the plastic table between the two of you.

"Could you man the permission slips for a few minutes?" God, you hoped your voice didn't sound as high-pitched to him as it did to you. "I need to go talk to someone really quick."

You didn't wait to hear his reply, though you thought you heard a note of confused acquiescence from his general direction as you stumbled away from the horde jostling around his vehicle.

Away from all the people and noise, you could breathe a little easier. Strange how it took longer for you to get to that point nowadays—and how much more quickly you could come down from it. You slowed from a trot to a walk as you took several deep breaths in and out. Even the air smelled wonderful that day. Above your head, the sun didn't look like it had moved a single inch since your and Tony's arrival. At least another hour of joy lay ahead of you—and more literally ahead of you along the sidewalk you stood on lay the only person other than Tony that you wanted to see.

Gladys sat on a peeling park bench and didn't look up at your approach. A flock of scraggly brown birds hopped around her feet, peeping for and pecking at the remains of the doughnut she held in one gnarled hand. She threw another handful of crumbs without bothering to look up at you. This went on for a couple of minutes before you summoned up the courage to politely clear your throat.

"Hey," you said, a little awkwardly.

"Finally remembered I exist, have you?" was Gladys's reply.

"I never forgot you." You plunked yourself down on the bench next to her. When she didn't protest, you took that as permission to stick around. "I've been running the permission table. Thanks for spreading the word, by the way. I've got about twenty signatures thanks to you."

"Uh-huh."

Another few minutes passed in silence while Gladys fed the birds. You didn't speak up. Having someone to be with that didn't want to verbally spar all the time felt good...although you couldn't help sneaking looks over at Tony every handful of seconds. This your friend noticed. When you looked back at her for the sixth or so time, she had finished with the doughnut and now stared straight at you.

"What?" you asked.

"Guess I can't blame you for being distracted," she said. "That boyfriend of yours is pretty hot."

So were your cheeks after that comment. "He is not my boyfriend."

"Sure he's not. I may not be the smartest person you know, but I've seen a lot of children in love in my day."

"We are definitely not in love."

You must have said that in a convincing enough tone, because Gladys broke out into a loud laugh. "Just sex, then? I wouldn't have known you had it in you!"

"You and me both," you muttered, but this didn't put a dent in her smile.

"Good for you, [Name]. Good for you. He looks like Tony Stark, so he has to be pretty good in bed!"

"He—what?"

"You know, I wonder if he is Tony Stark. Sure looks like him. But you'd tell me if you were dating Tony Stark. Wouldn't you?"

"I can assure you she is not dating Tony Stark."

Once more, then man in question seemed to materialize out of thin air right in front of you. Even Gladys jumped at the suddenness of his appearance.

"Not that I'm offended by the comparison. He's a handsome man." Tony caught your eye, grinned, and added, "Would Tony Stark really be slumming around handing out free doughnuts with his side piece on his day off? I think his women are usually a little higher class than that. Sonny Frisco. Good to meet you," he added as he offered Gladys his hand.

"I suppose you have a point," Gladys said, eyeing the hand suspiciously.

Tony didn't press the point. Instead, he just handed her a small stack of doughnuts he had carried over. "Saw you were low on bird food over here, so I brought you some more. [Name] tells me that's your favorite activity."

"She does?"

"Yeah. She talks about you all the time. It's a real honor to finally meet you."

Gladys looked a little confused, but her suspicion was clearly evaporating rapidly. You could only assume that Tony had the same effect on most people, even when they didn't know who they were talking to. She took the doughnuts from him as she threw an incredulous look at you. Good grief. Alias or no, he couldn't suppress his charm. If you didn't act now, someone would figure out who Sonny Frisco really was.

"You've done a lot for me, Gladys," you said. "Are you sure you won't come to the gallery opening?"

But she had already gotten up to pack her extra doughnuts into her shopping cart. That was answer enough. "I'd just cramp your style. See you around, [Name]. And you," she barked at Tony, who straightened at once. "Even if it is just sex, you hurt this girl, you won't be welcome around here anymore. I don't care how good-looking you are. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am," he answered.

"Good. Thanks for the bird food."

Gladys bid you her normal farewell of a brisk nod before setting off down the path. You stood to watch her go. Though you hadn't expected Gladys to accept your invitation—she'd feel out of place, and any offer on your part to dress her up for the occasion would only offend her—you couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as you watched her go. Any aspect of your gallery that Tony hadn't provided, she had. It only seemed right for her to be there, too.

Did Tony sense your mood? He wrapped one arm around your waist and pulled you closer. "She's really something, isn't she?"

"Yeah," you said. "She is."

It did not take long for Gladys to disappear from your field of vision. At least the weather would be good for her that night. After a moment or two of looking at the point at which she'd vanished, Tony kissed the side of your head and let you go.

"Ready to get back to work, Princess?" he asked.

You replied by breaking out of his grip and running back toward the table. A short respite had been all you needed. The more work you did, the better for Gladys—and the better for you. You had Tony all to yourself until your gallery was over and done with. While the day was beautiful, while he'd kiss you at random, and while you felt like you were lighting up from the inside, you wanted to keep going for as long as possible. Happiest girls were the prettiest girls, after all, and you had never felt more beautiful.

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queen-of-the-avengers · 5 months

Text

Iron Man 2: Part Five

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.8k

Warnings: canon violence and angst

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

The fame for Tony has only just begun. Ever since the Senate meeting, he's been scheduled to appear all over the world. He is loving the attention while you're wishing you can be back on the rooftop with Natasha. You, Pepper, Happy, and Natasha accompany Tony to every press conference and party he's scheduled to be at.

This time, you're needed in Italy for the Grand Prix. Italy is so much different than the last time you were here. Granted, it was centuries ago, but it's weird to walk the same streets you did with Ikaris.

You pull down your short dress in the limo before it arrives at the Grand Prix, which is a racing event that people from all over gather around to watch. You're at a racecar track and you're wearing a short black dress that's low cut in the front. Pepper is wearing a knee-length blue off-the-shoulder dress that compliments her figure.

"Would you stop? You look great," Tony whispers to you.

"That's not why I'm nervous, Tony," you whisper back.

You hate being in the spotlight or the center of attention, however, Tony is the center as soon as he steps foot out of the limo. Cameras flash when the door opens and you take a deep breath before exiting the limo. Happy is the last to leave with a red briefcase that contains Tony's suit if he needs it.

"Mr. Stark?" Natasha greets you four inside. She is wearing a bright red dress that has a deep V in the front and shows off her curves. Seeing her again reminds you of your night on top of the roof, and you smile slightly at the reminder. "How was your flight?"

"It was excellent. Boy, it's nice to see you," he smiles.

"We have one photographer from the ACM if you don't mind."

She doesn't wait for a response as the photographer behind her begins to take pictures. You straighten up and smile at the camera along with Tony and Pepper. After one picture, you sneak away so that they can focus on the couple instead. There are so many people here and you know four of them. Oh, how you wish you were back in 1940 with Bucky walking along the sidewalk by Central Park. He loved taking you on late-night dates when there wouldn't be a lot of people outside. You could do anything you wanted because there was no one around to tell you otherwise.

In your mind, you're back with him instead of here.

"Are you okay?"

You look to the right of you at Natasha who looks concerned.

"Yeah. I need a drink." You walk to the bartender and give him a tight smile. "Something fruity, please."

A few seconds later, you already have a drink in your hands. You down the entire drink in one sitting and make sure you have the bartender's attention when you ask for one more.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tony says when he and Pepper join you.

"I don't know how you two do it. I don't think I'll ever get used to this lifestyle of cameras, interviews, and people wanting to talk to me," you chuckle.

"You've been with me for twenty years and you're still not used to it?"

"Apparently not."

"Anthony. Is that you?" Justin Hammer says a few seats down when he spots you.

"My least favorite person on Earth," Tony mutters to you and Pepper as Justin makes his way over to the group.

Justin is with Christine, the woman that Tony hooked up with last year, and turns to Tony with a knowing smile.

"Hey, pal. How are you doing? You're not the only rich guy here with a fancy car. This is Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair. You guys know each other?" he introduces his partner to this event.

"Yes, roughly," Tony nods.

"BTW, big story. The new CEO of Stark Industries," Justin motions to Pepper who just smiles.

"My editor will kill me if I don't grab a quote for our Powerful Women issue. Can I?"

"Sure," Pepper nods.

"She's actually doing a big spread on me for Vanity Fair. I thought I'd throw her a bone, you know?" Justin chuckles.

"Right. Well, she did quite a spread on Tony last year. It was very impressive. It was very well done."

"Thank you," Christine blushes.

"I'm gonna go wash," Pepper excuses herself.

You're about to go with her but Tony grips your hand and forces you to stay near him. You know how much he doesn't like these people so you opt to just stay with him and keep him from blowing his brains out.

"Listen, is it the first time you've seen each other since the Senate?" Christine asks and shoves a recorder near you three to get your response.

"Since he got his contract revoked...?" Tony asks.

"Actually, it's on hold."

"That's not what I heard. What's the difference between 'hold' and 'canceled'?" you ask.

"Yes, what is it?" the reporter repeats.

"No. The truth is," he clears his throat nervously when he sees the recorder. He tries pushing it away, but Christine won't budge. "Why don't we put that away? The truth is, I'm actually hoping to present something at your Expo."

"Well, if you invent something that works, I'll make sure you get a slot."

"Mr. Stark?" Natasha interrupts.

"Yes?"

"Your corner table is ready."

"Thank you, Natalie." You start to leave when you notice something on Tony's neck. "Excuse us for one second."

You pull Tony into the nearest restroom despite his obvious complaints.

"What is going on?"

"This is what's going on, Tony." You yank his collar down to show him the digital crossword puzzle that's creeping towards his neck. "We're running out of time, and you're here doing interviews."

"Yeah, well, I don't see you doing anything," he mutters and takes out the device to measure his blood toxicity levels.

It's at fifty-three percent.

"Fine, kill yourself. See if I care," you hiss and stalk out of the bathroom.

You don't mean to be that harsh but he's not taking any of this seriously. Your blood is pumping angrily through your veins, and you scan the room to see where your presence is least welcomed. Pepper is sitting alone at Tony's table, Christine and Justin are at a separate table talking, and Natasha is off on her own. You walk to Natasha who looks up from her phone when she senses you.

"Are you okay?"

"He's dying, Nat," you whisper. "He doesn't even care about his life. He's one of my best friends. What am I supposed to do?"

"We're working on it," she says lowly.

You can only assume she's talking about her and Nick.

"I wish I was back on that rooftop with you," you whisper.

"Me too," she smiles.

"Natalie. Natalie!" Pepper urges.

Both you and Natasha head over to the new CEO when you hear her command. You're not sure why she is freaking out until you see the TV. Why the hell is Tony on the screen, and why the hell is wearing a racing outfit?

"Oh, I'm going to kill him," you mutter.

When you told him to kill himself, you didn't actually mean it.

"What do you know about this?" Pepper asks Natasha.

"This is the first that I have known of it."

"This cannot happen."

"Absolutely. I understand. How can I help you?"

"Where's Happy?" you ask.

"He's waiting outside."

"Okay, get him. I need Happy," Pepper orders.

"Right away," Natasha nods and leaves.

"Why is he doing this?" Pepper asks you.

You could tell her but then again, she needs to hear this from Tony. You just shrug and keep your eyes on the TVs that are broadcasting this. There is something creeping up your spine, and you don't have a good feeling about what might come.

"Um, Pepper, get the suit as fast as you can. Get it to the tracks. Something is coming, but I don't know what. I'm going down there."

"Okay," she nods.

You push through the sea of people that have gathered around the bar to watch. All they're focused on is Tony and what he will do if or when he wins. Frustration spikes from within you and you resist the urge to use your aerokinesis in front of everybody. You're in the bleachers right now so you have a clear view of the racetrack. You can't see Tony's car anywhere but what you can see is a man wearing an orange pit crew jumpsuit.

He walks onto the track as the cars are racing by and rips open his chest to reveal what Tony has... an arc reactor. Who the hell is this guy and how did he get the technology to build one of those things? Most importantly, how is he going to use it? You can't believe whatever his intentions are is good. He has a look of murder on his face and you have a feeling you know who he's going after.

Whips shoot out of his hands from the machines he's built and powers them on. Electricity runs through them making them the most deadly kind of whip you've ever seen. Because what's on his chest is powering the electricity, the top part of his jumpsuit burns off so that all he's wearing is the bottom half and the contraption that powers the whips. A car races towards the man with the whips and he lashes one of them at the car, effectively cutting off the front part of the car.

All hell breaks loose as people watch the car flip twice in mid-air only to come crashing down to the ground. People all around you are pushing past you to get away, and you're trying to fight the current to get down there.

"Move! Out of my way!" you scream as you shove into people.

"Look! It's Stark!" someone yells.

You snap your head to the track and watch as Tony's car comes racing at this guy. Much like he did to the last one, he whips the front part of Tony's car off. His car goes flying through the air and crashes into the gate upside down.

"Tony!" you yell.

You blast powerful puffs of air out of your hands so that you shoot straight up into the sky. Everyone around you watches with either pure amazement or horror. You manipulate the air around you so that you fly straight down to the track. Whiplash (that's what you're calling him right now until you know his name) slowly walks towards Tony's car with only one thing in mind: he wants to kill him.

Over your dead body.

You land between Whiplash and Tony's car with a powerful grunt and when you look up at the man, your eyes are full of fire. Tony groans in pain and takes off his helmet to assess the damage. There are at least three cars rushing towards the crash site. It's too late for them to turn back now. However, one of them tries to and ends up crashing into the other two. They blow up in a big ball of fire, and the debris from the crash flies towards you, Whiplash, and Tony.

Without thinking, you use your aerokinesis to push back whatever is flying your way--tires, bumpers, shrapnel, and even a steering wheel. You're not going to let any of them hit you or Tony. Whiplash grins and fires up his whips by swinging them a few times. He lashes the right one at you and instead of dodging the clear death sentence, you grab the end of it. He's clearly shocked you did this, so he fires the other one at you only for you to do the same thing.

It hurts like a bitch, but this isn't the first time you've been electrocuted. While it may not be one of the four elements you control, you've built up a pain tolerance when you've experimented with high winds and heavy rain. Whiplash tries to get them back but you only grip them tighter. The best way to deal with this situation is to counteract the electricity with ice. Your hands drop to below-freezing temperatures, and icicles begin to form on your hands. They transfer to the whips and quickly crawl down the length of them until they get to the man himself. You're using an immense amount of power so your eyes turn bright blue since the power you're using is water.

You've got him right where you want him and it's time to use your aerokinesis. The power stems from your core and projects an outward blast. The wave hits Whiplash and he goes flying through the air and into a wrecked car.

"Tony!" you gasp and run to the man who just got himself free. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm--watch out!" he yells and tackles you to the ground right before one of the whips slams down to the ground next to you.

There is no time to fight back but you can move out of the way. Whiplash leads into another attack and you use your aerokinesis to blast you and Tony away just as the whip comes down in between your legs. Whatever this man's problem is won't go away with just one swift blast to the stomach. You need to get the arc reactor off of him, but in order to do that, you need to defeat him or distract him long enough to get it.

Whiplash takes his sweet time walking over to you and Tony, and that's when Pepper and Happy race onto the scene with Tony's suit. Happy rams the car into Whiplash, trapping him between it and the metal gate. The force is enough to knock Whiplash out at least for the time being.

"Are you okay?" you pant and help Tony off the ground.

"Yeah!" Happy yells, even though your question wasn't really directed towards him.

"Are you out of your mind?" Pepper shrieks from the backseat. "Get in the car right now!"

"I was attacked. We need better security," Tony scoffs.

"Get in the car," Happy urges.

"You're CEO. Better security measures. God, it's embarrassing," Tony scoffs and opens the back door. "First vacation in two years."

"Just get in the damn car," you hiss.

Whiplash bounces back a lot faster than you thought and he lifts his head up right when Tony opens the door. He uses the one whip that's available to him right now and slices the door in half. Pepper and Happy scream in terror but that doesn't stop Happy from reversing and ramming back into Whiplash. He does this several times, preventing Tony from getting into the car. He tries to get the case but when Happy rams Whiplash, the door that's still connected to the car slams shut.

"Give me the case!" Tony yells.

"I'm trying!" she cries.

You feel so bad for her but now is not the time to be thinking of other things. Where is Black Widow when you need her? Whiplash tries to fight his way out of the car, and uses his whips to slice the car in half. Poor Pepper is screaming her head off in fear and Happy is trying his best not to deploy the airbag.

"Give me the case! Please! Come on!" Tony yells.

Pepper throws the case through the broken holes of the car, and it lands at his feet. He steps on the case, and that's when it begins to form to fit his body. Everyone who is still left watching from above in amazement as the suit is put on. As Tony is getting ready, you place your hands on the base of the car and push. Along with your super strength and aerokinesis, you're able to push the car away to a safe distance so that Happy and Pepper won't get hurt.

You and Tony turn to Whiplash for the final battle, Tony blasts him with the repulsors on his palms, and you muster up enough water in your hands to start throwing balls of water at him. Because he's holding an electric current, he dodges your attacks but not Tony's. You can see the anger on Whiplash's face, and he yells out in anger. He throws both whips at you and Tony--one for each.

The whip that is directed at Tony wraps around his neck, and yours is wrapped around your hands. Tony is sick and tired of this ongoing fight he has no business being in so he decides to do something about it. He wraps his arm around the whip and starts to tangle himself in it to get closer to Whiplash. As soon as he's close enough, he punches him twice in the jaw and grabs his chest. He throws him over his shoulder and onto the ground, bringing you with him.

Tony walks over and yanks the arc reactor out of his chest and the machine powers down. You shake off the whip from around your wrists and get up. The crowd is cheering and chanting both your and Tony's names. You get up on weak knees and head over to Tony just as policemen head over to Whiplash. They yank him to his feet and begin to drag him away.

"You... You lose. You lose Stark," he says in a Russian accent with a bloody grin.

"How the hell did he get this?" you ask Tony about the mini arc reactor in his hands.

"I have no idea," Tony mumbles.

He crushes the arc reactor in his hands, and you turn to Pepper and Happy who are just glad this is all over. This is not what you had in mind when you agreed to come here.

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