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name-me-regret · 3 years ago

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If The World Was Ending 15/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Fifteen: A Reason To Live

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“When I die, I wanna die with my Chucks on Pair of jeans and a shirt with MJ on I’m gonna die, yes, but I'ma live in style Time is golden don’t you waste a second Make the most of everything you’re getting Cause you’re gonna die too, so best you live in style

All I know Is I’m not giving up I’m gonna go Until my time is up…

When I wake up I'ma look in the mirror Take a look and see my vision clearer Oh I’m gonna give, my everything Went to church the other, Sunday morning Preacher told me ‘Put an end to the moaning Cause you’ve got a reason, a reason to live’...”

~Chucks - Mi Casa, Younotus

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The man had literally an endless supply of ammo it seemed, since they had to continue to avoid being shot at from the grenade launcher, and he was still too close to the residential areas that Rhodes didn’t want to use his heavy artillery. Also, the police that had been following the assassin were too close. So, he stuck to repulsor blasts, but when they did manage to connect, didn’t seem to harm him that much besides some first or second degree burns. That wasn’t enough to take down the man that was clearly enhanced in some way, judging by the way he’d picked up his motorcycle and threw it at Buck with ease. The man wasn’t fast enough as he was slammed by the 400 pound vehicle, flying back as he tumbled across the ground. Thankfully, there wasn’t anyone or anything around.

“That’s it, I’m putting him down,” Rhodes growls. Buck lifts his head and sees the man’s suit shift as a missile comes out of his shoulder as well as his mini-gun.

Buck wants to stop him, because he didn’t want him to kill anyone regardless if the other was trying to kill them. Before he could, Rhodes is unleashing the missile and then the mini-gun when the assassin dodges the projectile. As he was dodging the bullets, Buck saw his opportunity and stood, flew to where the motorcycle was at. He took hold of a flash grenade JARVIS provided that was apparently part of the armor’s arsenal. He attaches it to the motorcycle and then was amazed as he was able to lift it, and started to swing it around and then let it go in the man’s general direction.

As expected, he was able to dodge, but he wasn’t expecting the flash grenade which exploded close enough to knock him off his feet. This wasn’t the movies so the motorcycle didn’t explode, but the one of handle bars did rip the rest of the way off after the second throw though. Buck is already in the air moments after he throws the motorcycle, so he arrives as the Winter Soldier is starting to get up and kicks him across the face. It knocks the mask off his face, as well as quite a bit of blood from his mouth. Buck winces, but knows he doesn’t have a choice. War Machine is on them in the next moment, knocking into the man with all the strength of a battering ram as he had tries to stand a second time.

“Hold him down!” Buck quickly jumps forward and helps Rhodes, who forces the still struggling man onto his stomach. Rhodes puts a pair of heavy duty handcuffs on him, but it extended from the wrist all the way to his forearm. Their newly secured prisoner struggles but isn’t able to break out of them. “Good luck breaking out of that, buddy. It’s Starkanium.” He pulls his fist back and punches the man in the back of the head, finishing in knocking him out before he looks at Buck. His faceplate lifted as he gives him a grin. “Good work, Evan.”

Buck is breathing heavily, from exertion and the adrenaline coursing through him. His own face plate lifts and he grins back at the other, since that was the single most craziest thing he’d ever done. It was also the first time in a long time he’s worked with someone and felt trusted. “Thanks!” He swallows as he tries to regain his breathing back to normal. “And it’s Buck, by the way. No one calls me Evan anymore.”

Rhodes laughs and claps him on his armored shoulder. “Sure thing, Buck.”

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Bobby was very concerned, because Athena had called him a few minutes ago but she couldn’t really get out much from in between her sobs. So, a heavy feeling was quickly building in his chest and choking him; a feeling he was very familiar with. It was the same feeling from when he’d lost Marcy, Robert Jr., and Brooke. So, as soon as he managed to find a parking space —that may or may not end up with him getting towed— he’d jumped out and started to make his way toward the medical center. Before long he was jogging, and then running as that feeling started to build.

Finally, he sees his wife and there were tears running down her beautiful face, and slows to a stop as he reaches her. “What? What’s happened?” Bobby demands, wrapping his arms around her to try and offer some kind of comfort to the woman he loved. It was just, he was too freaked out to properly do so.

“Buck... his...” she tries to get out, thus further confusing Bobby. It was then she pulls away and hands him something that his heart dropping down through his stomach, because he recognizes it. He was holding the charred remains of Buck’s license plate.

Bobby suddenly realizes with a horrifying clarity that he had just lost another son.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Eddie zipped up the hoodie over his sweaty, battered body with a wince, since he had taken more body hits in order to not get punched in the face. It would be harder to explain away a black eye than hide a bruise to his stomach. And not for the first time, he wondered if he was making a big mistake, and then remembered the winnings that were burning a hole in his pocket and all he could do with it.

Originally, he had gone to the street fights to release his anger and forget about things that he didn’t want to think about. He didn’t want to think of Shannon and how she had left him twice, once by choice and the other unwillingly, and that she would have left him willingly anyways if she hadn’t died. And how pathetic that he was angry at a dead woman, even months after her death.

Then there was almost losing his son in the tsunami, and the one that had almost killed himself searching for him; and found him in the end. Buck. He was the one he didn’t want to think of the most, and the look on his face the last time they’d seen each other and Eddie had spewed hurtful words that weren’t true. And Eddie had never felt more like his father than in that moment, and he wished he could push the words back into his mouth so they could have never caused such a look on Buck’s face.

He was just angry, angrier because he couldn’t see him. Mostly at himself, because if he was being truthful, he had preached about all of them having problems and needing to suck it up, and when he had examined his words he realized he’d sounded like his father. His old man had always drilled into his head that he couldn’t whine about his problems, that he had to be a man.

‘No puedes llorar o te verás como un maricón. Aguántate como un hombre.’

You can’t cry or you’ll look like a faggot. Hold it in like a man.

It was those lessons that always reared their ugly head whenever he tried to deal with his own emotions. He knew it was because of this, the machismo taught to him by his father that his marriage with Shannon had failed. Also, because he hadn’t been there to help her when she needed him. That was also tied with it though, because a man’s job was to provide for the family and the woman to raise the children. It was wrong, of course, but it’s what he’d been taught growing up, and he had let it control him for so long.

Now, he was making the same mistakes all over again with Buck, even if he knew that their relationship wasn’t that of a couple. It wasn’t to say that he was adverse to the idea of them together, but he knew that Buck and Tony were together, and that was one of the reasons he had lashed out. That as well as that sleazy lawyer bringing up Shannon and reminding him all over again where he had failed.

As he got into his new truck, having made enough money to make a sizable down payment on it, Eddie turned on the A/C. His phone started to ring as he pulled out of the parking lot of the run down factory, and frowned when he saw that it was Bobby. He was wondering what he needed and hoped he didn’t need him to come in for an extra shift, since he wasn’t exactly in a position to do so. Besides, he had seen the man earlier at the end of their shift. The grocery run had been the last thing they did before they were finished, having to extend it because of the road rage incident in the parking lot.

“Hey, Bobby,” he greeted as his phone connected to his truck’s bluetooth. That’s another thing he loved about the truck, since he could answer his phone and not have to worry about taking his eyes off the road. “What’s up?”

‘Eddie,’ came the man’s choked voice, making Eddie immediately snap to attention. Something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?” His heart was already beating wildly in his chest, fingers gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.

‘It’s Buck.’

Eddie felt his heart jump up into his throat and images of the truck bombing, the pulmonary embolism, and the tsunami coming to him so abruptly that he had to pull over before he has an accident. “What happened? Is he alright?” It didn’t even matter that he was mad at him at the moment, because in the end, Buck was Eddie’s best friend and would come running if he needed him.

‘He... his Jeep... you should come to Kaiser Medical Center on Sunset Blvd,’ he finally said, clearly unable to finish what he had wanted to say.

Eddie immediately swiped up on his screen to get his phone to the main menu and brought up his map amp as he found the complete address on there. “I’m on my way,” he told him before ending the call. Then he pulled away from the curve, hearing as someone blared their horn behind him as they had to stop when he pulled into traffic so suddenly. Eddie didn’t pay them any mind and floored the gas pedal, the feeling of dread building more and more the longer it took to get to where he needed to go.

When he was unable to get through due to emergency vehicles, he felt his heart stop in dread. “Buck,” he whispered, before he’s out of his truck and running toward the scene. When he gets to the police line, he can’t see much besides the red lights and black smoke of something manmade on fire, like a building... or a vehicle.

Eddie is suddenly under the police line before he knows what he’s doing as Bobby’s words echo in his ears. ‘It’s Buck. He... his Jeep...’ And also the last thing he said to him in that grocery store. The words that he didn’t mean, but had said them anyways.

‘Because you’re exhausting! We all have our own problems, but you don’t see us whining about it. No, somehow, we just manage to suck it up. Why can’t you?’ And Eddie hadn’t meant them, not really, he was just mad. Eddie was mad that he couldn’t speak to him, that Christopher was having nightmares and calling for Buck, and the man couldn’t contact them.

In that moment, none of that matters, and all he’s thinking and praying, is that Buck is alright. That if that’s his Jeep burning, then he isn’t inside of it. Because if he’s... If Buck’s...

He’s stopped by some officers as they try to hold him back. Eddie only doesn’t swing at them because he’s so desperate to get through and make sure Buck is okay. Then he hears a voice that makes him stop and he sees it’s Athena, and she saves him from getting arrested, again.

“Is it Buck’s Jeep?” he demands of her. Normally he wouldn’t ever speak to the older woman like that, but he needs to know. Eddie wants her to tell him that it isn’t Buck, and that he’s just being irrational right then. She shatters his world with her next words.

“Yes, it’s Buck’s Jeep.”

A strangled sob escapes him and she’s suddenly hugging him, and he’s never ever hugged or even touched Athena besides a brief pat on the shoulder. However, in that moment her arms are the only thing holding Eddie together.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Buck flight back toward Kaiser is much better than when he left it. He thinks he’s getting the hang of the suit, even if he didn’t really think it was a great idea. After all, even if JARVIS had said that Tony had built the suit for him, it couldn’t really be for him... surely not to keep. Buck can’t really think that he will. That’s just crazy.

He sees mayhem when he flies over the medical center, the lights of police and other medical personnel and he knows that he’ll have to answer for some of it. Rhodes had told him not to worry about it, since it was only a few damaged cars and a few minor injuries, but luckily no one died. He told Buck before leaving to secure the prisoner, that after the attack in New York, Tony had created the Stark Relief Foundation and that the destruction caused today would be covered by the Foundation.

Buck had of course heard about it but the day had been wild that he hadn’t really been thinking of that at the time. He also really hoped that meant he’d get his Jeep as well, since he had just gotten it back from the shop after the tsunami, and he needed his Jeep. It wasn’t the same one that his sister had given him, which had quit on him when he was six months into his probationary year.

The Jeep he had brought afterwards wasn’t the latest model, because he hadn’t been rich or anything. All that mattered was that it was a Jeep and he’d managed to keep the word JEEP from the one Maddie had given him and had it put on the dash. It and a few other things he had added to his new one, so it wouldn’t feel that much different. The damage had been extensive after the tsunami, but nothing that couldn’t be repaired, especially after the water had receded and the vehicle recovered. So, he hoped it could be recovered again this time.

Although as he flew over the parking lot and saw the remains of the Jeep, or what he assumed was the Jeep after being hit by the projectile from the grenade launcher, he was sure it wasn’t recoverable. He was only thankful that he hadn’t left his wallet in the middle console as he normally did when he drove. Then again, he had been trying to keep Tony awake on the way to Kaiser, so he hadn’t thought to pull his wallet out of his pocket.

His phone, however, had been in the console since his maps app had been guiding him to the medical center and had forgotten to grab it when Rhodes and the Rescue armor had arrived. So, it had likely been destroyed, and he wouldn’t be able to call anyone for a ride, or even order an Uber or a Lyft. There was no way he could take the suit back to his apartment, since his neighbors were still asking him about Iron Man, or Tony Stark, as if they weren’t the same person.

He could just imagine the gossip if he stepped out of a suit of armor of his own. Oh boy.

Buck was thinking about landing the suit on the roof where no one would see him leave it to check on Tony, but heard JARVIS’s distinct voice suddenly. ‘Mr. Buckley, there appear to be several police officer’s trying to get your attention from down below.’

“Shit... uh, what do I do? Should I go down there, J?”

‘It does seem to be a good idea to speak with the officers about what Colonel Rhodes has told you, Mr. Buckley. Although, if I may suggest, it would probably be better to keep the faceplate down. The Rescue Protocol was only a last resort, and revealing your face would paint a target on your back. It’s prudent to stay off HYDRA’s radar for now.’

Buck inhaled and nodded. “Y-yeah, I think I can do that.” He started to pilot down, now a bit more confident that he can land now without causing anymore property damage. It’s a bit rough but not too bad, and two police officers are suddenly there, and he realizes that one of the has the Captain’s rank and the other is none other than the Chief of Police.

“Iron Man?” the Chief asks, uncertain.

Buck tried to will his voice not to shake as he opened his mouth to answer. “No, I’m not Iron Man,” he told him, surprised when his voice came out warbled like Tony’s does when he speaks without lifting the faceplate. He saw them wait for him to identify himself and he wasn’t sure what to say, and latched onto what JARVIS had called the armor. “I’m Rescue.”

He saw the reporters being kept back by the police lines snap pictures, their flashes lighting up the night along with the lights of first responders. Buck was a bit thrown that their cameras were aimed in his direction, but then again, he guessed he could understand. He did have on armor like Tony, and of course they wanted to know who he was. “Can you tell us what happened here, Rescue?”

“Yes, of course,” he said, clearing his throat and was glad that wasn’t heard since he didn’t want all of them to know how nervous he was. He was surprised as words started to appear on the HUD, and realized that JARVIS wanted him to read it. So, that’s what he did after he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “At proximately 5:47pm, Iron Man was attacked in a safe house by an assailant that has yet to be identified.” He wondered why the AI didn’t want him to say that it was the Winter Soldier. He wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t about to offer it up and decided to stick to what JARVIS had written for him.

“He managed to escape in a suit of armor that only had flight capabilities and met up with a friend, who took him here for medical treatment. However, his attacker followed him here and proceeded to attack myself and War Machine, who had arrived to offer backup.” He noticed that the ‘statement’ didn’t mention Buck’s name, which was just as well. “We left the area to prevent anymore destruction of the surrounding area, as well as the medical center. The assailant followed us from the ground and managed to cause destruction on a residential home. I was able to rescue the people trapped inside, who were a married couple and their daughter. Afterwards, War Machine and I were able to finally restrain our attacker. War Machine has gone ahead to secure the prisoner while I came back to see to Iron Man. The Stark Relief Foundation has already been informed of this incident and will be on both scenes within the hour.”

“So, Iron Man is inside the medical center receiving treatment at the moment?” the Chief of Police asked. Buck couldn’t remember the man’s name for the life of him, and JARVIS wasn’t giving him anymore information. He nodded instead of speaking again. “Then we shall provide a protection detail for him,” the man told him.

Buck refrained from breathing in relief and turned away from them. He hadn’t taken more than a step when he heard a shout and paused when he recognized the voice. Buck turned and saw three figures heading toward him through the police line; Athena, Bobby and Eddie. He froze, since he hadn’t expected them to be there. Also, he couldn’t really greet them as if he knew them, since there were too many cameras still pointed at them. He also wouldn’t put it past the news reporters to have microphones pointed toward him to try and capture something.

“Yes?” he said, his head tilted down when he saw Athena’s badge attached to her belt. “May I help you, officer?”

“I’m Sergeant Athena Grant, and the friend that helped Iron Man is also a friend of ours. We found the remains of his license plate and we want to make sure he’s uninjured.”

Eddie and Bobby looked like they were really trying not to interrupt her, the former’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. It was hard to make out the expression on his face due to the darkness, but Buck could imagine he was angry. “Sergeant Grant, this isn’t the place to discus these things,” he told her, trying to keep his tone neutral. Buck did not want them to know it was him and risk them revealing his identity. “I’m sure Dr. Stark will get in contact with you about... your friend as soon as he can.”

Buck’s gaze turned toward Eddie as he jerked forward, looking like he wanted to get into his face if not for the hand that Bobby had put on his shoulder to hold him back. “Where is he?!”

He looked at his best friend, not sure if he could call him that after everything that had happened, and wanted to say something. Buck wanted to wipe the angry expression he could see due to the suit, since JARVIS had turned on the night-vision. “I have nothing further to say.”

Buck turned and blasted off, leaving Eddie, Athena and Bobby behind.-

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

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If The World Was Ending 11/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Eleven: Waking Up Slow

Read on AO3.

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“Heaven help me My mind changes like the wind Please excuse me I don't know where to begin

But I didn't think I cared I could be your friend But I'm unprepared Oh, I've never felt like this

I was unaware That you were lighting flares Now I'm running scared Oh, how did it come to this?...”

~Waking Up Slow (Piano version) - Gabrielle Aplin

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‘BUCK!’

Buck lifted his head and saw Christopher, he was barely hanging onto a cement light post as the water ripped at him like dark, reaching hands.

‘CHRIS!’ he shouted as he tried to swim toward him, before he was dragged under. But it didn’t matter how much he kicked his legs and moved his arms, he couldn’t get any closer.

‘HELP, BUCK!’

The water pulled at Chris and his little fingers were slipping and Buck felt desperation start to fill his chest when nothing he did could get him to the little boy. ‘PLEASE!’ he sobbed, seeing Chris’s frightened face as he reached one small hand toward him.

Then the water rushed forward and ripped him from reach and from view.

“NO!” Bucked screamed as he shot up in bed, eyes flying open. He searched the dark room, but he was alone in his loft. His chest was heaving, feeling his heart racing in his chest, but there was no water and he knew Chris was safe. Even so, he wanted to reach for his phone and call Eddie, since he knew he was home right now.

The only thing that stopped him was that it was his first day off after a 48-hour shift, and Eddie needed to rest. Hell, Buck had had Chris during that first 24-hours before Carla had come back to stay with him for the other day. Buck would have honestly been more than happy to take care of him both days, but Eddie had insisted that it was Carla’s job and that Buck didn’t have a job anymore so he couldn’t keep wasting money taking him out.

Buck knew Eddie hadn’t meant it maliciously, but the words stung more than he was willingly to admit, to be reminded that he was no longer a firefighter. Also, Buck wasn’t worried about money, since he kept getting his worker’s comp checks, and his savings consisted of all the money his grandparents had left him. They hadn’t agreed with their parents way of raising him and Maddie, especially how they’d cut her off when she’d married Doug. So, they’d cut them out of their wills and left it all to Buck and Maddie.

They’d been furious.

As for Buck, he didn’t care about the money. All her ever cared about was for his parents’s love and acceptance. He’d never gotten it.

Buck knew he was too keyed up to try going back to sleep, so he decided to take a shower to wash off the sweat. As he was coming out, his phone playing his Mellow playlist, it cut off in the middle of the James Bay song he was listening to. He immediately answered when he saw that it was Tony.

“So, you’re still alive?” Buck asked, a relieved grin on his face despite himself. His hair was still damp, and he’d yanked on some sweats and a t-shirt. The blonde man let himself fall on his bed, cell phone still against his ear. It had been two days since Tony had left, and he’d only received a single text from the man since then.

“Yeah... bruised and bettered, but still alive,” Tony groaned on the other end. There was shuffling on his end, followed by a clanking and then he heard JARVIS voice clearly stating that he needed someone else to stitch his wound.

“You’re trying to stitch your own wound?” Buck asked incredulously. “Don’t you have a tower with a medical floor?” He sat up now, worried for Tony and his apparent idiocy. And Buck thought he was a dumbass.

Tony fumbled with something as he grumbled. “I didn’t call to get lectured, Ev.”

Buck nodded with a sigh, running a hand down his tired face. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep in the last two days, mostly because of nightmares. While the ladder truck bombing had given him his share of nightmares, the tsunami and losing Chris during the natural disaster was something worse. So, he was feeling a bit irritable at the moment.

“Then why did you call then?” He didn’t want Tony to think all he’d do was nag at him, as if he was his... well, his boyfriend or something. That had ended a while ago. “I can exactly help you stitch your wound with you being all the way in New York.”

Tony was quiet for a few seconds. “Well, I’m not exactly in New York,” he admitted at last. He heaved his own sigh and did something that gave a sort of ripping sound, and then hissed as Buck heard a smack. “I’m right outside L.A. in a SHIELD safe house.”

“And there’s no one there to help you?” Buck asked, already starting to stand up. He looked for his wallet and the keys to the rental the insurance company had given him, since his Jeep was a total loss and were in the process of getting a estimate and issuing him a check. He had insisted on getting his Jeep back, for sentimental reasons and it didn’t matter if they didn’t give him a check. Buck didn’t want a new vehicle, wanted to fix up his Jeep.

“I’m not exactly supposed to be here,” Tony admitted. He kicked at something on his end. “By the looks of things, no one’s been here in months.”

“Where are you?” Evan asked as he climbed down to the ground level and out of his building.

“What? Why?” He paused and listened, obviously having heard him get in his car and start the engine. “No, Ev, I’m fine. You don’t have to come here.”

“J, are you there? Send Tony’s location to my phone.”

‘Yes, Mr. Buckley, sending it now.’

“JARVIS, you traitor! I will donate you to a community college!” Tony snapped with no real heat in his voice. If anything, he sounded more tired than angry.

“I’m on my way, you idiot,” Buck laughed. He heard Tony curse, but he didn’t tell him to stay away. Buck took that as a win.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

The house wasn’t much to look at, and ‘a shack’ would be a better description for it. Buck didn’t see the armor, but figured it was inside with Tony. He didn’t even bother to knock and entered through the door, which Tony had probably left unlocked for him. It could also be because he didn’t expect anyone to come attack him, so whatever had caused his injury had probably been taken care of. If not, Tony wouldn’t have allowed JARVIS to give Buck his location.

“Tony?”

“In the kitchen,” he heard the man call.

A few moments later he entered what could maybe be called a kitchen. The table looked like anything more than the first aid kit resting on it would make it collapse, so did the two chairs that were the only thing in the room. It didn’t look like it had been stepped in for ages, judging by the dust over everything, the grimy stove and the refrigerator that was probably from the eighties, possibly the seventies. There was likely no food inside, and the sink and the faucets of it were rusted, so there was possibly no water.

Buck moved over and soon he was standing over Tony, who was sitting in one of the rickety chairs. He had a black eye that was almost swollen shut, several cuts and bruises all over his face and exposed torso, since he was shirtless. Tony also had a bandage taped against his left side, just out of where he could comfortably reach, and it was quickly being stained by blood. “You’re fine, huh?”

Tony scowled up at him past his rapidly swelling eye, and the armor silently standing behind him in sentry mode showed the dent on the face plate where he’d been hit. “I am,” he insisted. He indicated the bandage. “I managed to tape it up.”

“And JARVIS thinks you need stitches,” he said, removing his light jacket and hanging it on the other chair. “Turn this way,” he instructed as he pulled the chair with his jacket closer. He had to sit close to be able to examine the wound, and he shook his head when he pulled the bloody bandage off. “I’m a firefighter, not a paramedic, and even I know this needs stitches.”

“Well, take a crack at it, if you want,” Tony told him petulantly. He didn’t seem to happy with being seen like that, but he’d seen Evan like that so he didn’t know what his problem was. In fact, he’d been worse, but then again, he’d been eighteen at the time, almost nineteen. So, he guessed it was different.

Buck shook his head and yanked the first aid kit closer, which he’d obviously been trying to use by the blood smeared on the side of it. “I’d normally leave you to your stupidity, but then JARVIS would be upset,” he snarked back.

Of course, he wouldn’t actually do it, since he’d come all this way to help him. Buck cared about Tony, even when he was being snappish. They were both quiet as he worked, Buck having slipped on some gloves, and Tony grunted in pain when the needle first pierced the skin, but then his only response afterwards was a few flinches or his shoulders twitching for the next six stitches. “All done,” he said, cleaning the excess blood and tossing it all in the trash can Tony had obviously dragged closer. There wasn’t even a bag inside of it.

“Thanks,” Tony finally said after a moment of silence. His face was tired and Buck wondered how much sleep he’d gotten since the two days he’d seen him. The bags under his eyes told that it had likely not been much, so he probably felt as bad as Buck did.

“Are you staying here?” Buck asked, looking around distastefully at the grime and dust that covered every surface. He was sure the rest of the... structure was just as bad, or worse. At least it was only one floor, since he was quite sure anything higher might have collapsed by now. Then again, if it belonged to a secret spy organization, then it was probably reinforced to keep it standing. Buck wasn’t too keen on testing that theory out.

“I can’t really fly without fixing the helmet,” he said. Buck took that to mean that it was damaged enough that he might not be able to even use it. “I’ll have... Pepper send me the jet.”

“Or I could take you home,” Buck blurted out, not really thinking on what he was saying.

“I.. do have a penthouse in LA,” Tony mused out loud. Then he quickly shook his head. “No, never mind, I think it was damaged in the tsunami.”

“I meant take you to my apartment,” Buck clarified. He was amused as Tony’s gaze snapped up in shock toward him. “It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.” He tried to keep the smirk off his face as he saw Tony’s face start to get a bit red. Buck hadn’t even know it was possible to make Tony Stark blush.

“I don’t... want to be a burden,” Tony said, almost stuttering. Buck was enjoying this way too much. “I don’t really have a change of clothes.”

Buck shrugged as he leaned forward, seeing Tony’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed nervously. “You can just borrow some of mine,” he said, making a show of checking his bandage, but he wanted to tease him a little. He’d always enjoyed flexing his flirting skills, and there was no one better for that than Mr. Tony “smooth-talking-charm-anyone” Stark. Then again, Tony had been Maddie’s friend since they were 14 and 16 respectively, Buck having been 10 at the time. It was the year before he started at MIT, and three years before his parent’s automobile accident.

He’d been a mess back then, alcohol and drugs and between Maddie and his friend Rhodes they’d helped him the best way they could. As for Buck, he had met Tony briefly but not entirely, and during that time he’d been thirteen. They hadn’t properly met until he was 16 (almost 17) and Tony had been 20, at a charity event that Charles Buckley actually donated to. Buck was convinced that it was just to keep up appearances, but it had benefited Buck that he could finally meet Maddie’s friend, Tony Stark.

Buck had been smitten almost immediately but Tony had refused the young man’s advances until he was actually 18. By then Buck had long known he was bisexual and knew exactly what and who he wanted, and he had wanted Tony. It was cliche that on his eighteenth birthday they’d finally fallen into bed together, but that’s what had happened, almost like a fairytale if one was being extra sappy and cheesy.

Then Charles Buckley had found out eight months into their relationship, and Buck had ended it to spare himself from his father’s bigoted, homophobic rage. He’d moved to LA a month after he turned nineteen.

Now here he had him once again and all those feelings he’d never gotten over were returning with a vengeance, despite his feelings for Eddie. He’d been hiding them well, hiding himself out of fear still, but it became harder now with Tony here. Because while he wasn’t sure that Tony had ever loved him, Buck was sure the man had been his first love, and you never got over your first love.

“Come home with me,” he told him, fingers coming to rest on his knee.

Tony’s eyes moved to the hand on his knee before they lifted to meet his eyes. “Yea-”

The sound of the front door being kicked in made them both freeze, and the armor turned as the repulsors charged with a whine. Buck stood and faced the open doorway even as Tony hissed at him to get back. There was no way he’d do that, not with Tony being injured.

They both tensed as an imposing figure entered their line of sight, a very familiar shield in front of them. “Tony?” he asked in confusion.

“Rogers,” Tony sighed as he slumped back in his chair. He winced a moment later and Buck wanted to immediately check the stitches, but he hadn’t moved from his position, which was between Tony and this man. “It’s alright, he’s a... not a threat.”

Buck’s eyes narrowed on the man, trying to place him, and definitely not trusting him in the slightest. “Why’re you kicking in the door?” Buck asked him as his eyes not once leaving him as he walked further inside the kitchen.

“Because this is a SHIELD safe house and someone broke into it,” he said, as if that explained that all. “I work with SHIELD.”

Buck opened his mouth to respond, not sure why this man got his hackles up, but paused as Tony’s hand touched his elbow. He glanced at the man, scoffed and backed off, physically and metaphorically as he sat in the rickety chair once again. “I’m surprised there’s even security system for this shack,” Tony told the man. He seemed to know him, whoever he was.

“It’s a low frequency alarm, which is why we only got here,” a woman said as she walked in after the man. Buck hadn’t even heard her come in she was so quiet. “I’m surprise you didn’t realize there was an alarm.”

Tony grunted as he put on his shirt carefully. “I didn’t really check,” he admitted. “I was preoccupied with other things.” He stood. “We’ll be leaving now.”

“You’re hurt?” the man asked, brow furrowed. “Do you need assistance?” He’d stepped forward and his blue eyes narrowed as Buck tensed and half rose out of his seat.

“He’s fine, I took care of him,” he said.

The man, Rogers as Tony had called him, frowned. “And you are?”

Tony opened his mouth, but Buck cut him off. “Buck,” he said, holding a hand to him. And even as he smiled at him, there was no warmth in the expression. “A firefighter with LAFD.”

Rogers hesitated a moment, seeming to stiffen at the mention of his name. He eventually took his hand, grip firm as he shook it. “Steve Rogers. That’s an interesting name.”

Buck shrugged as he released his hand and tipped his head at the woman, who hadn’t bothered to introduce herself. Except, she really didn’t have to now that Buck new the man’s name. He was Captain America and that must mean she was Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow, who had wandered closer to Tony to check him over. Tony just waved her off. “It’s actually Evan Buckley, but everyone just calls me Buck.”

Tony stood as well now. “Well, not that this hasn’t been swell,” he snarked, “but I’m eager to get into Ev’s bed.”

Rogers sputtered and Tony only grinned and didn’t correct what he must be thinking. He moved past them all, and Buck nodded as he also left the room. The suit, being controlled by JARVIS, followed right behind. As they exited the shack, he saw the jet parked close by, a dark shadow in the gloom.

Tony had already slipped into the passenger seat and Buck wasted no time in getting into the car as well. “So, did I just meet Captain America and the Black Widow, or did I imagine that?”

“No,” Tony huffed a laugh, “you didn’t.”

Buck nodded as he started his car. “And did you just make those same people think we were about to have sex?”

Tony smirked and Buck laughed as he shifted the car into drive and headed back toward the city. “You’re terrible.”

“I try my best,” Tony quipped back.-

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

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If The World Was Ending 2/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Two: Worlds Apart

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“Here we stand Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two Sleepless nights Losing ground, I'm reaching for you, you, you

Feeling that it's gone Can change your mind If we can't go on To survive the tide love divides

Someday, love will find you Break those chains that bind you One night will remind you How we touched and went our separate ways...”

~Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Journey

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Where did all the water go?

Buck kicked and flailed desperately, not knowing which way was up or down as he was turned over and over in the water, his lungs burning from lack of air. He might have given up as he felt the darkness creeping in as he felt himself get hit several times by debris, but only one thought kept him fighting to get to the surface, Christopher. Finally, he broke the surface as he took in a desperate gulp of air, hand grabbing at something, anything to anchor himself and luckily managed to get a string of lights that had been strung from one roof of a building to another. That gave him an idea of how deep the water was, and knew it would be too much for a little boy with CP.

“CHRISTOPHER!” There’s a throbbing in his head, likely from being struck by something and his ears were ringing, but he can’t concentrate on that. He has to find Chris. The string of lights holds his weight and he’s eternally grateful since the seawater is pulling at him as it tries to drag him away, looking around frantically for any sign of Chris.

Buck inhales to try and scream the boy’s name again and winds up with a mouthful of water as he chokes, trying to spit it out. “BUCK!” His head whips around, searching for the boy. He almost sobs in relief when he sees him, clinging to a cement post “HELP! BUCK!” It breaks the man’s heart at hearing how scared he sounds.

“CHRIS! HANG ON! STAY THERE!” He let’s go of the string of lights without hesitation, trying to swim and watch where he is going, but it’s hard with the current and all the debris in the water. Mostly, he’s being dragged and he can only try and kick and paddle his legs and arms to get closer to Chris. He reaches out a hand for the boy. “CHRIS! GRAB MY HAND!”

He misses and he tries to stop his progress before he gets pulled away too much. Then his heart stops when he hears Chris scream and he goes under. “NO!” He jumps back into the water, fighting the current with everything he has, and this time does sob as he catches the boy as they both surface. “I got you! I got you!”

Now he had to get them to safety.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony is working on the welding one of the arms of his latest suit, Mark 44. He’d had the idea after the Mandarin Incident when Bruce had come to visit him (more like sleep) after everything had been resolved. Banner always talked about being afraid that he would lose control of the Hulk, so Tony had started the idea of the Hulkbuster Armor, or the Mark 44. He’d run it by Bruce and he’d been all for it, if only so he could be stopped before he hurt someone. That’s what he had been working on for the past month, as well as completing the Mark 43 and finishing testing on it. He’d also repaired some of the armors that had been salvageable after the Battle on the Norco.

He’d planned on initiating the Clean Slate Protocol, so he could show Pepper how serious he was that he wanted to make things better between them. Then he’d remembered what he’d seen on the other side of that worm hole and what might be coming. So, he’d held off on it, and instead sent the suits back to the underground lab in Malibu. The house had been destroyed, and instead of rebuilding the house, he’d just left it as a sort of underground bunker/lab. Regardless, he’d promised her that he would get the Extremis out of her, and try not to obsess too much on his job.

It had been alright for a while, but then it had ended, as Tony knew it would. A break, she’d called it, but Tony knew what that meant. Well, it wasn’t like he hadn’t expected it after everything. He was a piping hot mess, and he really hadn’t expected her to stick around. As for the Extremis, it would always be inside of her, but he’d managed to neutralize most of it. Tony knew that if she ever got angry enough it would manifest a bit in her skin, but mostly in her eyes. He was going to make sure to have JARVIS record the next time there was a board meeting. He’d love to see her put the fear of Pepper in those old geezers. It would be a video that’d go into his personal files, along with a video of Steve Rogers trying to navigate a computer.

As he welded the next piece, it was another person that was on his mind; namely Evan Buckley. If there was ever a blast from his past, it was him.

Tony hadn’t spoken to the man in almost a year, and hadn’t seen him in nine years. The last time was that charity event where he’d used his mom’s concealer to cover the black eye that Charles Buckley had given him. Of course Tony had noticed, because he’d been close enough to do so.

They’d dated for about a year, and besides Pepper, it had been one of the healthiest relationships he’d ever had. Especially when you compared it to what he’d gone through with Tiberius Stone and Sunset Bain. Evan had been eighteen and Tony had been twenty-two years old, a year after he’d taken over Stark Industries. Tony wouldn’t say he had been in love, since he was still figuring out what that even meant, but he knew that with Evan, it could be possible. It had ended though, because of Evan’s father.

The man was greedy and had been trying to profit from SI for years, but his homophobia had won out when he’d found out that Tony and Evan we’re dating. He’d forbidden Evan from seeing Tony, but not before he’d beaten his son black and blue. Maddie was eight years older than him and had already married Doug as soon as she’d turned twenty, leaving him all alone, for six years. So, there had been no one to defend Evan from the monster.

Tony had wanted to give the bastard a taste of his own medicine. He’d have even thought of asking Rhodey to help him, and he would have agreed on principle alone. Also, Rhodey really liked Evan, and he had even tried to convince him to join the Air Force when Tony had finally gotten them to meet. The only reason he hadn’t done anything was because Evan had damn near begged Tony to leave it alone. He’d told him that he was going away soon anyways. If it had been anyone else, he’d have done it anyways, but since it was Evan, he’d very reluctantly let it go.

And true to his word, he’d left as soon as he had his high school diploma in hand. Tony knew he’d applied to schools all out of state (and Pennsylvania was right next to New York and the Buckley manor was close to the state line), but he’d never told him which school he had decided on. Evan was just gone one day with only a letter left to him. He’d gotten a phone call from him two months later to tell him that he’d started at UCLA. Tony would have gone to see him then, but Obie had insisted he stay in New York and complete his deadlines. However, one deadline had turned into one more and one more, and then a charity ball, or a fundraiser, and by that point he had surrendered completely to his addictions and hook-ups.

It was almost three years before he looked Evan up, and it was to learn that he was no longer at UCLA. And it would be six more years before he saw him again, and in that time he’d been kidnapped in Afghanistan, gotten shrapnel in his heart and became a goddamn superhero. He’d just revealed himself as Iron Man when he finally saw Evan, on television on a news report of a rollercoaster accident, and damned if Evan Buckley wasn’t the firefighter they were interviewing.

Tony had seen the pain on his friend’s face (even if friend wasn’t the right word to describe their relationship), and knew he had to get in touch with him. That turned out to be two weeks later when he was in California for some SI business. He’d managed to get his cell phone number from his personnel file with the LAFD. Their firewalls had been atrocious, or maybe it was because they were no match for JARVIS. At least he’d gotten him to ‘patch’ up the hole in their defenses, as well as a backdoor someone had left behind. Tony wondered who’d want a backdoor to the LAFD.

He’d called him to catch up and see if their schedule’s coincided so they could meet. The man had been shocked but excited to hear from him, however, he was about to start a 24-hour shift and Tony wasn’t in town for more than a day. So, they had missed each other again. This time they’d kept up a bit more before the demands of their lives had once again left them incommunicado, and that had been almost two years. He’d learned during that time that he was seeing a woman almost twice his age.

Tony hadn’t liked it, since the balance of power in the relationship was not good. He felt like Evan was giving more than she was into the relationship, even if she couldn’t be blamed for having a sick mother. So, he hadn’t said anything, since Evan appeared to be smitten. Besides, Tony already knew how it was bound to play out, and while it was a harsh lesson, it was one that Evan needed to learn on his own. Tony couldn’t shield him, and Evan had always been so independent that he wouldn’t have been able to shield him even if he’d tried.

He was like Tony in that regard due to similar childhoods; growing up with a father that only saw you as a constant disappointment, and a mother that was much too “proper” to stand between her callous, bastard of a husband and their young and innocent child. That was most likely the reason Tony and Evan had clung to one another, and for that year together had been their only support.

For Buck, he’d been alone longer, six years since his sister had left to marry the first man that showed her any interest. As for Tony, Rhodey was in the Air Force, had joined straight out of MIT, but for the past eighteen months had been stationed at Yokohama Air Base in Tokyo. At the time Tony had also taken over SI, which was the only legacy his father had ever been proud of; besides Captain fucking America.

Tony groaned at the memories that resurfaced from talking to Evan, and it was very distracting. Their relationship had been a rather decadent one, and one he wouldn’t mind reliving once again. Which is why he had to stop these thoughts right now. Evan was obviously jonesing on this Eddie person, and he didn’t want to get in the middle of that.

“Sir, need I remind you that you’ve been up for almost 40 hours, and it would be optimal you get some sleep before your 1pm meeting,” JARVIS drawling in his crisp British voice.

The man sighed and waved his hand. “Alright, save it all, J,” He staggered to the couch and collapsed on. “Wake me up in two hours.” Tony yawned before he closed his eyes.

It seemed like he’d only just closed his eyes when the alarm went off through the penthouse. Tony jackknifed up in the couch, looking around to see if there was any danger, and it only took a second more to realize what that alarm meant. He guessed he was missing his 1pm meeting, and hoped Pepper wouldn’t be too angry.

He sprang to his feet, all sleep gone from his face as he pulled up the hallographic screens. “What have you got, J?” Tony was already pulling a t-shirt over his tank top that he deemed was clean enough. He doubted that he’d have enough time to shimmy into his flight suit, which was a shame since it was the most comfortable thing to wear while wearing the armor for long periods of time.

“A tsunami has just hit Southern California, sir.”-

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

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If The World Was Ending 10/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Ten: In My Life

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“There are places I'll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever, not for better Some have gone and some remain

All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I've loved them all...”

~In My Life - The Beatles

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony finished his meal quickly, feeling pleasantly full and it had been a while since he’d eaten so good. Tony usually forgot to eat when he was on one of his inventing binges, or got into the rhythm of making or assembling a piece of armor.

He’d had a nice chat with Michael, who was an architect and had bachelors degree in architectural engineering. While he wasn’t on par to Tony, and of a different type of engineer, he had a good mind and the conversation wasn’t lacking. It had almost been a shame when he’d had to leave, which is why decided to finally finish the rest of his food as he drank the rest of the juice in his cup.

“Alright,” he said as he stood. He saw that Chris had already finished, and he wondered how people ate so fast, even Evan had eaten quickly. Tony supposed that he was used to eating fast before he was interrupted by that bell. It could also have been the conversation with Michael that had kept his mouth occupied.

“Did you want to go see the armor? I promised Denny and Harry to show them.”

Chris perked up with an excited grin before he paused and looked at his dad with his big doe eyes. Eddie wanted to say no, realized he was being irrational and that he couldn’t take away this opportunity because he was jealous annoyed that Buck had gone with Tony despite Eddie wanting him to be at the hospital where they could care for him.

“Sure, mijo,” he told him, and enjoyed the happy squeal that left him. At least, he did until he watched Chris and Tony walk away, the man matching his son’s pace as he spoke quietly to him, and then Evan came out, showered and changed, and joined Tony and Chris with a bright smile. Eddie also realized that Tony and Chris had left their plates and it was up to him to wash them as Bobby and Athena sat down with their own plates of food.

Eddie regretted agreeing.

Tony was watching in amusement as JARVIS lifted the suit off the ground with two preteen boys hanging from the arms, giggling the whole time. He was sitting on one of the lawn chairs, monitoring the other suits that were helping with the clean-up, and Evan was with Chris playing with a little robot Tony had quickly built with some spare parts of an old TV that had been set out for recycling. It was almost domestic watching it all, and Tony had always thought he’d be averse to the idea. However, it was actually really... nice.

‘Sir, there is something important that requires your attention,’ JARVIS said in his ear, breaking his peace. Tony sighed, wondering what was happening now. He didn’t think he was recharged enough for another emergency, but this was the life he’d chosen. Tony took another moment to watch Evan with Chris, the man and child laughing as the robot flew around them as it beeped. ‘Sir?’

“Yeah, J,” he muttered. He stood, setting JARVIS to continue using the Iron Legion to help in California. “Evan.” The man lifted his head to look at him and Tony regretted the sight of that smile wiping from his face.

“You have to go,” he said, not even needing to ask. Tony nodded anyways. Evan’s lips twisted into a resigned expression before stood up as he lifted Chris to his feet. “Alright guys, it’s almost time for dinner!” Harry and Denny groaned but they released the armor’s arms as it alighted on the ground. “Say goodbye to Tony.”

“Bye, Mr. Stark!” both boys chorused as they ran inside, making Tony wince. He’d managed to get them to call him Tony until Athena and Denny’s moms had intervened. Apparently calling an adult by their first name was the height of bad manners, even when said adult insisted on it.

Chris came over to give him a hug, which Tony was still getting use to and then tottered off on his crutches. Tony turned to Evan, who had the robot in his hand. “Gonna miss me?” he asked.

Evan rolled his eyes and pulled him into a hug. “Certainly not your ego,” he teased, making Tony swat at his head as he pulled away. He paused as Tony slipped his phone into his hand. “What?”

“I know you lost yours, and I’d feel more reassured if I could actually reach you when I call again.” Evan seemed hesitant, but after a moment looking at him, he rolled his eyes but took it.

“Never knew you were such a worrier,” Evan huffed, the slight smile on his lips taking the sting out of his words.

“Well, when it comes to you, I have no other choice,” he said, poking him on the chest. Evan caught his hand and they both paused, a moment passing between them that was very familiar, and then JARVIS was talking in his ear again and Tony cursed. “I gotta go.” He squeezed Evan’s hand, and when he stepped away, the taller man released it almost reluctantly as the billionaire stepped into the suit as it closed around him.

Evan watched the eyes of the suit light up and he lifted a hand in a wave. “Be careful, Tony.”

“Always am,” he said, his voice sounding mechanized, and then he blasted off into the air.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Eddie had tried to help with dinner, but Athena and Bobby had waved him off, which was good since he could literally burn water. He’d just wanted to be polite and offer, and was more than glad to instead set the table. Michael had left during lunch, stating that he had work. Apparently he had volunteered his time as an architect in the rebuilding efforts, and he had a dinner meeting. May had asked permission to have dinner at a friend’s house, so she’d left almost an hour ago.

Chimney and Maddie had left as well, the latter going to bid Tony farewell, but not before sharing a picture in the groups chat. It was a picture of Tony and Buck asleep on the couch, hands clasped while the slept. The others had cooed at the sight of them, but Eddie had felt a flare of jealousy. And yes, he could admit now that is what it was.

He was jealous seeing them holding hands, almost like they were together. Eddie hoped not.

Hen poked him and Eddie startled, realizing he was glaring at the table, having gotten lost in his thoughts. Karen and Hen told Athena and Bobby that they would head home after dinner, and Eddie had told them the same thing. If anything, he felt they had overstayed their welcome, even if Bobby assured them that they were welcome for as long as they wanted.

In truth, he should be spending more time with his abuela and aunt, and would have been there instead of it wasn’t that Chris had wanted to see Buck. Eddie also wanted to see him, if he was being honest. And while he should have left after lunch, he’d stayed.

Eddie smiled in fond amusement as Harry and Denny ran in, followed at a more slower pace by Chris. “Go get washed up,” he told the boys. As they did, he heard the blast of repulsors, and Buck came inside a few moments later. “Hey, did Stark leave?” He tried not to sound too glad over this.

Buck nodded. “Yeah, duty calls,” he said with a shake of his head. “You guys’ll be the same way tomorrow.”

Eddie nodded. “Probably,” he said, moving around and hip checking Buck out of the way. He smirked as the other huffed but smiled back at him. “So, I’ll probably have to bring Chris over. Hopefully you’ll be awake again,” he teased.

Buck’s eyes went wide in surprise, shocked into silence.

Eddie looked at him “What?” He put the rest of the utensils down and stepped toward him at seeing the confusion on his face. “I will say, honestly, you being laid up is working out for me,” he joked. “I mean, you’re no abuela, and you’re half a Carla, but you’ll do in a pinch.”

“You want me... to watch Christopher?”

Eddie shrugged with another teasing smile. “It’s easy. He’s not very fast.”

“After everything that happened?”

“A natural disaster happened, Buck.”

“I lost him, Eddie,” he emphasized, as if it were something that Eddie could have possibly forgotten. The happiness of a few minutes ago was gone to be replaced with sorrow in his clear blue eyes. Eddie remembered the words he’d spoken to Maddie when he had thought no one could hear him.

“No,” Eddie said firmly, “you found him. You saved him.” He motioned to Chris as he returned with the other boys as they all giggled together. “That’s how he remembers it. Before he was found by Iron Man, it was you that saved him, Buck.”

He lifted a hand and laid it on his shoulder. “And now it’s his turn to do the same for you.”

“I was— I was supposed to look out for him,” Buck insisted.

“And what? You think you failed?” Eddie asked, shaking his head. “I failed that kid more times that I care to count, and I’m his father. But I love him enough to never stop trying, and I know you do too.”

Buck seemed to not believe him and he squeezed his shoulder, his thumb pressed against his pulse point. It was a way to reassure himself that he was still there, alive and unharmed, since he hadn’t been able to do so before. In a way, he blamed it on Tony Stark, but now wasn’t about that man. It was about alleviating the distress he felt coming from his best friend.

“Buck... there’s nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you,” he said, making sure to always maintain eye contact to reassure him he was being truthful. When his friend finally nodded, he gave his shoulder a squeeze and went back to his assignment of finishing setting up the table, which had had another smaller one pressed together due to the extra people over.

Chris came over and he hugged Buck who was closer and then made his way over to his dad. As he hugged him with his free hand, he lifted his gaze to meet Buck’s once again. “Also, thank you, for not giving up,” he said with a meaningful look down at the little boy in his embrace.

Buck glanced away, not so discreetly wiping at his eyes. “Of course,” he said, and if his voice sounded wobbly, neither of them mentioned it.

That night at dinner they gave thanks, for all of them being safe after such a horrible ordeal. It was something they could all agree to.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“J, give me a location,” Tony grunted as he felt an RPG hit closer than he was comfortable with, knowing he had to take out that foxhole before he could get close to the building. The HUD display had been damaged in the last attack, so he couldn’t see where the foxhole was, however, he could find it by following JARVIS’s instructions.

‘The foxhole is fifty meters ten inches to your left, sir,’ his A.I. informed him in that calm voice he always had. Tony took a deep breath and turned exactly ten inches to the left.

“Firing ballistic missile,” he said as he lifted his arm. The whizz of it registered for a few brief seconds before the sound of an explosion sounded.

‘Threat neutralized,’ JARVIS informed him.

Tony breathed out a sigh of relief, since that was all the opposition that JARVIS had detected. Now he just had to get inside, access their computers to find more of these Ten Rings bases. Ever since he’d become Iron Man, he had been systematically working through their bases of operations and finding the illegal weapons sold by Stane. It was only after Rhodey had become War Machine that it had gotten better, since together they could take them out faster.

As far as they could tell, this was one of their last strongholds, and if that were so then it would finally be over. All the weapons that Stane had sold under his nose, it would be finished this time. The guilt he carried over it could fade, at least, just a little bit. Because the lives lost couldn’t be recovered, but at least there would be no one else hurt by weapons once built by Stark Industries; weapons designed by him.

He opened the faceplate as soon as he got inside, since the Heads-Up Display was damaged. Tony was glad when he didn’t meet any resistance, since he couldn’t aim for shit at the moment. He really needed to reinforce the faceplate to protect the HUD, since it was the only way he could see while inside the suit besides lifting the faceplate, which would leave him vulnerable to attack.

As he arrived at the computer room and still hadn’t met opposition, he was starting to get suspicious, and slightly worried that this would be a dead end. Even so, Tony stepped out of the suit and came up to the computer terminal. His fingers flew over the keys as he started to hack into the systems, and it was like ripping through wet tissue; their systems were horribly outdated.

He smacked his hand against the keyboard when he didn’t find anything, a few keys flying from how hard he’d hit it. “Shit,” he growled, leaning over the desk and tried to calm down. Because now he had to start searching all over again from scratch, and the closure he had been hoping for seemed farther away now.

He was distracted and didn’t react quickly enough as he heard JARVIS’s urgent voice a moment before someone fired into the computer room. The man cried out as he felt the bullet hit him, like fire passing through him.

Tony heard JARVIS firing the repulsors as he fell.-

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

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If The World Was Ending - 1/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter One: Lovely Day

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“When I wake up in the morning, love And the sunlight hurts my eyes And something without warning, love Bears heavy on my mind

Then I look at you And the world's alright with me Just one look at you And I know it's gonna be A lovely day...”

~Lovely Day - Bill Withers

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

When Buck’s phone rang on day eight day of his funk over not being able to be a firefighter, he contemplated ignoring it. In fact, he wanted to throw it against the wall. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that it could be someone from LAFD calling to say he could go back to work. After all, it wasn’t like he’d officially quit; he’d just told Bobby that he quit.

There was something that told him (mainly the others that had been told by the Captain had said that Buck would be able to return as soon as he was off the blood-thinners) that Bobby hadn’t filed the official paperwork. Buck had also not received anything in the mail, with the exception of his worker’s comp check, so that meant he still had his job. He just couldn’t be officially back, with his team at the 118.

So, now he was back to thinking that he wanted to fling his phone at the wall, since he’d not only been jerked out of a good sleep, but he was sure it would be one of his ‘former’ co-workers that wanted him to go out. And really, what was the point?

In the end, he decided to answer. He fumbled for the phone, almost knocking it off the bed before he grabbed and answered. “What?” he grunted, hoping it wasn’t Maddie trying to get him to go do something with her. Although, he quickly remembered that she had a shift that day.

A familiar voice chuckled in his ear. “That’s certainly not how I expected to be greeted after I took time off my busy schedule to see how you were doing,” the man said, all mock-offended.

Buck frowned. “Tony?” he asked, quickly glancing at the number and not recognizing it.

“The one and only. So, I hear you took a nap under a fire engine,” he said, hearing him moving around. “You’re supposed to ride the truck, not let it ride you.”

Buck sat up, running a hand through his short blonde hair. “It was a ladder truck actually,” he corrected as he got up. He was fully awake and was sure that Tony wouldn’t let him go back to sleep. He’d be likely to show up, even with being all the way in New York. “And it was five months ago. I have blood clots now, which gave me a pulmonary embolism, making me vomit blood and almost die,” he said flippantly.

“Holy shit, Evan. Your life sounds more exciting than mine,” Tony tried to joke. Buck had known him long enough to know he was freaking out. He was also the only person besides Maddie that called him Evan, simply because the man simply refused to call him Buck.

The blonde man scoffed. “Somehow, I highly doubt that.” He pulled open his fridge and made a face with how empty it was. Buck really needed to go get groceries. “But risks comes with the job though. We should get together for some lunch the next time you’re in California, and we’ll trade stories.”

“Oh?” Tony intoned, sounding interested. “That sounds like you’re asking me out on a date, Mr. Buckley. I don’t put out on the first date, well, not anymore at least.”

Buck rolled his eyes, but whether it was at Tony’s words or that he also had nothing in his pantry, he wasn’t sure. “Aren’t you dating that red head?”

“Yeah... no,” he sighed. “We broke up after... well, what happened last year.”

He quietly smacked his fist against his forehead, trying not to groan at his slip. “Ah man, I’m sorry, Tony,” he said. Buck knew it had been pretty serious, the only serious relationship he’d been in since... well, since they had dated.

“No, it’s my fault. I couldn’t stop my extra-curricular activities, and she couldn’t deal with it anymore. Maybe it’s for the best.” He laughed, but Evan could tell it was forced. “It’s just super awkward being in New York, since she’s here as well. So, I might take you up on your offer sooner rather than later.”

Buck nodded as he leaned against the metal stairs that led up to his loft. “Yeah, of course. You can stop by whenever.”

“Are you sure I wouldn’t be stepping on anyone’s toes?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the last I checked your Instagram, there was a cute kid on there... with a tall, dark and definitely handsome Hispanic man.”

“Oh,” Buck said. “That’s Eddie and his son, Christopher. We’re not... it’s not like that.”

“But you want it to be,” he said it like a statement and not a question.

It was Buck’s turn to force a laugh. “Even if I did, I’m pretty sure he’s straight. So, as I said, you don’t have to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Tony laughed. “Just don’t want to get punched by a jealous boyfriend.”

Buck grinned as he licked his lips, since they always felt really dry when he woke up. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first, and probably not the last,” he taunted.

Tony snorted on his end. “Very funny, Buckley,” he said.

“Wasn’t trying to be, Stark,” he shot back.

The other man laughed again. “Well, I gotta go. It seems my job is never done.”

“Alas, tis’ the life of a superhero,” Buck said with mock exasperation.

After they said their good-byes and hung up, Buck saw how early it was; not even 7am yet. Tony was such an asshole, since he knew about the time difference and had called him anyways. And on a Saturday.

He decided that since he was up, he might as well go get some breakfast, since being awake had awoken his hunger. As he climbed down the steps, his front door opened and his favorite Diaz boys walked in.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Eddie said, sounding surprised. “I thought for sure you’d still be in bed.”

Buck sighed. “I was, but some as- I mean, some jerk woke me up,” he said, eyes darting to Christopher. He crouched down to smile at the precious eight year old. “Hey buddy.”

“Hi, Buck,” he said, the slight lisp making the greeting sound adorable and never failed to make Buck’s heart melt. It was almost ridiculous how fast and easily he’d fallen in love with the kid, and knew he would do anything to make sure that smile never went away.

When they situated Chris in front of the television and they’d wandered to the kitchen where Eddie proceeded to make himself at home and make some coffee. It wasn’t that Buck minded, not one bit, but he also wondered what Eddie was doing here. “So, what are you doing here?” His eyebrows drew together in an unhappy frown. “Don’t you have a shift today?”

The Hispanic man drank the coffee as he looked over the rim at Buck, amusement in his eyes. Buck just scowled at him as he drank his coffee and didn’t bother to answer him until he’d downed at least half of it. “That’s why we’re here,” he said as he walked over to give Christopher a hug, lifting him up and out of his seat on the couch where he’d started watching some cartoons. “Chris is hanging out with his Buck today!”

Chris gave a small giggle, before Eddie put him down where the eight year old immediately started watching his cartons again. “Because I have a 12-hour shift today.”

Buck was a bit thrown by that. “Uh, w-where’s Carla?”

“She went to Morongo!” Chris exclaimed.

Eddie grinned at the little boy. “Mmhmm.” Now he turned to Buck. “So take him out, have some fun. Maybe you’ll learn something.” He went to leave and paused, lowering his voice. “He never feels sorry for himself.” He left, and Buck resisted the urge to point out that his shirt was inside out. He hoped he realized it until he’d gotten to the firehouse and felt embarrassed. It was a bit petty, but he didn’t care.

“Love you buddy!”

“Love you! Love you, dad!”

The door closed and Buck was left with the eight year old. He gave a slightly nervous laugh as Chris eyed him curiously.

“So, what do you like to do for fun?”

At nine o’clock that morning, Southern California was hit with a tsunami.-

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

Text

If The World Was Ending 9/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Nine: Banana Pancakes

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“Can't you see that it's just rainin' Ain't no need to go outside

But baby You hardly even notice When I try to show you this Song is meant to keep you Doin' what you're supposed to Wakin' up too early Maybe we could sleep in Make you banana pancakes Pretend like its the weekend now We could pretend it all the time Can't you see that it's just rainin' There ain't no need to go outside...”

~Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony would usually have left by now, not wanting to overstay his welcome, but he’d been convinced to stay. He’d mostly stayed because Evan was still out and he wanted to wait for him to wake up. Also, because Athena had insisted that after a few hours of sleep, she’d make her world famous banana pancakes. And really, how could Tony say no to banana pancakes?

That’s how he ended up sitting in Athena and Bobby’s living room by himself as he flipped through the channels they had. He wasn’t use to just sitting around doing nothing, felt the inactivity like an itch under his skin he couldn’t quite scratch. Tony needed to do something or he was going to start taking apart the appliances, and he was sure that wouldn’t be a good way to show his gratitude to his generous hosts; even if he was sure he’d improve their television.

Tony knew he had to do something to occupy his time, and he wondered if Athena and Bobby would mind if he brought Hammerhead here to weld its arm back on. He knew that JARVIS could easily do it but he liked working with his hands, and it’s what he needed right then. The man needed to feel like he was doing something, instead of just sitting there.

He was just about to have J bring the suit there, carrying its arm if needed be, when he heard a door open from further in the house. Tony was sure it couldn’t be Athena or Bobby, since after Athena had checked on Buck, they’d gone to bed not even two hours ago (he was amazed he’d managed to sit still that long in front of the TV) so knew it couldn’t be them.

He watched the front door, since he could see it from there and shook his head that the hallways leading to the bedrooms was right next to the front door. It was a security nightmare, even if Athena was a police sergeant, since he knew the police were often targeted due to their job. Well, if someone was planning on trying to loot the house today, they’d find more than they bargained for, namely a repulsor to the face as he saw the suit in the backyard turn toward the direction Tony was looking toward.

Tony only relaxed when he saw Evan’s familiar frame come shuffling into view, not even having to order J to stand down as it recognized the man as someone Tony trusted. “You’re supposed to be in bed,” he told him, seeing as he was holding his midsection with a pained expression on his face.

Evan’s gaze snapped toward Tony immediately. “Tony? You’re still here?” He moved in his direction and soon he was carefully sliding into the couch beside him.

“I’m hurt, Ev. Did you want me to not be here?” he asked with mock offense. The other was warm from having been under the blankets, needing them since apparently the Nash (Nash-Grant?) household was kept at a cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s not like I traveled 2,838 miles to get here after all,” he said as he sniffed dramatically.

Evan gave an exasperated huff, not even bothering to straighten up where he was slumped against him. “You flew, so I’m sure it didn’t take you that long,” he said with a smirk. His head came to rest against him, and Tony knew it was Evan’s way of seeking comfort without outright saying he needed it. Tony was emotionally constipated as well, where he knew he had feelings, but didn’t necessarily like to talk about them and all the messiness that came with having them.

So, he indulged him and also leaned against him, tilting his head to rest against Evan’s own where it was resting on his shoulder. After the brutality of yesterday and then the panic-induced fear of thinking Evan could have been killed, it felt nice to have his solid weight at his side.

“You know, you aren’t allowed to die,” Tony told the other quietly. He didn’t normal like to talk of feelings, but knew he needed to say something. Besides, he’d learned a bit on how to express some of those feelings due to Pepper. “And call me if you need me for anything, or if you’re in trouble. I’ll be here as fast as I can.”

Evan reached over and grabbed onto his hand, intertwining their fingers. “Well, the same goes for you,” Evan told him. “When that terrorist blew up your house, you think I didn’t...” His fingers tightened around Tony’s hand that was as calloused as his, both for different reasons. “Just don’t go challenging terrorists anymore. You might be a superhero, but you’re not invincible, Tony.”

Tony gave a dignified sniff. “I think you mean Iron Man,” he said with a mock haughty voice.

They grinned at each other, leaning against one another in a show of comfort and support. Evan didn’t tell Tony he couldn’t be Iron Man because it was too dangerous, and Tony didn’t tell Evan to not be a firefighter because he didn’t want him to run into a burning building while others were running out. They knew that they didn’t do what they did because they wanted recognition, but because they loved what they did. It was also due to the people that needed to be saved.

Because it was their purpose in life, and they accepted it of one another.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but he was suddenly aware of a crink in his neck. He tried to lift his hand to rub it and found that it was being held. His eyes snapped open and he realized that Evan had also fallen asleep leaning against him. He was also apparently still holding Tony’s hand.

He heard another sound, which is what had woken him up he realized, and saw Maddie standing in front of them with her phone up. “Did you just take our picture?” he grumbled, seeing the smirk on her pretty face.

“Blackmail material,” she said as she turned off her phone screen and walked away. “Athena’s making banana pancakes. Better come get some before they’re all gone,” she told them. He realized that Evan was awake, but hadn’t let his hand go (not that Tony was much better). Also, there were more people inside the house than before, some children from what he could hear.

It wasn’t that cold, so they hadn’t been cold from having fallen asleep uncovered on the couch. It was late Summer, almost Autumn, and besides, L.A. never got cold. Tony was accustomed to both climates, having been born in New York and grown up with those harsh winters until he’d been shipped off to boarding school at the age of ten. It had been both a blessing and a curse, since it had been the first indication that his father wanted him as far away as possible.

The blessing part was being able to finish all the curriculum in four and a half years, thus being able to go to MIT at the age of 15. That’s where he’d met Rhodey and they’d become fast friends, thick as thieves; lifelong friends. It’s why he’d studied as hard as he did, since Rhodey only had two more years left, and then he would be off to the Air Force. So, Tony had broken records on getting a PhD, and not to mention that he’d already started to accumulate credits while at boarding school.

So by the time he turned 17, he’d already gotten his first PhD and Rhodey had been the first to call him Dr. Tony. He’d refused to be called that ever again and always had people call him just Tony. It was a given that he’d worked his ass off for the title, but it had given him the creeps when Rhodey had said it. So, no Dr. Stark, and definitely no Dr. Tony.

There were some that still insisted on using it, but they were few and far in between. Hell, there were some people that forgot he even had three PhDs (what can he say, he was an overachiever). And it was alright with him, because then people underestimated him and Tony used it to his advantage.

“Wha’ happened?” Evan asked sleepily, eyes half-lidded, and Tony just wanted to kiss his sleepy face it was so adorable.

Tony settled for poking his cheek, which was worth the effort as Evan grumbled and batted at his hand half-heartedly. The pout he made was adorable, and no one as big and tall as Evan had any right to be that adorable. “Get up, we have to go steal your sister’s phone, and eat banana pancakes... not necessarily in that order,” Tony told him.

Evan gave a jaw cracking yawn as he stretched, realized he was still holding Tony’s hand and let it go with a sheepish grin at the older man. Tony for his part rolled his eyes and regretted the loss of contact, but kept that to himself. “Do we have to? She might murder us if we do.”

Tony nodded. “You might get murdered, sure,” he said with a straight face. “But that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

The blonde man scoffed and shoved him playfully. “Jerk,” he laughed. They stood and headed toward the sound of voices, Evan nudging his shoulder with his, almost like he was making sure Tony was really there. After all, this was the first time they’d seen each other in years, but they’d fallen back into their regular banter as easy as breathing. He’d say as easy as riding a bicycle, but Tony had told him once that his dad had never taught him so he didn’t know how to ride a bike.

Evan had promised that he’d teach him one day, but it had never worked out. He wondered if Tony even remembered Evan’s promise to teach him. Maybe he should finally keep it? It was a thought for later.

They were greeted with a kitchen full of people, with Bobby and Athena at the stove making the bacon, eggs and pancakes, whose aroma had filled the whole room. Tony felt his stomach grumble and hadn’t realized how hungry he was until that moment. He remembered that the last thing he’d eaten was the rations in between the search for people, yesterday.

“Good afternoon,” Athena called as she held out a plate of pancakes toward Tony. “You’re just in time to try my banana pancakes before they’re all gone.” There were several kids at the table, two boys, and a teenage girl, as well as other people he didn’t recognize already eating.

“Uh,” Tony started, hands clenching at his sides. He was about to say something when a large hand reached for the plate and grabbed it, and he threw Evan a grateful smile. It had been years but he still remembered that Tony didn’t like to be handed things. He motioned to one of the open seats at the table, and Tony sat down as Evan set the plate on the table in front of him. “Thanks.”

Evan grinned and nodded, and then went to get his own plate. There was already a pitcher of something to drink in the middle of the table, so Tony grabbed it as well as one of the cups already next to it and poured some. It was orange juice.

“Are you Iron Man?” a little boy with a puffy mane of curly hair asked. He looked to be eight or nine years old. His skin was light and he looked to be mixed blood, and beside him was another boy with darker skin and also waiting for Tony’s answer.

“So I’ve been told,” he said with a grin, seeing as they started to whisper between them. Kids were so curious.

“Can we see your armor?” the darker skinned boy asked.

“Ah, let Tony eat in peace, Harry,” Athena chastised as she came over and set a plate full of crispy bacon in the middle of the table.

“It’s alright,” Tony said with a smile. He turned to Harry and the other boy. “How about this, after we all eat, we can go outside and see my armor?”

“Cool!”

“Awesome!”

They took up their forgotten forks and started to eat quickly. “You’re going to regret that,” the woman chuckled, setting down a fork next to his plate as well as a plate with several pieces of toast.

“Nah,” he said with a grateful nod as he picked up the fork. “The kids are the future, so it’s our duty to encourage their enthusiasm and curiosity.” He put several pieces of bacon on his plate, which he cut into pieces. “I don’t mind at all.”

Athena made a noise, which was either surprise or agreement, and then moved back to her husband’s side. Tony gave a smile at Evan as he sat next to him, having taken the place of the teenage girl that had finished her breakfast before Tony and the two boys. They ate in accompanying silence, both ravenous after their ordeal the day before, and also what awaited them today as well. There would be relief efforts that involved cleaning up the affected areas, as well as the important task of recovering the bodies of the dead.

As they ate, there was a knocking at the door and a bald African-American man jumped up from one of the nearby seats. “That must be Eddie and Chris,” he muttered as he walked toward the door. Evan perked up at his side and Tony tried not to react, since as he’d said before, he had no right to be jealous. Because what he had once had with Evan was long over, and he was his friend now, and nothing more.

The Hispanic man entered with the little boy wobbling in on his crutches, watching him as he gave a happy squeal as he was lifted by the man and carried down the steps. He set him down and then took Eddie hand in a greeting. “Hey, Michael,” he said.

“Come in,” he said in return. Meanwhile, Chris had tottered over toward the table where Harry and Denny (as Chris had called him) greeted him.

“Bucky!” he cheered as Evan turned in his seat and accepted a hug from the little boy.

“Hey, Superman, good to see you.”

“Tony,” Chris greeted next, and Tony was surprised as he was given the same hug. He awkwardly lifted a hand and patted the kid’s hair. While he was certainly a futurist and thought kids were the future, but that didn’t mean he knew how to interact with them.

He saw Evan giving him an amused look, and Tony flashed him a mock glare. As Eddie approached the table, Evan hopped up. “I’m finished, you can have my seat,” he told the Hispanic man.

Before Eddie could protest, mouth opening seemingly to do just that, he moved away with his now empty plate and to the sink. Athena waved him away when he tried to wash it. So, he left the kitchen instead to get washed up, and maybe some of his stuff was still around so he could change clothes, having spent a lot of time here while in recovery.

Harry, Denny (after Tony promised them to show them the suit after he finished eating) went off to where Tony and Evan had fallen asleep on the couch and started playing on the game console there. So, Tony and Eddie were left at the table with Chris happily eating banana pancakes, all the while making little happy noises that made Tony smile in amusement.

He caught Eddie’s eye and the smile wiped from his face, feeling awkward and not knowing what to say to him. They hadn’t been properly introduced, but then he had never let that stop him. Besides, he was Tony fucking Stark, and he did what he wanted.

“Tony Stark,” he said, holding out a hand, “but I’m sure you already know that.”

Eddie paused a moment to lay his fork down and took his hand. “Eddie Diaz,” he said, even if Tony already knew. “My son told me that you saved him, and I wanted to thank you.”

Tony nodded as he released his hand. “Well, it was my pleasure,” he said, glancing at the kid in question. “A hell of a kid you have there. Especially since the first thing he said to me when I asked his name was that he wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers.”

That surprised a laugh out of the man, that lifted a hand to his mouth to show that he hadn’t meant to do so. Then again, Tony had always been a person that shocked or surprised others. “Yeah, he uh... he surprises me everyday,” Eddie admitted.

It felt like a moment between them, and Tony didn’t think he liked that. Frankly, he wasn’t sure how he felt about the man that Buck seemed to be in love with, even if he was glad that that Abby woman was out of the picture.

“He’s... a good kid,” he told Eddie, and then picked up his fork to signal the end of their conversation. Eddie seemed content to end it as well. Maybe he didn’t like Tony either, and Tony wondered if he felt anything for Evan.

That meant he wasn’t as straight as Evan believed. If so, that’d be a problem for Tony.-

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

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If The World Was Ending 3/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Three: California Dreamin’

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“All the leaves are brown And the sky is grey I've been for a walk On a winter's day I'd be safe and warm If I was in L.A. California dreamin' On such a winter's day

Stopped into a church I passed along the way Well, I got down on my knees And I pretend to pray You know the preacher liked the cold He knows I’m gonna stay California Dreamin’...”

~California Dreamin’ - Barry McGuire

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony sprang to his feet as he immediately rushed toward the suit that opened up for him. The skylight he’d had installed after invasion slid open and he blasted into the sky. “J, deploy the Iron Legion now!” As he did, he remembered Evan and he pulled up where the tsunami had hit and felt cold terror grip him as he saw that the Santa Monica pier had been taken out. “Shit! JARVIS, what’s my ETA?”

The HUD popped up a calculation. “At the speed you’re going, your estimated time of arrival should be three hours.”

That was unacceptable. He put more power into the thrusters as he could, and heard the BOOM as he broke the sound barrier somewhere over Lake Eerie. “At this speed ETA is two hours,” JARVIS intoned without having to be asked.

“What about the Iron Legion?” Tony was so relieved now that he hadn’t destroyed the rest of his suits after the Battle of Norco.

“ETA four minutes,” JARVIS told him. That was a much better time since when it came to natural disasters, especially involving large amounts of water, every minute, every second counted. Tony set his suit to auto-pilot for the remainder of the flight, making sure to call the FAA. He didn’t want any aircraft to accidentally stray into his path, and he’d be a disaster on top of a disaster.

“Give me eyes as soon as they reach the affected areas. Also, patch me into the channel the first responders use.” A few minutes later his HUD was filled with live feed from the suits, and he was rendered speechless at what he saw. Tony wished he could speed up past Mach 5 without the suit falling apart.

He decided to concentrate on what he could do (and not on a certain someone), and pulled up the stats on the suits that were functional. Out of the 35 suits he’d made between the invasion of Manhattan and the Mandarin Incident, there were nine viable suits. It was the Mark 20: Python, Mark 25: Striker/Thumper, Mark 28: Jack, Mark 33: Silver Centurion, Mark 34: Southpaw, Mark 36: Peacemaker, Mark 37: Hammerhead, Mark 38: Igor, and Mark 41: Bones.

Tony wished the Mark 35 would have survived, since the Red Snapper was made to save people during natural disasters; for example, rescuing victims trapped during an earthquake. He’d gotten the idea after the 7.1 earthquake that had hit LA, and now a year and a half later they’re hit with a tsunami. Unfortunately, Killian had destroyed it during the Battle of Norco.

Well, Southpaw would have to do, even if Red Snapper would have been better with its extendable and retractable claws. At least Hammerhead would come in handy, since it could remain submerged for long periods of time.

“This is Iron Man. I have multiple suits flying over the city and ready to help out. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll help where I can.” Almost immediately he was flooded with calls of trapped civilians, several inside and on top of their houses. He told JARVIS to concentrate on the ones trapped inside their houses, since there was another wave and the water was rising alarmingly fast. There were some people still trapped in their vehicles and unfortunately they couldn’t get to everyone on time.

He directed the suits where to go that they’d be the most useful. Tony heard dispatch call Swift Water Command, calling in a Code Three. Tony heard the commander say they were delayed and luckily J had a suit in the area. It was Bones and he saw the armor detach into several pieces and break through two roof vents to save a man trapped in the attic of his flooding house. As he watched the suits save people; Hammerhead dove for a little girl that had fallen into the water from off the roof of her house when she slipped, and Igor large enough that it could fly with several people hanging from it to take them to higher ground, he was even more glad he hadn’t destroyed the suits.

Sure he loved Pepper and would do anything for her, but with every life he saved, he remembered why he’d become Iron Man in the first place. He’d remembered those soldiers he’d laughed and joked with before they’d been gunned down, with his own weapons no less, and knew he’d made the right choice to not quit this. And maybe Pepper would come around and maybe she wouldn’t, but he refused to be guilted for doing something that saved people’s lives; even if at the times he was so sick and tired, and so inured he could barely move or breathe without something hurting.

It was more important to be able to help people, made him feel like he was alive for a reason. He’d told her three years ago, that he shouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for a reason, and this was that reason. It wasn’t fighting Killian and aliens, but helping and protecting the people from those threats.

It was almost two hours later, after remotely piloting the other suits, that he was physically flying over the city. The water still hadn’t receded, and three more waves had hit, and hopefully that would be the end of it but he doubted it. Tony wanted to call Evan and make sure he was alright, but cell phone service was wonky at the moment. Besides, he didn’t want to tie up the line when there were others that needed actual help. Evan’s apartment was out of the flood zone, so he was sure he was fine. He was weirdly glad he had a serious blood clot condition that had him confined to his home, and not out there with the rest of the first responders. Tony wouldn’t be able to concentrate if he knew Evan was in danger.

He decided not to unpack all of that right now and quickly dismissed the rest of the live feeds of the Iron Legion, letting JARVIS take over. Although now that he’d seen some of what was required for something of this magnitude, he knew he needed to remake Red Snapper and more Iron Legion, probably a special force that could be used for natural disasters. While Southpaw was for natural disasters as well, it was mostly to protect the user from damage from natural disasters. He needed more armors that had emergency features, like medical features such as the ability to be used as a defibrillator or even carry oxygen or breathing equipment for CPR.

Tony headed toward the pier, since flooding was still extensive, and he heard calls earlier of first responders being needed at the Santa Monica Pier. As he neared where the worst of the flooding was, he saw that the whole pier was underwater. There saw also an actual Ferris wheel that was still standing after all three waves, but it wouldn’t hold for much longer.

As he neared, he saw that the wave was starting to recede, going in the other direction. He heard the ones at the Ferris wheel call the coast guard. ‘Coast Guard, Coast Guard. This is Captain Nash LAFD. We need a miracle at the pier. We need one quick.’ As the helicopter flew in, the Ferris wheel started to tip, and he blasted forward.

“Incoming, Captain Nash!” he called over the speaker on his suit, arriving in time to catch the Ferris wheel as it almost toppled. Tony saw that most of the people had been evacuated except for the one who was being airlifted and a woman with curly hair, as well as two first responders, both firefighters by the looks of it.

“Iron Man!” he heard someone call in surprise.

“Yes, I’ll sign autographs later,” he joked, “but right now this thing is coming down and I might not be able to hold it for long.” The two firefighters, one Hispanic man and another Caucasian woman had just finished lowering the woman and now looked at each other, unclipped from their lines and jumped, landing feet first in the water. “Ten out of ten!” Tony called, “now let’s go go go!” They scrambled onto the speed boats as Tony grunted as the debris hit it hard and it started to put a strain on the armor. When he saw they were clear, he let it drop as he flew out of the way barely in time from getting knocked down by it.

He met them at the entrance of the pier by the sign that read ‘•Yacht Harbor• SPORT FISHING •BOATING Cafes’, the water still high enough that it reach most of their calves. If he’d been in any armor before the Mark 8, he’d have thought twice before landing in the water. However the Mark 43 was a better version of all the armors that had come before. He wanted to see if anyone needed help.

“Iron Man,” he heard someone call. Tony turned to see a stern looking man in his early fifties with a helmet on his head and the red vest that declared him a fire captain. This must be Captain Nash. He was wet and obviously tired, but there was still a certain amount of authority to the set of his shoulders. He had the kind of presence Howard had given off, but tempered with something softer Tony couldn’t identify.

“That’s me,” he said as he lifted up the face plate but refrained from stepping out of the suit. He didn’t want to get his shoes wet, and besides, this man appeared to be at good six feet and even if it was only two or three inches, he hated feeling short. Especially when it was from a man that reminded him if even just a tiny bit of Howard. “But just Tony, please. What can I do for you, Captain?”

Nash extended his hand, and Tony took it without hesitation. He had more respect for first responders than any bureaucratic asshole that wanted to shake his hand and play nice for the cameras. “Bobby Nash of the 118. Thank you for the assist,” giving his gauntlet covered hand a firm shake. Tony liked the sincerity in his voice.

“It was no problem, Cap. I didn’t really do much,” he assured. The man’s lips quirked a bit, whether in annoyance or amusement, it was hard to tell. Bobby Nash had one of those faces that gave almost nothing away. “Do you need anymore assistance?”

The woman opened her mouth but Bobby held a hand to stop her. The woman’s nametag, which was surprisingly still on, read Bosko, and the man had Diaz on his. Tony wondered why that sounded familiar. “We have a missing member of Firehouse 136, Captain Ronnie Cooper. There’s also a lot of people trapped and missing. I had thought I heard that Iron Man was helping out, and it’s nice to see it’s true.”

“Sure am, wherever it’s needed.” He’d already been able to help a lot of people and hoped to continue as long as his body and the power supply on his armors allowed. “I’ll keep an eye out for Captain Cooper, and if you need help with anything, give me a holler. There are several other suits flying over the city. So, even if I’m not nearby, my co-pilot JARVIS will be able to assist you if I can’t.”

He gave the man a salute that wasn’t meant to be at all mocking, and then the faceplate snapped shut before he blasted into the air. Tony wanted to make sure there weren’t any locations that had been damaged that could potentially become deadly. The last thing he needed was for the water to catch on fire if there was any gas spillage, and he expected it’d be a terrifying sight.

“J, try Evan’s phone,” he said. “Also, bring up satellite images of Hawaii. I don’t want to be blindsided in case they were hit as well.”

“Bringing up images right now, sir. Also, I’m getting no response from Mr. Buckley’s phone.” This made Tony worry, since Evan always answered his phone (even when he called him an old man for calling and not texting). He couldn’t do anything though, since he was needed right where he was. Tony couldn’t just rush to Evan’s apartment, there was no flooding in the area, and there were people in need of help. So, he reluctantly continued on.

“You better be safe, Evan,” he muttered.-

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name-me-regret · 4 years ago

Text

If The World Was Ending 4/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Four: Los Angeles, I’m Yours

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“There is a city by the sea A gentle company I don't suppose you want to?

And as it tells its sorry tale In harrowing detail Its hollowness will haunt you

Its streets and boulevards Orphans and oligarchs A plaintive melody Truncated symphony. An ocean's garbled vomit on the shore Los Angeles, I'm yours...”

~ Los Angeles, I'm Yours - The Decemberists

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

‘Hey, Buck, it’s me. I just want you to tell Christopher I’ll be a little late picking him up, got our hands full here. It’s a good thing you’re missing it. Hope you guys are having fun.’

Buck was exhausted and lightheaded, but constantly looking for the boy with curls and a smile bright enough to light up a room. “Hey! There’s a kid under here!” a woman yelled.

“Christopher?” he exclaims, desperately clinging to any hope that it’s the little boy he’s looking for. “Hey! Hey, guys!” He hurries over, water sloshing around his legs and the Chris’s glasses hanging around his neck. “Hey, hey, big guy! Me and you, come on!” A man that’s almost four inches taller than him (which is impressive since he’s 6’2, hurries to help him. “All right, three, two, one. Go!”

They lift the heavy sign off the child, and as the others cheer and help them stand up, his hope is crushed when he sees it’s a twelve year old girl, not Christopher. The woman consoles the crying girl and Buck sighs in deep seeded exhaustion.

When someone says they might have seen Christopher at a Cupcakery on Strand, he forgets his fatigue and is moving again. He’s so wrapped up in wanting to find Chris and already numb, that he doesn’t notice that the edge of the sign has cut his arm pretty deeply.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony landed at a gas station, the water having receded, but the debris has done damage to the pumps and some were leaking. After pushing the emergency shut off button, he called it in and put up caution tape he’d snagged from a Home Depot store blocking off the driveway. Hopefully people would stay away, since there was a lot of spilled gas.

“Iron Man, there’s a fire at a Shell Gas Station on West Century Blvd,” he heard a woman’s voice from dispatch. He had just gotten back in the air as the call came in, heading toward the areas still heavily flooded with water. He was about to go put that fire out but saw a little boy in a yellow t-shirt sitting on top a car. “J, put out that fire out, I have eyes on a child in need of rescuing.”

He swooped down as the boy lifted his eyes to the sky, his small face covered in mud but looking relatively unharmed. Tony landed next to the car, making sure not to land too hard and risk upsetting the water and possibly knocking him over. “Hey, buddy,” he said, the faceplate lifting up.

“You’re Iron Man,” he said with a bright smile that made Tony smile as well.

“I sure am, what’s your name?”

“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” he told him, making Tony grin again. He had an adorable lisp, and it made his heart melt. Despite what they said about him, he liked kids. It’s just that he feared turning out like Howard and messing up the life of an innocent child that made him never want to become a dad.

“That’s true and your mom and dad are smart for having taught you that.” He could tell he was having a hard time keeping his head up, and he didn’t think it was from fatigue. Maybe a disability.

“My mom... she’s gone,” he told Tony with a sad, quiet voice.

“Well, my mom is gone too, and my dad.” He sat on the front of the car, and besides shifting a bit, it didn’t move too much under the weight of the armor. “It’s okay to be sad, you know?” The kid nodded, squinting at his face. “How about this, my name is Tony. Now you know my name, besides being Iron Man. Is it okay to give me your name now? Or your dad‘s name?”

“I’m Chris,” he finally said.

“Alright, well, let’s get you to the nearest hospital, Chris. The nice people there will make sure you’re not hurt and get you home, okay?” He reached out and gently picked him up, the kid gripping his shoulders a bit clumsily.

When Tony took to the air, he made sure not to go too fast. If he did, he might hurt Chris and that’s the last thing he wanted. That meant it was slow going, but it also allowed him to hear Chris as he cried out joyfully at flying.

Tony smiled at his resilience, and was sure Chris was going to be alright.

The man took him to the field hospital they’d set up at the decommissioned VA hospital on Sawtelle, handing him over to a nurse, who was in charge of the kids; getting their names and the names of their family to reunite them later. “Stay strong, kid,” he told him. “I’m sure your dad will find you soon.”

“Bye, Tony,” Chris said as he waved at him as he was carried away.

“Cute kid,” he hummed, before blasting back into the air despite his tiredness to continue helping more people.

That’s how he spent the rest of the day, putting out fires and rescuing anyone that was trapped or stranded, and unfortunately finding a lot of corpses in the water. He hated to move on after tagging them, but there were other, living people that needed him. Tony nearly lost it when he found a drowned infant and he couldn’t just leave her, cradling the tiny body in his arms and carrying her to the nearest hospital.

He had to take a break then before he fell apart completely, stepping out of the suit for the first time in several hours. There were several relief workers also taking a break and he sat with them as they welcomed him and tried to hand him some rations. “I uh...” he hesitated, fighting back a full body shudder that went through him as memories of being poisoned as a child filled his head. He’d taught himself never to take anything that was handed to him ever again. “I don’t... like to be handed things,” he finally managed to say.

The woman, a few years older than him, smiled and nodded, setting the rations down on the seat next to him. Tony was grateful, since he usually got derisive looks or sneers from people that thought Tony was just a stuck up rich person. The woman’s eyes were kind, and maybe she saw that it was from a trauma, or maybe she didn’t. He was just grateful when she made no comment.

After a moment, he grabbed the rations and the bottle of lukewarm water. It wasn’t the worst thing he’d eaten, so he scarfed down the dry protein bar and chugged the bottle of water. The sun was starting to sink as they shot the breeze, Tony making a note to set up a relief fund for not only the people affected by the tsunami, but also the ones working tirelessly to help those in need.

It was almost half an hour after sunset that he stood and bade them farewell, stepping into his suit and going off to help once again. He was sore and exhausted, but there were so many people still out there that needed someone. If he had to, he’d be that someone. Although, he figured after an hour or two he’d take a longer break, and maybe drop by Evan’s house to finally reassure himself of his safety.

As he was flying over Oceanside, he heard Captain Nash calling for medical transportation for 17 people, recognizing his voice almost immediately. He wouldn’t be able to carry that many, but maybe he could help. As he touched down, he scanned the area and immediately saw the downed light post, sparks flying from it, and even more alarming is when JARVIS indicated the leaking gasoline truck. Bobby immediately hurried over to him as soon as he landed. “Tony, we could really use your help,” the man says.

He wasn’t sure what he could do to help, but he could see the strain on his face, both from worry and fatigue from a long day working, so Tony would do what he could. “If it’s within my capabilities, then I’ll do what I can, Cap,” he told him. The man usually liked to work on his own if he wasn’t with Rhodey, the Avengers having been a one hit wonder that hadn’t panned anything. After all, no one had come to help him when the Mandarin had destroyed his house and he’d been presumed dead. However, it was different with Nash and his people. They all looked dirty and tired, having been working all day. The crew of the 118, and a lot more other rescue personnel had been working tirelessly to save people, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to help them when they asked for his help. He motioned toward the light post. “I imagine it has to do with that Sword of Damocles over there? And the truck leaking gasoline?”

Bobby was momentarily surprised, but shook it off before he nodded. “Yes... you know, one of my men called it just that.”

Tony smirked. “I‘ll have to meet him when we aren’t sitting on a potential explosion that could kill everyone here.”

The Captain nodded. “Well, I’ve sent two of my firefighters to acquire some vehicles, but I would feel so much better if the gasoline could possibly be neutralized.”

His mind was going a mile of minute, wondering if it would be better to douse the gasoline with kitty litter, or try and move the lamp post up and out of the way. Tony must have been talking out loud without realizing it, meaning he was more tired than he thought.

“Wait, are you sure you won’t get electrocuted?” Bobby knew the man was a superhero, and had faced many dangers, which included terrorists and even aliens. However, he wasn’t invincible, and he was just as human as Bobby was underneath his high-tech suit.

“Not to worry, Cap my suit once took a hit from Thor’s lighting and I’m still here. I’ve had 36 suit upgrades since then,” he said with a smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Famous last words,” the man said with a strained smile.

“Bobby, are you making a joke about my possible potential death?” he asked with mock shock, then gave him a wink as the face plate snapped closed before the man could respond. He flew toward the lamp post, grunting as he felt the shock of the electricity surge through the suit. It wasn’t as bad as when Thor had blasted him, but it was constant until he lifted the lamp post and away a bit.

‘Power at four hundred percent capacity,’ JARVIS intoned like deja vu.

Tony chuckled as he moved away from the light post, the thrusters in his boots keeping him in the air and not touching the gasoline that had already spread this far. He gave the thrusters more power as he went higher into the air. “J, give me the location of the nearest pet shop.” Tony figured that the best thing to do was bury it in non-flammable kitty litter and hope for the best.

“Alright, Cap, I’ve bought you some time, but try and hurry your men,” he told him over the frequency. He hadn’t seen Diaz among them, so perhaps he was one of the ones that had gone to get some form of transportation.

He flew there as fast as he could, knowing the others were on borrowed time. The window of the PetSmart he arrived at had it’s glass doors still intact. “Remind me to pay for these doors, J,” he said as he crashed through them in a rain of glass shards and metal. He went to the cat’s section, and the lights were out but he had flood lights on his suit, and night vision on his HUD. Tony yanked a shopping cart along and started to pile inside several bags of kitty litter, as much as would fit inside the cart. He rolled it outside and then hurried over next door to the hardware store,. “I hope they don’t try to arrest me for looting.” He grabbed two tubes of sealant that he put in a bag and dumped it into the shopping cart, making another note to pay for everything he was taking. “Next time I’m going to aim for a Sam’s or a Costco,” he sighed, lifting the cart.

It was harder to fly back at high speeds without losing the kitty liter, but he managed without dropping a single bag. He cursed when he saw that the lamp post had fallen despite his best efforts, the sparks making the gasoline catch fire, and he dropped the cart. Tony didn’t want to move the post again, so he grabbed one of the ten pounds bags and tore it open before he upended it over the flames. This particular brand was made from bentonite clay, which meant it wasn’t flammable. He managed to douse the flames with a second and third bag, but to make sure it didn’t catch fire anytime soon, he used every single bag to spread it over most of the area around the lamp post. He also got the sealant and after managing to lift the truck at an angle where the gas wasn’t spilling, used both tubes of the white plaster like sealant so make sure no more would spill. When that was done and he carefully set it back down, waited a moment to make sure it wasn’t still spilling, and then used the caution tape someone had left behind to wrap around the whole area. Just to be sure.

He saw the firefighters of the 118 loading the patients into what appeared to be mail trucks and was amused. “Alright, Cap, threat neutralized for now, but I suggest you double time it out of here,” he told him. He knew that neither he or Bobby were military, but he remembered that the guy with the nametag Diaz had a military bearing to his movements. If he hadn’t served, then he’d eat his own helmet.

“Thank you for your help, Iron Man,” he radioed back.

“Neither rain, nor snow, nor tsunami, Captain Nash,” he joked.

He heard a groan on the other end. “I hope you and Chimney never meet and become friends,” a woman’s voice said over the radio.

Tony chuckled to himself as he continued on. As he went over the city where no lights were on except the occasional fire, he felt his eyesight go dark. If it wasn’t for JARVIS taking over, he’d have crashed, and as it was, he was disoriented as he came back around, and realized that he’d fallen asleep mid-flight.

Well, he guessed it was time for that break he promised himself, and changed course toward Evan’s house. Tony didn’t have many actual friends, since people always wanted him for either money, fame, or in the case of Sunset, to steal SI prototypes. So, wanted to make sure one of the few friends he had was fine, since he wouldn’t deny that he’d been thinking about him ever since this morning.

So, he was looking forward to seeing his friend face to face after all these years.-

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