#no one quite Expressed to me how much harder a non touch tablet is for art LMFAO

[menlove]

finallyyyyyy bit the bullet and got procreate bc i got a free ipad and i had to redo this aaah

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

Non-Sequential [Ch. 18]

Pairing: Pre-Serum Steve Rogers/Steve Rogers x Reader

One night, Steve Rogers met a beautiful dame named Y/N. He hadn’t intended on letting her get away. But fate had other ideas. Y/N appeared and disappeared in his life so hauntingly that Steve started to wonder if she was an angel meant to watch over him.

Word Count: 3,200

Chapter 17

Steve waited patiently as he sat across from Y/N. Despite her throwing herself into his arms when she showed up at his door, she came to moments later and put that unbearable distance between them once again.

Steve adhered to Bucky’s warnings. Everything was now on Y/N’s terms. He wouldn’t touch her, wouldn’t crowd her personal space until she wanted him to and consented.

“I’m sorry,” Steve finally started the talking. “I should never have left you. I was scared. Scared that I was the reason you kept getting put into danger. I convinced myself that if I stayed away, you would be safer.”

Then he leaned forward. His body needed to be closer to her, but he had to respect her distance. “I don’t expect you to forgive me for it. I’ll wait for as long as it takes. Because I know that’s what I deserve.”

Y/N just stared into Steve’s baby blue eyes. It felt like minutes.

“You know what hurts the most about it all?” She whispered. He said nothing, but just waited. “I was there for you, out of my own time, every moment you needed me. When your mom passed, the night before you got the serum, even when you were being beat up in back alleys of Brooklyn – I was there for you.”

Steve was crying now. His head dipped in shame.

“And the one time I needed you, more than ever, you’re nowhere to be found.”

“I know, Y/N.” Steve whispered, wiping away his tears. He knew it was pointless. They just kept flowing.

“You left me alone in a country I know nothing about, surrounded by strangers. All while you’re running around the world, trying to make me forget about you.” Then she shook her head at how ridiculous it sounded as when she said it aloud. “As if I could ever forget you…”

“I know,” he repeated.

“You want me to tell you what to do to get me to forgive you, I suppose.” Y/N muttered darkly. “The thing is… I have no idea what that is.”

Just when Steve thought his head couldn’t dip any lower, it did.

“I understand,” he answered.

“But I love you,” Y/N finally stated.

Steve’s head shot up.

“And I’m always going to love you. So, maybe I can’t forgive you right now. But I will forgive you. I just don’t know when.”

Y/N slowly stood up then.

Steve shot to his feet, his dated chivalrous manners incapable of being stopped.

“I just…I just need time,” Y/N admitted timidly before leaving his bedroom. ————————————————

Bucky was riding Humphrey, trying to herd the goats back into their pen. It was a unnecessary since they were basically as obedient as dogs. But Bucky was thinking about getting some sheep. He had to learn to herd them correctly if he wanted to be able to manage it all.

The goats seemed to sense something that Bucky hadn’t and started running past Bucky, against his commands. He turned Humphrey to follow their path and realized that the goats were running towards Y/N as she approached his land.

A wave of relief washed over Bucky. She was back from her time traveling. And she did not look to be physically harmed.

However, even from the distance, Bucky could see that she was broken up.

He quickly dismounted and walked toward her.

She stopped and let out a long sigh.

Bucky waited.

Then Y/N closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Bucky.

He was surprised by sudden intimacy. But he wrapped his arm around her nonetheless.

“You OK, kid?” He whispered gently in her hair.

She nodded her head against his neck, but didn’t let go of him quite yet.

“Somethin’ happen when you traveled?” He asked softly.

She shook her head.

He pulled away slightly so he could study her face.

“What’s going on, Y/N?” He asked as he brushed some hair behind her ear.

“I don’t know anymore,” she whispered. “I just needed some air and next thing I knew I was walking here.”

Humphrey had walked over and nuzzled Y/N’s neck. His animal instinct sensing the human’s distress. She giggled at the tickling and gave the horse the attention it wanted. She turned and stroked Humphrey slowly.

“I’m just…tired,” she finally said. Though she kept her focus on the horse, Bucky knew she was talking to him.

“Steve know you’re back?” He asked.

She nodded, “I just talked to him.”

Bucky nodded slowly. “Maybe you should get some sleep, kid.”

Y/N eventually nodded agreeing. “I can’t…I just can’t go back there right now.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed at her words. But he wasn’t about to kick her out. “OK.”

Then he led her to his hut. The goats happily pranced behind them, trying to catch up.

Once they were inside, he pointed to his bed. Y/N eyed him for a moment and shifted her weight awkwardly. For some reason, sleeping in his bed felt intimate, even without him in it.

“Go ahead. I gotta do stuff around the farm still. I won’t bother ya,” Bucky insisted.

Without waiting for her response, Bucky closed the door behind him.

Y/N stifled her giggle when she heard Bucky reprimanding his pets that they had to let her sleep.

“Fred, leave her alone. I’m not messing around,” she heard Bucky warn with a stern tone that was fading as he stepped further and further away from the hut.

It had started to leave Y/N in awe how Bucky seemed to be a completely different person from the robotic weapon she had met in the past. He admitted to having rough times and to struggling with getting back to even just a small portion of the man he once was.

But to see him work at it everyday made Y/N realize she could get back to herself too.

Bucky’s life had been much harder than Y/N’s time traveling. It made her trials and tribulations look like a cakewalk in comparison. She knew it wasn’t a competition. It wasn’t about who’s life was more difficult. But that didn’t stop her from admiring his strength.

Y/N knew it wasn’t as easy for him as he made it out to be. But his efforts made Y/N want to stop feeling sorry for herself.

Y/N didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping for. But it was definitely the longest she’d slept since arriving in Wakanda. She realized it was the smells that had finally roused her, the need for food now stronger than the need for sleep.

When she opened her eyes, the hut was darker. The sun must’ve just gone since the sky outside the window was a beautiful purple, pink, and orange dusk.

Y/N looked over to see that Bucky was cooking in the kitchen.

She sat up, suddenly having a weird feeling wash over her.

This felt off. Too intimate. Domestic.

“Figured you’d be hungry once you woke up.” Bucky had known the moment she was awake, but he kept cooking.

Y/N tried to act casual, but her heart was racing for some reason. “Uh…what’re you making?”

“Shuri sent over some recipes and even included these little video tutorials,” he gestured to the hologram projecting from a tablet on the kitchen counter. It was showing a step-by-step process and even kept with Bucky’s pace so he didn’t have to keep rewinding and pausing as he cooked.

“It’s pilau with braised lamb,” Bucky answered. “Apparently it’s a classic Wakandan dish.”

Y/N ran her hands through her hair, assuming she looked a mess after sleeping for so long.

“Uhh…I should probably get going.”

Bucky finally took his eyes off his cook and looked at her for the first time since she woke up.

“What?” It was a dumb response, but he could sense she was trying to flee.

“Yeah, I should get back to the palace.”

Bucky sighed and put his utensils down and wiped off his hands before walking over to her. “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” she answered too quickly.

Before Bucky could say anything, Y/N jumped off the bed and was putting on her shoes. Then she threw her hair up into a mess bun and booked it out of his hut.

“Y/N,” Bucky called after her, but it was pointless.

She was speed walking up the hill when she stopped dead at the sight before her.

Steve was walking down the hill, coming right towards her. As soon as he caught sight of her as well, he paused too. Then he continued walking at a much slower pace.

“I didn’t expect to find you here,” Steve told her when they were finally close enough to talk to one another.

“I was just – I was just hanging out with Bucky,” Y/N shrugged as she crossed her arms.

Steve nodded slowly. “You don’t have to leave because of me, you know.”

Even though Y/N had been on her way out before she knew Steve was heading over.

“Oh, I was already heading home. He’s making dinner. You should go see him. I don’t think he wants to be alone right now.” Her words were jerky and awkward. For some reason, she felt like she’d been caught doing something bad. She also didn’t know why she told Steve that Bucky didn’t want to be alone.

“Everything OK?” Steve asked carefully.

Y/N nodded quickly without looking him in the eye.

“Look, I know things aren’t great with us right now, Y/N. But I just need you to know you can still talk to me – about anything.”

Her heart dropped and she couldn’t help but meet his gaze. “I know, Steve.”

He nodded. “Sure you don’t want to come back with me?”

Y/N turned around and looked back at Bucky’s hut.

“Umm…Actually, yeah. I’ll go back with you.”

Steve seemed pleasantly surprised and tried not to look overexcited.

Y/N started walking by his side.

Maybe if she sat with both of them, things would be clearer. Maybe if Bucky saw her with Steve at her side he’d understand that they couldn’t continue dancing around this fine line that she was starting to see. 

Did she have feelings for Bucky? Did Bucky have feelings for her?

Steve was the one that knocked on the door.

Why was she so nervous? This was stupid. She was being stupid.

Bucky didn’t care about her more than as Steve’s girl. He didn’t care about her as more than a friend.

Bucky opened the door and his expression immediately shifted. It was subtle. Of course it was; he was probably the world’s deadliest assassin. He knew how to control his emotions.

“Steve,” Bucky greeted evenly.

“We ran into each other,” Steve explained, eyeing Y/N. “Figured the three of us could hang out. You know… like old times.”

“Great. I made plenty,” Bucky smiled warmly.

If there was an lingering concern or tension from his and Y/N’s strange goodbye just moments ago, he didn’t show any signs of it. 

Y/N found no animosity or suspicion aimed at Steve from Bucky. Maybe she had been imagining things growing between her and him. Maybe she really was an idiot.

“You cook?” Steve asked in slight shock.

“Now I do,” Bucky shrugged.

Steve walked in first, which gave Bucky an opportunity to look at Y/N and ask her silently if she was OK. He didn’t understand why she tried to flee, to run away from him.

Y/N just responded to his silent question with a forced smile.

She expected this to quickly turn into a nightmare, a social experiment gone completely wrong. She was about to have dinner with her boyfriend, who didn’t feel like her boyfriend right now, and his best friend, who she’d kiss and was acting more like her boyfriend than her actual boyfriend.

What could go wrong?

But nothing did go wrong.

Bucky didn’t act weird. Steve didn’t act weird. Apparently, the only person that had been expecting things to get weird was Y/N.

Bucky and Steve fell into conversation, the same way they did back in the 30s.

Through the tablet Shuri gave him, Bucky started playing jazz from the 30s and 40s. It felt very out of place in the tribal hut in the middle of Africa.

Steve kept his distance from Y/N for the most part. Everyone knew Steve wasn’t one for PDA. But Bucky wasn’t the public. Everyone once in awhile, Steve’s hand would pat Y/N’s thigh when she said something cute or funny. It never went unnoticed by Y/N.

Bucky could tell it was hard for Steve to stop himself from doing more. Steve would be about to put his hand on Y/N’s lower back as they moved around the kitchen, trying to help Bucky make dinner. And at the last second, Steve would pull his hand away. Then Bucky would see that sparkle in Steve’s eyes. He recognized it from when Steve would look at Peggy. Bucky just knew Steve was dying to kiss his girl.

Bucky had never seen the couple together while they were in love. He’d only been with them in the platonic part of their relationship. This was new. This was different.

It was late into the night now. Candles were melting to their end. All three of their plates were empty and their stomachs were full. They’d been drinking wine all night, but Y/N was the only one tipsy from the drink. Neither Steve nor Bucky seemed to mind it though.

Then Y/N yawned twice within 5 minutes of each other and Steve knew that cue.

“Alright. I think it’s about time I get this one to bed,” he stated playfully, nodding towards Y/N as she poured herself another glass of wine.

“I’m adult. I know when it’s time to go to bed. Thank you very much,” Y/N replied with snark.

Bucky smirked at her as she filled their two glasses as well.

Steve just chuckled, knowing she was fine and it wasn’t worth even playfully bickering with her over it.

“Plus, we gotta help Bucky clean up,” Y/N added as if it were obvious.

“No, it’s fine, doll. I don’t need any help,” Bucky quickly answered as he stood up and already started grabbing some of the plates.

Y/N glared at him. Then she looked at Steve and he seemed to be watching Bucky with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Little did she know, it was sparked by Bucky calling her ‘doll.’

Steve realized Y/N was studying him and snapped out of it, giving her a shy but charming grin.

“Come on. I’ll walk you home,” he told her gently.

Then he stood up and walked to his friend. “Thanks for dinner, Buck.” The two men gave each other a hug and Y/N could tell how much the two loved each other even from such a simple and innocent form of affection.

Then Y/N quickly gave Bucky a hug as well, muttering her own thanks into his shoulder.

The Wakandan air had gotten cooler and drier since the sun went down. Y/N shivered slightly at the sudden change of temperature and immediately crossed her arms, hugging them tightly to her torso to conserve body heat.

A second later, a warm weight covered her shoulders. Y/N jumped slightly at Steve placing his jacket around her shoulders. 

He didn’t even have to think about it. Being a caring gentleman was the most natural thing to Steve Rogers.

“Thanks,” Y/N muttered softly as she looked at the ground and pulled his jacket tighter around herself.

He just nodded.  

They started walking into the night, back toward the palace.

“I can’t seem to get over how beautiful it is here,” Steve sighed as he looked up at the stars.

Y/N’s eyes went up to the sky too and she just nodded.

“I’m sorry…for leaving you here all alone,” Steve told her. “I didn’t want you to get tangled up in everything that happened with The Accords and I knew there was nowhere safer for you than Wakanda.”

“I understand why you did it,” she replied. Then she met his gaze. “But that doesn’t make it any less shitty.”

Steve knew that was fair.

“Where have you been?” Y/N realized she had never bothered asking.

“We’ve been bouncing around. Can’t stay in one place for long. We’ve been picking up any leads we can get, trying to do some good still, even when if we’re…” His words died.

“Criminals?” Y/N offered knowingly.

“Guess that’s the word, yeah.”

Y/N stopped walking then. He followed her lead.

“Steve, even with everything that happened, it doesn’t matter what the hell they say. You’re still a hero. Criminal or not, they can’t take that away from you.”

Steve scratched the back on his neck. “I don’t deserve you saying that,” he exhaled. “But thank you, Y/N.”

She nodded once and kept walking.

The rest of their walk back was filled with silence. Not an awkward kind.

Steve walked Y/N all the way to her bedroom door.

“Thanks for walking me back,” Y/N muttered stiffly.

He nodded.

“How long are you staying for?” The question fell from her lips before she could stop herself and she immediately regretted it.

“Trying to get rid of me already?” Steve tried to tease.

“No, just trying to keep my expectations realistic,” she answered back a little too spitefully.

Steve winced at it. “Now that – that I deserved.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have – just…sorry.”

“No, it’s OK. Really.” Then he put his hands on his hips, a gesture that was so Steve. “I’m not going anywhere. I gotta fix this.”

Y/N’s whole body tensed at his admission to guilt. Steve wasn’t a liar, especially when it came to her, to their relationship. He was a man of his word. If he planned on staying for as long as it took to fix them, he was going to do exactly that.

She finally opened her bedroom door. “Goodnight, Steve.”

He nodded. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

She started to close her door.

“Y/N?” Steve said quickly, as if he had a sudden burst of courage.

She opened her door wider and gave him a questioning look.

“Would you maybe want to meet me tomorrow morning?” “Sure,” she answered too quickly without asking for more details.

Steve beamed and relief was released from his shoulders. “Great. I’ll meet you here at 7AM?”

She tried not to cringe at the time.

But Steve caught it anyway. “I know. It’s early. But it’ll be worth it, I promise.”

Y/N just nodded. “OK. I trust you.”

Those words meant more to Steve than she could ever realize, especially after everything they went through.

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

Chapter 19

I DON’T DO TAGLISTS.

Follow the series masterlist.

[the--sad--hatter]

Name Calling (8)

FANDOM - MARVEL MCU

PAIRING - BUCKY X READER (female reader, no physical descriptions)

WARNINGS - ALL OF THEM, SMUT, VIOLENCE ANGST. Non graphic hint at past child abuse in this chapter. 

DESCRIPTION -  In which the ongoing and bloody war of words between you and Bucky turns in your favor when a disgruntled one night stand of his lets slip a secret when you run into her in the elevator… Now you have all the ammunition you need to destroy your enemy but you don’t plan on killing him quickly. Oh no, Bucky Barnes was going to suffer and you were going to enjoy every second. You just didn’t count on how much you would enjoy it.

Chapter Eight - Introduction To Fatherhood

EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO

It was an indisputable fact that Tony Stark did not play by the rules. He wasn’t part of this mission with the X-Men really, he was here a favour. It was supposed to be a simple in and out, disable the security and let the mutants infiltrate the facility and get on with their rescue mission. Curiosity got the better of him though. He’d easily taken down the tech that was protecting the facility but while in the computer system his attention had been caught by something. An interestingly high amount of the power was being diverted to one particular room and he wanted to know why.

The X-Men were inadvertently providing a good distraction with their attack and Tony made it to the mysterious room with relative ease, only encountering two small groups of soldiers that had been taken down quickly. Tony pushed the door open and stepped though, gauntlets poised and at the ready. What he saw was not what he expected.

There was a metal 6×4 cage in the centre of the room, inside it a rubber mattress and a figure curled up on it. Tony approached apprehensively.

“Boss, scans show 15,000 volts of electricity running through those bars at a current of 0.2 amp. I highly recommend you don’t touch them.” Friday warned.

Tony whistled lowly, impressed.

“Whoever you are, they’re going to a lot of effort to keep you in that cage.” Tony addressed the figure.

It stirred, raising it’s head to look at him and Tony’s heart skipped a beat. It was a girl, barely a woman. Her face was gaunt and sunken, her expression was cold and empty. But her eyes, they were burning.

“You think because I won’t fight your prisoners I’ll fight a robot?” She asked and pulled herself to her feet, and he could tell that it took a lot of effort.

“I will never give you what you want.” She vowed.

Despite her obvious trouble standing up she stood tall. She’d called him a robot and he realised she didn’t know who he was, which made him wonder just how long she had been here.

“Friday we still in the system.” He asked

“Yes Boss.”

“Shut the cell down.”

“Done”

Tony fired his repulsor at the cell door lock and yanked the door off the hinges. The girl was shaking but didn’t back away as Tony approached her, in fact she raised her chin defiantly. Her eyes widened and she gasped as the Iron Man suit folded away.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He promised.

Now that he was closer he could see the bruised layered over fading bruises covering her skin.

“How long have you been here?” He asked her.

Her head cocked to the side and she looked him over curiously.

“Who are you?” She asked.

“You should know who I am, everybody in the world knows who I am. And for once that’s not my ego talking, I just really am that famous.”

She looked at him, her brow furrowed.

“Alright lets start again. Tony Stark, Iron Man. And you are?”

“Is this a trick?”

“No, it’s a rescue mission.”

She laughed, it wasn’t a happy laugh, there was no joy in it. It was a bitter, painful laugh.

“So it is a trick. There is no escape from this place, no rescue. There is no saving me, I know that. I learned that lesson a long time ago.”

“It’s time to get re-educated sweetcheeks, we are shutting this place down. Every mutant being held here is currently being led out by a team of literal superheroes. The people who did this to you are going to pay, and they’re paying today.”

Her shoulders dropped and he saw her visibly deflate, the fire that had been in her eyes dimming.

“Stop it. I won’t fall for this, you’re wasting your time.”

She dismissed him and resumed her previous position, curled up on the mattress.

“Jesus Christ. What have they done to you?”

She ignored him. Tony crouched down next to her.

“Listen to me kid, I know I’m asking a lot. I’m asking you to have hope and that can’t be easy. Maybe this is a trick, maybe I am lying. But if there’s even the slightest chance I’m telling the truth, that I am going to take you out of here, don’t you HAVE to take that chance?”

He could see the sheen of unshed tears in her eyes. He held out his hand to her.

“I will get you out of here, I will keep you safe. I promise. All you have to do is take my hand and I’ll do the rest.”

She stared at his outstretched hand and he saw her internal struggle. For a long moment she did nothing and he started to worry. He didn’t want to pick her up and drag her out, he doubted that would endear him to her but he would do whatever it took to get her out of this wretched place. Then slowly, hesitantly she reached out and tentatively placed her hand in his.

“Atta girl. What’s your name?”

“I don’t have one, they never gave me one.”

“What was your name before?” He prodded.

“Before?”

“Before you were here.”

She frowned and he felt a cold sense of dread in his gut. He knew what she was about to say but still prayed he was wrong.

“There is no before. I was born here.”

If all the people who’d ever said that Tony Stark didn’t have a heart had seen him right then, they’d have known just how wrong they were because that was the moment Tony’s heart broke.

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

The first few days were the hardest and Tony was out of his depth. When he’d taken her out of that place and refused to hand her over to Xaviers people he’d had the best of intentions. He’d arrogantly thought he could look after you better than a school filled with teachers with experience at this sort of thing.

It had been three days and you hadn’t slept, every time he left the room you followed after him like a faithful little shadow. If he gave you food you would eat it but you wouldn’t tell him if you were hungry. If he moved too quickly you would flinch. He had Pepper researching therapists, she’d found a woman who specialised in children who’d been raised by religious cults but he knew it was too soon to suggest it to you. He hadn’t let Pepper or anyone near this floor of the tower.

Then there was the fact that you were enhanced. Your bruises had healed up before they’d even made it back to the tower. He’d read over the files he’d extracted from the facility, though a large chunk of them were missing or corrupted.

You were for all intents and purposes a Super Soldier. Not quite as strong as Steve, though quicker. Tony thought that was probably because you were physically smaller but there was no way of knowing for sure without further testing and scientific curiosity be damned, he would die before ever testing you that way. It wasn’t the super soldier serum that had made you Vernichtung though. He had faced the tablet screen away from you and watched the footage of that on silent. What he had seen still haunted him.

What didn’t haunt him was the dozens of videos of you refusing to do that bastard doctors bidding. From childhood to now, Tony watched you grow up on the small glass screen. In the worst conditions, through unimaginable pain and loneliness you stood there year after year and said no you would not kill, you would not destroy. No matter what they did, you held your ground. Docherty had tried to create a monster and ended up with someone so very human.

“You need a name. People have names and you’re a person.” He told you.

And so he read out names from a list on a baby naming website until he saw your head lift up just a fraction and your eyes lit up. Now you had a name. It was a turning point for the two of you. Having a name made you feel safer, like maybe this was real, maybe you were actually free.

It didn’t happen overnight and some days were harder than others. You met Pepper and while it had been nerve wracking for Tony she had taken to you straight away. Some days you wouldn’t leave Tony’s side but some days you would run through the tower excitedly to ask how to use a microwave. Some nights you would scream in your sleep and Tony would hold you as you sobbed. The therapist you had agreed to see said that was a good sign, it meant you felt safe enough to process your trauma. It didn’t stop it hurting when you cried into his chest. You put in a herculean effort to catching up on a lifetimes worth of movies and TV shows as soon as you worked out how to work a TV.

One day there had been a very minor explosion in the lab while he was in there with you and Pepper and you had pushed Pepper behind you and assumed a protective stance without hesitating. Whenever he fell asleep in the lab he woke up with a pillow under his head and a blanket over his shoulders. You had insisted on learning to cook and were constantly shoving plates of food at him. They got more edible over time thankfully.

The hardest day for Tony was the first day you left the tower, but you had been fine. Terrified yes, you hadn’t let go of his hand the entire time but you did it.

The best day had been when you had casually and jokingly called him dad when he was fussing over you. He had froze as he realized that what he was, a dad.

That was the day he had decided to give you the Stark name.

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

MODERN DAY

Tony glanced over to you in the passenger seat as he drove you to the compound. After you had rushed out of the lab you had come back and hour later and apologised. He told you your apology was accepted and to get your ass in the car. You hadn’t argued. In fact you hadn’t said a word since. He sighed. Perhaps he had been harsh. You had been right when you said he was mollycoddling you. He had been so concerned with keeping his promises to keep you safe he had given you a false sense of security.

As furious as he was with the journalists who had swamped you he was also glad they had stopped you from leaving the tower. He just wish he knew what to say to right now. He needed to know you were ok.

His internal struggle was rudely interrupted by Cap calling. Tony answered and put him on loud speaker.

“We just got a call from Fury. His people just identified a Hydra operation in South Mexico. Fully operational facility, over 200 agents on site, enhanced allies suspected.” Steve said without preamble.

“We’ve know they were operating out of somewhere in South Mexico for a while, glad we finally have a location.”

“The informant escaped Tony. Hydra know we know.”

“So we either go in without any recon, knowing they’re ready for us or let them scatter.” Tony summarised.

“Those are the only two options, yeah.” Steve agreed.

“Well then oh fearless leader. What’s our play?” Tony asked.

“We hit them and hit them hard, we need everyone on this.”

“Everyone?” You asked.

“Yes. We need you on this.” Steve confirmed.

You didn’t have to look to know Tony wasn’t happy. You had only been on a handful of missions so far, usually you hung back unless you were needed. It had only happened three times so far, on two of those occasions you had been able to handle the situation as yourself. Only once had Vernichtung had to do the job. From the sounds of this mission… Well you were fairly certain Steve wasn’t asking you to be yourself.

“You have me, all of me.” You said.

“Hey now, slow down. You’ve only been on one date.” Tony joked, but it was weak and lacked his usual sass.

“We’re en route, we don’t have time to stop. You have to come to us.” Steve told you both.

“Aye Aye Captain.” Tony said.

He swerved off the road and pulled up, cutting the engine. He watched as you squared your shoulders and mentally prepared yourself. You turned to him with a determined look.

“Come on dad, time to suit up.” You said and got out of the car.

Yeah, you were going to be fine.

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

@dugan365 @fluffeh-kitty@memanda17@krystallynx@theonelittleone@piscesbarnes@free-as-fishes@tarastudiesalot@captainamericasbeard@buckybearbabe98@nerdandproud-86  @clarkesardothien @harrison-shot-first @chook007@thejourneyneverendsx @thelostallycat @inquisitor-selvala

@the-corruptor @iover

[blancheludis]

Tagging: @tokky231

Fandom: Marvel, Avengers Characters: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers, James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Bruce Barton, Steve Rogers Chapters: 25/?, Words: 138.273

Summary: Tony meets his soulmate under the worst possible circumstances. It is not just a kidnapping gone wrong. It turns out Steve and his gang picked him on purpose and they want some personal revenge. If only he had managed to say the words written on his soulmate’s arm before they threw him back out into the streets.

—

Darkness meets Tony when he blinks awake, shooting upwards with a breathless yell on his lips. He was running, his heartbeat matches the pace. Something was following him. Something large and gruesome, calling Tony’s name like a curse, like judgement.

Sweat clings to his skin as he sits, afraid to look around, afraid to find the thing hunting him. He can still feel it coming closer, reaching for him.

Tony glances at the ceiling, which he deems safe, only to recoil as he recognizes Obadiah glaring down at him. He does not look like Tony remembers him. Blood-shot eyes, a sneer pulling at split lips. Two holes are in his chest, too bright to ignore, pointed at Tony with stinging accusation. The dripping of blood is deafening.

Tony knows that, if he looks down, he will find a gun in his hand, the barrel still hot to the touch. He killed Obadiah. He killed his godfather. Two bullets and the wish for peace did this to him, turned him into a murderer.

Obadiah looms closer and brings the scent of blood with him. Death clings to Tony’s shoulders now and all the clever reasons he had dissipate like they never existed at all. He tastes iron and is certain he will never get rid of it again.

“I’ve got you,” someone murmurs, far enough away for Tony to think he is not being haunted. “You’re home, Tony. It’s over.”

The voice sounds like Rhodey and then like Steve and Thor and Pepper all blended together. He wants to believe them, but Obadiah is right there, lurking in the shadow over Tony’s bed, looking down at him with a smile Tony knows not to trust anymore.

“You’re safe,” the voice says, and Tony turns towards it. He reaches out and warmth meets him, engulfing him almost like armour.

He blinks and when he focuses back on the dark ceiling, Obadiah is gone. His heart keeps racing, but his breathing calms and he feels himself sinking deeper back into sleep. He lets himself fall, held by the voice. Obadiah is dead. He is too tired to keep fighting.  

---

Tony wakes up with Rhodey in his bed, already awake and reading something on his tablet, while fresh coffee is waiting for them on the nightstands.

“You can’t come running every time something shitty happens in my life,” Tony murmurs, not quite fully present. He guesses that substitutes as a thank you.

For good measure, he stretches and then curls himself against Rhodey’s side, indescribably glad to have someone who lets him close without seeing anything strange with it. Rhodey shifts and puts his arm out, pulling Tony closer in a sort of hug.

“You will see that I can,” Rhodey argues in the same calm voice he always uses when Tony is being irrational. “Although I think it’s high time that these things stopped happening.”

They have talked the night before. Tony probably said too much, his brain-to-mouth filter more non-existent than usual, thanks to the exhaustion and the aftereffects of being drugged. With anybody else, he would worry about that. Rhodey knows him, though. They have grown up together in a dorm room at MIT. They have talked through dozens of drunken nights. Tony trusts Rhodey, and he is gladder than ever that he can.

“How long can you stay?” Tony asks, despite being slightly afraid of the answer.

A big unknown is looming ahead of him. The future of the company and his personal life are undecided, just waiting for him to get on his feet and sort them out.

“As long as you need me to. I will definitely not disappear while you take a shower,” Rhodey replies dryly. His eyes are serious, showing that he knows exactly what Tony is thinking. “Pancakes all right?”

Pancakes from Rhodey are the ultimate comfort food. They are definitely worth getting up and testing how badly his body is aching this time. It is not too bad while he is lying down, but the bed is warm and his body is relaxed thanks to him feeling safe. As soon as he comes out from beneath the blanket that will change. It is nice to pretend for a moment longer, however.

“With chocolate, please,” Tony says, daring to smile. There, the first hint of pain as his lips are stretched, tugging at where they were split.

“I’ll drown them in it,” Rhodey promises and puts down his tablet to get to work. He knows that, if he does not move first, they will spend the entire day here.

Tony is not ashamed of showing weakness, but crawling out of bed when he does not know how terrible it will feel, testing his bruises and aching joints while Rhodey’s worried eyes follow his every moment is not going to happen. He has a little bit of pride left and that means he is going to let a hot shower loosen his tensed muscles enough that he will be able to move as close to natural as he can get.

Tony watches Rhodey walk out of the room and immediately feels the loss of him. Just a moment before, he was warm and strangely content despite what happened the day before. The weeks before, really. Now, it is as if a curtain has been lifted in the back of his mind, allowing all the bad things to spill forth.

Pain and Steve and Obadiah and his weapons in the wrong hands and mistakes and betrayal. The list is endless.

Biting his lip right over the cut, Tony makes himself focus and get out of bed. He is standing before he deigns to listen to the aching protest of his body. It could be worse, he decides. His ribs are screaming anew with every movement, and his head is still pounding slightly. Other than that, he just feels sore. Nothing that he does not have experienced a hundred times before. Obadiah’s goons did not have a lot of time to rough him up before they were interrupted.

With an abrupt movement, Tony turns towards the bathroom. He does not want to think about the blood spraying out from the sudden hole in the man’s neck or the gurgling sound he made when he fell. He does not want to think about the sounds of gunshots ringing through the air, or how terrifyingly familiar the weight of the weapon has felt in his hands. None of the targets he has shot at before has ever moved. None of them has been his godfather either.

Death has always been a part of Tony’s life but he was never that close to it, has never seen the panic in another person’s eyes while their life was leaving them.

Concentrating on his steps as if his brain has ever stopped racing just because he wanted it to, Tony walks to the bathroom, where he strips without looking at himself in the mirror before stepping into the shower.

He is afraid of what he would see. Last night must have left its traces. Perhaps he is as wild-eyed as he feels, perhaps the bruises on him are forming a distinct accusation. Perhaps he looks unchanged, and that might be the worst possibility after all.

The water is nice and warm as it runs over his skin, an impersonal touch but a gentle one. Without thinking, Tony turns the temperature up until it becomes almost scalding. This is not punishment, he tries to convince himself. This is just to cleanse him. A feeble attempt, really.

Only Rhodey and the promise of pancakes get him out of the shower at all. Again, he does not look at himself as he dresses, making sure to cover as much skin as possible without being too obvious about it.

Before he leaves his room, he plasters a smile of his face. Something small and harmless. Rhodey will know it is fake but he will not comment on it. They both know there are some things Tony will always cling to. When he cannot build his way out of a situation, he will at least appear like nothing is wrong. Clenched teeth are easily hidden and Tony is experienced in smiling through pain.

---

Pepper interrupts their prolonged breakfast not even an hour later. She was there the night before too, checking in on Tony before she went right back to saving his world. She kept the police off their back and probably already handled a press release to avoid the news getting out on their own.

Pepper knows. He has not told her but Rhodey did while he was pretending to be asleep. It is not so much that he could not bear watching her expression change but that he could not have told it a second time. One of these days, he will have to arrange himself with the fact that he murdered someone. He has to if he wants to go on with his life. Or, at least, if he wants to salvage what is left of it and shape it into something new.

All the family Tony has left is in this room now. Rhodey and Pepper. This is it.

It hurts. Tony is sure it will do so for a long time. Home does not quite feel so safe anymore, now that he has come back changed.

It is impossible for Tony to hide through all this, however, so he is not surprised when she appears in the door to the kitchen, looking as immaculate as always, even while Tony can see her fraying at the edges.

“Agent Coulson is here,” Pepper says. There is a hint of an offer in her tone like she is fully prepared to stall for him if he needs more time. They both know that would ultimately only make things harder on all of them.

So Tony nods and gets to his feet. “Have a pancake,” he all but orders, worrying about Pepper’s tendency to never take a break.

People always believe that, just because he is pampered and incapable of taking care of himself, he is also blind to other people’s needs. He is not, and if he has to personally push Pepper down in a seat and feed her the first piece of a pancake to convince her this is what she needs, he will do so.

“I can come with you,” Pepper offers quietly, not moving from her place in the door.

She looks sincere, and he knows she would take over for him. If anyone could handle Agent Coulson, who always seems to know too much, and get all of them out in one piece, it is Pepper.

“You’ve done enough already,” Tony says and smiles at her, gratefully. “And things will stay crazy for a while, so take a breather and eat Rhodey’s delicious pancakes.” When she does not move, he adds, trying for humour, “They’re the only reason I didn’t starve in college.”

Pepper’s expression does not relax at all. It was perhaps too soon to mention his possible demise, even if it has been some years since they were at MIT.

“They are also the only reason I could sometimes get him to eat an apple if I made sure they were sufficiently hidden inside them,” Rhodey says smugly, rightfully taking pride in getting Tony through his college years.

Everything was still so simple back then. Especially before his parents died. Before they were murdered. Immediately, Obadiah’s ghost is back, leaning over Tony’s shoulder to stare at him.

“This looks more like you were trying to drown yourself in chocolate,” Pepper comments dryly, nodding with slight disgust at the mess on Tony’s plate.

“Don’t judge. I was shot at yesterday.” Even while he says it jokingly, that sobers them all up again.

Tony was shot at yesterday and the matter is not over yet. Reminding his friends of that only serves in eradicating all the hard-won amusement. He should have just kept his mouth shut and left.

“What were you thinking?” Pepper asks, steel in her tone that stands in stark contrast to the way her eyes glisten with sudden wetness.

“About what?” Tony counters to buy himself some time.

He has been awake for nearly two hours now. It is remarkable that nobody breached this topic already, possibly the night before even. That does not make it easier to meet his friends’ stares and tell them that he would do the same thing all over again. That he would have acted even sooner had it been either of them out there in the parking lot with him instead of Thor.

“I’m not in the mood for games, Tony,” Pepper snaps. Her entire body is coiled as if in preparation for a hit. “Why would you do something so stupid as handing yourself over to people shooting at you?”

Put like that it does sound bad, but Tony still has the sound of gunshots in the ear and cannot erase the sight of blood on Thor’s shirt from his mind or the gaping fear of losing a friend out there. How could he make them understand that losing someone else would have been so much worse than whatever was going to happen to him? That is still true, even with Obadiah’s words weighing heavy on his mind and his hands dipped in red.

“Thor was hurt and nobody was coming,” Tony explains in a reasonable tone that seems to go right over Pepper’s head. “What else was I supposed to do?”

Pepper and Rhodey both look like they are utterly unconvinced by his reasoning.

“Anything but to go with someone who wanted you dead,” Pepper says, voice growing thinner with every word.

She is pale and on the verge of trembling as if she has seen his ghost the way he is followed by Obadiah’s. It is not so hard to understand where they are coming from. They are family and Tony could have easily died the day before. The mere thought of losing them leaves him nauseous. Thor has found his place in Tony’s heart too, though.

“I couldn’t have Thor’s death on my conscience,” Tony says, hoping that is enough to make them understand.

“It’s his job,” Pepper counters with a stubbornness usually reserved for difficult board members.

Tony is lost, standing in front of the breakfast table, defending his decisions. At least they picked the only one he is still certain he would make again. He is not sure he could bear them asking about Obadiah.

“Did you really just say that?” Tony asks, rolling back on the balls of his feet as if to bring more distance between him and her words.

Job or not, nobody deserves to die for another man’s feud.

“Yes,” Pepper answers, although she looks slightly uncomfortable about it. “I’m glad he’s alive, but what’s the use of hiring a bodyguard if you end up taking the fall for him?”

A smile pulls at Tony’s lips, fragile and lopsided, because she has put her head on the chopping block for him a dozen times, even if under less deadly circumstances. That was always more than her job required of her too.

“Perhaps the point was to protect a friend.”

Pepper winces slightly before she catches herself and says, almost warningly, “Tony.”

But this is enough. It is done and Tony would do it all over again. He is home and safe.

“No, I don’t want to hear it,” he says, glancing back at Rhodey too, to make sure they know he is done with the topic from both of them. “Maybe we could have held out longer. Maybe they wouldn’t have overrun us and Thor wouldn’t have bled out.” Maybe Obadiah would not have planned to program Tony’s pacemaker to kill them. Maybe there was a way to resolve all of this without bloodshed and Tony just did not see it. Still does not. “It doesn’t matter because it happened, and I’m fine, and Obie is – he’s not a problem anymore.”

Tony looks down at his hands, biting his lip against the pain of saying his godfather’s name. He wonders how long he will have to carry that, how long until this betrayal has become just another part of life instead of weighing him down to the point where he is not sure he can keep breathing.

“It’s the principle –” Pepper tries to argue, but Tony’s head whips up as he cuts her off.

“It’s not,” he says. This is the only thing he is certain about at the moment. “Unless you know someone else who wants me dead, this isn’t going to happen again. So could you please stop yelling?”

Pepper’s face softens, even if the worry in her eyes does not dissipate. Later, he might appreciate her single-minded care for his well-being, when his own guilt has alleviated a bit.

“For the record,” Rhodey says from the side, happy to draw some of the fire to give Pepper more breathing space. “I totally agree with her.”

Tony nods, even as he sighs. “Of course, you do.” He turns to smile at Rhodey, glad that no other argument is forthcoming. “And I appreciate that you let me have my pancakes first before berating me.”

He is not angry with them for wanting him safe, but despite what most people think of him, Tony is not just out to save his own hide. His friends are all he has. It is sometimes hard to forget that he is all Pepper has, too, and that Rhodey makes no distinction between his blood family and Tony.  Straightening, he walks over to the door, not without gesturing pointedly at the table to get Pepper moving. She knows he would not mind having her with him and would likely feel much calmer, but this is his fight. At least he got some breakfast into him before he has to face the cavalry.

Nobody says anything more before he leaves. At the door, he pauses and puts a hand on Pepper’s shoulder. She leans into the touch and offers him a watery smile. They will be all right.

 ---

Thor waits for him outside the elevator doors, wearing a suit and looking like the day before never happened. Tony’s eyes immediately fall to Thor’s side, almost expecting fresh blood to stain his shirt.

“Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?” Tony asks, wondering whether he has slept for more than one day or whether Thor is even more careless with his own health than Tony.

“Probably. I’m fine, though.” When Tony just looks at him in disbelief and refuses to move, Thor adds, “I had surgery to get the bullet out. It didn’t hit any major organs. I didn’t have internal bleeding. They told me I was lucky, gave me some pills, and didn’t protest too much when I checked myself out.”

Tony’s scepticism only increases at that. Surgery means Thor should at the very least still be under observation. “Which means you basically slipped out when no one was looking,” he concludes. He has been there before, after all. He has spent altogether too much time in a hospital because of his heart to ever needlessly prolong any stay there. “What is Bruce saying to that?”

Thor’s mouth tips downward for a moment, utterly unamused with Tony bringing up Bruce. “He knows me,” he says with a shrug. “He made me promise to stay in bed and do everything else he says.”

Like Rhodey and Pepper, Bruce is probably aware that no amount of threatening or reasoning will keep them in bed if there are still important things to do. Faced with someone this stubborn himself, Tony at least feels sympathy regarding his friends’ burden for the first time.

“Then what are you doing here?” he asks, deciding he has to at least try to talk some sense into Thor. “You should be in bed. I know I want to be and I wasn’t shot yesterday.”

Thor looks like he has several counterarguments depicting that Tony, while not having been hit by a bullet, had his own ordeal to go through the night before. Then, though, he simply shrugs. “Agent Coulson wants to talk to both of us.”

“Screw him,” Tony blurts, even though he is immediately relieved not to have to face Coulson on his own. That leaves them with fewer chances to contradict each other. “I can handle this. You have already done more than I ever could have expected from you. And no,” he adds when he sees Thor opening his mouth, “this is not part of the job.”

Not that Thor really feels like an employee anymore anyway, never did really. They immediately skipped that grey zone of being uncomfortable around each other, and Tony is glad for that.

“I’m here now,” Thor says. “No use in turning back.”

A better person would have argued, but Tony just nods. “Bruce is going to murder both of us for this,” he says, too cheerfully by far.

“I think Bruce is still happy that we both survived this,” Thor argues with a smile, “so there will be a little maiming at the most.”

“Right, perfect. Just what I need to spice up my post-apocalyptic morning.” They should get going, but Tony hesitates, mindful of them being right out in the open. “Now, do we have a plan?”

There are so many things they cannot say and Tony has a feeling that lying to Agent Coulson is not a particularly smart idea. The least they should do is know what the other will say.

Thor shifts easily back to business, immediately growing more serious. “Just what we decided on yesterday. I called in Steve when they took you and we overwhelmed the kidnappers. We didn’t want to shoot Stane but he got into the crossfire.” He grimaces slightly, obviously aware of the glaring holes in their story. “The fewer details we offer, the better. You’re still in shock and I’m on pain medication. That might help us later if Coulson comes back.”

He says if like it is a definite when, and Tony fears he is right about that.

“It will help that neither of us is in their right mind at the moment?” Tony asks, only half-joking.

“I have no doubt that your brain is more than up to the job,” Thor reassures him easily. “And I haven’t yet taken my pills, so I’m all here with you.”

That, at least, distracts Tony a bit from the problem at hand. He has never been shot in the abdomen, but he imagines it hurts. He has taken something to dull the pain of his ribs when they were first broken and even then every movement hurt. He is not sure whether he should admire or chastise Thor.

“Do you have them with you? Because I’m going to make you swallow them while I watch,” Tony says firmly. The moment Coulson is done with them, he will send Thor home. “I’m not going to explain to Bruce why I let you get shot and then let you die because you couldn’t be bothered to take your medication.”

Thor’s expression softens. “Pain isn’t going to kill me.”

“Then it won’t be a problem to take the pills,” Tony counters immediately, knowing Thor’s side of this too well to let himself be lulled in.

Humming somewhat noncommittally, Thor slowly starts to move. “Perhaps we shouldn’t let Agent Coulson wait any longer.”

Tony nods, smoothing his face into something more serious without having his expression look pained. Bantering with Thor felt so easy right now. Too easy, considering everything that happened. He does not want to think about Stane, does not want to go through the day before with an agent who knows too much and is probably ready to throw himself at any irregularity.

They are almost at the meeting room when Tony reaches out and holds Thor back for a moment. “Thank you,” he says, voice thick. “For last night. And everything else.”

He knows Thor is not just going to accept it even before he opens his mouth.

“That’s my job,” Thor says, although not as lightly as he could have. He is not refusing Tony’s gratitude.

“Protecting me was,” Tony argues. This is important to him. “Not coming after me with a group of vigilantes on your heels.”

For a moment, it looks like Thor is going to protest again, but then he inclines his head. “You’re welcome. But, if there ever is a next time, you let me do my job right before it comes to involving the Avengers.”

“Let’s go,” Tony says instead of promising something he knows he would not be able to keep. Then he starts moving before his legs decide to give out under him. This is going to be another long day.

 ---

Agent Coulson is waiting for them in one of the smaller meeting rooms, nursing his coffee like he does not have a care in the world. He gets up when Tony and Thor filter in, smiling that noncommittal smile of his.

“Mr. Stark, Mr. Odinson, good morning,” Coulson greets, sounding like he has done every other time they have met, almost as if nothing has changed. “How are you doing?”

The question has Tony wanting to laugh, although Coulson appears serious. How are they doing? Fantastic. Better than ever. He is one godfather short now and Thor is one hole in his body richer. Normal Tuesday evening, really.

“As I am sure you are aware, Mr. Odinson was shot yesterday. We’d be grateful if we could keep this short. He should not be walking around at all,” Tony replies, managing to quell his impatience. He does not want to have this conversation at all, but the waiting is definitely the worst part.

“Of course,” Coulson says. Nothing changes in his expression. “This is mostly a formality.”

That is a surprise. “A formality that couldn’t wait?” Tony questions, fully expecting that this is simply Coulson’s way of putting them at ease before he starts interrogating them.

It is certainly the old We just want to talk shtick the police love to pull.

Coulson cocks his head to the side, looking at Tony with something like amusement in his eyes. “Some people at the office are suspecting foul play. I thought it in your best interest to deal with that quickly.”

Tony is not sure whether that is a threat. Coulson’s face is calm in a calculated way, merely hinting at the intellect laying underneath. No matter what it is, Tony is tired of waiting.

“All right, let's get this over with.”

They sit down, Tony and Thor on one side of the table with Coulson facing them. Tony keeps his back straight despite his aching ribs, readying himself for whatever – possibly true – accusations Coulson is going to throw at them.  

Depending on how this conversation goes, they are going to be in a wholly different world of trouble, one equally impossible to deal with as a traitorous godfather but perhaps a little less deadly. Tony wishes he would have had JARVIS go through whatever data the FBI collected on this case, just so he would know what to expect.

Coulson takes his time rearranging the files in front of him without actually opening them. They will probably not like what is in them. Then he looks up, directing his attention on Thor, first.

“Mr. Odinson, instead of alerting us after Mr. Stark was kidnapped, you went after him on your own with Mr. Rogers, is that correct?”

What little relief Tony had at not being singled out first vanishes immediately. Coulson seems to not be wasting any time before going for the throat.

“We did not have time,” Thor answers calmly, taking over seamlessly. He does not appear surprised that they are not going to cover the events of the actual kidnapping first. Perhaps they already put that to protocol the night before.

It sounds wrong to hear Steve’s name spoken so casually by a federal agent. Tony wishes Steve would have left with the others the night before. They would still have to lie then, but not like this. They would not have to actively spin the story in a way that leaves the Avengers out of it. If the FBI were starting to look into Steve, they would surely find irregularities. They would find his friends. Tony cannot load that onto his conscience on top of everything else.

“We also did not know who to trust,” Tony adds, keeping his growing desperation out of his voice. Instead, it comes out just a tad accusatory.

Coulson turns to him with surprise on his face. “Pardon me?”

Tony is not entirely certain that it is the best idea to go on the attack, but he has already made the first step and it is better than showing any vulnerability for the FBI to exploit.

“I’m sorry, Agent Coulson, but finding out that my godfather betrayed me in such a fashion has made it very difficult to trust anyone,” Tony explains, his voice tight. “I thought it suspicious that he could simply vanish without a trace and the entirety of your bureau could not find him. I’m not saying I had a concrete suspicion that you or any of your employees were on his side, but I am glad that Mr. Odinson did not take any chances.”

That is not even a complete lie. Tony did not suspect the FBI to actively collude with Obadiah, but he definitely did not trust them either. Still does not. It is not their job to be on his side but to find out what happened.

“Going after you with just one person as backup appears to be taking chances to me,” Coulson replies, not showing what he thinks of Tony’s accusation. That, in itself, could be a bad sign. “Then again, they are both very skilled, right?”

That is a tricky question, and one that sounds like it has only wrong answers.

“We are both certified bodyguards,” Thor takes over, still appearing unfazed, not at all rattled by what Tony thinks Coulson is implying. “We met while we were still in the military and kept in touch over the years. I trust him to have my back.”

Tony’s heart goes out to Thor at that moment. It is not Thor’s job to lie for him. He cannot help being curious too, however, because while he was undeniably glad to have been rescued by friends, he has not yet asked why Thor thought to call in the Avengers instead of going the official way.

“As someone experienced in such things, he surely must have wondered why you were going in on your own,” Coulson says, merely implying a question.

“He trusts me too,” Thor answers without hesitation. “We decided to prioritize stealth and a quick response over waiting for your backup. If Mr. Stark had not been taken right in front of my eyes, which betrayed a certain urgency of Mr. Stane’s to get rid of him, we would have naturally relied on you.”

Despite the situation, Tony is impressed that Thor manages to remain completely untouched by Coulson’s questions, almost as if they actually had time to think all of their decisions through and calling in the Avengers was the sensible option. Some of Tony’s worry dissipates, only to come back with a vengeance when Coulson smiles.

“There is a lot you aren’t telling me, right?” Coulson asks, mostly rhetorical. “It is a shame that we won’t be able to interrogate Mr. Stane.”

The words hit Tony like a punch to the gut. Obadiah is dead. Really, irrevocably dead. And at Tony’s hand. He has not even begun to process that, and he dreads the moment he is left alone with his thoughts.

“You’ll excuse me if I don’t think that taking out a direct threat to Mr. Stark’s life is something I would consider a shame,” Thor replies, still calm but with steel in his voice. “But you are right, under different circumstances, finding out the extent of Stane’s treason would have been important. Although I suspect it would have been a trying endeavour to find the truth amongst the lies he told every day.”

For one, horrible moment, Tony is glad that Obadiah cannot spin any more lies or try to tear him down. He feels ashamed right afterwards, although the deed is already done.

“Did Mr. Stane reveal anything to you, while you were in his presence, Mr. Stark?” Coulson asks, not showing what he thinks of Thor’s answer.

He killed my parents, lies on Tony’s tongue, but he manages to swallow it. Nothing good could come from revealing that, nothing but more questions and an ongoing investigation. Another scandal heaped upon the ones the company is not yet done surviving.

Obadiah is dead, Tony is clinging to that truth. Nothing would change if he told Coulson about the other atrocities Obadiah has committed. His parents have been dead for years. His mother, at the very least, deserves to rest in peace.

“I don’t think he told me anything new,” Tony says, allowing some of his exhaustion to show on his face. “He was going on about how he would pin the weapons dealing on me. How he would turn right back to making weapons, too. He was convinced he could go right back to his old life once I was out of the way.”

Which is ridiculous, considering that Tony is at a loss how he is going to go on, and he has arguably been in the right this entire time.

“So he attempted to kill you?” Coulson asks, sounding impassionate even while his expression has softened somewhat.

“Yes,” Tony says, his voice flat. He somehow manages to hold Coulson’s gaze. “He had two of his men rough me up, but he wanted to manipulate my pacemaker into causing me a heart attack.”

It is not a secret that Tony has a pacemaker. When he had first spent so much time in hospitals as a child, the press loved to run stories about the youngest Stark’s fragile heart. Nowadays, people always seem surprised that his heart is still giving him problems when it comes up. Tony does not mind everyone forgetting about it. He has enough baggage without it.

“But he did not manage to manipulate your pacemaker before Mr. Odinson and Mr. Rogers appeared at the scene.”

Since Tony is still sitting here with them, the question is moot and Agent Coulson seems to realize this because he does not seem to expect an answer. He is looking down at the file he brought, and Tony just knows he is not going to like what is coming next. The entire conversation has been rather civil up to this point instead of accusatory as they expected.

“Just one more thing,” Coulson says and it is suddenly him who sounds slightly hesitant. “Mr. Odinson, did you or Mr. Rogers have a bow on you at the time of the attack?”

It is a good thing that Coulson’s attention is completely on Thor because Tony is sure his expression slipped into one of pure horror for a moment.

“A bow?” Thor echoes, full of confusion. He must have expected the question, otherwise, he could not have remained that calm.

“Perhaps a crossbow,” Coulson amends amicably as if he does not have them by their throats. “Some of the wounds, while somewhat masked, seemed to have been made by arrows instead of bullets. Or so the autopsy report tells me.”

Of course, they would do autopsies. Of course, they would realize that an arrowhead looks distinctly different from a bullet. Of course, their entire house of cards is coming down around them.

“I can’t say that I know anyone capable of shooting with a bow and arrow,” Thor says, still remarkably unfazed, no hint of panic in his voice or posture.

Tony, on the other hand, feels hot and cold at the same time, going very still in his seat. He knew that Barton and his bloody arrows would put them into trouble. How could they have been so stupid to bring such an antiquated weapon to a fight? Did they expect that would not raise questions? The Avengers might be used to making any suspicious dead bodies they caused disappear, but that was never an option here.

Coulson studies them for a long moment, giving no hint what he is thinking, although that is obvious from Tony’s point of view. He is gathering the holes in their story and spins them together into a noose to hang them with.

Yesterday, when that bullet hit Obadiah, Tony thought this could be over now. They could go back to something resembling a normal life. He could rebuild his company and avoid dealing with his emotional baggage until he could sleep again at night without problems. This was supposed to be the end of it. Now, though, they are in a whole new world of trouble.  

Coulson taps the files in front of him almost absentmindedly before he nods to himself. “Do you know a group going by the name of Avengers?”

If possible, Tony becomes even tenser while still clinging to a normal expression, no matter that he is sure he does not succeed. He wonders whether he is so out of it that he said some of his thoughts out loud, but Coulson sounds simply curious, not yet condemning. More so, he seems to have come here with that question weighing him down, and all the others have just been a distraction.

“Is that another terrorist cell my godfather has been selling weapons to?” Tony counters, his voice too flat to sound natural. He has to at least try to salvage this, though.

Coulson’s lips twitch, although Tony cannot tell whether it is with amusement or displeasure. “I realize that you are trying to protect members of –”

“I’m not trying to protect anyone,” Tony interrupts quickly. He is aware that he is not making himself appear less suspicious, but he needs to stop Coulson from saying something out loud that he will never be able to hide from. “What my godfather did was terrible and I’m not trying to shirk responsibility. We are working on getting all my weapons out of the hands they were wrongfully given to.”

If he is going to stick to his godfather’s crimes, stubbornly ignoring that his own innocence is being questioned, this might all go away.

“I know some of their work,” Coulson says steadily, never looking away from Tony.

“Of my weapons?” Tony asks, even while he is painfully aware that this is not what Coulson is talking about.

Leaning back in his chair, Coulson appears utterly comfortable with himself and where this conversation is going. “I have never met any of the Avengers in person, but I know Hawkeye and Black Widow.” This time, there is no doubt that he is smiling. “We have an agreement of sorts.”

Tony gives up. He glances helplessly at Thor, who is staring right ahead with an unreadable expression. There is no getting out of this. Coulson knows what he does and he is not going to let it drop. The only question is where that leaves them.

“Why are you telling us this?” Tony asks, wondering whether agents have already been sent out to look for the Avengers. Perhaps someone is waiting right outside the door to take Tony himself in. He has been withholding information about criminals, after all, and helped them too.

“The next time you see Hawkeye, please tell him to stick to weapons a normal person would use,” Coulson says, a sigh hiding right beneath the words, belying his nonchalance. “It’s going to take a lot of paperwork to make this go away.”

Thor startles, and Tony is glad that he is not the only one not knowing what is happening here.

“I don’t understand,” he says, putting in some effort to keep his voice steady. “If you know of – a hypothetical group of people working outside of the law –”

He trails off, really looking at Coulson for a moment. The agent’s shoulders are straight, hiding a tension that, up until now, seemed just a formality. This is risky for all of them, Tony realizes.

“I’m not going to prosecute them,” Coulson says in a measured tone while still sounding urgent. “Not as long as we are all sticking to some principles and they have yet to disappoint me in that way.”

Tony wonders whether Coulson knows about his first meeting with the Avengers and whether that would change his opinions about letting them run free. Although he guesses he should not assume the world turns only around him. So what if he was hurt? Everybody else seems to think the Avengers are otherwise doing a good job. Mistakes are common, and this one, at least, did not end in the worst possible way.

“You have made some loyal friends,” Coulson continues when neither Tony nor Thor says anything.

A short bout of laughter tumbles over Tony’s lips, barely amused. “I don’t know about that.”

Friends is such a deceptive term. For a short while, they had a common enemy. Some amount of guilt perhaps helped in making them decide to aid him. Other than that, they are at most fleeting adversaries. And whatever loyalty is between them is built on necessity.

“I believe you don’t see the world in just black and white, Mr. Stark,” Coulson says softly, as if he knows about the struggles Tony has gone through over the past weeks. “From what I know of them, they are good people. And they have come promptly to your rescue.”

People keep saying that. That the Avengers are good. That they only want to help.

“How do you know they are good if you have never met them personally?” Tony shoots back, getting tired with being told who is or is not good for him.

He wishes Thor would come to his rescue, would say anything or direct the conversation back to safer topics. At the same time, he understands why Thor does not. If the FBI knows about the Avengers, Thor needs to find out everything he can to protect Bruce. So he sits as calmly as if that man before them does not have his soulmate’s fate in his hands, and listens, almost like he has nothing more than a passing interest in the discussion.

“I have come across Black Widow during one of the first cases I’ve ever worked,” Coulson says, appearing almost amused, which leaves Tony at a loss. He cannot imagine anyone disturbing Natasha’s work could get away with it and then speak about the incident fondly.

“And she took them down before you could?” Tony guesses, having an idea of how efficient Natasha is.

To his surprise, Coulson shakes his head, still with that small smile. “No. The man is in jail despite Widow’s efforts otherwise.” He shrugs, making the entire matter appear less miraculous than it is. “We earned each other’s respect back then and we’ve started to occasionally work together.”

Tony does not even attempt to hide how incredulous he finds this, but Coulson simply cocks his head to the side as if to say what can you do? All he knows is that this is their silver lining. If Coulson knows about the Avengers and truly does not want to bring them in, they might be in the clear. The official investigation still has to be wrapped up, but they might not be entirely alone in having to keep some things quiet.

“But you don’t know the rest of them,” Tony states more than asks, needing to find out how much Coulson knows.

Next to him, Thor leans slightly forward. Not enough to attract attention, but showing his interest.

“Well, I know of Hawkeye through a similar matter as Black Widow, and I assume Mr. Rogers is part of the group,” Coulson replies evenly, offering his information like a hand for them to shake. “And I’ve kept an eye on them generally. I’m not going to look the other way if they start swaying from their path. But I trust them for now.”

Unable to help himself, Tony looks at Thor. It is not hard to see the relief swimming in Thor’s eyes, even if the rest of his expression shows only polite interest. This is better than they could have hoped for. Their story has enormous holes. If they do not have to come up with plausible answers for them because Coulson can fill them himself, that is an ideal outcome.

If they can trust Coulson. Tony needs to talk to Steve to confirm Coulson’s side of the story. For now, though, it seems like they do not have any other choice than to go with it.

“I am going to give Hawkeye your message,” Tony says, all but admitting that he is in contact with an illegal group of vigilantes.

All Coulson does at that is smile. “Thank you,” he says and, rather abruptly gets to his feet. “Well, we’re going to wrap this up and then you can have your tower back. Call me if you need anything.”

Tony stares, unable to believe that this is it, that they are going to get away with their lies and their secrets and all Coulson is going to do is smile at them and reassure them that everything is all right.

“Thank you, Agent Coulson,” Tony hears himself saying as his body takes over where his mind is trying to catch up.

He stands up, registering that Thor does the same next to him, looking slightly baffled as well.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Stark,” Coulson says as they shake hands. “Do take care of yourself.”

They watch him leave, his back straight and his steps unhurried, almost as if this was an entirely normal conversation. Silence shrouds them until Coulson has vanished out of sight and even then they take a moment to just breathe.

“That was real, yes?” Tony asks, turning around to face Thor, desperate to find out that he is not the only one disturbed by what happened. “I did not just imagine an FBI agent telling us he knows about the Avengers and will keep quiet about it.”

Incredulity is pouring from his voice and Thor’s expression mirrors that. What a pair they make, utterly floored by things not being incredibly difficult for once.

“It seems so,” Thor answers quietly, still staring at the door. “I will have to call Bruce.”

Of course. They not only have to believe Coulson, but they also have to tell the Avengers. Possibly before they do something rash to cover up their own actions.

“Great. You can do so from your bed,” Tony decrees, remembering that Thor is hurt. He made a promise earlier to send Thor right back to resting and he is going to stick to that. Much quieter, he adds, “And then I guess I’ll call Steve too.”

He is not sure what to feel about that. His memories from the evening before are blurred, but he remembers Steve’s kindness, remembers feeling safe. And instead of crowding Tony or insisting on taking care of him himself, Steve had called Rhodey.

“You don’t have to,” Thor interrupts his thoughts, looking at him with knowing eyes. “I can explain everything to them.”

It is tempting, but Tony shakes his head. “That’s kind of you, but you’re not here to clean up any more of my messes,” he says, managing to sound firmer about his decision than he feels. “I think I need to talk to Steve anyway, to see where we’re going.”

“You should take your time, however much you need,” Thor says, and Tony is glad for his calming presence.

“I will,” Tony promises. That is all he can give for now.

With a nod, Thor seems ready to leave. Now that Coulson is gone, he looks tired, and more like a person who has been in a fight the night before.

“Call if you need me,” Thor says, ever dutiful, making Tony wonder how he deserves to have someone like Thor thrown into his life. People like that are rare.

“Funny, I was just going to say the same,” Tony replies and even manages a smile. “I’ll make sure you’ll get regular meals.”

“I can –”

“I know you can,” Tony cuts him off gently. “But you got shot while protecting me. Now let me do my part.”

Looking somewhat less reluctant, Thor smiles back at Tony and makes his way out of the room, hopefully to be sensible and get some rest. Tony thinks he should probably do the same.