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hopelessromanticspoonie · 3 years

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Helping Hands Ending

Check out the masterlist here if you need a refresher before seeing how this series ends.

I was going to attempt to break this down into chapters, but that is kind of beyond me at this point. If y’all could see my notes, you would understand why this has taken me so long to put together since I came back. My brain is a mess and my notes are a mess and oh well!

Here is the summary of what happens to Haley and Loki. Thank you all for sticking around, for continuing to care after I drop off the face of the planet, and for supporting me no matter what. Y’all are the real MVPs and I’m so so grateful for you. I wish that I could write this as these two deserve, but hopefully this will suffice so that you guys aren’t left hanging.

To help everyone remember what was going on, an attempt to poison Haley with a serum that would basically nullify the benefits of Haley’s accelerated healing ability happened in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, there was a jogger who bumped into Haley when she and Loki were hanging out at a duck pond, and she thought the slight pain she felt in that instance was just from the impact. But it wasn’t. The jogger was a Hydra agent.

They discover that she was dosed when Haley sneezes in the beginning of the next chapter:

“Gesundheit.”

“What’s that mean,” Haley frowns at Natasha, trying to place why the word sounds so funny but it proved difficult when her thoughts were so clouded and her head felt oddly heavy.

Natasha stares up at the recipient of her automatic response. “You say it to someone that sneez-”

“Haley doesn’t sneeze,” Loki frowns, his voice rumbling suddenly against Haley’s back, long fingers curling around her forehead.

Haley isn’t supposed to get sick. She doesn’t get colds or the flu or anything running around. Tony and Bruce run some tests, as they do. Loki sticks to her side like glue, which is fine because he doesn’t really carry Midgardian diseases anyway. Haley wears a mask around the Tower and they discover that while she can still heal--after she heals a split knuckle on Natasha’s hand--the rate of her recovery is that of a normal run of the mill human. Not good.

With this knowledge in mind, it’s determined that she won’t be going on missions until Tony works on reversing this Hydra nonsense. Haley isn’t happy about this, but she doesn’t fight it. Being sick actually sucks and she just wants to curl up with Loki on the couch in her hoodie, which is what they do until it’s all hands on deck for a mission concerning Hydra.

Haley is left alone at the tower. She worries herself sick. Pacing the main living area. Doing a lot of cleaning. Screaming curse words at one point because she’s never been allowed to take up space like that or be so loud and it feels so good. And then they come back.

Hydra had wanted Haley to come along so they could snatch her up. They had an ambush ready for the gang, and nobody returns unscathed. The worst of all the injuries is Loki.

It’s just a cut. Just a little cut across the back of his hand that seeps menacing black venom through his veins. Beautiful porcelain skin turns pallid and cool to the touch, nothing like the inviting heat she’s come to expect. He’s unconscious and he looks so wrong in that hospital bed in the medical wing.

The others strictly forbid her from taking the poison from him. He’s more durable, they argue, alien, and might be able to fight off the worst of it. Might isn’t good enough for Haley, though, but she bides her time. Nobody expects anything when she meekly agrees to just sit with him, not to use her abilities. They don’t think she’s capable of lying, but they forget the hellhole that raised her.

Once the tower is quiet and everyone is asleep, she crawls into the bed next to him and curls up against his eerily still form. She takes the liberty of stroking his hair, of kissing his cheek, of lifting his impossibly heavy arm to wrap around her back so it’s almost like he’s holding her. Because if she’s going to die saving him, then she wants to feel a bit of selfish comfort before she goes. Her hand closes over his and the warmth returns to his skin as a foreboding chill seeps through hers, blazing her nerve endings with white-hot fire before she descends into unconsciousness herself.

Loki wakes the next morning. Passing out stopped Haley from fully taking on all the poison, which meant he still had to fight off the last little bit of it himself before he regained consciousness. He finds Haley halfway on top of him, sees the darkness shifting life-affirming blue to haunting black, and absolutely loses control. A percussive wave of his despair and outrage rolls through the building. Everyone comes running in to see what the cause of the unnatural force could have been.

It takes a week for her wide eyes to blink open again. A week of Loki refusing to leave her side. A week of multiple IV bags of various medicines pumped into her thin wrist and then her inner arm once that port fails. A week of a found family holding their breath and leaning on one another as the stray they took in fights for her life against a poison Tony says may not let her from its clutches.

Chastising her for her actions through his lips pressed into her hair lessens some of the weight of his thickly-spoken commands.

“You can do so much more good for the world than I can,” Haley protests weakly, explaining her actions with her face burrowed into the tender skin of his neck.

His hands grip the hospital gown covering her sharp shoulder blades even more tightly--she hadn’t thought that possible. “But you can do so much for me.”

And that’s basically the end!

Helping Hands Taglist: @kneel-before-queen-loki @alexakeyloveloki @cleocc @coldbookworm @cateyes315 @rjohnson1280 @bambi-butt @skiddleskaddle @myraiswack @midgardian-mistress @kathrynwynterbourne @bluestaratsunrise

Little Bit o’ Loki Taglist: @myownviperroom @darealbellabelleoftheball @boubouinscarlet @iamverity @rt8815 @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore @ms-cellanies @rosierossette @lokixme @hellethil @birdgirl90 @cateyes315 @weirdfangirl2416

Whole Shebang Taglist:@just-the-hiddles @yespolkadotkitty @nonsensicalobsessions @vodka-and-some-sass @he-is-chaotic-she-is-psychotic @myoxisbroken @brokenthelovely @polireader @wiczer @littleredstarfish @the-broken-angel-13 @arch-venus25 @jessiejunebug @tinchentitri @sllooney @devilbat @vikkleinpaul @bouquet-o-undercaffeinated-roses @wolfsmom1 @kthemarsian @toozmanykids @princerowanwhitethorngalathynius @sabine-leo @peterman-spideyparker @wegingerangelica @bluefrenchfries604 @catsladen @snoopy3000 @silverswordthekilljoy @villainousshakespeare @kitkatd7 @lots-of-loki @is-it-madness @kangaroobunny @trippedmetaldetector @green-valkyrie @what-just-happened-bro @salempoe @rhemasky @famouslastlove @ladyacrasia @myraiswack

#helping hands #loki fanfic #loki x ofc #loki #marvel fanfic #marvel fluff #marvel angst #hopeless writes

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buckmecaptain · 4 years

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The Cat Arrived in October

AU in which I ignore Infinity War and Endgame, Bucky is an Avenger, Everybody lives in the Tower because I’m a sucker for that, and Pepper and Tony had an amicable break up years prior.

It started as a drabble, from the prompt: “Halloween, but make it totally not scary.”

Image isn’t mine, neither are any of the Avengers characters. Only Rosa.

WARNINGS: Not many. Mention of accidental animal death (no description), vague mention of an explosion and subsequent hospital stay.

In which Tony Stark decides that pets are OK in the Tower.

The Avengers returned to the Tower after their Sunday brunch on a crisp October day and found Tony in the common room, relaxing in a recliner and reading on his StarkPad. A large black house cat lay across the back of the chair, its tail draped over Tony's right shoulder and a front paw idly kneading his left.

As the team entered the room Steve, who was in the lead, stopped short, almost causing a six-person pile-up. They gawked.

Tony didn't bother to look up; rather he asked “Did you remember my coffee?”

Steve approached him, coffee and a bakery bag in hand, head tilted and eyes squinting. “Tony, there's a cat on your chair.”

Tony's eyes remained on the tablet screen. “So there is.”

The cat regarded Steve with large bright green eyes. Its tail thumped its seatmate's shoulder once, then stood and stretched.

“It's, uh, it's a really pretty cat.”

“This is true,” Tony nodded, sipping his coffee.

The feline rubbed its nose along the edge of Tony's ear, then looked back up at Steve expectantly with one forepaw raised and uttered a soft “miao”.

“Oh, alright. Rosa, Steve. Steve, Rosa.”

Steve shifted from foot to foot, then glanced over his shoulder at his team mates. They shrugged. “Some help you guys are,” he thought.

The cat meowed and reached out its paw again.

At a loss, Steve offered his hand. “Nice to-to meet you, Rosa.”

Rosa placed her paw on his hand and pressed once. Twice.

“Did you just... shake my hand?”

She turned in a circle and looked up at Steve with her eyes nearly closed.

”Smug,” he thought.

The team crowded around to greet Rosa one by one and she charmed them all.

The last was Bucky.

He didn't reach out for her and she flattened her ears while staring him down.

Up came the paw.

“What's the matter, Tin man?” Sam grinned. “Don't like cats?”

Bucky rolled his eyes in response and reached out with his flesh-and-blood hand. Rosa sniffed it daintily and rubbed her head on his thumb, purring. Once Tony's pet had greeted the entire team, she returned to his shoulder and nuzzled her little face into his neck.

“That is certainly an affectionate cat,” Natasha noted after she and Clint left the room.

“Yeah, weird. Even weirder is Tony having a cat. Much less being affectionate with one,” Clint agreed. “Do you think it's a lab experiment? Maybe it's Bruce. Did Tony turn Bruce into a cat? Are they snuggling because they're more than 'science bros'?”

“Okay, calm down. Bruce is in the lab. Tony just decided to get a pet. It's been a long time since he and Pepper broke up, you know. Maybe he was lonely.” Clint snorted.

As the days and weeks passed, the team got used to having Rosa in the Tower and were enjoying her company. Tony seemed happier and his appetite had increased to a more-than-healthy level, but he wasn't gaining weight, so who were the team members to judge?

“Waffles? Do I smell waffles?” Tony breezed into the kitchen and made a plate for himself, stacking a tray with food and various breakfast beverages before heading back out again.

“He never eats with us anymore,” Wanda pouted. “I kinda miss his dumb jokes at the table.”

Sam nodded. “Well, he is a self-proclaimed 'mad scientist'. Who knows what's going on in that brain of his?”

After dinner that night, Tony strode purposefully into the common room with Rosa cradled in his arms. “Okay, guys. I need a favor. I have to leave for a conference in LA tomorrow and I need someone to look after Rosa. Just let her hang out with you so she doesn't get lonely,” he kissed the cat's head, “and, uh, feed her on schedule. Who's up for this?” He looked around the room.

Wanda raised her hand. “I'd be glad to!” she cooed enthusiastically and reached for Rosa.

Tony reluctantly relinquished his hold and Rosa rubbed her face along his jawline before slithering over to Wanda.

“FRIDAY will send you her schedule and feeding instructions. It's not difficult. Everything is in my suite and you'll have access as needed. I'll be gone for six days.” He squinted at the team and chewed his lower lip as he rapidly tapped his fingers on the back of his phone.

“Stark, it'll be fine. Wanda's more than capable of taking care of a simple-” Steve began.

“Not 'simple'!” Tony almost shouted. “Very special. Follow the directions and treat her the way she wants to be treated. If I can't trust you all, then I'm going to have to take her with me,” he huffed.

Rosa sighed and squirmed, jumping from Wanda's arms to Tony's. She looked him in the eye and rubbed her head against his jaw again, purring loudly.

“Okay, I get it.” He stroked her fur. “I'm trusting all of you.” He turned abruptly and headed for his suite.

The team were left speechless, exchanging looks and shrugging.

Finally, Sam broke the silence. “So that's it, huh? Tony is now a crazy cat lady?”

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** The team was all too happy to hang out with the Tower feline after Tony left that Thursday morning. Rosa spent some time lounging in the sun by the huge windows in the common room, then made the rounds from one person to the next as they filed in to relax. She retreated to Tony's suite when the team went to work out, but joined them again when they assembled for movies and pizza.

Bucky was particularly sullen tonight, slumped in one of the over-sized recliners and burrowed in his hoodie. Rosa had been watching him intently, but seemed to have come to some sort of a decision and stood from her perch on Clint's knee. She stretched as cats do and sauntered over to the arm of Bucky's chair, then sat primly with her tail wrapped around her feet.

The soldier gave the cat the side eye, receiving only a slow blink for a reaction.

“What?”

Rosa raised her chin and peered at him, front paw raised.

Bucky squinted at her.

She meowed quietly.

“Fine. Come on, then.” he opened his arms and Rosa hopped onto his chest, stretching her back legs out behind her and tucking her front paws into the neck of his hoodie. He glared at the cat.

Unbothered, she rubbed the top of her head on his chin and purred loudly. Before he knew it, Bucky was absently stroking the cat's luxurious fur and relaxing. It wasn't long until he nodded off. He slept deeply, dreamless at first, then came the demons of his past snaking into his rest. He hated the dreams and his lack of power to stop them, struggled to wake himself every time.

Something was different. This time when he aimed the pistol at Steve, the image in his mind blurred and faded away. Instead he found himself in a huge, soft bed surrounded with fine linens. The scent of flowers and vanilla filled his nostrils as he trailed his fingers over the curvy body of the woman draped over his chest.

Wait, what?

His hands stilled and his eyes flew open. She wriggled against him, warm and very naked, and sighed contentedly. Who was she? He couldn't see her face, but the hair and body didn't match Wanda or Natasha. He raised a hand to brush away her long dark hair so he could identify her, but she batted his hand away and snuggled under his chin.

Bucky knew he should wake up, should push the woman off of him, find out who she was, where he was, but he hadn't felt that comfortable and relaxed in so long, he couldn't force himself. What's the worst than could happen? He allowed himself to settle back into the marshmallow-cloud bedding and wrap his arms around his companion.

He woke as usual before sunup, his internal clock urging him to go for a run with Steve and Sam. As soon as he raised his head he was met with a pair of bright green eyes set in midnight black fur. Rosa touched her nose to his, then jumped down and headed for Tony's suite.

Bucky's mind flashed back to the dream he'd had as he watched the cat leave the room. He hoped his morning run would help would help dampen his feeling of unease.

After the third lap, Sam couldn't take it anymore. “Yo, Buck, you've been really quiet this morning. What's the matter, cat got your tongue?”

Bucky gave him the Winter Soldier Death Glare.

“Hey, just saying I'm not the one who fell asleep with a kitty cat on my chest.”

“Knock it off, birdbrain.”

“Geez, touchy!”

That night after dinner, Steve was parked at his desk going over some paperwork when FRIDAY alerted him. “Captain Rogers, Rosa is requesting entry to your quarters.”

Of course Stark would program the AI to recognize his pet. He chuckled and gave the okay, and the cat trotted into his room, taking a seat on the floor beside his desk chair. “Well, hello there. Nice of you to visit me.”

Rosa meowed once and raised a paw.

“Want to come up and keep me company? Okay, up.” He patted his knee.

Rosa narrowed her eyes and flattened her ears.

“Oh, excuse me, someone's spoiled,” he leaned over and reached for her. She allowed it and settled on his lap, purring quietly. She stayed there all evening, and when he emerged from the shower, she was curled up on the foot of his bed, sound asleep. He didn't have the heart to make her leave, so there she stayed.

In the wee hours of the morning, Steve dreamed about crashing the plane into the icy depths of the ocean. He was cold, so cold he was shivering in his sleep and mumbling “No. Please, no...”

The bed was vibrating from the Captain's shivering, rousing Rosa from her slumber. She stood, stretched, and ambled up to Steve's left side, nestling against him and placing her paws on his chest, kneading slowly but firmly. As he calmed and settled, Rosa purred and closed her eyes.

Confusion and calm both invaded Steve's dream state at once, pulling him from the freezing water that had closed over his head and depositing him into his nice, warm, too-soft bed. He sucked conditioned air into his lungs instead of sea water and his heartbeat slowed. So warm and comfortable.

And arousing.

Wait.

That wasn't a blanket pressed against his chest, drawing lazy circle patterns across his ribs. His eyes snapped open, body going rigid. All he could see was a head full of long, dark hair and a distinctly feminine arm stretched across his body. He wanted to ask her what the hell she was doing in his bed, and who the hell was she, but he was warm and comfortable so he allowed himself to be lulled back to sleep through the night.

Why are early morning alarms so loud? Steve was sorely tempted to throw his phone through the window. Annoyed with having his rest interrupted, he groaned and stood, preparing to meet the day.

A soft “meow” sounded from behind him.

“Hey there, Rosa. Good morning. Thanks for staying with me last night.” He rubbed her ear gently and she purred, then hopped down to the floor and sat by the door to his suite waiting for FRIDAY to let her out.

Steve smiled and went about getting ready for his morning run.

The next few days were busy for the Avengers. Interviews, meetings and briefings with SHIELD and training took up their days, so they were all more than ready for some R and R in the evening. The recipe for relaxation this evening was catered gourmet cheeseburgers, fries, a movie, and a gripe-fest.

“All I'm saying is, we look good on tv as is. Why did they think we need makeup? It's a crime to cover this up!” Sam gestured to his face.

Rosa meowed from her spot along the back of the couch.

“See? Even the kitty-cat agrees.”

“Well, at least we didn't have to deal with interviewers and Tony,” Natasha said between fries. “Would have made our day one hell of a lot longer.”

Clint laughed, “Yep, it's a relief not to hear the 'I'm Tony Stark and I'm awesome' stories every ten minutes.”

A low growl sounded from behind Sam.

“Well, Tony is definitely all about ego. Huge ego. Huge ego in a tiny suit,” Steve snarked.

“Ooh, short jokes. Someone is playing mean,” Wanda chipped in, “not that Tony doesn't deserve being taken down a peg or two. Often.”

“You should all be nicer to Tony, you know. He's good to each and every one of you,” said a new voice.

Combat training kicked in for each of the Avengers. They were on their feet and facing the enemy, makeshift weapons drawn, within a second.

In this case, the “enemy” was a stunning black-haired woman wearing a simple black chemise. She fixed each Avenger with her brilliant green gaze and frowned.

“Makes me want to cry.” She turned to leave.

“Wait a minute,” Steve ordered and she stopped, but did not turn. “Who are you and how the hell did you get in here?”

“My name is Rosalie Anderson. I've been here for a few weeks.”

Stunned silence.

“Oh! She's the cat!” Clint shouted, shaking the rest of the team from their reverie.

“No wonder Tony was so reluctant to leave you behind,” Natasha said with her signature smirk. “Wanted to keep you all to himself, huh?”

Rosa sighed and gracefully sank into the over-stuffed couch. “It's not like that. I'm more like a- ugh, I hate to even say it- like a therapy animal.” She rolled her eyes. “At least in cat form, I am.”

“It was you in the dream,” Bucky stated.

“Yes.”

Steve gawked at his old friend. “You had a dream, too? Started out bad, then the woman- her?”

Bucky nodded.

“Wait, wait, wait... you guys had gooey dreams about Hello Kitty, here? What's going on?” Sam sputtered.

Steve shook his head. “No, just the usual nightmare about downing the plane in the ocean, then it changed to me lying in a huge comfortable bed with a dark-haired wo- 'Gooey dreams'? What?”

Natasha broke in. “Let her talk.” She nodded at Rosa, urging her to go ahead. “I'm a low-level empath. Last year, I was doing research off-site for Stark Industries' Therapy and Recovery division, studying the effectiveness of different therapy animals, when that explosion happened.”

“The one at the dummy radiology lab? The one that turned out to be a Hydra front for alien weaponry?” Sam asked.

Rosa nodded. “My desk was against the a wall that was shared with the lab, so when the explosion happened, it tore through and hit me full-force.” She grimaced. “Well, me and Bella the cat. She didn't make it.

I spent three days in the hospital, and at the end of my stay I was picked up by Agent Coulson. He introduced me to Tony and we became friends.”

“Friends... who hang around as house pets?” Clint prompted, his eyebrows raised.

“Tony's idea,” Rosa supplied, “and I didn't mind. It was nice to be able to observe all of you with your guards down. Tony is overprotective sometimes, which reminds me, FRIDAY? Would you please message Mister Stark and let him know that everything is out in the open and it's okay?”

“Already done, Miss Anderson.”

“You said you're an empath,” Wanda stated. “How strong is your power?”

“Not very strong, I'm afraid,” Rosa replied with a frown. “I seem to only be in tune with panic or fear based emotions and help soothe them. For example, I can sense an oncoming panic attack, and if I can touch the person who is suffering, I can pull back the anxiety so he or she can rest.”

“That's what happened with my dream. I was on the helicarrier, just about to shoot Steve, then I wasn't. Next I knew I was in this gigantic bed. With a woman.” A muscle flexed in his jaw.

Rosa stepped forward, hands raised in supplication. “I'm sorry. Just doing what I'm meant to do. I hope you can forgive me for crossing lines.”

“No apology necessary,” Steve assured her. “Believe me when I say that was one of the best nights of sleep I've had in years.”

She smiled tentatively. “Thanks.”

“Same here, doll,” Bucky agreed, “Suddenly I'm a cat person.” He grinned, looking at her through the overgrown fringe of hair hanging over his brow.

Her smile turned genuine and she sighed in relief. “Now that you all know I'm not the enemy, do you think I could snag one of those cheeseburgers? Dying for some real food.”

As she powered through her burger, she answered questions from her new friends about what it was like to shift to cat form and back, how did she deal with the perspective change from that point of view, did she find that she had any particular cravings for milk and fish (thanks, Clint), and so on. She was patient and even happy now that she'd devoured her meal.

As the team cleaned up the wrappers and crumbs, FRIDAY interrupted them. “Incoming call from Mister Stark for you, Rosa.”

“Oh! Please put him through, FRIDAY.”

Tony's worried face popped up on a holo-screen in mid-air. “Rosa, sweetheart, are you okay? They're being nice, right? Tell me if they're not being nice.”

Rosa chuckled and smiled fondly at the screen. “Yes, everyone has been understanding and friendly. They even shared their dinner with me. Cheeseburgers”, she said in a sing-song voice.

“You mean to say the super-soldier garbage disposals actually had leftovers?” His eyes widened comically. “You sure you're okay?”

“Why wouldn't I be? I'm surrounded by most of Earth's Mightiest Heroes,” she said with a quiet giggle.

“'Most'. I'll be home in a couple of days. Keep the bed warm for me, will you?” He winked and smiled, and his face looked much less tired.

“Of course. See you soon.” She blew him a kiss and the holo-screen disappeared.

She turned back to the team, all of whom were regarding her with raised eyebrows or smirks.

“Thank you all for being kind to me, and especially for the burger,” she smiled.

“I'm gonna turn in now.” She headed for the elevator.

“Hold up,” Sam called, and she paused.

“Yes?”

“You and Stark? You're together?”

Rosa looked puzzled. “No. He's in California, I'm in New York.”

“Woman! You know what I meant.”

“I wouldn't say we're together, but I do sleep with him every night.”

Sam stared at her, jaw dropped.

Rosa tilted her head. “What's the matter, Sam? Cat got your tongue?”

Bucky guffawed.

#avengers fluff #tony stark x oc #steve rogers x oc #bucky barnes x oc #black cats deserve all the love #this should have been a drabble #happy halloween

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existing-on-cloral · 4 years

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Brooklyn’s Night Terrors

Chapter Thirteen: I’m Positive

Steve and his scientist get some less-than-ideal news.

You stared down at the miniscule stick in your hands, clutching your stomach where the nausea was building. The box had said to wait two minutes before checking the test, and the timer had gone off about thirty seconds ago. Still, you couldn’t bring yourself to move your hand away from the small screen.

“Just do it,” Pepper Potts advised, crouching down in front of you. “I was so scared when I took my test, but believe me, it’s better to rip off the Band-Aid.”

“Thanks, Pepper,” you said, meeting her eyes. Without looking down, you moved your hand away, then cast your eyes to the stick. “Shit.”

Pepper gasped. “You’re certain?” She took the test from you and stared down at the two little lines. “Well, how are you going to tell him?”

You cursed. “We were so careful, Ms. Potts. How did this happen?”

“The first time.” Banner entered the small bathroom, or tried to. Eventually he just stood outside and made an attempt to not look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I turned off the lab footage but it caught what happened. No protection was used.”

“Shit,” you said again, taking back the test. “Well, better to rip the Band-Aid off." You shot Pepper a grim smile. Where is he?”

Banner hesitated. “We don’t actually know that."

“What?”

“We don’t know that,” he repeated, showing you a small screen that displayed Steve’s apartment living room. On it, a woman dressed in black crept out of Steve’s bedroom with the super soldier slung over her shoulder. She looked up at the camera, face obscured, and spray-painted the lens over.

“The Reaper,” you said without a second thought. “She’s got him and now there’s no telling what she’ll do.”

Pepper touched your shoulder gently. “Take a few deep breaths. It’s gonna be okay.

The subsequent explosion that knocked you back into Bruce and sent both of you spiraling begged to differ.

When the dust cleared, the wall of the bathroom was completely gone, exposing you to the open air. You coughed, waving your hand in front of your face to clear the dust from your throat. Pepper staggered to her feet and rushed to help you up. Her forehead was bleeding, but she wiped the blood out of her eyes and stepped in front of you, shielding you from the blast zone. Or rather, what had caused the blast zone.

Iron Man hovered a few inches away from where the wall had been, hand out, blaster at the ready- and Steve dangling by his shirt from his other hand. “Stand down,” he ordered, voice cold and dangerous.

Pepper took a step forward, eyes softening. “Tony?”

A blast shot from Tony’s hand and knocked Pepper back into the wall. You heard a sickening crunch and saw her go still. “Pepper!” you screamed, running to her side and checking her pulse with a trembling hand. There! Faint, but it was there.

Tony flew closer and dropped Steve on the floor. The poor man was unconscious, blood coming out of his mouth and nose. “The Reaper sends her regards.” He flew backwards, hung there for a minute, then added, “Play nice with the Captain, she doesn’t like her toys being broken.” Then he turned and flew off, red and gold vanishing into the air.

Steve’s eyes flew open and he turned onto his side, coughing up blood. You hurried from Pepper to him, barking an order to Bruce. “Get her to the infirmary, now. I’ll deal with Steve until you can get back.”

Bruce sighed, got to his feet, and picked up Pepper. Her body looked so tiny and helpless. It reminded you of Tony’s young daughter. How the hell were you supposed to tell Morgan what was going on? She’d think her dad was back, and he’d blast her, just like he blasted Pepper.

Concentrating on the situation at hand, you let Steve cough out blood until he could sit up. “I can feel it working,” he said, referring to the serum. “I can feel myself healing. God, I will never get used to that.”

You stroked his face, cupping his cheeks in your hands and kissing his bloody mouth. He tasted like iron and bitterness, but you didn’t care. You were happy he was alive. “Steve, what happened?”

Steve winced. “She... She kidnapped me, and I think she got me with the drug again. But I don’t remember it very well. This time, though...” He paused to cough blood right in your face, and you winced. “You weren’t there... To help me through it... So, she did it herself.” He swallowed. “I had sex with her. I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault, baby,” you said, forgiving him instantly. Mentally, you made a note to tell Bucky that he had a new reason to track down the Reaper as fast as possible. You wanted to hurt her for doing this to Steve.

“Before... Before she left me...” He clutched his side, grimacing. “She told me, ‘That should do it’, and then when she came back in a few hours later, she told me that she...” Steve hung his head, tears collecting in his eyes. “That she was pregnant.”

You swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry, Steve,” you said, moving his head to your shoulder and stroking his hair. “But we can still beat her. It’s gonna be okay.”

Steve laughed hollowly. “I’m not ready for kids.” His eyes focused on the sink, where you had left... oh shit... Where you had left the positive pregnancy test. “Is that...”

“Please don’t freak out.”

He did anyway. By the time Banner and the paramedics got him to the infirmary, Steve was in a full-blown panic attack. You watched them take him and Pepper behind the operating room doors, putting Steve in the hospital for the second time in a week.

“He needs to stop getting into fights.” Bucky took a seat next to you in the waiting room, folding his hands together and bracing his elbows on his knees. “You should have seen him back in the forties. Never backed down from a challenge, and got beat up because of it.”

“Nice to know he didn’t lose that.”

Bucky cleared his throat. “So. You’ve got a little bun cooking up in the oven, huh?”

You nodded, Steve’s words coming back to you. I’m not ready for kids. “Steve doesn’t want kids.”

“Well, it is pretty early in the relationship.” Bucky leaned over and whispered, “If that dumbass leaves you over this, I’ll punch him in the gut, turn him into an old man again, and help you raise the kid myself.”

“If I keep it,” you pointed out. “I just found out. I don’t know what I’m gonna do yet.”

Bucky sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. “I know. I’m offering, though.” He looked to the doors they’d taken Steve through. “He won’t leave you; I know that at least.”

You lifted your head and stared at him. “Really? Why?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Because he loves you. He’s been pining after you since day one. I think he only went after Carter to get your attention, though I think he does have something for women of the Carter family tree.”

You giggled. “Ha, I guess.” Glancing back at the door, you added, “But he also got... well... raped by her. The Reaper. And now she’s pregnant.”

“Don’t know what her tactic is, but I’m not afraid to hit a pregnant woman.” Bucky laughed, pressing a hand to his stomach. “She might be a little more incapacitated.”

“Or even more dangerous. She’s gathering an army of foot soldiers, it looks like, and she’s just added Tony to her ranks.” You squeezed your hands into fists, glaring at the wall. “I don’t know why she hasn’t gone after you yet.”

“I do.”

Peter hobbled out of the infirmary with his arm bound tightly in a sling. “Mr. Rogers told me. He says that she’s going to try to kill Bucky in order to obtain some semblance of order or something like that.” He sat next to you, staring at his hands. “I miss the days where it was calm and we didn’t have to worry about things like this.”

Bucky chuckled. “Bold of you to assume that I wasn’t always dealing with things like this, especially with Steve.”

“Did you just do a meme?” Peter asked, eyes flicking to Bucky in shock.

“You know what, kid, I think I did.” Bucky reached around you to give Peter a pat on his good shoulder. You did the same, adding a warm smile.

“We’re gonna get Pietro back, Pete. I promise.”

Peter threw his good arm around you in a loose hug. “Thank you.” He pulled down the neckline of his hospital gown to reveal his suit underneath. “When do we start?”

“Right now.” Wanda joined your little party, outfitted for battle in her favorite jacket. “I don’t know about you, Bucky, but I would like my brother back.”

Bucky nodded. “Affirmative. If it means that much to you two, I’ll help.” He stood and offered a hand to Wanda. She shook it, a smile creeping across her face.

You stood and headed for the infirmary. “Let me know how it goes, alright? I’m gonna check on Steve.”

Peter stood and patted you on the shoulder. “I’ll be in my room if you wanna play Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros.”

“Can I be Mario either way?” you asked, a mischievous smile playing at your lips.

“Hell yeah,” Peter said, raising his hand for a high five, which you gladly gave him. “See you in a bit.”

You pushed through the doors and were immediately swarmed by doctors, escorting you in one specific direction. “Let’s have you be with Captain Rogers, okay?” one said in a tone far too sweet for your liking.

Steve was lying down, but he was awake and alert. He sat up almost immediately and hugged you. “Everything was fine, they just had to make sure the serum worked well. I can go out on missions sooner than the bullet allowed for.”

“You’ve gotta stop getting yourself hurt,” you chided, scooting to be a bit more comfortable on the bed. “And you have to debrief me. Right now. I want answers.”

Steve hesitated. “I don’t know a lot...”

“Anything.” You locked eyes with him and pressed on. “We need all the details we can get.”

Finally, Steve began to speak quickly. “She added Loki to her ranks, and he’s been keeping everyone calm and obedient with spells. If we can knock him out, maybe we’ve got a chance. And I know she got Tony, because he knocked me out and, I assume he brought me here?”

“Speaking of Tony,” Banner interrupted, tapping on the door with one finger to announce his presence, “We’ve got a problem.”

“There’s gonna be another Civil War?” you joked.

Bruce shook his head, casting his eyes down and biting his lip. “No, that’s not it. Ms. Potts is dead.”

The smile dropped off your face and you grabbed Steve’s hand. “Pepper? No, that... It can’t be. I felt her pulse.”

“I’m sorry.” Bruce shouldered his way into the room. “She’s gone. You probably felt her heart trying to keep her alive and failing. The hit broke her neck on impact.”

Steve squeezed your hand. “What’s that... Where’s...” He ground his teeth together in frustration. “Tony would never hurt his wife intentionally.”

Bruce pulled out a datapad.“We believe the Reaper is targeting everyone she’d like to appear in her army. If they’re still alive, then they gotta go. Like Bucky, for instance.”

You remembered Bucky’s promise to Wanda and jumped to your feet. “We gotta stop him! Bucky’s going to go after Pietro with Wanda.”

Steve struggled to his feet behind you, giving you a rather clear view of his chest and stomach. You shook your head, banishing away the thoughts. Pepper was dead for crying out loud.

“You both need to sit down and talk. The doctors and I have... business we have to get to.” Banner reluctantly left, closing the door behind him.

You flopped down onto the bed, realizing that your breaths were coming far too quickly. “Steve... Air bag... For...”

“Panic attacks?” Steve dug in the bedside drawer until he came up with a paper sack. “Here.” He held it to your lips and helped you to breathe slowly and deeply. “I’m so sorry about everything that happened.”

“Pepper didn’t deserve to die,” you whimpered, feeling tears prick at the corner of your eyes. Now that your fingers were no longer tingling, you could focus on something other than breathing, and you chose to cry into Steve’s shoulder.

He stroked your back as the day’s events came crashing down around you two. “We are going to be okay. All three of us.”

You were about to say something about Bucky, but then you got his real meaning and your hand fluttered to your stomach. Through the tears, you could see Steve’s hand join yours. “I love you,” he whispered.

#steve rogers #steve rogers x reader

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ardentmuse · 6 years

Note

May I please request 20 with Bruce Banner? Congrats on 500, that’s a great accomplishment! Here’s to many more followers!! 🥂

Hi Anon, Firstly, Bruce is bae. Such husband material, it hurts my soul a little. And secondly, this is one of my favorite show quotes, so I was excited to work with it. Also, we needed some science bros love here (mostly because I just love writing Tony).

Celebrating 500 followers with THESE PROMPTS all week. // Masterlist

20. A: Ew, it’s like you’re dating your teacher. B: I know, it’s so hot.

Marvel - Bruce Banner x Reader

Bruce was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice you enter the lab until he heard Tony’s overly enthusiastic greeting.

“Ah, Y/N, why might you be gracing us with your presence?” Tony asked. “Please don’t tell me you’re just here to see genius over there, unless you are trying to break my heart.”

When you simply kept walking into the room, Tony continued, “Okay, so you are trying to break my heart. Don’t worry. I can take it… come on, Y/N, please don’t ignore me.”

“Hi, Tony,” you said with an exaggerated draw as you finally arrived at Bruce’s desk. Bruce turned to greet you, simply placing a hand on your hip as you leaned down to kiss him, a pleasant little peck at gave you shivers.

“What did I say about making out in the lab?” Tony called over his shoulder, already consumed by his computer screen once one.

“Shove it, Anthony,” you returned before kissing Bruce once more. His other hand came up to hold you hip move securely, pulling you between his knees.

“Anthony, eh? You going to let your partner talk to me like that, Bruce?”

“Shove it, Anthony,” Bruce echoed as he kissed you a third time, causing you to giggle.

“Two of them. Jesus,” Tony whispered to himself.

With a flick of your head away from Tony, you returned all of your attention to Bruce. Your hands came up to stroke and pull at the hair at his neck the way you knew he liked. He smiled up at you as he ran his thumbs in circles into the flesh of your sides.

“What brings you here?” he asked quietly as to not disturb the grump on the other side of the room.

“Oh,” you called, reaching into your bag and pulling out a thick book with colored tabs sticking out on various sides. “I brought you the latest. Think you can read it by Tuesday so we can discuss it over dinner?”

“Consider it done,” he said, taking the book from your hands and placing it behind his keyboard.

“Well, I’ve got to get back to training. See you tonight?” you asked, slinging your bag back over your shoulder.

Bruce nodded as you left his hold, his hands sliding down your thighs. You turned and left the lab, offering a quick wave to Tony before shutting the door behind you.

Tony turned dramatically in his chair, allowing the metal to squeak to aid in his flare. He waited patiently for Bruce to provide him his full attention.

“Did Y/N just assign you reading?” Tony asked, his voice filled with disdain.

Bruce felt himself blushing as he picked up the book. His hands ran over the embossed title letters and down the worn spine.

“Yeah, I’m trying to learn more about Y/N’s mutation to be more supportive. We’ve made a reading list–”

“Ew, it’s like you’re dating your teacher.”

“I know, it’s so hot,” Bruce breathed, his eyes on the book and not Tony. He felt the red speed up its spread on his cheeks until his ears were burning, not sure why he actually said those words out loud.

Tony nearly spit out a laugh, “Found your kink, huh? Y/N would definitely make a pretty sexy teacher. Elbow patches and glasses and a pencil between their teeth….”

Bruce was practically on fire now, turning back to his computer to ignore Tony’s teasing.

“Now I get why you have so many PhDs. No one needs seven, Bruce. One is just fine.”

Bruce huffed and continued his work, fully sure Tony would never let him live this down. Though honestly, he wasn’t sure he cared. Your reading list was pretty hot.

All tags: @fangirlandnerd, @aerdnandreaa, @thisisbullshytt, @cancerousjojian, @whovianayesha, @themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy, @luna-xxxxx, @sleepylunarwolf

#lia's 500 celebration #marvel imagine #bruce banner x reader #mcu imagine #bruce banner #marvel #mcu

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jd-rush · 7 years

Text

Close Encounters

TITLE: Close Encounters AUTHOR: J.D. Rush FANDOM: Marvel: Guardians of the Galaxy; Iron Man PAIRING: Tony Stark/Peter Quill RATING: NC-17 for M/M sexy times and language. SUMMARY: Hours after meeting the Guardians, Tony makes good on his promise to Quill. Sequel to “Units from Heaven”, which can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11102664 WARNINGS: Spoilers for “Guardians of the Galaxy 2”. Also, not exactly Team Cap friendly. Just a head’s up. DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Disney, Marvel, Sony, and anyone else who can sue me. I’m just taking them out for a spin. I own nothing. AUTHOR’S NOTE: Thank you to everyone who read my previous story and left such lovely feedback. This probably isn’t the sequel you were expecting--it’s just a little ‘space boyfriends’ thing to set up the next story. The Guardians will return. I promise. AUTHOR’S NOTE 2: No betas were harmed in the making of this story. All mistakes are mine.

Tony had to admit that as far as alien invasions went, this one was a lot more fun than his first go round.

“Fuck yeah, that’s it,” he groaned, tossing his head back as he impaled himself once more upon Quill’s cock, going where no Stark had gone before.

“Fucking perfect,” Quill echoed, bucking up hard, driving in a bit deeper. “Just like that.”

“So good,” Tony moaned, clutching at the headboard with both hands to anchor himself as he bounced up and down enthusiastically, undulating his hips, matching the low throbbing bass of the AC/DC song pulsing through the room and the couple writhing on the bed. “Jesus, fuck!”

“Aw, yeah, keep doing that,” Quill commanded. “Don’t fucking stop.”

Tony chuckled breathlessly. “Not. . .planning. . .to. . .” he grunted, grinding his ass into Quill’s lap, wondering if all spacemen were as gifted as Star-Lord.

Quill gripped Tony’s hips, strong fingers digging in, guiding his movements, quickening the pace. “Just. . .a. . .bit. . .more. . .”

“So fucking. . .go-o-o-o-d. . .” Tony could barely get the words out. He was close, so goddamn close! Bracing himself with his left hand, he wrapped his right around his cock and stroked himself vigorously, gasping with every slick slide.

Quill moaned at the sight. “Yeah, like that,” he urged, even as he pumped into Tony, faster and faster. “So fucking hot. Do it, Stark. Do it!”

“Oh, oh. . .god. . .oh. . .fuck. . .!” Tony’s climax hit him hard and fast, Quill’s just a few seconds behind. With no strength left, Tony fell forward, crushing Quill into the mattress, both men breathing heavy, sweat clinging to their bodies. Unnoticed by either of them, the lights dimmed and the music lowered in volume, shifting to some soft, mellow piano jazz.

FRIDAY knew what her boss liked.

As Tony laid pressed to Quill’s warm skin, waiting for his racing heart to slow down, he thought back over the past few hours since the Guardians’ unexpected arrival at the Avengers’ Compound. Rhodey’s reaction to meeting their long-distance space visitors had surpassed even his high expectations. (“Oh, honey bear! You should see your face! Priceless! FRIDAY, get a shot of it! That’s gonna be my Christmas card for the next decade, I swear!”) After a quick round of introductions, he left the still stunned man to sort out the dinner order with the Shawarma Palace (“Just have them send one of everything on the menu. Actually, make it a double”) while he took his guests on a tour of their new home.

Along the way, they met up with Vision, who was watching a cooking show in the large common room. After another quick round of introductions, during which he regarded the motley crew with a mixture of curiosity and quiet scrutiny, he bowed his head cordially towards them and stating softly but resolutely, “I sense no malevolence in these individuals,” causing Tony smile in relief. He had a good feeling about the Guardians, but it was nice to get confirmation, especially since his track record was rather shaky when it came to judging people.

Not that he was still bitter about what went down in Siberia. Well, not much at any rate.

Tony’s tour of the Compound showed off all its highlights and amenities, ending with a visit to R & D, where they encountered Bruce Banner. (“My science bro!” he proudly proclaimed, planting a big, fat kiss to Bruce’s bright red cheek) After yet another quick round of introductions, Tony gave the group a run-down of the lab’s features. Rocket’s interest in all his high-tech equipment and projects pleased him immensely, and he freely extended an offer of full access to the lab (“supervised, of course”) for anything that might be needed in their fight against Thanos. Quill once again warned against that idea but Tony just waved him off. (“No worries. It's fine. How much trouble can he get into anyway?”)

None of the Guardians answered that.

The food, once it arrived, was a hit, as Tony knew it would be. Bruce and Rhodey joined them because, hey, who doesn’t like shawarma, right? Conversation was kept light and fun with everyone trying to come up with the most entertaining story to tell (“I am Groot.” “Yeah, I would have kicked you in the knothole for that, too!”) Mantis’s excitement at trying a new, exotic dish was charming and contagious, and if Drax looked upon her rather dotingly, no one mentioned it.

Once dinner was done, Tony powered up the entertainment center. Everyone enjoyed ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Two Towers’, which of course they HAD to watch because Tony had forgotten there weren't any Ents in the first movie. (“Twenty fucking hours of film--how am I supposed to remember all the details?”) Groot kept jabbering about Treebeard to Dum-E and U, who were whirling around the room, excited to have a new friend. Bruce and Gamora seemed to hit it off, though it was hard to tell as Banner mostly just stammered and fidgeted--even more so than usual-- while Gamora watched him with curious eyes and a little Mona Lisa smile. Still, she hadn’t threatened to pull his spleen out and make him eat it, so he was definitely one up on Tony in that department.

By that point in the evening, things started winding down. The Guardians had traveled a long way and were tired, so Tony promised they’d watch ‘Return of the King’ the next night, showed everyone to their rooms, then grabbed Quill and dragged him to the master bedroom.

All in all, one of the most entertaining nights Tony could remember having in a long time.

“Well, that was nice,” Quill panted out once he had regained the ability to speak a few minutes later.

“Nice?” Tony repeated, incredulously. “NICE?!? I just rode you for 30 minutes like the winning jockey in the Kentucky Derby and all I get nice?”

Quill gave him an amused grin. “Very nice?” he teased.

“That's it,” Tony grumbled good-naturedly, as he rolled off Quill and flopped onto the mattress beside him. Oh, he was gonna be feeling that tomorrow morning. So worth it. “Next time, YOU do all the work and I’ll just kick back and enjoy it.”

“So there's going to be a next time?” Quill asked as he removed his condom and tossed it off to the side, hoping it hit a trashcan, but not really caring if it didn’t.

“Well, yeah, if you want,” Tony replied, grabbing his discarded tank top and clumsily wiping down himself and Quill before dropping it on the floor beside the bed. “I mean, I thought that was a given. Mi bed et su bed, or whatever that saying is. Open invitation, as long as you guys hang around. Then again, if it was only nice. . .”

“VERY nice,” Quill corrected with a quick kiss to Tony’s left shoulder. “You put Captain Kirk to shame. But, um. . .I’ve kinda got a confession to make.”

Tony whipped his head around to face Quill, panic in his eyes. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those male aliens that can get pregnant?”

“What?!” Quill might have squeaked. “No. NO!”

“Thank Christ,” Tony sighed in relief. “That almost took ten years off my life.”

“Besides, you were the catcher. Shouldn’t YOU be the one worried about getting knocked up?” Quill joked.

Tony glared at his bedmate. “Not funny, Quill. I’ve read that fanfiction.”

“The what?”

“Nevermind.” Tony reached down and haphazardly pulled the bedding up over the two of them. “So what’s this big confession of yours?”

“It‘s just, well, I’m not really an alien. I mean, I’m half-alien. I think. Or I was.” Quill ran his hand nervously through his hair and huffed an awkward laugh. “I’m honestly not sure anymore.”

“That sounds complicated. And intriguing.” Tony turned onto his side, head propped on his hand. “Do tell.”

Quill stretched out on his side, mirroring Tony’s position, before explaining, “I’m originally from Missouri.”

Okay. That was unexpected. “You mean the Missouri here on earth?”

“You know of another Missouri?”

“Well, no, but who knows, right? Big cosmos, lots of planets. . .”

“Never thought of it that way. But no, I’m talking about plain old earth Missouri. St. Charles, to be exact. I lived there with my mom when I was a kid.”

“And your dad?”

Quill shrugged. “He wasn’t around. Didn’t even know who he was. Mom used to tell me that he was from the stars. I thought she was simply being romantic about a one-night stand or something.”

“But she was telling the truth?” Tony guessed.

“Yeah. We--the Guardians and me-- met up with him a few years ago and he was, um . . .” Quill flashed a sheepish grin. “Okay, don’t laugh but he turned out to be a celestial.”

“Why would I laugh at that?” Tony asked, seriously.

Quill gave him a look. “I just told you my father was a deity from outer space. You don’t think that’s weird?”

“I might, if I didn’t have the Asgardian god of thunder on the payroll. Hey, maybe they know each other. You should totally invite him to visit the next time Thor’s in town. THAT’S a guy who knows how to party, let me tell you. He bought this special home-brewed grog or something with him one time? I woke up in Vegas wearing a feather and sequined showgirl outfit, I kid you not.”

“Sorry I missed it.”

“Rhodey’s got pictures. He claims he doesn’t but I know him too well. I mean, if HE had been the one in that outfit you can bet your sweet ass I’d have pictures of it. Wow, I just had a great idea. Okay, all my ideas are great but. . .I should call Jane Foster. I’m sure she has a way to contact Thor, a raven or something, and we can get him down for the weekend, give you guys a grand ‘Welcome to Earth’ party. How long would it take pops to get here?”

“We aren’t really in touch anymore,” Quill said with a grimace. “He turned out to be kind of a . . .what did you say earlier? A twatwaffle?”

Tony scoffed. “I hear ya‘. Dads, huh?”

“You, too?”

“Oh, yeah. King of the Twatwaffles.”

Quill chuckled at that. “Tell me about it. I was much better off thinking David Hasselhoff was my father.” At Tony’s raised eyebrow, he explained, “When I was little, I used to pretend that . . .”

But Tony cut him off, “No, I’m with you. I wanted my dad to be The Fonz. Just a laidback gear-head with a black leather jacket, a cool motorcycle and a fuck-you attitude. Well, I guess Howard got the ‘fuck-you’ attitude right, but he was a total dick about it.”

“You know, I never thought anyone could be 100 percent a dick until I met Ego.”

“Ego?”

“That was my dad’s name.”

“Seriously?!” Tony sniggered. “Talk about a big flashing neon sign. Damn, not even Howard was that dickish, though not for lack of trying.”

“I heard Howard Stark was a great man.”

“Didn’t make him a great dad.”

“His son didn’t turn out half bad.”

Tony gave a self-depreciating snort. “Yeah, that’s just because you don’t know me.”

“I think I do,” Quill replied softly with a small, sad smile, and the sympathetic expression on his handsome face left Tony feeling oddly exposed.

Trying to get off this suddenly serious--and frankly, uncomfortable--topic, Tony did what he did best and used humour to change the subject. “So, am I going to find out how a hot, possibly half-alien guy from The Show Me State ended up guarding the galaxy?” he teased.

Quill hesitated for a moment and Tony thought he‘d refuse, but eventually he said, “It’s kind of a long story.”

“We’ve got all night,” Tony replied, as he ran his hand down Quill’s left arm and stroking along his muscular chest. “Plus I’m gonna need some time to recover before our next round.”

Quill smirked. “Ambitious.”

“Well, I’m hoping to improve from nice. I have a reputation, you know.”

“Very nice,” Quill reminded him, clasping Tony’s roaming hand and brushing a kiss across the knuckles, causing Tony to smile.

“You keep that up, and I’ll just want the Cliff Notes version,” Tony warned with a playful glint in his eye.

Quill kissed the pulse-point of Tony’s wrist. “I can do that.”

Tony gave a low impressed whistle. “Oh, you’re good. I mean, I thought I was good, but you? I could learn some tricks from you.”

Inching closer, Quill murmured, “My pleasure. . .and yours.

“Fuck me twice.”

Closer. “If you insist.”

They were so close now Quill could feel Tony’s breath against his lips. He leaned in for their first proper kiss, only to be stopped by Tony‘s finger pressed to his mouth and a whispered, “Story first.”

Quill pulled away with a rueful grin and a half-shrug. “You drive a hard bargain, Stark.”

“If you think I’m bad, don’t ever try to negotiate with Strange. Trust me. So. . .?”

Quill settled back on his side of the bed, still holding Tony‘s hand. “So, when I was about eight years old,” he kissed Tony’s palm. “Shortly after my mom died,” a kiss to Tony’s wrist. “I was abducted,” lips skimmed Tony’s thumb. “By a group of space pirates called the Ravagers,” and a final kiss to the back of Tony’s hand before Quill released it.

He recited it matter-of-factly, and didn’t seem overly upset by his revelation, but Tony certainly was. “Jesus. Why?”

“Dad hired some them to find me and bring me to him, but when they figured out what an asshole he was, they kept me instead. It was actually kind of them, I suppose, though I didn’t know that at the time. I thought they just wanted me around because I could crawl into small spaces to steal things.”

Tony frowned. “That’s. . .” There were so many things he wanted to say after the word, but all of them involved a serious amount of f-bombs and vows to hunt down every last Ravager in this universe and make them pay for doing such a thing.

His expression must have spoken volumes because Quill quickly jumped in. “Hey, it‘s okay. Happened ages ago. And really, it wasn’t so bad. They taught me a trade, right? And I got to travel around the galaxy. And their leader, Yondu,” Quill’s voice cracked on the name. He glanced away from Tony for a moment and took a deep breath before he continued. “Anyway, so I traveled with them for about 20 years, seeing the stars, perfecting my stealthy skills, making a name for myself. Then, a few years ago, I struck out on my own-- doing odd jobs, whatever paid the most, and that’s how I ended up meeting the other Guardians. After I stole the Power Gem. . .”

Tony wanted to go back and find out why Quill suddenly looked so sad when he said ‘Yondu’, but sensed it was a probably a sensitive matter that should wait for another time. Instead, he exclaimed, “Wait a minute. You STOLE the Power Gem?!”

“Well, I didn’t know what it was at the time,” Quill shot back, defensively. “Like I said, I was a thief for hire. It was a job, that’s all. I did it for the money. And just so you know, I don’t do that anymore. I’m totally reformed.”

“I sure as hell hope not. I like bad boys.”

And just like that, Quill’s impish smirk was back. “Score one for me. So, yeah, before I could fence the gem, Gamora tried to steal it from me. Then Rocket and Groot got involved because they were trying to capture me for a bounty that was on my head. And so we all ended up getting into a big public fight on Xandar, which resulted in us getting arrested and thrown into prison. And that’s where Drax tried to kill Gamora but he helped Rocket to break us all out so we took him along and we’ve been together ever since. Just one big happy dysfunctional family.”

“And Mantis?” Tony asked, curiously.

“Dad was keeping her as a pet on his planet, so we rescued her. Did I mention he was a twatwaffle?”

“Yeah, you did, and I’m starting to think he’s actually got Howard beat in that department, which I didn’t think was possible.”

“And so, that‘s my story.” Quill chuckled uneasily. “That must all sound pretty crazy to you, huh?”

“Crazy?” Tony laughed. “You want crazy? Let’s see. . .” He started counting off on his fingers. “Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and can now climb walls using just his fingertips. Bruce overdosed on gamma radiation during an experiment that went spectacularly wrong and turns into the Unjolly Green Giant when he stubs his big toe. Our two super soldiers, Bucky and Cap, are nearly 100 years old, although admittedly they spent most of that time as Swanson’s frozen meatloaf dinners. Oh, and there’s a talking tree and a homicidal Davy Crockett hat sleeping one floor below us.” He gave Quill a pitying look. “I hate to break it to you, Star-Lord, but you barely register on the crazy scale.”

“Well, that’s a first. And what puts you on the crazy scale, Tony?”

“Besides the fact I just had a very dirty close encounter of the third kind?”

Quill’s face split into a big smile that showed off his dimples, and Tony had to physically restrain himself from leaning over and licking them. “Great movie, but I’m not an alien, remember?”

“Yeah, but you’re half-alien. That totally counts. And I’ve never been plowed by a guy from Missouri before, so I can check that off my bucket list.”

“And, of course, there’s always Gamora, if you’re still interested in the full-on Captain Kirk experience,” Quill pointed out.

“She’s definitely a looker, but I think I’ve got my hands filled with Captain Hottie,” Tony joked, tapping a finger against Quill’s chest. “Besides, I don’t poach another guy’s girl. Okay, I do. Sometimes. But not a friend’s girl. Well, not in a long time anyway.”

“Wait, you think me and Gamora?” Quill gaped. “Oh, God, no! Are you kidding? I’m too attached to Little Star-Lord, thank you very much.

“I can see why, but I was talking about Banner.”

Quill shook his head in confusion. “I don’t get it.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “You didn’t see the way he was looking at her?”

“Well, yeah, like you said she’s stupid hot. Anybody with a pulse would notice her, but . . .no, hold on . . .” Quill trailed off, and looked at Tony who was nodding his head and smirking. “Really?”

“Yup.”

“No way.”

Tony’s smirk grew. “Oh, yeah.”

“You mean tonight, during the movie. . .was he FLIRTING with her?”

“Uh-huh.”

Quill suddenly burst out laughing. “But that was so. . . so. . .”

“Painful? Sad? Pathetic? Hilarious? All the above?” Tony filled in cheerfully. “Yeah, our Doctor Banner is a lot of things. Mr. Smooth isn't one of them.”

“Does he have any idea who she is?”

“Not to worry. He can take care of himself. Big green rage monster, remember? Plus I have a hunch deadly female assassins are kinda his type.” Tony rolled onto his back with a snort of amusement. “Oh man, I just had a thought. Gamora and Black Widow in the same room.”

“Is that gonna be a problem?”

“Let’s just say that maybe you better keep a close eye on Little Star-Lord.”

“I’d rather keep an eye on yours,” Quill leered, running his gaze up and down Tony’s toned body, barely covered by the crumpled sheets.

“Pervert. I like that in a person.”

“Perverted bad boys. I’m two for two.” Quill reached over, trailing his fingers lightly down Tony’s neck and along his collarbone. Tony watched as his gaze was drawn to the ugly circular scar where the arc reactor once resided, and waited anxiously for the inevitable questions, but was surprised when Quill instead inquired, “So this Black Widow is out with the rest of the Avengers?”

“Yeah, they‘ve been over in Latvia fighting Doctor Doom. Real piece of work. Gets a bug up his ass every couple of years, tries to take over the world with his,” Tony made air quotes, “ ‘doom bots‘. Fucking original, that guy. The Fantastic Four usually take care of him but since they’re away investigating an incident in the Negative Zone, we got the call instead. You'll meet them when they get back, I guess.”

“You don't sound excited about that,” Quill observed.

“No, no,” Tony replied quickly--too quickly. “It’ll be great to have the whole band back together again.”

“Well, THAT sounded convincing,” Quill said, sarcastically. “What’s going on?”

Oh, he really didn’t want to get into all this. He was having such a great night--the last thing he wanted was to think about Rogers and Nat and Clint and the rest of Team Backstabbers. . .ahh, Team Cap. “It’s nothing. Just. . .we had a bit of a disagreement a while back and things are still a little tense. Does three years count as ‘a while back’?”

“More than. Must’ve been a helluva disagreement.”

Oh, no, he really, REALLY didn’t want to get into all this. Not now. Not tonight. Just. . . no. “Difference of opinion, that’s all,” Tony replied, waving his hand around dismissively. “Ancient history now. All water over the bridge and under the dam.”

“I think you have that backwards.”

“I do?” Tony tried to look innocent; he failed miserably.

Quill gave him a shrewd look. “And I don’t suppose that this ‘difference of opinion’ has anything to do with why you stayed behind to help that Parker kid with a science project?”

“Wow, beauty AND brains. I think I’m in trouble.” As if on cue, FRIDAY announced, ‘Intruder alert!’ and a loud electric crack was heard, followed by a string of very creative --and rather impressive--cursing. Tony grinned maniacally. “And it sounds like I’m not the only one.”

Quill had jumped at all the sudden commotion. “What the hell was that?” he cried out.

“That, I believe, was Rocket trying to break into my lab. I warned him not to mess around with it. Those locks would put Fort Knox to shame, and FRIDAY is a very vigilant, and efficient, security guard.”

Quill glared at his bedmate. “Tony Stark, you just kill my co-pilot?”

“No. But I bet his tail is a bit singed.”

“Are you nuts!?”

“Seven years later, jury’s still out on that one.”

“That’s only going to encourage him to try again, you know.”

“I hope so. I need someone besides Parker and Bruce to keep me on my engineering toes. Can‘t let that asshat, Justin Hammer, get the jump on me.”

Quill just shook his head and sighed dramatically. “I don’t even want to imagine the mischief you idiots are going to get into.”

“Probably for the best.”

“This must be how Gamora feels all the time.”

“I guess we know who wears the pants on that spaceship.”

“You have no idea, which is too bad, because she looks amazing in a mini-skirt.” Quill gave Tony a panicked look. “Don’t tell her I said that. I like my spleen just where it is.”

“You’re secret is safe with me,” Tony promised. “You know, for a group of outlaws who met up in prison, you’ve got a pretty awesome team.”

Quill chuckled at that. “Yeah, I do, but trust me, it’s not all smooth sailing. We have our ups and downs, and we drive each other crazy sometimes, but that’s what family does, right? None of us are perfect, and we accept that. At the end of the day, there’s no one else I’d rather have at my back than those guys. I trust every one of them with my life.”

“That must be nice.” No, he absolutely was not still bitter about what went down in Siberia. Well, not much at any rate.

“Don’t you trust your team?” Quill asked, concerned.

Tony heaved a deep sigh. “I used to. Now. . .it’s all messy and complicated and fucked up.”

“Well, that’s family, too,” Quill said, another small, sad smile pulling at his lips.

Again Tony felt that odd sensation of being totally exposed, as if Quill could look inside him and read all his flaws and fears. Just who was this strange, sexy spaceman from Missouri who seemed to know him so well after such a short time? And why didn‘t that scare him as much as it probably should? “Yeah, I suppose it is.”

“Look, Tony, I don’t know what’s going on with you and the other Avengers, and maybe it’s none of my business, but can I give you some advice? Whatever this disagreement was, whatever happened in the past, it has to stay there. We all have things we wish were different, things we have to learn to live with. We can’t change them--we can only change the future.” Quill grasped Tony‘s hand once more and gave him an encouraging smile. “Your team and mine, Tony. We take on Thanos together, and we win, and we save the universe, and we can all heroes, even if it’s just for one day.”

And even with the seriousness of the situation, Tony couldn’t help but grin at Quill‘s heartfelt speech. “That album was the first one I ever bought with my own money,” he divulged. “I wore the grooves out I played it so much. Dad hated it, which made me love it even more.” He sighed heavily. “God, I fucking miss Bowie.”

Quill mouth fell open. “You got my reference,” he whispered, a hint of awe in his voice.

“You sound surprised.”

“No one ever gets my pop culture references.”

“That definitely won’t be a problem around here,” Tony assured him. “Strange is positively obnoxious about his knowledge of obscure pop songs. Parker and Rhodey are in a tie for biggest sci-fi nerd you’ll ever meet. And though he’ll deny it to his dying breath, Bruce has seen ever rom-com and chick flick ever made.”

“And you?”

Tony replied with a campy, “Honey, you should see me in a crown.” At Quill’s puzzled expression, he added, “Okay, ‘Sherlock’ is definitely next on the ‘must-see’ list.”

Quill gave Tony a cocky smirk. “You know, I think I’m gonna fit in well here.”

Tony flashed Quill a seductive smile as he parted his legs slightly. “Well, we already know you fit in well here.”

A quirked eyebrow joined Quill‘s cocky smirk. “Is that so?” he purred, crawling over and on top of Tony, pushing aside the annoying bedding as he moved.

“Oh, yeah,” Tony sighed, wrapping his right leg around Quill’s hip, his hands resting on Quill‘s broad shoulders.

“So, I told you my story,” Quill murmured, leaning down until his mouth hovered over Tony’s. “Do I get my kiss now?”

“I think you’ve earned it,” Tony said, raising his head and brushing his lips across Quill’s in the barest hint of a kiss.

“That’s it?” Quill asked, incredulously.

“You didn’t specify the type of kiss you required,” Tony replied with a smug grin.

Quill took the teasing in stride. “Well, I was hoping for a bit more. . .” The rest of the sentence went unspoken as he leaned down again, licking a leisurely stripe along Tony‘s lower lip.

Tony shivered at the contact. “Mmmm. Not bad. But how about. . .?” Sliding his right hand around the back of Quill’s neck, Tony finally pulled him in for a long, lingering kiss. Mouth, tongue, lips, fluids. It was incredible. Amazing. Perfect. And a hundred other superlatives Tony couldn’t possibly think of because all his brain could think was, ‘Fuck, this man can kiss!’

Quill’s hands, meanwhile, were busy skimming along Tony’s hips and slipping under him, coming to rest on the his ass, pulling him closer, crushing their bodies together, and there had to be a word beyond ‘perfect’ in some language, but Tony was too busy losing himself in Quill’s kiss, melting into Quill’s embrace to even care what it might be. There was no question he was going to have serious beard-burn tomorrow morning.

So worth it.

After a minute or so of their tongues becoming intimately acquainted, Quill pulled away, ignoring Tony’s small whimper of disappointment. Crystal green eyes held Tony’s gaze as he said, “Tony. . .”

“I swear on my Black Sabbath tee-shirt, Quill, if you say this is nice, I‘ll kick you out of this bed.”

“Do you like to dance?”

Tony was thrown momentarily by the odd question, his mind still a bit foggy with his desire to simply continue kissing Quill’s talented mouth, but found enough brain cells to reply, “I love to dance.”

Quill beamed. Oh, those dimples! This time Tony didn’t hold back and licked the closest one, which made Quill smile wider. “Just checking,” he said, before claiming Tony’s lips once more.

And then there was no more talking for a long, long time.

THE END

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