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side-shawty · 3 years

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Burn XIV (Stark!Reader)

XIV: Family Business

Fandom: Marvel (MCU)

Type: series

Prompt/Summary: Family is not just blood.

Pairing(s): Peter Parker x Stark!reader, Tony Stark x daughter!reader

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

•

The next morning you somehow found yourself a tangle of arms and legs with Peter.

After the initial wariness of your surroundings faded you were still finding it hard to believe this was all real you relaxed into him again. You pushed your face into his chest and breathed in his calming scent as his strong arms unconsciously tightened around you.

Your eyes slipped closed again and you were almost asleep again when the light sliding of the door opening could be heard.

You hoped they’d go away once they saw you were both asleep but there was no such peace with the Avengers.

“Aww look at how cute they are. You owe me five bucks Sam,” Natasha spoke.

“No you owe me, I said they’d be attached at the hip within 12 hours and you said 20,” you could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“Okay, but I said 8 so, both of you pay up,” Bucky interrupted and it took everything in you not to look at them and roll your eyes.

You could hear the exchange of money and Bucky’s over-enthused “Thank you,” in reply.

Peter groaned beside you and held you closer, “You guys are way too loud,” he told them, eyes still closed.

“And you’re way too stingy, can’t we see her too?” Nat said and you giggled a little at that, effectively blowing your cover.

“She’s up!” Sam said and you and Peter both sat up, rubbing at your eyes and stretching.

“She wants to go back to sleep,” you told them and they laughed lightly.

“No time for that. Time for hugs,” Nat said, coming to your side of the bed.

Meanwhile, Peter got out of the bed and told you he’d be back with breakfast before kissing your cheek. The simple action made you giddy.

“Bleh,” Bucky fake gagged as Peter left and he and sam sat in his now vacant spot.

You hugged each of them tight, you hadn’t realized how much you missed everyone.

“So lover boy was here all night, huh?” Sam asked wiggling his eyebrows as if he didn’t know the answer.

“Yes he was, we talked and we slept and I will take no more questions,” you crossed your arms over your chest.

“That better be it,” Bucky said but there was no threat in his voice that warranted concern.

“Gosh, you’re really showing your age today aren’t you Buck?” Nat teased before turning to you. “Earlier he asked me what an AirPod was,” she laughed and you laughed with her.

“And here I thought you were getting the hang of this new fangled century,” you told him.

“Listen I’m trying okay, everything is so fancy for no reason,” he sulked and you laughed again.

“Seriously though kid, how are you?” Sam questioned and they all looked at you expectantly.

“In one piece,” you said honestly. “Some scrapes and bruises and a cut on the back of my neck that’ll probably scar but I’m alive,” you smiled.

“Was it a shock device?” Bucky asked darkly.

You hesitated before answering, “Yeah.”

Bucky’s metal arm flexed as he balled his hand into a fist, “I’ll fucking kill those HYDRA assholes one day.”

You placed a hand on top of his fist, “Hey,” he looked up at you, “I’m alright. Thanks to all of you I’m here and breathing. I love you guys.”

Before you knew it they pulled you into a hug and you held back tears giving you their own declarations of love. When Peter came back in with food they all decided to let you eat in peace with your boyfriend. Peter told you the doctors would be here around one and in the meantime, you’d probably get several visitors.

All too soon, he had to leave for the city, there was only so much school he could avoid without the possibility of not graduating on time. He left with a promise returning that evening and a soft kiss on your lips.

Before anyone new came in you asked FRIDAY to call your mom downstairs. She helped you shower and change into sweats and one of Peter’s shirts with a wink. She told you that she would have stayed longer but Morgan would be waking up for the day soon.

Your dad stopped by for a little after she left and after Sam and Bucky blew something up he also had to leave.

The next ones to walk through the door were Steve and Rhodey.

“Well if it isn’t two of my favorite soldiers,” you smiled as they walked in.

“As long as I’m the number one favorite I accept,” Rhodey said before gathering you into his arms for a tight hug.

When he let go Steve was next, “Keep dreaming Rhodes.”

“Well I would tell you who my favorite was if I thought it wouldn’t hurt your feelings,” you told them as they had taken the same positions as everyone else and sat on either side of you.

“C’mon now Y/N you wouldn’t want to give the old man a heart attack.”

Steve rolled his eyes.

“Anyways, how are you Y/N?” Steve asked.

“Good, healing, y’know? Seems like it’ll be a long process but I feel better than I did when I first woke up last night.”

“I’m glad to hear it, we’re only going up from here.”

“Definitely, by the way, I haven’t seen Thor, Clint, or Bruce today.”

“Thor is off-world, apparently whatever HYDRA used to brainwash Harley is similar to the mind stone so he’s trying to get it out ahead of it,” Steve told you.

“Clint had to run home, Laura is going to give birth soon and Bruce should be by later with your other doctors,” Rhodey finished.

“Ah got it. I cant wait for little Y/N to be born,” you said.

“Yeah because Barton is definitely gonna want to name is kid after the girl who put retractable grates in the vents to mess with him,” Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“Well he shouldn’t have tried to prank me on my own turf.”

“Everywhere is your turf,” Steve said.

You grinned, “Exactly.”

Steve hesitated before speaking again and his face became solemn, “Listen I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more for you that night.”

“So am I, we’re family, I should have protected you,” Rhodey added. They both let their heads hang low.

You took one of each of their hands into you, “You guys, look at me,” they obeyed, “I’m so incredibly happy right now you have no idea. A lot went wrong but I’m okay, even if I do have to spend a couple extra days in here.”

They both smiled at you and things felt okay again. They stayed for a little while longer leaving you with words of encouragement before you were once again left alone.

However, you weren’t suffocating the way you had been at HYDRA. You asked FRIDAY to project the water by the compound onto the right wall, it felt like you could finally release all the tension in your body.

Before you knew it your eyes slipped closed and you fell asleep.

——

You were awakened again by the sound of the door opening, this time Bruce and your dad walked in with —

“Well this is quite the surprise,” you said smiling.

“How could I not visit my favorite fire-wielding hero,” he spoke and made his way over to bring you into a tight hug.

Bruce hugged you next with a smile and then went over to one of the machines you had unhooked when you first woke up. Your dad gave you a kiss on the forehead and then stood beside the other scientist.

“To what do I owe the pleasure Doctor Strange?” You asked.

“You know me,” He took a seat next to you on the bed, “I love popping in and out but after I heard what happen I made sure your dad kept me in the loop. I know magic stuff keeps me busy but I am still your Godfather,” he told you.

“Mystical Godfather,” Tony threw in, “A totally made up title.”

Strange rolled his eyes and silently mocked your dad, “Still a title.”

“Debatable.”

You laughed lightly at their childishness.

“In all seriousness though, your dad ordered a full workup. He said your flames turned purple and wanted to make sure it didn’t damage your body in a non-tradition sense,” he told you and you nodded.

“So I only get a visit if my life at risk?” You asked overdramatically, throwing a hand to your forehead, “You wound me.”

“Haha, very funny. Now sit up straight while I work my … magic,” he said.

“Booo, your jokes have gotten worse since Christine got pregnant,” However, you sat up straight as he stood.

Strange was quick to begin in a flash of warm light symbols surrounded you, several of them had even went in and out of your body.

After a few minutes, he was finished and the light and symbols faded away. His face was littered with mixed emotions.

“What is it?” You asked, concerned.

“Are you alright?” Strange asked and the question grabbed the attention of Bruce and Tony.

You were confused, “I mean aside from some injuries that might scar I feel fine.”

“Tired? Weak? Foggy mind?” Strange asked.

“Barely, it was bad when I first woke up though. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Part of what a ‘full workup’ is is looking into your soul or aura and it seems like whatever happened when you released those purple flames caused a hole,” Strange explained.

The room was silent. All three men looked at you anxiously as you sat in shock, you weren’t sure what to say.

“So a piece of he is just poof! Gone?” Tony asked, bewildered at the idea.

“It’s a small piece but essentially, yes. There’s a chance it may come back over time but things like this are usually done only in dire situations of stress or emotional turmoil.”

“Well my situation checks all the boxes,” you said quietly to yourself.

It was then that tour father decided to move from his spot beside Bruce and wrap an arm around your shoulders.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“I think so, this is just a lot to process.”

He nodded and the room fell into silence once again.

“Well on the bright side,” Bruce spoke up, “It seems the damage Hydra did to your powers was temporary. If your readings are correct, you should be at 100% in no time,” he finished with a comforting smile.

“Thanks, Bruce. That actually does make me feel a little better,” you smiled with him.

After that Bruce ran a couple more tests and then the three men were gone again. However, your father did leave you your phone which you were beyond grateful for. You were playing a random game on it when Dr. Evans came to give you a quick check-up and update before leaving.

You had a few more hours of peace before your next visitor decided to show their face, it had to be well after sunset by now.

There were two knocks on your door and you replied for them to come in. You locked your phone and placed it on your bed as he entered and for some reason seeing him made you lose your breath.

“Harley,” you whispered.

•

NEXT CHAPTER

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preciousmetals0 · 4 years

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Will Netflix Bow to Baby Yoda?

Will Netflix Bow to Baby Yoda?:

All We Are Saying

Ev’rybody’s talking ’bout revolution, evolution, regulation, meditations, United Nations…

But all the Federal Reserve is saying is give quantitative easing (QE) a chance. Actually, the Fed isn’t saying that … directly, anyway. (Sorry for the poor lead-in, John.)

Today, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell held U.S. interest rates steady and promised to keep lending markets stable. Practically everyone on Wall Street expected this, and practically everyone is talking about steady interest rates.

However, what few are talking about is the fact that the Fed just flooded the repo market with $70.2 billion in temporary liquidity. This is at least the fourth time the overnight lending market (aka the repo market) has created enough of a stir to gain Great Stuff’s attention. And if it’s getting my attention, it should get yours.

The repo problem first reared its ugly head back in September, when the Fed dumped $128 billion into the repo market to stabilize liquidity for bank reserves. Wall Street brushed the occurrence off like it was no big deal.

But it happened again in October, prompting the Fed to establish a program to provide $60 billion in liquidity per month to address the problem.

And, as you already know, that $60 billion wasn’t enough. This time, the Fed needed to drop $70.2 billion in temporary lending funds into the market.

The problem here is that if the repo market dries up, there is no “lender of last resort” to financial institutions, hedge funds and, apparently, publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs).

But while REITs got a bad name following last month’s revelation on AGNC, a recent study by the Bank for International Settlements indicates that big banks and hedge funds are more to blame. With banks concentrating more of their holdings in U.S. Treasurys, it’s limited “their ability to supply funding at short notice in repo markets,” the report said.

The Takeaway:

The time for downplaying the repo market’s woes is gone. The Fed’s balance sheet has ballooned to $4.07 trillion from bailing out the repo market. That’s no small feat.

Something is seriously — possibly systemically — wrong with the financial markets right now … and the Fed is running around like a cartoon character on a sinking ship, plugging holes with its fingers.

What’s more, the problem isn’t limited to the U.S. Issues are now becoming apparent in Europe’s $9 trillion repo market.

Nobody likes the term quantitative easing (QE), but when the Fed dumps billions into the market to rescue financial firms, what else would you call it?

It’s time Wall Street and the Federal Reserve address the elephant in the room. Something is decidedly wrong. A large financial institution — maybe a large bank or hedge fund — or two (or three) is in trouble. Right now, we’re putting Band-Aids on the problem, hoping it’ll go away.

It won’t. There’s a reason why Credit Suisse believes that the Fed will need to launch a “QE4” to help shore up the repo market’s cash crunch. And the sooner we find out what that is and address it, the better.

The Good: The Wearables Wonder

I don’t get the wearables market. Specifically, things like Apple Inc.’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) AirPods and Apple Watch do nothing for me. I haven’t worn a watch since I got a smartphone, and I have a set of Bluetooth earbuds that I paid less than $30 for.

Clearly, I’m not Apple’s target market. But while I might be a curmudgeon when it comes to wearables, the market is reportedly huge. Both Bank of America and Evercore ISI lifted their price targets on AAPL shares today — BofA from $270 to $290 and Evercore to $305 from $275.

Both ratings firms cited strong demand for AirPods and the Apple Watch. Both cited strong margins on Apple’s wearables products, with favorable sales figures sure to come out of the holiday season. Both also noted low expectations for the iPhone 11, stating that the iPhone would outperform this year.

Personally, I’m more hyped about the growth in Apple’s services business … but not hyped enough to recommend buying the stock just yet.

The Bad: Down on the Depot

Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is holding its analyst day tomorrow, and the company decided to get out in front of the event to set expectations.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a bit of a disconnect between HD and analysts on this front.

Home Depot says it expects 2020 sales growth of 3.5% to 4%, same-store sales growth of 3.5% to 4% and operating margins of 14%.

Analysts, however, expect 2020 sales growth of 4.4% and same-store sales growth of 4.3%. Kind of a bummer, right?

Investors think so, and HD shares are down nearly 2% as a result. Home Depot will have some ’splaining to do at tomorrow’s event.

The Ugly: Nothing but Netflix No Longer

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) launched Disney+ and is revamping Hulu. Viacom and CBS completed the merger to become, well, ViacomCBS Inc. (NYSE: CBS) and is backing Pluto TV hard. Even Apple’s Apple TV+ is gaining traction.

The streaming world just got a lot more complicated for Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX). The OG content streamer is still king of the market, but everyone is gunning for the top. And they’re doing so with much lower prices than Netflix.

Because of this, Needham analyst Laura Martin downgraded NFLX to underperform this week. Martin believes that Netflix will lose 4 million U.S. subscribers in 2020 due to these lower-cost competitors. To offset the competition, Martin said that Netflix needs to launch a lower-cost subscription option and consider supporting this tier with ads.

The lower-cost plan isn’t a bad idea, but ad support will turn many subscribers off. I know that I cut the cord to both lower my costs and get rid of ads. I pay for the higher-tier Hulu plan just to avoid ads.

I still remember that time long, long ago when there were no ads on cable TV. (Anyone else remember that?) I hated when they started appearing on cable. I paid for the service, not for the ads. It’s the same with streaming. Start putting ads in my streaming, and I’ll find somewhere else to spend my money … or go the free route with Pluto TV. (Seriously, ViacomCBS is onto something big here.)

That said, if Netflix does lose 4 million customers next year, it may have no other choice but to follow Martin’s suggestions.

There’s so much Great Stuff out there today that we’re giving you a two-for-one deal on funny today. (This is getting out of hand; now there are two of them!)

Aah … a throwback to the infamous “people familiar with the matter.”

Umm … thanks, SEC? I don’t know if it’s funnier that the SEC tweeted this or that it really should be taken as serious advice.

Great Stuff: Help Your Friends Make Billions!

Are you hoarding all this Great Stuff for yourself?

I don’t blame you. If I had a financial e-zine with a trading chart that could help me make billions, I’d keep it quiet too.

But no … no! Shame on you for not sharing!

Where’s your holiday spirit?

Sharing is caring, and Great Stuff cares.

So, if you have a friend who still gets their daily financial news in that dry, Waspy old format from the major financial publications, forward them today’s copy of Great Stuff.

Liven up their day. Help them make billions too!

They’ll thank you for it.

Finally, don’t forget to like and follow Great Stuff on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

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goldira01 · 4 years

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