#photothousandwordschallenge

Since the shit that happened with the accords, the team getting split up, Pepper finding someone new, dealing with the government, and the crazy that tended to follow Tony Stark… He’d been a little high strung. He’d barely had any time to see her as of late, even though they talked every day. It had been at least two weeks since she’d gotten the chance to touch him, and that was two weeks too long. She missed him.

She’d gone through long stretches of time throughout their lives where the only time she saw him was on the news, but things were different now. They were in an exclusive relationship, and she was no longer on the backburner of Tony Stark’s life – like when they were growing up.

They met at the park as children, and - knowing exactly who he was at four years old – she ran up to him on the playground asking him to play. He was weirded out that she knew him by name, but immediately agreed. They played for hours, until her grandma came back from the farmer’s market and brought her home.

It wasn’t until they were nearly ten years old that she saw him, again. She’d prepared – agonized – about the moment she would see him for days, worried that he was going to think that she was a creep. When they met again, though, he was intrigued. He was so dang smart that he figured it out right away, that something was wrong with her. Y/n was… definitely weird. She named him by name, as she did the first time, but… she asked him about JARVIS. Problem was, she meant the computer, and he thought she meant Edwin Jarvis.

She’d gotten the timeline wrong.

It was easy to do when you had The Sight.

God, she felt like a bad Halloween movie when she thought about it.

After the slight slip, Y/n was forced – without giving any details about the things she saw – to tell Tony the truth about her sight. She told him that she’d seen him before meeting him at the playground, and how she knew they were going to meet that day. She had even told him that she knew they were going to be great friends as adults.

Surprisingly, Tony took that news in stride, and they were great friends… until his parents died.

He didn’t speak to her for nearly a decade.

Maria and Howard’s deaths weren’t her fault, by any means, but… he knew she had the sight. That was the downfall of telling people. He was too consumed by his grief to remember that she couldn’t control what she did and didn’t see, and – even if she could – people would go mad if they really knew their future.

Sometimes she felt mad…

She had one rule: Never try to change the future.

The future was a fickle thing. The biggest question was always: can you change your future, or is it set in stone? She was unsure. Every vision she’d ever seen had come true, in her experience. It wasn’t an answer, though. Was the future’s outcome set in stone, whether or not you change your decisions? Could a decision completely change the outcome of a future? Did she only see the true outcome, or was it unchanged because she did nothing to change it?

Either way, it wasn’t her place to try and mess with the universe.

Her last vision had her second guessing her rule.

There was… god there was so much death. This would mean… this would mean the end of the world as they knew it.

In an attempt to calm her nerves, she grabbed her black cat – Luna – off the bed and brought her downstairs with her. Luna, sensing something was wrong with Y/n, meowed loudly and nuzzled her head under Y/n’s chin in comfort.

“Thank you.” She sighed to the cat, scratching her behind her ears before placing her on the couch in her highly-decorated living room. “I’m going to clean up and make some coffee.” Luna meowed in response. “Yeah, yeah, caffeine. Okay. I’ll make tea, then. Calm me down.”

Her black booties clicked against the wood floors as she made her way to the door to her greenhouse, where she grew her own herbs and flowers. Among other things. The place was supposed to be her sanctuary… until today. She paused at the doorway, closing her eyes for a moment as flashes of her latest vision got her heart racing, again.

She’d been in the greenhouse, collecting some peppers and tomatoes to make into a few jars of salsa in exchange for a couple dozen eggs from one of her neighbors. She’d had a few coffee cans full of ashes from her fireplace on her table that she’d intended to use to make lye for homemade soaps, when her produce basket bumped a can – sending the open container to the ground.

As the can hit the dirt ground, ash flew up; swirling into the cool, autumn air. The dreary sky turned dark, and she felt the familiar pressure behind her eyes that she got while a vision happened. The scenes of her greenhouse and her vision melded together, and she felt the fear and blind panic of her future self. She was in New York, watching the scene before her as ash and dust blew through the air, and – though there were the terrified screams of the other citizens – there was an eerie silence to the city. The only sound was the fluttering of the ash falling to the ground like a fresh snow.

She turned her head, and she was suddenly surrounded by crystal clear water – spanning around her like mirrored glass. The sky was a vibrant red, yellow sparkling though as if the sky was on fire, growing lighter in hue as the colors hit the horizon line – the ombre reflecting back over the endless stretch of water. She was standing underneath a stone canopy, whose floor seemed to blend seamlessly in the unmoving, reflective water.

A… man… who didn’t look like a man… was slowly gliding through the water, walking towards her.

“Daughter?”

He wasn’t looking at her, he was looking behind her.

She turned, watching as a little girl – who didn’t look human – moved to look back at the man before her. “Did you do it?”

“Yes.” The man looked down morosely, a heavy weight upon his shoulders as he thought about what he’d done.

“What did it cost?”

He looked back to the young girl, a soulless look in his eyes as he replied: “Everything…”

A gasp broke her from her trance, as the basket she’d been holding fell to the ground – its contents rolling though the ash that coated the ground, like her vision. Her lungs were on fire, as her trembling hands flew to her mouth, her legs giving out from under her as she fell to her knees in anguish. Tears were leaving hot trails down her chilled skin, and she was afraid to close her eyes – the vision burned into her memories.

Oh…god.

Immediately after that, she’d ran to her room, nearly tripping over her Halloween décor and vomiting into her toilet.

Then, she’d called Tony.

She’d seen… She’d seen it. The end of the world.

Taking a steadying breath, she moved through the doorway, into the warmth of her greenhouse. A place that had once been so comforting to her, plagued with the memories of her vision.

“There’s nothing you can do.” She whispered to herself, bending down to pick her produce off the floor and straighten up the mess in her garden. “There’s nothing you can do.”

She glanced over to her shelf, where she kept her important items. The pumpkin-headed doll that contained her grandmother’s ashes was in its usual spot, but she felt like… she felt like the damn doll was judging her.

That damn doll was always judging her.

“Right?” She was second guessing herself. She wasn’t supposed to mess with the future. She was only there to witness it, not to change it… that’s what her grandmother always told her. Trying to change the course of fate was only setting yourself up for failure and heartbreak. “But…”

“Y/n?!” She heard Tony’s panicked voice, as he burst through the front door, nearly shattering the glass window. “Sweetheart, where are you?!”

“Kitchen!” She called back, after quickly grabbing her tin for chamomile tea. “Making tea.”

His pristine appearance was comforting. His three-piece suit unwrinkled, though his face looked worn and exhausted. Without hesitation, he immediately gathered her in his arms, tucking her head under his chin and rubbing his hand up and down her spine in comfort. “Honey, what happened?”

“Vision.” She sagged in his arms, the tears she’d been furiously trying to end melting away with the comfort that his arms brought her. “It was… awful.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“You know I can’t.” She whispered, trying to breathe in as much of his smell as she could, feeling like she could finally get oxygen in her lungs. “But… I need you. I’m freaked out.”

“Okay.” He nodded, pressing a small kiss to her forehead. “You know I’m always here to talk about it, if you need to.”

She pulled back, wiping her face and resuming her task of making tea, “Want a cup?”

“I guess so.” His face scrunched up in disgust, “As long as it’s not that nasty green shit, again.”

“You had the flu, of course you thought it tasted nasty.” She snorted, getting the kettle on the stove. “So, what do you think about the house?”

He glanced around, getting up and investigating the decorations that she’d put up a week prior. He even opened the front door to inspect the fake spider webs, the pumpkins, and the little pumpkin shrine in the yard, where the well was supposed to be. “Well… it looks like… You’re really into Halloween.”

“That was the point.”

“Honey, you always look like Halloween threw up on you.” He laughed gesturing to her outfit, which was a black dress, black tights, and black, heeled booties. “You scream Halloween year-round.”

“I live for the aesthetic.” She shrugged, watching as Luna snuck up on Tony – who hated the cat. “I see the future. I may as well look the part.”

An unmanly yelp escaped his lips as Luna jumped onto the counter, next to where Tony’s hands were neatly folded as he waited for you to prepare the tea. “Fucking cat! I swear, she hates me!”

“Hey, you’re in her house, remember?” She reminded him, pouring the tea into two glasses and sliding him his own, watching the steam rise from the small cups.

He hummed in response, side-eyeing Luna before taking a sniff of the tea, “Chamomile? That vision must’ve been bad.”

“It was.” She breathed in the comforting smell, adjusting the neckline of her dress and leaning over to scratch Luna behind the ears. “I’m okay, now, though.”

Liar.

Four Months…

It was like the weather knew something was going to happen. It was December and there was no snow. There was only wet, like the sky was weeping for it’s last moments. The rotting leaves left behind a pleasant scent, but it was only a reminder of time passed.

Some of Y/n’s decorations remained, for aesthetic, but her beautiful Victorian styled home was aesthetic enough. She looked like a witch, or psychic, which didn’t bother her in the least. She enjoyed the double-take that the neighbors or tourists would do as they walked by. She enjoyed the comforting sounds of the home, and the character that came with it.

Of course, she’d made sure to immediately cleanse the house.

She wasn’t stupid.

The snow was on its way, she could smell the crispness in the air, but she was trying to hold on to time as long as she could.

It was as if the more time passed, the more her vision revealed itself.

She was walking to the mailbox with Luna, who strolled over the wet sidewalk beside her, glancing at the wet leaves like they’d inconvenienced her walk in some way.

“They’re just leaves.” Y/n muttered to herself, rolling her eyes as she sifted through the mail next to the old box. “You… You…”

She heard Luna complain loudly as she slipped into a trance, the scene around her fading into one not of her world.

There was no clues as to which planet she was currently looking at, but it was… destroyed. Completely destroyed. Ruins littered the landscape, the gravity felt different, and… the smell.

It smelled like ash.

There were sounds of commotion this time, like there was a fight happening a short distance from where she was standing.

Turning around, she saw the same creature that resembled a man from the first vision. He wasn’t as… broken… as the first time she’d seen him. This must be before.

He was… holy mother of god he was fighting with Tony.

She watched as the nano-tech in Tony’s suit morphed his arm into a giant sword, swinging it in the direction of the creature, striking to kill.

The creature barely looked phased, as he broke it off easily, like snapping a cracker, and jabbed the sword forwards…

…right into Tony’s side.

Tony’s pained, wavering grunt was loud in the silence that followed, as the creature continued forwards. Tony stumbled backwards for a few steps, pain clouding his eyes, before finally falling backwards into a sit against some of the rubble.

She could see the blood leaking from the wound, and tried desperately to move to help, but her attempts were futile…

The mail slipped from her fingers, dropping to the wet pavement as a scream tore from her lips, bringing her back to the present as the first few flakes of snow began their descent from the sky – reminding her of ash.

The sounds of her neighbors grew louder as her screams turned to sobs, the heartbreak of loss crushing her to the ground as her knees gave out – scraping against the wet pavement and tearing at her skin.

Tony wasn’t going to make it…

Two months…

There had to be something she could do.

Anything.

What she saw… she couldn’t let that happen.

The madness was beginning to set in. She’d been in the hospital for three days, due to a hysterical breakdown in the middle of work. The visions were getting worse. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw a new component of The End, and she couldn’t take it. It was too much loss.

Everyone she loved was going to fade away.

There needed to be something she could change.

There had to be some key decision that would change everything.

There had to be… there had to be…

One month…

Things were getting better.

Y/n was no longer in the hospital. It was easier to hide the pain, the loss the heartbreak… She’d accepted it… because she knew she was going to die.

She’d seen it, and she’d never been wrong.

She was watching herself standing in the woods. There’d been a fight there, recently, but there was no sounds to indicate that it was still happening. The only evidence of a fight was the broken trees, the smell of smoke, and the sight of a few of Tony’s teammates… In fact, there were no sounds at all. Just the whisper in the air of bad things to come, like fate was trying to quietly warn whoever was listening that The End was here.

Thor was standing near her, a look of horror and confusion pulled his eyebrows together, his mouth agape. He was staring at her, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was staring at her own hands, a mixture of sadness and relief lining her face as she watched the color of her skin fade away to nothing, blowing into ash and mixing with the light breeze. It spread up her arms like a paper that caught fire, leaving her limbs to fade into nothing as she looked back up to Thor with a sad smile on her face, before the rest of her dissipated into ash.

“I tried…”

Two weeks…

Tony proposed.

He fucking proposed.

They’d been on a small stroll in an empty park, Luna trailing slowly behind as she tried to hunt the small critters that had come out of hibernation from the winter – finally able to enjoy the spring weather. Their fingers were laced together as they enjoyed the warm weather, finally able to get some fresh air after being cooped up all winter.

Well… Tony enjoyed the weather.

The nice weather was just a cruel reminder to Y/n that their time together was coming to an end, and she had no idea how to stop it.

“You know, I know you live for the aesthetic and everything, dear, but… It’s spring, now. You can wear colors.” He teased, reaching up and giving her short sleeve a slight tug. “Also, why does the creature need to follow us? She makes me nervous.”

Luna yowled at him in response as Y/n looked down at her outfit. She was wearing the same lacey, black, short sleeved dress with a keyhole neckline. The same outfit as Halloween. Even down to the opaque black tights and high-heeled booties.

It left an unsettled feeling in her gut.

“Luna needs exercise, too, Tony.” Y/n responded, shaking it off as the cat trotted towards her and kept pace with the couple. “Especially if you keep trying to bribe her into liking you.”

“She literally left a dead mouse in my shoe.” He scoffed, turning to glare at the unbothered cat. “She hates me.”

“She was leaving you a gift.” She shrugged, giving Luna a sly smile before leaning her head against Tony’s shoulder as they walked. “At least it wasn’t on your pillow.”

“No, just in my two thousand dollar Tom Ford Oxfords.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t buy such expensive shoes.” Y/n giggled, spinning around so she was standing in front of him and pressing a small, chaste kiss against his warm lips. “Luna doesn’t care about material items. She just likes it when you scratch her ears.”

“Tell that to the dozens of claw marks on my hands.” He replied with a snort, wrapping his arms around her waist and caressing his lips against her forehead. “I miss this.”

“Miss what?” She laid her head against his shoulder, fingers gently playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Disagreeing about Luna?”

“Being with you.” He murmured, turning his head to lay his scratchy cheek against her forehead. “I wanna’ be with you forever.”

She closed her eyes, heartbreak piercing her chest as the replay of her vision of his death played behind her eyelids. She desperately wanted to tell him about her visions, but… she was terrified that he’d become reckless or not fight with everything he had, if he knew he was going to die. There was no way to prevent his death, but she would make sure that he enjoyed the last moments they had together. She’d rather take that secret to the grave than let him feel any ounce of pain that she felt.

“I love you.” She whispered, willing the tears back as she sagged against him. “I will always love you.”

“Marry me.” He replied suddenly, shifting around and sliding his hands up to cup her face. “I’ve loved you for so long… You’ve been one of my best friends since we were squirts, and I know I don’t deserve you after what happened… and I know that I haven’t been the best at showing you I love you… and I know that we haven’t been exclusive for that long but-”

She cut off his rambling, arms sliding around his neck as she shoved her lips against his moving ones, forcing him into silence as she threw as much of her love as she could into that kiss. She’d loved him since she was young, too. She’d been so patient for him, knowing they’d eventually be together even as he was dating, sleeping around, and gaining his reputation as a playboy. She tried to think about the first kiss they’d shared as teenagers, trying to convey as much emotion as she could to convince him that she loved him. Which had only grown as they grew older.

She just wished they’d be able to grow old together…

The tears that she’d been holding back slid down her face, and she could taste the salt as she slowly pulled back, pressing her forehead against his. “Yes.”

“Yeah?” He laughed, excitement laced through his voice. “You mean it?”

She nodded, throat closing as she tried to conceal her heartbreak with excitement. The tears wouldn’t stop, and eventually a sob escaped her throat as she buried herself into his neck – hoping he would think that it was just her being emotional about the engagement.

It was better than knowing the truth…

Three days…

Drinking was a bad idea.

Why she decided to drown her sorrows was beyond her, but she was spiraling. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw someone else fade to dust. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw fire. She saw panic.

She saw him.

She knew his name, now.

Thanos.

His agenda wasn’t clear, as her visions only came with flashes, and weren’t always in order… but she knew enough to know that whatever it was, he was going to win. He was going to get what he wanted. He was going to kill to get it.

He was going to kill the ones she loved.

Her last vision had sent her over the edge.

Luna…

She took another swig of her wine, in the middle of completely trashing her greenhouse. Not that she was going to need it, anyways. She’s going to die. Why the hell not? Dirt and plant remains were tossed carelessly to the ground, the tomatoes that she’d grown to hate squishing beneath her shoes as she chucked another clay pot against the wall – shattering it from the sheer force of the throw.

Her music was on as high as she could stand it, the intensity of the heavy metal encouraging her to scream out her rage as she tossed shit around the room.

The only thing untouched was the doll that contained her grandmother’s ashes. The little pumpkin head silently judging her – as usual – as she downed the rest of the wine, throwing the bottle against the wall to add to the piles of shattered items and destroyed hard work.

“Stop- Stop fucking judging me, grandma!” She slurred, screaming at the doll as the room spun around her. “You told me I couldn’t mess with it! You did! Now, look! Now… Everyone! Everyone! They’re all- They’re all going to be gone!”

The doll just stared back.

Two days…

“Bruce?” Tony broke away from you, where you were standing in the park after being interrupted during your run.

“Hi, Tony.”

Two Days…

“Please tell me you’re not in the ship, Tony…” Y/n swallowed thickly, her worst fears beginning to come true. “Please…”

“I can’t tell you that, sweetheart.” He began to cut out, as she fell to her knees clutching the phone to her ear desperately. “I’m sorry.”

One day…

“I have to change it.” She muttered to herself, walking onto the ship to Wakanda with Bruce and the other members of the team. “I’m going to change it.”

One hour…

AIM FOR THE HEAD.

One minute…

She ran through the woods, having broke away from the fighting and sneaking out of Shuri’s lab. She knew what she had to do. She knew what needed to be done.

“THOR!” She screamed, as she happened upon the fighting and mayhem, gasping for breath, “AIM FOR THE-”

“You should have aimed for the head.”

“No!”

She was too late.

He snapped.

The end…

--------------------------

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“Wake up, my loves.” A deep voice says.

“Five more minutes.” You whine, as you feel lips brush against your temple.

“I’ve been called in.” Steve says, chuckling at the faces you and Tony were making.

“Nooo.” Tony whines. “It’s Halloween.”

“It’s October 1st.” Steve argues, smiling at Tony.

“Will you be back for Halloween?” You ask. “We’re throwing a party.”

“I know,” Steve sighs. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Alright.” You say, smiling at Steve. “Call us if you can.”

“I will.” Steve says as he gets off the bed. “I love you both.”

“Love you too.” Both you and Tony murmur before cuddling into each other.

****

“So what are you thinking? Should we go scary or cute?” You ask as Tony hands you your breakfast.

“I’m thinking cliché Halloween, witch hats hanging from the ceiling, spider web table cloth, skeleton hanging from the front door. That kind of thing.”

“I like it.” You say, taking a sip of your coffee. “Maybe we can put bats above the fire place.”

“Do you want to go to the craft store today?” Tony asks. “Or do you have to go into the bakery today?”

“No, I’m free today.” You say.

“Awesome!” Tony squeals. “I love this holiday!”

“I know you do, baby.” You say, smiling at Tony. “I love it to.”

“That’s why I fell in love with you.” Tony says.

“Oh really? That’s why? I thought it was my baked goods?”

“You do make great cookies.” Tony hums in agreement.

“You’re such an ass.” You say, laughing.

“That’s why you love me.” Tony says.

“No, I love you because of your ass.” You joke.

“Well it is fantastic.” Tony says primly. “Yours is pretty great too.”

“Let’s get going, you dork.” You say, laughing.

**5 days later**

“I’m home!” Steve calls as he opens the front door. “Holy shit, it taken over the entire house.”

“Hi, Honey!” You call. “We’re in the dining room.”

“Oh you decorated in here to.” Steve says, leaning against the doorway.

“Of course.” Tony says. “It’s Halloween.”

“It’s October 6th.” Steve says, crossing his arms.

“You start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.” You say, glaring at him.

“Well, yeah, it’s Christmas.” Steve says, rolling his eyes.

“And this is Halloween.” You argue.

“Alright, I don’t get it, but you guys love it, so I guess I love it too.” Steve says. “Do you need any help?”

“We bought these things, it makes the windows look like they’re all boarded up, can you put them on the windows outside?” Tony asks.

“Sure, one of you will have to hold the ladder though.” Steve says.

“Of course, Baby.” You say. “Come one, the ladder is in the shed.” You add as you walk out of the back door.

“So, were you able to ask those friends of yours if they’ll be coming to the party?” You ask.

“You mean my team?” Steve asks.

“Yes, Steve, your team.” You say rolling your eyes.

“I didn’t ask them.” Steve murmurs.

“Steve. You promised.” You say frowning.

“I know.” Steve sighs. “It’s just-.”

“Are you ashamed or something? Is that it? Is it because there are two of us? Or is it that Tony’s a man? Huh? What is it?”

“I’m not ashamed of you, or of Tony.” Steve says.

“Then what is it!? Because when you talk about those guys it’s like you’re talking about your family! Don’t you want us to meet your family?”

“Of course I do. I-It’s just I’m different when I’m around the two of you.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” You say. “I’m going back inside, Tony will hold the ladder for you.”

“Y/N, please.” Steve says.

“Steve, just no. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

**1 week later**

“Hey, Tony.” You say as you get into the car. “How was work?”

“Pretty good.” Tony says. “Rhodey, Pepper and I had a bunch of meetings today.  How was your day?”

“I came up with a new cookie recipe.” You say, patting the paper bag you had on your lap.

“Looks like we know what we’re having for dessert!” Tony says.

“What are we getting for dinner?” You ask.

“Steve said he’d take care of it.” Tony says.

“Alright.” You say shrugging your shoulders, for the rest of the drive the two of you talk a bit more about work and the Halloween party. “Whose cars are those?” You ask, as Tony goes to pull into the driveway.

“I don’t know.” Tony says, eyebrows creasing in confusion.

“Should we go inside?” You ask.

“I mean, I guess?” Tony says. “It is our house.”

“Right.” You say as you get out of the car. Before you and Tony can even get to the door it opens revealing Steve.

“Hey, Tones, Hey Y/N.” Steve says, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

“Whose cars are these, Stevie?” Tony asks.

“I brought some members of my unit over for dinner. They wanted to meet you before the Halloween party. T-That’s alright, right?”

“Of course it’s alright! We’ve wanted to meet them for years!” Tony says, walking past Steve into the house.

“Thank you.” You murmur, kissing Steve’s cheek.

“I’d do anything to make you and Tony happy.” Steve says. “And I wouldn’t want to ruin your favorite holiday.”

“Well it is the most wonderful time of the year.” You say, smirking.

“God, you’re such a dork.” Steve says as he slings his arms over your shoulders. “Now come on, everybody is waiting to meet you.”

“Is there a reason you keep me on the payroll as your personal designer if you won’t let me anywhere near the designs for Iron Man, and you flat out ignore the entire wardrobe of clothes I designed exclusively for you, just to go out in this?” you gestured vaguely at whatever he was wearing before wincing. Terry cloth was not an appropriate material for a suit jacket.

“What’s so wrong about this?” Tony looked down at his sleeves, turning his arms to see both sides of his cuffs.

You lifted your eyebrows and gave him a disapproving look, both for the outfit and for ignoring the first parts of your statement. “Terry cloth, Tony? Really? You look like you just chopped up some towels and put a tie on with it.”

“If you were anyone else, I’d say it was fashion, but you actually know fashion, and you’re right there with Natasha on the scariness level when you have pins and scissors within your reach. So can I just say it was comfy and that I’m sorry?” Tony started backing up towards the elevator, trying to make a quick escape.

“You may, after you go change into something more presentable. Like the suit hanging up right there on the rack by the mannequins?” You pointed to it, having learnt years ago to never try handing something to him.

“Why do you have a suit made and waiting for me?” Tony asked as he walked into your design lab to grab it.

“Because FRIDAY lets me know when you’re about to leave in something I deem less than appropriate, and I have a few pieces ready and waiting at all times,” you began, ignoring Tony’s complaint of traitor and glare he sent up at the ceiling. “Here--give me that towel monstrosity--I’ll give you some more rags to wipe your hands on in the lab,” you reached one hand out to grab his jacket, and with the other started ushering him into the fitting room/closet area of your design lab.

“Does it have to be destroyed? I feel like you might be taking this out a little too aggressively here. You’re supposed to be my Tim Gunn and make it work!”

“Tony. It’s a suit made out of terry cloth. The only way it’s going to work is as the towels it should’ve been in the first place. Maybe a robe if you stretch it. But a suit??”

“It’s supposed to be avant-garde!”

“How on earth is this avant-garde? Who told you that? And who made this for you anyways? The quality on this is all kinds of wonky,” you ran your hand across the lapel, horrified by the crooked stitching and lumps in the edge where they appeared to just sew over the excess material to hide it rather than doing the logical thing and just cutting it off. And what was up with the pocket? It looked like they just stitched some fabric together to form a catch-all for the hole in the fabric it was connected to. There were so many knots in the thread around it too, like it wouldn’t stay attached so they just kept trying to sew it on. And it definitely wasn’t lying flat. You wouldn’t expect a jilted pocket from terry cloth, but even a simple patch pocket would’ve sufficed.

You were so caught up in analyzing the piece that you didn’t hear Tony come of the fitting room, or anything that he was saying to you until he stood right across from you.

“Wonky, huh? Should I be upset that you’re hanging out with Cap enough that you steal his vocabulary?”

“It was Clint who said it, actually. And yes, you definitely should. We’re running away together to his farm, where I’ll live with his wife and three kids, designing clothes for all their goats. And,” you started sing-songing to him, “not a single piece of terry cloth clothing in sight!”

Tony smiled and rolled his eyes, shaking his head just a little at your ridiculousness. “It’s moments like this,” he said quietly.

You looked up at him questioningly.

“You asked me why I keep you. It’s moments like this,” he started, pacing around the room, not quite looking at you or anything else in particular. “I’ve been a complete idiot, caught up in my own ideas, and you still take care of me and save the day. That’s also maybe a teeny tiny bit something to do with why I haven’t let you near the Iron Man costume? Because Iron Man is the best part of me, and I know that everything I’ve done would just pale in comparison to anything you could ever do,”

You let out a huff of laughter. “Me? You’re an actual real life superhero. Who has literally saved the world. More than once. I make clothes, that’s it!” you shook your head, walking back over to your desk. Sketches were spread out across the surface, various jackets and shirts drawn in pencil, a few of them colored in. You grabbed the sheets and straightened them against the desk top. “At the end of the day, I’m just another fashion designer in a world full of fashion designers. What I do doesn’t matter to anyone.”

“It matters to me,” Tony replied. He walked over to you, reaching out to grab your hands and stop your tapping the papers. “You matter to me. Don’t you see? Without you,” he moved a hand to cup your cheek, “I wouldn’t be the man inside of Iron Man. You’re my reminder to keep fighting to make the world a better, safer place.”

You smiled, closing your eyes as you leaned into his hand. “Are you going to keep trying to turn me into a puddle of mush with your sweet words, or are you going to put your mouth to better use and kiss me?”

“Hm. You make an excellent point,” you said. “Bogart is still my guy.”

“I hope not considering he’s been dead for over 60 years,” Rafael replied.

You chuckled under your breath, rocking forward to set your ice cream on top of an old magazine on the coffee table before you settled back against Rafael. Pulling a throw towards you, you covered yourself and snuggled into your boyfriend to keep watching the movie.

After a while, your eyelids began to grow heavy, and despite the fact that you didn’t want to miss any of the movie--even though you’d seen it multiple times--you let your eyes slip closed. You half-expected to fall into a dreamless sleep from how tired you felt, but instead an image began to form began to appear behind your eyelids.

A phone with an unusual ring in the distance made the picture become more clear and as you sunk deeper and deeper into the image, it began to come to life and then you were in the squad room. Only it wasn’t the squad room. Gone were the drab colors that you had grown used to since transferring to SVU and in their place were grainy black and grey images. You looked down at your hands, grey as the other light colors in the room and felt your brows furrow. With one hand, you pushed your fingers against the palm of the other, a reality check technique you’d read about when you’d taken an interest in lucid dreaming.

Your eyes practically bulged out your skull when your fingers cut through your palm as though you were made of air. You were dreaming.

As soon as you realized this, your surroundings became much more clear. You could feel the cushion of the seat beneath you, could smell the coffee from the counter behind your desk and when you bit down on your bottom lip, you felt the dig of your teeth against the plump flesh.

“You attempting to tell me my duties, Barba?” you heard Carisi say from his desk and turned to look.

Your brows knitted again, taking in the plain white button down shirt and suspenders he was wearing. Since when did Carisi wear suspenders? A movement at his waist brought your attention to the fedora in his hands.

“No, just having fun trying to figure out what they are,” Rafael quipped back with his signature smirk. Was he wearing a fedora, too?

“Rafael?” you said out loud, standing from your desk and walking towards him as Carisi shifted his eyes to you as well.

“Y/N, you know this fat-head?” the blonde detective asked you as he placed his hat on his head.

You were taken aback, dream-Sonny was far more abrasive than the one you knew in the real world, it was a little jolting to hear him talk about Barba--of all people-- that way. Then again, nothing about this dream was normal.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, still looking at Rafael, who only smirked at you.

“He was just telling me about where he was two nights ago,” Sonny said, turning his gaze back to Rafael. “Your story didn’t sound quite right.”

Your black and grey boyfriend moved his eyes to the detective, smirk still firmly planted on his face. “Oh, that’s too bad. You got a better one?”

Their words sounded familiar, very familiar and you wracked your brain trying to place them when it hit you.

The Big Sleep.

They were lines of dialogue from the movie you’d been watching with Rafael on the couch. You remembered the scene well, between Philip Marlowe and Eddie Mars and experimentally blurted out the next line. “Maybe I can find one.”

Rafael turned his eyes back to you, his hand coming up to let the back of his fingers stroke over your cheek as he stepped closer to you. “Let me do the talking, Angel. I don’t know yet what I’m going to tell them. It’ll be pretty close to the truth.”

Well, that line was from a different scene entirely. What exactly were the rules of lucid dreaming about a movie version of your real life. Wait a minute.

“Why do you need to know where he was two nights ago, Sonny?” you asked turning to the tall, lanky detective.

“What are you talking about? He’s our only suspect in the Marlowe case,” Sonny answered.

Marlowe? As in Philip Marlowe? you thought with your brows in waves. If you’d been confused before, now you were simply lost. Still, you squared your shoulders and lifted your chin to appear confident.

“He was with me two nights ago,” you said. “There’s not a chance he’s our suspect.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Sonny replied, looking from you to Rafael and back again. “You gotta be buzzed to be spending nights with a guy like this.”

Without replying you wrapped a hand around the crook of Rafael’s arm and pulled him towards the elevators. Jabbing your finger against the button, you eagerly waited for the cart to come retrieve you as Rafael stepped closer to your aide, barely leaving any space between the two of you.

“You know, it just happens I got a bottle of pretty good rye in my pocket,” he mumbled against the shell of your ear. “I’d lot rather get wet in here.”

The elevator door slid open as a ding indicated the cart’s arrival and you looked back at Rafael before stepping in and he followed. The door slid closed again and 1946-dream-Rafael pushed you against the back wall, lips crashing against yours. You hummed against his lips, just as you would have in real life. It seemed that even in a dream, you couldn’t deny your attraction to him and you felt your body beginning to respond as it always did. First the goosebumps, then the growing heat on the back of your neck and the tickle below your waist as his fingers glided over the skin of your thigh beneath your skirt--

“Y/N…”

You jolted awake, back on the couch with your real life boyfriend and a dark living room. Inhaling through your nose, you stretched as best you could and tilted your head up to look up at Rafael.

“You are the only person I know that can eat that much ice cream and still sleep,” he said with a smirk, kissing your brow.

“How long was I out?”

“About an hour or so,” he answered. “You missed the rest of the movie.”

You groaned, closing your eyes again in an effort to go back to the elevator, but to no avail. “I had the craziest dream.”

“Did you?” he asked as he gently pushed you up so that he could stand and stretch. “What about?”

You smirked at the crystal clear memory. “Carisi thought you killed Marlowe.”

He snorted and arched a brow as he picked up the carton of half-melted ice cream that he’d been powerless to move while you were sleeping. “You dreamt about Carisi?”

“And you.”

“Oh really?” he asked as a grin spread over his face. He put the ice cream back into the freezer and put the spoon you’d used in the sink.

“Mhm...it was all black and white and you guys were wearing fedoras,” you replied in a strained voice as you stretched again.

Rafael chuckled as he came back to the couch and held out his hand for yours, which you gave before he pulled you to a standing position. “How’d I look?”

“Honestly, pretty hot,” you answered. “Oh and Carisi was wearing suspenders, which was super weird. And we made out in an elevator...I think you were trying to get some, but that’s when I woke up so...we’ll never know if you did.”

Again, he grinned as one arm wrapped around your waist. “Well, how about we go get some dinner, then we can come home and pick up where your dream left off.”

“Hm, I don’t know…you don’t have a fedora,” you teased as he laid gentle kisses along your neck.