#str3lok

" ...you didn't have to do this, but i appreciate it. "

where were they now? sitting in a booth at some random cafe with someone they didn't know. but someone who was definitely related to some kind of organization. they didn't know which yet, though. they were still figuring it out.

" i can pay for my own food, though. "

ɪᴀɴ  ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ  ʙᴇ  ʟʏɪɴɢ  ɪꜰ  ʜᴇ  sᴀɪᴅ  ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ  ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ  ᴀ  ᴘᴀʀᴛ  ᴏꜰ  ʜɪᴍ  that  didn't  want  to  run.  Not  because  he  didn't  reciprocate  her  feelings.  But because  damn  right he did,  he  loved  her.  He'd  known  from  the  moment  those  hydra  agents  had  walked  into  his  cell  and  threatened  to  hurt  her,  if  he  didn't  corporate.  The  feeling  had  weighed  heavy  on  his  chest,  and  in  that  moment  he  could  have  ripped  their  hearts  out.  That's  when  he  knew  the  feeling  he  had  shared  for  Kira  all  this  time  had  been  in  fact  love.  @str3lok

So  he  felt  the  desire  to  run,  not  because  he  didn't  love  her.  But  because  he  was  fucking  terrified  that  he  loved  her  too  much.  The  type  of  love  that  would  have  him  burning  down  cities.  The  sort  of  love  that  would  have  him  putting  his  life  on  the  line  to  know  that  she  would  be  okay.  And  that  was  a  dangerous  sort  of  love.  It  made  him  feel  desperate,  out  of  control,  and  Ian  had  spent  the  majority  of  his  life  trying  to  push  away  the  parts  of  himself  he  didn't  like.  The  dark  parts.  The  parts  that  wanted  to  hurt,  the  part's  that  made  him  like  Zola.  

What  he  slipped  up?  What  if  he  hurt  her,  because  he  was  being  reckless,  because  he  couldn't  control  himself?  What  if  he  was  destined  to  be  some  self  fulling  prophecy?  "  I  -  "  he  began  to  say,  a  lump  forming  in  his  throat,  from  the  swell  of  emotion  he  was  expressing.  "  Kira  -  I  -  I've  been  in  love  with  you  since  the  moment  SHIELD  paired  us  up  for  the  first  time.  I'm  sure  their  regretting  that  one.  But  I  don't.  I've  never  felt  the  way  I  feel  about  you  for  anyone.  And  it  scares  the  shit  out  of  me.  "  

starter for @str3lok

The streets were quiet, moonlight reflecting off the damp pavement as Colt adjusted the straps on his shield, locking it firmly onto his back. Dressed in the Captain America suit, he stood tall, scanning the surroundings, every sense heightened. The soft shuffle of boots scuffing behind him was unmistakable, barely audible but there—someone was trying to be stealthy.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, he relaxed his posture just enough to seem casual, letting the figure believe they had the upper hand.

"I can hear you, you know…" Colt’s voice cut through the silence, low and calm, with just a hint of amusement.

The footsteps halted, and for a split second, there was a heavy pause in the air. Without missing a beat, Colt turned his head slightly, eyes sharp but still carrying that trademark laid-back attitude. “You wanna rethink your approach, or should I give you a head start?”

Caught for time, the bare minimum was shared between moments spent diving for cover, soundbites that endeavoured to dissolve the shock that was bound to be felt upon witnessing something familiar. And yet, ever so slightly out of sync with what could be drawn upon as a frame of reference. Whether or not his words were heeded or mocked in equal measure held no influence over what actions he would take, for an anomaly had been detected and located, roaming around in a world where it didn't belong. It was his job to remedy that.

"Just focus on stopping this thing, will you?" The curt edge to his tone is a deliberate, if insensitive choice, delivered as navy-blue head shifts to return the glance received. This action draws enemy fire, as energised rounds pepper a concrete wall that the Spider uses for cover, but they do not penetrate deep enough to cause harm. No attempt is made to ask how she happened to know the name of the cyborg causing trouble, nor does Miguel question the ramifications that chanced to exist if a potential familial link was at work here. Instead, such concerns are reserved for another time, scheduled to be picked apart and more closely examined when their lives weren't in danger, and the risk of harm was significantly reduced.

Christmas Starter for @str3lok

The party was in full swing by the time Colt finally spotted her across the room. Kira Romanova. She had this way of existing in spaces that made everything else feel like background noise—like a flickering candle in a sea of dimmed lights. Even now, in the soft glow of twinkling Christmas lights and the chatter of the others around them, his focus zeroed in on her immediately.

She wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, just standing there with a drink in hand, laughing at something someone had said. But that laugh—it was the kind that made his chest feel lighter, like he’d inhaled a lungful of winter air that somehow didn’t sting. He found himself grinning like an idiot just watching her.

And then it hit him.

The mistletoe.

Colt had spotted it earlier when he’d ducked into the kitchen to grab a drink. Someone had left a sprig dangling above the fridge, and he’d pocketed it, half on a whim, half because he figured someone might as well put it to good use. Now, with his heart doing a ridiculous tap-dance in his chest, he realized this was his chance to do something—well, something stupid, probably, but also maybe a little bit brilliant.

Before he could overthink it, he grabbed the sprig from his pocket and strode across the room, weaving through clusters of people with the kind of ease that came from years of practice moving unnoticed. Not that he was trying to go unnoticed now. Quite the opposite.

When he reached her, Kira had her back turned, still engrossed in conversation. He hesitated for the briefest of moments, wondering if this was too much. Too ridiculous. But then he grinned, because being ridiculous was kind of his thing.

Raising the mistletoe above her head, Colt cleared his throat, a playful smirk already tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Hey, Romanova,” he said, his voice light and teasing, but loud enough to cut through the noise. “You busy?” His gaze went from hers up to land on the sprig of green and white in his hand.

The room seemed to hold its breath, or maybe that was just him. Either way, Colt leaned a little closer, his grin widening as he raised the mistletoe just a bit higher.

“Pretty sure this means you owe me a kiss,” he said, his tone cocky but his eyes soft. His heart was pounding now, loud enough that he was sure she could hear it, but he held his ground, waiting to see how this would play out.

❛ ---pass. Can't stand her personality. ❜ 

❛ WE CAN MEET AGAIN SOMEWHERE ❜

ꜜ

@str3lok said: [ skating ] sender and receiver going ice skating just because kira was a figure skater before shield  𝑾𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑪𝑯𝑹𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑺 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺. // accepting !

“It’s been a long time since I've done this—”

With a controlled boost, Scarlett made a full lap around the ice rink, to get used to the feeeling. She wasn’t going too fast or too slow—she was being careful, fully focused on not falling in the most embarrassing way possible.

She felt good on the ice. But even when she used to do this a bit more often just for fun, she was never exactly great on skates. Not like Kira, at least. Scarlett vividly remembered watching her sister compete when they were younger, thinking it was the coolest thing in the world. Her sister had a real talent, and, like any little sister, Scarlett remembered wanting to do the same thing.

Naturally, she’d asked Kira to teach her—but it didn’t take long for Scarlett to realize it wasn’t really her thing. Not even close. It was fun, sure, but she didn’t have the same passion as her sister, so she never put in much time or effort to perfect her technique. The little she did know was enough for them have fun together every once in a while, so that was fine.

She lost her balance for a moment, distracted by her thoughts, but luckily managed to stay on her feet. With her heart racing, she let out a small, nervous laugh.

“So keep that in mind. If I fall, just pretend you didn’t see it.” She said, pushing herself to go a little faster. “Like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve skated, so I’m… how can I put it? I'm a bit rusty, but I’m getting the hang of it.”