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pickledpascal · 6 months

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New Perspective

Chapter Eleven: The Great War

Warnings: Misgendering, transphobia, crying, feeling like you're not enough, sex jokes except they're not funny.

Word Count: 4.4k

New Perspective Masterlist

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Thanksgiving day.

Jensen had gotten up early to make Avery breakfast. Similar to the first time they ever slept in the same room together. A full-circle moment. He made brown sugar ham, something he usually had on a holiday morning when everything else in the fridge was meant for dinner. When Avery came down, she was dressed in one of Jensen's button-ups but her underwear was still showing with her hair a mess. Jensen liked the look on her. She breathed in the smell and let out a shaky breath. She looked as if she was a kicked puppy.

Immediately, Jensen panicked. Did he do something wrong? He turned off the stove and went up to Avery, holding her in his arms. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I-I haven't had brown sugar ham in a while." Avery mumbled into Jensen's shoulder. The last time, it was on Easter. Years ago. "My dad made it a lot. Haven't had it since." Most things that reminded Avery of her father died when she came out. Others were fine, harmless. Like waffles.

Jensen cupped Avery's cheek, seeing the gentleness of sorrow in her eyes. "Do you want me to make something else?"

"No." She whispered, glancing over to the stove. "No, I want to have some. I want to see if it's as good as I remember it." Jensen let Avery go as he transferred the ham into a large bowl. "Plus, maybe it'll remind me of you instead."

Jensen smiled softly at Avery and watched as she took a few slices. She took a bite from one. He eagerly awaited her response. Avery looked contemplative. Would she allow herself to enjoy such a simple food? Her lips broke into a small smile. A step in the right direction.

"Usually, I pride myself on not letting my dad still control my life. But there's still… some things." Avery admitted softly, glancing down at her plate. "I don't even know why." She was desperate to let Jensen know but she wasn't sure how to explain her life before her transition.

It was horrible.

Sure, from the outside Avery's family might have looked normal. A middle-class nuclear family with three boys, a dog, and a decently sized house in the suburbs of a major city but there was so much more beneath that.

Jensen sat next to Avery and carefully took her hand. He'd listen to her, no matter what. Avery knew that and yet there was still something holding her back. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

"I haven't always… been so happy." Avery said softly. "I haven't always had my friends. I haven't always had people who loved me for me. I was… just another sob story of a trans person." She laughed bitterly. "My mom–she yearned for a girl and yet she didn't love me when I told her I was one. Even before I came out, my dad couldn't look at me the same way he did my brothers. I was never enough. They never beat me but they didn't love me. College was my escape. But I had no one. Until I found Mercer… and then Jay and then Elena and then Sammy." Tears had rolled down her cheeks and she made no move to wipe them away. She just let them flow.

"And there was you." Avery finally looked at Jensen and squeezed his hand. "Before I came out, I related so much to Dean and I couldn't quite point out why. Until I realized we wanted so desperately to be loved by our dads. To be enough for them. Parents who don't deserve us." She finally held up a hand to wipe her eyes only for Jensen to do it for her.

Jensen moved Avery's glasses so they sat atop her head as he wiped her cheeks. "Your dad sounds like an asshat. So does your mom." Avery let out a breathy laugh at that. "I mean it. They're missing out on such a beautiful, successful, smart girl." He pressed a kiss to her nose, where the majority of her freckles were. "So fuck them for not seeing you."

Avery chuckled softly at the contact and leaned into Jensen's warm hands. "Yeah." She looked into Jensen's eyes. The muted color of green they were was swamp-like. A deep green that would have made a nice paint color in a Victorian home. "It's… a bit cringe. But when I look at you, when I realize I have you, I feel like everything I've gone through is nothing if it means I get to have you. If I get to be with you in the way that I want."

Jensen pressed his lips against Avery's. He wasn't sure how else to react, what could he say in response to that? A thanks wouldn't be enough. It never would have been. He was glad Avery was in his life too. He would have been going through the motions, dead on the inside. Now, Jensen felt alive. His chest was full of emotion. Love. And everything that came with it. The overwhelming feeling of sympathy for his partner.

The need to keep her safe while also knowing he can't always do that. Avery has a whole life ahead of her, one that Jensen can't predict. She'll get hurt, she'll fall down, but Jensen would be the one to help pick herself up and try to lead her down a path that's less full of thorns.

"If I could…" Avery pulled away from Jensen's lips as she took in his face like it was the first time again. "If I could tell my younger self something, I think I'd tell her to trust herself. I get you."

Jensen smiled warmly. "I think I'd tell myself that love will hit me like a train. And I'll just be along for the ride."

A lop-sided smile appeared on Avery's lips. Love filled her chest. It weighed her down yet she didn't think of it that way. It was a fluttery feeling. She couldn't quite describe it in a fully articulate way. Just that it felt good. It was fulfilling and made her feel whole.

After breakfast, Jensen and Avery got ready for the evening. Jensen dressed himself in a navy blue sweater that Avery got him as a housewarming gift and a pair of black slacks with shoes that matched his sweater nicely. His hair was left the same as usual, away from his face with a few strands that made it their job not to stay where he wanted them to be. After Halloween, Jensen had Avery repaint his nails after they began to chip, so his nails were still painted black. That was sure to cause a stir within his extended family but he didn't care much. Jensen only saw them for holidays.

Avery wore a gray turtleneck underneath a brown plaid dress that ended just above her knees, a pair of gray socks, and heels that had a buckle on the side. Jensen realized that was the first time he'd ever seen her wear heels. She didn't need to wear them in the first place, she was almost as tall as Jensen without them. With the heels, she was an inch or so taller—the height of the heel was only three inches.

"Do you mind if I take your leather jacket?" Avery asked as she fastened the buckles of her heels. Jensen shook his head as he adjusted the watch on his wrist. Avery grabbed the leather jacket that lay at the end of the bed and put it on. It went with her outfit nicely.

Jensen looked lovingly at Avery. She looked amazing in his clothes. "Do you ever think about how I'd look in your clothes?"

Avery looked Jensen up and down. "Every day. Why?"

"Just a question." He said honestly.

Avery sat at the end of the bed as Jensen grabbed another jacket from his closet. A brown leather jacket. Avery played with the end of her dress and then adjusted her socks, they slipped down slightly. Too much for her liking. She was nervous. Jensen's parents are what mattered but Avery didn't like the prospect of being the neighborhood's gossip. She likely was going to be after tonight.

"Sweetheart," Jensen breathed, cupping Avery's chin. "You know that if anything happens—anything—you can talk to me and we'll leave. We can grab some of my mom's pie and eat on Baby's hood."

Avery's eyes lit up at the mention of the car. "We're taking the Impala?" She had always liked cars but she blamed Supernatural for her obsession with them.

"If you want." Jensen knew she'd want to if her Mustang was anything to go by.

"Yeah. That sounds nice." Avery smiled softly as she stood up.

As they made their way into the garage, Avery's mouth dropped open. She had seen quite a few replicas of Baby but there was nothing like the real thing. The black glossy coat of paint was the perfect color for a 1967 Impala that she couldn't imagine one in a different color.

"That almost rivals the way you first looked at me." Jensen joked softly. "C'mon, sweetheart." The driver’s door creaked as he opened it. Like it always did on the show.

Avery got in the passenger door and sighed contentedly. The bench seat felt like she assumed it would, comforting in a strange way. Like the second home the brothers intended it to be. Then there was the overwhelming smell of Jensen in the car. Like apple wood chips smoking for hours. Masculine but there was a sense of fruit. A fruit Avery would happily gorge herself on.

"How many girls have you had in here?" Avery teased softly.

Jensen started the ignition with a loud roar. It shook Avery to her core. "Just one."

Avery chuckled bashfully as she pulled her seatbelt over her body. She glanced at the back seat from the rearview mirror, scenes of Dean giving girls the time of their life back there came to the forefront of her mind. She let out a cough to clear her mind. It didn't work well.

When they arrived at the Ackles house, Avery's mood changed completely. There were at least six or seven different cars in the driveway and on the side of the road. For a moment, Avery wondered if they could just get their food to go. She glanced at Jensen who was staring at her.

Now or never.

Avery stepped out of the car. Jensen followed suit. "Should we have brought something?" She whispered as they made their way to the door.

"Nah, my mom would have a lot of leftovers and, well, after Thanksgiving, they don't need that much food." Jensen pressed a kiss to Avery's temple and knocked on the door. He had a key but he liked to let his mom know when he was there.

Donna greeted the pair with a smile and hugged them tightly. "I'm glad we didn't scare you away."

Avery was still debating if that was true. "Of course not." She laughed dryly.

"Come on, darlin', the family is dying to meet you." Donna waved them inside. Avery felt an alarm go off in her head. Why?

Jensen stopped his mother. "Momma, who's been talking about Avery?" He didn't want to talk about this in front of other people. It'd only give them more to talk about. And if there was something a Southern family loved, it was gossip.

"Everyone, why?" Donna was blissfully unaware.

"Was it Auntie Mary?" Jensen pressed. Avery wasn't sure who Auntie Mary was but she assumed it was the biggest transphobe in their family.

Donna pursed her lips in thought. "I believe so."

Jensen sighed. "Auntie Mary doesn't like people like Avery." Bingo. Avery was right.

Donna's eyebrows furrowed. She frowned. "If she says anything, I'll have Alan have a word with her. Does that sound okay?"

Jensen looked at Avery for an answer. "If it's no trouble." She eventually said.

"It won't be. Sometimes I don't even know why we invite Aunt Mary to these things." Donna quickly said as they ventured into the house. She said it so casually as if it was common knowledge.

Avery glanced at Jensen who just pursed his lips. Elena was the only person Avery knew of that had a Southern family dynamic but, even then, Avery had never been a part of that dynamic. She never visited for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday. The only time she'd see Elena's parents was when they visited Columbia.

When Avery saw Mackenzie, she was greeted with a hug. "Hey! You look amazing! Much better than yesterday if you ask me." She teased softly as she nudged Avery's arm.

"Yeah." Was Avery's dry response as she looked around. She wasn't sure how else to. The house was buzzing with activity. All kinds of people she had never met before. Young children, middle-aged adults, and elders. All related somehow. Parents, children, grandchildren.

"Don't feel so intimidated, sweetie." Mackenzie whispered, wrapping an arm around Avery's shoulder to bring her close. "Just stay close to me."

Avery nodded with a half-smile. She appreciated Mackenzie but she had a nagging feeling something would go wrong. She was right most of the time.

"Can I leave you with her?" Jensen asked softly. He spotted a few friends from across the kitchen.

Avery waved him off. "I'll be fine." She hoped she would be. Her plan was to stay by the kitchen so she could stay by Donna and Mackenzie.

"Are you sure?" Jensen looked into Avery's eyes. He could see the nervousness in them.

Avery nodded. "Yep."

"I repel half our family anyway. The rebel girl, remember?" Mackenzie winked.

Jensen shook his head and brought Mackenzie into a half-hug, pressing a kiss to her temple. It messed up her hair a bit. "Thanks, kiddo." He walked off.

Avery smiled softly at the interaction. Jensen was an affectionate guy. Her brothers were nowhere near the level of affectionate he was. Partly because they had assumed Avery was a boy most of her life and boys weren't supposed to hug each other. Or that's what their parents taught them. The one brother Avery still had contact with didn't hug her. She wondered if there was a reason for it but she didn't feel like she was missing out. Just happy Jensen could express affection for his family.

"You have brothers?" Mackenzie asked after seeing the look in Avery's eyes.

She nodded. "Two. Like you. I'm the youngest too." Avery admitted with a light smile.

"What're their names?" Mackenzie wanted to get to know Avery, especially if she'd stay with Jensen for a while.

"Uh, Jacob and Joseph. I really only talk to Jacob, though." Avery hummed softly. She didn't feel weird talking about them compared to the rest of her life.

Mackenzie tilted her head as she took a sip of wine. It had been sitting on the counter next to her. "Oh, why?"

"Joseph moved to the middle of nowhere in Utah and we kinda," Avery pursed her lips. "Lost contact, I guess. Never talk. Jacob texts me every so often." She explained. Her relationship with her brothers was relatively cut and dry compared to her parents. Sure, she didn't exactly like Joseph but he could have changed. She doubted it. Like her father, Joseph was stuck in his ways.

Mackenzie hummed as she took in the information. She knew she was lucky her family didn't have any sort of falling out when they could have. There were a few times they were close. "You see him?" Mackenzie asked.

"Sometimes." Avery scratched at her head, looking at the swirls in the marble countertops. "Maybe once a year he'll visit me for a weekend. Usually during Winter Break." A smile broke onto her face. "He'll take me to a horrendously overpriced place for dinner and then we'll hate it so we'll get Wendy's frosties and dip our fries in them."

Mackenzie smiled at the way Avery talked about her brother. She was fond of him, in her own way. "That's nice." Jensen would do something similar with her. Instead of Wendy's, they'd go to a diner and get a piece of pie. She'd get a slice of apple and he'd get coconut cream.

A commotion started which made Avery turn. It was coming from the front door. Her eyes went blank. Jared and Genevieve just walked in. She didn't expect them to be there. But then again, Avery wasn't sure how much Jensen told his parents. She immediately looked away, not wanting Jared to see her.

"Not a big Jared fan?" Mackenzie whispered. Avery shook her head. "Me neither." She watched the couple get surrounded with 'hi's and 'how are you's.

"You must be Jensen's girlfriend!" An older lady pointed out. Avery could see the skeptical look in her eyes. "Bless his heart. You look so real."

Avery wasn't sure if she should laugh. This must be Auntie Mary. She had inadvertently affirmed her gender while also complimenting her. It was almost as if passing was the point. Well, for Avery. She felt mostly offended for Jensen.

"Auntie Mary, don't you want to ask momma about her sweet potatoes? I think she'll finally give you the recipe this year." Mackenzie tried to get Mary to go away.

Mary frowned and shook her head. "Donna ain't giving that up." She turned to Avery again and looked her up and down. It seemed like she couldn't find what she was searching for. "Now I don't like being the town gossip," Avery doubted that. "But me and the girls have been wondering, do you still have a—"

"Yes." Avery answered.

"Dinner's ready!" Donna called right on time.

Avery smiled at Mary while Mackenzie laughed behind her. Avery grabbed a plate and utensils and then helped herself to each tray of food. Turkey, sweet potato mash with marshmallows, roasted potatoes, and a splash of gravy. There were a few tables set up so she sat at the end of the second one. Feeling like she needed one, Avery poured a glass of red wine for herself.

"You handled Auntie Mary well." Jensen whispered in her ear as he sat next to her. His plate looked the same, except he had a healthy helping of green bean casserole. Avery hated green beans.

Avery took a sip from her glass and sighed. "Can we still go during dessert?" The idea of eating pie under the stars on the Impala's hood sounded amazing.

"Yeah, we can." Jensen smiled softly.

"How'd seeing your friends go?" Avery didn't want to bring up Jared but Jensen was bound to see him eventually.

Jensen shrugged as he snuck a bite of turkey. Usually, his mom or dad would say grace before they could dig in but he didn't care. "Jason's the same as usual. Just having a good time. Cons are the most excitement he gets." He chuckled softly.

"Jason Manns?" Avery tilted her head.

"Yep." Jensen hummed. He knew fans knew Jason but they'd likely never be able to pick him out in a crowd.

Avery mumbled in thought, "He was the first person to introduce me to your singing."

"He was?" Jensen asked, glancing at Jason who was in the middle of grabbing some food. He had been friends with him for years. Longer than Jared.

"Yeah, y'know, his covers with friends album." Avery explained with a glint of excitement in her eyes. "Really want your peaches wanna shake your tree." She half-sung.

"Or would it be considered eggplant?" Jared chimed in, taking his seat next to Avery.

Her face went blank whereas Jensen narrowed his eyes at the man. "Let's just all get along, huh?" Gen cut in as she sat next to Jared.

"Maybe control your husband then, Gen." Jensen hissed. He wouldn't have minded his parents inviting Jared if they made a rule that he couldn't be an asshole. Though, knowing him, he'd find a way.

Avery pursed her lips, feeling the uneasiness overtake her again. Fuck saying grace, she needed something in her stomach or else she felt she would throw up. It seemed the people around her didn't care much that she started eating anyway. Her brain needed something to keep her busy besides thinking about the behemoth of a man who sat next to her.

With a hand on her thigh, Jensen caught her attention. "You alright?"

Avery glanced at Jared and then back at him. "I will be." She could get through a night with Jared's backhanded comments. She'd probably laugh about how awful they were the next day.

Jensen forked a green bean and brought it to his mouth. Jared laughed, likely thinking of another horrendous joke. Something about the shape and the fact that it was submerged in a white substance.

The rest of dinner mainly consisted of Avery and Jensen talking about whatever, trying their best to ignore Jared next to them who would occasionally snicker at things not intended to be funny. Avery wondered what it was like for Gen to be married to a child while having three actual children. Sure, Avery could be childish sometimes but she knew how to read a room. An attribute it seemed Jared was missing.

There was a bit of gossip at the other end of the room but Avery didn't listen too in-depth of what it was about. She did see a few stares in her direction.

However she did catch, "I can't believe Jensen's dating a transvestite."

Avery suppressed a dry laugh at that. Of course an older person would call her such an outdated slur. She stood up from the table and washed her plate, soon joined by Jensen. "I'm sorry." He whispered after a while.

"For what? None of this is your fault." Avery smiled. It wasn't.

"But I invited you." Jensen felt an immense amount of guilt all the sudden. He wanted to protect Avery from people like the ones in his family.

Avery shook her head and took Jensen's hand. "I agreed to go." She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Time to go?" Donna made her way into the kitchen. Jensen and Avery nodded. "I had a feeling." She frowned as she opened the fridge and took out a Tupperware with two perfectly sliced pieces of sweet potato pie and a few plastic forks inside. She was prepared. "I'm sorry about tonight."

Avery took the container and hugged Donna. "You're okay, Ms. Ackles. Maybe next time, me and Jensen'll do Thanksgiving and then you'll be able to meet my family." She said softly. She had a feeling Donna would love Elena, Mercer, and Jay. Jay might take some getting used to but Avery knew it'd work out in the end.

Donna's eyes lit up. She looked at Jensen who looked just as surprised as she was. He hadn't thought about hosting Thanksgiving in a while or with Avery. But she was an incredible cook. He wondered what her version of Thanksgiving would look like.

"Bye, Ms. Ackles." Avery waved.

Donna nodded before she hugged Jensen goodbye. "She's a keeper." She whispered so only he could hear.

"I know, momma." Jensen smiled. He was glad his parents could see it too. "Bye."

Avery and Jensen left for the Impala. They drove for a little while until Jensen pulled onto a dirt road that led to a park. It was night so the stars were shining brightly and there were fireflies still around even though it was in the middle of fall. Jensen parked in the middle of the clearing and cut the engine. He pushed himself onto the hood of the Impala and watched Avery do the same, setting the Tupperware in between them before she looked up at the stars.

"Huh. Pisces is visible tonight." Avery pointed out, taking the lid off the Tupperware.

Jensen looked up at the night sky with furrowed eyebrows. "Where?" To be fair, he wasn't into constellations much anyway. Let alone astrology.

"There." Avery took Jensen's hand and mapped out the constellation among the stars. "It's like the Big Dipper, just with a long tail." She hummed as she took a bite from the pie. She usually ate pumpkin pie in the fall but sweet potato was good too.

Jensen could finally see it and nodded. "Yeah." He took a bite from his piece and watched Avery. She was far calmer than earlier. As if she was in her natural habitat.

In many ways, night was Avery's natural habitat. It was when she got a lot of homework done, food just tasted better, and she was in a better mood. She had made jokes that it was because she was secretly a devotee of Selene. Jensen had to look that up in order to realize Selene was the goddess of the moon. Supernatural wasn't into Greek Mythology as much as it liked using urban folktales.

"We should do this more often." Avery hummed softly as she glanced up at the moon.

Jensen smiled. "Drive to the middle of nowhere and eat pie?"

"Yeah." Avery had a wistful look in her eyes that Jensen couldn't argue with.

"Alright."

The scene reminded Avery of her brother but it had a different weight to it. A different kind of love that she hadn't felt before. Not to this magnitude.

A streak of light went across the night sky. "A meteor." Avery pointed out, glancing at Jensen who was staring at her. Not the sky.

"If I wished to kiss you, do you think it'll come true?" Jensen asked with a sly smile.

Avery laughed. A little too hard that she almost fell off the Impala's hood. "I hate that."

Jensen kept her from falling with an arm around her waist. "You love me." He whispered into her ear.

"I do." Avery chuckled, coming down from her laughing fit. "But I hate that you said that."

Jensen rolled his eyes and kissed her. Avery didn't pull away. The metal below them was uncomfortable but neither of them moved to leave the hood. Avery brushed a hand through Jensen's hair to set it on the back of his neck. Jensen kept his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. His lips tasted like the pie they just had. She wanted more. So they kissed until they had to break for breath.

When Jensen opened his eyes again, Avery's eyes stared back at him with the twinkles of stars reflected in them. The normal blue shade of them looked like the night sky. The shade of space Jensen imagined it'd be.

They had a million kisses at that point yet Avery knew she'd think about that one for the rest of her life.

----

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silverslipstream · 3 months

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Executive Decisions

Two hundred miles west of the Soviet city of Orel, four participants of the apocalypse were making a habit of ignoring each other.

Other crews of nuclear-armed B-52 Stratofortresses had a brotherly camaraderie, a resolute sense of duty, or at the very least a morbid kind of cordiality. It was a natural consequence of holding Armageddon aloft day in, day out. On board this plane, however, the occupants appeared to have ignored most of that nature. Silence seemed to fester in the fuselage’s spartan shadows. Fulton, the pilot, had received the go-ahead to drop their precious cargo a scant fifteen minutes ago, and had not spoken to the others since.

The cargo itself sat behind the wall of the crew compartment, nestled securely in the bomb bay. The four men working in the crew compartment made a point of not looking at the wall. They had a job to do and orders to follow.

After a moment, a voice broke through the tinny crackling of the aircraft’s communications unit and the muffled whine of the Stratofortress's engines.

“Second attempt at hailing Travis is down. Vandenburg and Edwards aren’t responding. Spokane, Detroit and Seattle are FUBAR,” said Hayes, the electronics officer. His broad Californian accent slowed his vowels, a relic of the surfer culture he’d grown up in. Sweat inundated his wispy ginger moustache. He spun in his chair to face Carsen, the aircraft commander.

“Sir, what do we do? I can’t receive further instruct—”

“The orders were clear,” Gilroy, the navigator, drawled superciliously. “The Russkies got the drop on us. Sure. Now we,” he waved an arm in the direction of the bomb bay, “get the drop on them. Simple.”

Carsen raised an eyebrow at the thickset Texan, who simply glared back.

“We have no way of knowing if our target has been changed,” replied Carsen, enunciating his words slowly and carefully. “Therefore, we must proceed under our original objective.”

Gilroy nodded with a barely concealed grin and turned back to his console. Hayes looked slightly punch-drunk.

“But, sir, if we don’t have communications from base, surely we could—”

The young man hesitated over his words, his brown eyes flickering around the cabin.

“—we could, you know, withhold the payload—”

He was immediately cut off by an anguished curse from Gilroy, who had burst out of his seat and was now jabbing his fingers in Hayes’ face.

“You shut your goddamn trap right now, Gingersnap. Shut the fuck up. The commies nuked us. They hit American soil. Those are American corpses, burning in the streets.”

Carsen opened his mouth to intervene, cringing at the brutal imagery, but Gilroy held up a callused, exertion-reddened palm before continuing.

“The whole point of your job, Hayes, is to strike back. If Americans are gonna live under the shadow of a mushroom cloud, I’m gonna make sure every damn Russian on the planet sees the same thing.”

“We don’t have to—”

Gilroy sprang into action, grabbing Hayes by the shoulders and leaning in until their foreheads were almost touching. The Texan’s chest heaved. A red pallor, like the colour of raw beef, spread across his face. His eyes were bloodshot at the corners, and the whites were a putrid-looking pale yellow.

“You fucking traitor! You college-boy asshole! I was on the beaches in Cuba while you were still buttoning your—”

“Sergeant Gilroy, that is enough!” Carsen bellowed, grabbing him by the shoulder and wrenching him backward. “You are a member of the United States Air Force, and it would do you well to act like it. Now sit. Back. Down.”

He levelled a withering glance at Hayes.

“We did not come all this way to suddenly develop a conscience, Corporal Hayes. Our duty is to America, and our orders are clear.”

Sufficiently cowed, Hayes nodded hastily and turned back to his station.

There were a few more minutes of deafening silence. By now, the city of Orel was visible from the windows, peeking through scarce wisps of cloud under the late-afternoon sun.

“It looks like Oakland from up here,” said Hayes to nobody in particular, and Carsen felt a pang of guilt, as well as a deeper twist of shame. He looked through the window. Hayes was right; from the air it looked like any American city. High-rises, schools, a river winding its way through the urban sprawl like a deep blue string. A church of elegant redbrick stood on the embankment; a stone cross stood dozens of feet high in its courtyard, almost equalling the church’s own roof.

“Spare the bomb.”

The words felt foreign on his lips. Hayes turned towards him in shock.

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“I said, spare the bomb. There will be more anguish in the world today, but I want no part of it. My duty is to America, but my pledge is to God, and I will not send Russians to heaven knowing I will be weighted down to hell.”

He looked around the compartment. Hayes was staring at him, awed. Gilroy was studiously inspecting his console, not daring to look either of the other men in the eye. Carsen felt liberated, in a way. It was an odd sensation to have during of the end of the world, refusing your duty for your conscience, but despite that—

“Drop zone reached. Releasing payload,” came the sibilant hiss of Fulton’s voice over the intercom. For a moment, nobody moved, spoke or thought. It was as if the bomb had gone off next to them and they were frozen, the first frame of a grisly slide.

The bay doors whooshed open behind them, filling the cramped space with the rushing sound of buffeted wind. Squinting through the window as the B-52 banked away from Orel, Carsen thought he could see a tiny silver glint in the air, descending to Earth.

#writeblr #writing community #my writing #short story #nuclear war #moral dilemma #military fiction #apocalyptic fiction #world war 3 #ww3 #cold war

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theflowerofthecommonwealth · 2 years

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Power Armor Punch Part 11

Masterlist

Nick: *eases it to her mouth and slowly tilts the can so she doesn't drown* Let me know when you're done.

Jasmine: (Slowly starts sipping, drinking about half of it before she shakes her head and pulls back)

Nick: *takes it away* That-a-girl... I hope you can eat later... you need the nutrients to heal.

Jasmine: (Gives him a doubtful look)

Nick: Look, unless you're a ghoul, you need to eat. I know it sucks... I'm actually a bit envious. My sense of taste... it's not really there. Just a sensor that picks up all the ingredients in the food and tells me what it actually tastes like... in text. You get the full experience.

Jasmine: (Gives him another look. She spent so many years labeling food as danger and forcing herself to throw it up that her body just feels sick at the mention of food. It doesn't even taste all that good to her anymore, just the same poisonous mush) “……….” (Glances back down at herself, still checking for blood)

Nick: I promise you, I won't let you get poisoned on my watch. Just add poison tester to the growing resume of things I can double for. Heh.

Lucille: *gets up after a super long nap at the Slog* Mm... why does 88 smell like water and tar berries? Oh. Right. The Slog... *gets up and rubs her eyes*

Wiseman: Ah. Hey. You're awake. You doing okay? Where's that vigilante detective that's always following you around?

Lucille: Oh, Nick? He's babysitting...

Wiseman: Didn't know that was something he did.

Lucille: He's got no choice... thanks. For the blanket, Wiseman.

Wiseman: No problem.

Jasmine: (Scoffs, and she would smile a little at him if she wasn't feeling shittier than usual. But after THAT particular memory she ain't gonna eat for awhile, especially since she still expects to see her blood everywhere)

Nick: I know you're still reeling from the nightmare so I won't ask ya to eat right this moment... but later, when it's less prominent.

Jasmine: (Shakes her head at that, but then stops because of the headache)

Nick: Well, the way I see it, it's either eat or stay here for a month and be periodically dosed with nutritional supplements via an IV. Course we could always do the tube down your throat and into your stomach and force you to eat mush... *smirks* Honestly if I were you, I'd at least attempt to eat something.

Jasmine: (Side eyes him with a frown) (Even if she ate a full meal, she would just throw it back up almost immediately and get a flood of bad memories. And that would only be ONE meal. On the other hand, if they did the tube or IV, her hands would have to be tied at almost all times or else she would just pull it out, plus bad memories. Lose lose in this case, but what wasn't in her life?)

Nick: Fine, IV it is then... *looks away*

Jasmine: (Blinks a few times in surprise. She didn't even say anything….)

Nick: I saw that look, kid. *sniffs the air* You might need a shower.

Jasmine: (Chokes on her spit, casting him a WTF look. She keeps herself very clean, being prewar and all. Its a little difficult in post nuclear war setting, but she manages somehow. Even when she was kept in the dirty damp cell she was relatively hygienic)

Nick: Just saying- you've been in and out of things for a day or so. You might want to consider a bath.

Jasmine: (Nods her head after a moment. Hopefully this would help get rid of the lingering blood smell.…)

Nick: Do you think you'll behave if I help you to the showers and back? And before ya get all suspicious, I'm only asking this to ensure your safety.

Jasmine: (Tilts her head her head at him. Why would she get suspicious?)

Nick: Sorry if that sounded off. It's just after seeing what I've seen in your head and considering we're taking about you getting cleaned up, I'm concerned you'd think I have some "ulterior motive" and do something rash. *he's started to question if she still trusts him, even though he doesn't blame her for what happened a moment ago*

Jasmine: (Takes a moment to think about it) (Mouths) “I trust you.” (She never stopped trusting him, its just other things and other people she doesn't trust. She pushed him because he shook her at the wrong moment and she believed that he was someone else. And when she says she trusts him, she means she trusts HIM, not thinking that he has any other intention than what he says)

Nick: *eyes go a little wide before he smiles back at her* Will you get back into bed and stay there when we get back?

Jasmine: (Sighs, but nods slightly) (Mouths) “Not happy about it…..” (She means that she might put up a protest)

Nick: I know... *almost pleadingly* but can you at least try to cooperate? If not for yourself, for me?

Jasmine: (Nods again. She will try, but she cannot make any promises as usual)

Nick: Alright. Let me get you some soap, a rag and a towel. *leaves to ask Curie where those are*

Jasmine: (Stays still and waits, but its not like she can do anything else. However, being tied town with no means of protecting herself is starting to make her anxious)

Nick: *comes back with the items and starts undoing the restraints*

Jasmine: (Stays completely still, not moving at all until he is finished. Both of her wrists are a little bruised where Nick had to hold them tightly to restrain her)

Nick: *pauses when he notices the bruises. He studies them quickly before looking apologetically into her eyes* I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you.

Lucille: *planting plants, making a greenhouse*

Jasmine: (Looks right back at him, her hands now free) (Signing) “I pushed YOU.” (Sitting up, a little too quickly so she puts a hand to her head)

Nick: Easy... you okay? *will respond to what she said once her dizziness subsides*

Lucille: *The folks here are really proud of their tar berry farm*

Jasmine: (Nods, blinking rapidly as she pulls her hand away from her head)

Nick: Good. As for what you said a moment ago, you pushing me is no excuse for my actions resulting in your harm. Usually, I'm very mindful of how much force goes into an action but I think I went a little to far, hence the apology.

Jasmine: (Shrugs) (Signing) “If you didn't use all that force, I would have done more damage.” (Shuffling her legs to stand up, slowly this time because her body feels like jelly)

Nick: *very carefully helps her stand* I'm aware of that, believe me. I still don't like that it happened.

Jasmine: (Pulls away from his help as she stands straight, swaying slightly but she manages to grab onto the bed to hold herself up) (Mouthing) “Shit” (Waiting for the room to stop spinning and her headache to calm down)

Nick: Don't go acting all foolishly brave and noble by refusing help. It only makes things worse for one person and that's you.

Jasmine: (Takes a deep breath, shaking her head. She has had enough help for today, she needs to do things on her own)

Nick: Fine. Suit yourself, but I'll still be near if you start to fall on your way to the showers.

Jasmine: (Sighs, grabbing the crumbled up blanket off the corner of the bed and wraps it over her shoulders, taking a few wobbly and dizzy steps on her own out of the room)

Nick: *follows her close behind*

*The halls look much the same as the rooms except for some signs and occasional paintings.*

Jasmine: (Realizes she has no idea where to go and glances back at Nick, putting a hand to the wall to hold herself up)

Nick: *walks up to her* Do ya need me to lead you to the showers? Cause I can do that.

Jasmine: (Nods, looking up at him) (Signing) “Sorry.” (Fully leaning up against the wall, taking some breaths to steady herself)

Nick: *does a half wave gesture before he draws closer* Don't worry about it. Here. Give me your arm... *going to support her by putting his arm under hers and around her shoulder*

Jasmine: (Holds out her arm, letting him support her because honestly she can barely keep herself up)

Nick: *pulls her near doing just that* Alright... let's go... *starts leading her to the showers*

Jasmine: (Follows along, half leaning her head on his shoulder to try to help her lingering hellish headache)

Nick: Almost there, kiddo. *taking it slow to keep from jostling her*

Jasmine: (Nods, actually very grateful for his help. Without it, she would've fallen over)

Nick: *as they get closer to a door labeled showers* You think you'll be able to take a shower on your own? I'm not sure if they have seats in there.

Lucille: *building defenses at the Slog*

Jasmine: (Shrugs. She will have to see once they get there)

Nick: *opens the door* Inside we find... stalls. Curtains... both sets separated by a wall for men and women... *guides her to the women's side and opens a stall* Looks like they have safety bars and a chair in case you want to sit...

Jasmine: (Nods, looking into the stall for a moment. Raises her wrists to gesture at the bandages)

Nick: Sure... as long as you don't pick at your arms...

Jasmine: (Frowns. She cant promise that. Same thing with the stitches)

Nick: *pleading tone* Please at least try to resist the urge? For me?

Jasmine: (Sadly shakes her head, looking down. She wants to say yes to put him at ease, but there is no guarantee. Especially after what happened, the horrible nightmare that still feels real, and her shoving Nick…..)

Nick: ... Know morse code at all? If it keeps your mind off of hurting yourself, I can stand here and chat while you clean up.

Jasmine: (Shakes her head. She never learned morse code, never even crossed her mind that she would need too. Perhaps they attempted to reach her at some point, but it’s all blurry form then)

Nick: Well, I guess a I'll just try to keep talking then. One tap for "yes", two for "no", three for "I don't know", and four for "change the subject". Will that do ya? *helping her with her bandages*

Jasmine: (Nods again, watching as her cuts slowly appear from under the bandages)

Nick: *slight encouraging smile, seeing some of them start to scab over* Well, look at that... looks like they've started to heal, already.

Jasmine: (Looks up at him with almost guilty eyes, not sure what to tell him. Those cuts are almost weeks old, they just stuck around due to her scratching them almost every chance she gets)

Nick: None of them look infected, either. That's a good sign... *unwrapping her other arm*

Jasmine: (Just stares down at her feet to avoid looking at him)

Nick: *finishes with the bandages* There we are. *takes the washcloth and soap and hands it to her* Here. I'll keep the towel on me when you're ready.

Jasmine: (Nods, stepping back and starts undoing her twin braids. This was gonna be a fun fight to wash and brush out her long curly hair)

Nick: *decides turn away to give her some privacy...* Would you be willing to let Curie do your hair? Don't know if my hands are cut out for braiding. My right might get all tangled up in it.

Jasmine: (Stops fiddling and taps to respond) “No.” (She can manage her hair on her own, hopefully….)

Nick: *sighs. He really wants her to start relying on other people other than him. He knows he won't be around all the time to keep her safe* Alright, then...

Jasmine: (Finishes unbraiding her hair, letting her hair flow freely, sighing at the thought of fighting out the knots. She turns to the shower, fiddling to remove the hospital gown)

Nick: *keeping his gaze averted. Wants to give her as much privacy as she needs to feel comfortable*

Jasmine: (Frowns again at the sight of her stitches and bandages on her legs and torso, clutching the gown tightly in her hand. Her mind starting to wander) “………” (For a moment she clearly saw her body all banged up and bruised, blood dripping down from her legs and the horrid words that had been cut into her soft skin with a knife…..)

Nick: *senses her hesitation* Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe. *pulls out the hospital gown he nearly forgot he grabbed*

Jasmine: (Snaps back into reality, blinking a few times. She nods her head, then remembers Nick cant see her) (Mouthing to herself) “Stupid.” (She removes the rest of the bandages before she turns on the shower, setting the temperature at the coldest setting possible- standing still under it. Warm water seemed to luxurious for someone like her in this moment…. She closes her eyes, not minding the icy water against her skin)

Nick: Y'know, after taking a quick gander at the other stalls there might be hot water installed. No one's gonna get mad if you use it.

Jasmine (Opens her eyes to glance back at him, forgetting again that he cant see her. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't feel like she deserved it. Plus, she practically took cold showers her whole life. At her old home she let everyone else shower first and they couldn't really afford much heating so the water was lukewarm at best. At the cell room, she was only allowed to use icy cold water for her entire time there)

Nick: It may be hard to believe but you are allowed to enjoy small things like this... *leaning on the wall between the stalls*

Jasmine: (Taps back) “No.”

Nick: *rolls his eyes* Dearheart, I think you of all people deserve to enjoy a warm shower the most in the Commonwealth. Turn on the hot water. You'll thank me later. *really doesn't want to fight her over shower temperatures of all things*

Jasmine: (Sighs, reluctantly turning the nob too make the water warmer. She closes her eyes again, letting the water pour over her for a moment) “……..” (Well shit, now she just feels sad. Stupid emotions coming over at the wrong moments)

Nick: *reassuringly* See... now isn't that better than turning yourself into an icicle?

Jasmine: (Shakes her head, cursing herself for forgetting that he cant see her again. Yes, it did feel quite nice against her skin, but there was something off to her about it, like its not suppose to be happening. Especially to herself….)

@lucilleandherrobots

#fallout #fo4 #fallout 4 #fallout oc #fallout original character #nick valentine #fallout fanfic #fallout fic

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denimbex1986 · 9 months

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'For a lifetime I'd wanted to experience the home of mankind's first atomic blast. Trinity Site opens just two days a year, but I was lost in the remote New Mexico desert. Finally, a distant caravan led to the gates. That only a few dozen of us shuffled inside the barbed wire surprised me. I expected a crowd.

Now, with the film "Oppenheimer," moviegoers are experiencing Trinity Site, huddled together in the dark around a bright screen. Just as the real J. Robert Oppenheimer huddled with his team of scientists, waiting for humanity's brightest flash to bleach the night sky.

What compels millions to witness this onscreen re-creation? Historical curiosity? Sure, we're interested in the enigmatic physicist.

But could it be there's a part of the atomic bomb's father in all of us?

Back inside Trinity's gate, I make my way to the stone obelisk marking Ground Zero. A humbling privilege akin to walking a neighborhood walloped by an F5 tornado. Except instead of obliterated houses across the ground, a secret haunts the desert sand.

That on July 16, 1945, at 5:29 a.m., hell on earth unleashed where I stood. And for an instant, the blast was hotter than our sun. Sand swirled up inside the fireball and rained down as molten radioactive liquid, a new form of glassy green rock dubbed Trinitite.

Warning signs remind visitors that pocketing Trinitite is illegal. Fat chance. Decades ago the government hauled away or bulldozed it all underground. Yet, ants occasionally nudge pieces to the surface.

After a few photographs, I headed toward a table of Geiger counters. In the sand, something green sparkled. Radioactive Trinitite. Dangerous if ingested, but safe enough for a shelf in the garage.

With a clandestine glance I knelt down, feeling a mix of exhilaration and trepidation, picked up the small treasure, and slipped it into the recesses of my suede boot. The remnant carried the delineation of a world transformed. The technological equivalent of Before Christ and A.D.

Oppenheimer is remembered for quoting the sacred Hindu Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." Forgotten is what he said next: "I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." It took more than one man to create a weapon capable of mankind's annihilation. It took a village called Manhattan Project. Called Los Alamos. And in a way, called America.

During my "Oppenheimer" IMAX matinee, the packed audience watched in popcorn-drop silence. Restrained. Waiting. For what? The film's nude scenes were hyped, but the moviegoers anticipated a bigger tantalizing moment. Much bigger.

The mushroom cloud money shot.

As Nolan's relentless soundtrack score paused, I turned to observe the crowd. Not a twitch. A theater of unblinking eyes. What if the onscreen characters did not activate the button? And, instead, each seat had its own detonator installed? What does it say about us that we would, excitedly or reluctantly, nevertheless push that button?

We came for the blast in all its slow-motion terrifying glory. Maybe our fascination means we recognize the power of the atom to awe. And appreciate the ferocious beauty of an atomic chain reaction, even if the fallout is a lingering sense of shame.

Puzzling that we grasp the nuclear bomb's correlation with artificial intelligence in a very Oppenheimer-ish way but stop short of reining in AI's spread. Tech geniuses tout their latest AI advancement as they warn it might destroy us.

Why can't we stop ourselves from racing inexhaustibly towards cliffs of the scientific unknown, from bombs to virus gain-of-function to AI even as we bemoan the risks?

We plod forward on a planet made radioactive from our own endeavors. Whether or not you harbor a bit of Oppenheimer, if born after 1951, you do harbor radioactive isotopes within your body. From over 2,000 nuclear bombs exploded worldwide. Call it mankind's telltale signature.

Maybe if we listen to our inner Oppenheimer, as the half-lives of our radiation burden decays, each generation's gift to the next will be the absence of any new fallout. Leaving our old atomic radioactivity behind as a dusty relic. Like the Trinitite in a cob-webbed corner of my garage. What might become the artifacts of our future AI regrets remain anyone's guess.'

#Oppenheimer #Trinity #IMAX

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valorxdrive · 2 years

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“Sora? Your face is flushed— here,” Zelda hands him a flask of water with a concerned tilt of her brow. She thought that changing into the local Gerudo attire would make them both far more comfortable in the hot climate, but perhaps they had waited too long. She glanced behind them. “Should we return to the Kara Kara Bazaar and rest?”

♕ - To think the unforgiving nature of the desert climate wasn’t the unseen challenge. The one that held close to his hand, the currently staring him those with those big ol’ jade eyes with such earnest and caring intent. One could easily discern that the reasons for this were split into myriad paths. Trying on the regional clothing, maybe a hidden frustration, it could be the challenge from the heat itself attempting to bring him down under. Reasons as countless as the stars. But no.

The reason was studious and bright.

She was the very woman handing him this said flask.

Handing the flask to him while looking so utterly.. something, the words delved into too adventurous, a tinge too daring. Attention being brought to valleys adorned by satin and silk, allowing not so innocent glances throughout the start of their change there to become a challenge that made his instincts boil into a certain sense of ‘madness.’ “Man I owe ya one..” He managed to sputter out, gripping at the very reigns of his sanity to keep his visual focus proper, to not let it even dip a modicum below her collarbone in such a time.

After all. There was a wide network of failures beforehand that needs to be faced.

Royalty happened to be an element that constantly smacked him in the face while charting their course for a region that required their inner resolve. In came in the form of the way her skin shines against the morning and afternoon suns, the way how some idle stretch to investigate a knickknack of potential valued revealed a whole new world to the hero. Try as he might, glaring at the sand, attempting to him blind himself at the sun, a deep echo within always whispered what was the harm in just one more look at Zelda? To catch the way her figure carried a form of lean muscle of some regard, a cute belly.. and-, and and----

...Fullness that he never even realized was there in a bunch of others, sparsely caught as his eyes always snapped away. Allowing these rapid paced thoughts to wave in his mind now, no goddamn wonder she thought he was acting weird out here.

How it looked like he had some habit of catching sand in his mouth whenever she was turned.

Instances where being dragged along hand in hand, allowing him catch the rhythm and sway of her hips led him to be red as a beat.

Not to mention, on very particular moments, there was that subtle to outright bend in order procure a smidgen of fresh produce or potential books to be on sell. At that point, he was wholly convinced that Hyrule was a world that managed to easily have two suns that exists within it’s orbit. And in this current point, he intends to take the secret of this peachy one, barely contained to the grave. The level of oomph settled in such a simplistic motion had turned his heart into nuclear reaction, which is why that sputtered cry of Sora! rose the instance she saw him literally steaming in the city streets. Her butt really did have some divine power like that.

All in all, this would continue to be a battle he internally admits, using a smidgen of faint blizzard in order cool that water into a more soothing drink for the palette. Here he was needing to be someone to back her up, and he’s currently too caught at being around her back! Just the idea makes him internally kick himself while his lips crunch up, only to let more of that flustered steam realize in a cool exhale.

”I’m peachy--” DAMN IT. Foot! Quit meeting mouth! He nearly sputters before giving a shake of his head, taking one more swig for good measure. “Juuust been a minute since I been in hot climates! How about we hit up a few stalls with some shade to make it easier though?” He quickly suggests while handing back the flask.

He really didn’t have the heart to admit his magic could help regulate his temperature.. no, just one more secret to take to the great beyond with him.

@regnantlight

#regnantlight #| Bottle Mail #you really just smiled and smashed the send button to blow him up #I #SEE U!!#welcome to episode Sora can't keep his eyes to himself

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heliads · 2 years

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Can you pls do Andrew Garfield's Spiderman x fem reader where the reader is snarky, sassy, charismatic and confident, and like, she figures out his secret, surprising him in the suit, he gets distracted, some villain tries to attack him, but reader defends him because she actually has pyrokinesis? And it works like fire bending from avatar the last Airbender? thanks in advanceee

this is the third request i have received for a tasm!peter parker x reader with fire powers and although i love writing them i cannot help but wonder why this combination is so popular

also i have yet to see avatar the last airbender so idk what firebending is like but i Did My Best

masterlist / part two

Peter Parker has never felt more nervous in his entire life. His fate draws closer and closer, pacing between the rows of desks as if it can sense his fear. This has to go well; he doesn’t know what he’s going to do if it doesn’t. Too late for thinking, though- it’s over, it’s here. Peter sends a silent prayer to whoever’s listening that this will at least happen quickly.

The math quiz slams onto Peter’s desk with a limp thud. It’s been turned over so no one can see the grade, which isn’t a good sign. On the other hand, it has not been handed back folded in half around a teacher’s accusatory glare, so at least he’s got that going for him. The only thing to do now is to check.

With the air of someone examining radioactive remnants of a nuclear bomb, Peter tentatively flips over the quiz. Instantly, he feels a relief crest over him at the sight of the ‘95’ emblazoned in red ink on the front. That actually might save him.

Peter can’t help but glance up at the front of the room, at a girl sitting a few rows in front of him. She’s just received her quiz, too, although Peter can’t see what she got from here.

Within moments, the girl turns back to Peter, just as eager to see how this plays out as he is. Peter casually holds up the quiz, baring the scarlet 95 for her to see. He’s expecting a frustrated groan, or maybe even the triumphant smirk of someone who’s managed to beat him, but instead the girl just laughs and holds up her own 95. They’ve tied. Again.

Peter doesn’t know how to think about Y/N L/N. He’s not even sure when their little grades-based rivalry began, but it’s as strong as any other form of armed conflict. She’s like the Anne Shirley to his Gilbert Blythe, only in the first book of course, except Peter has absolutely no intention of ever liking Y/N. Ever.

He was hoping he’d be able to eke out a win this morning, but it looks like that won’t be the case. A shame, but at least he’s got science later today, and he’s usually better at that. The amount of time he’s spent trying to codify his web fluid has certainly helped for that.

Y/N appears to be feeling similarly, because she catches up to him after class. “Feeling disappointed?”

Peter shrugs. “I don't know what you’re talking about. A 95 is a fantastic score.”

Y/N rolls her eyes. “I’m talking about the fact that you couldn’t beat me. Guess I’m just too good.”

Peter can’t help but laugh. “As I recall, you couldn’t beat me either. Guess it’s me who’s really just that good.”

Y/N sighs dramatically. “Whatever you want to tell yourself, Peter. We all know the truth.”

Peter arches a brow. “Which is?”

Y/N smirks, as if hoping that he’d ask that question. “That I’m way better than you, obviously. It’s a pity you’re still in denial.”

Y/N turns down a hallway to her next class, pausing briefly to wave a cheery goodbye to him before she goes as if they’re the best of friends. They’re not, of course. Peter could only ever think of her as a rival. Definitely not anything else.

Besides, he doesn’t have time to think about Y/N L/N in any great or considerable detail, and especially not to come to terms with the fact that his feelings for her may have shifted in the past couple months. Over the last weeks of Spider-Man patrols, Peter keeps noticing something strange, and he needs to figure it out fast before something happens.

The incidents started slowly at first, but they keep happening and happening. Initially, they had been small, just small areas of damage, but they’ve been growing as of late. Two cars explode with no one inside them and no witnesses. A dozen cables on a bridge melt, snap, and cause half the bridge to collapse. Roads are bubbling and turning unusable, forcing the entire city into highly populated, narrow areas.

It has to be connected. There’s no way it isn’t connected. All of the attacks have to do with excessive heat, maybe even fire. Peter just doesn’t know what it could mean, or how to fight it. Eventually, he realizes that all he can do is watch and wait for something he can web up.

His chance comes soon enough. Peter’s been carefully monitoring weather maps and live climate sources of the area, trying to pinpoint exactly when and where the temperatures are rising. About halfway through history, Peter gets an alert on his phone: something’s happening again.

A quick glance at the maps and Peter is certain of it. There’s an office building a few blocks down, and the base of it is currently displaying a range of temperatures usually only seen in wildfires. He’s got to catch this guy, whoever’s doing this. This might be his only chance.

Peter slips out of the room and down the hall. He just thinks he’s managed to avoid detection, which is good. Being caught skipping class would only raise questions about why he’s racing out of the school at a time like this.

Peter’s out of the school as he can, hurriedly turning into an alley not far from the apparent scene of the crime. He tosses his backpack behind a tall stack of shipping crates abandoned by some woebegone moving company, and hurriedly starts to tug on his suit.

He has to work fast. Peter has no idea how long this thing will last, so he needs to get there as soon as he can. Peter is just sealing up the suit and reaching for his mask when he hears a distinct cough coming from behind him.

Instantly, Peter’s blood runs cold. He turns around slowly, and feels an absolute panic reach him when he realizes that Y/N is standing before him, arms crossed over her chest.

“Hello, Peter. It’s a surprise to see you here.”

Peter panics, he can’t help it. Surely she can’t be the one to see him in the suit. “Who’s Peter?”

Y/N gives him a look. “You, obviously. Your mask isn’t on, I know who you are.”

Peter considers the mask in his hands and quickly puts it on, not like it’s actually going to do anything. “I don’t know any Peters. I'm just, you know, Spider-Man.”

Y/N’s lips twitch up in a smile. “I saw your face two seconds ago, this actually isn’t making any sort of difference.”

Peter winces. “Yeah, but I’m kind of wishing it would.”

He’s prepared for any sort of situation, but Y/N doesn’t look like she’s about to sell him out. Instead, she almost looks sort of pleased with herself, the same kind of expression she wears when she figures out an equation or tricky variable before him.

A sudden thought occurs to him. “Did you already know I was Spider-Man? Is that why you followed me down here?”

Judging by the surprised glint in Y/N’s eyes, Peter’s right. “I mean, I guessed, but I didn’t fully know until now.”

Peter nods slowly. “How did you know? I thought I was being careful to keep this whole thing a secret.”

Y/N opens her mouth to respond, but her expression falters. Peter follows her line of sight past him and towards a figure starting to emerge from the other end of the alleyway. It’s a man about six inches taller than Peter, dressed all in armored black. His hands are smoking, the barest hints of fire still emanating from his fingers.

Peter swears under his breath. “You need to get out of here, now. This guy is dangerous.”

Y/N starts to back away slowly, but both of them know it’s too late. The man on fire has noticed them now, and is stalking towards them down the alleyway. He raises his hands and twin clouds of fire erupt over his palms, the air crackling from the sheer heat.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to know what would happen if you lit a spider on fire. Guess we’re finding out today.”

Peter can’t help but groan at the man’s words. “That is so dramatic. Can’t you guys be normal for once?”

Y/N laughs behind him. “I hate to say it, but I think that’s a little too much to ask.”

She’s not wrong. Drama is practically a part of the deal around here. Peter can’t even complain, he jumps off of buildings and swings around on spiderwebs. No one is safe.

Least of all them right now. The guy is only growing closer, and although Peter is able to shoot off some webs and stall him, it won’t last forever, not as long as the guy can still conjure up fire. The temperatures are just too high, they’re melting Peter’s webbing like sugar strands in the summertime.

The man is still coming, though. He raises his hands to deliver a blast of fire right at them. Peter instinctively moves to stand in front of Y/N; at least he can make sure she’s alright. However, she just steps around him, back in the man’s range. Either she’s as blind to risk as Peter seems to be, or-

Or she’s got a plan. The man launches a volley of flames at the two of them, but instead of being engulfed in fire, it never reaches Peter. Instead, it flies directly towards Y/N, and she seems to catch it in her hands, molding it to shape and hurling it back at the man.

Their attacker seems stunned, just like Peter, but isn’t willing to give up just yet. He directs another round of fire their way, but meets the same end. Every time, Y/N redirects it, completely controlling every last tongue of flame.

It’s clear that she’s going to win this fight, too. Whereas their attacker seems to struggle with the fire, attempting to muscle through each attack, Y/N controls the flames with ease. A barest flick of a finger is all it takes to channel enough fire to burn down a building, while the other man sweats and scowls as he tries not to die.

Eventually, Y/N is able to get the upper hand and forces the fire back into the man. He’s pushed back by it, stunned, and Peter sees his chance. Quickly, he webs up the guy’s hands, affixing him to the wall of the alleyway so he can’t do any more damage.

Peter tugs off his mask and breathes a sigh of relief, treasuring the influx of cold air now that flames aren’t so close to him. “I think you should have told me about that a lot earlier. It would have made things way easier.”

Y/N just grins. “Then you should have told me you were Spider-Man.”

Peter frowns. “You never did tell me how you figured that out, by the way. I thought I was careful.”

Y/N shrugs. “You were. I don’t think anyone else knows I saw you keep sneaking out of school, or hiding something in your backpack. Also, every time there was something wrong in the city, or Spider-Man was seen out fighting crime, you’d come to school the next day covered in bruises.”

Peter tilts his head to the side, considering this. “Actually, that makes a lot of sense. Say, I didn’t know you were paying that much attention to me.”

Y/N’s look of studious disinterest is a little too practiced to be real. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Peter steps closer to her, smiling. “I bet you don’t. There would be no reason you were worried about me every time I came to school covered in the aforementioned bruises.”

Y/N refuses to look at him, her gaze trained upon a very interesting stretch of plain brick walls. “Exactly. No worry at all.”

Peter reaches out a hand to gently turn her face back to his. “I would have worried about you, you know. If I had to.”

Some part of him wants to kiss her. Peter isn’t entirely sure where this part of him came from, how long it’s been there, or why it feels like the most right decision he might ever make. Eventually, his choice is made up by the klaxons of police sirens drawing near the scene; apparently, the firefight drew some attention. Looks like Peter has to run before he’s caught in the suit.

He does settle for a compromise, though, and brushes a kiss to Y/N’s cheek before he goes. Peter can’t help one last glance over his shoulder before he disappears into the roofline, and his heart leaps at what lays behind him: Y/N looking back at him, wearing the softest smile he’s ever seen on her. Maybe there’s more to both of them than he first thought. Peter thinks that he’d like to try a little harder to figure it out.

marvel tag list: @namoreno, @thatfangirl42, @rogueanschel, @mycosmicparadise, @ellobruv-blog, @caswinchester2000, @with-inked-solace, @sher-lokid7

#peter parker #peter parker imagines #peter parker x reader #peter parker oneshot #spiderman #spiderman imagines #spiderman x reader #spiderman oneshot #tasm #tasm imagines #tasm x reader #tasm oneshot #andrew garfield spiderman imagines #andrew garfield spiderman x reader #andrew garfield spiderman oneshot #marvel #marvel imagines #marvel x reader #marvel oneshot

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ragingbookdragon · 3 years

Text

If We Were Fast Enough

Flash!Reader x Flashfamily One-Shot

Word Count: 5.3K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst

Author's Note: I had this idea after watching a few clips of Flashpoint Paradox! Enjoy! -Thorne

**********************************************************************

Her hand was tightly clasped in his, eyes narrowed in sadness, but there was a pride in them; she felt the speed transfer between them, flowing through her veins and he said, “You’ve got my speed, honey. It’s up to you now.”

The tears that had welled in her vision tipped over and she whispered, “I can’t leave you here, dad. I—I can’t just run away.”

He shook his head. “You’re not running away. You’re surviving.” A groan escaped him, and the pool of blood seemed to double in size. “We’re running out of time. You’ve gotta go before the timeline collapses.”

“Where do I go?” she asked, wiping her eyes. “This universe is home.”

“Honey, Speedsters are Speedsters whichever universe we’re in.” he smiled weakly at her. “You’ll have a family wherever you end up.”

She gazed at him, breathing deeply as fresh tears grew in her gaze. “I’m scared.”

“I know. But you can do this.” he replied, pausing to look her over. “You look just like your mother, honey.” He smiled tearfully. “She’d be so proud of you if she were here now.”

Pulling the cowl over her head, she gave a watery laugh. “Mom always said I looked like you.”

“Nah. You take your speed and nature after me, but you are a spitting image of your mother.” A blast sounded in the distance and they both looked over, eyes widening as the white flash of light grew larger and larger. “You have to go. Now.”

Swallowing thickly, she leaned down and hugged him around his neck as tight as she could, inhaling the scent of ozone and spearmint for the last time. “I love you, dad. I love you so much.” Her fingers dug into his ruined suit as she cried. “I love you.”

He caressed the back of her cowled head. “I love you more, honey.” Pulling away, he leveled her with a firm look. “Now run, Lightning Flash. Run.”

The bluish-white lightning flowed across her body, and she turned, letting her feet carry her across the war-torn field, escaping the atomic blast. The world melted around her, a blur of memories surrounding her: her birthdays, her parents’ faces, her first stroke as a Flash, the start of the war, the deaths of her friends and family, everything up until now.

She was helpless to stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks, the feeling of her heart pounding in her chest, and the booming in her ears as she ripped through the waves of time and the boundaries of space.

A shriek sounded behind her, and she turned her head, eyes widening. “Ah shit!”

The time wraith screamed at her again, reaching out to grab her and she just barely dodged it, turning back to face the flowing warp. She was close. All she had to do was get to the next time boundary and she could lose the wraith.

“Almost there!” she told herself as another bellowed sounded in her ears again, and with one final leap, she burst through the barrier, the waves collapsing around her. The shock of the blast sent her skidding along the ground, and she cried out as she rolled.

Shouts sounded in her ears, humans, but she was more concerned about the screaming time wraith. “I just lost everything! Can’t you just leave me the hell alone!” It shrieked at her again, advancing and anger welled through her as she pushed herself to her feet and she growled, “You wanna dance, you sonovabitch? Then let’s dance.”

Her eyes lit up in a white force and she darted past the wraith, hitting a point above it, then she darted past again, and again and again in a star formation, over and over until all that could be seen was a blur of blue and white. The clouds rumbled above, swirling faster and faster and she hit the top of the star, coming down at the wraith. A burst of lightning cracked from the sky, striking the time being just as she collided with it, and in a hail of blue and white strikes, the wraith exploded into smoking fragments.

As the smoke cleared, the human voices grew louder, but she was sprawled out on the ground, breathing heavily, her body crying under the strain. Someone placed their hand on her shoulder, worrying, “Are you alright?”

She nodded weakly. “Yeah…just gimme a minute. The five-star lightning strike always takes a lot outta me.” Shutting her eyes, she focused on breathing deeply.

“I’ve never seen anyone destroy a time wraith before.”

“It takes practice.” Craning her neck, she opened her eyes, and bit back a sob as the man’s face cleared before hers. “You’re this world’s Flash, aren’t you?” she whispered, “Barry Allen.” His blue eyes widened, and he nodded mutely. “I figured.”

“Who are you?” he asked. “What world did you come from?”

She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. It’s gone now.” Meeting his gaze once more, she added, “But you can call me the Lightning Flash.”

“What’s your real name?” Barry quizzed.

(Y/N) Allen. And I’d tell you that but all it’d do is bring hurt to both of us.

“(Y/N) Sloan.” She laid her head down, closing her eyes. “I’m gonna take a nap for a while…I’m really…tired…”

His voice called out to her, but all she heard was a warbling noise as she drifted into darkness.

***

When she came to, her head felt like someone had thrown an overripe melon off a balcony ledge and watched it splatter across the ground. She groaned and forced her eyes to open, pushing herself up on her palms.

“Woah, woah, woah!” someone worried. “Take it easy there, Flashy.”

(Y/N) looked over, seeing a familiar green symbol, and an ever more familiar unmasked face. “I’m fine, Hal.”

He blinked. “You know who I am?”

“Please, I’d know that big head of yours from a mile away.” Smirking, she added, “I know everyone in the Justice League.” She grunted, pulling her left arm over her chest, feeling the taut muscles in her back ripple as she stretched them out. “Where am I?”

“The Watchtower.” Hal gazed at her curiously. “Man, when Barry said you knew who he was, I didn’t think he meant you knew all of us.”

“You sound upset that you didn’t get to introduce yourself,” she shot back with a pained grin, stretching her other arm. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll forget I know you, and you can reintroduce yourself.”

He chuckled and pressed a button on the side of the med bay bed. “Nah, no point now.” He looked down at the small light flashing. “Hey, she’s awake.”

In an instant, a sharp wind blew across the room and there stood the scarlet speedster without his cowl; moments later, the doors opened and in walked the top League members, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.

(Y/N) threw her legs over the side of the bed as they walked over, waving off Barry and Hal who both reached for her, and stood on shaky legs. “Shit, I feel like a newly born giraffe.”

“You shouldn’t be up.” Barry frowned. “You practically tore yourself apart at the molecular level.”

“It was that or be taken by a time wraith,” she shot back, cracking her neck. “How long have I been out?”

“Eighty-six hours,” Batman said, taking her chin in his hand, tipping her head side to side as he shown a light in her eyes. “Your body’s been recovering slower than it should for a Flash.”

(Y/N) blinked. “The particular move does like Barry said it did. It tears the body at the molecular level to contain the speed force into one location.”

“It was dangerous,” Barry scowled, and she couldn’t help but laugh at this younger version of her father who was still just as serious.

“Being a Flash is dangerous.” She felt Batman pull away and she flexed her fingers. “I don’t use the move unless it’s a life-or-death situation.” Glancing at Barry, she questioned, “What earth is this?”

Before he could speak, Batman denounced, “You time jumped, and you don’t know what earth you came into?”

“I didn’t exactly have time to think out a plan while a nuclear blast was going off, Bruce,” she growled, glaring at him from behind the neon blue mask. “And to top it off, I had a time wraith coming after me. I wasn’t in a position to choose which earth I wanted.”

He went silent, gazing at her intently. “Whose names do you know of the Justice League here?”

(Y/N) looked around at the superheroes before her. “You’re all the same Justice League as my earth, but in mine, you’re retired, and your children run the show.”

“I’m sorry, children?” Hal interrupted. “We have—we have children?”

“Some,” she laughed. “Conner Kent is our Superman, Donna Troy is our Wonder Woman, Jason Todd is our Batman, Kyle Rayner is our Green Lantern, and Roy Harper is our Green Arrow.”

“And you?” Superman questioned.

“I’m my Justice League’s Flash. The Lightning Flash.” (Y/N) smiled wearily. “The fastest woman alive.” She toyed with the blue and white gauntlet. “At least now I am.”

“You said you were our kids?” Hal said. “Are you Barry’s daughter?”

The two Speedsters looked at each other and she answered calmly, “No. My transformation into the Flash was a freak accident, much like Wally West’s. That being said, I’m not related to the Flashfamily by blood.”

“Hmm.” Batman grunted, then turned, wandering off. “You need to rest up more then we’ll run tests.”

“Only if she consents.” Barry called out.

Bruce stopped, not even bothering to look over his shoulder as he retorted, “She’s a Speedster from another universe. We need more information before we can let her loose in anyone’s city.”

As he wandered off, she placed her hands on her hips and griped, “God, I miss Jason being Batman. He’s less of a jerk-off about new things.”

Superman chuckled, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t take it the wrong way…(Y/N), was it?”

She nodded. “Yeah, (Y/N) Sloan.” Sticking her hand out, she added, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” he murmured, shaking her hand strongly, then he pulled away. “He is right though. You should get some more rest before you wander around the Watchtower.”

She waved it off. “I’ll be alright. If you’ve got a treadmill designed for Speedsters though, I’d like to run a bit.”

“I’ll show you where it is,” Barry answered, leading her from the group. As they walked down the hallway, she paused, leaning against the wall as a wave of nausea came over her; he caught it instantly. “Are you okay?” he frowned. “We should go back to the med bay.”

“No.” she grunted. “I’m fine. Just…just gimme a moment.” Shaking it off, she squared her shoulders. “I absorbed speed from the remaining Speedsters on my world before I left. It’s just taking a toll on me.”

“Why absorb their speed?” he asked, and she could tell from his voice that there was a level of suspicion in it.

“Because it was the only way to keep it from being stolen by our enemies as we were being slaughtered.” (Y/N) looked down the hall. “We can go now. It’s passed.” She bypassed him, wandering down the hallway, though she kept a hand on the railing the entire time.

***

It wasn’t a surprise that they sent her back to Central City with Barry after the few tests she’d let them run. Only tests on the outside, no blood or DNA samples for them to investigate. Barry’s apartment was cramped and there wasn’t room for them both to be in the kitchen, but she’d lived there before, so ducking under his arms and turning around him was second nature.

And Barry, bless the kindhearted soul he was, tried at every opportunity to make her comfortable in the home. (Y/N) respected it, knowing that even worlds apart, Barry Allen was still Barry Allen. She watched him sometimes. When he was sitting on the sofa or at the bar, flipping through paperwork or reading a book on physics. He always lost track of time, forgot what was happening around him, but his face showed ease. Peace. Like the world wasn’t on his shoulders.

It made her miss her father. It made her miss her family and friends. Her world. (Y/N) cried at night on the couch, silent tears dripping down her cheeks as she remembered every last moment of her family and friends’ lives. She’d been lucky in the end to come out unscathed. But her father, his friends, her friends, all dead. All killed in a pointless war that ended with the entire world blown to hell—and she was the only one left.

She sat beside the window, gazing down at the quiet street below her; she felt like crying, but by now, she’d cried out every tear, and all that remained was the hole drilled in her chest, empty and aching.

“(Y/N)?” Glancing over, she saw Barry coming out from his bedroom, brows furrowing at her. “Are you okay?”

Shrugging, she looked back out the window. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay again, Barry.” It was hard to not call him ‘dad’ all the time, and weird to call him ‘Barry’.

She felt him sit opposite of her on the little bench. “Can I help you anyway?”

It took a while for her to speak, but when she did, her voice was barely above a whisper. “It’s all gone. My life. All of it. I’m the only one left from my world.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m…alone.” His hand rested on hers and she felt tears well in her gaze. “I miss my family…and I miss my friends.”

She shook her head, looking at him. “Why my world? Why us?” tears slipped down her cheeks. “Everything was fine one moment and the next thing any of us knew, the world was going to war, and we couldn’t stop it.” A loathing laugh escaped her. “We were the Justice League. The proteges of the greatest heroes and yet we couldn’t stop war.”

(Y/N) wiped her tears. “We failed. I failed.”

“What happened wasn’t your fault, (Y/N).” Barry murmured. “You know that.”

“It feels like it.” She countered. “What do I have to show for all my saving? A sole survivor stuck in a world that has no need for her.”

His eyes were narrowed in concern, the way her father’s used to do when she’d tell him of her troubles and doubts. “There’s always a need for us. Everyone one of us.”

“Speedsters?” she asked, and he squeezed her hand.

“If the universe wanted you dead, you’d be dead, (Y/N). But you’re here and you’re alive.” He smiled sadly. “You can’t outrun the past. But you can change the direction you’re running in.”

She gazed at him and for once in the past few weeks she’d been there, she felt her heart lighten. “Thank you, Barry.”

He smiled warmly at her and patted her hand. “Since we’re both awake…wanna go for a run?”

(Y/N) chuckled and nodded her head. “Yeah. It’d certainly help burn off the emotions.” She held out her hand and Barry looked at the ring on her finger.

“Wow, your ring is cool.” He took her hand, gazing intently at it. “I noticed your suit isn’t red like most of us Speedsters are. Yours is mainly blue and white.”

She nodded. “It was too complicated to call myself Flash since there were more than one, so I took the name Lightning Flash and designed my suit the colors associate with lighting.” (Y/N) vibrated and reappeared in her suit. “Blue and white.”

“With silver trimming,” he added, poking the mask she wore, and she batted his hand away.

“Hey, gold’s overrated.”

Barry’s face pinched as he vibrated into his suit. “Is not!”

“Is too! It’s the colors for the Seminoles.”

He placed a hand to his chest. “I can’t believe you just told me my colors were FSU’s colors. I’ve been fatally wounded.”

“You’re a drama queen,” (Y/N) laughed then started towards the door. “Race you to Coast City!”

Barry sped after her. “Why Coast City!”

“Because it’s California, man!” she watched as he matched her speed. “And Hal’s apartment always has Doritos!”

“I think you might have a crush on our resident Green Lantern,” Barry teased and (Y/N) gagged.

“Dude, gross.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you aren’t friends with your Green Lantern!”

“The best, but Kyle and I were only friends! My dalliance fell with another team member!”

“Batman?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Batman.”

“Oh. Lovely.” Barry sighed. “You and Jason Todd seem like a wonderful pair.”

(Y/N) snorted. “Contrary to popular belief, Jason was actually a fantastic Batman. He loved it, oddly enough.”

“That is odd,” the Speedster countered. “Because as far as I know, none of the Batkids want to be Batman.”

She merely laughed in return, passing the Coast City sign.

***

“You know these aren’t…my world folks, right?”

He smiled, watching the group of young adults across the room laugh and joke around. “I know, but the lot of us thought it would be good if you got together with the age group of you own.” Barry looked over. “Besides, I think you’re going to fit right in with this world’s group.”

(Y/N) tipped her head side to side, huffing a laugh as Jason thumped Kyle in the side. “We’ll see.” She let Barry lead her over and the small group perked up at their arrival.

“Hey guys, thanks for coming on such short notice. I know you were busy.”

Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “So, why did the League invite us all?”

Barry gestured to (Y/N). “I’d like everyone to meet (Y/N) Sloan. She’s a Speedster who recently arrived on this earth.”

“Recently?” Roy asked and he nodded.

“There was a…problem on her earth.” He glanced at her and nodded, prompting her to speak.

“My world isn’t in the general stream of timelines anymore.” She smiled awkwardly. “I came here to…survive more or less.” Holding out her hand for one of them to shake, she said, “But it’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

“You know who we are?” Kyle asked as he shook her hand.

“Yeah. This world is surprisingly similar to mine, Kyle.” (Y/N) smiled with a little less awkwardness. “I know all of you.” Her eyes fell on Jason who was watching her closely, teal eyes narrowed in calculation. “Penny for your thoughts?”

He hummed. “Who are we over there?”

At that, all the awkwardness fell away. “You don’t wanna know,” she giggled, and his face dropped.

“No.” she nodded, and he whispered, “Me?”

“You.”

“I’m confused,” Roy interrupted, and Donna snickered.

“I think Jason’s the Batman of (Y/N)’s world.”

“HA!” everyone dissolved into hysterics as Jason proceeded to all but cry.

“I don’t wanna be Batman!” he whined. “Why am I Batman! Why not anyone else!”

(Y/N) laughed. “What are you talking about? You volunteered to be Batman.”

“Jesus, I must’ve lost my mind then,” Jason retorted, then looked at her. “Do I carry guns?”

“Non-lethal rounds.”

“Damnit.” He sulked. “Can’t freakin’ believe I’m the Batman on your world and I willingly put the suit on.”

“You were a good Batman,” she stated. “There wasn’t anyone I trusted more to watch my back on the team.”

He met her gaze, seemingly shocked, though it only lasted a minute as he quizzed, “So if I’m Batman, does that make all of us…?”

(Y/N) nodded. “Yep. Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Arrow, and Green Lantern.”

“And you?” Kyle asked.

“Lightning Flash,” she answered coolly. “The fastest woman alive.” Meeting their gazes, she tipped her head down. “I know you’re not them…but I do hope we can be friends.” She smiled. “You can never have too many of those, no matter what world you’re on.”

Kyle looked over at Barry who was almost crying. “We get to keep her, right? Because if we don’t, I’m going to be very upset.”

(Y/N) snorted and wrapped a loose arm around his waist. “Don’t worry, Kyle. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” A growling sounded and her cheeks warmed as she pressed a hand to her stomach. “Sorry about that.”

Jason laughed, getting to his feet. “I guess Speedster stomachs are the same no matter what world you’re on.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Barry retorted, and the vigilante looked at her.

“Wanna annoy Batman and hang around Gotham City?”

(Y/N) nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Wait for me!” Roy shouted, yanking his legs from the table, and soon the others were following.

Barry watched them as they walked to the Zeta-Tubes, laughing and ribbing one another like they’d been friends since childhood; someone nudged him in the side, murmuring, “She’s gonna be okay.”

He nodded as Hal settled beside him. “Yeah…I know she will.” He smiled as (Y/N) leaned into Jason’s side and brought a hand to her eyes, wiping the tears away. “She’s already fitting in better than I thought.”

“(Y/N)’s a strong woman,” Hal acknowledged. “She acts a lot like you in that aspect.”

“How so?” Barry inquired and the Lantern shrugged.

“Well, you can’t get her to stop attending League meetings no matter what Batman says, and she’s always ready to put herself on the line for us.” Hal huffed a laugh. “And she treats me like I’m an old man. I’m thirty-eight and she acts like I’m fifty-six.” He looked at Barry. “But she flows in the world like you, Barry. Her mannerisms, her styles, her speech, it’s all you.”

The Speedster frowned, quietly stating, “You think she’s my future daughter, don’t you?”

Hal shrugged. “She doesn’t look like you, but she’s comfortable around you. Like she knows she’s safe if you’re there with her.”

“Why lie about it though?” Hal could tell Barry was hurt. “Wouldn’t she want to tell me?”

“If you lost everything and showed up in another world where there was a parent still alive, would you act like nothing changed or would you keep it at arms-length?”

Barry sighed. “You’re…right.” He shook his head. “I didn’t even think of that.” His frown deepened. “She must hate looking at me though. I’m not her dad but I’m another version of him.”

“She doesn’t hate you, Barry.” Hal said, clasping his hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “She’s just…trying to keep it all together and not mix this world with hers.”

“I feel connected with her.” He admitted. “The speed force works funny like that. We can feel other speedsters—we know their speeds and auras.” His voice became soft. “Hers feels like…like…”

“Like?” Hal encouraged and Barry sighed.

“Her aura feels like when I went back in time and saved my mom.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to explain but she feels like—”

“Like family.”

Barry gaped at Hal. “Yeah…that’s exactly it.”

Hal nodded. “She’s still your daughter even worlds apart.”

“What do I say to her?”

“Don’t.” he answered. “Let her come to you about it.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Barry agreed.

***

The group had dispersed as quickly as it had come together, not that she was overly upset—she knew they all had prior engagements and teams to be apart of, but she would’ve been lying to say that it hadn’t saddened her a bit. Jason and Kyle, however, seemed to be the only ones that were usually around, Jason more than the latter.

(Y/N) liked being around Jason. He was much more hotheaded than she was used to, but she decided that like the Flashes, Jason Todd was Jason Todd no matter what universe he was in.

He was a little more reckless than she knew, playing fast and loose with the game, but he knew where his feet landed with each jump, and he was there when she needed help, her the same.

It hadn’t taken him long to deduce that the two of them were more than friends in her world, making the joke that she was his Catwoman—she’d cried she’d laughed so hard, but it given them time to talk about everything that had happened to her and her world; most importantly, her father.

She watched as Jason reclined against the cool stone of the ledge, passing one of the wrapped cheeseburgers to her. “Thank you,” she murmured, unwrapping it.

“Mhm,” he hummed, sipping his milkshake, setting his hood beside him; he swallowed and looked over. “What’s on your mind?”

(Y/N) blinked. “What are you talking about?” he merely cocked a brow and she sighed. “I forgot you could read people well.”

“Well maybe if you were a book and not a pamphlet, it’d be harder.”

“Did you just call me simple?”

“Never.” He waved it off. “What are you thinking about?”

She sighed again and set her half-eaten burger aside, pulling her knees to her chest as she whispered, “My mom’s maiden name was Sloan.”

Jason arched a brow. “You go by ‘Sloan’. Was your mom married?”

“My parents were. She died from cancer when I was ten.”

“I’m sorry,” he lamented, and she smiled.

“Thank you.” (Y/N) looked over. “My last name is Allen.”

His eyes widened. “As in Barry Allen, Allen?”

“Yeah…my dad.”

Jason blinked. “Holy shit.”

“Mhm.” She propped her chin on her knees. “The reason I’m just as fast as Wally West in this world is because I absorbed my dad’s speed before I left mine.” (Y/N) gazed at the city. “And then I left him to die in the blast.”

“You know that wasn’t your fault.”

She huffed. “So Barry’s told me.”

Jason stared at her. “Why do you live with him in Central City?”

“Because I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she answered. “And I…I—”

“You miss your dad.” He answered for her, and she nodded, feeling warmth gather in her eyes and she squeezed them shut.

“Yeah…it’s not him but…”

“It’s the only thing you’ve got that’s close enough to him.”

“Yeah.”

Jason nodded. “You’re welcome to come live with me over here.”

(Y/N) looked over at him. “I can’t do that, Jason.”

“Why not?”

She laughed. “We barely know each other.”

He shrugged. “We know each other enough.” Gazing at her, he added, “I’m not your world’s Jason, but we must be similar enough because I’ve seen and felt you fall behind me during fights, being at my six when I didn’t have it covered.” He smiled. “You know me, (Y/N), and I’d like to know you too.”

She merely gaped at him, then huffed a laugh. “I think that’s the most similar thing to my world’s Jason that I’ve heard you say.”

“Oh, come on!” he griped. “He couldn’t be that different from me!”

(Y/N) smiled. “Robins.”

Jason blanched. “I had Robins?”

“You had a son, who was exactly like you right now.”

“I wanna ask about the son, but what do you mean right now?”

“Oh, you know…hotheaded, anti-social, antagonistic.”

“You’re cute,” he scowled, then looked into the distance. “I can’t imagine bringing my kid with me.”

(Y/N) giggled. “Please, it took him like five years of complete begging on his knees before you’d even let him put on the suit, let alone go out with you.” She reached over and pushed hair behind his ear. “You were a good father…a good man.” Her expression turned sad. “I wasn’t fast enough to save either of you.”

Jason leaned into her touch, a frown on his face. “They know you tried, (Y/N).”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “I hope they knew that.” She shook her head as the tears started to spill over. “I lost everyone. You, JJ, my dad and all my friends.” (Y/N) stared at him through the tears. “How do I just start over after all that?”

He pushed the takeout bags out of the way and scooted over, pulling her to his chest; she buried her face in his suit and he propped his chin on the crown of her head. “I wish I had an answer for you.” He rubbed circles in her back. “But I do know that you can either let this keep you down, or you can get back up. Because if you don’t…then every life lost was in vain for you to survive.”

“I take it back,” she blubbered. “Your philosophical bullshit life lessons are the most Jason thing I’ve heard.”

He smiled, squeezing her tight. “That’s what we’re gonna call it now. Philosophical bullshit life lessons.” Jason pressed a kiss to her head. “It’s going to be okay, (Y/N). It’ll get better.”

***

It’d been a full year since she’d come to the new earth. She hadn’t moved in with Jason yet, but the moving boxes on the couch were the start of it—and she hadn’t told Barry she was leaving, or that he was her dad. (Y/N) wasn’t sure how to break that seal just yet.

She wandered around the tiny apartment, smiling at all the memories she’d made in the past year, and into his bedroom, where she paused at his dresser. A gold ring rested on top of it, and she picked it up, flipping it in her hand.

A woosh sounded from the door. “I’m home!” Barry’s voice trailed off in confusion and he called, “(Y/N)?”

“Here.”

He appeared in her peripheral, but she didn’t take her eyes off the ring, still gazing at the center stones. “There are boxes on the couch.”

“I’m moving in with Jason over in Gotham.”

“Oh…” he murmured, then took sight of what she had in her hands. “Is that—”

“Nora’s wedding ring?” she nodded. “Yeah.”

“How’d you know it was my mom’s?” Barry asked, stepping up to her and she finally looked at him, meeting his eyes.

“Because I had the same one in my world.” (Y/N) searched his gaze. “But you don’t seem surprised by that fact.” She sighed. “How long have you known?”

Barry’s face contorted in shame. “A few weeks after you got here.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

He shook his head. “Hal said—” he sighed. “I wanted to wait until you said something to me about it. I was afraid if I did, you’d run.”

(Y/N)’s brows pulled together, lips pulling down sadly. “Barry…”

“I know I’m not your dad,” he whispered. “But I know, (Y/N). I can feel it.”

She felt her lips wobble and before she knew it, she was throwing herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist as tight as she could. “Dad.”

Barry’s arms came around her, one holding the back of her head, the other in the middle of her back. “I’m here, (Y/N).”

“I missed you so much,” she cried. “I wasn’t fast enough to save them, and I couldn’t save you either.”

“No,” he said. “You did everything you could. I know you did.”

“But I wasn’t fast enough.” (Y/N) sobbed. “You had to give me your speed so I could run away. Like a coward.”

“Like a survivor,” Barry corrected. “You’ve never run away.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “You’re a survivor, (Y/N). And your dad made sure of that.” He pulled away slightly, tears of his own dripping down his cheeks. “You’re fast enough.” She shut her eyes as more tears rolled down her cheeks and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “And no matter what world you’re on, you’re still my daughter.”

A laugh that sounded much more like a sob escaped her and she hugged him again. “I love you, dad.”

Barry smiled, holding her tight. “I love you more, honey.”

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thenatashamaximoff · 3 years

Text

Back To You

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

Pairing: Wanda x Reader

Warnings: death, panic/anxiety attack

Words: 9,840

Check out my masterlist!

requested by @sapphiclyartistically

"Access denied."

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

"What are you doing?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Y/N, what are you doing?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Y/N-"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And another one," Natasha added.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ᗢ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Ten minutes prior

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How the hell do I fly this thing?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You're not Mr. Stark."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Threat detected.”

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

“Warhead? Yes.”

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

“What would you like to do, Y/N?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"That's not me."

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

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

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

"Wanda, listen, I'm-"

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

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

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

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

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

A true superhero landing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

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

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

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

They weren't in your favor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Five minutes earlier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that's all he really wanted.

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

And she laughed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It's not sturdy."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Always.

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

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1-800-gaygentsofshield · 3 years

Text

five more minutes | n.r.

summary: Soulmates cursed to never be together, each life always longing for a love that they've never met..or so they think.

warnings: temporary character deaths, reincarnation?, violence, self-sacrifice, angst with a happy ending, implied sexual content, language

based off of Billie Eilish's cover of "the end of the fucking world" originally produced by Rob Dickinson

one life is based on the film “underwater” by William Eubank

word count: 8,344

---- = separate life

/ = a skip in time, same life

Your chest is heaving as you pry open the door to the last safe house in the city, everything turning to hell ever since the “End of the World” started happening. Smoldering flakes of ash were falling from the sky and the bombs were getting set off every few minutes, absolute mayhem engulfing the world around you. This safe house was located on the city's outskirts, technically not disaster-proof but far away enough to be human-proof from the rest of the world.

You belong to one of the major power families that run your district, your father and mother getting killed earlier this morning because of it. The y/l/n's have always been feuding with the other families in control, everyone always hungry for power and willing to do anything to let their family have it.

Stepping inside the house, your boots creak on the wood, the door slowly closing behind you. Your gun feels heavy on your waist as you cautiously take a few steps forward, listening for any signs that someone else might be in the safe house with you.

You hear another creek of the floorboards and in one swift motion, you pull out your gun, keeping your finger resting on the trigger. You move quietly to the kitchen where the noise came from, arm raised and aimed forward. Almost simultaneously, both of you sidestep and see each other, the corners of your lips twitching up as you see Natalia in all her glory. "Y/n." Natasha greets curtly and you nod your head, both of you aiming guns at one another. "Natalia." You say in the same tone before the ground shakes, rattling the house. "Running away like always?" Nat taunts and your eyes quickly scan over her features, taking in the disheveled and tired look on her face.

"You were here first." You comment and she rolls her eyes, adjusting the grip on her gun. "I'm gonna have to kill you now, huh?" She says and you quirk an eyebrow, still on edge as you watch her body language. "Do you really want to kill me? Or does your family just want to?" You ask and her eyebrows furrow, you not wanting to deal with this stupid family feud while the world is ending around you. When the redhead doesn't answer, you shake your head, a breathy laugh escaping your lips as you look at Natalia. "What happened to us, Nat? We used to be so close." You say and Nat sighs, glancing down at her gun before making eye contact with you. "Family happened Y/n. Families got greedy for power and we got dragged into it. A Romanova couldn't be associated with a y/l/n, could it?" She says and you purse your lips together, eyebrows furrowing slightly as you make a decision.

"I don't want to spend my last few moments on earth fighting you, Talia." You say as you slowly lower your gun, Natasha's shoulders relaxing slightly at the action. "What are you saying, Y/n?" Nat asks and you look at your childhood best friend with a certain desperation in your eyes. "I'm asking you to put our family feuds aside, just this once." You pause briefly before speaking. "I don't want to be alone when the world ends." You say softly and Nat contemplates your offer, only taking a few moments to make up her mind. Natalia nods her head and slowly puts the gun down, giving you a soft "okay" as she looks at you. You nod your head and echo her statement, whispering a soft "okay." before holstering your gun.

You’re sitting on the front porch as you watch the world around you fall apart, sipping on some old beer you found in the fridge. The soft opening of the front door causes your head to turn, seeing Natalia step onto the porch with a cigarette in hand.

You’ve been listening to the radio for the past hour, hearing the news cover the chaos as you sit there with the wind blowing in your face.

Natalia doesn't say anything as slowly moves to sit down beside you, wordlessly offering you a hit of her cigarette. You shake your head and hold up your beer in a similar fashion, Nat shaking her head as well. The rustling of the grass and the crackling radio are the only things heard as you both look forward, Nat placing the cigarette between her lips and you taking a swig of your beer.

Tentatively, you place your head on Natalia's shoulder, trying to see how the other woman would react. You feel Nat tense up at your action and you internally panic, thinking that you stepped over a line. Sure, you could've done that when you both were little..but now you're all grown up, times have changed. You're about to pull away when Nat wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to her as she relaxes. There are no words exchanged as you lean into her side, Nat taking one last drag of her cigarette before tossing it on the ground. Crushing the nub with her boot, she makes sure it's exterminated, not wanting to start a fire (not like it matters though). You both sit there in a comfortable silence afterward, the radio droning on and on about how horrible the world is.

After a while, you decide to break the silence, still keeping your head on Nat's shoulder. "I love you, Talia." You say softly, feeling the warmth radiating off of the other woman. "What did you say?" She asks and your head turns slightly to look at her, trying to read her expression. "I love you, Talia." You repeat, lowering your head back down to her shoulder once you've made eye contact. "Always have, always will." You finish and wait for Natalia's response, wanting to see if she pulls away or not. Nat is quiet for a second before you feel her arm tightening around your waist, her head turning to kiss your temple softly. "I love you too, Y/n." She whispers, closing her eyes as she leaves her lips there. "I'm sorry that we drifted apart." Nat mumbles against your skin and you place your hand on her knee, rubbing your thumb in a small circle. "I'm sorry too." You say, planes flying overhead. "I've never hated you, you know. I just didn't want to disappoint my parents." Nat says and you nod your head, looking up at her and smiling softly. "I know Nat. I know." You say, bringing your hand up and gently brushing your fingertips along her jawline. Natalia leans into the touch and looks down at you, watching the way you look at her with such care that she hasn't seen in a while.

Your fingertips move down and you run your thumb over Nat's bottom lip, glancing into her eyes one more time before leaning up. You kiss Natalia delicately as she kisses back, eyes fluttering closed as her free hand cups your jaw.

Are you kissing her because it's the end of the world, or are you kissing her because you've been in love with your best friend ever since you were five? Either way, you're kissing her and my god her lips are soft.

You both pull away gently as you look at each other, sadness and regret in both of your eyes. Besides you, the radio continues to. crackle out the news.

...nuclear warhead..five minutes..seek shelter immediately..

Your breath catches in your throat and your heart rate speeds up, panic filling your chest as Natalia simply reaches over and shuts the radio off. “Shh hey, it’s gonna be okay.” Nat whispers as she pulls you closer to her chest. “I don’t want to die Talia.” You whisper as you cling onto the redhead, head burying into her neck and arms wrapping around her torso. “Five more minutes.” Nat repeats the phrase on the radio and you nod your head, taking in her scent. “Five more minutes.” You echo her as she hugs you tighter, both of you knowing that there isn’t enough time to escape. You’ve spent your whole lives avoiding and hating each other, so why continue doing it now.

“I wish we had more time.” You whisper and she nods her head, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Maybe in another life.” She whispers and you can only nod, sighing softly before leaning in to kiss her again.

And for those five minutes, Natalia just holds you, placing gentle kisses on your crown and repeating how much she loves you over and over again. “I’ll find you in the next life, and if not in that then in the next one after.” Nat promises and you nod your head, knowing your five minutes are about to be up. “I love you Talia.” You whisper as you close your eyes, holding onto her as tight as you possibly can. “I love you too, Y/n.” Nat whispers before resting her head on top of yours, closing her eyes as the warhead hits and a bright light surrounds the two of you.

----

"Car crash, 24 year old female, 35 year old male, falling in and out of consciousness." The radio dispatch lists off the information as the ambulance arrives at the scene, Natasha immediately jumping out of the back along with Steve. "I've got the girl, get the other car." Natasha orders and Steve nods his head, both paramedics heading separate ways. Natasha's eyes scan the scene as she sees a red car completely flipped upside down, running her way over there as she sees a bloody hand reaching out. "Please..help.." Nat hears a soft whimper as she drops down onto her knees, looking inside the car to try and assess the damage. Nat barely reacts as she sees you trapped by your seatbelt, trying to calm your breathing as blood pools on the roof of the car. "Hi my name is Natasha, I'm a paramedic and I'm here to help you." Nat introduces herself and you try and look at her, hands shaking as you grip at your cut. "Can you tell me what your name is darling?" She continues as she immediately gets to work, the car door already being ripped off in the crash. "I-I'm Y/n. Y/l/n..Y/f/n (your full name)." You say shakily, Natasha looking at your injuries. "Okay, Y/n. I'm gonna get you out of here, I just need you to keep on talking. Can you do that for me?" She asks and you nod your head, starting to talk about whatever comes to mind. "I- uhm I was born in (your home state or country), moved away from my mom and dad as soon as I could." You laugh softly at the statement before you wince, feeling Natasha put pressure on your wound. "Fuck." You hiss out and Nat whispers a soft "Sorry" before continuing. She shouldn't need to apologize, she was doing her job after all, but she had an odd desire to comfort you even when you were kinda bleeding out"It's okay.." You say before continuing, your vision focusing and unfocusing. "Uhm..I have a dog and my brother is gonna graduate in a few weeks. And I'm so fucking proud of him, I never told him how proud of him I was but I'm so fucking proud of him." You ramble and you don't notice Nat's eyes widen, seeing that if she moves you you'll bleed out within a minute. "An-And I've never found love, just fucking douchebags that I wasted my life on and now I'm gonna die without finding my person and I don't wanna die Nat..I don't wanna die." You choke out as you close your eyes, wanting this nightmare to be over already as a wave of deja vu washes over Natasha. "Hey okay look at me, look at me Y/n." Nat says as she gently cups your cheek, watching as your eyes slowly open. "Keep your eyes on me, okay? You've gotta stay conscious. You think you can do that for me?" She asks and you lean into her touch, mumbling something incomprehensible. "Can you repeat that for me, baby?" Nat asks and your head lolls down a bit, feeling lightheaded as Natasha tries to keep you awake. "Mmhm..should be easy..you're very pretty." You mumble out and Nat smiles softly, ready to get you out of the car. "Okay, my partner and I are going to move you but I want you to keep your eyes on me, don't look anywhere else." She says as Steve comes over to the two of you, already taking care of the male in the other car. "Severe lacerations to her torso and blunt force trauma to her temple. Seatbelt's keeping her in place." Nat gives Steve a brief rundown and he nods his head, lowering the stretcher onto the ground as Nat secures your neck in place. "Just to be safe." She says and you hum softly, their words muffled as they move in slow motion. "Okay we're going to move you on one..two..three.." Almost as if they were in synch, Steve and Nat get you out of the vehicle, Steve getting you secured onto the stretcher while Nat tries to keep you from bleeding out. "Start talking Y/n, I need to hear you talking." Natasha says as your blood soaks through the gauze, pooling under her gloved hands. Incomprehensible mumbles fall past your lips as you try and stay conscious, your entire body feeling numb to the pain. A soft whimper of discomfort is the last thing that you say before you fall quiet, Nat looking at you concerned. "Come on baby you

need to keep on talking." Natasha encourages you gently before nodding at Steve, both of them working quickly to get you into the ambulance. "Tell my parents that I love them..and tell my shithead of a boyfriend to go to hell." You manage to get out and Nat laughs softly, helping Steve lift the stretcher into the ambulance. "Who else do you want me to tell?" She asks once she hops into the back of the ambulance with you, Steve shutting the doors and telling the driver to step on it. "Tell my brother that I'm proud of him..and tell the other driver that I don't blame him.." You start to list as the lights start to get too bright, causing you to squint to try and look at Natasha. You swallow dryly as you can feel the life draining out of you, causing you to hold your hand up to the redheaded paramedic. "Nat, can you do something for me?" You ask weakly and she nods her head, Steve taking over putting pressure on your wound. "Yeah, what is it darling?" Nat asks softly as she changes out her gloves, swapping them for a new pair before leaning down to look at you. "Can you- Can you take my ring?" You ask and confusion floods her face, Nat looking down at the simple band on your pointer finger. "I dont-" She starts but you shake your head, wincing at the pain that it caused you. "Please..I- It might just be the blood loss talking but I feel like I've met you..probably in another life or something like that." You say and wait for her reaction, seeing her stare at you for a few beats. "I know, it's crazy but-" You start but she shakes her head, grabbing onto your hand and squeezing it lightly. "No I get it. You aren't crazy." She says softly and you smile meekly at that, slowly taking off your ring and putting it in her hand. "Then keep it." You whisper and she nods her head, looking at the ring in her gloved hand. "Okay." She says and you smile, finally feeling whole for once in your life despite all the blood you've lost. The fight finally leaves your body as your eyes close, your hand falling limp against the stretcher.

"Shit she's coding." Steve hisses out and Nat's head snaps upwards, shoving the ring into her pocket as she jumps into action. Steve immediately starts compressions as Nat works on your breathing, securing the mask on your face as she pumps the bag. Steve barks out orders over the radio as Nat stands by your head, eyebrows furrowed as she watches you.

"Come on Y/n stay with me, just five more minutes to the hospital." Nat says under her breath as the ambulance races through traffic.

"Hold on for five more minutes." She continues as Steve does his compressions, trying to manually restart your heart.

"Please..just five more minutes." Nat whispers under her breath as another PMD puts a defibrillator on your chest, trying to check for a shockable pulse.

After a trail of CPR, advanced airway, and cardiotonic drugs, Steve finally makes the call.

"Call it." He says to Natasha and she shakes her head, not giving up that hope that you could still be resuscitated. "She's gone." Steve states and Nat shakes her head once again, looking at your still form. "No Steve we can't-" "Tasha she's gone. You have to call it." He says sternly and it shuts Nat up, sighing as she looks at her watch. "Time of death, 9:52 pm." She says as the other PMD covers up your body with a sheet, only a few minutes later the ambulance pulling up into the hospital.

Nat sits in the back of the open ambulance as she watches the hospital staff go by, Steve coming to sit by her. "You alright?" He asks and Nat nods her head, blinking back tears as she looks at your ring. "Yeah..Yeah I'm fine." She says before closing her hand, turning her head to look at Steve. "But she was right, I really feel like I've met her before." Nat says and Steve nods his head, putting a reassuring hand on her back. "Maybe in another life."

----

"The drill is working smoothly sir." You report to the Capitan over the intercoms, the screens showing an all-clear in front of you. "Thank you, sailor." His voice crackles over the coms and you nod your head, pressing back the button to send a reply. "Of course, sir." You say before standing up straight, checking the pressure regulation and structural integrity one last time.

It's a must to make sure everything is working smoothly down here, after all, one mistake and the entire drill could be crushed seven miles below the surface of the ocean. "Hey, sailor." Natasha's arms wrap around your waist as she hugs you from behind, moving your ponytail aside to kiss the back of your neck. "Hi baby." You say as you lean back into her touch, eyes closing as you feel Nat's lips on your neck. "Capitan gave you the all-clear?" She asks and you nod your heads, humming at the warmth of your girlfriend's embrace.

It's lonely working on a research/drilling facility seven miles down and being isolated for months at a time, but with Natasha here, it makes things a tad bit easier.

You turn in her arms before cupping the sides of her neck, kissing the redhead softly. "Free for the rest of the day." You say and Nat smiles into the kiss, pulling you closer to her by your hips. When you both pull away, she brushes her lips over yours gently. "You wanna.?" Natasha's sentence trails off with a grin and you smile at her, your fingers hooking onto her dog tags and pulling her closer. "Mm..dirty Tasha." You laugh as you tease the kiss, kissing her softly only a few times. "I don't hear you complaining." Nat grins and you only roll your eyes, glancing at the clock before looking back at your girlfriend. "Then what are you waiting for?" You ask and Nat squeezes your waist, pulling back to grab your hand and lead you to the sleeping quarters.

You pull on your Navy-issued shirt as Nat laces up her boots, both of your faces flush from fucking for the past hour. "You messed up my hair." You say to Nat as you try and fix it in the mirror, seeing your slightly swollen lips and hickeys on your neck. "You wanted me to pull it." Nat shrugs and you purse your lips together, tugging your hair back into a semi-neat ponytail. "Yeah but not that hard." You mumble and Nat comes up behind you, both of you locking eyes in the mirror. "What did you say again? Oh Nat fuck me harder..mm tug my hair, oh!" Nat mimics your moans and you shove her lightly, trying to hide the smile on your face as you act mock offended. "I do not sound like that." You say and Natasha only smiles, fixing her belt and tucking her shirt into her pants. "Whatever you say, darling." She hums before kissing your cheek, pulling out your dog tags from under your shirt. You're about to pull her in for a proper kiss when the alarms suddenly go off in the base, a loud AI announcing the warning.

Warning sructural integrity compromised, immediate evacuation advised.

"Fuck." "Shit." Both of you curse under your breath as you swing the door to the barracks open, seeing the rest of the crew rush past you. "Come on we've got to get to the escape pods." Natasha says as she grabs onto your hand, running through the crowd as loud crunches and bangs echo throughout the drill.

"They're closing off this part of the drill!" Someone yells and it makes your heart race even faster in your chest, knowing as soon as someone closes that safety hatch you're all dead.

Nat and you push through people in the crowd, water starting to pool at your feet. It's only a matter of time before this section of the drill immediately collapses, making people literally trample over one another to try and get to safety.

"Come on, come on!" Clint calls as he stands by the safety hatch, watching the people behind you get sucked up in the pressure vacuum. "Close the door! Close it!" Steve yells at Clint as he watches the base collapse, you and Nat jumping over fallen debris and dodging electrical wires. "Go, just go!" Nat pushes you in front of her as you both sprint towards the hatch, Clint pressing the button to slowly close it. Your heart is racing a million miles per minute as you see the exit in sight, Natasha pushing you forward to get through first. There's barely enough space for you to fit through, grabbing Natasha's arm and pulling her in just in the nick of time.

The heavy metal door closes just in time, the rest of the drill getting torn out into the marina trench. Your chest is heaving as you hold on to Natasha, immediately scrambling up to check on your girlfriend. You cup her face as you watch her laugh up at you, hair soaked and face a bit cut but still alive. Your worry quickly changes into anger as you shove Nat in the arm, eyebrows furrowing. "Don't you ever do that again you fucking bastard!" You seethe, taking a few deep breathes before engulfing Natasha in a hug. "Fuck..I thought I'd lost you." You mumble as you feel Nat's arms wrap around you, not caring about Steve or Clint standing to the side. "What? I'm always going to put you first Y/n." Nat says softly before you pull back, now straddling Nat's lap. "Just don't do that self-sacrificing shit on me, okay? That was terrifying." You say and she nods her head, wiping away some of the wet hair that stuck to your face.

Clint clears his throat and you both look at him, you slowly getting up and helping Natasha up as well. "So, what do we do next?" He asks and everyone looks at each other, Steve speaking up first. "Let's find a way out of this death trap."

Clint paces as you all sit in the escape pod bay, you trying to get the only remaining one working.

"Are you done yet?" He asks for the third time in five minutes and you sigh, looking at him from over your shoulder with an annoyed glare.

"I'm a Navy engineer, not a wizard, stop rushing me." You say before turning back to the pod, trying to salvage what is left of the broken device.

When the four of you arrived at the escape pods, all of them have been deployed except one, you immediately jumping in and trying to fix it. It's been about ten minutes and your hope is dwindling by the second, finally dropping your makeshift tools and running a hand over your face. "Hey it's okay, we'll find another way out." Nat says softly as she crouches down next to you, rubbing your back in a small circles as she sees how distraught you are.

"Let's make our way over to the control base, see if we can make contact with the surface." Steve breaks the silence and you all turn to face him, everyone nodding their head as you and Tasha stand up.

You all meet up with Wanda, Tony, and Vison in the control base, all three of them having unsuccessful attempts to contact the surface. While the rest of the team is discussing the next plan of action, you're by the computer reviewing the readings on the ocean floor, finding the exact time when the drill collapsed. You know it wasn't your fault, you checked all the stats earlier and the base was perfectly fine, so what set it off? Eyes bouncing along the screen, you see that the ocean censors picked up a quake exactly fifteen seconds before the base started collapsing, an odd sensation filling your chest as you realize that no one could have prevented it.

"Y/n, did you hear us?" Steve asks and your head snaps towards the group, Nat looking over at you with a concerned look in her eyes. "Pardon?" You ask and Steve explains Tony's plan, saying that they could use the pressurized suits to try and walk to the next drilling facility to use the escape pods there. "But the nearest facility is more than few a miles from here, and besides, we have no clue what we'll find on the ocean's floor." You say and Tony nods his head, sighing as he sees the map.

These suits haven't gone more than a few yards from the base, specifically being made for drill repairs and short expeditions to fix the service towers.

"Well it's the only option that we have, other than that we can just stay here and wait for the drill to collapse ontop of us." Tony says and you contemplate it for a moment, glancing over at Nat before nodding. "Okay, what other choice do we have?'

You’re all suiting up when you see that Natasha’s helmet is sitting on one of the benches, the redhead herself slipping on her suit not too far away. Walking over to the helmet, you decide that there’s no harm in checking it out, reasoning that you should be more safe than sorry in a situation like this. Your heart almost stops when you see a small crack in the glass, knowing that once she goes underwater she’s as good as dead when the pressure hits. Taking a quick glance around you, you slowly exchange Nat’s helmet for yours, taking the damaged one in your hand and heading back to where you were suiting up. It’s better me than anyone else, especially Nat. You think to yourself as you move to put the rest of your suit on, Tony calling you for help before you could do so.

Once you arrive back at the bench, you’re relieved that the helmet is still there, knowing that yours is the damaged one. “Hey baby, you ready?” Tasha asks as she walks over to you, suit still bunched up around her waist. “Mm.” You hum as you step towards her, hugging her tightly and putting your face into her shoulder. Nat is a bit taken aback but she melts into your grasp anyways, wrapping her arms around your midsection and pulling you close.

“I love you Tasha.” You whisper softly as you close your eyes, knowing that you’ll be dead as soon as you hit the water. “I love you too Y/n.” Nat says before pulling back, looking into your eyes with a bit of concern. “Why are you acting this way darling? We’re gonna make it out of this together, I promise.” Natasha says and you only nod your head, giving her a bittersweet smile as you lean up and kiss her.

“I know...I just love you a lot Nat. Wanted to let you know that before we set off.” You hum and she nods her head, kissing your lips briefly before pulling you in for another hug. Her head is tucked into your shoulder and she rocks the two of you gently, kissing your temple once you both pull away. “Let’s get out of here.” She smiles and you nod your head, pulling the helmet on and securing it tightly.

Your breaths are shaky as Tony lowers all of you down into the water, preparing yourself for the pain you’re about to experience. Nat sees how tense you are and mistakes it for just plain old nerves, not knowing that you just gave yourself a death wish by swapping helmets with her. “It’s gonna be okay malysh.” Nat reassures you as she grabs your hand, you shooting her a smile as you make eye contact. “I know..I know..” You whisper under your breath, the water now over your heads as Tony lowers you deeper. “Get ready everyone, the pressure is going to hit hard.” Clint says and to the left of you, you see Steve’s helmet crack, your eyes widening as you spot it.

“Steve, what did you do?” You ask and he only looks at you, a gentle smile on his face as he sees you and Natasha. “Couldn’t let you leave her alone.” He smiles and you shake your head, frantically ordering Tony to not open the door. “Take care of her for me, okay kid?” Steve says and it’s too late, the door already opening and the pressure flooding in. “Steve no!” You yell as you see his helmet crack inwards, barley a second to register what happened before his suit implodes from the inside out.

“No Steve! No! Fuck!” You’re sobbing as everyone else processes what just happened, Tony frantically asking what just happened. “He switched our helmets! That idiot!” You say as Natasha just stands there in pure shock, Clint being the next one to speak up. “You knew your helmet was defective and you didn’t tell anyone?!” He questions and you shake your head. “I switched my helmet for Natasha’s! It was supposed to be me! Not Steve! He must’ve grabbed it when I got distracted, god damn it!” You’re angry, angry at Steve, angry at the helmet, angry at the earthquake, and most of all you’re angry at yourself. You should’ve noticed it. You should have made sure it was still the damaged one. “You should have just let me had it Y/n.” Nat says and you shake your head, glaring at your girlfriend.

“It’s better me than you Nat. You’re not dying, not if I can help it.” You say before everyone falls silent, everyone stunned at your outburst and Steve’s death. After a while Tony clears his throat and steps around you, looking into the depths of the mariana trench. “We’ll have time to mourn later, right now we need to make sure that we’ll live enough to.”

"Tony's dead..Wanda's dead, Vision..Steve..fuck they're all dead." Clint gasps out as he holds onto Natasha, the remaining three of you getting separated when a monster ambushed you. "Clint calm down, I need you to calm down." Nat says as she holds onto her best friend, darkness swirling around them. She forces herself to stay calm as she guides Clint through some deep breathes, refraining from asking about you until his pulse rate goes back down to normal.

You all saw their helmets crack and their blood muddle up the water, these monsters picking everyone off one by one. “Where’s Y/n?” Natasha asks once Clint can finally regulate his breathing, his grip loosening on her suit. “I..I don’t know. We got separated after that thing attacked us." He says and Nat is about to ask another question when she hears your static-y scream ring over the coms, her blood running cold as she sees your suit's lights frantically moving in the distance. "Haul ass Clint, come on." Nat doesn't waste any time as she tries to run through the water, dragging Clint along as she hears your screams through the coms. "Y/n! Y/n where are you?" Natasha calls out as your lights flicker off, head immediately turning 90 degrees when she sees your helmet lights come back on.

You're stabbing this merman-shark-eel hybrid in the face when Nat and Clint finally reach you, it's blood making the water murky as you kick it off. "Oh thank god you're alright." Nat breathes out once she sees you standing there, that relief only lasting for a moment as another thing latches onto both Clint and your legs. Its momentum is quick enough to knock both of you off your feet, unfortunately causing you to drop your knife in the process. Both you and Clint grit out curse words under your breath as you fight with the mysterious monster, Natasha loading up a flare gun to try and help. When she shoots the gun, it temporarily lights up the atmosphere around you, blood running cold as you see the monster that grabbed you.

Its teeth are sharp and dripping with blood, its slimy black claws slowly pulling you and Clint closer to its mouth. As it drags you along the ocean floor, you grab onto a jagged rock, quickly trying to swing at the arm. "Mother fucker." You curse as you hit the arm, it's sharp nails digging even more into your leg as a reflex. With all your might, you continue to swing at the hand, desperately wanting this to be over already. “Let. go. of. me.” You grunt out, watching the skin and muscle get hacked away. The monster screeches and pulls its arm back, now trying to drag in Clint double time since one of its meal got away. “Clint! Hold on!” You yell as you grab onto the man’s hand, trying to find any traction as you look at Clint. Nat is immediately behind you in an instant, grabbing onto your waist to hold the both of you back. Clint is screaming at this point, his leg getting torn by the nails clawing at his skin.

“Don’t let me go, please!” Clint says as you three get pulled closer to the monsters mouth, you desperately trying to tug him away. “I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” Your teeth are clenched as you feel yourself starting to loose your grip, Nat’s boots slipping on the ocean floor. “Don’t let go.” Clint begs and you nod your head, leaning forward even more to try and keep hold. “We’re gonna get out of this, I promise..” You say but there’s no time for him to respond, the monster roughly pulling him out of your grip and dragging him into the depths of the deep blue sea.

The last thing you hear is Clint’s painful screams that come through the coms, Nat grabbing onto you to keep you from falling over the edge. The both of you are quiet as you stare into the unknown, heart pounding as you realize that you’re the only ones left. “Clint.” Natasha whispers softly and you hold onto her, both of you trying to process how quick that was. “I’m sorry Tasha. I’m so sorry.” You whisper and she swallows thickly, taking one last look into the darkness before making eye contact with you. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” She says before composing herself, straightening her posture and checking her compass. “Come on, we got set off course.” Nat grabs your hand before she turns, keeping her gaze straight ahead as she pulls you both away from the ledge.

“They didn’t train us for this in the Navy.” Nat mumbles as you both trudge along the ocean floor, about half of the way towards the other drill facility. “Yeah, sea monsters and flesh eating eels weren’t exactly on the handbook.” You say before checking your compass, making sure you’re still on course. “Nope.” Nat sighs and shakes her head, glancing over at you with a soft smile.

“Hey..I love you.” She blurts out and your chest floods with warmth, a smile tugging at your lips as you look at her. “I love you, Tasha.” You say and she smiles back, both of you stepping a bit closer to one another. “When we get to the surface, would you..hypothetically..marry me?” Natasha asks and you raise an eyebrow, finding it amusing how Nat trying to play it cool.

“You know..because I can’t imagine my life without you, and I don’t want to live in a world without you in it. No scratch that, I couldn’t live in a world without you in it. You’re my soulmate..my person y/n, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you..hypothetically of course.” Nat finishes with an awkward laugh and you can only grin, reaching out to hold her hand gently. “Hypothetically..” You start and she laughs breathily. “If you asked me to marry you, I would say yes.” You say and she nods her head, a smile present in your words.

“Do you wanna ask?” You question and she shakes her head, making a little pff sound. “No I don’t want to ask.” She says and you nod your head, looking down at the map. “We’re almost there, just a few more miles-” “Will you marry me?” Nat breathes out in a rush and you laugh, looking back at the redhead who has a nervous smile on her face. “Mm yes.” You grin and Nat’s face lights up. “Yes?” She repeats, voice a bit high as she stares at you. “Yes you idiot.” You giggle as you tug her closer, squeezing her hand gently. “You better hug me when we get out of these suits.” You tease and she nods her head, looking at you with love in her eyes. “I’m gonna do you one better, I’m gonna marry you.”

Your breathing is shaky as you slightly lag behind Natasha, the air in your suit getting harder to breathe for the last few yards. “Are you okay darling?” Nat asks as she turns to look at you, you nodding your head as you wave a hand infront of your face. “I’m okay, just tired.” You say with a tired smile, Natasha nodding her head as she grabs your arm. “Come on you turtle, we’re almost there.” She teases and you can only laugh softly, continuing onward.

You’re struggling to take in breaths when a robotic voice rings through your ears, a small warning flashing in the corner of your helmet.

Caution, five minutes of air remaining. Oxygen pod damaged.

Fuck. You knew your luck would run out eventually, especially when you’re this close to escaping. “We’re only a few hundred yards from the facility, shouldn’t be too long before you get that hug.” Natasha smiles and you don’t respond, instead letting go of her arm and letting yourself fall behind a bit. “Y/n?” Nat asks as she faces you, seeing you stand there with a small smile on your face.

“Keep on going Nat, I’m right behind you.” You say softly, not wanting to worry your girlfriend as she’s so close to escaping. “No come on you dummy, let’s go.” She says but you shake your head, seeing the clock count down on the corner of the helmet. “I’m right behind you love.” You whisper, willing your voice not to break as Nat’s brows furrow. “Y/n what’s wrong?” She asks and her eyes widen once she sees it, the little screen on your arm flashing an oxygen warning. “You’ve gotta go Tasha.” You say and she shakes her head, gently holding your shoulders as her mind starts to race.

“What happened?” She asks and you point to the pack on your back. “The oxygen pod got damaged back when the monster dragged Clint and I across the floor, guess I didn’t notice it until now.” You say and Nat swallows thickly, checking her map before looking back at you. “If we’re quick enough we can make it, we just need to move-” She starts to say but you stop her gently, holding onto her biceps. “I’m not gonna make it, you know that Nat.” You whisper but she shakes her head holding onto you tighter. “No. No, you have to make it Y/n. Please.” She shakily says and you put your hands on the side of her helmet, holding the glass gently.

“We don’t have enough time Tasha.” You whisper and tears are forming in her eyes, the redhead trying to blink them away as she looks at you. “Please..you have to make it..” She begs, voice small as she sees the timer count down. “I need you to make it, I can’t do this without you..” Nat whispers and you only wish you could hug her one last time. “You don’t need me Tasha. But you’ve got to get going, you need to get to the survive for both of us.” You say and Natasha shakes her head, tears now fully falling. “I’m not just going to leave you here.” She says as her hands shake, trying to think of a way to get you to survive. “You have to.” You whisper before Nat pulls you in for a hug, the suits not stopping her from showing how much she loves you. “I love you Y/n.” She whispers and you hold her closer, closing your eyes as you hear the timer count down.

“I love you, Tasha.” You say softly, Nat holding you there for a few more moments before pulling away. “Keep my dog tags love, so I’ll always be with you.” She says as she pulls back from you, your eyebrows furrowing in confusion as you look up at the redhead. “What?” You question right before the ai voice rings out once again, the warning light suddenly clicking off.

Oxygen pod fixed, air supply replenished.

“Natasha.” You whisper out her name as you see your old oxygen pod drop to the sea floor, realizing that Nat just switched out the rest of her oxygen into your suit. With no pod in her suit, Natasha’s oxygen levels immediately drop, warning signs flashing bright red in her helmet. “I’m sorry darling.” Nat says as she looks at you, starting to feel lightheaded from the lack of air. “No..no no no no no.” You breathe out as Nat collapses into your arms, quickly moving her so she’s leaning onto your body. “Okay..okay come on. We can do this.” You mumble to yourself as you start to trudge your way towards the drilling facility. If there's one thing that they taught you in the Navy, that's to never give up, even when you're within an inch of your life you never stop fighting.

Once the murky lights of the drilling facility finally come into view, you almost jump for joy, Nat's head hung low as you drag her along. Your body aches and you think your leg might be broken, but that doesn't stop the relief coursing through your veins, opening the door and stumbling into the pressurized walkway. The entrance closes behind you before the water gets drained from the room, your legs collapsing from the lack of support the ocean gave you.

You gently place Nat on the ground before collapsing onto your knees, taking off your helmet and gasping down the fresh air. You cough a bit as you try and regain your breath, unzipping your suit so it bunches at your waist. Your coughs soon turn into laughs as you realize you've made it, quickly turning to Natasha to celebrate. "Nat, we did it. Holy shit..we fucking did it." You smile as you gently shake her shoulder, expecting her to take off her helmet by now.

"Nat..? Nat darling..we did it." You say softly, your smile fading as you take Nat's helmet off. "Oh my god, no." Your heart stops as you see Nat's pale cheeks and blue-tinted lips, shaky hands cupping her face as you ask the AI for her vitals.

No vitals found.

"Tasha..No please." You say before quickly moving to unzip her suit, fingertips touching her ice-cold skin. You start chest compressions as you desperately try to revive your love, the tears building up more and more with each round. "You made a promise, Nat." Your teeth are clenched as you finish another set of 30 compressions, bending down to give your fiancee two rescue breaths. "You said we're going to get out of this together. You promised me." You're barely keeping it together as you start another round, hot tears threatening to spill.

"You said you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, well you can't do that if you leave me." Your chest is heaving as your compressions get sloppy. "So god damn it please Nat. Please. Please don't leave me." A sob rips from your throat as your movements finally falter, your arms collapsing from underneath you. Your entire body is wracked with sobs as you cling onto Natasha's shirt, crying into her chest as you hold her lifeless body.

You beg for Nat to come back like a broken record, chest heaving as you finally let all of your emotions breakthrough. You scream and you cry until your throat is raw, guilt gripping at your chest as you think all of your fallen crew members.

Your head rests on Natasha's stomach until your heart-wrenching sobs mellow down into silent cries, this small emotional break letting you spot something sticking out from your fiancee's helmet.

Sniffling a bit as you sit up, you take Nat's helmets into your hands, gingerly pulling out a piece of paper wedged into one of the corners. With shaky fingers, you hold it up into the light, breath catching in your throat when you see it. It's a picture of you and Nat after running one of the Navy obstacle courses, a wide smile on both of your faces as your working uniforms are caked in mud. A quivering smile tugs on your lips before you sob again, placing your head in your hands as your shoulders shake.

You’re still a mess as you fully get out of your suit, hands shaking with exhaustion as you put a makeshift splint on your leg. You easily find the escape pods and sigh in relief when you see that they’re all working, entering the commands to get to the surface.

As you stand in front of the pod, you decide to bring Natasha with you, refusing to leave the love of your life at the bottom of the ocean. The tears come rushing again as you pull Nat into the escape pod with you, pressing the button to close the hatch and to finally get the two of you out of here. “I’ve got you baby, I’ve got you.” You whisper as your arms tighten around Nat’s torso, slipping her dog tags over your head before you kiss her temple. Your eyes are screwed shut the entire time you travel to the surface, sniffling softly as hot tears silently run down your cheeks.

When you break the surface, you aren’t excited or relieved, you just feel numb, the cold air hitting your face once you open the pod. It’s like everything around you is shaded grey, your eyes dull and dead as the paramedics reach you. The entire time you’re looking at Natasha, seeing the first responders check for her pulse. As they pull your stretchers away from each other, there’s only one question on your mind: what’s the point of living in this world if Natasha isn’t in it?

————

The sunlight softly illuminates the Avengers compound in the early hours of the morning, two bodies warmly pressed up against each other under the protection of a fluffy duvet.

A phone alarm goes off but it doesn’t break the peaceful atmosphere in the bedroom, one of the bed’s occupants slowly turning over to shut off the device.

“Y/n, baby, wake up my love.” Natasha hums as she kisses you, her soft pink lips planting a few gentle kisses on your neck and cheek. Your only response is a hum as you turn in Natasha’s arms and bury your face into her neck, wrapping your arms around her torso and pulling yourself closer. “Come on darling.” Nat laughs as she runs her hand through your hair, voice a bit rough from just waking up. “Too early.” You mumble and Nat sighs, a sleepy smile still on her face as she holds you. “Steve will kill us if we’re late to training.” She says but you shake your head, gently kissing the warm skin of her neck.

“You’re the Black Widow, you could kick his ass ten times over if you wanted to.” You reason and Nat nods her head. “You do have a point malysh.” She says and you hum. “Five more minutes.” You mumble and Nat nods her head, wrapping her arms around you before pulling you closer. “Okay, five more minutes.” She whispers before kissing your cheek, her fingers running up and down your spine.

#natasha romanoff fanfiction #natasha romanoff x y/n #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x you #marvel mcu #mcu natasha romanoff #mcu #au

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dameronology · 3 years

Text

love in a time of p.t.a. meetings {marcus moreno} - 5/5

v summary: you hadn’t expected to find anything at a stupid p.t.a. meeting - but somehow, you found everything {series masterlist}

warnings: swearing, one very mild innuendo

there’s a long message at the end but...this is the last official part and i’m very sad about it. with that said, i hope you enjoy❤️

- j

Being a parent was tiring.

So much so that you hadn’t even made it to bed last night.

In fact, none of you had. The entire household was slumped together on the sofa; Marcus was in the middle, with one arm wrapped around Missy on his left side and the other stretched across you and Jack on his right. You’d completely flopped into his chest, with your kid passed out on you in a similar manner. The dogs (plural - but more on that later) were both stretched across the four of you on your laps, snoozing quietly. It had been a long week, clearly; between the school year coming to an end and the hot weather, you were all worn out. It had been a rush of finishing up projects at school, evenings in the pool and ordering take out. Marcus had been working late and your cooking skills were...well, calling them skills was an overstatement in itself.

You grumbled slightly as you woke - why the fuck did your neck ache so bad? Right, because you’d fallen asleep tilted sideways. You probably would have stayed passed out for hours more if it hadn’t been for the sunlight streaming through the blinds. The TV ahead of you had stopped now, displaying an are you still watching Friends? message. You’d started watching it at what...six o clock the night before?

Rubbing your bleary eyes, you sat up. Instead of waking up, Jack simply flopped into your lap, clearly not phased by the sudden movement other than letting out a tiny oof! as he fell. The kid had fallen asleep on the log flumes at Coney Island, so really, it wasn’t a surprise. Plus, him waking up would mean having to get up and make breakfast, which you really weren’t ready for just yet.

‘D’you know what day it is today?’ Marcus quietly muttered.

‘One year.’ You peered up at him, a sleepy smile spreading across your face.

‘So where the hell do you think you’re going?’ He pulled you back towards him, broad arm wrapping around your shoulders to trap you against his chest. ‘Happy one year, baby.’

‘Happy one year.’ You leant up to a soft kiss to his lips.

You stayed like that for a minute, head resting against Marcus as you gently ran a hand through Jack’s hair. It was sort of a moment of...reflection. A lot had changed in the last year and yet somehow, it felt like your life had always been like this. The four of you have had gelled together into a slightly chaotic but ever-loving entity and you loved it. With the combined antics of your energetic children, everything was in disarray practically all the time but you wouldn’t have changed it for the world. It had been the thing you’d had all along and the very thing that Marcus had been looking for; you had been the one to bring it into his life and he had been the one to teach you to appreciate it.

The two dogs had brought a lot of chaos into your lives as well. After weeks of Missy and Jack insisting that the garden was too big for just Optimus Prime, you’d ended up traipsing to the dog shelter late on a Saturday afternoon. Bumblebee had become a valued member of the Moreno family within a matter of hours.

‘I love you.’ You murmured. You could feel yourself getting sleepy again.

‘I love you more.’

‘No, you don’t.’ You pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

‘At least that’s the only fight we’ve had over the last year.’ He reasoned. ‘What time d’we have to be at cook out?’

‘Twelve.’ You replied. Glancing at the screen of your dying Apple watch, you squinted at the screen. ‘It’s just gone eight.’

Every year, the PTA threw a cook out on the school field to celebrate the end of the semester. In previous years, you’d avoided it like the plague but this year you were actually excited. The last one had been in the very early stages of your relationship, and you and Marcus weren’t publicly showing affection when you’d been. There had been a lot of lingering glances across the field and knowing looks at one another but this time, you were solid. Everyone knew they were together and like hell where they gonna say things about you when you were with Marcus Moreno. Whether it’s because they’d suddenly got a newfound respect for you or because they were scared into silence by his reputation, you didn’t know, but you weren’t going to complain.

‘Do you want breakfast, hermosa?’ He asked.

‘Yeah, I’ll help-’

Having heard the b-word, Jack suddenly shot up. He was six now (too old, in your book) and just as much of a tiny, evil genius as ever. He’d upgraded from a Chewbacca onesie to an Ewok onesie, so that was something too, and you were proud of him.

‘- what’s for breakfast?!’ He demanded. ‘I want waffles.’

‘Then waffles we shall have.’ You stood up, sticking your hand out to him. ‘What about you two?’

‘I want waffles.’ Missy sleepily murmured.

Jack followed you through to the kitchen, swiping his iPad off the side as he did. Despite the fact you’d put it in a nuclear bomb proof case, he’d still managed to crack the screen. There had also been at least five occasions where he’d tried to take it in the pool. And this was the same kid who’d insisted he was responsible enough for his own hamster.

Marcus breezed into the kitchen a few moments later, pressing a kiss to your cheek and ruffling Jack’s hair as he went by. You heard him rustling around behind you for a few minutes whilst you prepared the food; he came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. He placed a terribly wrapped gift on the counter in front of you, head coming to rest on your shoulder.

‘Happy anniversary, baby.’ He murmured.

‘Hey.’ You dropped the knife you were holding, turning around to face him. ‘You didn’t have to get me anything.’

‘I know we said we wouldn’t do presents but since you got me a present last night and-’

‘- Marcus!’ You clamped a hand over his mouth. ‘There is a child in the room.’

‘He has his headphones in!’ He protested. ‘Just open it, please?’

‘Of course.’ You smiled.

‘Jack even helped me wrap it.’ He said. ‘And decorate it.’

‘That would explain a lot.’ You replied.

Pulling the paper off it, you felt your heart drop in your chest when you saw what it was.

It was a bright red photo with random doodles in puffy paint; the photo itself was one of you and Jack from when you’d all gone to New York for the weekend a few months previous. You were stood on top of the Rockerfeller Centre, the Empire State in the distance behind you and Jack on your shoulders. You were both grinning despite how windy it was, and his hat had blown off seconds after the photo was taken.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t - ah, dammit.

‘I love it.’ You tried to keep your voice steady, but it wobbled despite your efforts. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ He flashed you a lopsided grin, pressing another kiss to your forehead. ‘I figured we could hang it up in place of the one he managed to smash last week with the broom stick.’

(He’d recently watched Harry Potter. Don’t ask.)

‘Of course.’ You gave him one last kiss, before heading over to the empty space on the wall. It fit perfectly in the space, right between the photo of Marcus and Missy, and the sign that said 0 days since Jack’s last incident.

---

Four hours later, and after consuming enough waffles to feed a small army, the four of you finally reached the school. Both of the kids seemed excited to see their friends, but you were a little nervous. What if people asked questions about you and Marcus? About your divorce? Or Jack’s behaviour, or whether or not-

‘You okay, baby?’ Marcus had suddenly appeared beside you, an arm coming around your waist. You’d been stood on the sidelines of the football field for way longer than you realised. ‘You’ve got eyes like dinner plates.’

‘I don’t know how to interact with these people.’ You murmured back. ‘They’re all...you know.’

‘They’re all what?’

‘Perfect. And shiny.’ You huffed. ‘Look at their cars! There’s not a dent in sight. And their kids aren’t wearing an Ewok onesie to a cook-out in July.’

‘I think Jack is admirable for embracing his unique sense of fashion.’ You could practically hear the smirk in his voice. ‘C’mon! They’re gonna run out of food if you keep longingly staring at their minivans.’

‘You’re right.’ You stumbled slightly as he dragged your hand, pulling you towards the crowd in the middle of the field.

‘I mean if you want a minivan, we can get one.’

‘Moving to the suburbs was already a big deal for me.’ You grumbled.

Marcus continued to laugh, pulling you closer into his side as you reached the other parents.

Naturally, he immediately jumped into conversation about one of the other dads with...actually, you weren’t really paying attention. You switched off as soon as you heard the word football. One thing you did notice, however, was his ability to be completely and entirely charming with anyone. You lacked that, normally shying away from talking to strangers. Especially strangers who had previously cast you out for being a single parent and constantly given you the side-eye. The only reason they’d stopped was because you and Marcus were together now.

You tried to remind yourself that it didn’t matter, that their thoughts and feelings weren’t relevant. They shouldn’t have been. You had the best guy in the world by your side and two amazing kids. The people most important to you were the ones whose opinions mattered - and they all thought the world of you. Marcus loved and supported you unconditionally, and Missy thought you were a bad-ass. Jack, though probably a little bias, thought you were the best parent in the world. That was what counted.

But still, you couldn’t help but feel a little angry. You’d worked your ass off to get where you were, to raise your kid and make him a semi functional human being. You’d single-handedly kept a roof over both of your heads and provided for your family, even when you’d been married to a dead beat husband.

Things were different now; brighter, happier, filled with more dogs and more love than you could ever have imagined. You didn’t want to linger in the past, not when everything else was moving forward. If anything, being here had just solidified your faith in your relationship. If all you wanted to do was go home and be alone with your partner, then that was a sure sign.

‘Mum!’ You heard Jack from across the field. ‘Can you get my football out the car?’

‘Duty calls.’ You finally spoke. Marcus had noted how quiet you were, having made a mental note to bring it up later. ‘I’ll be back in a second.’

‘Okay, baby.’ He pressed a kiss to your check.

The sun beat down on your back as you trudged across the field, Doc Martens kicking up grass around you. Your outfit was cute at least; a pair of denim shorts and an old tank top with one of your boyfriend’s plaid shirts thrown over the top. You hadn’t even realised it was his until the lingering smell of aftershave hit your nostrils when you got in the car. After that, there was no way in hell you were taking it off.

The car park was around the corner from the field -- it was nice to get away for a minute. Even though you’d simply stood beside Marcus like an older man’s sidepiece at a business meeting, just being in the presence of the people and listening to them talk about their kids was exhausting. At least he had been good at pretending to be interested in their sugar free diets and screen time limitations and how their French lessons were going. You, meanwhile, hadn’t even tried to look like it piqued your fancy. You’d been half-tempted to put your sunglasses on so they couldn’t see you roll your eyes.

Pulling Marcus’ car-keys out your pocket, you opened the boot and began to rifle around. His car was a thousand times more put together than yours, but it still accumulated a bunch of crap.

You jumped backwards when you heard the gravel crunch behind you.

Glancing over your shoulder, your eyes fell on Carol. It had been a while since you’d last seen her, but she looked a little worst for wear. What’s more was that she had a cigarette between her lips, despite being the one to run the entire school’s anti-smoking campaign.

‘I didn’t know you smoked.’ You commented, catching her attention as you slammed the boot shut.

‘Oh!’ She jumped, quickly throwing it onto the floor.

‘Hey, I’m not bothered.’ You leant against the back of the car. ‘A lot of people do it.’

‘I don’t normally.’ She stamped on the remains to put it out, dusting off her bright pink work-out jacket. ‘I’ve just been stressed lately.’

‘Are you okay?’ You raised an eyebrow at her.

‘I’m fine.’

You tossed the football between your hands, giving her a nod. ‘If you’re sure.’

With that, you locked the car and began to make your way back towards the cook-out. If you could wear Jack out by playing with him all afternoon, then you might be able to catch some peace and quiet that evening. Then, you and Marcus could celebrate your first anniversary by ordering take out and watching Friends.

(Which is ironically, what you’d done for the last four nights).

‘Y’know, I’ve always been jealous of you.’ You froze when Carol called after you.

‘What?!’ You turned around to face her, confusion etched on your features. ‘Are you talking to someone else, or?..’

‘No, I’m talking to you.’ She muttered.

‘Why me? I thought you hated me?’

‘Because I was jealous of you.’ She said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

‘Carol, you’re the perfect one here. You’re married to your high school sweetheart, you’ve got a big-ass house - with a gate! - and your kids are perfectly well behaved. And you drive a fucking minivan!’

‘Oh, please.’ She groaned, falling back against the nearest car. ‘My husband is married to his job and my kids are more interested in their iPads than me!’

‘So’s mine-’

‘- you’ve always provided for yourself.’ She continued, cutting you off. ‘Always put your kid first and just did what was best for you without worrying what anyone else thought. That’s..admirable.’

‘Thanks?’ You furrowed your brow. ‘I never really gave it that much thought.’

‘I never thought I’d wish for your life.’ She muttered.

You gently approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. With caution, obviously. You know that she had a tendency to be vicious and bite. Like a chihuahua.

‘My life isn’t perfect.’ You said softly. ‘There’s a difference between happiness and perfect. And if you keep trying for perfect, you’ll never be happy.’

‘That’s deep.’

‘Actually, it’s a quote that you shared on Facebook.’ You snorted. ‘You just gotta appreciate what’s around you. Your house, your kids, your husband.’

‘Maybe you’re right.’ Carol nodded. ‘You’re a good parent. A good person. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel less than that.’

‘I mean...you were an asshole, I won’t lie. You’re nosey as fuck and you got involved with my kid, but I’d probably be doing the same if I wasn’t satisfied with my life.’

Okay, so you didn’t mean for that to sound so rude, but who could blame you? The woman had given you nothing but crap. You’d already felt bad for her, but now you felt worst.

‘C’mon.’ You stuck your hand out to her. ‘You have two lovely daughters and a husband waiting for you back on the field....you family waiting for you back on the field.’

Dragging Carol off of the car, you dusted off her arms and forced a smile. It didn’t make you happy that she was miserable, but at least offered an explanation for her behaviour. The fact she’d envied you this entire time didn’t make up for what she’d done - the rumours the spread, the things she said - but it at least helped soothe you a little bit.

‘Can we be friends?’ She asked quietly, traipsing beside you.

‘...maybe in a few years.’

---

As it turned out, Jack did not pass out early. Instead, the four of you ended up having another night on the sofa -- this time with an extra large pizza, just to celebrate the special night.

Your head had been spinning since your conversation with Carol. You were glad you finally had closure on the whole thing, but it had completely fried your circuits. She was the queen of the hive, the perfect mum, the perfect wife. Her kids wore matching outfits to school and they never had a hair out of place. Her Facebook was filled with family photos of their international vacations and outings to all their activities. Was she not the blue print?

It made you take a step back and look at your own life, which was something you hadn’t done in a while. In fact, last time you’d done it, you realised you’d weren’t happy with your ex-husband.

Now, it was the opposite. You were in love with somebody who was better than you could have ever imagined; he wasn’t perfect - he snored and he never did the dishes and he always forgot to put the bins out - but he was everything to you. You had a kid who, although was undeniably a tiny meddler, you loved with your whole heart. You had Missy, who had welcomed you into her life with open arms and embraced the chaos you brought. You had dogs, and a house with a fucking garden.

You didn’t blame Carol for being jealous because, even though it was from perfect, you didn’t need it to be. You had everything you ever wanted and heck, you would have been jealous of it too if it wasn’t completely and entirely yours.

For the first time all day, you finally had a moment to yourself. You were stretched out across the couch, feet propped up on a pile of cushions; Marcus’ shirt was still on, only now you had changed out your shorts for leggings and your boots for socks fluffy enough to be dangerous on the wooden floors.

‘Hey, baby.’ Marcus quietly greeted you, shutting the living room door behind him. ‘Kids are asleep.’

You gave him a doubtful look. ‘Even Jack?’

‘Okay - Missy is asleep and Jack is on his iPad.’

You opened your arms to him, grinning. ‘I’ll take it.’

Marcus dropped onto the sofa, an equally big smile falling onto his face as you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss you. He wound both of his around your waist, lifting you off of the couch and into his lap. It always reminded you of when you’d kissed on your first date -- it seemed like worlds away now.

‘Has it really been a year?’ You murmured softly, resting your forehead against his.

‘Yeah.’ He shyly smiled at you. ‘I don’t know how I got so lucky.’

‘We both got lucky.’ You reminded him. ‘I got lucky that Carol guilt-tripped me into that fucking meeting.’

‘And I got lucky that you were the person I chose to victimise with my small talk.’ He chuckled. ‘You know you’re my whole fucking heart, right?’

‘Yeah.’ You slowly nodded. ‘And you’re mine.’

You’d completely changed each other’s lives - blown them apart, and used the tiny pieces to rebuild everything back into one. Neither of you had even been looking and you’d still managed to find one another. You’d been hurt before and he’d been patient. He’d lost a lot before and you helped him find it again. What he lacked, you had. What you lacked, he had.

Above all, Marcus had embraced what everybody seemed to encourage; he saw value in the things you’d been insecure about and when he fell in love with him, so did you. In return, you brought an energy and light to his life that he didn’t even know he needed. In one another, you found unconditional love and support, and a feeling of security that you’d both lacked for so long.

This was it. And it was everything .

OKAY i’m actually so sad this story is over -- i’ve written over the course of maybe 2 weeks but when i TELL YOU i have become so attached? u better believe it. if you check out the series masterlist, you’ll see that there’s a few little fics i’m gonna write to fill in the gaps that were in the time skips between chapters, so that’s still something to look forward to!

thank so so so much for all your support on this series; it’s been so much fun to write & your comments are what encouraged me to finish it so quickly.

- jamie xx

taglist: taglist: @naivara-duneimith @1-2-3-4-5metalfingers @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @phoenixhalliwell @crazycookiecrumbles @bitchin-beskar @comphersjost @absurdthirst @mjby @parkjammys @kteague @katdante @vonschweetz @cyarikashakira @mrsparknuts @starryeyedstories

#marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno imagine #marcus moreno x you #marcus moreno imagines #pedro pascal character headcanons #pedro pascal characters

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shootthemessenger · 3 years

Text

her eyes and words are so icy, oh, but she burns [w.v.]

wilhemina venable x fem!reader

requested: the, usually ruthless, wilhemina has a soft spot for the reader [anonymous]

disclaimer: strong language, sexual nature, two brief instances of smut

The first time Wilhemina thought about marrying you:

Long before the apocalypse brought about the end of times, Wilhemina worked with two numb-skulls which she had spent a lot of her time complaining about while you spent your work days cleaning the messes politicians left behind in their wake of lies and manipulation.

You fumbled into the apartment that one night; hair messy and unkept from the pure frustration of the day, cheeks flushed in anger and slight embarrassment in yourself, and nearly falling over in your uncomfortable shoes.

Before even taking the chance to look at you, Wilhemina began to tease just as she did most days. “My, my, my; what do we have here?” She asked, face curling up into a wicked smile. That was, until she looked up from her book to meet the glassy look in your eyes rather than your usual smile. “Mina,” you whispered, your voice broken and low as if you didn’t know what else to do.

Without a second thought, she used her cane to push herself off the couch and shuffled quickly towards your side with her hand already reaching to cup your face in her gentle palm.

You practically collapsed into her arms as your work bag hit the floor with a hollow ‘thud’. Your hand clutched tightly at the thin purple dress that hung from her waist.

She wrapped her free hand around the back of your head and soothed the frizzied hair. “It’s okay, sweet girl.” She began to sway with you tucked tightly between her arms, holding you close to the hallow in her neck where she could feel your heavy breathing.

Her heart ached as she met your gaze once again, watching you wither underneath her and blink back the tears which persisted at pooling in your eyes.

She took your face between her hands and pressed her lips to yours softly before guiding you to sit on the couch she had been keeping warm as she waited for you to return home.

“Relax, kitten.” She lowered herself onto the floor in front of you, despite the discomfort in her spine, and began to unfasten the heels from your feet.

You watched her curiously as she kissed the base of your ankle with soft lips.

Then she moved up your calf, feeling the muscle flex underneath her gentle kiss and glanced up just in time to see your eyes flutter closed and head fall back against the couch.

When she reached your thighs she admired the way they instinctively parted for her, allowing her access to even the most intimate part of you despite sex being absent from her mind in that moment.

She looked up to meet you, admiring the soft features of your face under the light seeping in from the kitchen. “You’re so deliciously beautiful.” She mumbled against your skin before nipping playfully.

And as you blushed and giggled she thought, briefly but definitely there, what it would be like to have you like this every day for the rest of her life.

The second time Wilhemina thought about marrying you:

Wilhemina had officially moved into your apartment some months after that night and began to make the space something you could both share.

This way, you’d have everything you needed for your baking hobby without worrying about the availability of ingredients or appliances at her apartment. And she’d have all of her books without having to remember to bring the ones she was working through to your apartment.

But neither of your minds were focused on baking or books in that moment as Wilhemina’s hand tightened around the locks of your hair that she had fisted roughly.

Moans poured from deep within her heaving chest as she fell apart underneath you, mumbling your name between desperate gasps for air.

She did her best to praise you through shuttering breaths and twitching limbs. A single, strangled ‘such a good girl’ fell from her parted lips.

You looked up at her from your place between her thighs, watching as her eyes fell open and glistened with something soft. Her lips broke out in a smile and she beckoned you to kiss her by guiding you with the, newly-gentle, hand in your hair.

She shuddered as you kissed your way up her abdomen, deliberately paying more attention to the skin around her sensitive nipples.

When you finally leveled your faces, she held yours between her two hands and let her lips tangle with yours in a frenzy of appreciative passion. “So good for me, kitten.” She let her hand fall between your legs before you grabbed her wrist.

“No baby, tonight was all about you, Ms. Venable.” Your tongue poked out between your teeth teasingly as you addressed her so formally and she glanced down your body as you moved to cuddle into her side.

She nearly wanted to cry. Sex with you didn’t make her feel dirty like it had with others. In fact, she felt empowered, freed by the vulnerability of it all.

It felt so nice for someone she trusted to have control over her body.

She could have savored that feeling for the rest of her life and she imagined that’s what it would have felt like to be married to you.

The time Wilhemina didn’t get to marry you:

With all such time to panic and little time to prepare, Wilhemina found quickly that she had been fatally unprepared.

It had been such a long time since she had cared for someone in the way she had you and it caused her to forget to take into account how she was going to keep you safe once the apocalypse actually did render the world unbearable.

So when she had lost you in the balze of explosion and fiery heat, it hardened her; forced her into a cold, dark spiral that she only continued to sink into with each passing day.

She banned everything that had once brought her joy with you; sex, love, she even frowned upon the friendships the survivors were beginning to take up couped inside the outpost.

And then there was that one night, just as dinner come to its conclusion and the survivors shuffled off to their respective rooms.

“Only a matter of time.” She listens to Mariam mumble beside her as they watched the survivors disperse. She let a crooked smile twitch against her lips, “In due time, they’ll enjoy their sweet apples tomorrow night and we’ll enjoy shelter from the nuclear storm around us before anyone even knows what happened.”

She watched the shorter woman shuffle into the direction of her room and dismissed the remaining few with her cane.

She began her short journey down the corridor, listening closely for sun commotion from any particular room just as she did every night.

All was still and silent, she presumed that most were bubbling with excitement for the only bit of fun they were getting to have since the world had withered away.

When she reached her bedroom, the tension inside was uneasy. She figured it was only her nerves at the risk she was about to take with the lives of the survivors.

Her cane echoed through the still room as she eased herself into the chair at the foot of her bed. Despite her confidence around the outpost, her back was beginning to ache and her feet were an even worse story.

Without warning, Wilhemina felt the cold end of a blade pressing against her throat, an arm hooked around her neck. She froze under the pressure, letting the smallest gasp escape from her parted lips.

“Don’t. Move.” The voice behind her ear was sharp and demanding, even without the knife pressed into her skin she probably would have obeyed. “You make a sound and I will slit your throat before anyone even has the chance to hear you, do you understand me?”

Wilhemina ghosted a nod, feeling the blade press further into her delicate flesh.

“Now you’re going to stand up and turn around. Slowly.” The force behind the blade loosened and Wilhemina shook slightly as she pushed herself to her feet.

“Turn.” The voice instructed and Wilhemina could feel the presence of the knife at her back. She slowly moved around, facing the source of the voice.

A black cloak covered the figure in front of her. Everything was covered but a set of eyes which were wide with shock. Wilhemina furrowed her eyebrows at the sudden weakness of the presence.

She didn’t dare move, though, closely watching the knife pressed into her torso. But the stranger did not move the knife into her skin, instead they reached up and began to unwrap the cloth around their face.

Slowly, you revealed yourself to the older woman as the pieces of your face began to click together with the memories in her head.

“Y/n...” Her voice was nearly too quiet to be a whisper but still you nodded, not daring to move towards or away from her. Her eyes softened as she examined your face, looking for anything to indicate she was dreaming or hallucinating even.

But as her palm pressed against your cheek she gasp softly as the feeling of your flesh which fit just as perfectly into her hand as it always had.

“Oh, kitten.” She exclaimed, pulling you into her tightly as you nearly collapsed against her body. “Wilhemina.” You mumbled into her shoulder, holding her back just as tightly.

The time Wilhemina decided to marry you:

Wilhemina watched over the edge of her book as your head nestled against her thighs. One hand played with the delicate skin of your ear as the other held her book just above your head.

She watched the fire bathe you in a warm glow and fought the smile twitching at her tired lips. “Darling,” she hummed for your attention and set her book onto the bed.

Your head shifted in her lap until you were looking up at her, “Mina.” You answered, toying with the lace on her nightgown. She watched your fingers move around the fabric then let her eyes flicker to your face which looked up at her expectantly.

“I want to marry you.” She couldn’t stop herself from blurting it out, the thought pushing at the edge of her brain and rolling itself off the tip of her tongue.

Your face broke out in shock and she tensed, god fucking dammit. And then your eyes relaxed, a smile found its way onto your face. “I want to marry you too.” You assured her, sitting with your arm anchored over her lap.

She chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to yours lips. “I can’t wait.”

The time Wilhemina actually married you, in her own twisted way:

It was becoming impossible for Wilhemina to decide how she was going to marry you when there were no churches or priests or even courts for that matter. You had assured her that eventually the two of you would settle on something but there was no rush for now.

Wilhemina didn’t know what had come over her that same night - watching you drown in the soft satin sheets of her bed, wearing nothing more than your own naked skin - forced a hunger to bubble inside her chest.

She had only been detached from your lips long enough to unzip her dress and let it pool at her ankles but, still, she was aching to touch you again.

She lunged forward, capturing your lips between her own. It wasn’t soft like usual, it was hungry and needy; a chaotic frenzy of clashing teeth and bumping tongues.

She breathed against your face, inhaling sharply as her nails dug into the skin on your hips and pinned you against the matress.

There was something about the way you whimpered and squirmed underneath her that only fueled her on even more. She was feeling a want in her stomach that was unlike any other time she had taken you.

Sure, she had used sex with you as an outlet for her anger after a particularly bad day at work on many occasions and had gotten just as worked up. But this was different; there were no punishments or teasing. There wasn’t even talking between the two of you; no praising or filthy compliments falling from her lips.

She was only focusing on one thing; ruining you. Forcing you to fall apart over and over again underneath her, at her complete will.

When she finally did pause, with her head settled between your thighs and dangerously close to your heat, she took a second to meet your desperate eyes.

With the fire across the room reflecting in your eyes and bathing you in a soft orange glow, she couldn’t help the moan that fell from her lips. It startled even herself.

Without spending much time thinking about it, she reached down and pulled one of the thick rings off her finger, using her mouth to suck a bruise onto the inside of your thigh.

Blindly, as she moved to your other thigh, she found your left hand and slipped the ring onto your ring finger. “I do.” She announced, a wicked smile on her lips before she leaned forward and delved between your folds with her tongue.

Taglist: @mssallymckenna , @proudnlittle , @coxmicbabygirl , @sapphicpaulsxn , @its-soph-xx , @fand0m-obsess3d-g33k , @paulsonix , @madamevirgo , @saucy-sapphic , @kikaykimkim , @billiedeansbottom , @d14n4ol

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pcrushinnerd · 2 years

Text

A Second Chance - Part 2

Warnings: Still none.

Pairing: Otto x you/gnreader (if I miss switching over a pronoun, my advanced apologies)

A/N: I clearly don't know what nuclear physicists do. or make my own gifs.

||| masterlist ||| part 1 |||

Part 2

Otto wasn't quite sure what to expect. No, that's not true. He did expect better security at a place like Bellevue--at least the upper floors where the most notorious, high profile patient-prisoners were kept.

As it was, all it took was a bit of home-made chloroform spray and good old lock picking (and, unfortunately in some places, crunching) to get to Norman's suite at the very top floor.

And it was legitimately a suite. Run-down, thread bare carpeting and upholstery, dusty shelves and scratched wood, but it had a master bedroom, bathroom, and office.

The last room of which he found Norman, bent over a desk and scribbling in a notebook. Otto stood by and observed for several moments, but he didn't hear the other man muttering, no cross looks or sudden movements. He seemed calm, collected.

"I was wondering when you'd come."

Otto stepped forward from the shadows. "Norman."

Osborn sat back in his chair. "Tell me, Doctor, when did you get back?"

"A few days ago, it would seem."

Norman nodded. "Hmm. New chip still intact?"

Otto sighed. "It is, thankfully."

A moment of silence, as Osborn mulled and considered. "Do I have the honor of being the first, or, only, person you're paying a visit to?

A pause. "No. My assistant. I spent the night at their apartment, but I said nothing of our...parallel universe experience."

Norman tipped his head, pursed his lips. "Harry didn't tell me you two were so close."

Otto quickly shook his head. "No, no, it's not like that-"

"But you wish it were, don't you?"

"I..." Otto's shoulders fell. He let out a tired laugh or two. "I suppose there's no point in lying about that anymore, given the circumstances." Another pause. "Yes, I do."

"You're sure you haven't tipped them off to what happened to us?" Norman pressed.

"No. Couldn't think of how without seeming...well..."

Knowing glances were exchanged, before Norman rose from his chair and shuffled up to the closest window, to look out through the bars welded to the frame, out onto the city.

"Do you think there's any hope for us, despite what that younger Parker did?"

Norman turned around. "I suppose that depends on what you plan to do now."

"Turn myself in, of course." Otto responded solemnly.

Norman took a deep breath. "I've had a lot of time to think, obviously. Think of what I did, here and...there. I saw no other way. What are we to do, live on the run for the rest of our lives? We're too old for that nonsense, Octavius. You know it, I know it. I will say, though," he moved to sit down again, "out of my darkest moments, I was given a gift I certainly didn't deserve. It's been difficult and not always reciprocated, but a chance to salvage my relationship with Harry has been..." A light entered the other man's eyes, and a little smirk. "Hmm."

"The Harry I remember didn't speak of you much."

"No doubt you remember things quite differently, these past couple of years. I'm not entirely sure what you may know, or don't know, or basically what all I should fill you in on, but I know Harry was funding your fusion project in the hopes that it would be sort of the cash cow that would reinvigorate the company and help fund his less lucrative research into my...problem."

Otto looked down, at the fingers of his one hand squeezing and rubbing the other. How the actuators hovered, docile, near his feet. "I've failed..." He huffed. "So many ways, so spectacularly."

Norman mulled his words. "The only true failure, is in not trying to do our best in the only moment we truly have: the present."

Otto looked up at Norman and chuckled. "When did you get so wise?"

The other man took a deep breath. "Like I said, I've had a lot of time to think in here." He shrugged. "Not much else to do."

Otto hadn't wanted to ask, but: "You haven't had issues with...ah, the Other Guy showing up?"

"I have my moments," Norman answered without hesitation. "Part of what Harry's research is all about. All the lawyers, too, have tried to argue some sort of temporary insanity issue, but..." Many faces flashed across Osborn's mind, the last being a woman from another time and place who, along with her nephew, had been foolhardy enough to help him. "I know ultimately I belong here, though."

Otto couldn't help but compare their situations in his mind. And he knew he couldn't avoid the inevitable any longer.

Otto rose heavily from his seat. "I better go." He turned to leave-

"Otto."

He looked back.

"Your assistant. Harry has told me about them. Make sure they know."

...

You hadn't noticed earlier, but sometime during the night one of the spare blankets you had supplied Otto had been draped over you as you had been curled up on your couch. You also hadn't noticed until he was gone, but the handful of dirty dishes had been washed and put away, and the stack of science journals on your diminutive dining room table had been neatly shuffled into a respectable stack.

You knew you were a heavy sleeper, though not that heavy. Some cold, logical part of your brain chided you; he could have done anything in the middle of the night. But some more reasonable, amenable part knew he wouldn't have.

He may have forgotten you in all this mess and chaos, but he'd never shown you any menace. Had never dragged you into any of it.

You rubbed the frayed ends of the blanket he'd given back to you between your fingers. You weren't even entirely sure he'd even come back today. It was already evening, the city already darkening.

Not that you had much else to do, until you found a new job, but-

A crunching thump on your roof startled you. For not the first nor last time, you was grateful you had the topmost unit in your semi-dilapidated brownstone.

You jumped up and headed toward your bedroom once you heard the squeak and scrape of the sliding glass doors in your bedroom being opened.

Otto stood silent there, all but still except for a hand that was moving in a pocket, and aside from his actuators, which were were all facing at you.

"How did it go?"

"Well... well. My dear."

You couldn't help but smile at the endearment, as if it was more demonstrative and not as well-worn as it was.

"Are you okay?"

It warmed Otto to even just be asked that question after everything that had happened, even though it was by no means a foreign phrase between you as former lab partners.

A rueful smile curled his lips. "Right now, yes." He stepped toward you, but you didn't flinch or step away. Your eyes were locked firmly with his.

"I..." Otto grasped the thing in his pocket and pulled his hand out. "Can I trust you with something?"

"Of course."

Otto held out both hands, still covering...whatever it was. You held out your hands, and he carefully placed the weighty, disk-shaped object into them.

Otto opened his hands over yours to reveal a glowing disk with a triangle motif on the front.

Your eyes sparkled with curiosity at the thing; you could tell it was something special. "What is this?" you whisper-asked.

"Something called an arc reactor. It came from...the place I've been, these last few...weeks."

You stared at this arc reactor for several seconds. "Is it stolen?"

"No," Otto huffed in amusement. "I mean, not on purpose, anyhow." Once he'd snatched the thing from that... Electro or whatever his name was, seemingly from another time line, he'd never gotten the chance to return it to the younger Parker, before he found himself back in his own world. He hoped its absence didn't cause the other Parker any problems, since he had no idea how he'd ever be able to bring it back.

You let out a sigh as you squeezed the bridge of your nose, another familiar gesture. "Otto..."

"I know, I know, I just..." He folded your lithe fingers over the arc reactor. "I trust you with...so much. Including this. Please trust me, the real me, to do what I need to, to...share what I need to, when I can."

You swallowed. "But...but not now, huh?"

"Not now. But soon."

Yours eyes shot up to his, then flitted back down. "Okay." You nodded. "Okay."

Otto hung his head. "Thank you. I know-lack of inhibitor chip or not-I deserve much less."

"Hey." You raised your hand not holding the arc reactor to Otto's face and coaxed his head up to look at you. "I know this wasn't you. The bad stuff. The real you was there all along, just..." You looked aside, but your hand stayed on his cheek.

"I want to tell you more, but you deserve so much more than me."

Your eyes shot up to his again. You struggled for something to say in response for a moment. "That...that's not true."

"You do." A pause, at least on the man's part. The arms were floating, moving around the two of you, watching all this intently. "Don't let me hurt you more than I have already."

You shook your head. "You'd only be hurting me in not letting me have this chance."

You pulled Otto in for a kiss. The first ever between you. It was not happening under the most ideal of circumstances, but given that you had all but settled for the idea that you would never even see Otto again, just 24 hours prior, you were going to relish it. A tentative brush of the lips quickly turned more heated.

Otto didn't respond at first, but any resistance quickly dissipated. He moved to wrap his flesh and bone arms around you. The metal arms soon followed suit, with the lower ones coiling around your legs and hips, and the upper ones also around your torso.

You winced only slightly at the pressure felt at your still-healing back. The metal arms were surprisingly warm, as warm as his flesh and blood ones.

The times you'd examined or otherwise had to move them around in the lab, the metal was always icy to the touch. They'd always bothered you... when Otto first shared their design with you, you'd immediately objected to the intrusive design and AI programming, but he'd kept insisting that they would work "like a dream," but that dream had so quickly become a nightmare.

But all that right now just suddenly...didn't matter.

After some uncounted moments later in each other's embrace, you spoke.

"I love you." It was said so quietly, so small, you weren't even sure you heard yourself right.

The arms around you loosened and Otto drew back. He tugged off a glove and caressed your cheek in turn, as he locked eyes with you.

"Sunshine," he smiled, as he continued to caress your cheek.

He'd called you that before. Not often, but you could recall hearing that nickname right after you both got the news that you had received the grant from Oscorp and you had been so excited; one morning, after you both had had a particularly good week in the lab and you had brought him coffee; after he had seen you home one evening at the end of another week when it had been raining nonstop in New York.

Otto took a deep breath. "I need to go."

All the light went out from your face. "I know," you whispered, as all of Otto's arms fully unwound from around you and he started to move away.

You felt so cold. Blank.

The future was a complete unknown, but chances are, it wasn't good.

Otto moved back towards your sliding glass doors.

The two of you locked eyes.

"I love you, and I'm sorry."

...

A/N 2: There will be a Part 3 and possibly a Part 4, depending on how I structure the rest of this. Stay tuned.

#otto octavius x you #otto octavius x reader #Otto Octavius #doc ock x reader #doc ock x you #doctor octopus x you #doctor octopus x reader #doc ock #doctor octopus #spiderman #spooderman #Spiderman 2 #spiderman no way home #Mel writes I guess

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