Mlb/Marvel one shots

The Show Must Go On

(Marinette is sick, but no one believes her, even though she says something about it often, and there are obvious signs. The Avengers are a play cast, and have been friends for years. There moto has always been "The show must go on." All characters are 21 plus. Inspired by the movie Moulin Rouge.)

I sit in the makeup chair, feeling out of breath like normal. As I do my hair, I watch as the sheen of sweat appears on my face, continuing down my body. I do my best to take deep breaths as everyone bustles around, getting ready. Tony comes up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders, and asks, "You ready? This is your first big performance. Your first big role." I nod, looking at him through the mirror. I manage to breathe okay again, and add a few finishing touches. I stand up, staring at my 'royalty' outfit, which had a mandatory corset. 

I luckily only have two costume changes, as the story takes place over a day and night. It is about this princess, running away, trying to escape the arranged marriage that she is being forced into. It starts off with her during dinner, and a few kingdoms come up with possible suitors for her marriage.

It ends with her dying in the arms of one of the princes -that one being Steve-, while her father -played by Tony- is holding the gun that shot her, causing her to bleed out. A sad story, with a sad moral, but I fell in love with it. 

"C'mon. It's show time sicky." "I am sick." I say, turning and rolling my eyes at my co-worker. He smirks, and we get into our positions, along with everyone else.

The curtains open, and the audience claps, loudly. 

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When the curtains close for the break in the middle of the play an hour later, I immediately run off stage, coughing into a tissue. Blood comes out, and I gasp for air. I have another cough attack, and Steve comes up behind me, asking, "You really just can't stop faking it, can you?" I wipe my mouth with the tissue, and look back up at him. "You really think I'm faking? I'm sick. I cough up blood, pass out, can't breathe half of the time. I'm worried about the one musical number coming up. It is going to kill me. Wearing a corset and getting enough air to hold out a note that's 12 counts then fall into your arms as a gun goes off? End me now."

"You did fine in dress rehearsal. You will be just fine now. Break a leg." "You too." I grumble, throwing away the napkin and getting some water.

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I run, singing the note, and hold back a cough. I can't breathe. Air isn't going into my lungs anymore. The note ends, and the fake gun goes off, making a loud noise and smoke coming out of the toy. I fall backwards into Steve's arms, aka Prince Kendrick, pressing the small button on the inside of my wrist, which causes the fabric to stain red as the fake blood spills into it, making it look like I am actually bleeding. 

Steve lowers me to the ground, screaming, "No! Lily don't leave me! Lily!" I can't hold back my cough anymore, so I begin to, blood filling my mouth. I allow it to come out of the sides of my mouth, and gasp for air after not having it for almost a minute straight. "I'm sorry." I whisper, no longer going with the lines.

"I'm dying. I never told you before, but I am. I'm going to die." "You weren't dying until this moment, Lily, you weren't." He improvises, and I open my mouth to say my next line, but I cough again, more blood beginning to choke me. I turn my head, spitting it out, and become scared. I am actually dying. This is it. I hold onto Steve's hand tightly, terrified, and he must realize that I am no longer acting.

I go back to my lines, and say, "kiss me." He leans forward, pressing his mouth to mine, and pulls back a second later. I smile at him, and mouth, 'The show must go on.' He nods, and I gasp several times as I begin to suffocate. "It would have been you." I manage to get out. "I would have wanted it to be you." 

"I would have wanted it to be you too." He says, beginning to actually cry. "I'm sorry." I choke out, going against the line again. "Don't apologize." He says, adjusting me so he's basically hugging me. "I'm cold." I whisper, and Steve holds me closer to him, sobbing, pressing his mouth to mine. Not in the script, but more like a comforting kiss. A kiss for him.

There has never been anything romantic between me and him, but I need this too. I need a distraction from the fact that I am basically dead. I begin to actually suffocate this time, and I try to take a deep breath, but no air meets my lungs. I look up at Steve, panicked, but he just painfully smiles back down at me, sobs shaking his body. 

My sight becomes fuzzy, and I feel as the pain goes away. The last thing I hear is Steve completely sobbing, not being quiet about it, and I know that death is here.

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No one's pov

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As Marinette fades and Steve sobs, the lights go off and the curtain closes. The audience stands up, applauding the amazing performance; the performance that killed Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

The lights behind the curtain turns on, and the cast and group of friends go up to Steve and Marinette. Steve continues to sob, holding the body close to his chest, feeling as the warmth quickly leaves it.

"Steve, Mari, you guys can stop acting now. The show's over." Thor says, but Steve continues to hold the carcass close to him, taking deep breaths of her hair, wishing that he had listened when she said she didn't feel good. 

"S-She isn't acting." He sobs out, pulling away from her. Her usual pink, full lips are now a dull grey color, along with the rest of her colored features, like her cheeks and nose. 

The group circles around, looking at her, and soon they are all crying as the crowd continues to cheer extremely loud behind the curtain. 

Regret fills all of them, and they feel as the grief slowly begins to take over.

The moral of this is that happy endings don't always happen, even if you desperately want it more than anything else. Life doesn't work like that, and not every story is a fairy tale with a happy ending.

The End.