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nyxetoile · 3 years

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BLACK WIDOW SPOILERS

Nyx! First off, the MOMENT i saw the pigs I thought about Amanda’s serum guinnea pigs 😂

Second, I would like to know your opinion on the two fake parents, specifically the fact that they were forgiven by Nat and Yelena. I know I’m reading a lot of my own abuse in them, but I’m finding that other people agree on the both of them being manipulative, without remorse and basically irredeemable. I hate the fact that they were forgiven, especially since the plot is to destroy the red room, only for the sisters to turn around and forgive the ones who sent them there 🤷🏻‍♀️ it’s the only thing I dislike about an otherwise excellent movie. What do you think about it?

I will say first off, that I really wish we'd had more time to spend on the girls' relationship with the Melina and Alexei to really dig into some of this. But I did not have a problem with the forgiveness or the redemption, despite my own history of abuse. Because I think, in their own ways, Melina and Alexei were also abused/manipulated.

This got really long so, more under the cut.

Melina specifically says, when they're bugging out of Ohio, that she doesn't want to go. I think those three years being a family were probably the best years of their lives too. They did clearly care about the girls and in many ways raised them. Melina kept the photo album and Alexei has a tattoo of two roses with Natasha and Yelena's names under them.

The did not send the girls to the Red Room, the girls were in the Room before, that's why they were put in as spies. Nat tries to protect Yelena saying "she's only six" and Alexei says "You were younger" (This also means Yelena was 3 when the Ohio job started) These girls are clearly taken by Dreykov as toddlers to start training. Nat knows how to fly a plane and disarm a guard at ten. One could argue, I suppose, that they should have tried to prevent the girls from going back in, by Melina was on a stretcher bleeding out and Alexei was clearly drinking the Soviet Kool Aid at that time. Even if he'd tried, he probably just would have been killed and maybe gotten the rest of them killed too.

So let's dig into what they know about the "parents." Alexei seems to have been, essentially, a patriotic Russian, who was disillusioned and fell out of favor and then sent to a gulag. He was experimented on and became a super soldier, so there is an obvious Steve Rogers parallel to be made. Westerners probably balk at the idea of comparing a Soviet to Captain America but hey, it was his country and he was being told this was how it would be saved and become a global super power. Maybe he's a little gullible. Maybe he was grateful for becoming a super soldier. He sees his youth as his glory days and is striving to be good enough to have them again. I think, when he refers to their time as a family as boring, it's because he's had to diminish it in his mind as a protection. If he remembers it fondly, as a time in his life he was happy, then he can't be satisfied with the other parts of his life. He defines himself as the Soviet SuperSolider and acknowledging that being a suburban dad was better than that is destabilizing.

When he sees the girls, he immediately slips into Dad mode, even if they don't really want him to. He tries to give them multiple pep talks and tell them stories, but they're all colored by the life he lived. A life that was filled with violence and following the party line else he gets sent to prison, which he eventually was. Basically, it boils down to, I think Alexei wanted to be/thought he was a good loving dad, he's just sort of bad at it. Because his morals and priorities have been warped by a very strong propaganda machine, both from the Soviets, and Dreykov, but also his own mind. He remembers Yelena's favorite song, 20 years later, enough to sing it with her. (A song with the word America in it!) How many times did he hum that to himself in prison, and think about the glimpse of a normal life he had?

Melina is both trickier and more straight forward. She's a Black Widow, from a very, very young age, like Nat. She tells her she'd done 4 rounds in the Red Room before Nat was even born. God knows how many different kinds of programming and re-programming she's had. Her and Bucky could probably trade stories. (And you have to wonder, why 4? Did she rebel a few times and need some refreshers?) She's also clearly a brilliant scientist. So eventually she learned to behave, do what she's told and maybe she'll get a smidgeon of freedom, a moment of peace. That's like, the definition of an abuse victim. Like she says, she was born in a cage and never saw a way out. She's a direct parallel/shadow to Nat. She's what Nat would have been if she hadn't met Clint and gotten out. A brilliant woman ground under the heel of an abuser until it was too late to see any other way. And the instant she learns that what she taught Nat mattered, that she had some small part in Nat being able to escape and have a life, she turns on the Red Room and risks her life to take it down.

At its core, Black Widow is about abuse victims - in different stages of abuse/recovery - taking down their abuser with extreme prejudice. Nat is out of the abuse, she's recovered, she's created a life and friends/family away from it, but is willing to put herself at risk to prevent him from hurting others. Yelena is newly out, just learning what that means and very much at risk of falling back in. Alexei had been abandoned by his abuser and is still so much under his sway he wants back in, because it's safe and familiar, but when the girls offer him a better way he takes it, for the chance to be free for good. Melina, Taskmaster, and all the current Widows are still in the abusers control, too afraid or institutionalized, or just plain tired, to fight back. In the end it takes all of them, in big and small ways, to burn Dreykov alive in a crashing helicopter. And that's really beautiful

#bw spoilers #black widow spoilers #tw abuse

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castielgurl · 5 years

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What Is And What Should Never Be Chapter 3

Natasha Painting by Steve Rogers

Art by: Javiartrealistic

Vormir 2014

James felt a little awkward with Uncle Bucky. Even though they both had the same name. He doesn`t really know Bucky. He just heard stories from his father before. He was his father best friend.

"Did your parents named you after me?" Bucky suddenly broke the silence. They climb a steep mountain. Vormir a dark and cold, No wonder why Clint didn`t want to return to this place again.

"Yeah, my dad often told me about Uncle," James answered. Mountain climbing is not a problem for James neither Bucky.

"Jeez, punks don`t call me Uncle I'm not that old." Bucky feels uncomfortable

"Aren`t you like hundred years old? Do you want me to call you grandpa?" James sarcastically

"You are just like your mother." Bucky chuckle

They arrived at the top of the mountain. But there's nothing there. No one, they didn`t see the red floating guys as what Clint told them before. James looked down to the bottom of the cliff. He now saw where his mother dies. He was horrified and sad when he remembers how her mother died below. What was in her mind when she fell? She must be scared. She probably was hurt so much. Her bone might be broken. With that James squeeze, he fist. This is not how things should end for her.

"James, it looks like the red guy is gone, the stone is gone, and your mother is gone," Bucky said, patting James's shoulder

"How do you know?" James asked

"Look at that" Bucky shows a portrait placed between the stone. The portrait is a beautiful woman, it was Natasha. He recognized the painting; the details all are similar to his father signature sketch. It must have been painted by his father. James took the painting. Behind is was written the note

"When I got here, I really thought I could save Natasha, but when I got to the top, there was nothing, no one, I tried to drop the rock down the cliff, but nothing happened, the stone back in my hands I don`t even know what I'm doing - I finally confess my defeat - I cannot get Natasha back, I leave this portrait here, so that the next person comes here, who came here for the stone, unfortunately, the stone you looking for is gone. I do this for Natasha. So no one else will sacrifice someone they care about. Natasha was the last; I believe that's what she wants me to do.

Natasha, we love you. You are always in our hearts.'

I love you.”

James makes a mistake. He thought his father didn`t care about his mother.

"It seems like we need to go elsewhere James" Bucky said as he patted the young man shoulders.

Brooklyn 1950

Steve was sitting and looking at the yard. His son and daughter are playing together. Steve never dreamed of having a family. Steve has gone through a lot of things when he managed to restore all of Infinity Stones he finally made the choice to return to 1940 to return to Peggy. She was initially shocked and disbelieved. Steve then told everything about where he came from.

Steve's daughter is five years old; his son is three years old. Steve has been married to Peggy for 6 years. Steve was very happy. Now he didn`t use Steve’s name anymore to avoid confusion with Steve who is in the ice. He is now Jack Monroe, but he still has the soul of a warrior. He runs a mission to eliminate HYDRA and Nazi before it develops within SHIELD. Nevertheless, Steve's priority now is his children. Captain America persona is now changing into Nomad.

Peggy set up SHIELD with Howard Stark. Nomad works secretly under SHIELD. He is a mysterious superhero. No one knows his identity except Peggy and Howard. Steve feels he's finally back home. Everything is very familiar and comfortable. Steve also tried to track Bucky before he turned into a cruel assassin. He succeeded and now Bucky works beside him as a sidekick to Nomad. But they had to use Super Soldier Serum to recover him from injuries due to the Bucky incident that fell from the train during the war with Red Skull. Steve has everything; he's together with the love of his life and his best friend also alive and becomes a hero as it should be.

But sometimes Steve is remembering his life in modern times. He sometimes misses fast food as in modern times and how everyone treats equally regardless of race or skin color. He misses his Avengers friends. Sam, Wanda, Thor, Bruce, or even Tony who was passing away and of course Natasha. Steve paints pictures of his friends. He worries if he will forget their faces. All his paintings are stored in his house.

Steve painted one of Natasha's portraits. It is very valuable to him. Peggy once asked who the woman was, the painting looked very personal and the way he described the woman in the painting as she was very meaningful in Steve's life. Steve takes the longest time to complete the women portrait. Steve never answered Peggy's questions. Sometimes Steve wept while painting her portrait. But Steve still refused to tell who and what happened to that woman. Peggy always remembered that she knew her husband but in fact many things she didn`t know about Steve.

Meanwhile James Rogers and James Barnes go to Brooklyn in 1951. They stole some outfits so they seemed like fit that era. James felt uncomfortable with his clothes. Everyone looked at James suspiciously. James's hair color and hairstyle would definitely steal the attention of the people around him.

He was fortunate enough to bring with him a hundred-year-old fossil. Bucky knows all the way there and he knows where Steve will be. Bucky brings James to the bar that was often where Bucky and Steve always hang out. They met someone very familiar.

Bucky greeted the man who was trying to charm a blonde woman.

"Hey, you Casanova! We need to talk for a moment" Bucky shows a gesture to chat in a quieter place. The young man, who was initially harsh, began to change when he turned and looked at Bucky's face.

"Sorry, beautiful, I'll be back in a moment," said the dark-haired man.

James was also surprised to see the young man's face. Although the man is without a beard, he knows the man. Bucky and the man looked at each other. How can be another Bucky in this timeline?

“Who are you?” The young Bucky ask as he pointed at his older self

“I am you but better” Bearded Bucky answers it with a smug on his face

“Where is Captain Steve Rogers?” James asking

“Who is this kid?” young Bucky asks

“Answer our question first,” Bucky tells

“Not going tell mine, unless you tell me yours,” young Bucky said as he lifts his eyebrows

James and James tell their story about time travel. The young Bucky didn`t look surprised. Because he had seen Steve from the future and save him from becoming Hydra Assassin. The older Bucky didn`t surprise that Steve will try to pull him out from the miserable life that happens in the future.

“Why do guys need to see Steve for?” Young Bucky asks while driving them to the Steve home far from Brooklyn town.

"We believe he has something we want to look for, or he'll know where the stone is." The old Bucky replied

"So this is all because of a stone? Like Tesseract?" Young Bucky knows about a stone with unlimited power. "Steve has such a stone? He never told me about it, here he is not known as Steve, and he is now called Jack Monroe"

They arrive at a classic 50s home, it's not big and luxurious but it's a beautiful and quiet home.

"Steve? Someone wants to see you" Peggy calls Steve who is sitting

Steve entered the living room of his home and was surprised to see the bearded Bucky sitting on his couch.

"Bucky? You're from the future? Hey punk what are you doing here?" Steve came to embrace his friend.

“You jerk look at you. You are a daddy now old man? It fits you” Bucky said as he laughs

Although he is with Bucky in every mission he still misses a friend from his modern world. Steve sat down with Bucky on the sofa before looking at a young man sat beside Bucky.

"Sorry we have not met, I'm Steve." he reached out to shake hands

James's reaction is very difficult to describe. He took a long time before he shakes his father's hand. He used to see the older and mature version of Steve who old fashion and protective. Seeing his younger father reminds him of the time when he was a child. He literally shaking.

"Um ..me James Ro ... You can call me James" James said before shaking Steve's hands

"Oh hey, Bucky who is he?" Steve wondered because he didn`t know who this young man was

"James, you just tell him who you are," Bucky told James

"Umm I want to talk about that stone; we know you know where the Soul Stone is. We went to Vormir and we have read your notes and your painting, I know who she is" James tried to avoid telling Steve because he didn`t want to shock him. Especially Peggy was there too.

"Natasha? You know her?" Steve was astonished as to how this young man knows Natasha

"The Black Widow, she's very important to me, she is my mother," James responded

"What do you mean, you are Natasha son? I didn`t know Nat has a son, and I know she couldn`t have a child. But are you one of Natasha's orphanages?" Steve knew about Natasha having opened a nursing home for children that lost parents after Thanos.

"No, actually it was completely different stories. I am not from this world. I am from another universe. In my universe where I live in, The Avengers are living a different life. It's the same as they call the Parallel Universe. In my universe, Natasha is the mother who gave birth to me, and my dad is you” James finally reveal who he was.

“What?” Steve reaction is priceless.

Next Chapter : James angry conversation with his father.

You can read in AO3 Here https://archiveofourown.org/works/18920308/chapters/44991490

#natasha romanoff #Steve Rogers #james rogers #romanogers #romanogersweek #Avengers #avengers endgame #stevenatasha #steve x natasha #stevetasha #capwidow

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 5 years

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I watched Endgame yesterday, and as a fan of Steve and Bucky's relationship (platonic or romantic), it really bothered me how the movie ended. I'm not sure if you know what happens, but since you said you were okay with spoliers and rants, here it is: in the end, after little to no interaction with Bucky, and their little moments being very downplayed (and very 100% no homo "dude"), basically ignoring their strong bond, Steve goes back in time to stay with Peggy, breaking the...

2/2 … newly stablished time travel laws of the MCU, and worse, letting it implied that he abandoned Bucky to his fate as a Hydra puppet for years, as well ignoring all the world problems that were happening, just to live a married life with Peggy. And there’s also the fact that the children Peggy would have had won’t have existed anymore. That was completely OOC for Cap, and a complete disrepect to the character development and story archs of these three characters, who deserved so much better.

Sorry it took me so long to answer this one. I know I said I was okay with spoilers but I figured answering this would be best to leave until after I actually saw Endgame so I can have context. Well, I saw Endgame this weekend so now I have context. And the whole Steve situation did bug me too.

Well, my first main gripe with this and it’s really a gripe I have with the entire movie, is how they went about time-traveling. I kind of understand how time-travel in the MCU works but it’s really messy and very confusing and vague. And I think they made it messy and confusing and vague on purpose so they could theoretically do whatever they want. Most times whenever a story introduces time-travel, it never really makes sense but it feels like the MCU went out of their way for it to not make sense. And then, they don’t even follow their own pre-established rules. According to their own rules, we shouldn’t even have met Steve as an old man because when he went back to live a life with Peggy, him going creates a mini-timeline within the main-timeline that has no bearing on the main timeline. If Peggy had originally married someone else in the main timeline and had children with that person, that family line would still exist in the main timeline because Steve going back doesn’t change what’s already happened in the future. And of course, these time travel rules are actually built to not leave our characters any consequences for mucking around with time (but that’s a discussion for another time). But my point is, how did he pop up in the main timeline? I guess the only thing that makes sense is that at some point the timelines merged together again? It’s weird. Like I said, the writers made the logistics of time-travel vague and messy on purpose to basically facilitate them doing whatever they wanted. And I suppose with the logic of the main timeline not being changed when you time-travel, theoretically Steve may have stopped Hydra from taking control of S.H.I.E.L.D. and saved Bucky from years of torment, that all just happened in a mini-timeline existing somewhere along the axis of the main timeline. Like I said, it’s really messy and in the end, it still doesn’t make sense for why we met old Steve. The MCU would’ve been better off just using multi-verse theory. It’s much cleaner to just say that everything you change when time-traveling creates a parallel universe.

And it was weird that over the past movies, so much was being put into the relationship of Steve and Bucky (platonic or romantic) and they were basically an afterthought in both Infinity Way and Endgame. I never really shipped Stucky in any platonic or romantic way, as I’ve said before, I’m just a casual viewer of the MCU and so I never really had too much of a stake in the franchise. But I did admire their relationship and I don’t hate the idea of them being romantically involved. I’m not really surprised they “no homo’d” Stucky, but I am surprised that with the amount of work that went into building this friendship that lasted over 70 years and fought through brainwashing, that Endgame didn’t focus on it at all. Especially when you consider what they did with Clint and Nat. The writers went out of their way basically to show that a male and female can be just friends with no romantic entanglement. The writers showed through Clint and Nat that you can have this incredibly deep connection with each other and still keep things platonic. I can understand the writers not wanting to take Stucky in a romantic direction but it doesn’t mean they couldn’t have something that’s similar to what Clint and Nat had.

Although in the ending scene, it did seem clear to me that Bucky knew that when Steve went back to return all the infinity stones, that he wasn’t going to come back. So it kind of implies that he and Steve least had a conversation about it. But still, I hate that we didn’t get that conversation especially considering how much Steve means to Bucky. It can’t be easy for Bucky to now have to live in this timeline without Steve around. They both were put into this era where they really didn’t belong so without having Steve around, without having someone who understands that, I feel like it’s going to be really hard on Bucky. And it certainly is weird that Steve would just sit out the next few decades with the knowledge that Hydra is currently infiltrating Hydra and that Bucky is being tormented and he doesn’t do anything about that.

And I just feel very weird about Steve showing up to begin his new life with Peggy because it basically devalues the life she had without him. She lived an entire timeline without him, she had a husband and children and presumably she was happy with that life and taking away that happiness she had originally found in the main timeline just so Steve can have his happily ever after, Peggy’s happily ever after be damned. Granted, I’m certainly not saying that she was truly happy with the life she ended up having. We really don’t know. But I got to imagine that someone like Peggy married whoever she did and had children with that person because she was genuinely happy with that person.

I think the only character that was really treated well by any standard was probably Tony Stark. A lot of emphasis was placed on him and his Endgame. Avengers Endgame was less so about the Infinity War Endgame but Tony Stark’s Endgame.

#endgame spoilers

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marvelous-heroimagines · 7 years

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Collateral Damage

Requested by: Anonymous (Here are the specifics)

Pairing: Reader x Steve Word Count: 2.2K Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff, paralysis

A/N: Reader is basically War Machine. In this oneshot, Rhodey retired the suit to her.

This was longer than I expected!

You knew that choosing Tony’s side was the ultimate betrayal, but you’d made your choice. No matter how many times you tried to reason with Steve, he refused to see your logic. Your parents had died in the Battle of New York; not because of the Chitauri, but because they were crushed by falling debris that the Hulk that rained down on the city in his mindless attempt to stop the alien invaders. You had never blamed Bruce, or any of the Avengers, for your parents’ death; but when limitations came into question, you were one of the first to sign the Accords. You didn’t want anyone else to go through losing their parents if it was avoidable.

As sound as your logic seemed to you, Steve couldn’t follow your lead. He was choosing to defend his childhood friend, and you couldn’t blame him for that. Bucky was the only family Steve still had. You’d heard all about Bucky, from Steve’s countless stories, and knew that he wasn’t behind the Vienna attacks. So when he fled the country to save his friend - after failing to convince you to join him - there was nothing you could do. You’d chosen your side, and your boyfriend had chosen his.

Never did you think that choosing the opposite side would pit you against the man you loved. You were forced to fight Steve, Sam, Wanda and Clint - people you now considered family - and it made your stomach twist with every thrown punch or fired repulsor.

The fight was winding down, and when you heard that Nat had let Steve and Bucky get away on the quinjet you were relieved. But then Tony’s orders barked in your ear.

“Y/N! Stop them,”

You swallow back the nausea of having to, possibly, shoot your boyfriend out of the sky and you fly into the air, your sights set on the quinjet that was fading into the distance.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper entirely to yourself as you chase Steve and Bucky,

“You’ve got Falcon on your 6,” the A.I. in your suit informs you. You ignore its warning, secretly hoping that Sam would catch up with you and bring you down.

Suddenly, a hot blast hits your chest. It didn’t bother you at first, the War Machine suit had taken worse hits, but then the A.I. interface that lined your mask goes black. The next second, you’re not flying through the air anymore. You’re falling.

“Tony!” you try to sound calm but your wavering voice gave away how scared you were, “I’m flying dead stick,”

Your heart hammers in your chest as you lose all sense of direction. You’re falling fast, and all you can see out of the suit’s eye holes is a blur of green and blue. You try your best to stay to calm, but you know it’s going to be a crash landing. Your eyes start to grow heavy as you rapidly fall, you were starting to lose consciousness.

Your descent mimics your heart beat, both going faster and faster. Then it’s all over. You black out within milliseconds of hitting the ground.

Your eyes feel heavy as you stir from unconsciousness. Before you can force them open, you hear a rhythmic beeping.

“She’s coming to,” you hear a strange voice call. You can’t tell where the voice is coming from, but it’s close.

Your eyes flutter open as a loud bang reverberates through the room. You’re in the Avenger’s compound’s infirmary. It wasn’t the first time you’d woken up here, but as your memories flood back, it was the first time you were scared to be here.

Rolling your head to the side, you try to shake off the drowsiness as you see Tony rush over to you. You remember the fight in Germany, having to chase after your boyfriend as he fled with his best friend, and falling from the sky while still in the War Machine suit. So, you lived the fall from thousands of feet in a metal coffin, that was a miracle within itself.

“Hey kiddo,” Tony coos, making your attention focus on him, “How’re you feeling?”

“Everything hurts,” you say, realising that it hurt to breathe. You’d definitely broken some ribs, “But I’m alive,”

Tony nods as his bottom lip is pulled between his teeth. He chews on it while his eyes dart down towards your legs. You can tell something’s wrong. Following his gaze, you hold your breath as scary thoughts start to run through your head. Luckily, the two mounds beneath the hospital blanket tell you that you still had both legs, and both feet.

“What’s wrong?” you question, your eyes sliding back to stare at Tony’s worried expression,

“You’ve been in a coma for 3 days,” he breathes out, “We did as many tests and scans as we could in that time...” he stops as his eyes dart to the end of your bed again.

A crease forms between your brows, and you follow his stare once more. You almost jump when you see a doctor - someone you’d never met before, probably the best money could buy - poking your feet with his pen. You hadn’t even felt the cold breeze when the doctor had exposed your feet from beneath the blanket and sheets.

Silence falls over the room as you watch the doctor continue to prod your toes. You hold your breath as he starts running the pen up and down the soles of your feet. His eyes dart up to meet your stare, and you see a worried look in his eyes.

Your heart rate picks up as you realise, you couldn’t feel his pen. And you couldn’t feel the cool air on your toes or legs.

“Tony,” you say with a shaky voice, “Why can’t I feel that?”

“It’s as we suspected,” the doctor speaks to Tony, avoiding your desperate stare, “Complete paralysis from the waist down,”

Your shallow breathing hitches in your throat, and you feel like you’re going to be sick. Your eyes dart back to Tony, who only hangs in head.

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbles, his voice cracking on the apology, “I never meant for this to happen,”

You’re silent for what feels like hours. The two men don’t speak, probably letting you process everything.

“Is Steve okay?” is the first thing you say.

Tony’s head snaps up, a frown already in place, “What?”

“Are Steve and Bucky okay?” you say with a stronger voice, “Did they get to Siberia? Did they stop Zemo from reactivating the remaining Soldiers?”

Tony pulls a chair up to your bed, “Y/N, that can’t be the first question you’re asking?” he almost scoffs,

“Tell me what happened?”

Tony tells you everything. How the real psychologists body was found, and he immediately flew to Siberia, to help his Captain, how the other Winter Soldiers had a been a ruse and Zemo was wanting Tony and Steve to kill each other; how Steve defeated Tony, defending Bucky; and how T’Challa flew Tony back to the States just in time to hear about your injuries.

“I’ve got to see him,” you say after Tony’s monologue, “Where is he?”

“Steve?” Tony questions. You only stare at him and nod once, “I don’t know,” he sighs.

Your stomach drops. Steve was out there somewhere, and if he knew about your accident, he’d be beating himself up about it.

“The moment he contacts us. You’re taking me to him,” it wasn’t a question. It was a demand,

“How do you know-?”

“It’s Steve,” you cut Tony off. He just sighs and gives you a small nod.

There was a chance you’d be able to walk again, but it wouldn’t be a quick and easy road to recovery. It only took Tony 2 days to work up a prototype that allowed you to walk - kind of. You called them robot legs, and they were heavy and bulky; although still smaller than the bottom half of the War Machine suit, and you’d been trying to use them everyday. The physical therapy was exhausting; not just physically, but mentally. But you kept at it, determined to walk again. And the therapy gave you something to concentrate on other than Steve.

“These are version 7,” Tony explains as he helps you out of your wheelchair. He’d made a prototype everyday, in the hopes that the next version would do the trick, “Tell me if you think of any way to improve them,”

You lean heavily on Tony as he helps you to the parallel bars that assisted your physical therapy. You were strong before, but now you had more upper body strength than ever - having to rely on your arms to transport you everywhere. But it still wasn’t enough. You can only manage to take 3 steps without the parallel bars before you fall to the floor.

Tony tries to help you, but you push him off; your pride getting the better of you. A sudden knock on the glass window draws both of your attentions. An elderly man dressed in a Fed-Ex uniform is squinting through his glasses at the two of you - still crouched on the floor.

“Are you Tony... Stank?” the man shouts. Tony immediately groans while you crack up laughing. It was the first time you’d laughed since the Accords. It felt strange to laugh, but good.

Tony reluctantly signs for the package while your eyes are trained on it, your stomach flipping with excitement.

“It’s Steve,” you conclude. Tony hums a confirmation as his eyes scan a letter.

Still on the ground, you reach up and snatch the package out of his hands. An old mobile phone falls out. This was it. You were finally going to be able to see your boyfriend again.

The quinjet lands softly, and you’re already set to roll down the cargo door before it even opens. But when it does, you freeze. There he was, staring at you, tears already in his eyes.

Your face lights up, and you move your wheelchair faster than ever before to get to Steve, “Oh my god, you’re okay!” you gush, staring up at his tall frame.

He doesn’t say anything. He stares at you for the longest time, a strangled, stifled sob coming from his throat. You were so excited to see Steve that you had completely forgotten that seeing you in a wheelchair was going to be a new thing for him.

“Hey,” you coo, bringing his gaze to your eyes, “I’m okay,”

Steve still remains silent, and for the first time you notice T’Challa standing a few steps behind.

“Let’s go inside,” the Wakandan King suggests. You nod and wheel yourself after him.

T’Challa’s house - or rather palace - was exquisite. But your attention was solely on Steve, walking beside you; shoulders slumped and eyes staring at the ground. T’Challa leads the two of you to a room with couches and lounge chairs - probably one of thousands - and quietly leaves you and Steve alone.

Steve is frozen at the door, his eyes glued to your chair. So you take the lead, wheeling yourself over to the largest couch and parking your wheelchair beside it. He stares at your chair while you stare at him, neither of you speaking or moving for quite some time.

“Babe,” you finally break the silence, “Please come sit,”

Steve obeys your requests, but still seems uncomfortable as he sits on the end of the couch. He’s avoiding your gaze, but you notice tears in his eyes. Silently, you hook a finger under his chin and force him to look at you.

“I’m okay,” you reassure his silent worry,

“No, you’re not,” he speaks for the first time, “You’re paralysed,”

“Not forever,” it wasn’t exactly a lie, but you didn’t need to get into specifics right now, “Hey,” you say again when his gaze moves, focusing on the wall behind you. Your voice makes him look at you again, eyes red and puffy from tears, “Trust me, I’m okay,”

Steve just shakes his head, “I fucked everything up,”

“There’s always going to be collateral damage in a war,” you intended to lighten the mood, but your words do the opposite, a strangled cry coming from your boyfriends throat,

“I never wanted you to get hurt,” he tells you,

“I know, honey,” your voice soft and light, “I don’t blame you,”

“You should,”

“Well, I’m stubborn like that,” Steve stares at you. After a few moments of smirking at your boyfriend, he finally lets a light, short lived chuckle emerge, “I made my choice. I was fighting for what I believed was right, and I paid a price. I’m the only one to blame... And maybe Vision’s terrible aim,” Steve lets another soft chuckle sound from his lips, and you see him finally start to relax, “I love you, Steven Rogers, and I would never blame you for something that you didn’t have a hand in,”

Steve nods, finally accepting your words. Grasping his face, you pull him towards you so that you can finally kiss him. He softens further at your touch, and lets a strong hand run through your hair. His forehead comes to rest on yours when the kiss finishes.

“What now?” Steve whispers, his eyes closed as he rests on you,

“I’ve got cool robot legs I want to show you,” you say playfully, making him chuckle and shake his head.

Tags: @leahhavoc, @meep-meep22, @klutzly, @addictwithafandomblog, @hantu369mc, @redstarstan, @heismyhunter, @coffeeismylife28, @goldenlifevsgutter1996, @buckyobsessed, @bearded-bucky, @invisible2niall, @woww-za, @impala-moose, @stratmoxphere, @caitsymichelle13, @pleasefixthepain, @spn-worm, @specs15, @sebstanwassup, @wunnywho, @thedarknesswarrior, @girlwith100names, @addictionmarvel, @melconnor2007, @ipaintmelodies, @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked, @spookydoritos, @fanboyswhereare-you, @theclonewarss, @mrs-stan-barnes, @psychicwitchphilosopher

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witchymarvelspacecase · 7 years

Text

REQUESTED -- The Importance of Knife Training

Word Count: 1587

Warnings: Swearing, fighting scenes, hospital trip, angst-ish, fluff-ish??

A/N: this is my first request! I hope I did it justice! Please let me know what you think and send me more requests, I had fun!

Posted: 7/13/17

Doing laundry had never been this long of a task for Bucky before.

“Doll, you can’t just keep-” but before he could finish his sentence, the shirt he was trying to put away, was snatched from his hands.

“But I can keep taking your shirts from you,” you teased, now on the other side of the room, holding the t-shirt you’d swiped from his hands.

“I’m not gonna have any clothes left at this rate,” he grumbled good-naturedly. Moments later, when the entire basket of his laundry was gone in a streak of purple, he regretted speaking.

“Darn,” you mock pouted, “guess you’ll have to go around naked then.”

“Really? You’d be okay with Natalia ogling me?”

“Pfft, she can ogle all she wants, she already does anyway. It’s Sam I’m worried about; I can just imagine his face now.” A fit of laughter broke out as F.R.I.D.A.Y called the team to the hanger for an emergency mission.

You threw Bucky a wink, dropped the laundry basket, stashed your stolen shirt, and grabbed your suit all before he’d even crossed the room. He was stronger than you in every way, but you could out run him by miles, an advantage you used to it’s fullest potential, not just to steal his shirts.

As usual, you were the first to the quinjet, having run there at super speed. You checked your weapons while you waited for your teammates; Tony had made you special guns. They could reload and fire almost fast enough to keep up with you. You also kept several throwing knives and a short sword in your gear. Swords and knives didn’t run out of bullets, and they moved as fast as you wielded them so they were your weapon of choice. But Tony, being the mad invented he was, made you the guns anyway, so you’d carry them even if they didn’t get fired, because he made them just for you and you appreciated it.

When everyone was on board, the jet took off and Steve began the briefing. A group of insurgents had taken a village, civilians were stranded in the schoolhouse, there were wounded, and at least one of the insurgents was a mutant.

Nat and Clint were tasked with getting the civilians clear with Wanda running interference for them. The rest of the team was dealing with the insurgents; Steve with Vision, Bucky with Sam and Tony with you. One person on the ground, and one in the air.

You and Bucky rarely partnered together, knowing that if you were together, you’d be more likely to make stupid mistakes trying to watch the other. You have Bucky a quick kiss for luck and then you separated as soon as the hat touched down.

“You and Frosty are gonna give me cavities if you get any sweeter,” Tony griped in your ear.

“Whatever you say Inspector Gadget.” Chuckles from the rest of the team filled the coms, Tony snorting, but soon enough, there was silence on the coms.

—–

There were more insurgents than expected, and there was definitely a mutant among them; one who could turn invisible.

“Civilians are almost clear. Y/N, how bad is your area?”

“Well Clint,” you grunted as an unseen force caught you around the middle, “I can’t see anyone, but since I am still getting thrown around, I’ma guess I’ve still got some guys over here.” You turned and ran as soon at the hands slipped off you. You couldn’t fight what you couldn’t see, but you ran at human speed. You were heading for a small stream that ran parallel to the road you were on. If you could get into the water, you could track your attacker's movement through the ripples. The attacker in question didn’t seem to have a weapon, you guessed they probably couldn’t turn that or anything but themselves invisible, so they’d have to approach you to hurt you.

Once your feet hit the water, you stopped and turned, just in time to see the water ripple unnaturally to your left. Using your super speed, you reached out and came into contact with an arm; you latched on and your fingers dug into flesh.

“Show yourself you coward,” you spat as they fought to free themselves.

“Hey Tony? You got something to tag the “invisible man” with?”

“Sure thing Comet,” he replied. You saw something shoot from his suit and you pulled your captive into its path. It turned out to be a paint comb, in bright pink; you almost doubled up laughing.

“Oh that’s just precious! You should add glitter next time!” You turned to the now sputtering, and no longer invisible, pink person in front of you, “so, how’s visibility treating ya?”

Apparently not well, they launched themselves at you with a banshee like screech, but since you could see them, they posed no real challenge anymore. One good, super speed shot to the temple and they were out.

“Barring anymore invisible people, I’m clear. Who needs me?”

“We’re not clear,” Steve shouted.

“We’re very not clear,” Sam confirmed. You looks up, spotted Sam’s wings and sprinted towards them.

“‘S’cuse me asshole,” you said as you plowed through several shooters before stopping in front of Steve, “you called?”

Steve chuckled and dropped his shoulders before sighing, “thanks Y/N.”

“No problem, that’s what I’m here for; just assisting the elderly.”

“You earning your merit badges Y/N?” Nat laughed over the coms. You laughed in response, but before you could reply, a glint of metal over Steve’s shoulder caught your attention. As fast as you could, you shoved Steve aside, and flung one of your throwing knives at super speed, straight at the sniper. The sniper’s bullet missed Steve entirely, and imbedded itself elsewhere, in your left shoulder. Your knife hit its target, but you didn’t notice.

The force of the bullet spun you around, and you fell, face first into the ground. You tried to catch yourself, but your left arm gave out and your face felt asphalt as you tasted blood; you’d bitten your tongue.

“Motherfucker!” You shrieked. The bullet wound burned and you couldn’t catch your breath.

Steve was shouting orders to the team, receiving the notice that all the civilians were clear and telling everyone to return to the jet, that you were down and needed a hospital. You didn’t hear any of this though. You couldn’t hear anything other that your heartbeat and each breath you took over the ringing in your ears. You didn’t even process Steve picking you up and carrying you to the jet until you felt the jet take off. You were vaguely aware of someone holding your hand, and of being held by someone, but it all blurred together as everything went black.

—

Bucky held you in his arms as the team flew back to the states. Wanda held your hand and Vision monitored your vital signs. Wanda knew what you felt and relayed it to Bucky, she told him that you could feel him holding you and Bucky tightened his grip on you, as if that could heal you faster. Once you were out of his arms and in surgery, he paced. Steve tried to talk to him, as did Sam, and even Tony. Bucky didn’t blame any of them. They couldn’t have known the sniper was there, and even if they did, you would still have pulled Steve out of the way; Steve was like a brother to you, you wouldn’t let him get hurt. He just wished you wouldn’t have gotten hurt, blamed himself for a few hours until Wanda caught the tail end of one of his thoughts.

“You think that’s what she wants? To know that the person she loves more than anyone else blames himself for her getting hurt? You know how much that would hurt Y/N, James. The only fault lies with the sniper, and he’s dead.” Bucky felt pride welling up inside him, overtaking the self-loathing; he’d been the one to teach you to throw knives. He’d given you the tool to take down your attacker and protect your team.

—

It was hours later that you were moved to a private room and Bucky was allowed a few minutes with you. Then a nurse came and shuffled everyone out; visiting hours were over.

Bucky was at the hospital every day after that; he’d bring blankets from your room, or pillows. He even convinced the nursing staff to let you wear one of his t-shirts instead of the hospital gown, knowing you’d be more comfortable that way.

It was day 5 when you woke up. Bucky was at your bedside, his head resting by your hand, which he held in both of his, his face turned towards you.

“Bucky…” you said, voice soft, and gravelly from disuse, but he heard you.

His head snapped up, one of his hands moving from yours to better support himself has he stood up. His red-rimmed eyes met yours, a watery smile on his face, “hey sweetheart.”

“Did I get him?” Bucky smiled, what you called his “hero smile” at that, his one hand tightening around yours and his other moving to cup your cheek.

“Of course you did.” you smiled back, closing your eyes for a second before opening just one and peaking up at him.

“Bucky?”

“Hmmm,” he hummed in question, his thumbs rubbing your knuckles and cheekbones.

“Am I wearing one of your shirts?” His laughter could be heard from down the hall.

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