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sashaisready · 3 months

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The Blood Pact: Chapter 3 - Gotcha

Bucky Barnes Vampire AU x Female Reader

Reeling from a bad break-up, you're desperately trying to find a new place to live but the Brooklyn rental market is a complete nightmare. You take a chance on an intriguing newspaper ad and enquire about a room in a shared house, where you'd be living with two mysterious men. The catch is that they want something other than your money for you to pay the rent...the one thing they don't have

Warnings: More descriptions of vampire feeding/blood drinking - also reader is kinda *into it*, if you catch my drift, so just a heads up! And Bucky is a MENACE in this chapter. A little shit.

Series Masterlist

Chapter 4

And so it began.

You had signed a contract to live with Steve and Bucky in their beautiful house - all for the tiny sum of access to your blood a few times a week. An unusual arrangement, sure, but needs must.

Wanda was delighted that you’d found a new place. Obviously she wasn’t privy to the exact details of the contract, but she didn’t need to be. You wouldn’t want to worry her, after all. And you weren’t sure how you could tell her without sounding utterly insane. She helped you move one afternoon, hauling boxes up the stairs as she gasped at the beauty of the house. You had explained your roommates were ‘at work’ so you had free rein of the place.

“And how much are you paying for this room again?” she asked, admiring the shower as you unpacked your toiletries and cosmetics.

“Errr like…700?” you offered noncommittally.

“$700 for a double room and your own bathroom in BROOKLYN?” she shrieked, her long red locks swaying as she shook her head in disbelief. “Are they aware you’re practically stealing from them?”

“They work in antiques so are pretty wealthy already” you shrugged nonchalantly, hoping your casual tone would get her off the subject. “I don’t think they really need the cash, it just helps offset the bills and stuff”.

“Are they hot?” she asked cheekily, elbowing you in the ribs.

"Wanda!” you exclaimed, laughing as you moved back into the bedroom and grabbed your clean sheets. “…yes” you relented, dressing the bed.

Wanda screeched and grabbed the corner of the sheet to help, lining it up with the mattress as she giggled.

“So what, are they together or…”

“No, just close friends” you explained, picking up the duvet cover. “They’ve known each other since they were kids. Practically brothers”.

Wanda nodded as she diligently flipped the duvet into the covers. “So, which one d’you want?”

You laughed. “God, you are the horniest woman on earth…”

Wanda giggled, curtseying in response. You playfully tossed a pillow at her.

“Neither. I don’t think sleeping with my roommates slash landlords is likely to end well”.

You kept your eyes trained on the sheets, hoping Wanda wouldn’t notice you flushing as you thought about Bucky. You hadn’t stopped thinking about him since that night…his mouth on your skin and-

Wanda just rolled her eyes. “Spoilsport”.

🩸

It didn’t take long to establish a routine of sorts at the house.

Steve and Bucky slept all day rather than ‘working’ of course. They really did work in antiques, but did most of their work at night and had several mysterious assistants who would come and go throughout the day, collecting and dropping off parcels for the business. You just left them to it.

Steve had told you that they had both been turned sometime during World War II, and acquiring antiques was pretty easy after the world had collapsed. They set up a business easily, building a small fortune as they used their earnings to buy more items cheaply and sell for a profit once society started to stabilise again. Over the years they settled in Brooklyn with different aliases and business names, doing most of their sales by mail and cheque – or cash transfers now that the times had moved on. The small percentage of face to face selling happened via their assistants, so no long term customers would wonder why their antique dealers never seemed to age…

They had bought the townhouse in the fifties for a good price - quickly paying it off. No mortgage meant they didn’t need much money to get by in human society, and the little business they did more than covered that. They carefully switched identities when needed and were cautious that the neighbours barely saw them. Not that they had many neighbours nowadays, as most of them were wealthy types whose Brooklyn home was just one of many in their large property portfolios. Others rented theirs out to ever changing tenants, nobody staying long enough to have any suspicions about their quiet, antique dealer neighbours. After decades of practice, they had mastered the incognito thing.

Steve didn’t tell you any details about how they were turned, and you didn’t pry – it felt strangely personal to ask. They’d share if they wanted to.

Your landlords’ nocturnal habits meant the house was all yours in the daytime. You worked from home, sitting at your computer reviewing articles and proofreading for your clients – occasionally padding to the kitchen for tea and snacks. Your roommates didn’t eat, so you had as much fridge and pantry space as you needed – bar the occasional blood bag from one of their trades. They let you open the shades, but asked that you close them again by sunset – just in case.

You’d tested just how deep they slept, starting small by playing some quiet music in your room – gradually getting louder and louder over a few days, but there wasn’t a peep from the next floor.

You tried shouting or singing loudly, but they didn’t stir. You had clumsily dropped a pan one afternoon, it clattered loudly on the kitchen floor and echoed through the silent house as you winced – expecting a cranky vampire to emerge in the doorway and chastise you for waking them. But there was still nothing.

Once when you were feeling particularly bold, you’d even run up their stairs and banged on their doors – but the silence remained. It seemed that when they slept, no sound would wake them. You could do whatever you liked, which was very freeing. You just didn’t go into their rooms, just as they didn’t go in yours without asking, mutually respecting each other’s privacy.

Steve was the perfect roommate. Sweet, chatty, asking you about your day and how work was. You would often forget about his supernatural origin. He was just a normal guy…who happened to feast on human blood. Sometimes you’d rib him playfully about his age and tease him for posting the ad in the newspaper of all places, but it was all very good natured and well meaning.

Bucky on the other hand…was a little more complex. He seemed to revel in making you uncomfortable, wanting to embarrass you. He was often patronising and condescending, teasing you when you didn’t understand something or asked what he deemed to be a stupid question. It had none of the lightness of your jokes with Steve. He had little patience for you not understanding the intricate ins and outs of their world – as if this wasn’t all brand new to you. You had a feeling he liked to rile you up, maybe it excited him to hear your blood pumping as you lost your temper.

You hated to admit it to yourself but you still felt that pull towards him. He was entrancing, as much as you began to loathe him you found you just couldn’t stay away. It was infuriating.

At first you had just put up with it, rolling your eyes and biting your tongue. But the teasing became more intense, and you’d shared a few terse words here and there when you started to fight back. Steve would sigh, reluctantly stepping into his role as the peacemaker as he separated you both and talked you down. You couldn’t explain it, but found yourself enjoying your little sparring sessions, the quiet exhilaration in your belly when you’d exchange insults back and forth. The way his eyes seemed to shine with excitement when you gave as good as you got felt intoxicating.

God only knows what this said about your psychological state…

The feeds were going well. Your sessions with Steve were more muted, you felt a slight warm fog cloud your mind during his, but it was nothing like that first time with Bucky which had felt like taking some sort of drug. Steve’s turns were pleasant enough, but he was all business. He only fed from your wrist, thought the thigh was a bit much. He didn’t touch you any more than he had to, getting in and out as efficiently as possible. He was polite and pleasant, apologising for any pain and thanking you profusely afterwards as he bandaged you up. They each had a little first aid kit they’d use to clean your wounds after the feed. It all felt quite transactional, but that was fine by you.

Bucky’s feeds were…not like Steve’s. His days brought you a mix of excitement and anxiety as you waited for evening to come around. He would often berate you for not being ready, or for having a messy room. He liked the thigh almost exclusively and would take his time finding the ‘perfect spot’, his cool fingers running languidly over your skin as he searched for a vein he wanted. You would hike your shorts up and lie back on your bed, your teeth digging tightly into your bottom lip as you suppressed any accidental moans. He must’ve known what he was doing. His lips would hover over his chosen area and just as you thought he was ready, he would drag them further along and land elsewhere. The edge of his fangs would scrape delicately across your flesh, tickling you perfectly. Sometimes he did this over and over, edging you and dragging it out before apologising insincerely for his error.

Then he’d plunge his fangs in without warning, you never knew if he was about to bite or was still choosing where to go, so it caught you off guard each time. After the initial burn, that familiar haze would flood your senses again and you’d lay back and close your eyes. It was like a high you’d never experienced anywhere else, balling your fists as you gently whimpered under your breath. Sometimes you’d hear him moaning as he fed, your hips squirming as you were pinned under him. You knew that you were sopping wet between your legs each time, desperate to grind yourself into him. You wondered if he knew it, too.

You didn’t really understand why it made you feel the way it did. You were quietly ashamed that you enjoyed it so much.

Afterwards he’d get to his feet, grinning down at you as he took in your spent form. You’d watch him through heavy eyelids, too dazed to throw back any retort to whatever little sarcastic comment he made. Then he’d apply the bandage delicately, often taking slightly too long to withdraw his hand from you once he’d finished.

One evening it all came to a head. You were cooking in the kitchen as Steve and Bucky chatted at the table about a business deal. This was becoming pretty typical, you would cook and eat and they would catch up – talking about work or asking about your day (more Steve than Bucky, of course). Then you’d head upstairs with whichever of them was feeding that night. You preferred doing it in your bedroom as you still felt tired afterwards and liked being comfortable on your bed. Steve assured you that the fatigue would lessen over time, and he was correct – you could already feel yourself getting more alert after each one.

“...Yeah you’re right” Bucky sighed as Steve showed him an email on his phone. “It’s just the client wasn’t a fan of those vases and-”

He was interrupted by a sharp scream from the stove area. They both jumped to their feet as they turned to look at you. You were clutching your finger and gritting your teeth, grabbing at kitchen towels. You’d nicked the tip slightly when cutting vegetables, a drop of bright red blood seeping through the wound as you held the towel up to it.

“You okay?” asked Steve, his voice concerned.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s not deep it just surprised me-” you started to explain. But then stopped in your tracks when you saw Bucky.

He looked…wild. His eyes no longer resembled the cyan blue ones you’d gotten to know over the last few weeks. They seemed darker, colder. You couldn’t find a drop of humanity in them. His mouth was curled into a snarl as he stalked towards you at speed like a hunter.

You began to scream, shrieking as you held your arms out to stop him. “W-wait Bucky no! Stop-”

But it was too late. His arms enveloped your torso and his fangs were bared and you felt your legs give out, paralysing you with fear as you fell against the counter, only staying upright from his crushing grip. You screamed again as you saw Steve soar towards you both, your heart thumping in your chest as tears began to stream down your cheeks. This was it. The end of you. How foolish you’d been…why on earth did you think this was a good idea…

And then…Bucky laughed.

He laughed and released you, his fangs retracting and his eyes shifting back to the ones you recognised. You stared at him incredulously.

“Gotcha” he smirked mockingly.

“Goddamn, Buck…” Steve sighed with exasperation as his body relaxed. “That’s not funny. You had me going too. I was about to jump you”.

You gawped at him, unable to grasp what has happening as your breathing finally went back to normal and the tears stopped.

“That was…a joke?” you asked in disbelief, your voice hoarse from the screams.

Bucky just winked. “Oh come on, humans used to have better senses of humour, I swear…”

You gasped, the remnants of your fear transforming into unmistakeable rage. You clenched your jaw, your hands becoming fists as the full weight of what he’d done began to sink in.

“You think I’d really lose it over a tiny drop of your blood? You must think pretty highly of yourself, Doll” he mocked.

“You…fuckin’-” you whispered. You rocketed towards him, your temper well and truly lost. No rationality remained. You pummelled his chest with your fists, trying to shove him – but he was like a brick wall, you couldn’t even nudge him.

“You think that’s funny?” punctuating each sentence with a finger prodding into his chest as you looked up at his smirking face. “You ASSHOLE. You think it’s funny to pull shit like that? Make me look stupid? Scare me? For kicks?” you shouted.

You could faintly hear Steve trying to calm things down, but his words were lost in the blur of your anger.

You hit Bucky again but he didn’t even flinch. “Is that meant to hurt me?” he asked sweetly, clearly loving every moment of this.

You inhaled deeply, swinging for him again with your injured hand. The pain long forgotten. He effortlessly grabbed your forearm and stopped you before your fist could make contact. He looked deep into your eyes as he squeezed his fingers around your wrist. Then, as he held eye contact, he quickly moved your cut finger between his lips, sensually moaning as he gently sucked the blood from the tip.

That was the detonator. You went completely off the deep end, screaming and throwing kitchen utensils at him as you lost your final shred of self-control. Bucky just continued his trademark smirk. A drinking glass got caught in the crossfire, shattering at your feet when Steve finally stepped in.

“Alright, that’s enough. Both of you” he said sternly, hooking his arms under your shoulders and dragging you across the kitchen. You squirmed in his grasp, protesting, as he planted you as far away from Bucky as possible.

“You’re going to get hurt with all this broken glass” he chided, like a parent scolding their child.

You finally relented, crossing your arms and huffing as you turned away from both of them.

“And you” Steve angrily chastised Bucky. “That was too far”.

You couldn’t see Bucky’s face but you would bet good money that he didn’t show contrition for his actions.

Steve turned his attention back to you. “Why don’t you go upstairs and cool off? I’ll finish cooking your dinner and bring it up, okay?”

You nodded sullenly as you calmed down. “Thanks…but...um…can you even cook?”

You didn’t look at Bucky but heard him scoff. You ignored it.

Steve chuckled. “I may not eat, but yes I can cook. I used to be human, remember? I’ll finish up and bring it to you”.

You nodded again. “Thank-you Steve. I’m sorry about the glass, I’ll replace it”.

He smiled in response. “Don’t worry about it, we’ve got a bunch”.

You smiled back, grateful for his kindness. You turned to Bucky.

“Tonight’s your feeding night, so I hope you enjoyed that little taste because you’re not getting anything else from me this evening” you spat.

Bucky just grinned and licked his lips. “Delicious”.

You turned on your heel and left the kitchen, slamming the door behind you. You took a moment to adjust again, taking a deep breath. You couldn’t believe you had lost it like that, embarrassed to have let them see you in that way. Normally you were very calm and collected, it took a lot to truly upset you. But that just seemed to be the effect Bucky had on you. He got under your skin like nobody else you’d ever met. You decided you would apologise to Steve again properly when he brought your food up.

You sighed, mentally shaking it off as you went to go to your room, but stopped when you heard voices in the kitchen. You couldn’t help but listen in, straining to hear what they were saying.

“What the hell were you thinking?” asked Steve. You could hear the sounds of the broken glass being picked up and placed on a surface.

“What? She freaked out! How was I supposed to know she couldn’t take a joke?” Bucky replied aghast, as if he was the maligned party.

You rolled your eyes, resisting the urge to storm in and have it out with him again.

“Don’t play dumb. We both know what you’re doing” Steve scolded.

“Well, what am I doing?”

“Playing with your food”.

“It’s just a bit of gentle ribbing…relax. It’s fun.” Bucky sighed.

“You’re not supposed to get that close to her. You know that. For her sake. This is a professional arrangement. She’s not your plaything”.

You raised an eyebrow. Is that really all they saw you as? Just dinner, something to play with? Well...they were right of course. That’s what you were to them. It was why you were here. But you were also a person. Not just a blood bank. And what did Steve mean by close? Bucky certainly wasn’t getting close to you, if anything he hated you…

…didn’t he?

“It’s strictly professional. Nothing more” Bucky countered.

“Good. As we’ve always said, boundaries are important here.” Steve replied. “And would it kill you to be a bit nicer to her? She’s actually pretty sweet. It may be professional but there’s no reason we can’t all get along”.

Bucky sighed. “Fine. I’ll apologise. I’ll go up and see her”.

“Not tonight” Steve warned. “She was mad as hell, let her cool off - she’s probably up there making a stake for you right now”.

They both laughed.

“Okay…You’re right. But I’ll talk to her, I promise”.

“Good”.

“Also…what a firecracker. She has a mean right hook. Caught me off guard”.

“Yeah…I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of her. Better you than me” laughed Steve.

The conversation shifted back to their work so you crept upstairs and slipped into your bedroom as quietly as you could. Your mind was spinning with everything you’d heard. Steve referring to you as ‘food’ and ‘plaything’ upset you more than you thought it would. It made you feel like an object, not a person. Like you were nothing more than another item in the house – the food source, no different to the refrigerator or the kitchen sink. Just something they needed. You didn’t need them to think of you as their best friend, but you didn’t want to be just dinner, either. You knew their age and experience probably meant you seemed naïve and green by comparison, a mere human, but you’d hoped they saw you as more than just a vein.

And Bucky’s admissions had confused you too. You knew he liked playing with you and riling you up, but what did Steve mean by ‘we both know what you’re doing’? What exactly was Bucky was doing?

You distracted yourself with finishing some work and texting Wanda when there was a knock on your door sometime later.

“Come in” you called.

Steve stepped in, carrying your dinner on a tray with a glass of water. He smiled warmly as he placed it on your dresser.

“Thank-you for doing that. It smells great. God, Steve, I’m sorry…I behaved so poorly earlier. I shouldn’t have thrown shit and shouted, I apologise” you said bashfully. “You don’t need that in your home”.

Steve held up a dismissive hand. “No apology necessary. He was being an asshole, I would’ve hit him too – in your position”.

You grinned. “Doesn’t quite have the desired effect when you’re hitting someone with super strength or whatever”.

Steve laughed. “You had him on the ropes…”

You both sat in the silence for a moment as you got up to get your plate.

“Why is he like that?” you asked quietly, collecting the food on your fork.

Steve sighed. “He’s not always. I know you won’t believe me, and I understand why, but he can be a really good guy. He’s…been through a lot. I think sometimes he forgets where the line is”.

You nodded, wondering what Bucky had ‘been through’ exactly.

“Does he hate me?” you whispered.

Steve chuckled. “God, no. As stupid as it sounds, he wouldn’t enjoy torturing you if he did”.

You frowned as you ate. “Not confusing at all…”.

Steve nodded. “Zero argument here”.

You shared a smile and Steve got up to leave. “He’s going to apologise. And I’m sorry he scared you, that crossed the line. This is your home too, you should be comfortable here. I hope you know that we both want you here, even if it didn't feel like it tonight...”

“Thanks Steve”.

You felt more at ease now. Maybe Steve just saw you as food, but at least he was nice about it.

He winked and got up to leave.

“Steve…is he going to be okay tonight? Like…not eating at all?” you asked, slightly worried you were starving Bucky by denying his feed.

But Steve just chuckled, touched that you were concerned about Bucky even when he didn’t deserve it.

“He’s a big boy, he’ll manage. He deserves to go hungry tonight. Besides, we still have a couple of extra bags in the icebox if he’s really desperate”.

“Refrigerator, Steve” you giggled.

“Right! That one. Sorry…40s stuff”.

Steve left you to it and you finished your meal, reading for a while before getting into bed for an early night. Sleep eluded you as you thought of Bucky and your fight, already nervous about facing him again tomorrow.

#vampire bucky barnes #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #the blood pact fic #james bucky barnes #Vampire bucky au #Vampire bucky x you #Vampire bucky x reader

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 11 months

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Steve Brodner

* * * *

WHO WON?

TCINLA

MAY 26, 2023

Earlier tonight, President Biden expressed hope that a deal on the Republican-manufactured debt ceiling crisis would be resolved by midnight. Just now, Republican representative Patrick McHenry, a member of McCarthy’s negotiating team, told reporters that “I concur” that the possibility of a resolution is at hand now.

Bearing in mind that William Goldman’s Three Rules of Hollywood - Nobody. Knows. Anything. - applies to more than just Hollywood and movies, and that a deal is not a deal until both sides stand at the microphones and say “Here’s the deal,” it appears we may, perhaps, possibly, avoid tossing the world’s strongest capitalist economy into a dumpster fire for the hell of it.

Let’s also bear in mind that yes, these “negotiations” should not have happened, and that the House GOP have cemented for all to see their unseriousness, and their overt desire to be traitors.

We can say what we want about the Democrats not having taken care of this last fall when they could, except they couldn’t, since there were two senators - Manchin and Sinema - who claim nominal membership in the Democratic caucus who would have been just fine with turning a 51-49 Democratic majority into a 49-51 Democratic minority on a vote to raise the debt ceiling back in 2022.

We can argue that Biden wasn’t brave enough to stick his finger in the GOP’s eye with an invocation of the Fourteenth Amendment, that he should have told them that was on the table back at the SOTU.

What “should have been” and “what is” were always two different things, and no matter how much I wish it was otherwise, “what is” - a credible threat by domestic political terrorists to crash the United States - required that negotiations happen, like it or not.

There have been indications for the past few days that House Republicans and the White House are making real progress. Last night, it seemed that the two sides have all but finalized the spending portion, which was the most contentious part of the negotiation.

Based on these leaked outlines, this appears to be a much better deal for Biden and Democrats than most of us thought possible. What’s most important is that the budget caps are only for two years and they’re based on FY 2023 and not FY 2022 numbers. The agreement also locks in rules about the 12 coming spending bills for FY 2024 that will prevent Republicans coming back with new demands this fall, threatening to shut down the government.

There was no deal that was going to be “good” after the Republicans took the House.

But despite the Professional Hand-Wringers claiming that Biden was “out negotiated” by McCarthy because McCarthy and his bullshit were all over the media while the president remained silent, the truth is this leaves the House Republicans looking like they got a thin deal and face saving changes. The best negotiating strategy is always to let the loser think he’s the winner.

The deal would raise the debt ceiling for two years until after the 2024 presidential election, in exchange for two years of spending limits mostly focused on domestic government programs. The debt ceiling is not a weapon the Republicans can deploy in the 2024 elections, and if Democrats continue to overperform as they have in 2018, 2020 and 2022, there is a good chance of having a majority in both houses of congress that allow for disposal of the issue permanently.

The Biden administration would also agree as part of the deal to cut some funding for the Internal Revenue Service approved last year, which lets Republicans claim a victory, that they clawed back some of the money going to the mythical “army of IRS agents” who are going to harass ordinary working folks, when in fact it really wasn’t possible to spend that $10 billion this year anyway, while using the money to offset the spending cuts on domestic programs. The only “win” McCarthy has here is cosmetic.

Defense and Veterans spending continues at the level Biden outlined in his FY 2024 budget. No freeze there. Non-defense discretionary spending is frozen at roughly 2023 levels and for just two years. That is in fact A Big Fucking Deal.

Dark Brandon has won. Again. He didn’t “fall into his old placating ways.” McCarthy and his goon squad have thrown “B’rer Brandon” into the briar patch. And they’re the ones covered with the tar baby.

The big unresolved problem is whether or not McCarthy can deliver a “majority of the majority,” as required by “The Hastert Rule” Republicans follow. One can certainly take as a given that the Taliban 20 won’t be aboard - they want a default, which was why they forced McCarthy to pass the ‘budget bill” he did, knowing that nothing in it was acceptable to any Democrat. He’ll have to deliver more than the “Biden 18, because there are enough Democrats in the House who dislike the negotiations, and their result, that whatever coalition passes the deal - and it will be a bipartisan vote by the realists on both sides who recognize that default is not an option - will likely be a bare majority of both parties. The White House will need to make clear to Democrats that this is a shit sandwich that isn’t completely shitty, to whip Democratic votes to get it passed. There are those on the Democratic side who really do think that they should force McCarthy to pass it entirely with Republican votes, and if he can’t get the votes for his own demands, let’s just go over the cliff.

If the deal that can be seen in outline now is the deal that is agreed on, Democrats are going to need to look at it the way they now look at the 2022 election, when they managed to choke off the red wave and turn it into a pink puddle. Add to the campaign points for 2024 the demand that the debt ceiling be done away with when a Democratic majority takes office in January 2025.

This deal isn’t great. There shouldn’t have been a negotiation at all. But this deal is a fairly small payment for the hostage, given what was seemed likely a week ago. Politically, Biden will be the victor and McCarthy will be the loser. When this is concluded, Biden will stay president, at least until January 20, 2025. Quiverin’ Qevin will be gone before Labor Day. Should he manage to hang on to his speakership, he’ll be more diminished than he was after winning on the 15th vote. He won’t be able to get anything done. And if he is toast, if he’s defeated, the Republicans have no one on their side of the aisle capable of achieving anything as Speaker between now and 2024. So if the Fwee-dumb Kawkuss “wins” by removing him, they will lose even more solidly in the end.

The real winner will be whoever offers a debt ceiling solution that can actually become law. Indisputably, that’s Biden, who can almost certainly get whatever debt limit hike he favors through the Democratic Senate, which has imposed a no-filibuster rule for debt limit votes only. Democrats hold 213 seats to the GOP’s 222 in the House. They can probably pick off the necessary five Republicans to pass the bill. There will be no Democratic votes for the Republican bill, which McCarthy himself sold to his members by promising it would never become actual law. Such a situation would mean McCarthy will be branded the one who caused the default. He knows that, and he knows that if the Republicans receive the blame as they did in 2013, they’ll pay the price in 2024.

#political cartoons #Steve Brodner #TCinLA #debt #Debt Ceiling #political #hostages #a shit sandwich that isn't completely shitty

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cruzleblanc33 · 2 years

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We have Had a Locks Transplant - How to Break the News

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scandinavianfairytale · 3 years

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Snapshots of life 1

A soft piano music woke her up. She blinked a few times, her vision clearing and her eyes settled on the still lightly snoring man next to her. She loved seeing him asleep. He looked so peaceful and relaxed. His subtle stubble made him look older then he was, but she found him even more attractive with his beard. Even though she hated how he would rub his pointy facial hair in her delicate and sensitive skin that took tens of cosmetic products to achieve. Regardless...she loved him.

'Love.' The feeling she never thought she'd ever experience. She didn't think there was anyone for her. Not with her issues...she almost blew it with Steve too. Luckily he was sweet enough to give her a second chance and now she was here, in his apartment, waking up almost everyday next to him. She really was lucky.

She got up and got ready for work. She was about to leave when she heard him groan. Steve was on the verge of waking up. She smirked, ran to the bed and jumped on him. He immediately woke up with a yelp. She started kissing him all over his face, finally settling on his lips.

"Morning gorgeous." he smirked with still sleepy eyes.

"Morning handsome. You need a shave, darling." She traced her finger along his stubble.

"I've been up for 2 minutes and you're already nagging me." he complained with a smile.

"That's only because I love you." She smiled and pecked his lips.

"I love you too." He said between the peck. She smiled and slowly walked away from the bed to the door.

"I'll see you in a few hours." She sent him a kiss and walked out.

Awhile ago I started this thing in my notes - I called it Flashes of life (poetic I know, hence the change in the name) and because of Uni & now work I had some writers block, but I wrote this today...I had a really good day today and I'm really happy. 😊 So I thought this would be the perfect day to try something new...so here I am 👋

I'm still learning this app, so please forgive me for not knowing the ropes yet - I'll get the hang of it! 💪😊

Thank you for reading & have a nice day/night 🌞🌙

#steve rogers #steve rogers imagine #short #blurb #story #the avengers #chris evans #fanfic #captain america #fluff #life moments #steve rogers x reader #captain america x reader #reader insert

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punyparkerfics · 4 years

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No Lifeguard on Duty!

Kid!Peter and Bio mom!Tony go swimming with the Avengers!

TW/CW: PTSD-triggered panic attack. nothing graphic.

Word Count: ~6.7k

A/N: y’all are seeing it first. here it will be for a bit before I post it to AO3, just to show my appreciation to those that have followed. thanks for the support! xx

Edit: This is part of my One-off series! It is now available on AO3!

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It was a warm June afternoon when Clint suggested at the tail-end of a meeting that the team should have a poolside team bonding session. Thor and Natasha instantly agreed, excited at the idea of sunbathing and taking a dip in Tony’s luxurious indoor lap pool.

Bruce looked to Tony expectantly. The billionaire froze for a moment before recovering and sniffing audibly. Steve knew immediately that the woman was deflecting when she just shrugged and agreed.

“I’m sure the kiddie will get a kick out of it,” She said casually, “Rhodey will join us if that’s okay.”

The kid in question was Tony’s precious son, Peter. The team had just met the (nearly) three-year-old two weeks before, and they were immediately enamored. Peter’s doe eyes and baby brown curls were hard enough to resist, but the kid was shockingly the sweetest kid any of them had ever met. Most of them (except Thor), had unfairly expected the tot to be a spoiled brat that screamed and threw things or even a gross sticky ball of self-centered energy. But the boy was shy yet friendly, very giving and sweet as candy. Peter charmed the socks off of the team but that was expected, he is a Stark after all.

The thing that shocked them even further was just how maternal Tony was with him. The genius was as far away from being the type to be a loving and affectionate mother as possible, if what their first impression of her was anything to base their judgment on. However, Tony was as gentle as could be with the boy. She was an adoring mother who doted on her son, showering him with hugs and kisses and pet names that made even Natasha feel a little gooey inside. It was a nice light to see their teammate in after the battle of New York ended.

Tony worked diligently ever since Peter was conceived to be sure her baby was the most protected life-form on the planet. Peter was her second chance after Afghanistan and she didn’t cut a single corner when it came to the boy’s safety, meaning security was upped even more once Natalie Rushman caught wind of him. Military vetted bodyguards, ironclad encryptions on all legal and medical documents pertaining to the child, and airtight NDA’s for any unauthorized person that so much suspected Tony Stark had a son were just the beginning of the laundry lists of precautions Tony took for her baby. Nonetheless, all the avengers loved Peter and jumped at the opportunity to spend time with him.

They’d only been able to see him a couple of times, as Tony had just returned from taking him to London for a few days to see some sort of astronomy exhibit or another. But, now the genius was basically offering an afternoon in the sun with a sweet little boy and a luxury pool. Basically, Steve and Bruce were sold.

Tony told the team that the pool was clean and ready, that they were welcome to go ahead and wait until she got her son ready and collected Rhodey. It took about two hours for the whole team to reconvene at the indoor swimming pool. The windows opened and sunlight beamed throughout the whole room, reflecting off the surface of the large body of water. Clint immediately ripped his shirt off and kicked his sandals away before running and belly-flopping into the pool. Steve winced audibly as Natasha rolled her eyes and Thor chuckled grandly. Widow had removed her makeup and braided her hair back. Her clothes from the day’s meeting had been swapped out for a black one-piece swimsuit that showed off a large portion of her back. She shook her head at the sight of Clint resurfacing and squirting water out of his mouth before whooping and dunking himself back underwater.

Steve shook his head and joined Doctor Banner, who was sitting on one of the beach chairs a few yards away from the pool, underneath a canopy for shade. Steve sat down on the chair beside the doctor, his eyes scanning the large open area. Admittedly, the two were only there to see Peter (and Tony, but neither would ever admit it), so they watched as Thor cannon-balled into the pool with a grand shout and plenty of amusement. Natasha called out with a deadpan tone,

“You get a 10. It had everything, theatrics, a battle cry, and a big splash. Incredible.”

“What about me?” Clint asked as he backstroked the length of the pool, his eyes on her.

“You’ve caught me on a day I’m most generous,” She replied, “You get a 2.”

“I have a feeling this competition is rigged,” Clint replied, disappearing under the surface of the water once again. Natasha shook her head and dipped her toes in the water before walking down the steps of the pool, sighing in contentment as she floated in the shallow end.

“How many times do I have to say it, Honeybear?” Tony’s voice came from the far end of the room towards the elevator, “Let me be a hot mama.”

“Just seems a little excessive, is all I’m saying,” Rhodey replied with an unimpressed shrug of his shoulders.

“To you,” Tony said, all the heads in the room turning to her and the boy in her arms, “Because you have no taste.”

Rhodey shook his head and grumbled under his breath before greeting the team. Tony bounced the toddler in her arms as she set down a small backpack on one of the unoccupied beach chairs, a melody of giggles filling the room. Steve and Bruce smiled, looking up at the boy in the billionaire’s arms.

“Say hi, tesoro. They came to see you and go swimming.” Tony said with a smile as she set him down to stand on the chair. She rifled through the bag, bending over to find something within it. Underneath a long and worn Black Sabbath t-shirt, the light blue of her bikini bottoms poked through. Steve cleared his throat as his eyes caught the curve of her rump, forcing himself to focus on the toddler before him and not his teammate’s rear.

“Hey, Peter,” Steve greeted with a smile, “It’s nice to see you. Are you ready to go swimming?”

“Yeah!” Peter cheered, throwing his little arms up in the air, “Mommy say I can ‘o swimmin’ wif’ my floadies on!”

Peter climbed over to Steve with a smile, “C’mon, cap! We gotta get the pool toys!”

“Aye, mimmo,” Tony called out to her son, “What did we agree goes before playing in the sun?”

“Sumbloc’!” The boy replied dutifully, turning to his mother, “But can me an’ cap just get the toys? Real quick, mommy, please?”

“Alright, if your skin falls off,” Tony began passively, “Don’t come to me cryin’ about it.”

Peter just giggled in response, grabbing Steve’s hand and making a big show of trying to pull him up off the beach chair. The boy planted his little feet and squeezed his eyes shut in strain, little grunts came from him as he pulled with all his might to get the super soldier on his feet. Steve smiled, pretending to fight back against the child’s pull.

“Gosh, Peter,” Steve pretended to strain, “You’re getting too strong, kid.”

Peter giggled again, putting smiles on everyone’s lips.

“Cus’ I like brock'ly now! Brock'ly makes you big and strong!” Peter exclaimed, showing off his little arms.

“No kidding,” Steve chuckled, now allowing the (nearly) three-year-old drag him to the large shed that held all the pool accessories. He helped the child pick out inner tubes and beach balls, as well as foam pool noodles and water guns, and carry them back to the beach chairs. Steve laid them down on the chair he was sitting on previously when Tony came over and scooped up the toddler.

He looked up and noticed the genius had taken off the oversized shirt she had previously adorned, leaving a simple baby blue bikini wrapped around her surprisingly pale skin. The arc reactor shone, the scar tissue around it now a pale pink. Rhodey was honestly surprised Tony was showing off her body at all. The woman was never above advertising her assets, but those closest to Tony knew that her chest was something sensitive to her. The Colonel himself had seen it plenty of times, but he’d known the genius for half of her life. These people, her team, were almost strangers. Rhodey didn’t know whether to worry about his friend or be proud that she was getting more comfortable with either her body or the Avengers; either was a big step for her.

Tony’s toned legs had the odd scrape or bruise along them, no doubt from the Iron Woman suit or chasing around a rambunctious toddler. Steve caught himself staring before shaking his head and turning to Bruce, who was hiding his own blushing face in a book.

Steve turned to those in the pool to see Natasha dunking Clint underwater and Thor cheering her on.

“C’mon, lovebug,” Tony said, wrangling a squirmy Peter in her arms as she sat on the beach chair beside Steve, “Sunblock time.”

Steve decided to just get into the pool and save himself any embarrassment. If you asked him, he was just shocked at the genius’ pale skin and not at all fawning over how beautiful she looked. Steve was simply washed with admirable respect, as it was clear Tony trusted her team enough to be so vulnerable around them. Not only was she literally in a bikini, with nowhere to hide her scars or traumatic body modifications, she was also allowing them to be with her son.

For that, Steve was certainly not ogling at her slight curves and toned muscle, nor was he appreciating how much seeing her like that reminded him what decade he was currently standing in.

Her long brown hair was tied up, and her makeup was immaculate. It was odd to Steve that she had seemingly refreshed her makeup since the meeting. Even Natasha had come to the pool barefaced, given the activity they were participating in. Steve admittedly didn’t know much about cosmetics, but he knew they didn’t typically mix well with water. Either way, the soldier whipped off his shirt and set aside his shoes before diving into the pool and literally swimming away from the warmth swirling in his chest.

“Jesus, Tony,” Rhodey chuckled, “You get paler and paler every time I come back from work. You keep that boy inside too much. Maybe leave the lab once in a while. Take him to the park or something.”

“Peter has sensitive skin,” Tony shrugged, lathering children’s sunblock on the boy in question. Her gentle hands caressed his baby soft skin which was considerably paler in comparison to Tony’s.

“Doesn’t mean you gotta make my nephew into a naked mole-rat,” Rhodey replied.

“Not a mole rat!” Peter cried indignantly to his uncle as his mother carefully applied sunblock to his face.

“That’s right,” Tony nodded, giving her son a serious face, “Stop being mean to my baby, sour patch.”

“Mean uncle Whodey!” Peter pouted, “Stinky face!’

At that, Natasha chuckled at the boy’s antics and Steve and Bruce couldn't hide their adoring smiles.

“Okay, boys,” Tony said with a smile on her face, “Play nice, or you both get time out.”

Peter sat up straight and looked up at his mother with a look of urgency on his face before miming zipping his mouth shut. Rhodey just rolled his eyes in response.

“Ca’ I go swimmin’ now, mommy?” Peter asked, bouncing up and down on her lap with a winning smile.

“You have to wait a little bit for the sunblock to soak in, Pete,” Tony replied, “Just sit in the shade for 15 minutes, then you can go.”

The genius began applying sunblock on her own skin, knowing Peter would protest wearing the gloopy stuff if his mom didn’t put it on too. Tony, once again, unknowingly earned the attention of most of the adults in the room. She was more occupied watching her son scribble on his coloring book with the crayons she had packed in his bag, her hands expertly massaging the lotion onto her legs, then stomach and chest. Her hands migrated to the exposed skin on the top of her breasts, effectively avoiding the reactor, and neck as Steve felt his throat go dry. Before he could stop himself from staring, he was accosted with a blast of water. Steve shook the water from his face and looked up to see Rhodey with a water gun, attacking him and the other avengers that happened to be staring at the billionaire. He looked up to see Bruce shaking water off of his hair and a deep blush spreading across his cheeks.

“Eyes up,” Rhodey called out with a mischievous grin, causing Steve to duck in embarrassment. Steve was a timid man when it came to women like Tony even back in the day, and that was with women from his own time period. A modern woman like Tony Stark, a woman that he admittedly didn’t treat fairly upon their first meeting was someone he couldn’t dream of shooting straight with. Plus, she was a dedicated mother with more things to worry about than Good ol’ Captain America giving her googly eyes. A woman like Tony could get any man (or woman) she desired, and Steve knew she wouldn’t choose a man that judged her harshly without him knowing her personally.

His attention was brought back to Peter who laughed loudly at his uncle’s antics, as the man continued to blast Thor for his own amusement.

“Mommy! Mommy! I wanna play with unca’ Whodey!” Peter exclaimed, turning to his mother. The genius was laying back in her reclined beach chair with her son at her feet, just relaxing in the shade.

“Just a few more minutes, baby bear,” Tony replied, running her fingers through her hair as she took down her bun.

“But, mommy!” Peter whined, climbing over to sit on her lap, “Wanna p’ay now!”

“I know, patatino,” Tony hummed, pulling the boy towards her and laying him flat against herself. Their chests pressed together and Peter rested his face on her collarbone, snuggling close, his chubby little hand laying flat against the arc reactor. Steve smiled at the idea of Peter adoring the light in his mother’s chest, his own personal nightlight that brought a whole new sense of security with her embrace.

“Just gotta wait for your sunblock to soak in,” Tony replied softly, her hands lightly rubbing the boy’s bare back, “Then you and uncle platypus can play all you want. Okay?”

“Okay, mommy,” Peter sighed, enjoying the feeling of relaxing in his mother’s arms. Peter was a mellow and well-behaved boy so moments like this weren’t uncommon. He loved just being with his momma. He liked having her in his sight but he LOVED being held in her arms.

The team looked on with fond smiles as the two Starks cuddled close, Rhodey taking a seat beside them and reclining with an audible exhale.

“Don’t get too comfy, Honeybear,” Tony smirked, “Pete’s gonna drag you into the pool in just a few minutes.”

“Want you to come swimmin’ wif us, mommy,” Peter said quietly, his eyes focused on a birthmark staining his mother’s arm. He circled the small spot with his finger, anxiously awaiting Tony’s reaction. Peter knew his mommy didn’t like swimming, she didn’t even like getting wet. Sometimes, if he splashes too much in the bath, Uncle Rhodey has to come in and help him while his mommy goes into her room and waits. At first, Peter felt really bad, he didn’t mean to be a bad boy; splashing’s just fun!

Uncle Rhodey and Auntie Pepper tell him it’s not because he’s a bad boy, just because Mommy had some scary stuff happen to her. And getting wet sometimes reminds her of it. They tell him about a time before he was born that his Mommy was taken to a scary place and bad people did scary things to her. They told him that sometimes it gives her nightmares and that’s why he can’t sleep in Mommy’s bed with her some nights, even though he wants to! He wants to be there with his mommy so he can help her calm down from a nightmare just like she does for him sometimes!

Tony tensed slightly, her grip on Peter tightening a bit before she drew in a deep breath.

“Uncle Rhodey’s going swimming with you, cucciolo,” Tony sighed, combing her fingers through the boy’s curls. It was something she’s done since Peter was born, as touching her baby’s hair provided both of them immense comfort, “I’ll be right here watching you, though.”

“But, mommy,” Peter pouted, sitting up in his mother’s lap, “Wan’ you to come too!”

Peter knew his mommy was scared of the water, but he and Uncle Rhodey would be right there with her! She’d be okay, and see that the water isn’t scary! Even the avengers were there, too. His mommy would be kept safe and protected and she’d see how much fun swimming is! As long as no one splashes her, she’ll have so much fun with him and his uncle! Peter just knows it! Plus, mommy helps him get over his fears all the time. Like the time she showed him that there were no monsters hiding in his closet, or the time she showed him that his broccoli hadn’t been poisoned.

“C’mon, buddy,” Rhodey offered gently to his nephew, “We can have fun without your mom with us. She’ll be close by watching.”

“No!” Peter shook his head, leaning forward and resting his face onto Tony’s chest, “Wan’ mommy.”

“Peter—” Tony began before Clint interrupted.

“C’mon, Stark!” The archer called out, floating on his back, “You’re not going to deprive the kid of fun in the sun with his ma, are ya?”

“Clint,” Natasha began to reprimand, catching Steve’s attention.

“What? Team bonding, right?” Clint shrugged.

“Bruce hasn’t gotten in the pool,” Natasha pointed out with a nod in the Doctor’s direction.

“Bruce didn’t come with a kid,” Clint countered, “If Pete wants his mom to swim with him, she should swim with him.”

“Tony,” Rhodey said to the genius, ignoring the talk from the pool, “I’ll go in with him, don’t worry.” “Mommy,” Peter mustered up his best puppy dog eyes and stuck out his bottom lip before saying, “Please?”

Tony tried her best to control her breathing. Her hands were hardly shaking where they rested on the small of her son’s back.

“We would most enjoy it if you joined our team festivity, Stark,” Thor encouraged, “And your little Starkson would be comforted by your engagement.”

“Tony,” Rhodey tried again. He really didn’t want what was supposed to be a fun day for the family and new friends to turn into a PTSD-related panic attack; not if he could help it.

But Tony brushed him off. She didn’t want to appear weak in front of her team. She didn’t want to prove that she wasn’t good enough to be an actual avenger rather than merely a consultant. She also didn’t want them to think she was too good to give her son anything he asked of her, as innocent as the request was. The inventor was already overly critical and self-conscious of her decision to wear a bikini in front of the team, with nowhere to hide the scars littering her body. In her head, she tried convincing herself that she just wanted to show off that she was matching Peter’s baby blue swim trunks. It was sort of her thing, anyway, to coordinate her son’s outfits with her own.

But, for Peter, she’d do anything. She’d suck up her paralyzing fear of water, for Peter. She’d agree to even go poolside at all, for Peter. So, for Peter, the genius sucked in a deep breath and stood up.

“Tony,” Rhodey said, standing up to either intervene or at least take Peter.

“C’mon, pup,” Tony said, bouncing the toddler in her arms again, “Let’s get your floaties on.”

“Mommy come?” Peter asked with a smile.

“Yeah” Tony nodded with a wide smile. They’d all seen that smile before, and Steve would give anything to know if it was genuine. “Mommy’s gonna go in the pool with you, okay? But we gotta be careful.”

Peter nodded dutifully and held his arm out for Rhodey as he approached with the inflated water wings.

“Are you sure about this, Tones?” Rhodes asked quietly, “I could take him, he won’t put up much of a fuss once he’s in there. We both know —”

“It’s fine,” Tony shook her head, her smile not leaving her face but her eyes refusing to meet the Colonel’s eyes.

“Mommy, we gonna have so much fun!” Peter cheered, offering his uncle his other arm to slide the other water wing onto.

“Yeah,” Tony replied with her own toned-down level of cheer. Steve’s heart dropped as he realized Tony was not at all comfortable with the idea of getting into the water. Was it because of them? Was it because she’d caught Steve or Bruce staring at her before? Had they made her uncomfortable? Gosh, he’d really —

“C’mon, bambino,” Tony hummed, taking shaky steps towards the large pool. She looked over the surface of the water and swallowed hard. Steve was looking up at her from the water with concern, while Nat was somewhat shepherding Thor and Clint over to the deeper end of the pool, away from where Tony stood near the steps.

“JARVIS,’ Tony called out, her voice surprisingly even, “What’s the water temp?”

“The water is sitting a standard 78 degrees Fahrenheit,” The AI dutifully replied, “Would you like me to adjust it?”

“Yeah,” Tony nodded, “A little warmer, please… For the baby,”

“Certainly, madame,” JARVIS replied and the team felt the water get warmer around them. Not uncomfortably so, but it was definitely noticeable. Clint rolled his eyes and turned back to his attempt to explain the rules of Marco Polo to Thor.

“No cold water,” Peter said wearily, looking down at the water.

“Water’s nice and warm, kid,” Rhodey said softly beside them and Tony wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or to Peter.

“Uncle Whodey come too?” Peter asked, turning to face his uncle with a stunning smile.

“Of course,” Rhodey nodded, “I’m not letting your mom take all the fun.”

Tony appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood as she took another shaky step towards the pool stairs. Rhodey followed suit.

“Wait!” Peter called out, “We need the pool toys!”

“Right,” Tony chuckled nervously, turning around and walking Peter over to the beach chair that held the toys in question, “Silly me. How could I forget the pool toys?”

“Whatcha got, Stark?” Clint asked as he pulled himself up and out from the side of the pool, trudging over to the chair dripping wet.

“We got noodles and beach balls and water guns,” Peter called out excitedly, leaning forward in his mom’s grab to reach out for a toy. The boy was confident his mother would never drop him so he didn’t bother hanging onto her tightly.

“We got a whole shed of more, Legolas,” Tony nodded in the direction of the shed Peter had retrieved the toys with Steve before, “Knock yourself out.”

“Sweet,” Clint nodded and made his way over to the shed.

“Uncle Whodey!” Peter called out, extending his arms to hand over a beach ball to the Colonel, “We gotta p’ay vowwy ball!”

“You got it, squirt,” Rhodey chuckled, taking the ball from the toddler.

“And we need a noodle!” Peter exclaimed, reaching from Tony’s grip to grab a pool noodle. The boy hugged the red foam tube in his arms and gave his mother a cheeky smile.

“Okay,” Tony said, “Ready, bear?”

“Yeah!” Peter cheered, bouncing lightly in his mother’s arms as she slowly made her way back to the pool steps. She decided she’d already made a scene too big for the other avengers not to notice her trepidation. So, pointedly ignoring the screaming voice in her head and the pounding in her chest, she cuddled her baby closer to her chest and took slow and steady steps down into the shallow end of the pool. Tony focuses all her attention on the smile spreading across Peter’s face. She presses a quick kiss to his cheek and continues to wade a little further into the shallow water.

Tony hears the sound of someone entering the pool behind her, making her stiffen up and tighten her hold on Peter.

“It’s okay, Tony,” Rhodey’s calm voice sounds from behind her and she feels his hand steadily rest on the small of her back, “This is far enough.”

Tony nods, her shoulders still stiff with anxiety. The genius takes a deep breath before settling the toddler in her arms down to float in front of her.

“We swimmin’, Mommy!” Peter exclaimed, a look of pride evident on his face. Tony tried to focus every ounce of anxiety in her on the smile on her baby’s face. Peter was okay. She was okay. Rhodey was okay. They were in a pool in Manhattan, not a cave in Afghanistan. It was okay.

Tony took in another deep breath and gave her son a small smile.

“Yeah, baby,” Tony nods, “Just stay close to Mommy, okay?”

“Le’s go dis way!” Peter squeals, kicking his feet towards where Thor, Steve, and Natasha were floating, waiting for Clint to return, “Cap! Look’it me! I’m swimmin’ too!”

“Wow,” Steve smiled at the boy, “You swim really good, Pete. Look how fast you’re going.”

“Peter,” Tony called out, as the boy made his way further away from the safety of the shallow end, towards the deep end of the pool, “Peter, come to Mommy, please.”

“Mommy, le’s swim wif Cap!” Peter called out, turning back to face his mother.

“You have to stay in the shallow end, topolino,” Tony called out, her voice almost cracking at the end as her heart rate began to pick up again. Peter was out of her reach, swimming away from her. Sure, he was swimming towards the Great Captain America, but that was her baby. At that moment, her motherly instincts overpowered her self-preservation instinct as she waded further into the water towards her retreating son. As the water got deeper, it rose from just above her waist towards the bottom of her chest. The water began to slowly rise up her chest and Tony felt like the air in her lungs began to somehow liquify.

“Tony,” Rhodey called out behind her, “It’s okay. Stay right there. I’ll get him, he’s okay.”

Steve, noticing the look of pure panic on the billionaire’s face, instinctively scooped the paddling toddler up into his arms and held him securely against his chest.

“Everything alright?” The Captain asked, his voice filled with concern. He knew, logically, the boy wouldn’t drown on his watch. There were seven adults in the room with Peter that would obviously intervene before any harm came to him. But clearly, there was something the Colonel and the billionaire knew that the rest of the team didn’t and it was making them all very nervous. Tony just whimpered and nodded, her arms snaking around her waist and hugging herself tightly. Her eyes were distant and unseeing, glazed over with fear. And, she was shivering despite the warm water and sun beating down on her exposed skin.

Rhodey wades over to the Captain and reaches out to grab his nephew.

“C’mon, Pete,” Rhodey says softly, “Let’s stay closer to Mommy, okay?”

“But I’m swimmin’, Uncle Whodey! I’m swimmin wif Cap!” The boy replied, climbing into the man’s arms anyway, “It’s otay.”

“I know, buddy. But your mom wants you to stay a little closer to her, okay?” The Colonel said softly, turning to take the boy back to his mother.

“Is everything okay?” Steve asked with worry, but before the question could fully leave his lips, Clint came rushing back to the pool with a yellow inflated duck-shaped inner tube around his waist. The archer was giving out a mighty battle cry as he came running towards the pool before he jumped and cannonballed into the water.

The splash from the landing sprayed out far and wide, even getting Bruce the smallest bit wet from his spot. Natasha muttered out a curse in Russian, Thor bellowed in joyful laughter, and Steve just shook the water from his face. Peter squealed in delight before erupting in a fit of giggles.

“Tony,” Rhodey’s nervous voice sounded, causing Steve to look over at the billionaire with concern.

“Stark,” Steve exhaled, beginning to wade over to Tony who is visibly trying to keep herself calm but failing. The genius was beginning to hyperventilate and looked around the pool with eyes unseeing and blown out with fear. Once her eyes land on Peter still giggling in his uncle’s arms, safe, Tony frantically tries to make her way out of the pool.

Water splashed around her as she tried flailing out to the steps, the speed not sufficient enough to soothe her panic. Steve’s worry only increased, but he gently held Tony by the waist and helped her tread over to the side of the pool to make her escape quickly. Tony grunted and grabbed the railing once she was close enough to pull herself out of the offending water. She climbed out and scrambled to her feet, hurrying towards the door she, Colonel Rhodes, and Peter had entered from without looking back. Before she made it too far, Pepper Potts showed up in all her glory, holding a large fluffy towel.

“It’s okay,” Steve’s enhanced hearing picked up Pepper’s hushed voice as she wrapped the towel around the distressed engineer, “Everyone’s safe, Tony. Peter’s okay, you’re okay.”

Tony doesn’t even slow down as she continues her trek back into the rest of the building away from the pool, not even to acknowledge the light kiss Pepper places on her temple. Tony just allows the trusted woman to lightly guide her towards the elevator with a quiet promise to follow her up in a moment.

“JARVIS, please get a hot shower ready for Tony,” Pepper said softly as she watched the genius disappear behind the closing elevator doors.

“Certainly, Ms. Potts,” JARVIS replied dutifully. Pepper sighs and takes a few steps towards the pool, minding the water both Tony and Clint left slicking the pavement.

“Unfortunately, you will have to continue your team bonding exercise without Miss Stark. Feel free to stay and drink, eat, or whatever you please.” The woman said before turning and quickly following after Tony.

“Where mommy go?” Peter asked, looking up at his uncle sadly.

“Mommy’s gonna take a shower and rest a bit,” The Colonel explained gently, setting the boy down to allow him to float in the water, “How about you and I swim for a bit and then join her later?”

“No,” Peter squirmed around, kicking his little legs under the water, “Wan’ mommy!”

“Let’s give mommy some time, bud,” Rhodes calmly encouraged.

“Wan’ mommy, P’ease!!! Unca’ Whodey!” Peter cried out, flailing to grab onto the man.

Rhodes sighed and picked the boy up, holding him tightly against his chest.

“Alright, squirt,” He said, wading to exit the pool, “Let’s get you a bath, and then we’ll go see mommy.”

“Is Tony going to be okay?” Steve asked, his concern only growing.

“Yeah, what made her walk out on us? She even left the kid behind,” Clint asked incredulously.

Natasha replied by splashing the archer with a wave of water. The Colonel ignored Clint as he exited the pool and pulled off the water wings from Peter’s arms. Rhodes wrapped the boy in a fluffy blanket and held him close to his chest before turning to the Captain.

“Tony’ll be fine. She just needs some space,” was all Rhodes said before leaving the pool room with Peter. Upon hearing the soft sound of the elevator doors closing behind them, Steve looks over to the rest of the team with a confused look still etched on his face.

“Is- Did we- I don’t—” Bruce stammered as he rose from where he was previously seated, walking towards the pool with his eyes stuck towards where Rhodey and Peter had just disappeared.

“I was hoping we’d avoid it, but I was almost sure it was going to happen,” Natasha said almost wistfully.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked.

Natasha looked around at them all staring at her, waiting for an explanation. She rolled her eyes at their cluelessness.

“You guys heard about Afghanistan, what did you expect?”

“What does Afghanistan have to do with a pool in Manhattan?” Clint asked.

“She was tortured into compliance, moron,” Natasha bit out as she began to float on her back, looking up at the sky through the glass walls.

“The physical exam she went through after she was rescued showed signs of water inhalation. It’s suspected that she might have been forced underwater or was even waterboarded.”

“Suspected?” Bruce asked with a look of horror on his face.

“She hasn’t said much at all about what they did to her there, just what they asked of her. Stark isn’t one to talk about what she’s been through. She plays it close to the vest so as to not let any weakness slip.” Natasha explained as if it were the simplest explanation.

“Then why—” Steve asked. His heart was pounding in his chest.

Since coming out of ice, Steve had talked to a few professionals about shell shock and learned the new terminology surrounding it. PTSD, they called it now. Either way, as a leader, Steve was almost ashamed in himself for not seeing it in Tony. He saw a woman dealing with a lot on her plate. He knew she’d been captured and gotten out, but he didn’t dwell much on the fact that she’d spent months in an Afghan cave. He was a captain, damn it. He’s supposed to take care of his team.

“Why what?” Natasha asked, with an arched brow.

“Why’d you—” Steve shook his head, “Your assessment of her…”

“PTSD doesn’t make any of it any less true, I just omitted any justification for her behavior during my time watching her,” Natasha replied smoothly, never ceasing her peaceful floating.

“Why?” Bruce asked incredulously.

“Because she shouldn’t be in this line of work. She’s been through enough, and she had a toddler to take care of. I knew she didn’t want it, I was trying to keep her and Peter out of it.”

The men were shocked silent, only the sound of water rippling could be heard until Natasha spoke once again, “JARVIS, can we get the water temp down a few notches now that Tony’s not here?”

“Certainly, Agent Romanoff,” The AI replied, the water cooling down around them. It made sense now, why Tony wanted the water so warm. She wanted to do anything to not be reminded of that cave.

⋆⋆☆⋆⋆

Pepper walked out after setting a steaming mug of tea on the nightstand. Tony sat on her large bed wrapped in a bathrobe, her long wet hair tied up in a messy bun. The warm shower helped and JARVIS was showing her the live video feed of Rhodey giving Peter a bath, soothing the genius to see her baby safe and sound. Tony smiled sadly as Peter demanded to be taken out of the bath and to his mother. She knew her son was too perceptive of his own good, knowing his mommy was upset and wanting to be with her. With a sigh, she dismissed the video feed and pulled on sweatpants and an MIT shirt that still swamped her figure even years later.

“JARVIS, get ready to play Peter Pan for us, would you, pal?” Tony asked.

“Of course, madame,” JARVIS replied, his voice fond.

Just then, there’s a soft knock on her door. Tony padded over to the door, opening it to smile at the sight of her son wrapped in a hooded towel resembling a duckling.

“Mommy,” Peter whined before reaching out towards his mother. Tony scooped the boy in her arms and held him close.

“Hey, bug,” She soothed as she began rocking the boy back and forth.

“Here’s his clean clothes, he wouldn’t let me dress him. He just wanted you,” Rhodey said, walking to her bed and setting a small stack of folded clothes with a bottle of baby lotion on top.

“That’s fine, I got him from here. Thanks, Sugarbear,” Tony smiled.

“Are you sure? I can stay, Tony. If you need help with anything, anything at all.”

“Yeah, I think we’re just going to have some quiet time. Watch Peter Pan and snuggle. I might even join him for his nap,” Tony sighed, never stopping the rocking motion as Peter snuggled close to her.

“Okay, that’s good. You two need to rest. But we’re having dinner as a family. No excuses,” The Colonel said sternly, eyeing Tony with all his concern still evident.

“Pizza,” Peter murmured sleepily against his mother’s neck, causing the two adults to chuckle.

“You got it, buddy. Take care of your mommy, I’ll see you two for dinner,” Rhodey said fondly before sparing Tony another look.

“Bye uncle whodey,” Peter sighed sleepily and let his eyes flutter shut.

“See you later, platypus,” Tony smiled, causing her best friend to nod and walk away.

Tony softly shut her door and carried Peter to her bed. She lied the boy down and ran the towel gently across his bare skin and through his damp curls. Tony was surprised that the boy was allowing her to even put him down, to begin with, but she figured she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and proceed cautiously and quickly.

It took her no time at all to lather the boy in baby lotion and stick him in a pull-up that Rhodey so graciously provided. Easily enough, she wrangled her boy into little grey sweatpants and his new favorite War Machine shirt. Tony shook her head with a smile on her face, of course, that’d be the shirt he’d pick out for her son to nap in. Tony then set aside the bottle of lotion and hung the hooded towel to dry on the door of her bathroom before climbing into her bed and cuddling close with her son.

“J, play the movie, with a volume that’s mindful of a sleeping baby,” She said softly. With that, Peter Pan began playing quietly.

“Not a baby,” Peter mumbled from where his face was buried in his mother’s shirt. The boy readjusted and scooted until he was laying chest to chest with Tony, like he was earlier by the pool, his cheek smooshed beside the arc reactor.

“You’re my baby, tesoro,” Tony hummed and began running her fingers through the boy’s still slightly damp curls, “You’ll always be my baby boy.”

Tony was so content she could almost forget entirely that the Avengers were still in the tower, probably wondering why she just up and left their bonding sesh. She could practically ignore the remnants of the anxiety and dread lingering in her chest and stomach. All Tony could feel at that moment was Peter. She could feel his weight on her chest, his breath tickling her skin, his little hand grabbing a handful of her shirt and his hair through her fingers. The billionaire buried her nose in his curls and immersed herself in the moment. Pepper and Rhodey were both in town, and they were going to have dinner like a family. Her family was home and it was warm. Warmer than an Afghan cave and an empty Malibu mansion. And best of all, her baby was right here with her, in their home, safe and sound. And that was more than she could have ever asked for.

#peter parker fanfiction #Tony Stark fanfiction #iron mom #ironmon #iron dad #iron dad fanfiction #irondad fanfiction #spider-man fanfiction #iron man fanfiction #Kid!peter parker #avengers team bonding #italian tony stark #precious peter parker #cute peter parker #punyparkerfics

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 5 years

Text

WhatsApp? Part 10. (Steve Rogers x reader)

Description: You’ve never been lucky with guys. You just wanted to catch someone’s eye, to be loved. One day, that’s about to turn completely - with one fake, completely imagined number a guy gave you

A/N: Man I live for Sam Wilson. He’s too much to handle. He’s that chaotic friend for sure.

Word count: 1.9 K

Warnings: Probably like none? Idk.

Tagging: @missdictatorme, @songforhema, @mikariell95, @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory

Read the rest here: Part One Part Two Part three Part four Part five Part Six Part seven Part eight Part nine

If you like to have your readings in order :): H E R E

You had a deep coma until two p.m. the next morning, unable to move, speak or talk, just laying in your head under the blankets, watching some Audrey Hepburn movies running on the TV.

When you for yourself together and felt like standing up, you took a long shower full of bubbles and nicely smelling cosmetics, then you took the rest of the make-up down. Then, with your stomach still being heavy as fuck, you ordered some food from a near pizza shop. Then, again, you fell down the bed, still looking like a piece of trash.

When your phone rang, you picked it up without even looking at the name on the display. You thought that it's the pizza courier.

"I'm sorry man, I can't even walk. Can you go to the third floor, fifth door? On the back of the hall. You can't miss it." - You growled tiredly like a Golum, sounding really tired.

"If you tell me on which address, I will come. Are you expecting someone?" - You heard Steve's voice from the other side. His voice was breathy, so you knew that he's on his daily jog. You couldn't even know ho terrified he actually was because of the answer. You surely were expecting someone. Some man from yesterdays evening.

His confidence slowly fell down from hundred to zero seriously fast. And you didn't even have to say or do anything for that matter.

"Yeah, queen Liz will be at my place aaaany minute." - You said quietly, but your fingers started to play with the necklace almost immediately. It was perfect and you never wanted to take it off. - "Just the pizza delivery guy. I'm hungry but too lazy to cook. It really made me tired yesterday."

"You were perfect." - He said breathlessly. Your lips curled into a slight smile. Steve was running around Brooklyn park with a perfectly dreamy look on his face. You two were such dorks - "I could not believe my eyes. You were so close and so full of life, so beautiful... Dear lord."

"Steve, you really knew which one am I? Didn't you look after Deena, May or Suzie? Because you surely are not talking about me." - The breath stuck in your breath and your heart was beating faster and faster. You probably had to stand just a few feet from him. He could basically touch you if he wanted to. And you wished that he have even when you knew that Steve wasn't that kind of a man.

"I was looking at you and only you. And what about that solo with your friend? I liked that. That was funny." - Steve smiled. You only heard yourself giggling and squealing. That made the big man a bit worried. He never heard you do those sounds so loudly. But now you had a serious hungover and you were just happy. There was nothing to hide anymore. - "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I am. I perfectly am. Just... You were there, with me, watching us, maybe even singing and clapping, you gave me that beautiful necklace... And..." - You mumbled with the speed of light. You are so sweet. Steve found it nice to find someone so pure and so happy because of such a small thing which was completely natural for him.

"So you liked it?" - Steve stopped and breathed the six miles he just ran. His thighs and ass were slightly burning, that was a sign of a seriously good work out.

"I... I loved it. I will never take it off, I swear!" - You exclaimed. Your head and body hurt, but Steve has woken you up so much, that you have completely forgotten about that. That was just what Steve did to you daily. - "Also, it was you, am I right?"

"I was what?" - He laughed and you heard as he drank something.

"Ten grand out of our twenty-five? You did it, am I right?" - You smiled. Steve was obviously just a really good, real and honest man who cared about local charities. A good heart with a good soul - Steve obviously wasn't the one who would flex on you with his money. He would never.

"Maybe it was me, maybe it was not me. Do not care about that. I and my lads loved it yesterday so we wanted to let you know. Did you get that note?" - Steve asked, his voice tone suddenly changing from playful to hoping. You froze in one place. The note... THE note.

You must've lost it when you were taking the board from Tony Stark himself. Suddenly, you wanted to cry. It must've been something important for him.

"Oh Steve, I'm so sorry..." - You shuttered and sobbed as you were about to cry. What was the note about?

"Hey. Do not be sad, alright? It's not a big deal at all, Y/N. I'll think about something else, just keep your spirits up, sweetheart."

---

Even tho Steve acted like it was a no big deal, it was a huge one for him. He wrote you a short note, in which he was asking you on a serious date. Sam made him do it because he was so curious about your reaction - old school yes or no note with a date and a location. But you have lost it.

Steve wasn't mad, of course, he wasn't. But he has some high hopes for that. He was crazy about you saying yes, to finally meet you, take you out on a dinner and to be just... With you, your beauty and bright mind.

He was calling you throughout his entire jog and as you ate your pizza. In the end, he truly asked for your friend's number, because Bucky was persistent about getting to know that girl.

"I will hang up. I have a meeting with some friends today, but I can call you in the evening, is that alright?" - Steve stopped in front of his apartment door, adjusting the microphone on his earphones as he was searching for his keys.

"I will hopefully survive today. I will miss you, handsome." - You said in a sweet tone and Steve felt as his knees melt a bit. Now he could imagine your face and expression, your big shiny eyes and beautiful lips curling to a smile. And when Steve closed his eyes, the feeling became even more intense. You were perfect for him.

"Tell me about it. Be safe." - Steve basically purred and got into the apartment. Bucky immediately took notice of his lad and he smiled at Steve. His expression was telling so much without him even saying a word.

"I will, bye." - You sighed lightly and hung up.

"I should take a photo of you." - Bucky joked and when he said a word photo, Sam immediately hurried out of bedroom only in his boxers.

"Ma man just saw some boobs, didn't he?" - Sam clapped cheerfully and Steve just waved him off. Sam and boobs - that could've been an idea for a saga. - "Hope you got the number for Mr. I Will Teach About Jesus. He is just fuckin' persistent because of it."

"Got it. But now we should prepare for that big Avengers evening. Tony will be curious about that ten grand I gave to them." - Steve said cheesily with a laugh.

When he was taking another shower and dressing up, two texts were delivered to his phone. One of them was some Deena's number. Steve figured out that that was your friend's name.

The second one was a cute photo of you - your face, messy hair, slight smile and big eyes looking at him. You had a tank top on to show off your new necklace. The smile was definitely the cutest ever. He immediately needed to show Bucky.

"Yeah. She's... She's just perfect, pal. But I'm more interested in the first text." - Bucky winked. Steve couldn't be mad at him. Bucky always had a thing for girls which radiated that bad girl energy, those nasty ones who could kick his ass. And Deena, as you called her, was surely that type who could show men that she is completely on her own.

---

The next day Deena yelled and ran to you just when tried to open the door to your office with a serious load of muffins.

“You won't believe anything im going to tell you, girl. Shut up and listen!” - She yelled all over the building and caught both your shoulders in an eager grip.

“Okay. Stop yelling. I'm listening.” - You laughed to her face, and she rolled her eyes.

“A man from that evening texted me this morning. Like... If I wanna hang out today.” - Deena whispered. Yeah. Steve informed you that James, his friend, is going to contact Deena. You just didn't expect it so soon. You had the thing going on for a few months and yet you havent seen him. But James asked Deena out instantly. Just like that.

You were the jealous one at the moment. Yet you got a smile out of your lips which made you appear happy.

“That's awesome. Is he handsome?” - You asked curiously and entered the building with her by your side. You tried to be happy for James hitting his chances off immediately, yet you felt like Steve could it as well. Was it a problem in you, in him, in the universe, or where the fuck it was?

“As fuck. Man, if he lets me be my own woman and if he won't do the top between us just because he’s a man, I think I'm gonna see him again.” - Deena told you with a totally wicked smile and you opened your mouth.

“That sounds like you’ve started with wedding plans. Can I be the grand-mother of your first child?” - You joked around and Deena stopped you with a gentle touch on your shoulder.

“Hey. I know what's this about. You're angry that James is initiative and Steve is just surrounded with mysteries. But... You know... James can be a jackass and I can tell you hes a complete dick tomorrow. But you and Steve have invested a few months of your life into that relationship you two have. You know each other. You call each other every day. I don't know James at all.” - She said in all seriousness. That's why she was your friend. She knew what was wrong without you even wanted her to. You hugged her tightly because she raised confidence inside of you.

“If James would act like a dick, I will say Steve to beat him the fuck up.” - You promised solemnly with your hand on your heart and entered the office.

And so Deena and James started dating. And yet you felt like you and Steve were the first ones even if you haven’t seen each other.

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #bucky barnes #the winter soldier #sam wilson #the falcon #mcu #captain america

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tabloidtoc · 4 years

Text

Globe, June 22

Cover: O.J. Simpson was framed by cops

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- AFAIK none of these unflattering pictures came from Instagram -- Ben Affleck walking his dog, Lady Gaga bares her tummy, Dennis Quaid plays golf

Page 3: Melanie Griffith, Hugh Grant, pregnant Katy Perry at the beach with her dog

Page 4: Screen stud Brad Pitt is stuffing his face with fast food and his unhealthy diet is threatening his bottom line: his once beautiful behind, just-married Bindi Irwin won’t take her new husband Chandler Powell’s last name because she wants to honor her late dad Steve Irwin

Page 5: Gwen Stefani has three sons with her ex-husband Gavin Rossdale and now the 50-year-old is desperate to have a baby girl with boyfriend Blake Shelton

Page 7: Image conscious First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis followed a bizarre beauty ritual that included rubbing facial toner into her armpits, Kanye West is threatening to sue a former bodyguard for at least $10 million claiming the security specialist ran his mouth and breached a confidentiality agreement

Page 8: Lori Loughlin’s spoiled daughter Olivia Jade was slammed by online critics who say the rich kid was tone deaf when she shared an online message about using white privilege to fight racism

Page 9: Glamorous Jennifer Lopez is taking on the role of one of the most vicious female criminals in history -- drug queenpin Griselda Blanca who murdered at least 250 people -- in a brazen bid to win an Oscar

Page 10: Disgraced Prince Andrew’s twisted life as pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s pampered house pet is being exposed by the murdered billionaire’s former butler who blows the lid off naked pool parties, kinky sex toys and cash payments to young girls recruited as sex slaves

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Busy Philipps (pictured), chipper Clint Eastwood says he doesn’t mind growing old while in gloomy contrast Woody Allen whines his pampered life is pointless, Kelly Clarkson still has babies on the brain despite having had her tubes tied but (soon-to-be ex) husband Brandon Blackstock doesn’t want another child, Reese Witherspoon admits nabbing Kerry Washington’s fountain of youth secret -- a veggie concoction she’s chugged each morning for more than eight years that includes lettuce and spinach and celery and banana and pear and apple and lemon with the seeds, Yolanda Hadid the ex-wife of two multimillionaires has found love again in the arms of 70-ish farmer Joseph Jingoli who also happens to be the stinking-rich CEO of his own company

Page 13: Justin Bieber (pictured), Ashley Benson (pictured), Hugh Jackman buys flowers in NYC (pictured), Bryce Dallas Howard finally graduated from NYU 21 years after commencing collegiate courses

Page 14: Parkinson’s disease isn’t knocking down Alan Alda anytime soon, Octavia Spencer is finally owning up to her real age after having fibbed for years that she was two years younger; she was found out by pals from her school days, Fashion Verdict -- Sarah Hyland 9/10, Padma Lakshmi 8/10, Rumer Willis 2/10, Tracee Ellis Ross 7/10, Keri Russell 4/10

Page 16: Faith Evans was busted for domestic violence by cops who say the singer assaulted her producer husband Stevie J., radio talk show host and self-proclaimed marriage expert Dr. Laura Schlessinger has vowed to give up men and chances for a third marriage because today’s guys are not up to her high standards

Page 17: Money-grubbing celebs are nickel-and-diming hardworking fans for the privilege of receiving a new form of the paid autograph -- personalized videos -- Jeff Ross, Tom Arnold and Caitlyn Jenner are some of the celebs involved although Cait says she’s doing it for charity

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Pat Sajak, Lori Loughlin’s devastated daughters think it’d be surreal to visit her in the slammer, Britney Spears is one of the hottest pop babes but she felt like an ugly duckling as a kid

Page 20: True Crime

Page 23: Gary Busey claims he met angels during a near-death experience after a devastating motorcycle crash in 1988, country singer Rosanne Cash is singing the blues after a vulgar MAGA blowhard blasted one of her four daughters for wearing an anti-COVID mask to a Nashville grocery store

Page 24: Cover Story -- rogue cops faked O.J. Simpson murder case -- Simpson was the target of racist payback after Rodney King beating embarrassed police

Page 26: Health Report -- Gene ID’d that can fight fat, quick test for kidney stones, junk food dims your wits, easy way to get health insurance online

Page 32: Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise’s secret chats that she kept a secret from Keith Urban -- since their bitter 2001 divorce after ten years of marriage Nicole hated Tom’s guts but he’s really mellowed lately and they’ve been secretly mending fences and the glue fusing their new connection is their adopted kids Isabella and Connor, breastfeeding has freaked out first-time mom Karina Smirnoff

Page 38: Real Life

Page 39: Livid Lionel Richie has vowed to kick Scott Disick’s butt after the sleazeball’s split with his daughter Sofia Richie -- Sofia’s been spending a lot of time with her dad and some of the stories she’s been sharing about what Scott put her through have been hair-curling

Page 40: David Hasselhoff is such a sex machine at age 67 that his nearly three decades younger wife Hayley Roberts is asking for time-outs in the bedroom

Page 44: Straight Talk -- Enough already with Matt Lauer’s moaning

Page 45: Makeup mogul Kylie Jenner tearfully worries about being tossed into jail over shocking fraud allegations -- the panic comes after Kylie was cut from the famed Forbes World’s Billionaires List with the magazine claiming Kylie and her mom Kris Jenner may have forged tax returns and lied about the value of her Kylie Cosmetics brand, Lea Michele is being accused by former Glee co-star Samantha Ware of making her first television gig a living hell

Page 47: Hollywood Flashback -- 1983′s The Right Stuff, Bizarre But True

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lemonsandstrawberries · 5 years

Text

I am Iron Man

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), MCU

characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts, James Rhodey Rhodes, James Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker

summary: When Tony used the Iron Gauntlet and erased Thanos and his troops, Steve thought he would have to watch his boyfriend die. Thanks to quick thinking of their team, Tony got a chance to live and the healing process starts.

length: 3 781

warnings: MAJOR AVENGERS ENDGAME SPOILERS

a/n: this is my last fic from the ones I planned to write after Endgame. the happy ending. totally self-indulgent and from a Stony shipper point of view! also, it doesn’t have to make sense if it makes me feel better. hopefully, it will make you feel better too!

——————–

I am Iron Man

He was looking at it, but he couldn't believe it. Alien troops fading away and turning into dust, just in front of his eyes. In the middle of it all, he saw Thanos taking his last breath, before he turned into nothing, vanishing from the face of the Earth.

They did it. They won. How did they win?

And then Steve saw how.

Tony. In the midst of a broken world, among dust that was left of the compound, his back leaned against some rubble, supporting him. Right hand covered up to the elbow with gold and infinity stones shining on knuckles, above from that dark and charred, black marks stretching all up to his face, covering half of it. Tony's gaze was unfocused and his breath was so shallow, it was almost gone.

Tony did it. He did the snap and defeated Thanos and his army. They won.

And yet...

Tony was dying. His Tony was dying.

The whole world around Steve slowed down, draining out of color and sound, eyes focused on his boyfriend's almost lifeless form.

Tony was dying. His Tony was dying.

He couldn't move, his body not listening to him. His whole body felt heavy and there was a painful silence ringing in his ears, stretching and consuming everything.

Tony was dying. His Tony was dying.

Rhodey was the first one to get to Tony. He opened his faceplate and leaned over his best friend, reaching to him, eyes wide and terrified.

Tony was going to die.

Steve couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. The weight of grief and pain smothered him, his knees buckled and Steve fell, digging his hands into the dry ground, hot tears blurring his vision and falling down.

Tony was going to die. His Tony was going to die.

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

It won't end like this.

A bullet of fire and energy cut the air. Steve raised his head, watching Captain Marvel landing between Tony and Rhodey. Rhodey said something, gesturing to Tony and the glove, and Carol leaned down. Something snapped, just like a piece of wood snaps in two, dry and loud. Then a metal clank when the Iron Glove with infinity stones was thrown away, landing few feet in front of Steve, discarded like something toxic. Steve looked at the stones and gold, eyes wide and not understanding. There was another person flying past him and he recognized the silver and blue armor, belonging to Pepper. Carol and Rhodey moved aside when Pepper stopped, her hand reaching to Tony, a thick, foamy substance Steve had seen before spraying from her fingers and coating Tony's right side with a shell resembling frost. Tony's mouth moved, faint and weak, but Steve read the words.

'Hi Pep.'

Tony wasn't dying.

He was alive. Barely, but alive.

They still had a chance.

Feeling new energy coursing through him, Steve got back on his feet. He pushed his emotions aside and acted on instinct, falling back into the line of command. Time was crucial and they had to act quickly.

"Queens!" Steve called in a strong voice when Spider-man tried to make his way past him. The teenager stopped, hearing the call. "Go and find the wizard! Bring him here!"

"But- but Mr. Stark-" Peter hesitated in a broken voice, face pale and dirty and with droplets of dried blood near his nose and mouth. He kept looking away, torn what to do and just desperately needing to get to Tony.

"Go!" Steve yelled. There was no pleading note in his voice, just a rough, cold command. The kid was smart, he would understand. Peter took a last glance at Tony and turned around, searching and calling for Doctor Strange.

"Sam?" Steve put a hand to his ear, relieved to find that he still had the communication device on himself. "Sam, if you can hear me, find T'Challa or Shuri, we need to get Tony to Wakanda, now," he gave more orders. He didn't get an answer and his eyes scanned the battlefield looking for anyone he could turn to when the device crackled.

"Copy that," Sam said, cutting the connection.

They had a chance. There still was a chance.

Steve rushed forward, giving coordinates where Tony was, trying to organize everything as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Tony was not going to die. His Tony was not going to die.

***

It was taking forever. Why it was taking so long?

Steve couldn't find his place. He was pacing back and forth along the corridor, his shoulders squared and jaw tight with worry. Pepper and Rhodey were sitting in the corner on the couch, their thighs touching, Rhodey's arm slung over Pepper's back. They were silent and exhausted and worried. Steve looked around. Peter curled on the chair, holding knees close to himself, trying not to break. Bruce, Thor, and Clint remained silent, avoiding everyone's gaze. Even Nebula stayed, leaned against the wall with arms crossed and closed eyes, waiting for news.

The door to the surgery room opened and a female doctor approached them, everyone focusing on her.

"We couldn't save his arm," she said in a thick, Wakandan accent, "but he will live."

Everyone breathed out in relief, but it was Peter who uncurled and yelled out in excitement, getting a scolding look from the doctor and amused ones from the team. Pepper started to smile through her tears and Rhodey hugged her close, not even trying to hold back his own emotions, laughter mixing with sobbing. Steve felt a huge boulder lifting off his arms and the painful grip on his lungs and throat loosening.

Tony would live.

***

"I am sorry about your arm, Tony," Helen said, busying next to Tony's bed, examining his damaged right side. His arm had to be amputated at the shoulder and the damage from using the gauntlet spread all over to his face, leaving a network of scars and damaged tissue. Helen gently examined Tony's face, looking at his jawline and temple area. "After all this radiation exposure, you are still lucky the nerves on your face are intact."

"Yup. Lucky," Tony repeated, nodding to the words. It took days before he got well enough to do basic activities and still was on bed rest, confined to a small and bright room in the medical sector in Wakanda. His tone was light and optimistic and he even smiled at Steve, trying to lighten the mood and not deepen the frown on soldier's face. Steve tried to not look so worried, but it was difficult when he saw the dark network of scars on his boyfriend's body, not even imagining the pain Tony had to endure when he had slid the gauntlet on his arm. He tried smiling back and to match Tony's smile, but it came out as strained and forced and not genuine at all.

"Drink this," Rhodey handed Tony a green smoothie, some special blend of herbs and nutrients to nourish him and help to clear his blood. Tony took it with his left arm and sipped through a straw, not even protesting at the earthy taste. Pepper was also in the room, changing the display of flowers and balloons and 'get well soon' cards that were flooding to Wakanda from all over the world. Iron Man, Earth's best defender. Steve liked that title much more from the famous 'genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist' that stuck to Tony for years.

"I think we can fix this," Helen said, creasing her forehead before smiling and gesturing to the damaged half of Tony’s face and Steve looked hopefully at her. "It will take a long time and a number of sessions in the cradle, but I think we can get a good result with synthetic tissue."

Tony didn't say anything and quietly finished the smoothie. When he was done, he pushed the straw out with his tongue and turned to Helen. "Yeah, great. Maybe except that, let's not do it?" he asked, his voice waving at the last words. The room fell silent and Steve looked in shock at Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey pausing their work.

"Tony, what are you talking about?" Rhodey was the first one to break the silence. Maybe it was the painkillers speaking and Tony was just dazed and not thinking clearly.

"I am thinking that this," he said, using his left hand to point at the scars on his face, "is not lethal. It is not spreading and is under control. Improving this would be just for cosmetic reasons."

Steve stared at Tony is silence. The whole room was silent, and Pepper and Rhodey exchanged worried looks.

"Road accidents. Acid. Burning," Tony listed, not addressing anyone in particular, more of having a conversation with himself. "It all happens all over the world, all the time. And people have to live with it," he touched the damaged skin on his cheek. "Why I should be the one privileged asshole who can get healed while millions of people can't?" he asked, not really waiting for anyone to answer and let the question hang in the air. Then, he turned to Helen. "Your cradle is amazing and will revolutionize the medical industry. Please keep working on it and once it will be available to the public, I will sign in line. And until that happens," he faced Steve on his left, "you will have to get used to me looking like this," he said, sounding minimally sorry and a whole lot sarcastic.

It was the first time Steve had smiled for real in many, many days.

***

Thanks to T'Challa's hospitality, Tony and Steve stayed in Wakanda until the clearing after the battle and rebuilding of the new Avengers compound had been finished. Tony kept healing under the watchful eye of Wakanda's medics and kept working on projects, forming a bond with Shuri and welcomed to used her lab for the time being. Steve trained and sketched and organized a new life for the Avengers and for himself and Tony. The Guardians and Thor left to space, Doctor Strange and Wong retreated to Sanctum Sanctorum and Peter resumed his education, attending school once more like a regular teenager and swinging by the compound whenever he had a chance to visit Tony. Sam went back to VA, and Steve helped him during lectures from time to time, while Bucky enrolled in the group. Soon, Pepper shared the news that she and Happy were expecting and awaiting the birth of their firstborn, Tony calling dibs on being the godfather and Pepper accepted it with a smile, not seeing a different possibility. Slowly, everything went back to normal, the missing pieces falling back in their places.

"You know," Tony yawned, spread comfortably on the couch in the new compound, his missing arm hidden under a black shirt, "if they would put us together, one healthy dude would come out of it," he said, gesturing with his left hand between himself, Rhodey and Bucky.

Steve looked at Tony with a confused expression on his face, the same look mirrored on their friends' faces.

"He would have two pairs of legs, Tony," Rhodey said calmly, closing the fridge and holding a plate with a sandwich on it.

"Kinda like a human centaur," Tony mused out, nodding to himself.

"That is not a thing," Rhodey answered and grinned at Steve, catching his shocked expression. Tony was still on a high dose of painkillers and did tend to say the most random things from time to time.

"Hey, you, one armed bandit!" Tony called, sitting up on the couch. Bucky turned to him, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Come here for a sec, I want to look at that arm Shuri made for you," he said, calling Bucky over.

"It is your arm that is missing, not your legs, come here on your own, Two-Face," Bucky retorted, and Steve gagged in panic, trying to scold Bucky solely with a look. Bucky only shrugged, not remorseful at all.

Tony seemed more amused than insulted and turned to Rhodey, hungry eyes focusing on the sandwich before flipping up to his friend. "Sandwich me, Rhodes," Tony said, sounding as flirty and dirty as he just intended to.

Rhodey grimaced, because no, painkillers or not, this just sounded wrong. "Get your own sandwich, Tony," Rhodey replied before Steve had the chance to jump in and offer to make a sandwich for his boyfriend.

"Un-freaking-believable," Tony said, raising his one arm up in a dramatic gesture, that admittedly looked a lot less dramatic. "How many times do I have to almost die for this planet to get some respect around here, not mentioning getting a sandwich-"

"Okay, okay!" Rhodey went back to the kitchen isle, opening the fridge and taking out some deli meat, cheese and mayo, putting it all on a slice of rye bread.

"Don't forget the pickles," Tony called, smiling sweetly when Rhodey send him a sour look. With two plates with sandwiches on, Rhodey walked to the couch, handing Tony one of them.

"Thanks!" Tony beamed a smile and grabbed the sandwich, standing up from the couch and walking away, Rhodey looking after him with a scoff. Tony made it over to Bucky and set next to him instead, too close and not having any issues with barging into Bucky's personal space. He put the sandwich in his mouth and used his free hand to urge the former soldier to put his bionic arm closer for inspection.

Steve put the end of the pencil to his lips and chewed it in thoughts, watching everyone in the room. Rhodey took Tony's place on the couch and bit into the sandwich, while Tony ran his hand delicately over the vibranium lines in Bucky's bionic arm, asking questions in a sandwich obscured hum, Bucky answering the best he could, trying to decipher the words. Steve kept looking in Tony's and Bucky's direction, his heart happy with seeing his boyfriend and best friend being on speaking terms. Still, he would prefer if Bucky was nicer to Tony, who still was in a delicate state and was recovering. Then he realized that Tony would absolutely hate if someone took pity on him and maybe sarcasm responding to sarcasm what was he needed, and not doting over.

***

In front of the team, Tony was coping remarkably well with a missing arm and scarred face. Just sometimes there were situations that gave him more troubles.

Steve heard a thud, when something heavy fell into the sink, a curse following. He waited for another sound and soon heard another thud.

"Babe?" he called in the direction of the adjoined bathroom. "You okay?" he asked, deciding to stay in bed for the time being.

"M'fine…"

Somehow Tony didn't sound fine. It was hard for Steve to accept, but he had to learn to not barge in whenever he suspected that Tony had troubles with everyday tasks. Tony was still capable of taking care of himself and rarely asked for help, unless it was absolutely necessary. Just something in the tone of his voice told Steve that he could use some help... Throwing the covers away, Steve got out of the bed and peered into the bathroom, leaning over the door frame. Tony was turned away from him and saw Steve in the mirror and smiled weakly. In his left hand, he was holding an electric shaver.

"I have some troubles," Tony admitted in a defeated sigh.

Steve clicked his tongue sympathetically, entering the bathroom. No matter the circumstances, Tony Stark had to keep his trademark goatee impeccable. In the last days, Tony had become nicely scruffed and rough, but it was time to get back to his usual look. Just it turned out to be more difficult than he expected.

"Can I do it?" Steve asked, holding Tony by the chin and examining his face. He didn't want it to sound like he was suggesting that Tony couldn't shave on his own. Steve felt that he needed that moment of closeness too. Just to feel connected to Tony again.

"Yeah," Tony agreed, handing him the electric shaver. Steve took it and put away on the shelf.

"Let's do it the traditional way," he smiled gently at his boyfriend, reaching for a disposable razor and his shaving soap in a ceramic bowl.

"You won't get a sharp cut using that thing," Tony grimaced.

"Try me," Steve kept smiling, almost challenging. How Tony could say no to that?

Tony watched Steve dipping the shaving brush into water and shaking it to get some of the excess water off. Then he rubbed the brush in a circular motion over the soap, creating some paste on the tips.

"Give me your hand," Steve asked and Tony reached his hand out, palm upwards. Dropping a few more droplets of water on his skin, Steve pressed the brush in the middle of the palm and swirled it around until the foam became dense and heavy, almost like whipped cream. With long strokes of fingers, Steve applied the foam over brunet’s jaw and neck and anywhere his face became too scruffy. Tony closed his eyes when the razor slid down his skin, getting the hair off and shaping his beard and mustache. Quiet, clinking sound when Steve rinsed the razor in a bowl of clean water from time to time, resuming the process. Steve took his time, trying his best to recall the shape of Tony's goatee. Tony was leaning into his touch, not wincing even once, putting all his trust in Steve and Steve felt a serene, full of love feeling taking over him. It was so domestic and comforting. When Steve was satisfied with the result, he used a damp towel to wipe his boyfriend’s face clean and patted it dry.

"All done," Steve said proudly. Tony opened his eyes and looked into the mirror.

"Huh," he mused out touching his smooth cheek and jawline. Steve even remembered to leave a thin strip of facial hair there, just like he liked it. "Looks good," he smiled at his reflection, turning around. "Thanks."

"Welcome, babe," Steve smiled, leaning down for a kiss. It wasn't aimed at any spot in particular, but Tony still turned, making sure that it would fall on the left side of his face. When Steve kissed his cheek and straightened up, he looked admittedly a little irritated and a lot heartbroken.

"Sweetheart, you know I don't mind it," Steve whispered, meaning Tony's scarred face and neck. Steve really didn't care. Tony seemed to not care either, just in their intimate moments he seemed a bit more self-conscious.

"I know, I know," Tony grimaced, looking back at Steve, a sorry look in his eyes, "I am just not ready yet," he admitted in a quiet voice.

"Okay," Steve smiled softly, agreeing. "I will wait for you to be ready."

After all, there was no rush.

***

"Tony, lunch is ready, we all are waiting for you -" words got stuck in Steve's throat as soon as he entered Tony's workshop and saw his boyfriend. It seemed almost wrong, after months of living and getting used to one-armed Tony, here he was, standing in front of Steve, one arm flesh and bones, other shiny metal.

Tony smiled brightly, pleased with the stunned reaction. He moved his right arm and spread fingers and closed his fist a few times, showing that he had full control over it. "It is enhanced with vibranium," Tony said and Steve remembered the long talks his boyfriend had with the princess back in Wakanda. "Shuri helped. She gave me the blueprints for Bucky's arm so I went through the design, creating something new. Took a few tries before I was satisfied with the result."

Steve walked closer. He was still in awe and looked at the artificial limb attached to his boyfriend, completely stunned.

"So, I think this is what I will be doing in the nearest future. Creating prosthetic limbs. Of course, not vibranium for safety reasons and not as flashy as this one, or maybe flashy, all depends on the wearer-"

"It is amazing," Steve said breathlessly, wanting to touch it, but not daring to. Luckily, Tony understood the need and reached his prosthetic arm in Steve's direction, making the move slow enough to give him time to move away, if he changed his mind. Steve didn't budge and Tony rested the mechanical palm against his cheek, fingers touching his ear. It felt hard and smooth, but not unpleasant.

"It is warm," Steve said, not expecting that.

"It is temperature controlled. It is set to match my body temperature, but I can make it hotter or colder, up to a point where it can change into a weapon," Tony explained.

Steve put his hand on the artificial wrist and slid his hand down, cupping the elbow. It was smooth and flawless, its dimensions matching Tony's left arm perfectly.

Just…

"Is this your everyday arm?" Steve asked carefully, unsure if he worded himself correctly. The prosthetic was hot red almost up to the elbow, inner arm was gold and the part near Tony's tank top was red again. Almost like in Mark 3. Iron Man classic armor.

"Yeah," Tony laughed, "because I am -"

"Iron Man," Steve finished, smiling with joy. "You are Iron Man."

"I am Iron Man," Tony confirmed a proud note hearable in his voice, before it was gone, replaced by hesitation, "but I was thinking that maybe for a while I could not be Iron Man and you could not be Captain America? That maybe we could settle somewhere calm, maybe in a secluded house near a lake or something-"

And Tony didn't finish, Steve already pulling him into a kiss. He was carried on the moment and cupped Tony's face with both hands, lips meeting long and sweet. When he drew away, his gaze was soft and full of love, but the look was quickly gone when he realized where his hands were.

“Shit, sorry-” Steve said quickly, withdrawing from the touch. To his surprise, Tony stopped him and held his hands in place with his own hands, one palm pressed to healthy skin held by a warm hand, the other to his scarred cheek and ear held by the prosthetic arm. It was a new feeling and a bit confusing, but Steve focused on Tony’s brown eyes and soft lips instead. After all, it was still Tony. His Tony.

"So, that's a yes to my idea, right?" Tony asked after the kiss ended, just to be sure.

Steve only smiled and kissed him once more, whispering 'yes' over and over again.

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nerdy-bookworm-1998 · 5 years

Text

Lost part 5

Words: 965 Warnings: mentions of guns? A/N: Hey everyone! So I finally got around to finishing the latest part of Lost, I really hope you like it and please leave feedback! If you want to be tagged, feel free to shoot me an ask

Over the next several weeks, migraines and flashbacks had become common. Steve had been out on a mission, so he hadn't been able to draw up the sketch we needed to help find the men from my first flashback. Sleep was also becoming difficult since I had started having dreams and nightmares that often kept me awake until the early hours of the morning. One of the few lights in my life was Bucky; he was always so sweet and understanding, doing his best to distract or comfort me as needed; I could feel myself falling for him more and more every single day.

Wanda and Natasha had convinced me to go into the city with them for a girls day. We took one of the SUVs with dark tinted windows and a glossy black paint and made our way into the heart of the shopping district. For the first time since I woke up from the accident, I felt like a normal young woman spending the day with her friends, and not like some science experiment gone wrong.

As we entered another store an employee came rushing over, her too-high heels clicking on the polished tile floor as she smiled her clearly fake smile, sickly sweet voice assaulting our eardrums, "Good day ladies, welcome to Gloria's, my name is Kate, how may I be of service to you?". "Hi Kate, thank you very much, but we won't be requiring any help today, we'll be fine by ourselves," Nat answers with a sweet smile, though her tone clearly left no room for argument as she led the way further into the store and to the section that housed clothes for my age range.

After picking out clothes, Wanda led the way through shoes, accessories, and cosmetics. Finally, we made our way to the checkout, where Kate rung up the purchases, again with fake, simpering smiles and a voice so sweet that it would give anyone cavities.

On the way back, we decided to stop at a small Italian bistro for lunch. It was a family-owned business, with a cozy atmosphere and they treated everyone like family. We had hardly sat down when the owner hurried over to greet us, his name was Carlos, and he seemed to know the girls well. "I'll let Sofia know you are here and Julia will be over shortly to take your order." With that, he hurried away again. "I hope you like garlic, it goes into just about everything, except dessert," Wanda warns with a giggle.

The bell above the door chimes and I turn my head slightly to see three men dressed in black jeans and t-shirts with heavy leather jackets walk in and look around. As Carlos hurries to the door the one in front pulls a gun from the back of his jeans and points it straight at the older man. "Alright, I want everyone to put their possessions on the tables and lay down on the ground keeping your hands where I can see them!" his raspy voice rings out through the restaurant. Nat and Wanda quickly duck under the table to formulate a plan for taking them down but I remain in my seat.

I can feel a surge of power coursing through my veins as I look at the morons who thought it would be a good idea to rob an Avengers hangout. As if my body acts of its own accord, I stand up with an amused smirk and stride out to where they can see me. "You idiots picked the wrong people to mess with, now be good little robbers and lay down your weapons and surrender, because I really don't want to hurt you," I say in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, that's cute. Manhattan Barbie actually thinks she stands a chance. Maybe when we've gotten what we came for, we'll gift her to the boss. He has been saying how bored he is lately, he'll enjoy having a new plaything," at this, the three of them snicker like schoolboys looking at their dad's Playboy magazine.

"Have it your way, but don't say I didn't warn you," I shrug, smirk still firmly in place as I wave my hands. For a second nothing happens, then all at once, the gun in his hand falls apart, and judging by the clanging sounds of metal hitting the floor, so did the Tweedle Twins'. While they are still bewildered I jump and land a solid kick to the first one's abdomen and sending him flying backward, toppling the three together like bowling pins. Natasha and Wanda appear beside me; Nat makes quick work of cuffing the three of them together while Wanda works her magic on calming the minds of everyone else in the restaurant.

Once the police had arrived and apprehended the men we went back to our table, both women looking at me strangely. "What? Is there something on my face?" I ask before taking a sip of my drink that had just arrived. "How the hell did you do that? And why didn't you tell us that you could?" Wanda is the first to ask. "Because I didn't know until I did it? Seriously, it was like an out of body experience. Once I saw the guy pull the gun, it was like my body was on auto-pilot." I shrug, trying to look nonchalant, but inside I am freaking out. What the hell did I just do?! How did I do it? Would I be able to do it again? And most importantly, why did it feel like there were bugs crawling all over my skin when that guy mentioned his boss? One thing was certain though, once I found out who was behind everything, there would be hell to pay...

Tags (open)

@mcdesij @spiderrrling @arrow-guy @interestedbystanderwrites @caplansteverogers @bluefallstar @lukebalehiddleston @here2have-fun @bvckys-doll @bookscoffeeandracoons @bambamwolf87 @loricameback @rockrchick51 @love-nakamura @thecrazyshadowhunter @wishingforahome @timelordy-fangirl2 @jewelofwinter

#marvel #lost

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tonystarkficrecs · 5 years

Note

hey could you rec some fics where Tony is paired with someone other than Pepper but he and Pepper are still friends? I love her and I hate reading fics where she's vilified. Thanks! :)

I’m not a fan of villified!Pepper, either! I adore her. I feel like they’d remain friends even if they ended up breaking up, such as in these fics (and it’s a long list of them, too, so hopefully there’s some new stuff in there for you). I’m sure I missed some, so at some point I might add more to the list! The extent that their friendship is portrayed varies from fic to fic, but none of them should have any negativity towards her.

My Son, My Sun by Wordsplat

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 70,151

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark; Tony Stark & Peter Parker

Completed: Yes

Just before the events of Iron Man, a baby is left on Tony’s doorstep. He wants nothing to do with it at first, but his time in Afghanistan changes his mind and Tony vows to become a better man for his son’s sake.

Anew. by IViv

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 130,567

Pairing: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

Completed: Yes

In death, there was no glory, no redemption, no salvation.

Only darkness and ice—or that’s what Tony thought. He closed his eyes in a Siberian bunker and opened them again on his 41st birthday, with War Machine flying into the distance.

Still Alive by araydre, Menatiera, Neutralchaos, and yeppers

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 62,088

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

The Winter Soldier escaped from Hydra, and on the run, It needs a Mechanic to maintain the very efficient weapon attached to its body. It decides the best person for the work is the world’s best weapon expert: Tony Stark.Abducting him goes unexpectedly well. Then, complications come.

Paved With Good Intentions (I’m on the road to hell) by itsallAvengers

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 121,126

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Completed: No

When the mysterious group of vigilante assassins known only as ‘The Avengers’ are tipped off about the dirty secrets that lie within Stark Industries, Steve Rogers has his heart set on taking out Tony Stark for good in order to protect the rest of the world from his evil. He’s seen the footage, after all- Stark is a man who fights only for himself. And of course, when a job arises as chief bodyguard for Stark, to protect him from the growing threat of an ominously infatuated stalker, the opportunity is way too good for him to miss out on. It’s the perfect placement, and the perfect way to find out whether or not their tipoff is genuine.

But as Steve falls into rank as the new bodyguard for Mr. Stark and he spends time getting to know and protect him, his initial hatred begins to falter and merge into something different, something far more terrifying than the prospect of killing the face of Stark Industries.

Steve Rogers may just be falling in love with him instead.

Illuminate Me by Half_SubmergedinPurgatory

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 130,041

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Tony isn’t a healthy man. He’s fine with that, really. It makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, he has a job to do that kind of has his health as a major requirement. So he unmakes himself, remakes the Accords, protects every single child super that enters his field of view, and hopes ferociously that the Avengers never come back to the US. He doesn’t spend any time at all rebuilding Bucky Barnes’ life. Not a single second. Anything he does that contributes to him is simply an accident.

Bucky is a patient man. It’s ok if Tony wants to ignore him for now. He won’t be able to forever.

(Somewhere in the world, a sense of dread crawls up the back of Tony’s spine)

Dig No Graves by miss-aphelion

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 142,844

Pairing: James “Bucky” Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: No

“I’m here to kill you, Terminator,” Tony said slowly, “does that compute?”

The soldier looked up at him with wide blue eyes and no expression. “Okay.”

Tony froze. “Okay,” he echoed. “I tell you I came here to kill you and your response is ‘okay’?”

“I am being decommissioned,” the soldier said, and for one horrible moment Tony thought he actually seemed relieved. “I understand. I will comply.”

(Or; Tony learns the Winter Soldier killed his parents and goes on a search for revenge, but ends up learning how to heal instead)

Saving the World (Is Totally a Date) by Wordsplat

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 64,465

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Tony discovers Stane’s betrayal while he’s still being held captive. When he escapes, he sets out to ruin Stane as completely and ruthlessly as he can, playing up his PTSD and quitting his job to destroy Stane quietly from the outside. He also picks up a teaching job-all Pepper’s fault-and oh, right, becomes a supervillain. Okay, that one was Tony’s fault, but it was totally an accident.

In the meantime, a certain Capsicle is defrosted a year early, and is assigned the task of capturing the notorious Iron Man. It’s not going particularly well, if the embarrassingly high number of times he’s been kidnapped in the past six months is any indication. When SHIELD decides to help him “adjust” by getting him a teaching job, Steve is skeptical; but then there’s Tony, and Steve finds he doesn’t mind the 21st century so much after all.

The Accidental Husband by panda_shi

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 97,716

Pairing: Tony Stark/T’Challa

Completed: No

Tony Stark discovers, that during his lowest point when he had been almost-twenty-one, he had married the King of Wakanda. Except he doesn’t remember how. Now, trying to get a divorce is going to be one challenging thing – how is this his life, even? It’s almost unfair!

It’s Not Cosmetic by withasideofangst

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 32,997

Pairing: Gen (pre Steve Rogers/Tony Stark)

Completed: Yes

After Afghanistan and Iron Man, SHIELD gave Tony a choice. He could out himself as Iron Man, or claim it was a bodyguard, and hide his face from the world.

Agent Agent never said anything, but Tony had hacked SHIELD’s servers and knew they wanted him to go the bodyguard route. Yes to Iron Man and no to Tony Stark, and all that.

That, as well as keeping Pepper safe, made him go with the bodyguard cover, and flimsy as he thought it was, no one questioned it.

Of course, why would they? Tony Stark was no superhero.

—

Although, it’s less easy to keep a secret identity with a bunch of superheroes and spies living in your house.

Journey To The Past by melonbutterfly

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 67,329

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Loki doesn’t know why he feels the urge to go to Midgard, but it’s strong enough that he, when a stranger offers him free passage in exchange for his pretending to be lost Prince Loki of Asgard, doesn’t hesitate for long.He really has no idea how much his life is going to change.

A Friend for A Week by LokasennaHiddleston

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 159,969

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark

Completed: No

A week before Thor’s coronation, a drunk and depressed Loki decides he wants a genuine friend of his own. Of course, he turns to magic to solve his dilemma.There are only two problems. First, he is very aware that his current form isn’t very lovable or trustworthy. Second, he actually needs a person to befriend.This is how Loki ends up in Tony Stark’s living room, minutes after his disastrous birthday party, and in the shape of a cat. What will our favorite genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist make of the mysteriously appearing feline, and how will it all affect their lives, and those of the people around them?

Case 623 by DannieU

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 146,441

Pairing: James “Bucky” Barnes/Tony Stark

Completed: No

Tony was pretty sure that the small human left on his doorstep was just a (really fucking frightening) attempt at extortion, and mostly just wanted child protective services to show up yesterday. Then an extended trip to Afghanistan puts life, the universe and everything into perspective, and somehow, miraculously, Tony might be closer to happy than he’s been in his life. He’s even willing to accept the enormous pieces of the puzzle he’s obviously missing. He should’ve learnt long ago that what you don’t know will always come back to bite you in the ass.

Even the Light is an Illusion by Mizzy

★ ★ ★ ★

Words: 102,373

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Death threats are an unfortunate side-effect of being Tony Stark, so he’s learned to ignore them. The problem is, when someone really wants you dead, hiding your head in the sand just kinda exposes your ass.

But it’s not just Tony’s behind on the line. Whoever wants him dead wants him to suffer first, and they’re willing to do anything to make that happen. Tony knows there’s only one way out. To save Steve, the Avengers, and the general public, Tony has to die. Of course, death isn’t always the end, and Tony does what any other self-disrespecting scientist would do: he finds a way to fake his death and avenge his own murder.

The trouble is, terrible decisions usually have a terrible price, and this one is no different. Tony has a chance to save the day, but the cost may be more than Tony was ever expecting to pay…

Forged With Blood, Forged With Fire by agentsimmons

★ ★ ★

Words: 91,279

Pairing: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

When Bruce looks over Tony’s blood work he notices an anomaly that sets them both on a search for answers and shows them just how much they mean to one another in the process. But when the truth finally becomes clear, it’s only the start of more obstacles and changes to come as they each find themselves facing new enemies and old.

And When It Does I’m Already Gone by qwanderer and roseapprentice

★ ★ ★

Words: 75,111

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark

Completed: Yes

Eighteen years ago, Tony fell in love with a mysterious woman, all green eyes and wit. Now he’s given up all hope of finding her again, but with curiosity and a well-placed spider, fate has different ideas.

Loki lies and loves and loses and leaves things unfinished. But the people who love Loki back aren’t about to let the past go so easily. And Tony and Peter can dig up their share of secrets when they put their heads together. Biological Smartass Family.

#fic rec list #fanfic #marvel #avengers #pepper potts #tony stark

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lokistories123 · 6 years

Text

The fieldtrip (chapter 1)

So I had a dream last night and I just had to write it down. Turns out it might be a nice fic. What do you guys think? Should I continue? How’s the title? I couldn’t come up with anything else.

“OMG Asgard is real?!!?!” I yelled in the middle of class. It has just been announced that Agard was truly a real place and that you were going on a “fieldtrip” to explore. I was in the middle of getting your medical degree in college and they thought that this particular class would be the one to explore all the medical treatments etcetera in Asgard and make a presentation about it to present when you’d be back in a month. There was a 1-month fieldtrip coming up, but I never thought This was going to happen?!

“Yes, it is. And you and your fellow classmates have the opportunity to get into the medical side of this… planet? What should I even call it?” It was clearly realm, but I wasn’t going to discuss this with Miss. Avery. She was a bitch and I needed the points.

“We will leave tomorrow, and meet up at the location that will be given to all of you tomorrow morning.” Well they were sure as hell being sneaky about it.

“Pssssttt Y/N, can you believe this? How hard are you fangirling right now?” My friend Steve whispered.

“FUCKING ESTATIC. HOW CAN THIS BE REAL?!?! OMG DO YOU THINK THOR AND LOKI WOULD BE REAL? WOULD LOKI LOOK LIKE TOM HIDDLESTON?!” I said in a loud voice. I didn’t really care what my classmates would think. They all know I LIVE for Tom Hiddleston and especially his character Loki, so they knew how high my excitement would be. Steve just laughed.

“I hope he’s real, this is gonna be the closest you’ll get to either Tom or Loki. You better bring your badass clothes and not those baggy ones.” Did I tell you he was gay? He’s been my best friend for 10 years now and I can’t live without him.

When I returned home I told my mom everything. She was excited at first, and happy for me (and my fangirling ass), but she was worried as well.

“What if these are rape Vikings? I don’t want you to get raped or killed!”

“Mom, I’ll be fine. Where with a 20 students group, and there are 5 groups in total from all over the world. I’ll never be alone, and you know I can handle myself.” I was right. I was damn good at self-defense and kickboxing, so they should try to come at me.

I woke up early, not knowing when to expect the text and I didn’t want to be late. The address that was given was weird to say at least, but also (for me) understandable. If there was a big Bifrost, you would need the space. When everyone arrived with their suitcases we had to wait a few minutes. There were a few girls in my class that were totally dressed to impress. As in: wanting to sleep with a god, marry one and never having to worry about money or any shit at all. Great idea, but I am here to see as much as I can!

There was a big rainbow light and a man in gold armor came out of it.

“Dear Midguardians, I welcome you to the journey to Asgard. May you learn from what you see. Please walk in the middle of the circle and stand still. After that you will travel to Asgard. Someone up there will welcome you.” Creepy.

“Who wants to go first?” Miss Avery asked. No-one wanted to go, so I went first. It was just like in the thor movies!! So cool!

“Holy hell that was so amazing! Oh hi” I yelled when I saw a man standing in the middle of the golden globe I just entered. I am going to say it’s Heimdall, whether I’m right or not.

“Hello.” Someone else said. When I walked up a bit closer I could see the man. I kid you not, he looked like Chris Hemsworth.

“Hi, I’m Y/N” I handed out my hand to shake it, but he took my hand and kissed it.

“Hello Y/N, I’m Thor, son of Odin.” He smiled at me.

“Cool.” Was all I could manage to say.

We chatted for a bit and after 10 minutes the next person came up. This was Jessica. Jeej…. She was one of those girls looking for love over here. She immediately walked up to Thor.

“OMG HI! You are so handsome! I’m Jessica!” How do you mean obvious?

“Hi.” Thor said. But this time not with a smile on his face, no. It was irritation. After that Thor started talking to me again.

“So from what study do you come Y/N?” I could tell Jessica was pissed off! But I didn’t care, this was MY trip as well.

“From the medical study, we study the human body and its illnesses and learn how to treat it, if we can.” The following students arrived, but Thor didn’t care anymore.

“How interesting. And you’ll be a healer after finishing it?”

“I presume yes. Although we call it doctors, but I’m sure healer is your term for it?”

“I think so. I should ask father about it.” Wow this was the first guy in 5 years that has been interested in me, and I felt good.

“I’d love to hear the answer.” I laughed, and Thor laughed too.

After everyone arrived Steve walked up to me.

“Well someone has made a friend already! And what a friend. You don’t mind sharing, do you?” Steve elbowed me in my side, and we both smiled at each other.

Thor welcomed everyone, and we had to go into one of these ships, they didn't quite look like the ships from the second Thor movie, but they could fly as well. Which was pretty cool!

We arrived at the “palace” and were led to a big hall. It looked like the throne room to me.

“Dear midguardians. I welcome you to Asgard. We have opened our gates to your realm and we hope you may learn a great deal about our realm. I Odin, king of Asgard… and my Wife Firgga, queen of Asgard. Are honored to be showing you around. You will all have your private chamber and you shall eat with us in the dining hall. My sons Thor and Loki will guide you these following weeks, and so will my daughter Hela. May your stay be pleasant and worthwhile.” I was shaking. Not only is Thor truly the prince of Asgard, but there is a Loki too! Again, Steve poked me and eyed at me. I knew what he meant. He was supportive of my Loki crush and he was going to help me for some reason. I just wanted to meet him and see him once.

We were guided around very nicely. There were places we weren’t allowed to be and places that we were allowed to be. Everyone got a paper with the map of the palace with those places. The second last place we were shown was the library. I love reading books, so this was truly heaven. Imagine the biggest library you can and triple it! It was like 4 stories big and had a huge mirror like ceiling that had gold draped all over. The walls were also draped in gold, but only a few pieces, the rest was covered in bookcases! There was one older man standing in the middle of the room giving us explanations of the library and the millennium old books. When the man started speaking I noticed someone standing in the corner. I immediately thought that this must be Loki. He was just like the Loki in the movies. How this is possible? I have no idea. When I looked up at him, he looked back at me with a little smirk on his lips. I quickly glanced the other way. A minute later when I looked back, he was still staring at me. No matter how many times I looked away, I would look back and he’d still be staring… I had to laugh at the end, and he did too.

I didn’t get a chance to walk up to him to say hi or to introduce myself. We were immediately led back to a VERY long hallway that had a lot of doors. Everyone would get their own private room with bathroom, so that was very nice. I hate sharing. So this would mean a month long of Asgard, and the privacy and silence I’ve been wanting. This trip couldn’t get any better. My suitcases were magically in the right room, and I started unpacking. But there was a knock on the door.

“Come in!” I seriously had no idea who it could be.

“Hello mistress. I am Artemis. I am a servant in this palace and I shall be the speaking point for you and a few other girls. I see you are unpacking, but I’m afraid these clothes will not always suffice for the dress code. The Asgardian dresser had a wide range of clothes prepared for all of you and she will visit shortly.”

“Hi, thank you very much.” What else am I supposed to say? I have no questions at the moment. And unpacking was not really necessarily. Thank god I brought all my cosmetic things too though.

“If that’ll be all, I shall leave you for the evening. Dinner will be in 2 hours” Artemis smiled and left the room.

15 minutes later the dresser arrived. Let me tell you this. THIS woman is amazing!

“Good evening doll! I am Diana and I’m the king’s royal dresser, but for today, I am YOUR royal dresser.” I’ve got beautiful dresses for you! What’s your favorite color?”

“Hi Diana, I’m Y/N. I’m not that big of a fan of dresses, I’m more the type of girl for a pair of leather pants. My absolute favorite color is green.”

“Then I’ve got good news and bad news for you sweetie. Leather pants are an option, but you do need a few dresses for some occasions. The bad news is that neither you or anyone else in Asgard is allowed to wear green. Except for one person.” What the fuck? Why not. It’s just a color?!

“Thank you. But why is no one but one person allowed to wear green?”

“It’s prince Loki’s color. But fear not, prince Thor’s color, red, is also not allowed. Be aware of this, for people do not take it lightly when you DO.” So there we were. She mostly got me black and gold clothes (by my own wishes). I got a few blue and purple dresses as well and that was it. Diana moved to the next person, but before she did, she told me that dinner was one of those occasions where a woman had to wear a dress. A rule I was going to break. I was exhausted, and I really didn’t feel like wearing a dress.

Of course the other girls all wore their prettiest dresses. They dressed to impress. I was wearing High heel leather boots with leather pants with a top that was short in the front and became very long at the back. Dressy enough right? We all assembled at the end of the hall where all our rooms were, and we then started our walk to the dining halls. It was a long walk and some of the girls even started whining that their feet hurt (then don’t wear uncomfortable high heels on your first day). I was glad I was wearing these comfy boots. When we arrived, the halls were already packed! But when we entered everything went completely silent. After we arrived at our part of a long table (the only one that was still empty) and seated ourselves everyone started talking again. I seated myself at the end of our section. I wasn’t ready yet for the overly joyed and faked happy chatter. Steve could tell as well, looked up and smiled at me, but left me be for the rest of the night. He really was a good friend.

“Enjoying your stay lady Y/N?” I glanced up and saw Thor sitting a few seats away.

“Hey Thor, I didn’t notice you there. My apologies. Yes, I am loving it so far!” Thor chuckled. I could tell he enjoyed my awkwardness and clumsiness.

“What part did you like most of the palace?”

“I really enjoyed the library, I hope to be their again soon.”

“Hmm. My brother spends most of his time there. Say hi to him for me when you see him. It’s rare that we find him outside of his library.” After that someone next to him (who I couldn't see at first) gave Thor a big smack.

“Shut up Thor. I don’t live there. As you should know I spend most of my time in my own chambers!” When Thor moved a few inches, I could tell it was the same man that eyed me the whole time in the library.

“Sorry Loki, I was just Joking with Y/N.” Shit now he knew my name as well. And my thoughts were correct, this was Loki. Holy hell don’t panic now Y/N!

“So that’s her name, Y/N…” OMG how he said it. He could meld and iceberg with just his voice.

“Hi.” Was all I could manage. And by the time I looked the other way, all of my classmates were glaring daggers at me. I couldn’t feel more embarrassed. I could hear a girl saying some mean comment and then Steve telling her to shut up.

“Are you enjoying your stay?” Loki asked, genuinely interested as well. But I could feel the tears starting to come.

“I’m sorry, if you’ll excuse me?” I jumped up and walked to my room as fast as I could.

“What was that all about?” Loki asked his brother. But Y/N’s friend Steve answered

“All these girls have been mean ass bitches to her the minute they first saw her. They’re just jealous of Y/N. But even Y/N can take this much at a time.” Loki was wondering if Y/N was the same as he was. Of course she wasn’t a frostgiant or a goddess, but she was bullied too by her peers. Loki’s interest in her got even to a higher level.

“If you’ll excuse me brother, I still need to finfish that spell I was working on.”

“Pfff, yeah sure Loki.” Even Thor wasn't this stupid.

And Loki followed Y/N to her room.

#The fieldtrip #chapter 1 #loki x reader #loki x you #schooltrip #Loki #Fanfiction #Multichapter

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cruzleblanc33 · 2 years

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We have Had a Tresses Transplant - Exactly how to Break the particular News

For lots of men, locks loss is a sensitive issue in addition to one linked to the perceived loss of virility and manliness then one many men can go to wonderful lengths to pay upward (literally), with caps, wigs, toupees, curly hair pieces, and so forth A lot of men would instead lose their work opportunities than lose their particular hair. Since the approaches and technology improve in the hair restoration field, much more men opt to be able to possess a hair transplant, the only real permanent answer to baldness. Famous people such as Elton John, Nicholas Cage, and Sylvester Stallone have all openly confessed to possessing a hair transplant. While website may possibly look younger, additional rested, or happier, chances are folks may well not recognize that will your new appear is due to your new tresses. So, Miss Ways, how do you break good news that will you've had a new hair transplant? In case you are the celebrity, you may well Tweet it, publicize it on your Facebook fan page, or even be outed simply by TMZ, but in case you certainly are a normal person and have got good results you are proud of, a person may be capable to share your good news with family and friends. According to the LABELLISÃ BASSE CONSOMMATION News Magazine, on 2004 former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi was controlled by public humiliation inside the Italian media after appearing in public using a white scarf, bringing about speculation that will he had gone through hair transplant surgical treatment. Berlusconi later confessed to it, expressing it made your pet feel 25 years younger and that cosmetic surgery is really a way to exhibit respect to loved ones. Lots of men might be reticent to admit to some sort of hair transplant and to the pride implied in patient so much of the looks. On the other hand, Steve, 28, an attorney in South Fl has been gradually losing his hair considering that his early twenties. He underwent a hair transplant from the urging associated with a good good friend who had done this the previous year. Says John, "I'm not really embarrassed to acknowledge I've had a new hair transplant. It can been on the mind for the particular past 8 yrs. No 28-year old fart wants to be bald. It tends to make you look older than your age. I had great results and now, practically a year later, I've got good density for the crown and a lower, more natural-looking hairline, which frames my face and enhances my looks. " John's friend that recommended the method says, "I consider it is heroic of John to openly about his / her procedure. It's always more embarrassing to be able to deny anything provides changed, when everyone can see typically the results. " John agrees saying, "It's better to look and act confident, possess a sense of humor and turn out to be upfront concerning the treatment. " Obviously, an individual will tell the pals and loved ones ahead of time and possibly inform your co workers, if you are taking time out of from work. This kind of will avoid office gossip and any kind of potential teasing. These days, men are not necessarily shy about wanting to look better plus taking advantage associated with modern medicine to be able to do so. Men are increasingly concerned along with their looks, and even are the fastest-growing segment with the day spa and salon sector. The best method to announce your own new look will be nonchalantly and along with some humor. Avoid make a big bother regarding it. The larger deal you make associated with it, the even more outrageous will end up being the reactions. End up being confident, casual and informative and you will get optimistic feedback.

#Benefits of education to society #click here #more info #here #read more #check here

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stevensavage · 6 years

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Playing Producer: What Would An Overwatch RPG Need To Be?

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve's Tumblr. Find out more at my newsletter.)

Taking a break from my more dramatic posts to do a bit of game analysis here - I'm playing Product Owner and Producer in my head asking just what an RPG of hit game Overwatch would need. Last column I identified that it's probably viable and has good synergy, but it can't be too much like the core game and probably wouldn't be good to introduce to the market for at least 3 years. Also feel free to use any of these ideas.

It's also a fun look and exercise to think about products like games and products. So now let's move on to asking just what an Overwatch RPG would have to be to meet the market we know.

It Must Be Lore Filled

Overwatch has a lot of Lore, individual and worldwide. Any RPG/MMO of Overwatch has to be fairly dripping with lore and details. It should be enough that you don't feel you're playing a game, but reading a book or a seeing a movie.

That's a tall order, but also a place the game can stand out. What an Overwatch RPG/MMO needs to be is the SF/Superhero version of the Fallen London Universe; you have to feel immersed in a place, a lore and a feel when you play or it doesn't work. It has to be designed down to wording choices and colors.

In addition, Lore has to be everyhwere. Hunting down Lore has become a part of Overwatch fandom, which means sticking it everywhere. You want people crawling through restrooms in Junkertown to discover a photo taped to the underside of a label on a pipe. Then they get an achievement.

If this is done right, then right here you can differentiate it from most games - and get people interested. If you can get people who like Lore but not a frenetic FPS, you win.

This of course drives a lot of other choices.

NOTE: Imagine if the first person to discover new lore got a special item or title, and the first 100 also got some bonus. There should also be some kind of experience gain or benefit for lore discovery for each character.

It Must Be Playable In Chunks

One of the great things about Overwatch is that I can sit down, play for 15 minutes, and walk away. I often don't but its tight mission structure means I can. When I do. Which is rarely.

A problem with MMO's is that they can consume people's time - I think that actually drives people away. But you also want retention. Playable small chunks means you get both - people can grind away, but you don't drive them away with long slogs or a massive commitment.

Thus every mission should probably be small, or several independent missions strung together, enough for people to get in, adventure, and get out. This of course fits Overwatch's military-meets-superhero style - go and do the mission and get out. Or if your Reyes, screw them up and then listen to your team complain.

Larger missions, as noted could be strung together - which also provides the bonus that people can play large content how they want. That increases retention, allows your friend to go to the bahtroom before your team starts the next mission, or just finish something off later. Sure we might have some larger/longer raids and such but make this the core.

NOTE: Provide titles, items, cosmetics, etc. to people who complete various numbers of mission. Also, for the people who love marathons, provide the same for people who do various numbers of missions IN A ROW.

It Must Be Social

An Overwatch RPG must be social. Despite complaints about toxicity in the community, I think those complains exist because it clashes with the overall spirit of the community. Overwatch fans love lore, speculation, teaming up, and exchanging fan art and such. I find it surprising positive, cynic that I am.

So any Overwatch game has to be a social engine big enough people can feel part of the community. I'd say if Overwatch RPG/MMO's social features are so interesting you're templted to play ONLY to use them then you win.

This almost certainly means:

Strong matchmaking tools.

Strong social tools to keep up with people.

Gift giving and exchanges of stuff in game (or purchased, we need those microtransactions)

Toxicity control and blocking tools. I almost wonder if a kind of LinkedIn recommendation system could work.

Home/room crafting. That's becoming de rigeur, so put it on in.

Crafting things for others.

Bonuses for good social behavior.

Social areas and events in the game.

Community things like fashion shows, backstories, and art contests.

Social tools have to pretty much appeal to people from Day 1 - you need an embarassment of riches that's also managable and comprehendible.

NOTE: There should be missions or mission parts that are non-combat where characters solve puzzles or just go and talk to people. This would not only fit Overwatch, but also encourage social activities.

It Must Tie Into The Big Picture

The game has to tie into the Overwatch universe in a meaningful way. Characters can't be sitting on the sidelines forever in the shadows of everyone else - they have to make their own paths. They can't outshine the heroes of Overwatch the game, but also have to achieve things. The Lore of the game has to tie into their experiences to bring the in-game fiction and the player experience together.

To me this means:

Things the characters do and missions they're assigned should fit the Overwatch universe.

* Lots of in-game events and special events - maybe even one time - to make it feel like things evolve. STO is a great example of this.

Use of proper settings - while exploring new ones. For instance, you know at some point everyone will want to go to Junkertown or the Moon.

Evolve the storyline to a point where it allows for people to create masses of new heroes (I figure it'd be set a few years after the Recall) to have their own tales.

Have missions and events that let characters "own" their own experiences.

Move the story along for the other Overwatch characters - their achievements should change the game for the players, but they players should make their own way.

This'll take effort - and constant content. But if you make it feel like a living world, that will keep people interested. Plus if it can tie into the game and media . . .

NOTE: This is going to take real work, to truly be a media production with growing lore and a world. It'll be like running a TV show.

Characters Must Matter

Overwatch at its heart is about people making a difference. Oh, it may be a terrible difference. It may be for revenge or greed or dressing like a human Hot Topic. But people in the story have impact.

That has to translate to the game. Which will be challenging, but players have to feel their story is important - and it has to be made important.

Some thoughts on that:

Have regular events where the winning "faction" get some bonus or achieves some victory. That should create temporary in-game alterations and may give some bonus to those who participated.

Have areas that are territorial battles, where factions can take control. Good for PvP.

Have people contribute time or resources to non-combat events to get results - like building new areas.

Have characters have their own storylines and choices for certain elements that have impact; such as choosing which character to agree with in a conflict.

Characters in game must comment on action and character actions.

Players must get a chance to make unique in-game choices, such as crafting or getting rare loot or costumes.

NOTE: This will need special attention in the game design - it will need to be core.

It Must Be Personal

The game must have a very personal feel to it - almost intimate. your character's choices, actions, factions, and so on must make the game feel unique. It should feel that, if you started over, you'd experience an entirely diffrent game.

Many of the common things in RPGs and MMOs do this - character choices, cosmetics, factions. Those, obviously would be here - especially cosmetics, it's Overwatch.

May of the above items would personalize it - and I'll cover characters in a separate post. But I think an Overwatch RPG MMO needs to make most missions personal, unique.

Here's what I think it'd need.

Event/historical missions should have a personal quality or at least a random quality. Maybe an end boss is customized for your loadout.

Missions should be multi-option. Choice should matter and bring about different results.

Missions must be able to fail and have partial successes.

Have a reputation system, but not one that's simple - your reputation should be a kind of reputation. You may be popular with Overwatch, or Talon, but what kind of popularity - the killer who gets sent to gun down enemies, or the team player who gets rescue missions.

Most missions should be - I'm seriously - randomized, procedural, and/or customized. A mission you play should be unique and unrepeatable. That experience is for you and your team alone.

Actions should have effects over time. Maybe your character ends up constantly annoying Doomfist and thus he is swapped in for a boss in another mission as he seeks revenge. Have enough successful missions at Blizzard World and someone mentions it later or it unlocks a special scripted mission.

But what of the Lore, which is a bit hard when you have random missions? I've got an idea for that too - Virtual Reality. As you "rank up" in your faction, you can experience "simulated" story missions as "training." This loads in lore and gives scripted missions - it's just not the main source of story. It'd be like the Overwatch Archives.

Everyone gets their own story - and everyone gets to relive the same history together.

In A Nutshell

So to round up an Overwatch RPG that I think would succeed would be a lore-soaked social game that provides a lot of randomized missions on top of more scripted ones, has a shifting/changing setting based on actions, and produces a highly personal player experience.

Is this doable? Actually, I think so. Most of the parts are obvious or in place, it's probably the procedural balance and elements that'd take work.

Next up - characters.

- Steve

www.StevenSavage.com

www.InformoTron.com

#overwatch #overwatch rpg #overwatch mmo #product owner #producer

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