Scar Face Marston

Can I get a FATWS era Bucky x Gender Neutral/Nonbinary Reader where they're in the bath? Nothing smutty just Bucky, in the tub, getting his hair and body washed by the person he loves, who's giving him little kisses as they clean him up. Then maybe once he's all cleaned up maybe they go lay down in bed and cuddle, with Reader playing with his hair until Bucky falls asleep?

Thank you! 💜

I hope you like it!

You knew the moment you saw Bucky lumber into the threshold, locking the door behind him that it had been a doozy of a day. It was now 8:00 pm.  You knew better than to ask what happened. It was often Avenger's business that the two of you agreed shouldn't be discussed. It made you worry and wonder, but sometimes, knowing was worse. You knew he struggled enough without you smothering him, but he knew you loved him, and that's what mattered.

Bucky's shoulders slumped as he dropped his bag half haphazardly on the floor before plopping down on the couch with a sigh. You shook your head as you eyed the bruises forming on his cheek and neck, and you knew there were plenty more that you couldn't see. 

You slowly approached him, running a light hand through his hair, and kissing his forehead. He turned to you with a tired smile as he pressed your lips to yours. You pulled away, gently pressing a hand to his chest.

"Come on, let's get you a bath. You'll feel much better. We can get your favorite takeout tonight," you promised as you led him into the bathroom, Bucky reluctantly following. 

You turned the taps on to a steaming hot temperature—hotter than you liked, but something Bucky adored. You chalk that up to him being in Cyro for so long and craving that warmth. You poured some Epsom salts and lavender oil into the bath. 

Bucky couldn't help but grin. Some insecure people might have called it feminine, but what did either of you care? It smelled and felt great, and that's what mattered. You appreciated Bucky's shift to a more gender-neutral mindset, as he also supported your identity as a gender-neutral person. It was something that surprised you from the over 100-year-old man.

"Clothes off, sweetheart. I'll look away" you promised as you heard the drop of his shoes, the clink of his belt, and the rustle of clothing drop to the ground. Usually, the sight and the sounds of his undressing filled you with excitement, but it wasn't about you. Not now. It was all him.

You heard Bucky sigh as he sank into the water. You turned to see he had closed his eyes. You shook your head fondly, opening the shampoo bottle. "I'm going to wash your hair now." You explained. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm more than capable, darlin'."

"I know, but sometimes, having someone else take care of it for you is nice. " You countered.

He quit his grumblings as soon as your fingers began to work their magic, causing him to sink lower into the water with a moan. You leaned over and kissed his temple, causing him to crinkle his nose. 

Bucky opened an eye, cupping your cheek, leaning to press another kiss upon your lips…and another, this time deeper. You had to stop yourself from slipping into the water as he deepened it, a low rumble coming from his chest. You pulled away with a laugh.

"No, not right now. I gotta rinse your hair out!" you said, gently slapping his human arm. Bucky pouted as you took a washcloth, wetting it into the water and squirting his body wash onto the rag. 

You inhaled, taking in his scent—woodsy with an almost mint note—something uniquely him.

You began with his neck, allowing the hot water to run down, before moving to his arms, careful of his scarred shoulder. You peppered small kisses along his neck and leaving a few for his shouler.

You grinned as you reached his toned chest, soapy hands using the cloth to massage the muscle. You looked over to see Bucky grinning at you cheekily.

"Like what you see, gorgeous?" he said with a wink.

"More than you know, " you muttered as you kissed him tenderly. The cloth reached his stomach, and Bucky's breath hitched.

He gave you a pleading look as your hands reached further.

"Maybe later, handsome." You grinned as you ghosted your hands over his thighs.

"Well that's just cruel!" He said with a groan. You knew if you teased him any further where this would lead. The two of you would have your fun…..after he ate and rested.

You cupped the water into your hands, rinsing Bucky off. 

"What service". He muttered. 

You were pleasantly surprised to see him in a lighter mood than you thought he would be in. A bath really could do wonders. 

You gave his cheek a kiss, standing up.

"I'll order our food now. You just relax," you said, running a hand through his hair.

He grabbed your hand before you could leave.

I made a new flyer for my research project 📋

LINK TO THE SURVEY

The survey will be open until at least the end of 2026 if not beyond. Only these 14 measurements are required, all the others are optional:

If you have been on HRT for at least 3 years, have half an hour and a measuring tape, consider taking the survey!

If you don't qualify or don't feel up to participating feel free to share it :)

I LEAVE FOR ONE(1) DAY TO GO MEASURE PEOPLE IN LONDON AND I COME BACK TO THIS??????????

If you’re still desperately thirsty after having some water, you probably need electrolytes. There are many options - eat a pickle, have a gatorade (or whatever brand you prefer), add an electrolyte packet to your water, sprinkle salt on some watermelon, make a fun drink with coconut water.

I finally have written the rest of the HCs! Here is the background of how you and Natasha acquired the baby. Send an anon or comment if you'd like to see more! I have been around a lot of babies and I used to be a preschool teacher, so I have lots of experience. Finally, I worked really hard on this so if at all possible, please like and reblog! It means so much to me. Thanks. <3

Words could not describe how it felt to carry a baby in her wrap or push her in the borrowed stroller. It felt like a dream; you could tell Natasha felt the same with the lightness in her step and the easy way she smiled.

The baby slept mostly through the night, only needing to be fed once. Both of you knew you were very lucky.

Natasha was curious about where the baby was in her milestones. You two were delighted to see that she could crawl…but that meant emergency baby proofing the house today.

You knew that the Avengers would likely pile the baby with gifts regardless of how often Natasha would say it's unnecessary. Laura would know the appropriate amount, but she wondered how Wanda would react since she loved children and wanted some of her own. 

Natasha and you decided that your daughter would choose whatever gender identity she felt comfortable with. Whether she wanted to be gender neutral or use masculine pronouns, you'd support her.

For the time being, you couldn't help but enjoy buying her dresses and floral onesies. You decided to shop second-hand because you both knew that she would grow through her clothing quickly.

Natasha picked out a onesie with cherries while you picked one with daisies.

Natasha did not often shop. She dressed nicely but wasn't as interested in fashion as Yelena was. Right now, she was having a blast discussing clothes with you. You bit your lip as you eyed a tutu. Would Nat be against it because of her past? Before you could think too hard, she had taken it from you, rolling her eyes with a shake of the head and placing the tutu in the cart.

Nat laughed, "If she wants to dance ballet like her Mama, then I'll let her. It doesn't bother me, but I appreciate the care." she said with a kiss on the cheek as the baby cooed. She was having fun, too.

You and Nat visited other stores to buy her a stroller and car seat. You consulted the baby about what toys would interest her. Color was important. She now had puzzles, felt books, a toy piano, stuffed animals, and other toys.

Other HCS:

Nat loves playing classical music for the baby and plays it daily. Of course, Tchaikovsky was a favorite. 

Once she starts walking, Nadia loves to twirl in a circle or watch Natasha perform for her.

Her favorite foods are blueberries, bread, soup, and carrots.

Yelena bought her a Matroska onesie as a joke, but it turned out to be one of Nadia's favorites. (see pic above)

Yelena wasn't sure about Nadia upon first holding her, but after visiting a few times, she was twirling the baby in the air and talking about all the places she'd take her.

Once older, Nadia loved the park with the swingset being her favorite. She could spend hours swinging.

Natasha did inform Melina and Alexei of their grandchild, Melina's expression being far more exuberant than you thought she would be. (You were unsure of Melina and found Alexei to be… a lot, but a good person overall.) Alexei jumped to his feet in his excitement over the encrypted video call. They wanted to visit as soon as possible, but Natasha had promised she would allow it soon. But the baby was absolutely not leaving the country. Still, this didn't stop them from sending a plethora of gifts about Dedulya and Babulya. (Again, see above)

You and Nat liked taking Nadia to the library, but even then, she owned so many books that your bookshelf was going to fall over. However, the baby's activities were great for her development.

Nat felt very awkward going to her mother's meet-ups. She didn't want you to have to do all the socializing, but Nat did it anyhow. However, she preferred the ones she could get away with fellow SHIELD agents.

Nadia also loved the zoo, with the giraffes being her favorite, but despite that, her favorite animals were ducks, which she loved to watch at the park.

Due to Nat's occupation, it was sometimes hard to balance responsibilities, but she kept her word and stayed home as much as possible for the first year of Nadia's life.

First, I've never written something like this, so let me know what you think! It's the background setting up the hc's. If you think of a baby scenario you'd like written out, I can try that. Most importantly, part 2 will be where the ACTUAL headcanons will be written out. They'll all be fluffy! Finally, I use em dashes! I just do. I've grown up using them and they were required for my academic research, too. I am not AI. Enjoy!

Part of you never thought that you’d get married or have children, but life surprised you when you met your wife, Natasha. You were a researcher and archivist who worked for SHIELD. Agents came to you for history, past projects, missions, or any otherwise difficult-to-access materials. You had met Steve Rogers through your archive work, as he preferred printed materials or electronic forms from SHIELD’s early history. Being a historian, the two of you found things to discuss and started a friendship. From there, Steve introduced you to Natasha, whom he insisted you would pair well with. You didn’t quite believe him, but when was Steve Rogers known to lie? Well, he was right. Your friendship was slow to develop, but there was a spark from the beginning. Three years of dating later, you were married.

Both of you have always wanted children. Natasha thought she was a monster for her inability to have children because of the Red Room. You quickly assured her that wasn’t the case and would continue to reassure her for the rest of your lives. The ability to conceive children does not have any bearing on the quality of a person, but conditioning dies hard.

You personally did not want to carry a child, so the question was, when was the right time to adopt? The answer fell into your lap when Natasha and Yelena found a baby girl while visiting a former Black Widow they had rescued years ago. Unfortunately, the Black Widow died while Natasha and Yelena found it was a setup. Natasha saved the baby from any debris or shrapnel. Knowing she obviously couldn’t leave the baby there, she took the baby with her. 

Natasha knew the horrors of the foster system, but she was not one to jump into situations, especially life-changing decisions. However, as the baby glanced up at her, giving her a small smile and cooing, Natasha felt a warmth in her heart that she didn’t know was there. It frightened her how fast she was falling in love.

A few hours later, you gasped when you saw the small figure in Natasha’s arms. There was no way she would --- would she?

Natasha smiled, exhausted but pleased, as she finally reached you, pulling you into a tight one-armed hug before removing the blanket from the baby’s face. You beamed at the bundle. She was beautiful with light-colored eyes and dark-colored hair. She looked to be less than a year old, but you weren’t entirely sure of her exact age.

Natasha’s features shifted to a somber one. “I couldn’t leave her behind. Her mother was killed in an ambush. We barely escaped. I know it’s not as easy as just picking up a child and taking them home. We have the legal aspects, mittgating the psychological trauma on this poor baby, preparing the home - it’s a lot, but I’m willing if you are.” Natasha finished softly.

Natasha was right, it was a lot. However, the two of you had been preparing for this day for years. The time was never right, but you already had an adoption lawyer lined up, a good one, thanks to Natasha’s pull, so that aspect was taken care of. Many babies who were adopted came from traumatic situations - not all, but many. This was also something the two of you prepared for. You had always been organized, trying to prepare for every possible scenario, and the same went for your attention to detail.

You and Natasha took parenting classes on everything from early childhood development to nutrition to attachment styles and psychology in preparation for a child you were both planning to adopt. Unfortunately, the adoption failed, but this situation was different and more complicated than the one before it.

Despite this, today, you felt like there was a real chance, and there was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Natasha took the baby to the pediatrician immediately after Natasha’s mission briefing. The baby was about one year old and healthy but was a little small for her age, making her age more difficult to determine.

Natasha checked the Black Widows database to see if there was a record of the baby’s name, but she had no luck. You hoped the baby wouldn’t be too confused having a new name, but naming a child is something you both had discussed previously. It was decided that her name would be Nadezhda, which means “Hope,” a beautiful name to commemorate a new start in all three of your lives.

You knew that the legal process cementing her adoption would take time, but Nadezhda had no relatives due to her mother’s Black Widow isolation, and her father was nowhere to be found. At that point, you and Natasha were granted custody and the adoption process was officially started - with some pull from Natasha. The child looked at you with quiet, curious eyes. You couldn’t imagine how entirely overwhelming the situation must have been for her.

It was finally time to start your new home. Someone at SHIELD had graciously given Nadezhda some clothes she could change into, rather than the torn and dirty garments she arrived with. You were incredibly grateful for many of Natasha’s colleagues pitching in. Luckily for you, you both had some supplies from the failed adoption, but there was still a lot of shopping to do.

At this point, Nazheda had started to cry for her mother. It was a difficult situation that you didn’t know how to handle, even if you had taken psychology classes with Nat. It broke your heart. Nat began to quiet her with soft spoken words in Russian, which Nadezhda seemed to respond to, but she still pouted with watery eyes. However, things had settled down now. 

You quickly ran to the store to buy formula, diapers, and a few other items that would last a day or two before returning home. 

By the time you returned, Natasha had already begun calling Nadezhda “Nadya” or “Nadenka.” She explained that these were diminutives of her name. 

It hardly felt real as you and Nat took turns feeding the baby warmed formula. You couldn’t stop staring. Natasha glowed as she smiled and cooed at Nadya. You luckily still had the crib from the failed adoption, hoping to fill it one day. Now was the time. Natasha made the crib up while you rocked her. Nadya had been mostly quiet, fussing a little here and there. You played soft music in the background to keep her company as Natasha read out loud to the baby her report on the oh so thrilling research you had brought her in to prepare for her arrival. Luckily, there were some baby toys from last time, but they were too young for her age. The two of you would fix that tomorrow. After playtime, it was time for bed, where you took turns kissing Nadya and turned the baby monitor on.

You cleaned up dinner as Nat took a shower, and you were finally able to clean up from her mission. She must be exhausted. You agreed that neither of you would play the stereotypical role of housewife—that you two would be a team, and responsibilities would be split between who was better at the task and shared for all other responsibilities.

You turned down the bed and sprayed lavender relaxation bed spray on Natasha’s side. Nat left the bathroom, drying her hair with her towel and smiling softly.

“Hey you.” She said tiredly.

“Hey yourself. Nice shower?” You offered.

“It felt heavenly.” She said as she crawled into bed with you.

“I know you want to wind down from today; it sounded awful. I know you look to process things on your own time, so I won’t push you, but I’m here if you want to talk about what happened during your mission.” You said, squeezing her hand.

Nat sighed.

“You have no idea how much I appreciate you never pushing me. It’s one of the many things I love about you.” She squeezed your hand back, relieved.

You turned on the television, turning on a cooking show. You and Nat watched quietly while a million thoughts raced through your head. You knew Nat felt the same.

“ I can’t believe it’s finally happened. We’re mothers now. If only it happened…differently, but at least we know we’ll make a difference in Nadya’s life. It’s all so surreal…amazing, yet I’m so terrified. I already know what you’re thinking and it’s not true.” You said with a kiss on her cheek.

“And what is that?” Nat said, raising an eyebrow, already knowing the answer.

“You’re thinking about how you’ll never be enough for the baby and I. Or how like there’s too much red in your ledger to truly deserve happiness and that’s just the beginning.” You pointed out.

“You’re not wrong. It’s going to take some getting used to, but I know I have you, and we have a support system with Clint and Steve especially...and my family If you don’t mind, I don’t want everyone to meet her yet. I want her to only spend time with us until she’s acclimated, then I say we slowly introduce her to Clint, then Steve, possibly Yelena, but you know how she feels about children, and then the rest of the Avengers one by one.” You nodded in agreement. You wanted to make the transition process as easy as possible.

“I think we should talk to the child psychologist tomorrow. I’ll make an appointment for when you’re free.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem for a while. I called in and insisted that I choose when to work for the next few months. I can take a consulting role, and if I need to take maternity leave, then I will. I…made sure to check in with the archives. It’s up to you how much you decide to work. I don’t want you to feel worthless, but I also want you to take time off if you need to. For now, I think it’s best we both stay home. I hope I didn’t overstep.” Nat said, biting her lip.

“You’re thorough, and I know you took my privacy in mind. I appreciate you, " you said, kissing the bite from her lips. You felt Nat sigh in relief. Despite her positive qualities, she hadn’t dated many people and never thought she would be married. She still was learning what was appropriate and what was too much. It was all sweet, really, as she truly cared.

“Good. We have the baby monitor to wake us if there is the slightest issue. But tomorrow, we have a bit of fun. We get to go shopping…for real this time.” Nat couldn’t hide the wide grin on her face.  

You were giddy with excitement and cuddled into Nat’s side as you turned up Chopped, sighing contentedly. You couldn’t wait for tomorrow. 

Hey there! Just a friendly reminder/PSA from your friendly neighborhood Pixiemage!

“Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” is too often (incorrectly) used as a cover-all tag, on fics ranging from Vaguely Uncomfortable to Serious Shit, as a replacement for any intense tags relating to the story. People will use it to say “Holy shit guys some INTENSE SHIT happens in this story” without actually saying what that Intense Shit™ is.

In actuality, the “Dead Dove” tag is meant to be used in addition to other warning tags. Pulled from a scene from the show Arrested Development (look it up on YouTube!), it means “Hi! Hey! I labeled this fic to warn you of what’s in it, so you might REALLY want to read those labels! This fic is exactly what it says on the tin! The tags are accurate! Don’t say I didn’t warn you, because this is me warning you! Read the tags!”

So before you accidentally use the “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” tag without context, here’s your preemptive lesson for next time. Please tag your fics accordingly! Ta!

I dunno, I just feel that it’s, like… Batman marketed for people who don’t generally follow Batman comics. Y’know, like Hush was, along with Morrison’s run (just like how their X-Men run brought in tons of readers who didn’t really read X-Men, who ditched the book once Morrison was gone). It’s Batman repackaged into popular cool things they recognize.

I’m reminded of when a (former) close friend told me he LOVED the New 52 origin of Wonder Woman, with the Zeus backstory that just made her Hercules. He was like, “I never really *got* Wonder Woman before, but I get this!” Because it was familiar. It didn’t have the challenging hurdle of being unique, much less centered around women. Never mind that he never read the Pérez run, nor showed any interest in checking it out, because he still didn’t care about the character. He just thought the new story was cool. But not enough to actually start reading WW and appreciating her as a character.

By contrast, I think that Absolute Wonder Woman actually COULD potentially work to get people into mainline WW stories like the Pérez run. It’s consistent with Diana’s personality, it generally doesn’t downplay the mythological aspects, and it’s still woman-focused. Absolute WW appeals to both seasoned WW fans and new readers, who might be able to read older stories with new appreciation for Diana.

But I don’t think the same can be said for Absolute Batman. Just like Morrison’s Batman readers largely ditched Batman once Morrison was out, I don’t think Absolute Batman readers will end up with a newfound interest in Batman comics outside stuff like The Dark Knight Returns and all the darker, edgier stories that followed in Miller’s wake. One way or another, it’s Batman for readers who are very much not us, and it’s honestly bummed me out to realize how few people actually want to read the kind of Batman I’d want to see.

TL;DR, THIS AIN’T YER DADDY’S BATMAN, FANBOY!