Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Movie night again?"

Nico waves you over with a grin. "You know it! Every Wednesday."

Magik pulls her feet off the couch grudgingly to make room for you.

"Thank you, Your Highness." You tease, plopping down and grabbing a handful of popcorn from her bowl.

"You don't even need a seat. You can sit on Robbie's lap," she complains jokingly.

"No way!" Robbie gives you an apologetic wink. "Sorry, Hunter, but your head gets in the way."

"Who's turn is it to choose?" Blade grabs the remote control and starts scrolling. "Because if it's up to me-"

"You picked last week, Eric. Don't even think about it." Nico warns, taking back the remote.

"Can I pick?" Carol has finally peeled herself away from CENTRAL for the night.

"No. Avengers are only allowed to participate on a trial basis." Illyana counters.

"You picked two weeks ago, so it's not your turn either." Blade gives her a pointed look.

"I'd like to point out I've joined for the last three months and haven't got to pick yet." Peter pipes up, partly to clear the tension.

"Ok, Pete's choice it is." Nico declares, looking around for any sign of objection. Everyone nods or shrugs.

Always different, yet somehow still the same.

You love movie night.

"Sure you want to squeeze in this tiny twin?"

You close the door and lean against it, watching him get ready for bed.

"You know very well it's a full size mattress, not a twin." You reply, punctuated with a yawn.

"So? Yours is even bigger than a king," he responds playfully.

"Seniority. Also, mattress sizes were not standardized back then."

He chuckles, now in his pajamas, and sits on the edge of the bed. "Last chance to go back to your spacious room."

"Robbie, are you really trying to convince a beautiful woman not to stay?" You tease.

He does this every time. Truth is, you'd rather spend every night crammed into a twin size mattress if it meant falling asleep beside him.

But he's so careful each time you stay the night, double, triple, quadruple checking.

He must not be ready to have you fully by his side.

That's ok. You'll take any and every moment he gives you.

So you limit yourself to once a week. After movie night, in fact.

"Crazy, right?" His words bring you out of your musing.

"And yet here I am."

His eyes sparkle, the upwards curve of his lips drawing you in.

"Last chance to ask me to leave," you say, hearing your voice drop low without permission.

"Come here."

The words crumble any walls that self-doubt may have built. You cross the room in a heartbeat and press your lips on his, feeling his smile grow as he kisses you back.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Robbie." You murmur affectionately.

He pulls you into bed, snuggling you from behind.

"I'm holding you to that."

"Kettle corn? Really?"

Tony pours a huge bowl of it, ambling over to the TV. "Are you really complaining, Magik? I saw you eat an entire family sized bag yesterday."

"Yes, as a snack, but not for movie night. It's always movie theater butter flavor. And if you finish it, like you did last week, you should replace it. With the same thing." She gives him a disapproving look.

"I upgraded! That stuff was cancer central. This one is organic, with half the calories."

"That is hardly the point."

"Fine, more for me." He takes a huge handful. "It's hard enough getting popcorn at all when the sky is green and, oh yeah, the literal apocalypse."

"Ugh, give it here." She tugs the bowl out of his grasp.

She mutters to Nico, "We should never have invited them."

"Come on, it'll help us bond. We've been working so well together."

"Work together and die together, right?! Too soon?" Pete laughs shakily, clearly more anxious than anyone else.

"Hey. No dying on my watch." Blade declares authoritatively.

"That goes double for me." Carol takes the bowl from Illyana and passes it to him, their hands briefly lingering when they touch.

Robbie coughs loudly and you nudge his ankle with your foot.

"Keep it cool," you admonish sotto voce.

"They're really cute together," he whispers back.

"So, who's turn is it to choose?" Wanda asks, also grabbing some popcorn.

"Carol can do it," Magik affirms.

"Woah, really?" Tony gapes at her.

"Might as well." She answers offhandedly.

Everyone knows it's a big deal for her. And that it's possibly the last movie night with everyone together.

"I'd be honored," Carol declares with a smile.

Robbie chuckles and pulls you onto his lap.

"I thought my head got in the way," you tease with a grin, trying to stand up again.

"Oh no you don't," he warns, grabbing you around the waist.

"Get a room," Illyana grumbles, knowing full well what she suggested last week.

"As long as you keep it PG, we're good." Steve the pre-boomer remarks.

"As long as you don't distract from the movie," Nico corrects.

"Can you please pick something?!" Pete practically hollers. "Really need something to quiet my anxiety."

"Ok, I have the perfect idea."

And Carol's right. You have the best time: Avengers, Midnight Suns, and everyone in between. Even Caretaker drops by for some kettle corn.

You really hope it's not the last.

"Are you ok, Robbie?"

He'd been uncharacteristically quiet during the movie. Normally he laughs the loudest. You'd even gotten off his lap and gone to another chair, in case he was secretly uncomfortable.

Now it was just the two of you, sitting in front of the TV. Everyone else has gone to bed.

You can't remember the last time you spent a Wednesday night alone. But it doesn't feel right if he's not holding your hand and leading you there.

Of course. Everything is changing, how could it not be with the world ending?

And maybe it's better this way. The last time you faced your mother, you ended up in a casket. The least likely person to walk away alive from this is you.

And it would be worth it. If it means saving your friends, saving everyone, you'd gladly give up your life again.

"Hunter, we need to talk."

You do your best to keep your breathing even. It's hard enough on both of you without you hyperventilating.

"I am listening."

He takes a deep breath, trying to keep his voice level.

"Can we sleep in your room tonight?!"

He blurts it out so quickly it takes you a few seconds to register.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know we always sleep in my room. But it's so cramped with the two of us, I wake up with sore joints the next morning. Which I'm fine with, it's totally worth it! But we're fighting Lilith tomorrow so I really need to be in top form."

You exhale, not realizing you'd been holding your breath.

"Oh, Robbie. Is that all?"

He fidgets slightly. "Is that a yes?"

"Of course we can."

He sighs in relief. It takes all of your control not to laugh in his face.

"I would've offered sooner but you said you didn't like having Agatha and Caretaker staring at us from the painting."

"Yeah, well now I know that Agatha is actually right down the hall, it feels less creepy."

You reach out and take his hand, and he brushes his lips over your knuckles.

You pull him off the couch and lead the way to your room.

"What are you doing?"

You check to make sure the bed-sheet is secure over the painting.

"Making sure we have some privacy."

Robbie laughs as he sprawls lazily on your bed. "What exactly are we going to be doing that requires that?"

As if on cue, there's a scratching at the door.

"Stay, Charlie."

Charlie whines and scratches again.

"Charlie." At your strict tone, Charlie whimpers once more, then drops onto his stomach with a thud.

"Aw, let the puppy in." Robbie gives you a sad pout.

"I do not want him bothering us. Or interrupting us."

His eyebrows arch high and he looks at you severely. "What is that supposed to mean?"

“I think you know exactly what it means,” you respond, taking off your red sweater and Emo Kids shirt.

“Look, any other night I'd be naked in three seconds, but tomorrow-”

“Is like any other day,” you declare, as if saying it out loud might help you believe it.

He sits up and pulls you down to sit next to him. “We both know that's not true.”

You lean your head on his shoulder and he wraps an arm around your waist. “You know what happened last time-”

“Last time you didn't have us,” he interrupts.

“Exactly, Robbie. I have you. I don't have to spend the night staring at the ceiling alone, listening to Charlie snore.”

He chuckles, an edge of melancholy, but pulls off his shirt and presses you onto the bed.

“You do sleep better after we…”

You tug your jeans and underwear off and move quickly onto his. “Just say it.” For someone who's prone to cursing, he has a hard time saying ‘fuck.’

He helps you with one hand, caressing your cheek with his other. He leans forward and murmurs in your ear. “Making love sounds so corny.”

You freeze, making him kick off his jeans and boxers himself after your hand falls limply to the side.

“Hunter?”

You gape at him and he grabs your hand, holding it firmly. “I'm not saying it, exactly… but now you know.”

“Robbie, I-”

“You don't have to say anything,” he affirms, dropping a kiss on your forehead. “I just needed you to know.”

Your heart twinges, and you pull him down on top of you, giving him a fierce kiss.

He reaches between you and strokes your clit softly, your back arching to meet him. He slips his tongue in your mouth, swallowing your moans. When he pulls away, he immediately trails kisses down to your nipple, nibbling and sucking on it. You weave one hand in his hair and use the other to muffle yourself. His laugh vibrates against you after a particularly loud moan. He pulls your hand off with his free hand and laces his fingers in yours.

“I want to hear you saying my name.”

Once you're wet enough, he slips his fingers in, one at a time, never letting up on your clit. Your panting gets harder, and you feel the crest of an orgasm coming on.

“I'm close,” you whisper, and he starts pumping faster, pulling off your breast to look deep into your eyes.

“My name. Say it.”

The words take you over the edge and you cry out his name, clenching arhythmically, needing more.

“Robbie, can you-”

“I got you,” he growls, pulling his hand away so he can slide his cock inside. You keen when he bottoms out, feeling so full you don't want to move.

“God, you take me so good.” He takes his soaked fingers and sucks them clean, enjoying your whine when his cock twitches. He releases your hand so he can grab both breasts at once, teasing each nipple until you whimper.

He starts slow, pulling as far back as he can without slipping out, and plunging back in as deep as possible. You grab onto his thighs, clutching for dear life at every slow drag through your walls.

“Beautiful,” he whispers, eyes hooded as they rove over your body, looking for every curve and dimple that reminds him it's you.

You bridle slightly and he kisses you, running his hands gently over your body. “Let me look.”

You turn away, feeling a bit shy all of a sudden, but keep your arms at your sides so he can have his fill. He watches you greedily, licking his lips when you look back at him.

“Gorgeous,” he rasps, and you feel yourself clench down in response.

He smirks, his thrusts gaining tempo, your nails digging into his legs when he pumps harder. He presses his forehead against yours briefly, before settling down on your neck and scraping his teeth down your throat.

You wriggle, a little ticklish, and he grabs your hips tight to hold you still, speeding up more.

“Tell me where to cum,” he demands and you suddenly remember:

You might die again.

“Inside me,” your voice cracks, and he makes a sound to soothe you, nosing at your hairline.

“You sure?” His thrusts grow uneven, but he holds out just in case.

“Inside,” you insist, your voice growing stronger.

He groans and cums hard, his warm spend mingling with yours. It trickles down your legs when he pulls out, and he grabs his shirt to wipe it off.

“Leave it,” you mumble.

“But-”

“I need you next to me, now.”

He grins, plopping down next to you and pulling you onto his chest.

“That was amazing.” His voice sounds almost awed.

“Well, now you know,” you murmur into his neck.

He laughs, almost in disbelief, and jumps off the bed, picking you up and taking you to the bathroom.

“Robbie!” You complain, but he shushes you.

“If you think I'm letting Charlie in without cleaning us both, and the sheets, you're out of your mind.”

This time it's your laugh, melancholic, that echoes through the room.

If tonight is your last, you're glad you can share it with him.