#rhodey wondering how the hell he got into this situation | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

braveclementine · 8 months ago

Text

The Fight of a Lifetime

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.

"Hey Cap, we got a situation here." You heard Sam say into the coms. He was outside already and you just exited the palace to see him, Bucky, and Elizabeth standing there. Elizabeth was already kneeling, her sniper pointed at the ceiling. Her hands were covered in turquoise whisps and she shot and one of the things immediately exploded in mid air. She, however, nearly collapsed right then and there.

"Stop using your magic reserves." You snapped at her, helping her to her feet.

"If. . . If I can take them. . . down before they get here."

"You can't knock another one out without burning yourself up. I won't let you." You said, almost angrily. "I will knock you out and toss you in the dungeon, understand?"

"Yep." Elizabeth sighed.

Another one exploded as it was met by the shield the Wakandans had up.

"God I love this place." Bucky said.

"Yeah, don't start celebrating yet guys." Rhodey said, always the downer. "We got more incoming outside the dome."

You took special vehicles that almost looked like land boats. Except. . . they were on land and. . . they were hovering.

Bruce had been given a suit that Tony had clearly made just for him. It was called the Hulk Buster and it was basically like being the Hulk without being the Hulk. Bruce ran alongside the hover boat things while Sam and Rhodey flew above the rest of you. Your heart pained, knowing Tony should have been up there as well.

"I've got two heat signatures breaking through the treeline." Rhodey informed the lot of you as he flew overhead.

You slid out of the boat as it came to a stop, you and Elizabeth running side by side, to join the rest of the Avengers. You and her stood on the outerskirts of the group.

Steve, Bucky, Nat were really the only ones. Nat, Steve, and T'Challa all went forwards to meet the brute that had been in New York and the female that had attacked Vision and Wanda. You waited nervously.

Elizabeth had her sniper already to her eye, kneeling again. You looked down at her.

"They'll lower the shields. Minute they do I'm shooting." She said steadily.

"How do you know they'll drop the shields?" You asked her.

"Because they'll use forces over and over to vaporize against. Eventually, the wall will become weak. And they'll circle around the entire wall. If they circle around the entire wall, they'll surround us and we'll all be killed. But if T'Challa strategically chooses a moment to drop the walls, the creatures are to dumb to think about flanking then."

"You should have been in the army." You responded lightly.

"I tried to join the Navy." Elizabeth sighed.

"Why didn't you?"

"Mom wouldn't let me."

You chuckled. "Wonder what she would think now."

"Suppose we'll find out after the fight." Elizabeth replied.

"They surrender?" Bucky asked as the three of them rejoined the group.

"Not exactly." Steve replied.

The Wakandans started up their tribal chants and you heard Elizabeth suck in a breath as the aliens started.

"What the hell?" Bucky whispered.

"What?" You asked sharply, noticing she slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder, pulling out an AR-12 like you instead, and got to her feet immediately.

"Outriders." Elizabeth informed you. "Kin to the Chitauri that attacked New York. They're mindless and will stop at nothing to get their prey. They're like lemmings."

"Looks like we pissed her off." Nat muttered.

Elizabeth lifted her gun and started firing before anyone else could do anything. You noticed then that some of the aliens- though charred and burned- had made it through.

T'Challa shouted commands in the native language and the shields that protected the front of them did what they needed. The ones with the spears started their thing- apparently their spears could shoot lasers or something? You and Bucky lifted your guns, firing as well. Sam and Rhodey shot from the air.

"SAM WATCH YOU!" Elizabeth shouted, shooting another alien through the head. "They can jump as high as you fly."

It was proven seconds later as Sam had to duck and twirl to avoid an outrider. It didn't even hit the ground before Elizabeth filled with with bullet holes.

Rhodey flew close near the border, letting off bombs that set fire and blasted the outriders that were there.

"Cap, they're circling." Elizabeth informed him, "They're going to get behind us."

"There's nothing that will stop them from getting Vision if they do that." Bruce added on.

"Then we better keep them in front of us." Steve murmured.

"How do we do that?" Okoye asked.

"We open the barrier." T'Challa answered.

"Called it." Elizabeth muttered to you, reloading her gun.

"On my signal, open Northwest section seventeen." T'Challa said into his coms. "On my signal."

"That's not a shield." Elizabeth said randomly. You looked around, bewildered and then saw what she meant. You agreed. Whatever Steve had on his arms were not shields.

T'Challa stepped forwards as the shields stopped doing their thing, straightening up. "WAKANDA FOREVER!"

Immediately you all started to charge. Steve, Elizabeth, and T'Challa far outstripped everyone else and you turned your attention from your friends, to yourself.

As the three of them leaped into the Outstriders, landing on top of them, you skidded through the water, slashing them with your new Wakandan weapon. It was one of the spears that the Dora Milaje usually used, but it was an electrical version that Shuri had designed specifically for you.

One of the outstriders knocked you onto your face and then Natasha was there, slicing its head off, helping you to your feet. You ducked, swinging out the double edge blade, frying two more outstriders.

You saw Bucky on his back and you threw the spear, taking it off of him. Steve slammed his shields into another Outstriders head. You ran, sliding, grabbing your spear, stabbing it upwards through two more aliens.

Shurikens flew past you, slicing into the eyes of aliens as Elizabeth controlled them, whipping them around as turquoise whisps of aura filled with air, her eyes glowing the same.

"There's too many of them!" You heard Bruce shout and you looked over your shoulder to see the Hulk buster was swarmed with them. Steve was being held down by at least four and even T'Challa was overwhelmed. Rhodey had been knocked out of the air and even you were now trying to fight off three.

Only Elizabeth looked as though she was somewhat open, keeping a forcefield of sorts around her while she continued to fight, not seeming to see anything but enemies on the field.

Suddenly, a huge burst of light came down from the sky. It was thicker, larger than any bifrost beam that you had ever seen, but it had the same rainbow consistency to it. It burned the aliens and suddenly, a weapon that looked like an axe came flying out of the beam of light, blue electricity warping it.

And suddenly, as it cleared, the weapon flying back to its owner, you saw who it was. You stared, stunned as Thor stood there, slim, with two different coloured eyes. His hair was shorter than the last time you had seen it, and brown instead of blond. There was what looked like a raccoon holding a gun on his shoulder, along with a tree. . . thing?

You looked over and saw that Elizabeth was gaping at him in amazement and there was something like hope in her eyes. Your stomach turned unpleasantly. Surely, if Loki was still alive, he would have been here too.

You heard Bruce start to laugh loudly behind you, "YOU GUYS ARE SO SCREWED NOW!"

You watched Elizabeth runs towards him and he turned to meet her, lifting her into his arms almost as though she were a child, hugging her tightly. You turned away, the scene to painful to watch. And your fears were confirmed when you went to face the opponents again and saw a fresh wave of pain coated across her face, mixed with determination and anguish.

Then Thor and her were charging, along with the tree and raccoon. "BRING ME THANOS!" Thor roared, rushing with his electricity swirling around him. The water rose up as Elizabeth's magic swirled around it, shooting towards the aliens, drowning them in her rage.

Thor flew up into the air, the clouds growing black and dark, before slamming back down, killing hundreds of Outstriders with one blast.

You smiled. You were going to win.

🎃 ::::: 🧡 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧡 ::::: 🎃

The addition to Thor on the team, new with his weapon was a confidence booster, Steve knew that. Bruce was back in his head, enjoyed that his soulmate was alive. Thor seemed more powerful than ever, taking out more enemies by himself than they had done so far. He was raising the spirits of everyone on the battlefield.

Except. . . for Elizabeth.

She was full of rage, fury, and a new found sweep of despair. Steve knew immediately when Thor had arrived, she had hoped Loki would be alive too.

And he wasn't.

Steve checked quickly for Bucky and saw he was doing fine. The raccoon that Thor had brought with him was in Bucky's metal hand. Bucky just kept turning in circles, both of them shooting everything that approached them.

He looked for Y/N next as he slammed his shields into another outstriders face, smirking a little at remembering Elizabeth's comments about them not being real shields. They were real alright, they just didn't throw.

Y/N looked like she was doing fine, swinging out her newest Wakandan weapon, taking out everything that came within a six foot radius of her. She had grown in being an agent. He remembered when she had been endearingly clumsy and now, she was graceful, her movement, her block, attack, everything was confident and well placed.

Steve found himself next to Thor and looked over at him, "New haircut?" He asked.

"Noticed you've copied my beard." Thor joked, motioning to his beard.

Steve nodded and Thor pointed with his axe, "Oh, by the way, this is a new friend of mine, tree."

Steve saw that the tree in question had elongated its arm, capturing three of the aliens through the stomach. "I AM GROOT!"

"I am Steve Rogers." Steve said, breathing heavily and pointing to himself.

Suddenly, there was a huge rumbling and Steve saw that ground seemed to be pregnant, something huge rolling underneath it. It passed underneath the barrier like it was nothing and when it exploded from the ground, it was like huge, spinning wheels.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!" T'Challa shouted.

Steve watched as Elizabeth attempted to stop them and he raced towards her, grabbing her around the waist and ran with her. She was light, lighter than anyone else he knew. What? Could she be only one hundred and sixteen pounds? Damn.

"When we get out of here," He panted, "I'm taking you to an all you can eat buffet."

"Focus on fire on the left." Rhodey called into the coms. "Flanks Sam."

"I'm doing it!" Sam shouted.

Suddenly, the wheels stopped and Steve dropped Elizabeth back to her feet, seeing them floating in the air, surrounded by red.

"No." Elizabeth panted, "She left Vision alone."

Before Steve could even stop her, she was sprinting back to the castle.

🎃 ::::: 🧡 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧡 ::::: 🎃

Elizabeth could not remember running so fast before. She seemed to be almost flying as she made her way to the palace. She crashed through the window, into the lab and saw Shuri still working.

She made her way to the entrance as one of the leaders- the children of Thanos- started to attack the warriors. The two men were killed and the woman was fighting next.

"Keep working." Elizabeth commanded, "Hurry."

She leapt into the fight, kicking the man backwards. The two of them fought, spear on sword. Elizabeth could feel her arms going numb. She knew she wasn't in peak condition to be in this fight. This was a master warrior and she had spent to much of her energy on magic today. But it had to be done. Vision had to be protected. She could not let Wanda feel the pain of losing her soulmate too.

The man swept her off her feet, but before he could stab her, he was sent flying into the wall and Pietro was standing over her, holding out a hand. "Bet you didn't see that one coming?"

Elizabeth grinned, grabbing his hand and he heaved her to her feet. The alien man growled, leaping forwards and Pietro dodged out of the way, kicking the mans feet out from underneath him. Shuri's fingers flew on the computer screen.

Suddenly, Pietro was flung backwards, shaking as some gadget electrocuted him. Elizabeth grunted, eyes widening as she felt the spear go through her side. The alien man snorted, pulling his weapon from her body, kicking her to the side.

"That was easy." He growled at her.

"Well," She panted, "Wasn't like I was wearing armor."

Shuri shut down the program, shooting him with her blasters. He slashed the table in half, knocking Shuri and the Dora Milaje to the second level.

Elizabeth watched as the alien man looked for Vision, but he was gone, before attacking him from behind, shoving him out the window.

"Princessa?" Pietro asked, by her side in an instant. "Are you alright?"

"Help me into a sitting position." She grunted and he did so. She placed a hand on her side, letting the last bits of magic reserves finish the job.

"Guys we got a Vision situation." Elizabeth heard into her coms.

"Somebody get to Vision!" Steve shouted.

"Go." Elizabeth said. "You're the fastest. Just, make sure you've got a weapon on you."

Pietro grinned, "Of course."

And then he was gone.

🎃 ::::: 🧡 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧡 ::::: 🎃

Steve raced through the forest, knocking into the male alien as he tossed Vision to the ground. "Get out of here!" He shouted at Vision, rising to his feet. He slammed his shields repeatedly into the male aliens face, knocking him to the ground, "GO!"

The two of them continued to fight while Vision laid there. He grabbed Steve around the neck and Steve grunted in pain as he bounced off a log from his back, tumbling to the forest floor.

He started to choke Steve and then suddenly, his head went off with a blade. He saw Elizabeth standing there, a stab wound in her chest, the blood having soaked her up and lower leather garments. She nodded for a moment and then sighed, collapsing to her knees.

Pietro got there then.

"I'm faster than you." Elizabeth panted out.

"I got lost." Pietro retorted.

Steve saw Vision was next to them as well, holding the weapon that had been the alien mans' "I thought I told you to go."

"We don't trade lives Captain." Vision retorted.

Wanda landed near them, taking over for Vision. Vision cried out in pain and then said, "He's here."

Elizabeth was on her feet in an instant, breathing heavily. It almost sounded panicked.

"Everyone on my position." Steve quickly said into his coms. "We have incoming.

Steve watched the purple Titan emerge from a cloud of black and blue. He was taller than all of them, his arms as thick as Y/N or Elizabeth.

"Cap." Bruce said, his Hulk Buster suit battered, scratched, and scraped, "That's him."

"Eyes up." Steve commanded, hitting the button on the shield to enlarge them a little. "Stay sharp." And then he broke into a run to charge the Titan.

Steve watched then as the Hulk Buster seemed to phase through him, captured in the rock wall behind the Titan. Steve felt himself being captured by a purple aura, tumbling back to the forest ground.

He caught T'Challa around the throat, bashing him in the head so hard it activated the Vibranium blast off, but didn't phase the Titan. He destroyed Sam's wings in midair, walking over the flying Avenger as he crashed to the forest grounds.

Steve watched, as Rhodey tried to shoot at the Titan, but he only blocked the bullets, before squeezing the metal around his body, sending him crashing into a tree.

Bucky charged him next, yelling but Steve couldn't hear it, everything was funny and silent. Steve watched as his soulmate was tossed to the ground, sprawled out. He felt a rage and pain inside of him, watching his soulmate get thrown.

Then Okoye.

Then Natasha.

Then the tree even, tossing its roots into the ground, trying to capture him. He was successful only for a moment, before the Titan ripped the roots off his body.

Steve ran, sliding under the giants fist, hitting him in the leg, then the stomach.

Y/N was there, leaping onto the giants back, stabbing him in the back. He swung around, lifting her, throwing her so that she hit the base of the tree and was still.

Steve uppercut the giant in the chin, feeling both victorious, yet overwhelmed with the idea that they were going to lose. Steve caught the glove as he shoved his hand forward, buckling under the pressure. And then Steve was punched in the head and nearly everything went black.

He could only stare as Elizabeth approached him, standing in between the Titan and Vision. She wasn't crying, like he thought she might. In fact, she looked stone faced. The Titan even paused, smirking.

Elizabeth dodging his punches and blows, almost looking like she was dancing, the grace she moved with, before flipping in the air, kicking him in the face. She scooped up her sword, going and stabbing him through his armor of the stomach. He grunted, catching her around the throat.

"No." Steve tried to say as he lifted her off the ground.

"Funny." Thanos said slowly. "This seems familiar. Ah yes, this is how Loki looked, before I snapped his neck."

It was the wrong thing to say. Elizabeth exploded with her magic and the Titan went flying back, crashing into the rock behind him. Elizabeth's eyes were wide, tortured, just as the stone in Visions' head exploded into pieces.

Elizabeth was suddenly by his side, pulling his head into her lap. She looked exhausted, her face pale and drawn. She placed her hands on his face and he felt her energy flowing, draining her, filling him.

"Stop." He croaked out. "Don't."

"You're. . . you need. . ." Elizabeth panted out.

He grabbed her hands and then pushed back. He sent his energy into her and she fell backwards from the force, before getting to her feet, looking down at her hands in awe.

"You need it." Steve whispered, before everything went black.

🎃 ::::: 🧡 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧡 ::::: 🎃

Wanda panted on the ground as the Titan approached her. And he said in a soft voice, a voice unlike that one of a killer. It was soft, almost gentle. Understanding, nearly kind, "I understand my child. Better than anyone."

"You could never." Wanda growled through her teeth.

He put his hand down, his fingers on one side, his thumb on the other. His hands was huge and Wanda hated the feeling of its weight, "Today I lost more than you could know. But now is not time to mourn." He stood back up, his hand gone now.

Wanda turned her head to see him walk past her. "Now is no time at all." Wanda sat up, tears in her eyes, and watched as the yellow bits of stone that she had shattered from her soulmates head, started to come back together, glowing.

The Time stone.

"NO!" Wanda shouted, rushing him and he batted her away like a kid with a fly. She fell against the forest ground and rolled. Thanos leaned down, picking up Vision around the neck.

Suddenly, Thanos was hit by what looked like a white bullet of a man. Pietro knocked Vision out of his arms and Vision stumbled and fell, trying to get to his feet. Wanda got to hers as Thanos reached out, grabbing Pietro around the neck. He tossed him and Pietro hit the tree with a sickening crack, his neck at a strange angle, eyes open and staring.

Wanda's rage blossomed around her as Thanos wasted no more time, grabbing and yanking the mind stone from Visions head, his body turning gray and colourless, falling to the forest floor.

In less than three seconds, Wanda had lost everything.

Rainbow went through Thanos' veins as he placed the soul stone in his gauntlet. Suddenly, electricity caught him in the stomach and the Titan went sprawling on the ground, being torn up as he was pushed. Thor threw his axe and Wanda watched as it went flying into Thanos chest.

Thor grabbed the back of Thanos head. "I told you, you'd die for that." And Thor shoved the axe deeper into Thanos' chest. Elizabeth was there, stabbing Thanos in the back, hopefully through the heart, her blue magic surrounding the three of them.

The lights started to flicker in Thanos' eyes as he started to die. He croaked something out to Thor, before raising his hand. Elizabeth went to grab the gauntlet, but was blasted backwards, through the trees, and out of sight.

And then Thanos snapped his fingers.

🎃 ::::: 🧡 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🧡 ::::: 🎃

"WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO?" Steve could hear Thor roar and he stumbled out of the tree line just in time to see Thanos disappear the way that he had come. Thor's newest weapon, dropping to the floor, stained in purple blood.

"Where'd he go?" Steve asked when he managed to catch his breath. Steve looked around him, waiting for some sort of change. "Thor. Where'd he go?"

"Steve?" Steve heard Bucky's voice and turned to see Bucky was holding up his gun in one hand, looking at his metal hand with his eyes. He watched as Bucky turned, dissolving into dust, his gun dropping to the floor, the only thing that he left behind.

"No." Steve whispered, running, kneeling, touching the ground. He picked up Bucky's gun, holding it tightly in his hands. The last bit of Bucky that was left. He looked over his shoulder and saw Thors' eyes staring at him in horror.

"SAM!" He heard Y/N scream. "SAM NO!"

He spun, seeing Y/N burst through the trees. She stared at Steve for a moment, terrified as she too turned into dust.

"Y/N!" He bellowed getting to his feet, turning around.

Somewhere in the forest, he could hear Okoye's panicked voice rising, shouting for her King T'Challa. He saw Wanda, leaning over Visions' dead body, turning into dust as well. They were all going, all dying. Pietro's dead body still sat up by the tree.

"SAM? SAM WHERE YOU AT?" Rhodey shouted.

"ELIZABETH?" Steve screamed. "ELIZABETH?"

She burst out of the trees, running straight for him, eyes just as wide and terrified as Y/N's had been. He raced towards her, the two of them meeting. He pulled her straight into his arms and before he could comprehend what he was doing or why he was doing it, his lips crashed to hers.

What he didn't expect, was the reciprocation. Her lips pressed just as fiercely back, her hands clinging to him. She pulled away then, breathing shakily. "T-they just turned. . . they just turned into dust Steve."

It took a minute, but Steve finally managed to coral most of everyone who was left. He turned over Vision's lifeless body. He fell back on his butt, sighing because the stone had been ripped out.

Thor, Rhodey, Rocket, Bruce, Nat, Elizabeth. That was what was left.

"What is this?" Rhodey asked. He was still in his War Machine suit, the same way Bruce hadn't left the Hulk Buster. As though unsure of whether or not the fight would continue. "What the hell is happening?"

Steve breathed heavily, on the verge of tears. And finally, all he could mutter was, "Oh God."

5 notes · View notes

averagewriter-inthedark · 3 years ago

Text

Infinity War II 🔥 | Dark Phoenix Series P.2

Takes place during infinity war

Read part 1 -> Series Masterlist | Marvel Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Dr. Evelyn ‘Eve’ Alice Stark (OC)/The Eagle/Host of the Phoenix Force, Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch (platonic/ally), Doctor Stephen Strange (implied romance), Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (implied romance), Tony Stark (platonic/Newphew), Howard Stark (Platonic/brother), Steve Rogers/Captain America (platonic/best friend) a lot of the marvel characters will be involved in this series.

Content Warnings: profanity, violence, near-death experience, angst, canon divergence | Female OC (She/her) | wc: roughly 6k+ (unedited so sorry for mistakes)

Premise: Billions of miles from Earth, the battle against Thanos is unfolding. Onboard heading to Titan, superheroes Tony and Evelyn Stark along with masked vigilante Peter Parker and Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange are pending the inevitable. The goal: stop Thanos from obtaining the Time stone and hold him off from getting the last of them. To their surprise they are not the only ones waiting for him on the planet. And little do they know, something powerful lurks in the distance. Something that will change the trajectory of Eve’s life forever.

I recommend listening to this during Eve vs Thanos

Pinterest board

Note: So I don’t have a face claim for Eve yet, but I imagine her having the same colored eyes as Tony since she’s Howard’s sister and dark hair. The reason I’m making her hair dark, is because I plan to do something with it in regards to the Phoenix force taking claim in her. Honestly I kinda picture young Monica Bellucci or young Penelope Cruz.

—————————————

They didn’t know how long they had been traveling, but it felt like hours. The ship was on a direct course for a planet called ‘Titan,’ which they assumed was where Thanos planned for his associates to meet him with the stones.

It was fairly quiet throughout the journey. Peter did the most chattering by staying close to Tony and asking him every question in his mind regarding the upgrades in his new suit. Strange put more protective spells on the amulet while Eve sat silently on the platform. Her feet hung over and she had her hands clasped together. If she were to somehow fall over, she didn’t worry.

Thank goodness for her suit.

Left to wonder, Eve had hope Earth was in good hands. If Bruce followed through with alerting Steve, then Vision should’ve been located and they’d be on their way to the compound. Rhodey would understand—but Ross sure as hell wouldn’t. What they did from there was a mystery and Eve could only hope they had backup.

“Mind if I join you?” A voice broke Eve from her thoughts, glancing up to find Steven standing next to her. She hadn’t even heard him approach. With a gently nod, Eve scooted to the side to allow room for him to sit.

Once he got situated, they both overlooked the open void of the ship. “Never in my years as a surgeon did I ever think I’d be floating in space going God knows where.” Eve chuckled, feeling the same way.

“Life surprises you in mysterious ways.” He scoffed, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. After a moment with him not replying, Eve couldn’t help but asking, “So…you’ve always been able to do magic tricks?” From the corner of her eye she could see him sigh. She had to fight back a smirk at his annoyance.

“No. I’ve only been doing this for two years.”

“What suddenly spurred you to become a sorcerer, doc? You had quite the reputation in the city from what I heard.”

Stephen was silent for a moment before replying, “Well, I nearly died and lost everything trying to fix something that couldn’t be fixed. Along the way I put everything I had into a last resort and before I knew it I was defending the world from Mystic threats and monsters. Just kinda happened, you know?”

Eve tilts her head, sticking her lip out with lifted brows as if to say, ‘Sounds legit.’ If anyone knew what it was like to have your life altered before your eyes, it was Eve Stark. One moment she’s deep behind enemies lines in 1948 and the next she’s waking up in the desert with a look-a-like of her brother in the year 2008.

“And how is that working out for you?”

Stephen thinks for a moment, then he shrugs. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”

“Welcome to my reality,” she mutters, glancing briefly to where Tony and Peter were conversing. Tony had stress evident in his expression, while Peter tried making light of the scenario. Eve cared for the boy, but he sure was naive at times.

“I’m still an amateur though,” Stephen comments, pulling her attention back to him. “You’re definitely a professional if we’re being technical.”

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” she affirms with a tight mouth. “But there are days where I’m still surprised.” She lets out a sigh before continuing, “There’s always something bigger. The fight never ends in this life.” Eve pauses, connecting eyes with Stephen. “You’ll learn that quick.”

“How do you cope with it?” Stephen asks. There was curiosity in his gaze. There was also one of unease.

Eve ponders for a minute, trying to think of the best way to answer without sound too self-deprecating. There really was no easy way to say it. “Usually I just overwork myself until I can no longer bear it. Or I shut down to the point I push everyone away.” She looks away from Stephen, brushing her fingers over the knuckles of her left hand. “Some loses are so hard you find yourself unable to take pride or joy in the victories.”

Stephen knows he probably shouldn’t ask the next question he was thinking. But like many people in the world, the cause of the rift between the Avengers was something many wanted to know more of. “What exactly happened?” When her head tilts up at him, waiting for him to specify, Stephen clears his throat. “I-I mean I know about the whole Accords—like everyone else. But what happened in Siberia? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Eve’s breath hitches in her throat, then she bits her lip. “Um,” she tries to laugh, but it comes out as cough. “You mean what happened with Steve?” When he nods, she squares her shoulders. “Have you ever trusted someone with your whole heart and soul?”

“Can’t say I have,” Stephen admits, looking away when he realizes how bad it sounded.

Eve chuckles, though it’s strained. “I’ve had a few people fall into the category over the course of this extended life. My brother, Peggy, Tony,” she falls quiet, sadness filling her eyes before she says, “My husband.” Stephen looks back to her, noticing how the knuckle on her left hand she kept brushing over was the ring finger. He didn’t know much of Evelyn Stark’s history, but he was aware she’d been married at the time of her disappearance with a young daughter.

“And Steve,” she finishes with a sigh. “When I woke up all those years ago the only person I could trust on this planet was Tony. Then Steve was found. And it felt like I could finally sort of breath again. I wasn’t the only one who was ‘stuck in time.’” There was a small smile from Eve as she thought back with fondness. “Howard was my brother, but Steve was my best friend. We were ‘Captain America and The Eagle.’ We fought the war together, Strange. We stopped Hydra, the Red Skull, Zola. If there was anyone I trusted more in the whole world that wasn’t my family, it was Steve. Then we picked up right where we left off in twenty-twelve. It felt natural.”

There’s a pause from Eve. Now she was getting into the rough stuff. “Believe it or not, I didn’t really care about what happened with the Accords,” she shakes her head, finally admitting the truth she held in years prior. Stephen’s brows raise with surprise. He wasn’t expecting to war hero to say something like that. “I wanted to be done with this life and planned to retire when the Accords were ratified. I didn’t know about the airport conflict. Tony only told me after when he needed me to come with him to Siberia.”

Stephen heard her breath catch again, Eve gulping as he eyes began to water. She held them back, “I thought for eight years my family died in car accident. Tony thought the same for nearly twenty. His parents—my brother. My husband and my daughter. But that wasn’t true—.” She closed eyes, flinching away as the image of their execution replayed in her mind. “You see, Strange, I trusted Steve with ever inch of my heart and soul. I loved him as much as you could love a person without any kind of romantic interest coming into play. And when he discovered the truth of what happened to my family—his friends,” she emphasized, her anger rising and she quickly recovered. “

“I don’t have anger toward the person who committed the act—let me be clear on that,” at the sorcerers confused gaze she explains further. “Hydra knew how to control someone. How to break there mind to the point where they become only a void. He had no control over what they made him do. And I would have understood that.”

Stephen nods slowly, the realization settling in. “What you’re saying is Steve knew your family was executed and kept it hidden. From you and Tony.”

“Yes,” she whispered, letting her head fall so she was gazing at her lap. “Know this, Stephen Strange, since you’re too deep now in this life you might as well learn the most valuable thing a person could know.” Eve lifts her head, connected them with his bright blue ones. He almost felt his heart skip by how intense the stare was. “The reason betrayal hurts so much is because it never comes from your enemies.”

Silence overtakes the two while Eve’s words linger in the air. She takes the time to think back on all that happened in the recent years. There was never a moment of rest for the war hero. Each year Eve felt herself slowly draining away.

After Loki, enemies turned up left and right. Some even right under their noses. There was the discovery of Hydra within SHIELDS ranks and not long after Ultron nearly committed global annihilation. Fighting those types of enemies were to be expected in the superhero life.

But Eve never anticipated she would have to fight her friends.

2016 was the most difficult year for Eve since waking up 60 years after being taken captive by Hydra. When the Accords came into play, Eve felt her best course of action was to retire. Part of her looked forward to it. Eve envisioned herself moving to the countryside, away from the city, and maybe even taking a job as a college professor or starting an organization to help underprivileged kids.

But that didn’t happen.

Her world came crashing down with the opposing arguments between the Avengers which resulted in half of them imprisoned at the Raft. Then there was the bombshell in Siberia where the truth of her families death, including her husband and daughter, came to light. And that Steve, her best friend and person she trusted most in the world besides Tony, had knew all along.

The aftermath that followed was a dark time for Eve. She cried every night and in the shower. A bottle of wine was empty by the end of each day and nightmares flooded her mind. Steve never once tried to contact her, which only fueled her anger. He had the audacity to send a letter to Tony with a phone, but couldn’t give her the same respect.

The only thing keeping her busy and in the superhero ways was Peter. The kid was young and Eve saw herself in him. Helping him felt like a breath of fresh air.

Speaking of fresh air…it looked like they were about to get some because of the blasting sound of the ships alarm. Eve and Strange quickly got up, moving to stand beside Tony in front of the screen.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Peter asked from behind.

“I think we’re here,” Stephen replied.

“I don’t think this rig has a self-park function,” Tony goes to the right, putting his hand in what he believed was the control. “Get your hand inside the steering gimbal, close those around it,” he secures the clasp around his arm and pulls up a map in front of him. Peter does what he says, grunting when the latch squeezes his arm. “You understand?”

“Yep, I got it.”

“This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta move t at the same time.”

“Okay, okay. Ready,” Peter holds tight. The ship was descending fast. Eve moved to the middle next to Strange, the two watching anxiously as Tony and Peter attempted to drive the ship to a safe landing.

Suddenly a very large obstacle closes in on frame. “We might want to turn,” Stephen mumbles just as Peter starts to shout, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Tony unlocks his suit, the helmet enclosing around his.

They managed to make the turn, avoiding the one obstacle only to collide with another. It takes the top portion of the ship causing it to rattle. Eve brings her bracelets together, banging them twice to unleash her suit while Stephen conjured a protective force around the group.

The ship hit the ground hard. Eve struggles to stay on her feet and pins her wings into the floor to keep stable. More of the ship comes apart before skidding across the ground until it stills. The force of it causing Tony to fall making Strange rush over. “You all right?”

“That was close,” Tony grunts, taking his hand to help him stand. “I owe you one.” Before anyone could say anything or ask where they landed, Peter descends upside down from his web with concern in his expression.

“Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something and I eat of you, I’m sorry.”

“I do not want another, single, pop culture reference out of you for the trip. You understand?” Tony raises a finger sternly to stop him, but Peter interrupts with urgency.

“I’m trying to say that something is coming.” Never underestimate spidey senses.

The second the words leave Peter’s mouth, a small object rolls in front of the group before a blast sends them backward. Both Stephen and Eve collide with debris, grunting when they land on the ground. They see figures emerge from the whole in the ships wall. “What the hell?” Eve mutters before an unknown voice shouts, “THANOS!!”

Something flies toward Stephen who deflects it causing the unknown person to scream. Next thing the guy knows is he’s on the ground when a red flying fabric wraps around his face.

The second intruder with a metal mask started flying as he shot toward the group with some kind of gun. Both Eve and Tony chased after him with Tony sending a rocket to throw him off. When they collided Tony did not realize something had been placed on him. Suddenly, he’s pulled against his will to the metal debris by a magnetic field.

Eve continues to pursue the masked assailant. When she gets close, Eve brings her arm cuffs together causing a loud *bang*. The force of it sends the man into a wall. He grunts from the impact and Eve goes to pin him before he could escape, but he’s too fast for her. A bright light blasts in front of her causing Eve to block it with her arm and the man knocks her back into the control panel.

Meanwhile Peter lets out a light scream when his eyes land on a lady with antennas glowing on her head. “Woah, woah, woah!” He crab walks backward in a hurry, “Please don’t put your eggs in me!” Before she could touch him, Peter shoots a web to bind her limps together. The lady grunts, stumbling as she walks and Peter is then kicked away by the masked man.

“Stay down, clown,” his gruff voice commands. Peter dodges his attacks, jumping up and away. When he tries to tackle him a blue stringlike material wraps around him forcing him down.

“Die, blanket of death!” Tony escapes and flies over to where the cloak was blocking the view of one of the intruders. Putting a foot on his chest, the cloak flew away to reveal a very buff man with grey and red skin. With Strange holding up rings, Tony with his blaster, Eve with her energy rockets and the masked man now holding Peter at gunpoint, there was a standoff.

“Everybody stay where you are. Chill the eff out,” He clicked his mask and it retraced, revealing a human-like man before them. Eve tilted her head as she glanced him over. “I’m gonna ask you this one time. Where is Gamora?”

Her brow raised in confusion at the question. Both she and Tony’s helmets retracted as Tony replied, “Yeah. I’ll do you one better. Who’s Gamora?” What they didn’t expect was the man laying on the ground to say, “I’ll do you on better. Why is Gamora?”

“That makes no damn sense,” Eve said appalled, mirroring Strange’s expression.

“Tell me where the girl is or I swear to you I’m gonna French fry this little freak.”

Tony’s face consorted into anger at the threat. “Let’s do it! You shoot my guy and I’ll blast him. Let’s go!” A very large blaster emerged from his left hand, pointing down at the guy.

“Do it, Quill! I can take it!”

“No, he can’t take it!” The antenna lady shouted.

“She’s right. You can’t,” Stephen agreed. Eve just rolled her eye, wanting to end the standoff and get to the bottom of who these guys were.

“Oh yeah? You don’t wanna tell me where she is?” the man, Quill, looked at the sorcerer. “That’s fine. I’ll kill all four of you and I’ll beat it out of Thanos myself. Starting with you,” he pushed the gun into Peter’s head.

“Wait, hold up?” Eve put her arms up to lower her defenses. “Run that by us again?”

“All right,” Stephen shook his head, also trying to wrap his head around what Quill said. “Let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?” Personally that would have not been the question Eve would have asked, but she waited for an answer nonetheless.

“What master do I serve?” Quill repeated the question like it was a joke. “What am I supposed to say, ‘Jesus’?”

Tony lowered his own defenses, giving his aunt a bewildered look. As if his day couldn’t get more surprising. “You’re from Earth.”

“I’m not from Earth, I’m from Missouri.” Eve had to turn around, her hand coming to palm her face. The lack of brain cells this man had was unreal to the scientist.

“Yeah, that’s on Earth, dipshit,” Tony fired back. “What are you hassling us for?”

“So you’re not with Thanos?” Peter’s small voice cut into the conversation.

Quill’s expression turned to one of horror, “With Thanos? No, I’m here to kill Thanos. He took my girl. Wait, who are you?”

With the gun to his head lowered, Peter removed his iron mask. “We’re the Avengers, man.”

“Oh.”

“You’re the ones Thor told us about.” Eve spun back around at the antenna lady’s words. Tony tilted his head in alarm at the fact they knew of Thor. Like Bruce, the Avengers hadn’t had any contact with the God in over two years.

“You know Thor?”

“Yeah,” Quill confirmed, though he looked unimpressed. “Tall guy, not that good looking,” Beside him, Peter made a face as he finished, “needed saving.”

“Not that good looking?” Eve mumbled to herself like she couldn’t believe someone would describe Thor as such. She may have been a married woman at one point, but Eve knew an attractive person when she saw one.

And Thor was the definition of more than good looking.

“Where is he now?” Strange then asked causing Eve to narrow her eye on the group. She was suspicious why Thor wasn’t with them. Could he have sent them?

“He had to go to some star and get a weapon he described as a ‘Thanos killing kind,’” Quill raised his fingers to emphasize the point.

“And he sent you here?” Eve assumed.

“No,” The antenna lady, who still hadn’t said her name, cut in. “He sent us to Knowwhere.”

“Knowwhere?” Eve repeated with a tilt of her head. It sounded like a made up place to her.

“It’s the home of the Collector,” Quill explained, moving away to glance around the crashed ship. “The Collector was holding the Reality Stone,” the group stiffened at the mention of another stone. “We tried to get there before Thanos could take it.”

“And I take it you failed,” Stephen finished for him, disappointment and worry filling his veins.

Quill tried not to let Stephen’s words get to him, but the anger was evident on his face. “We had no chance. And he took Gamora with him. Her sister, Nebula, contacted us and told us to meet her here.”

“Where is this, Nebula?”

“I don’t know obviously!” Quill threw his arms up. “Why do you think I kicked y’all’s ass? We saw the ship and thought you were part of Thanos’s squad.”

“Well, you thought wrong,” Eve stated with a tight expression. “And you barely tickled us with the way you fight.” In the corner of her eye, Eve could see Tony and Stephen holding back smirks. They both looked very amused. Before Quill could fire back, Eve moved forward, determination in her gaze.

“But it’s time to step it up because that makes three stones Thanos now has—if he hasn’t gotten his hands on more. We’ve have the Time stone,” she pointed her finger to Stephen’s amulet, “And if Thanos hasn’t reached Earth then it means our friends still have the Mind stone. That means that—,” she paused to snap her fingers, thinking back to the names Wong had stated earlier. “That means the Soul is the only one we have no knowledge of where it could be.”

At the mention of the Soul stone, Quill stilled in realization. “That’s why he needed her,” his voice was so low Eve almost couldn’t hear him.

“What was that?”

“Gamora,” he repeated her name, “On our way to Knowwhere, Gamora made me promise her something if Thanos ever got to her. It was because she knew something he didn’t. Why she couldn’t let Thanos take her.” Quill brought his hand up to run through his hair, “She must have known where to find the Soul stone.”

Eve felt herself shudder, understanding what Quill was telling them. “And Thanos has her. Right this second?” His nod only sparked more dread. “Fuck.”

“Yeah, fuck.”

When the group finally makes their way outside, they make a haunting discovery. The planet, who Quill named Titan, was a ghost town. Well more like ghost planet.

Besides them, they was not a single sign of life elsewhere. What looked like buildings were run down and becoming dust. It was chilling to see how what once thriving planet looked like when it was withering away.

“What are you guys exactly?” Eve asks when she notices the large scale of their ship. The antenna lady comes up beside her, now free from Peter’s web.

“We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Eve raised her brow at the name. It was a interesting team name to say the least. “The Guardians of the Galaxy, huh?” Eve tried it on her tongue, shrugging a second later. “Cool. I’m Evelyn,” She stuck her hand out, “but you can call me Eve.”

“I’m Mantis,” the lady replied, shaking her hand with a smile.

“Neat name,” Eve complimented, amused at how fitting it was. Her attention then turned on Quill, who had a glowing device in his hand.

“What the hell happened to this planet? It’s eight degree’s off its axis. The gravitational pull is all over the place.”

“Yeah we got one advantage,” Tony sighs, “He’s coming to us. Eve moved to stand beside him, unaware Mantis was now jumping up and down to test the lack of gravitational pull on Titan. She even stuck her limps out and did a spin.

She was having a blast from what Peter could tell.

“We’ll use it,” Tony announced, turning around to face Quill. Eve followed closely. “Alright, I have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one. It’s pretty simple—we draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don’t want to dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet—.” A sound from the side distracts Tony. “Are you yawning?” He asks with offense towards Drax, who was in the middle of a yawn. “In the middle of this—when I’m breaking it down. Huh? Did you hear what I said?”

“I stopped listening after you said we need a plan.” The reply has Eve drop her shoulders in defeat. How the hell were they going to defeat Thanos with this lot.

“Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page.”

“See, not winging it isn’t really what they do,” Quill explains.

“Uh what exactly is it that they do?” Peter asks for the three.

“Kick names, take ass.” Mantis says with determination. Drax backs her up with, “Yeah, that’s right.” All the three could do was look on with absolute bewilderment. Not a single word passed between them. Eve brought her hand up to pitch the bridge of her nose, while Peter flickered his eyes between her and Tony.

And the billionaire genius? He was silently praying would put him out of his misery.

With a sigh, Tony finally says after a minute, “Alright, just get over here, please.” He glances up to Quill, “Mr. Lord, could you get your folks to circle up?”

“Mr. Lord,” Quill closes his eyes with a shake of his head. “Star-Lord is fine.” He nudges his head for the two to come forward. When they approach, Tony continues to break it down.

“We gotta coalesce. Because if all we come at him is a plucky attitude—.”

“Dude,” Quill cuts in much to Ton’y annoyance. “Don’t call us plucky. We don’t know what it means. Alright? We’re optimistic, yes. I like your plan except it sucks, so let me do the plan and that way it might be really good.” All the while Quill mansplains, Tony just looks toward Eve with a ‘we’re doomed.’

“Tell him about the dance off to save the universe,” Drax interjects.

“What dance off?” Tony asks, already not liking the answer.

“It’s not a—It’s not—It’s nothing,” Quill stutters and tries to brush off.

“Like in ‘Footloose’, the movie?”

He looks at Peter with excitement. “Exactly like ‘Footloose.’ Is it still greatest movie in history?”

“It never was,” Peter claps back. Quill looks back in offense.

“Don’t encourage this,” Tony steps toward the teen. “Alright. We’re getting no help from Flash Gorgon here.”

“Flash Gordon, by the way,” Eve feels her eyes roll as Quill moves closer to them. “That’s a compliment. Don’t forget, I’m half human. So that fifty percent of me that’s stupid,” he begins to make a circle with his finger. “That’s one-hundred percent you.”

“You’re math is blowing my mind,” Tony shakes his head in astonishment. Eve wanted to add, but felt she’d lose brain cells if she attempted.

“Excuse me?” Mantis’ voice captures the groups attention. “But, does your friend often do that?” All eyes drift over her shoulder to find Stephen levitating in a criss-cross position.

“Strange!” Tony calls out. “You alright?” Stephen’s eyes were closed and his head was twitching, almost like he was in a trance. Green surrounding his wrists. The Starks moved closer, watching with concern.

“Ahh!” The doctor suddenly screamed as he dropped down. They rushed forward, each catching one of his shoulders to help steady his balance.

“We got you,” Eve gently said. She squeezed shoulder while he panted, noticing how sweat had gathered on his hairline.

“Hey, what was that?” Peter asked.

“I went forward in time. To view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.” Eve stiffened at Stephens words. Already there was a sense of dread filling her with the tone of his voice. It wasn’t hard to gather things didn’t look good for them.

“How many did you see?”

He looked at Quill before answering, “Fourteen million-six hundred and five.”

Tony clenched his jaw, “How many did we win?” They all waited, silence filling the void causing the anxiety to rise each second. With a number of outcomes that large, not even having a hundred could bring hope of a victory.

And that final ounce of hope shredded when Stephen uttered just a simple word. “One.”

What’s a villain origin story without the villain having a monologue.

That’s what Eve felt as she watched Thanos pitch to Strange the reasoning behind his plan of universal genocide. “Congratulations, you’re a prophet,” Stephen took the words out her mouth. She was crouched down beside Tony, suits at the ready and waiting to make their move. It took everything in her to not fly up to Thanos and blast his head off where he stood, but they needed to do this play by play. The plan they came up with was good.

Now it was time to put in motion.

“I’m a survivor,” Thanos told the sorcerer. The avenger rolled her eyes. Only the worst people in the universe could justify such actions.

“Who wants to murder trillions,” Stephen fired back.

“With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers,” Thanos snapped to show how easy it was. “They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy.”

Stephen rises from the ground, stepping off the pavement he was seated on. “And then what?”

“I’d finally rest,” the Titan hums. “—and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require he strongest wills.” A chill runs through Eve and she glances to Tony. He nods, signaling it was time.

At the same moment, Stephen brings his wrists up and casts his shields. “I think you’ll find our will equal to yours.”

“Our?”

By the time Tony and Eve slammed Thanos with a building like object to the second Mantis pulled him under her spell, it had been roughly two minutes. Two minutes with all seven of them plus a blue lady entering the picture did they have the mad titan bounded. Eve was already out of breath and sweating beneath her suit, but she kept a tight hold on the iron chains she had cuffed to Thanos’ legs. It was keeping him still while the others worked on removing the gauntlet from his wrist.

“Is he under?” Tony asked. “Don’t let up.” Mantis whimpered, eyes watering by the overflow of emotions she was feeling.

“Be quick. He is very strong.”

“Parker, help! Get over here.”

“Go, kid.” Eve took his webs in her right hand and combined with her chains. Using her wing powers, she pulled back a bit to strengthen the momentum.

Tony instructed Peter in a hurry. “She can’t hold him much longer. Let’s go.”

“We gotta open his fingers to get it off,” Peter mentioned and the two began to work on opening Thanos’ fist. Meanwhile, Quill finally made his way over to the group. There was satisfaction in his gaze as he looked on the Titan being overpowered.

“I thought you’d be hard to catch,” he raised a finger to Tony, “—For the record this was my plan.” His words made Eve scoff, the Avenger rolling her eyes. “You’re not so strong now, huh?” Quill’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. “Where is Gamora?”

Thanos groaned. “My Gamora.”

“No, bullshit!” Quill snapped. “Where is she?”

Mantis lets out another whimper. “He is in anguish.”

“Good.”

The Titan continues to groan. Mantis looks like she could cry. “He….he mourns.” To caught up in keeping Thanos still, no one noticed the look of realization from Nebula.

“What does this monster have to mourn?” Drax strains out.

“Gamora,” she exhales.

Quill freezes, before slowly turning around to face her. “What?”

“He took her to Vormir,” she begins to explain. “He came back with the Soul Stone. But she didn’t.” Though she didn’t say the exact words, everyone knew what Nebula was implying.

Tony was the first to speak up. “Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now. You understand?”

“Listen to him, Quill,” Eve calls out, strengthening her hold.

“Don’t, don’t. Don’t engage,” Tony orders, noticing how the man was turning back to Thanos. “We almost got this off!” He and Peter work faster. Quill could jeopardize them any second and the last thing they needed was Thanos to snap out of Mantis’ hold.

“Tell me she’s lying,” Quill demanded. Eve sees the grief stricken look from Nebula, understanding the two were more than likely close. “Asshole, tell me you didn’t do it!”

Thanos’ voice is hoarse, “I had to.”

“No, you didn’t.” The crack in Qull’s voice was evident. He repeats, “No, you didn’t.” Then his expression turns to one of absolute fury.

Eve could recognize the look of what he was about to do from a mile away. “Quill, don’t you dare!!” The words go in one ear and out the other for Quill. He brings his arm back—gun in hand—and collides it with Thano’s cheek. The Titan’s head snaps back, causing Mantis’ to lose her grip.

“Quill,” Tony shouts, moving to take Quill’s arm before he could land another blow. “Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop!”

“Peter, hurry!” Eve commands. Quill continues to struggle against Tony, fighting his way out of his grip. The gauntlet starts to loosen and Peter struggles to keep it in his hands.

“It’s coming—it’s coming. I got it—I got it!” Half of Thanos’ wrists becomes exposed and for a second they think they’ve won.

But they were too late.

In the blink of an eye Peter is kicked away before Mantis is thrown from Thanos’ shoulders. “Oh, God,” he springs up and away to catch her before she could hit the ground.

Thanos thrusts the leg Drax had been holding in front of him, flinging the man into Peter and Nebula. He collides with them like a bowling ball to pins causing all three to fall. Eve nearly lost her footing, but stayed steady.

The next person to be tossed away was Strange. Thanos took a hold of the whips to bring him over the opposite way. Tony attempted an attack, but Thanos simply backhanded him. And when Drax, Nebula, and Quill raced toward him, the power stone was used to knock them all out.

Eve was the last one standing. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She held tightly to the chains connected to the clasps on his legs and flew upward then forward. The action resulted in Thanos falling to his back, the Titan grunting in the process. Eve dragged him as far as she could, having the thrusters on her wings amp up before moving side to side.

Thanos kept hitting rock after rock. And it was pissing him off.

“Ah!” Eve shouted when she was suddenly pulled back by an unseen force. Purple surrounded her, a reflection of the Power stone, and Eve felt that power as she collided hard with the ground. The force of it was enough cut her temple beneath her helmet. She groaned, pain erupting in her head. Not to mention the wind was completely knocked out of her from the impact of her landing.

“Boss, you alright?” H.O.W.I.E’s voice sounded muffled despite being right in her ear.

She winced, “May have a concussion, but we’ll deal with that later.”

In the corner of eye, Eve could see Tony fly at Thanos. He kicked at his hand—focusing the attack on the gauntlet to prevent Thanos from using it. His attacks failed once more with Thanos punching him away and making him land not too far from Eve. Together they looked at their opponent, only for horror to consume them when he lifted the gauntlet and literally tore the moon orbiting above them to pieces.

“Oh my God,” she muttered and could only guess Tony was thinking the same. The rocks fell onto Titan. Right toward the Starks. They barely had time to react and when they did there was no room to escape. Tony dodged one moon rock only to collide with another and slam back into the ground.

Eve managed to navigate through the meteor shower. Her focus then drew onto the three unconscious figures of the Guardians. With the lack of a gravitational pull, they were floating in the sky after the impact of moon rocks plummeted down. “Shit,” she cursed, flying first to Drax who was closest to her. She caught him in her arms, breathing a sigh of relief when she caught sight of Peter. “Peter!”

“Ms. Stark!” He yelled back, swinging over to help.

Together the two rounded the guardians up with Eve flying to them before tossing them in Peter’s direction. He webbed them onto anything around him so they were secured.

All the while Strange was on a one-v-one battle against Thanos. The Sorcerer Supreme of the Mystic Arts and the Mad Titan. Strange did his best to overpower Thanos—even with four infinity stones against him. For a second, Eve thought Strange could come out on top. That was until Thanos used the Power stone to erase all the duplicate Stranges.

He pulled the sorcerer to him, grabbing him by the neck. “You’re full of tricks, wizard.” Stephen grunts when he takes the amulet and crushes it in his palm. “Yet you never once used your greatest weapon. A fake.” He heaves him away and Stephen knocks unconscious after hitting his heard hard against the pavement.

Thanos moves to finish him off, but a red iron plate encases his palm making him unable to close his fist. Tony and Eve land together side by side, drawing the Titans attention. “You throw another moon at me,” Tony seethes, “and I’m gonna lose it.”

“Stark.” Both the Avengers freeze.

“You know me?”

“I do. Both of you,” Thanos reaffirms, glancing to Eve in her gold suit. “You’re not the only ones cursed with knowledge.”

Tony exhales, amping up the rockets on his back, “Our only curse is you.” With that, the rockets release.

The Titan raises the gauntlet, “Come on!” Smoke surrounds him as they go off. Tony and Eve fly forward, countering and piggybacking off each other’s attack. At one point Thanos rips away Tony’s helmet, but the nanotech quickly forms another before Thanos lands a jaw shattering blow.

Tony groans as hits the ground and Eve is kicked away, but she quickly recovers. Thanos takes the chance to remove the iron plate before using the Power stone on Tony. Although he manages to get a shield up, the force of the stone’s power pushes him back several feet. Before he could blink, Tony collides hard with the rock and falls to the ground.

With a cry, Eve flies forward and turns to extend her feet, catches the Titan off guard. She kicks him off his balance, the two rolling several steps away and Eve finds herself in a heated battle. She focuses her attacks on the gauntlet—doing whatever to either remove it or stop him from forming a fist.

She jumps onto of his shoulders, using her wings to draw them back so Eve could then flip him onto his back. She presses her body onto his left arm, feet keeping his palm open. She then brings her fist up and lands punch after punch until he catches her arm and flings her away.

Eve lands on her back, letting out a grunt. When she gets up, she sees Thanos brings his one hand to his cheek, “All that for a drop of blood?” he hums when he sees the dark reddish purple liquid. The woman huffs, moving to continue the fight.

Unfortunately Thanos sees it coming. Before Eve could land another blow, he brings the gauntlet up. Purple radiates in a bright glow, and Eve’s breath catches when she finds herself unable to move. “W-what?” She stutterers, straining to move her muscles. A eerie sound fills her ears—the sound of mental crumbling.

It all happens to quick. Eve gasps when the air hits her skin. Her eyes go wide and she’s barely able to move her head. Gold levitates in front of her. A familiar shine to the color.

Thanos had took a part her suit.

It was floating around her in pieces. She couldn’t even tell which limbs were what. But she did notice how her very large and sharp wings were moving right in front of her. ‘Oh, God.’

Still unable to move, Eve lets out a choked cry. Her veins were visible with how hard she was trying to break free.

“You’re a strong fighter, Stark,” Thanos says, adjusting his wrist. The action turned the one wing directly in front of Eve downward. The pointed tip was leveled with her stomach. Smaller shards of metal pointed at her chest and torso. Eve’s panted, heart speeding up. In her peripheral, she could see Tony and Strange slowly coming to.

When both men saw what was happening, their face consorted in horror.

“A shame it had to end this way.”

“EVE!!!!”

A scream tore through Eve’s throat, echoing as she was hauled backward until her back met a rock and the pieces of her suit embedded into her body. The wing impaled directly through her stomach—coming to a hilt when it met the rock. Blood spilled from her mouth and the excruciating pain erupted within ever inch of Eve. (AN: If you’re listening to the song, I recommend having it at 6:45)

The sound of Tony crying out to her was muffled. Vision blurred as she struggled to breath. Each time blood poured from her many wounds. Eve grunted, her body shaking from the shock. Soon the pain slowly turned to numbness. There was no way she would survive.

Thanos turned away, not needing to finish the job when it looked like Eve was seconds away from succumbing to her wounds. He turned to Tony, who was too frozen by what he witnessed to notice the oncoming threat.

Eve tried to mentally call out to him, as though it would make a difference. ‘No, please no. Not him!’ It was useless. The Avenger was pinned with nowhere to go. Removing the wing would only cause her to bleed out. Her heart was already slowing down.

When all hope was lost, a rumble shook the ground. Though distorted, Eve managed to lift her gaze up toward the sky. At first she thought she was dreaming. It would explain it since she was seconds from knocking at death’s door.

Up in the already reddish hue of the sky, there was something bright orange and yellow floating on the edge of the atmosphere. It was so bright Eve thought it was a ship at first, but then it starting flying downward and she noticed how close it resembled that of fire. It didn’t have a distinct shape. It literally looked like the sky was on fire.

Eve wasn’t the only one who saw the strange entity. Thanos tilted his head, wondering what it possibly could be. Then it came closer. And closer. And closer until it was ground level and racing right in their direction.

Thanos snarls, raising the gauntlet in an attempt to stop the approaching figure. When it’s roughly fifty feet he uses the stones to destroy it. But to his surprise, Thanos is pushed away, skidding across the ground by the force of it flying past him.

Flying directly toward Eve.

Unable to escape, Eve felt the fear rise in her and she let out a strangled cry. The air became hot. It felt like she was in a sauna at full power as the entity swarmed her. It hit her chest full on, the force of it making her bounce against the rock she was pinned on. The pressure from the impalement went away, and Eve looked down to see all the metal shards including the wing had disintegrated.

Then she was rising off the ground, the orange flare surrounding her. It was so bright she could barely see. She couldn’t even make out where Tony and the others were.

It grew hotter. Hotter than any sauna she had been in. It was as though Eve was falling into a sun.

The intensity became stronger as though she could explode at any second. Her mind was cracking under the pressure—the heat coursing to the point it was becoming too much. Soon her vision turned black. Everything seemed to fade away.

There was only fire.

When a burst of energy consumed her, the scream Eve let out could be heard on every inch of Titan. Tony had to shield his eyes, the brightness so overbearing it was burning. All he could make out was Eve surrounded by orange fire until he barely was able to find her silhouette. It was like he was witnessing the birth of a star.

“EVE!!!”

A white light erupted as the explosion rocketed off the Avenger. Tony fell to the ground, shielding himself from the debris of rocks raining down from the sky. Strange conjured shields to deflect, and Thanos used his gauntlet to disintegrate the pieces. Dust consumed the air making it difficult to see.

When it cleared, the first thing they all noticed was a very large crater the size of Central Park. And in the middle was an very unconscious Eve Stark.

There was still orange surrounding her, but it appeared to be seeping into her skin. It was being absorbed by the woman with tiny glowing cracks along her face and neck and hands.

Tony’s stomach dropped, fearing the worst and unable to accept she was gone. Whether she was breathing or not, he couldn’t tell from the distance. Before he could run to her, Thanos was already up and moving. It broke the older man to not be with his aunt when she could be dead or dying.

But they had a mission to finish. And she would want him to finish it.

With a loud cry, Tony flew at the Titan. His foot came up and kicked the gauntlet to trap it down. Tony then swung down with his left fist. He lost the upper hand when Thanos flipped onto his back.

His suit was breaking apart with each blow—the nanotech unable to keep up with each repair. When Thanos got a hold of Tony’s left hand, the man conjured a blade on his right. He thrusted it toward Thanos’ stomach, but that hand was grabbed as well. The blade was ripped from his hand and driven into an area where his suit was not protecting him.

Tony grunted, shock filling him as he looked down to the weapon penetrating his torso. He winced, shaky breaths leaving his lips and the blood trickled down. Thanos began walking him back, and although Tony tried to push him away the Titan was stronger.

Holding onto the blade, Thanos pushed Tony onto a rock. Bloody and bruised, the Avenger tried to get a look at his aunt to see if she was still breathing, but couldn’t see her. He flinched when a hand came up to hold his head. “You have my respect, Stark. Both of you do. When I’m done, half of humanity will still be alive.” Tony groans when Thanos releases him before stepping away.

Panting, the pain in his side growing stronger, Tony glances to his left. “E-Eve,” he tries to call out, but it gets stuck in his throat. There was no response. Water fills his eyes, “Eve!”

Thanos watches with a blank look. “I hope they remember you two.” The Titan lifted the gauntlet, aiming first at Tony. The glowing stones stared back at the Avenger and he mentally prepared for them to be his last image.

But before Thanos could unleash the power, a voice croaked, “Stop.” Thanos glanced to his right at the sound. Stephen was pushing himself to a sitting position, panting, “Spare their lives and I will give you the stone.”

It was an offer too good to pass. “No tricks.” Stephen shook his head and Thanos directed the gauntlet toward him.

“Don’t,” Tony pleaded.

The Sorcerer ignored him. Raising his right hand, Stephen removed the illusion of the Time stone and it appeared out of thin air. Thanos opened his right palm, awaiting the gem to be handed over. Watching helplessly, Tony sighed as Stephen granted the Titan his wish. The glowing stone flew over to Thanos before being placed in the thumb holder of the gauntlet.

Green swarmed around his wrist causing him to groan. He then looked down to admire it, “One to go.” All of a sudden Thanos was blasted by a bright light, followed by a loud scream. Quill had finally awaken and was currently flying toward the Titan with determination. “AHHH!!!”

His attempt was a failure. Thanos simply used the Space stone to conjure a portal and he vanished from their eyes. Quill had been inches away from colliding with him, but soon found himself hitting the ground with a loud grunt. “Where is he?!” He shouted, removing his helmet and waving his weapon around.

No one answered. Tony was occupied with sealing the stab wound to his side with the very little piece of his suit that was intact. The rest of the guardians were waking up and Stephen was rubbing his goatee with his hand. Quill’s face fell in realization, “Did we just lose?”

Again no one answered. That was when the attention was directed at the lone woman lying in the crater.

“Eve!” Tony shouted, limping toward her. She laid unmoving, eyes closed and arms sprawled out beside her. There was no sight of the glowing orange entity that had surrounded her—what Tony believed had went into Eve. Upon a closer look, Tony realized the area she had been impaled had no visible injury.

No gaping hole in her skin. No guts hanging out.

Only torn clothing and the reminisce of blood remained. Eve’s stomach was intact.

Any other injures or blemishes were also healed—including the gash on her right temple. By the time Tony reached Eve, the glowing orange cracks in her skin subsided. The others watched silently, unable to do anything.

Bending to the ground beside her, Tony attempted to wake her. “Eve—ah!” He flinched back as though he touched fire. A burning sensation filled his palms. Tony tried to touch her shoulders once more, and again doubled back by how hot her skin was. Even through the clothes she wore, Eve was a fireball. Tony noticed the bottom of his hands were flaming red. Blisters started to form causing him to grimace.

The pain was unlike any burn he’d ever had.

“What the hell?” He mumbled, concern written all over him. He put his suit fully on with max cooling and began a severe burn treatment for his hands. “F.R.I.D.A.Y run a thermal imaging scan.” A few seconds later the robotic voice echoed in the silent void. Moisture began to coat Eve’s skin. Within seconds she was drenched in sweat.

“Boss, her heat signatures are reading close to three thousand Kelvins. That’s close to most stars in the Galaxy.”

Behind Tony, the entire group had looks ranging from worry, shock, and amazement. “How’s that possible?” Peter asked, moving closer to the two. Although clammy, Eve’s skin looked normal despite she’d been impaled. In fact, it looked like she was just sleeping soundly. “No one could survive a body temperature that high.”

“Thanks, Captain obvious,” Quill spoke sarcastically.

“Whatever that thing was,” Tony gulped, glaring at the man. “W-whatever went inside her—it-it has to be that. Wha-what was it?” He spun around to face Strange, demanding an explanation. “You’re a sorcerer—you protect our reality, you said it yourself. What the hell was that thing and why did it go into Eve?”

Stephen was at a loss for words. “I-I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!”

“Stark, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Stephen winces when he tries to get up, but ends up staying seated on the pavement. “Believe me.”

Tony shakes his head in frustration. He turns back to Eve and takes her shoulders in his hands—this time protected by his suit. “Eve, wake up,” he gently shakes her, even going as far to lightly slap her face. No reaction. “C’mon, Eve. You gotta wake up—F.R.I.D.A.Y what’re her vitals?”

“The levels are off the charts, sir—I can’t get an accurate reading. She’s exceeding a heart rate of over two hundred beats per minute and her body temperature is rising. I’m trying to make contact with H.O.W.I.E, but the system is compromised.”

“Shit,” Tony curses, tightening his jaw as dread fills him.

“Is she having a heart attack?” There’s a crack in Peter’s voice. The boy looked scared by how lifeless his mentor looked. While he may not be a doctor, anyone would know a heart rate that high was deadly to the human body.

Stephen got up, ignoring the pain in his side and crouched down beside Eve. He couldn’t touch her even with his gloves on. “Can your AI do a EEG? We don’t have electrodes—?”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Tony didn’t even half to ask. Two small orbs released from his suit and landed on Eve’s temples.

“Running one now, boss.” Lifting his hand, F.R.I.D.A.Y projected an image of Eve’s brain waves. Just like what F.R.I.D.A.Y had saw with the vitals, Eve’s brain activity was abnormal. Of course her ratings were always different than the average human due to the enhancement of the super soldier serum. But this was unlike anything the two had seen.

The image only lasted a few seconds before cutting out. Then the electrodes fell off in pieces. “What happened?” They noticed the pieces appeared liquid-like.

“They melted away,” Stephen said with wide eyes. He was in doctor mode and if they didn’t act fast Eve could die any second. “We need to slow her heart down—you need to shock her somehow.”

“We don’t even know what’s wrong with her—.” Stephen cuts him off

“It doesn’t matter, Tony! Her heart rate’s too high and it’s our only option. Kid—,” He calls to Peter who freezes. “Get over here. Your suit will protect you.” Peter rushes forward, anxiety ridden on his face as Stephen instructs him to hold down Eve by the shoulders.

Tony curses, “Dammit, fine! Show me where.” He changes the functions of his hands to act as a defibrillator. Stephen takes his wrists to places on the appropriate areas of Eve’s chest.

“Okay,” he takes a deep breath. Him and Tony catch eyes to exchange nods. “On three, shock her. Alright?” Tony gives another nod. “One……two…..,” everyone holds their breath. “Three!” A loud *zap* ignites as Tony presses his hands into Eve’s chest. The force of the shock causes Eve to lift off the ground. Peter strengthens his hold on her.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, status?” “Her heart rate is still high, but there was a decrease in the beats per minute.” Tony looks to Stephen for the next move.

“Up the voltage and shock her again.” He sees the concerned look from Tony and says, “Do it.” A sound indicates the change in electricity and Tony places his hands on Eve once more. “One…..two….three!!” The second shock lifts her again.

They wait for F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice. “Heart rate is decreasing, boss.” Stephen orders one more shock for good measure and finally they breath a sigh in relief when the AI relays, “Heart rate at one hundred beats per minute.”

“I-I don’t understand,” Peter says, backing away once Stephen gave the all clear. He looks to Tony, “She should be dead. Shouldn’t she?”

The older man let out a shaky breath. “Well, she’s still breathing. I-I don’t know how, but she is. That’s all that matters.” He attempted to wake her again. “Eve, Eve, if you can hear me—I-I need you to wake up. C’mon wake up.”

They all wait for any sign of movement from the woman. A flicker of the eyes. A twitch of the mouth. But there was nothing. She laid still as the sweat slowly evaporated.

Tony brings a hand to rub his face. It’s mixed with blood and dirt, but he doesn’t care. After a few moments Tony finally asks the million dollar question to Stephen. “Why would you do that?”

Stephen knew instantly what he was referring to. A shaky breath leaves his lips, “We’re in the endgame now.”

Seconds later a loud rumble shook the ground. Tony slowly stood from the ground—retracting his suit and turned, but remained close to his aunt. Mantis, who was leaning on Quill, felt a shift in the atmosphere. “Something’s happening.” They all looked at her for an explanation, but to their horror, Mantis turned to literal dust before their eyes.

The next thing they knew Drax was fading away. “Quill?” The half human man faced Tony, fear stricken.

“Stay, Quill.”

“Aw man,” were his final words. The air seemed to leave the older man. His chest constricted as the panic rose in his veins. Nothing could have prepared him for this moment. It all but confirmed the worst.

Thanos won.

“Tony,” Stephen’s voice was full of defeat. He waited for Tony to slowly turn toward him before saying, “There was no other way.” Then, like the Guardians, the Sorcerer Supreme was gone in the blink of an eye. Leaving only dust in his wake.

“Mr. Stark?”

If Tony could choke on the feeling of dread, he would be suffocating in it. Peter was limping toward him, tears on his face and looking down on his hands. “I don’t feel so good.”

Tony shook his head, “You’re alright.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the boy was feeling. His spidey senses were strong. Stronger then either of them could have prepared for.

“I-I don’t—I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know—,” he trips, falling into Tony’s arms. With arms tight around the boy, Tony holds him as if doing so would prevent the inevitable. “I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go, Mr. Stark. Please. Please, I don’t wanna go.” His knees give out and Tony gently lowers them until Peter is on his back. All Tony could do was watch helplessly as Peter whispered, “I’m sorry.”

The hand that had been on Peter’s chest hits the ground, Tony almost falling to his side when Peter vanishes into dust. He starred at his hand. Little pieces of dust laid in his palm, and Tony clenched it in a fist to bring to his chest. He could feel the rapid beat of his heart. It was rivaling that of Eve’s.

Remember his aunt and fear at the thought she may have dusted without him realizing, Tony glances over his shoulder. He is met with a sigh of relief when he sees her. Though she remained unresponsive, Eve was laid in the same spot.

“He did it.” With everything happening, Tony hadn’t even realized Nebula was still there. Like him, defeat was all over her.

Tony’s mind was racing. One thought came right after the other and they all were in similar fashion.

Eve.

Would she ever wake up? He didn’t know. If she did he’d be surprised since F.R.I.D.A.Y just alerted him of another spike in her heart rate. Then there’s the factor of her body temperature reaching the heat of a actual star. Whatever she absorbed was a mystery. And since none of the Guardians mentioned any sort of recognition, it was safe to assume they’d never seen anything like it before.

In just two short days, the universe as they knew what altered forever. Half of life ceasing to exist with a simple snap of the fingers. Who was lost in the chaos? Tony wasn’t sure if he’ll ever know. They were stranded on a planet billions of miles from home, with one ship he was unsure of how much fuel it had.

They truly were in the endgame.

………………

Tag list: @todaywasafairytale07, @ohholyaphrodite

#doctor strange imagine #tony stark imagine #dark phoenix #avengers imagine #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #marvel #avengers #dark phoenix imagine #wanda maximoff imagine #original character #doctor stephen strange #spiderman imagine #tony stark #the Phoenix #Spotify

43 notes · View notes

multiplefandomfics · 4 years ago

Text

Relations

Pairing: Bucky x Stark!reader

Warnings: angst, soft smut, fluff, fighting

Words: 2862

“Y/N? Where are you?” no response.

“Friday? Would you be so kind as to tell me where my little sister is running around?”

“Of course, boss. She is currently sitting in the garden, reading a book.”

“Thanks Friday.”

Tony headed out to talk to his sister.

“There you are. Please come inside. We have to talk.”

“Alright. I’m coming.” you smiled up at your big brother.

He was everything to you. Y/N had been born in 1990 and had not exactly been planned. A year later your parents had died and Tony was left alone with an infant. Fortunately he was wealthy enough to have nannies looking after you as long as he was still in college.

But the time you did spend together was thoroughly enjoyed. Everytime he was home he took you to the zoo, swimming or you just celebrated your lives.

All in all Tony Stark was the best brother anyone could have wanted.

Then he was kidnapped and became Iron Man. And Y/N was in the middle of it all. Tony tried to keep you away from it all but that didn’t work very well. You had begged him time and time again to make a suit for you too but he refused. Fortunately you were as technically talented as he was, copied Tony’s files for his suit, made some modifications and built it.

Yours was purple and silver instead of red and gold and it had some other nice gadgets which would probably prove useful.

When you took the first flying test outside the tower you didn’t really care that you were probably going to get caught.

And of course the moment you landed again Tony busted you.

“Y/N. What were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt.” he was worried.

“But I didn’t. You really have very little trust in my abilities. I flew didn’t I? And I used your plans and software. I even have Friday on my ears at all times.” you rolled your eyes at your brother.

“I can’t decide if I should be angry or proud.” he muttered. “I trust you and your skills but please let me ease my conscience and have a look over your work before you go flying again.” he asked.

“Alright, if that calms you down, sure.” you smiled and hugged your brother.

“So what is this about?” you asked him.

“I am throwing a party tonight to celebrate taking down the hydra base and recovering the scepter.” he beamed.

“And I am invited?”

“Of course. Wear something nice.” he instructed and left you alone in the entryway.

Y/N prepared half the afternoon for the spectacle and looked your best when evening rolled around. You hung at the bar with Natasha and Bruce, let Thor and Rhodey tell their war stories and sat around the table while everyone tried to lift Mjölnir and failed miserably.

Then suddenly a mangled Iron legion droid came walking through the door saying strange stuff and ending up attacking everyone. You were just so able to jump behind the bar and duck down. After that you promised yourself that you would never feel that helpless again. You wanted to be in the thick of it all.

When the dust settled everyone was really confused. The peacekeeping program Ultron had “killed” Jarvis and taken off into the world wide web.

“What did just happen?” Rhodey asked while Thor was on the way searching for Ultron.

After a battle with Ultron and the Maximoff twins, where everyone seemed to have lost their minds at one point or another and the Hulk destroying half a town while Tony tried to stop him, you made it out alive and had to disappear and landed with Clint’s family.

You stayed there for a while and then left for Seol to retrieve the crate with the human print inside.

In the end you had a new addition to the team and a devastating fight against machines in Sokovia.

Everyone was upset after that. Sokovia was destroyed, many civilians had died and Hulk was MIA. Thor left too to shine some light onto the appearances of the infinity stones.

You stayed at the newly built compound to start your official training with Vision, Wanda and Sam.

Some time later things escalated in Lagos with Rumlow and a biological weapon. After that everyone was suddenly afraid of Wanda although she was just as scared.

A day later you were walking through the hallways, passing some office and conference rooms on your way to the gym. You were lost in thought when you heard your brother's voice. At first you wanted to storm in and surprise him but then you heard him talking.

“She isn’t actually my sister, Steve. She’s my daughter. Y/N is my daughter. I’ve never told anyone before I couldn’t-” the rest was not heard by Y/N because you had dropped your towel and run towards your room.

The next few days you just couldn’t face your father. That was so strange to think. You never said it out loud. Y/N felt so betrayed. Why did he never tell you? Of course he had been relatively young when you were born but he still could have been honest with you. Did he not want to be seen as your father? Were you such a disappointment? And over all of that stood the question after your mother. Who was she? What happened to her? Why did she not want to meet you? All those thoughts rushed through your brain and you couldn’t stop the nagging feeling that Tony didn’t want to admit the truth to you because you weren’t worth it.

The bad thoughts did not leave you alone anymore. You had nightmares and isolated yourself from everyone during the days.

Although everyone was constantly asking you what was wrong, you couldn’t tell them.

Until the day Natasha and Pepper waltzed into your room, overriding Friday’s authority.

“Hey Y/N. We noticed that you have been by yourself a lot lately, not letting anyone in anymore. So tell us, what is going on with you? You know you can trust us.” Pepper added the last part after seeing you hesitating. And finally you caved in.

“I overheard Tony and Steve talk a few days ago. He said something I need time to process for.”

“What did he say that shocked you so much?” Nat asked.

“All my life I thought he was my brother. He’s been my rock. We went through thick and thin and then I find out that he lied to me all these years.”

“What do you mean he’s not your brother?” Nat pressed further.

“He told Steve that he’s actually my father.” the girls looked at you dumbfounded and it got eerie quiet.

“You sure you heard that right?”

“Of course I am sure. I’m not deaf!” you said a little enraged.

“And I gather you have not talked to him about it yet, have you?” Pepper had a calming nature especially when she put her hand on Y/N arm.

“No I haven’t. I couldn’t. What if it is somehow my fault that he didn’t tell me? What if he doesn’t consider me good enough to be his daughter?” you started to sob quietly.

“Hey, look at me Y/N. If anything it is the other way around. Under all that confident exterior he is actually very insecure and I am sure that he just didn’t want you to be disappointed to have him as a father.” Pepper ensured you.

“You really think so?” you sniffed looking up at her.

“I do. You should talk to him.” she encouraged you.

“Maybe I should tell him that I know and see how he reacts.”

But before you could go forward with your plan Friday alerted you and Nat to come to the conference room because the Secretary of defense had arrived to talk about something

The fights in Sokovia and Lagos had been PR nightmares and the government and the UN did not want to stand by anymore. The Avengers had to bow to the law and sign the Sokovia accords or they would be forced to retire. They were given a few days to think about it and talk this through.

After long discussions the team split in two. Which led to the situation at hand.

Your dad had grounded you together with Wanda after you had voiced your opinion that you thought Steve was right. Well, when Clint came to pick up Wanda you stuck to them and flew to Germany. Steve was kinda surprised when he saw you get out of the car at the airport but he thought you were old enough to make your own decisions.

Well, it ended in a really bad fight in the middle of the runway. In the end you made it out with Steve and Bucky and flew to Siberia under Steve's protest.

“So you’ve been Steve’s friend since childhood, hm?” you asked Bucky while still in the air.

“Yep. Known him forever. And you are Stark’s kid?” he asked back.

“So Steve told you. Yes it seems to be true although my whole life I thought he was my big brother. He lied to me so I’m not very happy with him at the moment. Kicking his ass has been a nice change for once.” you smiled at Bucky sadistically.

“You are a sick little thing, doll!” he laughed out loud.

You landed not much later but you had to admit the crush that had already developed towards Bucky.

And then Zemo happened and that stupid tape.

Were you the only one wondering why the hell there was a security camera in the middle of nowhere on an abandoned street exactly at that point where your grandparents car was forced to crash? And all that in the early 90’s?

Tony did not want to think rationally at that point so he started a fight against Steve and Bucky. You stood by. Too in shock to do anything. The only thing you knew was that it was not Bucky’s fault your grandparents had died but hydras.

You snapped out of your trance when Tony shot Bucky’s arm off. Then it was your moment to jump between your dad and Steve.

“Stop it, dad! Think for one moment!” he was startled for a moment because he wasn’t used to hearing you say that.

“You know?” he asked and his helmet slid back.

“Yes, I do. I overheard you and Steve the other day.” you spoke silently. “Sorry I did not talk about this with you earlier but I was just so upset about the fact that you didn’t tell me. Am I such a disappointment that you thought I wasn’t good enough to be your daughter?” you asked him with tears in your eyes.

“What? Of course not! You, Y/N, are the best thing that has ever happened to me. It was me who felt not man enough to be your dad. In the beginning when you suddenly appeared on my doorstep I panicked and thought I could have never lived up to the responsibility of a father. So I became your fun big brother to save you and me from disappointment. At some point I just felt that I had missed the point of telling you without the fear of consequences. So I stuck with the lie. I never meant to hurt you and I hope you can forgive me. I love you so much.”

That explanation was enough for you to jump into your fathers arms and hug him close.

“I love you 3000, dad. And can we now please get out of here? Bucky doesn’t deserve to die. Can you maybe see that he was controlled and hates himself as much for what Hydra made him do as you hate him? He is actually a really nice guy and like a brother to Steve and you know Steve, would he have bad friends? Also Buck needs help, physical and psychological. So please dad let us help him. He’s a war hero after all.” you finished your plaidoyer.

Your dad just stared at you but in the end took a deep breath and said: “let’s get home. I can’t do anything here.”

Outside you met King T’Challa who was holding Zemo in his grasp. He was gonna bring him to the CIA and then fly home to bury his father. He also promised to help with Bucky’s recovery because Wakanda had the most advanced technology to heal anything.

For months you stayed in Wakanda, which was pretty beautiful by the way, to maybe help Bucky recover step by step.

That’s also how you became close. You went for walks and to his therapy sessions together. The latter also because you thought you could use some talking about your life too.

At first he had wanted to go back into cryo but you had convinced him that that wasn’t necessary. In the beginning your dad had called you everyday to check in but he had stopped after a particularly annoyed outburst on your side.

“Bucky you alright?” you asked him one night after he had come home from his private session with Ayo.

When you saw his face you noticed the big tears leaking down his face.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” you asked scared this time.

Without saying a word he just walked up to you hugging you close to his chest and kissing you intently.

“You know how much I love you, right?” he whispered.

“Of course. but what happened with Ayo that has you this shaken?” you were persistent.

“I’m free, baby. She said all the trigger words and nothing happened. I’m free.” he repeated as if not believing it himself yet.

You started crying, too at that moment. You knew how much that meant to him, hell how much it meant to you. He had full control of his life back.

“I’m so proud of you babe. You deserve this so much. The past is finally behind you and we can start into a new future.”

“I love you.” he whispered into your hair and started kissing down your neck.

“Oh, okay. So that’s where you are going. Hmm, I like that. But let’s go inside first.”

You pushed him backwards until you reached the hut and inside your bed. You pushed him down and straddled his lap. He grabbed the seams of your blouse and tore it down the middle so the buttons flew in every direction.

“Someone is needy, hm?” you whispered while grinding down on his boner.

“Need you so bad.” he murmured

“You know I would give you everything. Come and take what you want. I swear I won’t break.” you kissed him intensely again before he threw you around and you landed with your back on the mattress.

The next thing he did was rid you both of your clothing. The look on his face was absolutely feral.

“Need to breed you baby. Fuck a baby in you.” he groaned and your pussy clenched around nothing.

“Gotta prepare you first.” he slurred just as he pushed a finger into your dripping wet cunt.

And the moment his tongue touched your aching clit you came with a cry. But he didn’t stop there. No. He kept on flicking your nub with his tongue and added a second finger to stretch your walls for his girth.

“Getting you nice and wet, baby.” he moaned. When he hit that particular spot you arched your back and pushed your pussy further into his face. It didn’t take long for you to come again. You drenched his face in your juices which he happily licked off of his face.

He climbed up your body and on the way nipped at your breasts and left hickies on your neck.

“I can’t hold on any longer. Gotta be inside you.” those words were the last warning before he breached your entrance and pushed his massive length inside your tight channel.

“Oh, fuck Bucky. So big. Shit.” you moaned loudly which seemed to spur him on.

He pummeled into you with all the force he could muster.

His blissed out face was all you ever wanted to see again.

His rhythm got erratic. You put your hand in his hair and coaxed him “Let go baby. We’ll be fine. I love you so much.”

That was all it took for him to lose it and he spilled deep inside you.

He collapsed on top of you and then rolled to the side, not to crush you. You winced when he pulled out.

“That was amazing.” you breathed out. “Yeah. Best sex I ever had.” he agreed.

You two lovebirds spent 6 more weeks in Wakanda. Then Bucky got his vibranium arm and you left Wakanda to go back to New York. No matter what you told yourself, you did miss your dad.

But you definitely promised to come back every time you got the chance.

#marvel #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #Steve Rogers #tony stark #fluff #fanfic #Smut #angst #wakanda #age of ultron #civil war #multi fandom

124 notes · View notes

moonlit-imagines · 4 years ago

Text

Headcanons for being an Avenger from outer space

Avengers x reader

warnings:

a/n: this isn’t great but like im down for some avengers hc requests

prompt:

you weren’t exactly accepted on earth the moment you got there

but it wasn’t long before the avengers spotted you

“state your name and your business here” -tony

“wait, stark, just a moment! are you a [alien species]?” -thor

“...my name is y/n, i had nowhere else to go. and yes, i am [alien species]”

i mean, this would be much cooler if the avengers hadn’t already had a bad run-in with the chitauri army

but at least you weren’t trying to destroy any part of earth

“why don’t you come with us for a while? you might be safer in our custody” -cap

you were very uncomfortable with that, but you believed that whatever you were running from couldn’t get you if you stayed with “earth’s mightiest heroes”

and that you were...sort of

the bounty hunters that were on your trail, they didn’t know much about the avengers

so they were dumb enough to strike first

luckily, the avengers took a liking to you

“this is for messing with our new friend!” -tony as he straight up fries one of these goons

you seemed to fight well with them

it made them want to keep you around more than they wanted clint

“having fun, y/n?” -nat

“honestly, yes! i’ve never kicked ass in a group before!”

“i felt the same way on my first mission with these guys” -nat

“wait...is this a mission?”

“well, yeah? what’d you think it was, chess?” -nat

“what? what’s chess?”

oh, my god, this was like thor all over again, it was gonna be great

once the battle was over, they had a question to ask you

but before that...

“did any of you kill the leader?” -you

“which one was the leader?” -sam

“the one with...with the face” *puts clawed hand in front of face for effect*

“thanks, that was really specific” -sam

“you know, he’s got...” *puts fingers near face* “tentacles?”

“you couldn’t say that first?” -tony

“i didn’t know if they were called tentacles here”

okay, that was fair

at that moment the mf hopped out and you pushed clint out of the way so that he didn’t get shot. he said “ow” :( but u were too busy tackling a fellow alien

“you let the rest of those hunters know that they shouldn’t even think about coming after me, are we clear?”

“you’re sparing me?”

“don’t be too flattered, you’re nothing but a messenger to me” *shoots him in the arm*

okay that was a power move

as you kicked this bounty hunter back into his ship, the avengers crew reapproached

“got any plans now that you’ve taken care of your little ‘issue?’” -cap

“you know, i haven’t really thought that far ahead”

“well, if you’re up for it, the avengers would love to have you” -nat

you couldn’t have agreed faster lmaoo

the government didnt like you much

the human population actually wasn’t too fond of you either

but the avengers wouldn’t let anyone touch you

thor made it his own mission to show you all the new stuff that he had discovered on earth

“and these are pop tarts!!” -thor

im talking animals, snacks, music, and more

and dont even get me started on parties

no actually i will

“so, youre from space? list 3 species i’ve never heard of before” -random partygoer

“well, how would you know im not making them up if you’ve never heard them before?”

not much of a comeback for that

you’d only answer questions that weren’t stupid

like “how far away is your home planet?” or “did you have any friends or family?” or “what other planets have you been on?”

and you had a lot of questions too

“what is pizza and where can i get it?”

“you’ve never had pizza? oh, we have to change that” -tony

“what is it though?”

as you went on more missions, you got a better feel for how to work with teammates

especially when they had such different skillsets

“wanda, would you give me a boost?”

“with pleasure!” -wanda

“why didn’t you ask me? i could have flewn you!” -rhodey

“it just feels cooler when wanda launches me, but i’ll let you have your turn later”

“y/n, we should have coffee after this!” -thor

“WHATS THAT?!?!”

you always got excited when offered new things

*muttering* “what the fuck” -you

“OKAY, WHO THE HELL TAUGHT Y/N CURSE WORDS???” -tony

“hm. i wonder” -nat

thor brought you to asgard once

it was pretty. (pretty wild, that is)

“maybe you can take me to your planet one day!”

“i’m pretty sure i’m wanted on my home planet, but i’d love a challenge!”

okay maybe he was ur new bff

“so, y/n, how long is your species’ life span?” -bruce

“im not sure that our measurements of time are exactly translated, but i believe in your time it would be....900 years?”

“oh...may i ask how old you are now?”

“wouldn’t you like to know...”

“...n-no, thats okay”

honestly? sometimes your days were nothing but lazy, so you’d learn about human pop culture

“‘tatooine?’ odd, that’s a planet in my solar system. do you think this ‘george lucas’ is an alien?” -you, lying

*cue the entire fucking team going nuts bc they’re about to believe this conspiracy*

okay but like. you KNEW about thanos. you just never thought he’d be a problem all the way out here

so when the whole thanos situation came to earth you were just kinda like 👉👈 sorry guys, shoulda said smth earlier

“you know who thanos is?” -dr. strange

“...yes. i do. he’s big. really big. and purple. kind of looks like a raisin. oh, yeah, he’s crazy. obsessed with balance.”

“balance? what do you mean by that?” -tony

“like, he likes to kill half of each population for ‘balance,’ you know?”

anyways you went back to space

“so, anything else about thanos we should know?” -tony

“he has 2 adoptive daughters, they’re both badass, i know then personally, he’s from the planet ‘titan,’ last of his kind, aaaand he has an army”

“we have a—wait, no we don’t” -tony

“are there aliens that lay eggs in people? or is that just a stereotype?” -peter

“peter, is it? i heard that you’re taught that there are no stupid questions, but that was a very stupid question”

“...i don’t know if that was a ‘yes’ or ‘no’” -peter

tony asked if you could fly the ship. no.

eventually making your way to titan

which was surreal since it had just been so long since you’d left earth

gotg in the house

“where’s gamora?”//“who’s gamora?” “why’s gamora?”//“you know gamora?” “you know gamora?”//“do you work for thanos?”//“no, i’m here to kill thanos”//“so you’re here to kill gamora?”//“what? no! gamora doesn’t work for thanos anymore, it’s been like 4 years”//“holy shit”

and then thanos popped in and nebula too and she recognized you and it was kinda awk but were just gonna pretend it didn’t happen bc it gets worse <3

u, tony, and nebula got trapped in a ship for like 3 weeks but it was good for catching up

and u met captain marvel and honestly youve just met too many people in the past few weeks u were not vibing

“so, y/n, miss space at all?” -tony

“up until we went back to space, yeah. i’m not leaving this planet ever again”

“we need to find thanos” -bruce

“fuck”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedficrecs // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @thisetaernallove // @ofthedewthesunlight // @canarypoint // @zoeyserpentluck // @randomawesomeperson102 // @spideyandtheboys // @ghost-bich //

#avengers x reader #avengers #avengers imagine #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel x reader #tony stark imagine #nebula imagine #steve rogers imagine #natasha romanoff imagine #wanda maximoff imagine #avenger!reader

503 notes · View notes

persephonesfill · 4 years ago

Note

How did Steve feel the first time he got to hold Tony in his arms without it being a “carrying him away from/during a battle” type situation? Maybe it’s even still platonically, but imagine those giant arms around that compact form and Steve’s heart just going “oh”

anon the implications of this ask are *chef's kiss*

just the pining. the security. the size difference.

just—

The first time Steve holds Tony in his arms, he barely even registers it, too focused on getting a vulnerable Tony out of the way of gunfire.

Tony's begging for Steve to leave him behind, to find the others and get the hell out of there. As if that were possible. Steve's lost a lot in his short life; friends, family, a lover, He'll be damned if he loses another. Instead of saying as much, Steve just laughs, a bit hysterical, and says "In your dreams, Stark. Can't get rid of me that easily."

The second time is purely a coincidence.

Tony had missed lunch and their daily team dinner. Steve knew he shouldn't have been too worried. Tony kept food in his workshop for nights like this when the call of invention is too strong to ignore. It's not enough, though, not to Steve. Tony's a grown man; he can take care of himself. That doesn't stop Steve from wanting to do it for him, to pick up where Tony slacks like a...friend should. He supposes that they're friends now. He has his own personal entry code to Tony's workshop, which he uses whenever he wants, it seems. Tony never turns him away, anyway.

Steve punches in said code with his knuckles, his other hand too busy balancing a plate of spaghetti. He makes himself known, knocking on the door frame, and walks in, his footsteps purposefully loud. Tony hates when people sneak up on him.

He doesn't know what to expect as Tony's workshop comes into view. Every time Steve enters, it's like he's seeing it for the first time, power tools and inventions in their infancy strewn about like a child just got done playing with his toys. There's nothing cold about Tony's workshop. If anything, it's filled with life. He stops to say hi to DUM-E and U, who roll up to him, waving their arms in what he assumes is excitement. DUM-E grabs him by the sleeve, rolling in the direction of Tony's main work table.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he chuckles. When he sees Tony slumped over, his blood runs cold, and Steve nearly drops the plate he had brought down for Tony. His first instinct is poison, but how? Who could have slipped in and out of Tony's workshop unnoticed? Bullet then? Was he stabbed? Why wasn't Tony moving—

Tony let out a snore, turning his head in his sleep to get more comfortable. Steve mentally breathes a sigh of relief. He's only a little embarrassed. The only ones who saw his freak out were the bots and JARVIS, and they'd never tell anyone. They like Steve too much. Maybe it was a little silly of him to panic, but being friends with Tony Stark meant heart attacks on the daily. The man's lack of self-preservation was truly astounding. Not that Steve had room to talk.

He debates waking Tony up but decides against it. Tony barely gets enough sleep as is, and Steve's not about to stop him. He sets the plate of spaghetti down on Tony's table, where he'll be able to see it when he wakes up. There, he's done his duty as captain of their little team, and the others are probably wondering what's taking him so long. But as he turns to leave, he finds that he can't. Not while Tony's using a wrench as a pillow, sitting on a stool with absolutely no back support. He makes his mind when Tony snores again.

It's nothing for Steve to pick Tony up, who only shifts in Steve's grasp before settling. Steve lays him down face up on the navy blue sofa he called home whenever he came down to visit Tony. Tony stops snoring now that he's sleeping like a normal human being, and the knot of tension in Steve's chest loosens just a little. The next morning, Tony stumbles down to join the other Avengers for breakfast. He looks like he got a full night's rest, his hair flying every which way, the bags under his eyes a little less defined. Steve makes fun of his snoring, and Tony vehemently denies it.

"Lies," Tony sputters, a flush pinking his cheeks. "Nothing but lies fall from your mouth, Rogers."

Steve is only a little in love with him. In a friendly way. He's screwed.

The third time he holds Tony has to be a conspiracy.

It's movie night because they have those now, and their little group is bigger than normal. Pepper, Rhodey, and Sam have all made an appearance. Pepper and Rhodey were at the tower for Stark Industries business and stayed around longer than necessary to check in on Tony, much to his visible delight. Sam had come to visit Steve (and check out the tower. Steve was sure any day now, Sam would accept their offer and officially join the team) and had a few more days before it was time for him to go back to D.C.

Natasha and Clint had bullied Tony into letting them host movie night in Tony's penthouse, and they had held them there ever since. The downside to that was there was only so much seating available. At first, there had only been a sofa, more for aesthetics than comfort, but with the advent of their movie nights, Tony had swapped the sofa out for something a little softer and an armchair and loveseat to match. Enough to fit six people, not nine.

Sam and Rhodey claim seats next to each other on the sofa, Pepper and Nat sitting on the opposite end. Steve's sitting in his usual armchair that may or may not have his name stitched on it because Tony thinks he's a comedian. Thor and Bruce take up their usual spot at the loveseat, Thor's arm slung around Bruce's shoulders. Clint sits at the foot of the sofa, Natasha's hand carding through his hair absentmindedly as she says something to Pepper that has her laughing.

Tony's the last to arrive like always, holding his own bowl of popcorn because he's the only one who prefers caramel corn over kettle corn like a heathen. His eyes go wide as he surveys the room, sees that there are no seats open.

Natasha opens her mouth first, and Steve just about dies when she says, "I'm sure Steve can make some room. Right, Steve?" Her smile is saccharine, and yet Steve still feels like she's threatening his life.

He doesn't want to protest and demand that Tony sit on the floor like Clint because one, that would hurt Tony's feelings, and that's the last thing he wants to do. And two...he kind of wants Tony to sit with him. Even if the thought on Tony's thighs touching his makes him want to scream. In a good way, though.

Steve just nods, not trusting his voice, and Tony makes his way over and sits down stiffly next to Steve. It's a tight fit. Tony's thigh presses right against his own. Steve can feel the heat of Tony's skin through his pants. JARVIS dims the lights and starts one of the movies on Natasha's list of Necessary Pop Culture she had created for Thor and Steve. Tonight, it's Legally Blonde, with Elle Woods in all of her pink glory, gracing their screen.

Had it not been for the serum, he's sure he wouldn't have been able to pay attention to the movie (which he's enjoying so far, Elle's likable and relatable; Steve knows all too well what it's like to be judged based off his appearance) and the feeling of Tony's body pressed against his own. He's hyper-aware of Tony's presence. His heart rate accelerates every time Steve shifts to get more comfortable, his thigh rubbing against Tony's. He can smell the remnants of Tony's cologne, something bright and uplifting just like its wearer.

About halfway through the movie, he grows tired of Tony's unending stiffness. He just wants Tony to be comfortable. He says so, leaning close to Tony to whisper in his ear. "I'm not gonna bite."

Tony shivers, and Steve wants to hit himself. So much for not making Tony comfortable. But then, Tony does the unthinkable. He takes a deep breath and slowly sinks into Steve's side. Steve freezes like a deer staring up the barrel of a shotgun.

"Oh, God," Tony whispers. "I'm sorry I can move—"

"No!" Steve whisper-yells, his hands wrapping around Tony and—

Tony's sitting sideways on Steve's lap, his legs draped over the armrest. Steve's arms are wrapped around Tony's waist like a seatbelt. Tony's not screaming, which is a good sign in Steve's eyes. Even without enhanced senses, he's sure Tony can hear how loud his heart is beating in his chest.

"Is this fine?" Steve asks when Tony shows no signs of moving.

"Yeah. You're good," Tony says and finally relaxes in Steve's grasp.

And it feels good. Too good. It's cheesy, but it's almost like Tony was made to fit into Steve's arms, his head slotting into place underneath Steve's chin. Tony's hair is soft, softer than he thought, against Steve's neck.

It doesn't hit Steve until later that Natasha probably organized the whole thing from the start.

He'll thank her later. Right now, he's got his hands full, and he's in no rush to let go.

#or tl;dr steve likes holding things and tony fortunately likes being held #stony hours™️#stony #stevetony #steve rogers #tony stark #marvel #mcu #gabi talks #i wrote this in like two hours am i okay

63 notes · View notes

just-dreaming-marvel · 4 years ago

Text

Out Of Time ~ 133

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 3,000ish

Summary: Tony finally comes home, but that doesn’t make the problems go away. (Please read the note at the end)

Y/N completely unconscious for a whole 24 hours. The remaining team members never wandered far from her side, too scared to lose another person. When Y/N finally awoke, she knew what had happened. She could feel the change inside her.

“They’re gone…” She croaked, looking at Steve with teary eyes. “The Stones are gone…”

“What do you mean, Y/N?” Steve questioned. “Like you don’t have your powers anymore?”

“I mean, they’re gone.”

“Y/N, I think you’re tired,” Thor said. “If your abilities have left you, then you must be exhausted.”

“No. You have to believe me.”

“Okay,” Bruce interrupted. “I think we need to leave her to rest some more.”

Y/N knew that they didn’t believe her. But she could feel it. The Infinity Stones had been destroyed. Her abilities were gone.

~~~

Y/N was alone in the med-bay when the building began trembling ever so slightly. Concerned as it continued, slowly getting worse, Y/N slid out of bed. The others were not too far in front of her as they all quickly headed out to the yard. Looking up as they all continued to walk, they noticed a ship being carried by a glowing Carol. She carefully landed the space craft, looking at a new shaven Steve with a nod.

Y/N froze, heart pounding wildly in her chest as the stairs of the space craft lowered. Tony, being supported by Nebula, walked out. She couldn’t stop the tears that began to cascade down her cheeks. Tony was alive. Yes, it was clear that he was barely alive, but there he was.

Steve ran up to Tony, taking him from Nebula to help him stand. Tony gripped Steve’s arm as he joined him.

“I couldn’t stop him,” Tony told Steve.

“Neither could I,” Steve responded.

“I lost the kid.”

“Tony, we lost.”

“Is, uh…? Y/N…”

“I’m right here,” Y/N said, running up and embracing him.

Tony practically melted into her arms, kissing her head and Y/N cried. “It’s okay.”

“You’re alive…”

“You’re alive.”

Y/N and Steve helped Tony inside. Bruce immediately got an IV in him and told him that he needed serious rest and food. While Tony sat at the table, his insisted on knowing everything. So the team began explain as a holographic casualty report listed the names and faces of those they lost.

“It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth,” Rhodey stated.

“World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census,” Natasha explained. “And it looks like he did... he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent, of all living creatures.”

“Where is he now?” Tony asked. “Where?” Y/N, who was standing behind Tony’s wheelchair, gave his shoulder a slight squeeze.

“We don’t know,” Steve answered. “He just opened a portal and walked through.”

Tony looked over at a sullen-looking Thor, who as sitting outside on a bench. “What’s wrong with him?” Tony pointed.

“Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed,” Rocket responded. “Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that's going around, ain't there?”

“Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.”

“Maybe I am.”

“We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep Space scans, and satellites, Y/N was even searching Titan over and over, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him.”

“Who told you that? I didn’t fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the Stone. That's what happened. There was no fight.”

“Okay.”

“He’s unbeatable.”

“Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?”

“Steve—“ Y/N called, waiting to stop this before it got too bad.

“Pfft! I saw this coming a few years back,” Tony continued. "I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming. So did Y/N, ya know? She saw this coming too.”

“Tony, I’m gonna need you to focus,” Steve pressed.

“And I needed you. She,” Tony pointed back at Y/N, “needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?” Tony stood, pushing things off the table. “I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling you—“ Tony went for Steve, only for Rhodey to try to stop him.

“Tony, Tony, Tony!” Rhodey said.

“Tony!” Y/N added, though she knew it was no use.

“Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armor around the world!” Tony continued, taking his IV out. “Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not— that's what we needed!”

“Well, that didn't work out, did it?” Steve retorted.

“I said, "we'd lose". You said, "We'll do that together too." And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. Not the Prevengers.”

“Okay,” Rhodey said, trying to get Tony back into the wheelchair with Y/N’s help.

“Right?”

“You made your point,” Y/N said. “Just sit down.

“Okay…”

“Okay?”

“Nah, nah. Here’s my point. You know what?”

“Tony, you’re sick,” Rhodey said, finally able to guide him back to the wheelchair.

Tony pointed to Carol. “She’s great, by the way.”

“Sit down. Sit.”

Tony finally gave in. We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules!” Tony sprang back up and walked right up to Steve’s face, voice dripping with venom. “I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar.”

It was clear that Steve was affected by Tony’s words. The old friends just gazed at each other in tense silence. After a moment, Tony ripped his arc reactor from his chest and shoved it into Steve’s hand.

“Here, take this,” Tony said. “You find him, and you put that on. You hide.”

Tony fell to the ground. Y/N was by his side instantly.

“Tony!” Steve exclaimed.

“I’m fine,” Tony slurred. “I… Let me...” He quickly fell into an unconscious heap on Y/N’s lap.

“You shouldn’t have pushed him,” Y/N whispered harshly at Steve. “But that’s what you do, right? To get what you want?”

“Y/N—“

“No, Steve. Just, no. Tony’s always been blamed for everything. Always. But, you know what, you’re not perfect either and are to blame for a lot as well.”

“I never said—“

“I don’t want to hear it, Steve. Not anymore.”

~~~

Tony was brought into a private glass room, where Bruce was getting him situated. Y/N was seated by his side, while Rhodey stood by the door.

“I gave him a sedative,” Bruce informed them. “He will most likely be out for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you, Bruce,” Y/N exhaled shakily.

“Of course. I’m going to run a few more tests and give him some more meds.” Y/N nodded, staring at Tony.

“Y/N,” Rhodey called for her attention. She glanced over at him. “I need to know… would you have chosen Tony in the end?”

Y/N pursed her lips. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Rhodey… the choice was made for me…”

“I just don’t want him hurt.”

“I won’t. Trust me.” Y/N rubbed her fingers over Tony’s hand. “I love him. And… he’s all I have left.”

~~~

Rhodey walked out to inform the others about Tony’s condition.

“Bruce gave him a sedative,” he told them. “He's gonna probably be out for the rest of the day.”

“You guys take care of him,” Carol said. “And I'll bring him a Xorrian Elixir when I come back.” She walked away.

“Where are you going?” Natasha asked.

“To kill Thanos.”

Steve and Natasha shared a look before quickly walking after her.

“Hey,” Natasha called after her, “you know, we usually work as a team here, and between you and I, morale's a little fragile.”

“We realize up there is more your territory,” Steve added, “but this is our fight too.”

“You even know where he is?” Rhodey questioned.

“I know people who might,” Carol responded.

“Don’t bother,” Nebula said, standing behind Carol. “I can tell you where Thanos is. Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. And when he worked, he talked about his great plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. I'd ask "where would we go once his plan was complete?". His answer was always the same: "To the Garden.””

“That's cute, Thanos has a retirement plan,” Rhodey commented.

“So where is he?” Steve asked.

They grabbed Bruce and gathered in the common room. Rocket stood on the table with a hologram of a planet.

“When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions,” Rocket explained. “No one's ever seen anything like it... Until two days ago.” A shockwave visibly traversed over the planet in the hologram. “On this planet.”

“Thanos is there,” Nebula confirmed.

“He used the Stones again,” Natasha stated. She looked at Steve. “That’s what happened with Y/N. She was feeling the Stones. We have a chance, we could—“

“Hey, hey, hey,” Bruce interrupted. “We'd be going in short-handed, you know.”

“Look, he's still got the stones,” Rhodey said. “So—“

“So let’s get him,” Carol stated. “Use them to bring everyone back.”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah, just like that.”

“Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this…" Natasha said. “I mean we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try.”

“If we do this, how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?” Bruce wondered. “And how do we know that Y/N’s not right? That the Stones are destroyed.”

“She can’t be right,” Steve stated. “Not until I see it with my own eyes.”

“And this will be different because last time, you didn’t have me,” Carol stated.

“Hey, new girl, everyone here is about that superhero life,” Rhodey said. “And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?”

“There are a lot of other planets in the universe. And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys.”

Thor, who had been eating in the back all this time, stood up and walked over to Carol. She looked behind at him. Holding his hand up, Thor summoned his ax. He caught it as it flew over to him, missing Carol by inches. But Carol didn’t even flinch, instead giving Thor a small smile.

“I like this one,” Thor smiled.

“Let’s go get this son of a bitch,” Steve ordered.

~~~

Y/N was sitting beside a still unconscious Tony, reading, when Steve slipped into the room.

“How’s he doing?” Steve asked, awkwardly staying near the door.

“Fine,” Y/N responded, not bothering to look up from her book.

“Look, Y/N, I…” He sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then go.”

“The team knows where Thanos is.” This got Y/N to look up at Steve. “We’re going to go get the Stones back and reverse this.”

“I told you, Steve, the Stones are gone.”

“You don’t know tha—“

“Oh, I don’t? I just wasn’t, I don’t know, connected to them for years? But go ahead. Try and fix this. But I’m telling you it’s too late.”

“Don’t you want to try and get everyone back? Get Bucky back?”

She paused, searching her mind for how to answer. She knew Steve wouldn’t believe her if she told him that she had seen the future. The battle wasn’t over.

“Things happen for a reason,” she replied. “We have to accept it—“

“Unbelievable,” Steve scoffed. “I can’t even—who are you?”

“I could ask you the same question, Steve.” He clenched his jaw. “We are not the same people we were before we froze, Steve. And I don’t know if we’ll ever go back to that.”

“I’ll let you know when we’re home.”

~~~

When Tony woke up, he was all alone. He was groggy from all the drugs, but he knew he was back at the compound. Looking around the room, he saw Y/N coming towards the room with a tray of food. Her eyes lit up ever so slightly when she met his opened ones.

“Hey, sleepy head,” Y/N greeted with a soft smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a moon landed on top of me,” he responded, voice raspy. “Oh, wait. It did.” He grunted as he sat up more.

“I brought some food.” She set the try on a table in the room. “I didn’t know what you’d be feeling like, so I got a little bit of everything.”

Tony carefully watched as Y/N got his food ready. Knowing her for so long, he knew when something was up.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Y/N sighed, knowing she couldn’t keep anything from him. “The Stones are gone.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean, they’re destroyed. I don’t have my powers anymore. The team also found Thanos, they went to try to reverse what happened.”

“But the Stones are destroyed.”

“They don’t believe me.”

“What? Why? You’re connected with the Stones.”

“I know… they still didn’t.”

Tony could see how everything that had transpired was weighing down on Y/N, whether she admitted it or not. “We’re leaving.”

“What?”

“We can’t stay here. We need to move on. Start our live together.”

“We can’t just leave.”

“We can’t? Why?”

“Well, they… I… I don’t know.”

“Exactly why we need to go. I’ve already got a secluded piece of land with a small lake on it. We can build a house there. Try to find some normalcy.” Y/N looked out the window, biting her lip. “I can see the weight you’re carrying about all this… it’s not solely your fault. Don’t take all of it on yourself.” He reached out his thin, trembling hand. “Let me bare it with you.”

With a teary nod, Y/N set her hand in Tony’s. He tried to pull her towards him. She sat beside him on the bed, brushing his hair off his forehead.

“I love you, Tony,” she whispered.

“I love you too.”

~~~

By the time the team came back, Tony and Y/N had already put together a house plan. The team came back with the news that Thanos was dead and the Stones were gone, not to Y/N or Tony’s surprise. The two left the compound to Tony’s apartment in the city that night.

They were both extremely sadden by how destroyed and seemly empty the city was. The first night was harder for Y/N than it was for Tony. Due to still being malnourished, Tony spent a lot of time sleeping. Y/N was the opposite, not getting much sleep at all. She was haunted by what happened in her dreams and too scared that if she closed her eyes, Tony would disappear.

It was dusk, when Tony woke up from a nap. Usually, Y/N would lay beside him or still be somewhere in the room. But this time, he couldn’t see her anywhere. He pushed himself up to get a better look at the room.

“Y/N?” He questioned. “Honey? Where are you?”

No response. With a grunt he stood up, grabbed his cane, and headed out of the bedroom. He kept calling out her name.

“Y/N? Y/N?”

He stopped when he thought he heard something. And he was right. He heard sobs that were clearly trying to be concealed. Hurrying as fast as he could, Tony turned the corner, he heart shattering further than he thought it could at the sight. Y/N was on her knees, in the middle of the living room. Her hands were pressing a blanket to her mouth, trying to conceal her retching sobs. Who knows how long she had been like that, but the blanket was drenched in tears.

“Oh, honey,” Tony hurried over, getting down next to her. He pulled her into him, but she fought it. “Don’t fight me, hun. Please.”

“I’m so-sorry, Tony,” Y/N sobbed. “Please just go… I’ll be fine…”

“It’s clear that you’re not.” Tony pulled her back in, not caring that she was fighting. “You’re carrying too much on your own. Like I said before, let me bare this with you…”

“I-I can’t… cause it’s my fault… if I had tried any harder or pushed myself—“

“Until what? You died? You know that I wouldn’t have been able to handle your— I-I can’t even think about it.”

“It’s just… it’s so hard, Tony… it hurts so much… I watched them dust right before my eyes… the power I was given to stop this, failed me and now it’s gone… I’m—I’m useless.”

Tony’s frail hands took Y/N’s face firmly in his hands. “You are not nor ever will be useless. Especially not to me.”

“I’m so sorry, Tony… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay…”

He placed a soft kiss on her lips before going in for other, more hungrily. Y/N welcomed it, letting him have entrance into her mouth. When they finally separated, panting, Y/N and Tony locked eyes.

“Help me, Tony,” she whimpered. “Please… take this feeling away…”

Tony nodded before pressing his lips firmly against hers. Y/N guided herself so that she was laying down as Tony hovered over her, pressing kisses down her neck.

“I will always help you,” he whispered against her lips. “Always.”

It was a beautiful, long awaited night of love and passion. Both of them were beginning to feel whole again, completed, in each others holds. Healing was starting to take place because, as long as they had each other, everything was going to be alright.

next chapter >

My dearest Team Bucky, many of you have been so patient throughout this whole series and I ask you to continue to do so. I have a surprise coming your way (and to Team Tony’s). Thank you for your support and please keep reading.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.

#tony stark x reader #steve rogers x reader #the avengers x reader #avengers x reader #marvel x reader #tony stark imagine #iron man x reader #marvel imagine #marvel imagines #tony stark #avenger endgame #endgame #Avengers #The Avengers #avengers endgame

224 notes · View notes

whimsicalworldofme · 3 years ago

Text

Saving Grace: Chapter Thirty-One

Good times never seem to last long when both your dad and boyfriend are members of a super secret (superhero) boy band.

(We've finally hit Age of Ultron in the timeline)

It all happened so fast.

The party had been great, even Hill had shown up. There were drinks and there was banter. Tony started in on Thor about Mjolnir being some kind of advanced tech and not magic and soon all of the guys around the circle were trying to lift the hammer off the coffee table where the Norse god had set it down. Even with their Iron Man gauntlets at full thrust, Tony and Rhodey combined couldn’t get the thing to move. No one could, though Steve did get it to wobble slightly. None of the ladies in the circle felt it necessary to partake in that particular dick measuring contest, choosing instead to watch the guys have at it.

It was all fun and games until a mangled bit of Iron Man tech, scrapped together, wires dangling, had hobbled into the room, sentient and making declarations about “killing the other guy” and how the Avengers and all of humanity needed to be ended. Bruce had called it Ultron, the name of a project she knew he and Tony had been working on, but they hadn’t been forthcoming with any details. In a blink, other Iron mechs came out of nowhere and started attacking everyone in sight. Grace had been behind the bar at the time, making herself another cocktail and getting another beer for Steve. Luckily no one had had more than one drink at that point. As all hell broke loose, Grace dropped and pressed her back against the bar, hoping to remain unseen.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she muttered, carefully glancing over the bar just in time to see her boyfriend get body slammed into a wall. She heard her father calling for Jarvis but there was no reply. “Shit,” she dropped again just as Bruce and Nat came flying over the bar together. Bruce landed on top of the redhead in a very awkward position, but scrambled off quickly.

Nat grabbed a gun that was strapped to the underside of the bar and launched herself out into the fray, leaving Grace and Bruce alone, staring at each other, silently wondering what was going to happen. He looked more nervous than usual, which was saying something. The whole situation was a powder keg waiting to explode him into a hulk. If he did, Grace knew he would become a more imminent threat than anyone else. She tried not to show any fear, didn’t want him to know she was worried. Afterall, this was her dad’s “science bro” who spent hours in the lab with Tony and had to be commanded to stick around for dinner because he was so mild-mannered and shy he never wanted to impose. Grace had never been afraid of him before, but she’d never been in a situation like this with him before, full of triggers for him.

“It’s going to be ok,” Bruce reassured her, reaching out to lay a hand on her arm. “I’m in control. The other guy isn’t coming out tonight.”

She nodded and scooted back further against the bar, hunkering down. Between the gunshots, the sounds of people and bots being thrown around, the bots repeating calming platitudes over and over, and the quick little calls and commands the Avengers team hollered back and forth, it was a cacophonous mess. All Grace wanted to do was cover her ears and shut her eyes, but she knew she couldn’t do that. She needed to stay aware of her surroundings. Everything died down almost as suddenly as it began. Ultron gave another short speech, his voice making her shudder, giving her the feeling of hearing nails on a chalkboard. Glancing over the bar top, she saw Thor hurl Mjolnir into the bot, shattering it into a hundred pieces. It sang a line from Pinocchio’s “I’ve Got No Strings” in a haunting tone as it died.

“What the ever-loving fuck was that?” Grace asked as she stood up, breaking the silence and unintentionally drawing everyone’s eyes to her. She didn’t realize until a second later that they had never heard her swear before. “Dad? What were all those robots?”

“I’d like to know too,” Rhodey chimed in, rotating his shoulders and shaking his arms out.

“They look like your armor,” Nat stated, examining one of the fallen bots.

“Uh, Iron Legion… they’re a security thing I’m working on. Bruce is helping,” Tony said, looking to Bruce who gave him a wide-eyed look of horror and shook his head in an attempt to prevent being dragged into the quagmire. “Jarvis is just gone. I have to get him back,” he frowned, pulling the AI’s control tablet back out and tapping on the screen, already trying to figure out what was going on. “Let’s regroup in the morning and I’ll explain then.”

There were grumbles among the group, but everyone begrudgingly complied. Bruce insisted on staying and helping revive Jarvis, but everyone else, except for Steve headed out the door.

“Grace, why don’t you spend the night down at Cap’s?” Tony said, his eyes momentarily flicking up from the screen in his hand. “Just to be on the safe side. I’m going to be preoccupied.”

“Ok,” she nodded, wishing he would just tell her what was going on, but knew he’d get there in his own time. She finally came out from behind the bar and went over to give her father a kiss on the cheek. “Please get some sleep tonight, ok? I know you need to fix this, but you can’t work properly on no sleep.”

“I’ll do my best,” he offered her a faint smile, but she could tell he was distraught over the fact that Jarvis was down. “Love you, kid.”

“Love you too.”

She slipped away from him and headed over to Steve who was waiting by the front door, hands in his pockets. When she reached him, he held a hand out for her, which she took, feeling safer as he led her out of the penthouse and onto the elevator. They held hands in silence on the short way back to his apartment, even through the front door and into the bedroom.

“Do you think we’re safe here?” She asked, standing numbly beside his dresser as he wandered around, drawing the curtains and turning on the lights. “That thing was AI,” she added, mulling the whole situation over in her mind. “It could be in anything. We should put our phones on airplane mode. Maybe disconnect the modem and wifi router.”

“I don’t think it’s coming back here,” Steve tried to reassure her. He came over and gently guided her over to sit down on the bed. “Not tonight anyway. It got what it wanted, for now.”

“The scepter,” Grace realized she’d seen one of her dad’s bots fly off with it. “Wasn’t that Loki’s scepter? The one he had the day he attacked in Germany? Then again when the…” she paused, flashbacks of alien invaders flooding her mind, “the Chitauri attacked?”

“It’s what we were after in Europe on the last mission,” Steve nodded. He went over to the dresser and began pulling out pajamas for him and one of his shirts for her to sleep in. “I don’t know why Tony and Bruce were messing with it. It’s not safe.”

When he turned around to bring the shirt to her, she saw his jaw was clenched and brow furrowed, clearly angry at the self-proclaimed science bros for poking around in things beyond their comprehension. Grace had to admit she wasn’t exactly thrilled about it either. It was the second time in three years that something with murderous intent had gotten into the penthouse.

“They were supposed to lock it away for safekeeping until we could figure out what to do with it or get it to the right people who could,” Steve grit his teeth, clearly trying not to be overly harsh about her dad in front of her, but plainly seething. “Tony, I get,” he waved a hand and let out an irate laugh. “He can’t help himself. He’s the kind to poke a bear just to see what’ll happen. Bruce though, he should’ve known better.”

He shook his head and wandered around to his side of the bed, pulling his shirt off with one hand, mussing up his hair as the fabric dragged along the back of his head. He tossed the shirt in the general direction of the laundry hamper sitting near the dresser, but it missed, falling airily to the floor.

“Bruce has a hard time saying no to my dad,” Grace sighed. “He’s a good mitigating force most of the time, but, well, you know how my dad is. He gets excited about the unknown, wants to jump in with both feet, and he tends to carry others with him in his enthusiasm. You know he didn’t mean any harm, right?”

She glanced over at Steve who was in the process of unbuttoning his pants. He paused, his expression softening when he looked at her. It was a tricky balance, being the intermediary between them sometimes, being the one thing they had in common and yet one of the main reasons they butted heads. Grace didn’t mind so much, because when she was able to talk them both down when they were annoyed, upset, or angry at the other, it made them better friends in the end. And they had become just that, friends, but that didn’t mean it was an easy friendship.

“I know,” Steve nodded. He let out a heavy sigh and pushed his pants off his hips before kicking them towards the hamper as well, where they joined his shirt on the floor. Standing up straight again, he swiped his pajama bottoms off the bed and started to pull them on. “Nine times out of ten when he’s doing something, I know it’s because he’s looking at how it could help the most people,” he added. “I just wish he wouldn’t go about it so recklessly.”

Grace snorted a laugh, pulling off her own shirt, unhooking her bra and slipping it off before pulling on the tee shirt he’d given her. She set her shirt and bra on the bed as she stood up and shimmied out of her jeans, having to peel them off her calves since they were ridiculously skinny.

“Because you would never do anything reckless,” she stated, gathering her clothes up in a ball and taking them over to the hamper where she deposited them before scooping his off the floor and dumping them in as well. Steve shot her an indignant, irritated look, making her laugh. “Not you, you’re not one bit reckless at all. It’s not like you jump out of airplanes without a chute or chase down assassins in the middle of the night,” she teased, walking up to him and slipping her arms around his waist, grinning up at him. “You know, sometimes I think the reason you and Tony butt heads so much is because you’re too much alike.”

Steve let slip a little chuckle, a half-smile threatening to emerge as he rolled his eyes and looked off to one side.

“What that says about me, being attracted to a man like my father, might be a little worrisome,” Grace’s face screwed up a little at the thought. “But that’s for a different shrink to worry about years from now when I’m in therapy for something else.”

“I like to think it means you have high standards and good taste,” he offered with a shrug, the full smile breaking through as he leaned down to kiss her sweetly on the lips. “Are you ready for bed?”

“Yeah,” Grace nodded.

They shut off the lights and laid down, face to face, neither one really ready to sleep yet, the adrenaline still coursing through them. Grace tried to think of the good things from that night, to put the horrible bits out of mind, hoping to keep nightmares at bay.

“Steve?”

“Hmm?” He asked, eyes shut but brow raising in question.

“You can lift Thor’s hammer, can’t you?”

“What makes you think that?” He chuckled in a guilty sort of way.

“It wobbled.”

“It wobbled,” he nodded in agreement, his eyes opening slowly. “But it didn’t come off the table.”

“It didn’t wobble for anyone else,” she said. “I think it didn’t come off the table because you knew you could move it but didn’t want to upset anyone.”

The lengthy silence that followed only served to confirm her suspicions and she couldn’t stop smiling, seeing his brow furrow, even in the dark, obviously guilty at having been caught.

“You’re imagining things,” he insisted. “Go to sleep.”

He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her sweetly before nestling further into his pillows and shutting his eyes. Grace laid there watching him, mind turning over what it all meant, to be deemed worthy of the power of an actual god.

Of course he’s worthy. He’s a good man. Selfless, kind, and gentle.

Steve heaved a sigh, clearly aware that she was watching him.

“Don’t tell your dad,” he said. “Or Thor.”

“Your secret’s safe,” she promised, snuggling up to him.

It was hard to fall and stay asleep, even with Steve wrapped around her like a protective barrier. Every time she closed her eyes all she could think about was the haunting tone of the AI’s voice singing “I once had strings but now I’m free” and replaying how it had said it planned to end humanity and particularly the Avengers, meaning her dad, her boyfriend, all their friends. The smallest noises jerked her out of what fitful sleep she could manage to slip into, but each time Steve was there to hold her a little tighter, press gentle kisses to her skin and reassure her that she was safe, that he would protect her.

“I need to get away for a little while,” Grace declared the next morning when Steve handed her a cup of coffee. “To reset. And you guys, the whole team, you’ll be busy figuring out this mess, so it’s probably best if I’m not in the way here.”

“You’re never in the way, Grace,” Steve frowned. “But I understand if you want to get away for a little while.”

“I do,” she nodded. “Harry has been trying to get me to come down to see his practice in Tennessee, see what it is he does, so I figured now might be a good time, and we can work on the presentation for our foundation together for a few days, instead of via webcam and email.”

“Ah, yes, Harry,” Steve’s voice strained and Grace noted his knuckles going white as he clenched his hand around the handle of the percolator. “The pediatric doctor whose hobby is making sure the impoverished disabled children of rural Appalachia get the prosthetics and assistive tech they need.”

“You’re going to break the handle,” Grace nodded at his hand and he glanced at it before abruptly loosening his grip, not seeming to have realized what he was doing. He poured himself a cup of coffee and set both it and the percolator down on the counter. “I work with him and he’s my friend. That’s all.”

“I know,” he turned away from her to add a little sugar to his mug. “But I’m still human,” he turned his head to look at her momentarily before going back to stirring his coffee. “Despite what anyone says to the contrary. It’s not easy knowing there’s any guy out there just waiting to nab you if I mess things up.”

“You haven’t messed up badly enough to get rid of me in three years,” Grace pointed out, sidling up closer to him and bumping him lightly with her hip. He smiled at her and she laid her head against his arm briefly, taking a sip of coffee. “You put ideas of honeymooning in France in my head, so you’re stuck with me at least until that happens. You’re not getting out of it, Captain.”

He locked eyes with her and Grace felt warm and woozy at the intensity of affection in his gaze. Without a word, he took the coffee cup from her hands, setting it on the counter, before he picked her up, flinging her over his shoulder like a sack of flour, which made her burst into giggles.

“You’ve got to stop calling me Captain like that,” he insisted jokingly as he headed back towards the bedroom with his powerful, intentional, superhero stride. Grace took the opportunity of her positioning to squeeze his butt, making him jump, which in turn made her giggle even harder. “Hey,” he spanked her lightly and she yelped. “Wait until we’re in the bedroom.”

They got a later start to their day than they had planned, but neither of them could find any reason for complaint. Grace went back up to the penthouse to pack a suitcase and tell her father her plans. Tony only briefly registered her, he was so wholly consumed with his desperate need to bring Jarvis back online.

“Look out for him, all right?” She asked Bruce who was there assisting. He nodded. “Dad,” Grace laid a hand on his arm, breaking him briefly out of his focus. “I’ll see you in a week,” she said. “Be safe. I love you.”

“I love you too, Gracie,” he pulled her close to press a kiss to the top of her head.

Steve walked her down to the parking garage, insisting on loading her bags into the back of the Jeep, despite the fact that they weren’t heavy and there were only two of them. He walked around the Jeep, hands on his hips as he examined it thoroughly for imperceivable flaws, kicking the tires to make extra sure they were properly inflated.

“Make sure you fill the tank before you get too far out of the city,” he said, coming back around to where she stood by the driver’s side door. “You still have an extra jug of coolant in the back?”

“Yes,” she chuckled and put her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. “This isn’t my first road trip. I’ll be fine. I’ll stop for gas and snacks once I get out of the city, if I get tired, I will find a hotel. And I have my patented Stark tech to keep me safe,” she shook her left wrist at eye level for him so he could see the bangle bracelet on her wrist, the ones that she and her dad had perfected together. “I’ll keep them on the whole time.”

“Good,” Steve sighed in relief, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her closer. “Call me whenever you stop for the night, so I know you’re ok. Even if I can’t answer.”

“Promise,” she nodded. “No self-sacrificing plays, ok?”

“Promise,” he assured her with a kiss. He stepped back and opened the car door for her. Grace started up her Jeep and rolled down the window before getting buckled. Steve leaned against the door watching her. “I’ll see you when you get home. Love you,” he flashed a half-smile, clearly sad that they were having to part ways again.

“Love you too,” Grace reached out and cupped his cheek before slipping her hand into his hair and lightly massaging his scalp. He leaned into her hand, shutting his eyes for a moment. “Ok, I better go, or I’m not going to go at all.”

“Ok,” he hoisted himself up into the window, leaning in to give her one more kiss. “Be safe.”

Chapter Thirty

Masterlist

Chapter Thirty-Two

3 notes · View notes

invisibleanonymousmonsters · 5 years ago

Text

Non-Sequential [Ch. 28]

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: 2,300

Chapter 27

The Battle of Wakanda was simultaneously the shortest and longest day of Steve Rogers’ life.

The dog-like aliens were released in too many droves, making Steve believe they would never stop attacking. Even if Shuri was successful in detaching the stone from Vision, would destroying it even stop these monsters? But Steve didn’t have time to think about that.

Thor’s arrival felt like a blink to Steve. He didn’t have time to process the return of his long-lost friend. The two of them were too busy trying to survive. But Steve somehow seemed to sense the personal ties Thor had in this war.

Steve started to come to on the forest floor. His body quick to recover from being knocked unconscious by Thanos. But it wasn’t fast enough.

He slowly got to his feet and looked up to find Thor pressing his axe into Thanos’ chest. But for some reason, Steve knew it was too soon to celebrate a victory. Something felt off.

“Nooo!” Thor bellowed just before Thanos snapped his fingers.

A flash blinded Steve as he tried to move forward.

When he regained his vision, Thanos fell backwards into a portal and disappeared.

Steve clutched his side as he made his way to Thor. “Where’d he go?”

Thor said nothing, just remained in a daze and breathed heavily.

“Thor?” Steve begged. “Where’d he go?”

“Steve?” Bucky’s voice begged for his attention.

But when Steve looked over, Bucky’s body was already disappearing, turning into ash.

With utter shock, Steve slinked to the pile of ash that once was his best friend.

Him and Thor shared a look, finally understanding what was happening.

Everyone regrouped. Well… not everyone.

Steve went to Visions body, colorless and lifeless. The stone was missing from his forehead, proving what they were already figuring out.

“What is this?” Rhodey asked. “What the hell is happening?”

Steve breathed deeply as it all finally made sense. “Oh, God.”

Then her face flashed in his mind.

“Y/N,” he gasped and jumped to his feet.

“Steve…” Nat called after him, but there was no life in her voice. She just sounded scared.

All the injuries he had meant nothing to him now as he sprinted back to the palace at super-soldier speed. It didn’t matter how much his body hurt and protested. All that mattered was getting to her.

He ignored the panicked looks and the various piles of ash that were scattered across the palace hallways.

He shoved his shoulder against the doors of the wing that protected the royal family and Y/N.

When he entered, the Queen Mother whipped around with tears in her eyes.

Steve’s eyes raced around the room, looking for her. “Y/N!” He yelled.

But when he did not find her or receive an answer, his gaze returned to Ramonda.

She simply shook her head.

“No,” Steve whispered as he shook his head. “No.”

“She’s gone,” Ramonda gasped. “Shuri and her...a-and the rest of them.”

First his best friend and now the love of his life.

Tears filled his eyes.

He left, needing to go to her room. Despite the Queen Mother’s words, Steve’s heart wouldn’t believe her. She couldn’t be gone. It could not be true.

But what he found was an empty bedroom. Clean and barren.

It took a second glance around the room to see the envelope that lay waiting on her nightstand.

Steve didn’t know how it caught his eye when he was having a breakdown.

He saw his name written on it – just Steve. But it was Y/N’s handwriting.

His hand shook as he reached out to pick it up.

He already knew what he was going to find waiting for him inside the envelope.

Y/N knew this was coming. She had seen it. Kept the secret hidden as her own burden to bare. Letting everyone else live in blissful ignorance.

Steve,

By the time you find this, I’m sure you will have figured out what has happened. Thanos was successful. And with his success I have been taken from you.

You have also already realized that I knew this was going to happen. I’ve known for…Well, it doesn’t matter how long I’ve known.

I’m sorry I didn’t warn you. I knew it would destroy you, and maybe it would’ve destroyed us. Is it selfish that I just wanted our time together to be spent without the dread of the future looming over our heads?

I know this is not the goodbye you want or need. But this is all we could have.

Steve, I love you. I love you more than I could ever put into words. You know they aren’t my strong suit. But I hope I made you feel that love.

I know you, Steve. I know you will be OK. You were always stronger than me. You can survive missing me, but I would’ve never survived missing you.

I love you, Steve.

Please don’t forget me.

Steve turned the page over, expecting to find more written.

But that was it.

He wanted more. He needed it. It was a goodbye, but why did he feel like something was missing or that something was off?

The next couple of days were a blur. He hid his feelings. The team needed him. They didn’t need a broken Steve Rogers; they needed Captain America. He wasn’t the only person that lost someone. They all had.

The team decided to return to the compound in New York, regroup and make a plan. Then they discovered Fury’s pager and Carol Danvers explained her relation to it, and Steve allowed himself to feel hope.

But their attack ended in disappointment.

Steve knew in hindsight that it made sense: Y/N wouldn’t have written him a letter saying goodbye if they could bring the world back in a few days.

The solution wasn’t that easy… if there even was a solution.

Now Steve sat on the dock on the lake. The compound’s lights weren’t lit like before – well, everything – making it easier to actually see the stars.

He heard her walking up behind him. But he wasn’t really in the mood for talking. Maybe if he pretended she wasn’t there, she wouldn’t try to engage.

But she’s not one to back down like that.

Nat sat down next to him on the dock, dipping her barefoot into the lake.

“I think I’m going to…get out of here. Thinking about Brooklyn.” Steve spoke first.

“Steve…” She started.

“I can’t stay here, Nat. Everything reminds me of her. The grass on that lawn? Every time I look at it, I think of the night she met me. When I walk into that kitchen, I’m still convinced she’s going to be standing in there waiting for me with a mug of coffee in her hands.”

“So, that’s it? The Avengers are no more?” She challenged.

“We lost, Nat.”

“It was just lost one war, Steve. There will be others. There already are. Carol says–”

But Steve whipped his head to look at her. “We didn’t just lose a war,” he snapped. “I lost everything!” Then he controlled his temper. “She was everything,” he muttered as he looked back onto water.

Nat didn’t say anything more, already knowing when Steve made up his mind, there was no changing it. The only person more stubborn than him was Tony.

“Have you found him yet?” Steve asked her carefully.

She shook her head. “His house arrest bracelet was cut, which can only mean he survived. And there was a call to the compound just minutes after the snap.” Her eyes started watering. “I know he’s out there. But I think Laura and the kids…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it.

“You shouldn’t stay here,” Steve told her as he looked back at the compound. It was empty and looked lifeless. The agents and scientists that once busied the space were either snapped or had gone back to what family and friends they had left.

Nat ignored his statement.

“Thor’s left. Bruce is acting strange. Tony has clung to Pepper. Rhodey is going back to DC. You shouldn’t be here by yourself, Nat.”

“So, where should I go? To New York City with you?” She challenged.

“Is that such a terrible idea?” He asked.

“I can’t, Steve. I can still help people. I know I can.”

He stood up. “You know…there are other ways to do that than just this.”

———————

Some Time Later…

Steve’s eyes snapped open when he heard the intruder.

His apartment had been restored to keep the character from the time period he was truly from, while being updated enough to be accepted and functional in modern society. But with it came squeaky floorboards and sometimes lack of soundproofing.

But that just meant that there was no mistaking when there was some other presence in his home.

He slipped out of bed completely silent.

Steve didn’t have his shield, but he doubt he would need it to defend himself from a thief.

Crime had skyrocketed since the snap. Turned out that Thanos’ mission didn’t include only ridding the world of bad people. Some took advantage of the world’s vulnerable state, stealing and killing and assaulting others.

But when Steve peaked around the corner, he didn’t find a burglar.

“It’s just me,” she said gently.

Immediately recognizing the voice, Steve rushed around the corner.

Y/N was waiting for him with the blanket from the couch wrapped around her naked body.

Before she even had a chance to say his name or a hello, Steve was pulling her into his arms. The gesture wasn’t uncommon for him, but it still took her by surprise a bit.

“Hi,” she breathed into his shoulder.

He pulled back a bit, “Hi.”

His eyes and body language were now uncertain.

And Y/N knew why: he was trying to figure out what she knew and where she had come from.

“It’s after his snap?” She asked him quietly, proving that she already was aware and he didn’t have to be careful about what he said to her.

He just nodded sadly. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

Steve’s situation was simultaneously lucky and heartbreaking. Unlike his friends that survived, he got glimpses of the person he lost. Y/N’s time traveling that once felt like a curse was now a gift to Steve.

He got to hold her, to be reminded of how her skin felt and what she smelled like and how warm or cold her body felt against his.

Y/N leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. She didn’t want to think about when the last time that he felt her lips.

Steve blinks suddenly. “Sorry! Let me get you some clothes.”

Before she could stop him, he rushed back into his bedroom and started shuffling through drawers, determined to find Y/N’s favorite sweatpants and t-shirt of his.

When he looked up with the clothes in his hands, Y/N was leaning against the doorway with an appreciative grin.

She thanked him as she took the clothes from him.

Steve turned his back to give her some space to change, but he couldn’t find it in him to leave the room and truly give her privacy. He was scared she would disappear at any moment and he didn’t want to miss a second of her visit.

He heard Y/N giggle behind him. It sent a chill down his spine.

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, Steve. In fact, you see it quite often.”

He slowly turned to find her already dressed. He cleared his throat, “Sorry. It seems I’m not sure how to act around you anymore.”

She walked up to him and cupped his cheek. “You don’t have to be sorry, Steve.”

He nodded.

“You’re looking at me as if I’m a ghost,” she whispered to him.

And in a way, she was.

Her hands then went to his shoulders. He seemed to preen at her touch, so she’d give him as much of it as she possibly could.

“Can I ask you something?” He muttered.

Steve only said things like that when he was nearing a fine line, when he wanted to ask her something about her time traveling. Something that he already knew she wouldn’t want to tell him.

But Y/N nodded.

“When did you find out?”

He didn’t have to elaborate, Y/N knew what he was asking about.

“Not until I was living in Wakanda.” She kept it generic.

Steve seemed somewhat relieved by it. He couldn’t imagine Y/N keeping the secret of the apocalypse for longer that she already had. A couple years was still torture. But Steve had been imagining the worst, often thinking of a teenage Y/N learning of the end of the world, having it haunt her ever moment.

“I’m sorry,” Steve whimpered. “I’m sorry I didn’t save you.”

Y/N him to her. “Oh, Steve. Shh. There was nothing you could do.”

“I’ve lost so many innocent lives. And I used to tell myself that as long as I had you, I could bare that guilt. But once I lost you…”

Y/N shushed him again. “You’re a hero. No one has ever doubted that. But you’re still just a man, Steven Grant Rogers. And Thanos – Thanos was a titan. A titan with the most powerful weapon in the universe. None of you stood a chance.”

Steve nodded, but she knew it would take more than a few words from her to convince him of that.

“I wish you could stay,” he muttered.

She wiped away some of his tears that had escaped. “I wish I could, too.”

He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

All the tension left him from just the feeling of her. His body hadn’t relaxed since the last time he’d properly held her in his arms – before the snap, before the Battle of Wakanda.

Nevertheless, when he opened his eyes again, Y/N was already gone. The sweatpants and t-shirt she had been wearing piled at his feet.

It was then that Steve wondered if he really was luckier than everyone. Because having to say goodbye to Y/N over and over and over again now felt like a different type of torture.

Maybe her visits were going to become his drug. In the end, they weren’t good for him. But he still craved them like his life depended on them.

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

Chapter 29

Just want to clarify that I have not “returned” from my hiatus or to this tumblr in general.

Quite frankly this fandom has lost its fucking mind and I’m rather disgusted with the behavior I’ve seen in the past month or so.

No wonder all of the talented writers have left.

I’m only finishing this stupid series to clear my conscious. But I regretted looking back to see that while +2,500 people follow this series’ masterlist, the past few chapters have received 300 or less notes. And that, I tell you, is one of the reasons I hate it here.

#non-sequential #non-sequential series #non-sequential chapter 28 #steve rogers series #steve rogers fic #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #captain america series #steve rogers reader insert #captain america reader insert #captain america x reader #captain america x you #invisibleanonymousmonsters #invisible anonymous monster #steve rogers angst #steve rogers fluff

403 notes · View notes

lovelyirony · 5 years ago

Note

oh my GOD mechanicfam is god tier just may i present an au where tony adopts harley after his mom and sister die in a car crash (post-mandarin) and so tony's the only person harley knows to go to and harley's the thing that makes rhodey and tony get their HEADS out of their ASSES

Harley keeps the business card that was left on the workshop of his house. He kept it in a kitchen drawer that his mom never used, because it full of the “nice” dish towels that were only taken out come Christmastime.

His fingers shake as he grips the phone, punching in the numbers.

“Can I ask who’s calling?”

“It’s...um. Harley. Keener. From Tennessee.”

There’s a shift on the phone, and Harley feels a bit guilty because it is late, but he doesn’t know where else to turn.

“What’s up, kiddo?”

“Um. I need help.”

“With what?”

And that’s when Harley loses it. He can barely enunciate the words, and he’s trying to furiously wipe away tears as he hears a litany of curses over the other line.

“I’m...I’m sorry, I just didn’t know who else to call and I don’t know what to do, and-”

“Kid, don’t you worry. I’ll be there in...two hours. Hell, maybe one if I can break the sound barrier. You have anything to eat yet?”

“Um, no?”

“Okay, then we stop for food when we get home.”

“Home?”

“...we’ll talk when I get there.”

Tony, in all honesty, does not know what he’s doing. God knows he had two stellar examples of parenting from Howard and Maria.

But he knows that a kid like Harley will get torn apart, and he...he can’t let him do that.

“Are you sure about this?” Rhodey asks.

“Yes,” Tony says. “I’m sure. We’ll...I’ll figure it out. I promise.”

“You act like I’m not going to help you,” Rhodey says. “I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back. You have a way of transporting him back?”

“Already ordered a car to the airport, we’ll be taking a plane back home.”

“Bring him back safe.”

“Always.”

Harley collapses into Tony’s arms when he touches down, armor barely off.

“Please,” he sobs. “Please just get me out of here.”

Tony wasn’t going into the situation blind. He had seen the article from their newspaper about the crash.

Harley said he had been riding his bike. Abbie really wanted to get a burger, and he hadn’t wanted to go.

“They would still be here if I had gone,” Harley says bitterly, and Tony’s heart has a pang of hurt because he understands that feeling all too well. But right now, Harley doesn’t need someone to understand everything, he just needs to be cared for.

Tony sits down with him at a kitchen table and doesn’t miss how Harley stares at the two chairs across from them.

“I want to talk with you,” he says quietly. “I want to know what you want to do.”

Harley looks at him.

“I...I wasn’t really expecting you to come.”

“We’re connected,” Tony says, a soft smile on his face. “I always will, whenever you want. Now, I’m just here to help you figure out what you want.”

“...what are the options?”

Tony’s willing to go through hell and back for this kid. He doesn’t tell him this verbatim, but the sentiment is there. He’d be willing to do anything, so long as he could see Harley safe and happy wherever he was.

Harley sits outside for a moment, breathing.

And then he can’t breathe.

Abbie’s looking up at the night sky, smiling.

“It’ll always be like this, right Harls?”

“Right,” Harley says, smiling nice and easy. “I’m not gonna let anything bad happen to us.”

Except he did.

It was all over the news, and everyone knew about it.

He comes back in, and Tony can probably tell that he’s at his absolute worst.

“I can’t stay here. I-I need to leave. Now.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Driving in the car is a mostly silent affair. Tony hums along to AC/DC and tells Harley about new projects.

Their first rest stop, Tony goes out with Harley, watching him carefully.

“I’m not gonna break,” Harley snaps.

“Not saying you’re gonna.”

“Well I’m not.”

“Okay. Rhodey’s at the house waiting for us when we get there.”

“He on leave?”

Tony nods. “Three months. Lucky.”

“Yeah.”

Not a lot after that.

At some point, Harley dozes off, leaning his head against the door.

Tony sends a message to Rhodey when they’re boarding the plane. Harley’s still a little groggy, and mostly content to just blearily go and find a seat and pass out.

He sleeps the whole flight home, and Tony is left with his thoughts.

Thought One: Maybe he Should’ve Left This Alone.

Thought Two: He needs to answer Pepper’s email regarding the press conferences and publicity things, get that all worked out.

Thought Three: He hopes Rhodey has some sort of food ready.

Rhodey sees Tony and Harley stumbling in, and he’s struck for a moment by just how similarly they carry themselves, how Harley’s eyes dart around like Tony’s did when he first moved into their dorm.

“Hi,” Rhodey says. “You hungry?”

“Um.”

“We’ll sit down anyways,” Tony says. “Planes are the worst, Harley. They zap all your energy no matter how long you sit on your ass.”

Rhodey sends Tony a look that says “you should probably watch your language.”

Tony sends back a look that says “now’s not the time to discuss my behaviors.”

Harley sleeps.

He’s surprised he does, because he wakes up about nine hours later, and he feels like he doesn’t deserve this long of sleep. He gets slammed with the current news of his life all over again, and his lips tremble as he gets out of a bed that he thinks is too nice for him, and stares into a mirror.

“Mr. Keener?”

Harley jumps.

“...is that you, Jarvis?”

“It is indeed, Mr. Keener. An honor to make your acquaintance, Sir has told me so much about you.”

“Please tell me he didn’t tell you about the potato gun.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny.”

Harley grins up at where the voice emanates.

“Your presence is required for breakfast, if that is alright.”

“That’s...that’s fine.”

He’s not hungry, but Rhodey slides him a plate of toast and eggs.

“Try to eat as much as you can,” he says. “Tony can finish off the rest, if he ever comes down from his bed.”

Harley nods, nibbling on the toast.

“You want jam or anything? We have grape, and...only grape. This peach looks questionable.”

Harley snorts.

“I’m good. Thanks, though.”

“No problem.”

They eat in awkward but companionable silence, and finally Harley speaks.

“Tony said you’re on leave for three months.”

“I got lucky,” Rhodey says, grinning. “I get to stay here with you guys for longer than three weeks. A full guarantee, unless of aliens.”

“They’re that much of a concern?” Harley asks, eyebrows raised.

“Only at high levels,” Rhodey says, giving him a lazy wink. “You didn’t hear it from me.”

“If anything, you would hear it from me,” Tony says, wrapped up in a gaudily-patterned robe. “Hello dearest, hello little one.”

“I’m not little,” Harley grumbles.

“You are shorter than me, you are little.”

“For now. Doc said I’m supposed to be over six feet.”

“Hm, we’ll see,” Tony says. “But enough about that. We have to have a little chat.”

Harley’s heart leaps with anxiety. When adults talk about having a chat, or talking, it’s...well. It’s never a walk in the park. Or a jog for that matter, either.

“What about?”

“How we can help you.”

Harley sighs, burrowing deep in his seat.

“We have to talk about this?”

“Yeah, we do.”

Harley gets set up with a therapist who he’s not sure he likes yet, but so far she’s been pretty nice. A bit of a mess, because she comes into their second session late and with iced coffee.

“Oh shit, I should’ve asked you if you wanted something,” Joan says, fretting. “Um, hi Harley. How are we doing?”

“Um, fine? I guess? For someone who’s dealing with a lot of change?”

“Oh, that’s great to hear. Do you mind...?” She breathes for a minute. “There was a really cute girl in the elevator for the dentist office above me, and I had to avoid her so that I wouldn’t talk about things and ruin things, so I took the stairs. Do you mind if I just drink my coffee for a moment?”

“...knock yourself out.”

So they sit there for a few moments, while Joan catches her breath and Harley wonders if he can text her his coffee order later.

“Alright, let’s talk you, Harley.”

Therapy goes well. As well as it can go, honestly.

And Harley? Well, he settles.

And he notices things.

Rhodey is still with them, two months and three weeks in. This is his last week, and Tony is miserable although he won’t say anything.

Harley notices how Tony will automatically move closer to Rhodey, and Rhodey welcomes him into his space as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

They bicker at each other, but Rhodey slides scrambled eggs onto Tony’s plate as he argues, and Tony leans over and grabs the coffee mug that Rhodey favors.

Apparently, they’re not together.

This leaves Harley very confused.

Tony gets all flustered and in denial when he asks about it.

“Why would...why would he...why would he be with me?” Tony asks, moving around the kitchen. “He has more to life than that. Now come on, get your shopping list together, kiddo. I’m not gonna hear you complain for another week that we didn’t get your pumpkin-carving-coffee-creamer-whatever.”

“It’s pumpkin spice, and you would know that because you pretend like you don’t use it.”

“We’ll get two bottles this time,” Rhodey says, only coming in on the tail-end of the conversation. “Tony, babe, remember to get the provolone slices when we’re there for the deli sandwiches.”

“Got it, honey.”

Harley stares.

They’re so...domestic.

Harley hasn’t seen that often. Certainly didn’t see it with his parents before his dad left, and his mother...she didn’t get to have that with anyone else afterwards. And his sister, oh god-

“Kiddo, you okay?” Rhodey asks. His hand is on Harley’s shoulder, eyes full of concern. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Just...just thinking about my mom. And my sister.”

Rhodey brings him into a hug.

Harley breathes in and out for a moment, absorbing the clean smell of Rhodey’s shirt and focusing on the touch.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll be fine. Let’s go, before Tony gets to choose the car and we have to fit fifteen bags into a Maserati.”

“Then we’ll have to leave you at the store,” Rhodey teases. “Let’s see if we can get a rational car.”

Grocery shopping is...it’s nice. It’s one of Harley’s favorite things to do, as boring and uninteresting as that may be.

He mostly just likes watching Tony and Rhodey do it. It’s entertainment, and they’re so practiced together.

Harley isn’t sure if his mom and his sister are still looking on, but he always gets their favorite snacks, just in case. He puts a bag of hot fries and a carton of strawberries into the cart, and then he grins as he finds Tony and Rhodey still arguing over whether or not they should get two bundles of green onions for the Wednesday dinner or not.

“Come on dad,” Harley says, throwing the extra bundle into the cart. “It’ll be good, and we can probably make some sort of soup garnish for the end.”

He moves the cart, and he doesn’t even see how Tony and Rhodey stare after him.

“So obviously, I’m dad,” Tony says. “That’s me.”

“Or is it?” Rhodey asks, faking suspicion. “We don’t know until a full investigation is launched.”

“Oh full investigation my ass,” Tony says. “Come on, before he leaves us in the dust and ends up getting far too many packages of candy.”

“Like you minded, heathen.”

Tony pushes off the grocery cart, and Rhodey has to smile for a moment.

He’s going to miss this. He only has a few days left, and then he’s back and he’s alone, and he’s not alone, but he...

Rhodey always misses Tony. He’s tried to convince himself over the years that it’s just what best friends do, but he doesn’t think that best friends think of each other in the way that he thinks of Tony.

And now there’s Harley.

Harley, who is so much like Tony, and so good. He smiles, and he jokes, and Rhodey now can’t imagine life without him.

He doesn’t want to miss out on a thing, honestly. They’ve already joked about teaching him to drive in New York traffic.

And he wants to come home. He has his own place in New York, honest to god doesn’t know why he pays rent on it since Tony usually has him stay over anyways. He should sub-let or rent it or sell it. That’d be common sense.

Dinner goes well. Both Rhodey and Harley have a good rhythm in the kitchen, even with Harley’s questionable music taste and Rhodey’s inability to follow a recipe.

“People who follow recipes are chumps,” Rhodey says, dumping more garlic powder into the mixture. “Never follow a recipe.”

“We can call your mother and ask about the blueberry crumble incident of 1997,” Tony says innocently. “If you want to rehash how well that advice went for you. I recall a nearly-burned-down-house?”

Rhodey scowls, turning to Harley.

“Don’t listen to a word this man has ever said, he is an unlovable scamp.”

“Oh really?” Harley says. “Seems to suit you just fine, right?”

Rhodey momentarily pauses, and then grins.

“I suppose you’re right.”

All too right.

They eat dinner, and Tony as well as Rhodey make no mention of what’s going to happen come Saturday morning.

At least, until Harley does, because Harley does things like ask questions.

“So. When are you going for your next mission?” Harley asks. “And where?”

“Classified, and seven a.m. bright and early Saturday morning,” Rhodey states. “You gonna get out of bed in time to see me off?”

“Mm, we’ll think about it,” Tony says, biting into the pasta. “The beds are awfully comfy...”

“Aw shut up,” Rhodey whines. “Just for that, I get to choose the movie, and I’m choosing the not-movie. I’m choosing the BBC Pride and Prejudice.”

“You suck,” Tony groans. “If you weren’t a gorgeous man, I would have kicked you out decades earlier.”

“You make us sound ancient.”

“That’s because you two geezers are,” Harley says, taking his dish to the sink. “Come on, I totally dibs on getting the mint candies.”

“Absolutely not, you stole them all last, at least let us portion them out,” Tony says.

“Do we not live as a family? Can we no longer share things?” Harley cries out dramatically, draping his body across the couch. “Am I reduced to nothing but a pretty face?”

“I don’t know where you get your dramatics from,” Rhodey deadpans. “Truly, I don’t.”

Harley pokes his tongue out, and gestures for them to come over.

“We can wash dishes later, we need to see if Mr. Darcy comes back,” Harley says.

“You know he does,” Tony says, looking over at Rhodey. “He always will.”

It means...something. They’re not sure what, and they’re not going to ask each other while Harley is busy commandeering the couch and wiggling his way into getting the best blanket.

Tony on one side, Rhodey on the other, although the latter is busy popping popcorn and thinking.

He doesn’t even really want to go. He signed up for this tour, and he wasn’t honestly thinking it was going to be his last, but with Harley now, and with how life is going...would it be a bad thing?

Tony’s always wanted him to do at least consulting work for SI, and he could semi-retire comfortably...

“Honey-darling!” Tony calls, “the ETA on popcorn? I’m getting desperate!”

Harley sends Tony a sneaky look, and looks back towards the movie.

“You should remind Rhodey to get chocolate chips,” Harley says. “You know he likes them.”

“Of course I know that, how do you know that?”

“You usually get the popcorn,” Harley says with a shrug. “I know what you know about him. And you know a lot, don’t you?”

“I...I suppose,” Tony says, getting up.

Harley settles into his spot on the couch.

Tony comes up to Rhodey.

“Remember your chocolate chips,” Tony says.

Rhodey looks surprised.

“I thought you hated how sticky they got your hands.”

“That’s what napkins were invented for,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve been dealing with your chocolate chips for years, haven’t I?”

“I guess,” Rhodey says. “Just like I’ve been dealing with the fact that you pretend like you don’t like it, but you steal all of it.”

“Lies and slander, dearest,” Tony says, and Rhodey grins smoothly.

“Get back to the kid, sweetheart. I’ll be there when all of this is done.”

And it sounds so goddamned domestic. As if it’s real, as if they’ve been doing this song and dance for years. And they have, but it’s never been...

It’s never been real. Sure, they’ve waited on each other when Rhodey leaves or Tony travels, and they fall in together in a nice and easy rhythm.

But Tony...he’s a Stark. He needs a good reputation, and while most wouldn’t say his reputation is exactly good, there’s a lot that the public can forgive. Rhodey is not part of that.

Tony thinks that Rhodey deserves someone better. He knows it, knows it in the way that Rhodey smiles and it’s the best damned thing he’s ever seen, knows it in the way how his eyes track people who need help the most.

Harley knows virtually none of this. The only thing he knows is that his guardians are the stupidest people on the planet, and now he has a side project besides school and by god it’ll be fun.

But first, Rhodey is being sent off. Tony’s hands are wandering all over the place, as Harley’s noticed they do when he’s nervous. His do the same. Tony is talking about everything and joking about changes, and Rhodey smiles and nods and they both know what is going to happen.

Harley, for his part, mostly just tries not to doze off because it’s too early for any of this but also he wants to remember this.

Rhodey will be gone for one month and three weeks. According to Tony, this isn’t the longest he’s ever been away, but usually he’s not gone for this long. The older he gets, the shorter the missions or projects get. But they need his expertise with rookies.

Tony, for his part, has packed about three extra bags for Rhodey under the guise of them being “goodie bags” or the army to peruse after Rhodey.

“I won’t need all of these fancy pieces,” Rhodey says, rolling his eyes. “I’m not even leaving the US this time, cupcake.”

“You saying you can’t be in danger when you’re here?” Tony asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Take the stuff dad,” Harley says exasperated.

“Ha!” Rhodey teases. “So I’m dad!”

“You both are,” Harley says. “You’re both dad.”

They grin at each other, at least until Tony furrows his brow.

“Then how will we know which one you’re talking to?”

“I’ll come up with a different name then,” Harley says. “I don’t know. Let’s not talk about this while you’re supposed to be boarding a jet.”

Rhodey shrugs, leaning in for a hug from Harley, and facing Tony. There’s something in his eyes.

“Stay safe,” Tony says. “Promise me that.”

“I don’t make promises,” Rhodey says, a smile playing at his lips.

“For anyone else,” Tony finishes, grinning. He brings him into a hug, probably holding on for a touch longer than necessary. But he’s leaving, so you can’t fault him for it.

Harley is smiling to himself as Rhodey whispers something in Tony’s ear, which causes him to widen his eyes in delight.

“Seriously? You’re serious.”

“As a heart attack.”

Tony cheers for a moment, before they hear a shout across the tarmac. Rhodey gives a lazy salute.

“Until one month and three weeks.”

“Until then, nerd,” Harley shouts.

Tony blows a kiss, and Rhodey “catches” it and puts it in his pocket.

Harley sends Tony a look as they’re driving home.

“So. What did Rhodey whisper in your ear?”

“He’s going to move in,” Tony says, grinning.

“He doesn’t actually live at our home?” Harley asks, absolutely flabbergasted. “There’s no fucking way-”

“Language!”

“You said ‘shit’ during breakfast, if anything this is just leveling the playing field-”

“Don’t care, you’re a small child. What would the public say if they knew I was teaching my boy curse words?” Tony says dramatically.

“They’d probably not be surprised,” Harley answers. “Didn’t you tell the paparazzi to ‘get fucked’ when they ambushed our dinner last month?”

“Not the point.”

“Or is it?”

“You’re detracting from the fact that you get to help me get rid of all of Rhodey’s ugly furniture in his apartment.”

“Seriously?” Harley whines. “No, I’m...doing something.”

“Doing what? Eating hot fries on my couch and getting it stained with spicy cheese dust?”

“...no.”

“Hm, thought so. You’re coming with me.”

Rhodey isn’t expecting to miss home as fiercely as he does this time around. He’s irritable, but he finds comfort in talking with some of the other members of the crew about kids.

“Didn’t know you had a kid,” Hicks mentions. “When did that happen?”

“About six months ago,” Rhodey answers. “Kid needed a guardian, Tony stepped up to the plate. He’s a real neat kid, really a genius. Just like Tony, in that way.”

“You live with Tony, finally?” Thompson asks. “Or do you still have that dinky bachelor pad?”

“I’m selling it,” Rhodey said. “I told Tony I’d help out with Harley, and that’s what I’m doing. Figure since I’m always over there anyways, might as well move in.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t move in sooner, what with you and Stark anyways,” Thompson remarks.

“What do you mean?” Rhodey asks.

“You’re...not together?”

Rhodey looks away, a bit sheepish.

“Uh...no. We’re not.”

“But you wanna be,” Owens teases from her corner, eating her sandwich. “You stupid lover-boy.”

“Aw shut up,” Rhodey fires back. “As if you aren’t all over your husband when you get back.”

“But I, my dear old man, am married,” Owens says. “Put a ring on it! God knows you should’ve, like, eight years ago. Have you even asked him on a date?”

“He has other options, and a life outside of me,” Rhodey says.

“Bullshit,” the team crows, laughing. Rhodey just shakes his head, and bites into his sandwich.

He misses them.

Harley and Tony miss him equally as much. Tony is down in the dumps, sulking in his lab while Harley attempts to rebuild a projectile weapon.

“Do you have a permit for that?”

“Do I need one?” Harley asks. “I’m not gonna take it anywhere, except maybe when I’m in trouble.”

“When will you be in trouble?”

“...you’ll know.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to be on national news.”

“Just on regional, don’t worry.”

Tony sighs.

“Rhodey is going to want to witness that, so can you wait?”

“...potentially.”

Rhodey gets letters from the two of them. He thinks it’s Harley’s idea: after all, Tony would simply just hijack the internet feed and yell at people until Rhodey was called for.

He gets two pages from Tony with his elegant writing, the writing that almost never comes out because he remembers that Tony was taught how to write in blocky, all-caps letters that he was fond of now.

Harley writes in chicken-scratch that is barely legible, although he mentions that he’s been learning about lettering from Tony.

Tony misses you a lot, by the way, Harley writes, he’s been playing all of your favorite songs, and I didn’t know that you liked Three Dog Night. Interesting.

It’s not surprising that Tony knows and plays his music, not really. But Rhodey is still pleasantly surprised that even when he isn’t physically present, Tony keeps a piece of him around.

Similarly, Tony writes about Harley.

The kid misses you, honey. He’s been compiling a list of things he wants to do when you get back. You’re better at hugging him, by the way. Today (well, Wednesday for you) we had a good cry session. Wish you were there, but we made do with what we had. Why did you take your sweatshirt, by the way? Stupid man, now I can’t wear it and drape myself across couches like a scorned widow. Honestly...

Rhodey comes back on a Tuesday morning. Harley’s allowed to miss school for it, which he’s very happy about.

“That doesn’t mean you get to sleep in,” Tony says. “We’re picking him up at eight.”

“Why must I be punished for all time,” Harley moans. “Eight? Seriously? Doesn’t the army know that noon exists?”

“They made up the early rule because of me,” Tony jokes. “But I promise that Rhodey will most likely want an actual breakfast, which means we get diner breakfast.”

“Yes!” Harley says, pumping his fist. “Waking up early just became worth it.”

“Yeah sure, just look at the emails your teachers sent you about missing homework and be sure to text Peter and Ned about the classes you missed,” Tony says.

Harley nods, walking out of the kitchen before pausing and turning back.

“You should wear that Black Sabbath shirt that Rhodey likes tomorrow,” he says. “It’ll be nice for him to see.”

Tony raises an eyebrow.

“And since when did you know what Rhodey likes to see?”

“Since I was born with vision,” Harley deadpans. “He always picks that shirt out for you when you come back after a business meeting overseas.”

Waking up at eight a.m. is worth it for a hug from Rhodey. Honest to god, that man gives the best hugs Harley’s ever had, short of Abbie and mom.

Tony is asking a million questions a minute, and then telling Rhodey about the results of the apartment. A Stark Industries employee is renting it, and Tony managed to save some of the mugs, and chastised Rhodey for stealing a colander, apparently.

“It was our good one! Why did you leave it in your apartment?”

“I thought I stored it where we put the pans!” Rhodey defended. “How was I supposed to know that it was at that apartment?”

“Quit arguing and start moving,” Harley says. “We have breakfast to get to.”

“Our boy is growing,” Tony says, sighing. “Soon he’ll eat us out of house and home.”

“We live in a gigantic tower in New York, I think you’re gonna be fine,” Rhodey says. “Although let’s get on it before there’s too much of a wait.”

“It’s a Tuesday, darling,” Tony says. “No wait. And they know us.”

Harley enjoys witnessing breakfast. Basically because Tony and Rhodey fall into their respective rhythms as if no one had ever left. Rhodey is fighting about the hash browns, and Tony is reaching all the way across the table for the hot sauce.

Harley has honestly and truly missed them all together like this.

Even if Rhodey nabs a sausage from his plate.

“I’m the growing teen here!” Harley says, gesturing with his fork. “Why steal from your poor, innocent charge? Was it not enough to leave for a month and three weeks?”

“And three weeks! Honestly honey,” Tony says, distracting Harley enough to steal the other sausage off of his plate. “You should’ve been here sooner, we could’ve eaten more of these!”

“You both are criminals,” Harley says. “Criminals who I have to live with. This is unforgivable. I’ll waste away into nothing...”

Rhodey laughs, and he catches Tony’s eyes.

Yeah. It’s good to be back.

Living with Tony and Harley isn’t really an adjustment at all. Rhodey had barely used his apartment before, and now is no different. He just gets to decorate his room a little bit more, and contribute more to groceries.

He’s also around for more of Harley which is...interesting.

The kid knows something, that’s for sure.

He is also sneakily good at making sure that Tony and Rhodey get alone time, whether that be last-minute-ditching plans with Pepper or “forgetting” that he was supposed to be going to Ned’s for a video-game championship. (Harley was good at lying, but Tony and Rhodey have had years of practice.)

Rhodey has a sneaking suspicion that he knows why.

Harley isn’t a stupid boy, not by a long shot.

He’s caught on to Rhodey’s stares, the way that Tony and Rhodey have something, but neither really want to acknowledge.

To acknowledge means to know, and knowing is something that is far more terrifying than most people give it credit.

Harley eventually has help.

After all, he and Pepper didn’t just go their separate ways when he ditched his guardians to give them quality dates, and he didn’t just talk about video game strategy with Peter, Ned, and MJ.

He was planning. Figured it would fit with a life plan, honestly.

Pepper is quite potentially even more tired than he is, and has agreed to help set up a nice date.

She’s made deals she never expected to.

She owes the god of mischief a bottle of wine. It’s ridiculous.

Peter and Ned have been elected with getting the “aesthetic” right, and MJ has been “helpfully” suggesting where lights go.

“MJ, if I move them any more left they’ll fall off the building and become a hazard,” Harley grunts.

“Exactly. Nothing says romance like dangerous situations,” she says with a shrug. “But put them in the tree, and we can link the extension cord behind. It’ll look nice. All Pinterest-y and shit.”

“Why can’t you help and then joke?”

“I never joke. You just always like my second plan better.”

“I don’t know whether to be terrified or alarmed!” Peter calls from his spot of building the cheese-board.

“They’re synonyms,” MJ says. “When are we going home, by the way?”

“As soon as Rhodey finishes up with his afternoon run, and Tony realizes that dinner is still a social concept,” Harley says.

“Time, then?”

“...five-thirty.”

“Perfect.”

“I’ll call my mom about the pizza,” Ned says. “We still thinking one pepperoni and one veggie?”

“Sounds great,” Peter says. “What movie are we watching tonight?”

“Twitter polls said Clueless over the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet. Sorry Ned, looks like your choice will be next week.”

“My heart hurts, but it understands,” Ned says sagely, placing a hand over his heart. “I will see Mercutio soon enough.”

Tony was not aware that their rooftop had lights. He doesn’t remember putting them there.

He was also pretty sure that Harley had a question about the flight patterns of birds in relation to GPS technology in drones, and it was weird that it was outside, but-

There’s a cheese-board. And now he gets why Pepper made him change shirts. He knew that his shirt wasn’t ugly!

Rhodey is standing across the way, looking at the dinner set-up and the tealights flickering gently from their placement.

“Is this...did you do this, Tony?”

“I don’t have this much of a creative eye,” Tony says, eyeing the intimate table placement. “Maybe Pepper?”

“She doesn’t do lights...”

“Harley,” they both say in unison, laughing.

There’s a note at the table, written in the same near-illegible handwriting:

Either get together or I get to make a Twitter thread. Your call.

Tony snorts as he looks at the placement of everything.

“Well...it’d be a shame for it to go to waste.”

“Is that you saying you’re flattered, but no thanks?” Rhodey asks.

“No,” Tony says, looking at Rhodey. “It’s not that at all, if you-”

“You mean-?”

“What? Is this what’s happening?” Tony asks. His breathing speeds up. He’s quite embarrassed that he can feel his cheeks turn red. He thought he got rid of blushing in ‘96.

“I...damn it, Tony. I love you!”

Tony stares. He just stares, and for a moment it doesn’t process, until it does. He flings himself into Rhodey’s arms, and laughs.

“Holy shit, that’s a relief.”

Rhodey spins him around, taking a brief moment to kiss him gently on the cheek.

“Oh, you owe me more than that, soldier.”

“I think I’m a little bit higher ranked than that.”

“Oh, and what would that be?”

“Boyfriend, for one.”

Tony rolls his eyes.

“We’re, like, a minute into this and you’re already the cheesy one.”

“Well one of us has to be, and I’m going to beat you to the punch.”

Harley gets one text at four in the morning from Rhodey:

no twitter thread for us. and you need to figure out what to call tony because i’m claiming “dad.”

Harley cackles, grinning.

got it, he’ll be pops then.

Tony texts Harley a minute later.

if you call me ‘pops’ there will be a mutiny! a mutiny!!

Harley laughs again, tapping a message back.

wotever.

Tony doesn’t respond, choosing instead to roll back over and sling an arm around his significant other. It’s too early to be nitpicking your kid’s grammar.

#lovelyirony writes #tony stark #harley keener #ironhusbands #rhodey #war machine #iron man #harley #pepper potts #mj watson #ned leeds #peter parker #anyways!!! yeah #death tw #tony and rhodye are STUPID. STUPID STUPID STUPID.#luckily harley has decided it's going to be his side proejct to get his two guardians together

282 notes · View notes

milstrim · 4 years ago

Text

Comfort in My Shadow

Chapter 4: Uninvited

By @iwritedumbshit for @iron-mum

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Ned Leeds, James “Rhodey” Rhodes

Summary: Soulmates are definite in the universe. Nobody knows exactly why they exist, or what dictates who is bonded to who, the only thing known is that they are never wrong. But Peter’s not so sure about that.

Living at the group home had taught Peter a lot about laying low and how to stay alive when nobody cares. But he’d always clung to the hope of the shadow at his feet reflecting his soulmate that had watched over him for years.

Typical that his soulmate is actually a superhero that Peter is convinced shouldn’t want anything to do with him. Maybe, just this once, the Universe was wrong.

But Tony Stark is desperate to prove that it is right.

Ch 1 // Ch 2 // Ch 3 // Ch 5 // Ch 6 // Ch 7 // Ch 8

---

Peter didn't really wake up the next morning, because he hadn't really fallen asleep last night. He'd been incredibly tired, but his hair hadn't been able to lay flat and he hadn't been able to block out the overwhelmingly disgusting smell of Mr. Fowler's closet. He'd been it the entirety of the day and even throughout the night when Mr. Fowler stomped into the room and passed out on the bed. The lilting stumbles in his steps made Peter think he'd been drunk and had likely forgotten about the kid trapped in his closet.

So he hadn't really slept, but his eyes had been closed--the darkness of his eyes was better than that of the closet--until the door had finally swung open, allowing Peter his first full breath in almost a whole day. The dankness of Mr. Fowler's room was a thousand times better than the closet. An arm had grabbed his own, pulling him roughly to his feet and out of the closet. His legs had ached with the disuse, but he'd stumbled to his feet nonetheless.

"Are you going to talk back to me again, son?" Mr. Fowler had asked, a horrible pleasantness to his voice. Peter had shaken his head. Something had been shoved into his hands, and he'd fumbled only to realize it was his wallet. "There. The card doesn't work anymore, so you can have that piece of shit back. Now get out of here."

"O-okay. Thank you," he'd said, stumbling out of the room and into the bathroom that he'd been deprived of for almost twenty-four hours. Once he'd finished and washed his hands, he'd searched through his wallet.

His few crumpled bills had been taken, but the pictures stuffed inside had been left alone, and the black card had sat crammed in a pocket. He'd grabbed it with fumbling fingers, brows furrowing. It didn't work anymore? Had the man maxed it out? Peter had swallowed, a pit forming in his stomach as he thought about what the hell he'd bought to do that. Probably a lot of alcohol had been his guess.

He really, really hoped that Mr. Stark couldn't see his purchases.

After a quick shower, in which he'd had to sit down his vision had swam so much, he'd rushed out the door with his beaten up backpack swinging off of his shoulder. He knew he probably should have stayed to check on the other kids who'd had to listen to the fight last night and might need help with homework, but the teenager couldn't stand to be in that house for any longer. Everything smelled like Mr. Fowler's awful closet and he just needed to be out in the bright Sunday sun. He wanted to find just a little comfort in his shadow that he'd been deprived of the night before.

So he'd changed into his suit and swung around for most of the day, flipping for some overly excited middle schoolers and directing an old man from Ukraine visiting his son who lived in Harlem and ignoring the pain in his stomach. When there was a lull in the late afternoon, he strung a web between two buildings and just did as many daring flips and handstands as he could. It was a feeble attempt to distract himself from the events of the past few days.

Hits and threats from Mr. Fowler were nothing new, in fact, they were a staple in the Queens Pinehill Group Home for Boys, but last night had been different. He'd never been trapped like that in the group home. He'd always had a lot of free reign as long as he operated within the curfew and got his chores done, but yesterday was like someone had flipped a switch on that, and he was still reeling from the terror.

Or that could be the hunger eating through his stomach. Peter stopped flipping on the web for a moment, instead laying down and balancing himself on the thin string as his stomach growled so hard he flinched. He wouldn't even be getting anything today. When did his grounding end again? He was pretty sure it was Thursday, but he wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Fowler extended it after last night. Maybe he could stop by Ned's and get a granola bar or something.

The teenager looked down at the ground to stare at Mr. Stark's shadow, blinking as he realized it was no longer clothed in normal attire, or a sharp business suit, but rather the larger outline of what he could now identify as the Iron Man armor. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what the man must be doing. Probably something really important.

Peter sighed, moving to sit up, when a sound made him pause. He cocked his head before finally turning in the direction of the mechanical whine to make out the Iron Man suit flying towards him.

Huh.

He tried to feign disinterest, laying back down on the web and placing his hands underneath his head as the suit landed on the nearest building rooftop and Mr. Stark stepped out, but Peter couldn't lie to himself about how excited he really was to see the man.

"Hey, Mr. Stark," he greeted from the web.

"Hey, kid."

"Um, thanks for the letter." Please don't ask about the card. Please don't ask about the card. "Are you sure about the phone, though? I mean, that thing looks like it could cost as much as a house."

"Keep it, kid, I gave it to you for a reason," Mr. Stark said, waving him off. Peter watched him warily as he sat down on the edge of the building, shuffling nervously. Peter smiled to see the man very clearly out of his element, as if he would let him fall anyway. "So, how's your day been?"

Peter shrugged. "Fine."

"No hangovers or anything?" Peter froze. "Can you even get drunk? Cap can't."

The teenager hesitated before answering. It was either 'I bought a bunch of adult stuff with your credit card' or 'My foster father bought a bunch of adult stuff with your credit card.' He wasn't sure which one was better, but there didn't seem to be much to win from lying, not that there was much to gain from telling the truth either.

"I don't know," Peter responded honestly as he sat up on the web to stare at the shadow on the ground. The imitation felt more comforting than the real thing at that moment.

"You don't know? You bought three hundred dollars of pure liquor."

"Three hundred--Oh, jeez. I'm really sorry, Mr. Stark."

Mr. Stark blinked at him for a second before his gaze softened.

"You didn't buy any of that stuff, did you?" Peter shook his head. "Who? Andrew Fowler?" A moment. A nod. "Okay, I'll just deactivate that card and give you a new one."

"No, it's fine, Mr. Stark," Peter said, pulling his wallet out of his hoodie pocket and showing him the black card. "He gave it back. I think he was annoyed that it was, like, maxed out or something."

"Well, it is most definitely not maxed out--there's a lot more than three hundred on that, kid--but I'm glad you got it back."

"Thanks."

There was a minute of awkward silence before Mr. Stark rolled his shoulders and sat up straighter.

"So, no tower yesterday?"

Peter suddenly remembered the little note at the end of his letter. He shrugged bashfully, mumbling, "Yeah, sorry, uh Mr--Mr. Fowler kept us pretty busy yesterday. Chore day, so."

"Wanna stop by now?"

Peter looked up at him in surprise. It was a wonder this man didn't hate him yet. The foster parents Peter had before Mr. Fowler had gotten sick of him pretty quickly, or just hadn't been very attached in the first place, while the majority of his teachers regarded him with either pity or disdain at his situation and record. As far as Mr. Stark knew, he had an accident-prone, snotty teenager as a soulmate whose favorite pass time was to be a juvenile delinquent.

And yet, the mechanic regarded him with a soft smile. A little strained, but welcoming nonetheless. It unfurled something in his chest.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Yeah!--I mean, sure sure, that'd be fun." Mr. Stark gave him an amused smile as the teenager stepped off of his web and onto the roof of the building. With a quick glance and a rare smile, Peter leaped off the roof, enjoying the way Mr. Stark yelped in surprise. Peter called, "Beat you there!!"

He did not, in fact, beat Mr. Stark to the tower. To be fair, the man was in a suit that flew faster than a jet and Peter was only propelled by physics and muscles.

The teenager watched from a short distance as the Iron Man suit paused in front of a higher point in the tower, faced him for a moment, and then dove through the window. He raised an eyebrow, but doubled down in catching up to the man, only barely managing to swing himself high enough so that he wouldn't have to crawl his way up more than a couple of stories.

Finally, just a few minutes later than Mr. Stark, he rolled through the window and landed hard on the floor just a little unsteadily, not that he cared in the slightest. There were much more interesting things to care about in that moment.

"Whoa..."

"You like it?" Mr. Stark called from across the lab. Peter nodded dumbly, staring, widemouthed, at the state of the art equipment decorating just about every inch of the room. There were cases of Iron Man armor lining the walls, robots rolling around--he managed a laugh at one with a dunce cap sweeping the ground with a broom inefficiently--and tables filled with projects Peter couldn't even begin to dream of. "You can take your mask off here, kid. No one's going to see you."

Mr. Stark's voice pulled him back to reality, drawing him further into the room hesitantly. He glanced at the man, but realized dimly that his spider sense had finally calmed down. This wasn't the danger he'd felt after being fished out of the lake, or the feeling that had been following him since, it was a normal calm mixed with just a hint of nerves.

He tugged his mask off.

Mr. Stark stared at him, a soft look on his face, before finally tearing his gaze away when Peter shuffled uncomfortably.

"Sorry, kid," he apologized. "Didn't mean to freak you out. Just..."

"Just what?"

"It's just nice to see you, Peter."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he just offered the billionaire a strained smile and stepped over to the desk the man was standing at. He felt more than a little out of place, but his curiosity overwhelmed his discomfort as he glanced over a shiny metal case held lightly in the billionaire's hands in interest. Mr. Stark tapped it when he caught the boy looking.

"This, kid," he said, sliding it over, "is for you."

Peter caught it effortlessly, his fingers light and hesitant as he glanced from it to Mr. Stark, his head down.

"I can't accept this, Mr. Stark. You already--"

Mr. Stark interrupted by reaching over and pressing something on the case. It sprang open, spooking Peter enough for him to take a step back but holding his attention as he caught sight of the bright red fabric. The eyes were what really caught his attention, looking unreasonably cool and intimidating. Peter mumbled, "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen."

Mr. Stark chuckled. "Good thing it's yours."

"It's--" He gaped at the man. "Mr. Stark, I really can't accept--"

"Too bad," he interrupted. "It's a gift and it's rude to turn down a gift. So, there's a bathroom right over there if you want to try it on. Give it a whirl?"

After a moment of hesitation, he closed the case, thanked Mr. Stark, and headed to the bathroom to change.

---

When Peter stepped out of the bathroom in the new suit, Tony couldn't help but frown. He covered it up as quickly as possible, but the sentiment still remained as his eyes roamed over the kid. He was muscular, sure, but he was so thin that it practically hurt. The teenager's ribs were practically there just for him to count and worry about. He filed it away for later as Peter turned to look at him, the mask's eyes narrowing.

"Looking good, hotshot," Tony said. "How's it feel?"

"It's awesome, Mr. Stark," Peter responded, his hands held out in front of him as he tapped the webshooters. "It smells like a new car!"

Tony couldn't help his laugh. "If you think that's cool, just wait. Friday, Babysitter Protocol."

"Babysitter--" Peter cut off with a confused yelp as his suit lit up blue, the AI in his suit supposedly greeting him. The kid cocked his head. "Oh, hi. Nice to meet you too."

Tony turned away, letting the kid and the AI get acquainted as he pulled out his phone and ordered a few pizzas. Five might be enough. Steve had always eaten a lot, and even if he didn't manage to burn through the best pizza in the city, the kid could definitely use leftovers. He entered the order and shifted back to observe the kid again.

"--uh, Liz? No, no, that's weird. How about Karen?" A moment as he waited for a response. "Fun. Nice. Cool, this is so cool."

Tony smiled, unable to tear his eyes away from the kid. His soulmate. His little shadow.

Peter turned to look at him after a few minutes, muttering a quick goodbye to the AI--Karen, he guessed--before tugging the mask off again. There was a hesitant smile tugging at his thin face. Much too thin. How many pizzas would it take to get the kid back to even a semi-healthy weight? Probably way too many.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Stark," Peter said. "I really can't thank you enough."

"Please, you can thank me by not thanking me. Pepper says my ego's already a little off of the charts." Peter laughed and Tony couldn't help his grin. "Wanna stay over for dinner? I ordered pizza."

Peter hesitated, but after a moment he answered, "Alright," which was so much better than the kid regarding him defensively or looking like he was constantly on the edge of running away again. And, as it turned out, Peter fit more easily into his life than he could have thought.

In barely thirty minutes, the kid was sat beside him at a desk filled with vials of web fluid and pieces of Iron Man armor, an old, frayed hoodie of Tony's slipped over the suit, and a stack of freshly baked pizza laid out in front of them. Peter sat in the chair next to him as the mechanic ran through the schematics of his suit, hanging on every single word.

"...most of the framing is between the protective layers of your suit, completely waterproof by the way, if you ever get yourself into another lake. You also have a parachute if you pass the three thousand feet threshold."

Peter glanced over his shoulder in surprise. "There's a parachute in this thing? How?"

Tony tapped his back where he knew the spider logo was. "A magician never reveals their secrets."

"Did you compress all the air out of it? Or build it into the wiring on the patch on my back somehow?"

"Both are true." He took a bite of pizza. "You're pretty smart, huh?"

Peter ducked his head with a shrug. "Sorta. I can figure out chemistry, but that's about it."

"I don't believe that for a second, but we'll stick with the modesty for now." Peter huffed out a laugh, spinning the hologram of his suit and staring at it in complete adoration. It dragged a smile onto Tony's face.

Peter had a sort of ruggedness to him, a desperate scrappiness, but it was embarrassingly easy to see that that wasn't all there was to the teenager. His rambles were fast and excited, his scarce smiles adorably bright and always lighting up his doe eyes. There was a kind of spark to Peter that Tony couldn't explain, and, though he was sorry that the kid was saddled with him, he couldn't have wished for a better soulmate.

Apparently, five pizzas ended up being a great number, because Peter ate everything Tony offered him. He was practically a human garbage disposal, though much more polite. Tony was glad that the kid was filling up, but it made him seriously question how much he was getting at that group home. After letting the kid get comfortable for about an hour, he voiced it.

"Do they feed you where you live, kid? I swear, you just put down over ten thousand calories."

Peter paused on the slice he was eating, swallowing before putting it back on the plate nervously, and Tony immediately regretted ever opening his big, fat mouth.

"Yeah. They--Mr. Fowler feeds us fine. Just, enhanced metabolism, so." He shrugged. It was said so nervously that it felt like an outright lie, but Tony left it alone.

"Okay. Good to know. Just make sure to use that card whenever you get hungry, kid. I'm not having my soulmate starve."

At his mention of being soulmates, Peter glanced over his shoulder to stare at their shadows. Right now they almost looked like their own shadows, mirror images of each other, but if you looked hard enough you could see the slight difference in hair texture and the distinctive widths of their shoulders.

"It must've been weird," Peter said. Tony glanced at him in confusion. "Not having a shadow. You didn't get one until I was born, right?"

"Oh. Yeah," Tony agreed. He swallowed as he admitted, "Thought I was broken for the longest time. It was the best day of my life when your tiny little baby shadow appeared at my feet... What about you? Always had a grown man following you around, huh?"

"That sounded creepy, Mr. Stark." Tony just grinned cheekily. "It was nice, actually, always having you there. Like--like a guardian or something."

"And now you've got the real thing." Peter rolled his eyes and Tony pointed at him. "Ah, there's that good ol' sass I was looking for. I was afraid I'd lost it."

"Uhuh. You're kinda weird, Mr. Stark."

"Right back at you, little shadow." Peter smiled at the nickname before glancing out the window where the sky was a deep russet red. "Time for you to head out?"

"Yeah. I've still got some homework to do."

The two stood up and walked over to the window. Peter moved to take the hoodie he'd been wearing off, but Tony stopped him. "Keep it. I've got plenty."

"Oh, thanks, Mr. Stark."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm so generous. Have fun with the suit, kid, I'll see you soon."

"When?"

Tony paused, looking over at the kid who had only just begun to pull the mask over his head, hopeful eyes staring at him. He desperately wanted to tell the kid he'd pick him up from school tomorrow so that they could hang out in the lab again, but he knew he genuinely didn't have any time. He'd been putting off packing for a few too many days.

"After we move. I'll pick you up from school on Friday. We can go explore the compound together. Sound good?"

Peter nodded. "Yep. Real good, Mr. Stark."

"You can call me Tony, Mr. Parker," he joked.

Peter pulled the mask down and jumped out the window with a call of. "See you Friday, Mr. Stark!"

Tony's shoulders shook with laughter.

---

Friday. Peter couldn't wait for Friday. With a burst of excitement and energy he hadn't had in a while, Peter flipped in the air and let out a WHOOO! only catching himself at the last second before flipping back up.

"Wow, this suit is so intuitive!" he exclaimed, shooting another web.

"I am glad you think so, Peter," Karen responded, shocking him so bad he nearly let go of his web. Oh, yeah, he'd forgotten he had an AI now. Man, Mr. Stark was so cool. "I am currently taking feedback for the suit's systems in case anything needs to be changed on Friday. Would you like to rate the suit's webshooters?"

"Oh, full eleven out of ten, Karen. It's great."

"Thank you for the feedback, Peter, I have sent a note to Mr. Stark."

"Oh." Peter blushed. "You didn't have to tell him that, Karen."

"Why not? He has asked for feedback."

"No, it's not--" He cut himself off, sighing as he flipped himself into a large arc. "I just don't want to bother him. He's already been so nice to me."

"Mr. Stark has asked for feedback, Peter."

"It's not the--it's not the feedback, Karen," he tried to explain.

"I do not understand."

He spluttered and then sighed, waving it off. "Whatever. It's fine, Karen, just forget it."

"Of course, Peter. Would you like me to show you the quickest route home?"

Peter hesitated. He did have a lot of homework to do, and Eric probably needed help with his reading, but he had to swallow down fear at the thought of being in the same room as Mr. Fowler again. It was irrational--it was so stupid--and Peter knew it, but he couldn't stop the way his hands seemed to shake and his entire body quail.

"Actually, let's take the scenic route. Really test out the suit, y'know?"

"Of course, Peter. Planning now."

A blue line appeared on screen, leading Peter back to the group home. He muttered, "So cool."

Spider-Man was only halfway back to the Queens Pinehill Group Home for Boys, finally across the bridge and back into his home territory, when his spider sense went off again. He immediately glanced down at his shadow, which had lengthened as the sun set, for some kind of comfort or guidance. But of course, there wasn't one. It was just a shadow.

A little put off by the shiver that had run down his spine, he attached himself to the side of the building, staring out over the street. Nothing too out of the normal. People hurrying on the sidewalk, cars honking down the street, and shadows following along aimlessly.

"Karen. What's going on?"

"What do you mean, Peter?" the AI asked.

"It's just--there's something wrong. Maybe--" At a second shiver up his spine, Peter turned to look at where his senses were directing him at the ringing of a bell.

It was a small bodega, its door swung open as two men stepped inside in unreasonably thick coats for the warm weather. He narrowed his eyes, and the suit zoomed in with him, scanning the men before they disappeared through the door.

"What's the time, Karen?"

"7:30."

"Alright, we're good then. Plenty of time." He swung over to the bodega, attaching himself to the wall above the door, out of sight of the occupants inside. His senses had yet to calm down, so he assumed that he was right about this being a robbery. "Ready to test out the suit, Karry Berry?"

"I am always ready, Peter."

"Y'know, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Does that mean I should assign you a nickname too?"

"Definitely! Think about it for a moment and get back to me after we do this," Peter exclaimed in an excited mumble, straining his ears to hear whatever was going on inside. There was the tense calm of nothing for a moment, and then a shuffle and a squeak followed by a spike in his senses. He muttered to himself. "Finally."

He kept his ears strained on the actions going on inside, dropping down in front of the door quietly to watch what was happening. There was a teenager at the register, her hands fumbling with the register while the two men from earlier in their dark coats pointed shotguns at her. He could see tears streaming down the girl's face, clearly terrified.

Peter crept forward, picking up on the muttered conversation inside.

"--just open the register, keep it quiet," the closest man said in a raspy voice. "Hand everything over nice and quick."

"It's--it doesn't open," the girl cried. "It doesn't open unless a purchase is made and--"

The man flinched forward. "Do I look like I care? Just open it!"

Finally having heard enough, Peter placed his fingers against the door and pulled it open as quietly as possible.

Ding!

Peter froze. Heads turned. Curses flew.

The superhero darted forward as the gun pointed at him, firing a shot that missed him completely as he dove behind a grocery aisle of gummies and pregnancy tests. Bodegas really were something. Peter crouched down, muttering under his breath, "Fuck that stupid bell."

"Would you like me to alert Mr. Stark to your predicament?" Karen asked.

"What? No! I can deal with this, Karen, just watch."

"I like the new look," came the voice of the man that had shot at him. "New government sugar daddy or something?"

Peter blanched. "I really wish that that would stop being people's first assumption. People can be platonic y'know!"

There was a scoff and the sound of something warping. Peter's eyes narrowed, peeking around the grocery shelf and then immediately ducking back. The man, the one who hadn't shot at him, had pulled out a large and glowing weapon that looked incredibly similar to the one that had been at the ATM robbery. Man, he was getting really sick of those things.

The teenage girl had looked okay, shivering behind the desk and thankfully not making any moves to alert the police, as far as he could tell anyway. The last thing he needed was cops showing up in such a tense situation. And his first time using the new suit! That would be just plain embarrassing.

"Platonic or not, I don't give a shit," Normal Gun Man said. "A new look isn't going to change your situation. So either come out, or we shoot you."

"I don't know if you can shoot me while I'm back here soooo."

There was a click and a squeak. "Yeah? What about her?"

Okay. So that was a little different.

Without hesitation, Peter stepped out from behind the aisle shelf, his arms raised half-heartedly in the air. The two men had ski masks over their face--not quite as fun as the Avengers masks, but it'd do--but he could still see the honestly nervous smile of the man holding the gun. Clearly he hadn't expected the arrival of Queens favorite vigilante.

"Good to know that you can comply," Normal Gun Guy said. Alien Gun Guy had the weird blue gun pointed at Peter, but the shotgun was still directed at the worker. He chose his target.

"Not really."

With a flick, he webbed the shotgun and slammed it into the wall. There was a startled scream at the same moment his hairs stood on end. Peter only managed to jump forward before he was encased in a blue light that gave him quite possibly the worst headache of his entire life. He hated the feeling of that stupid thing. He didn't quite know what it was, but it felt like something out of The Incredibles. Like Syndrome and shit.

"Ugh! This thing is so weird!" Peter complained in a warped yell. Alien Gun Guy gave him a brutish look and then swung him through the window.

Peter grunted as he crashed through the window, wincing at the clinking shatter of glass that broke under him, but, surprisingly, none of the glass managed to grab at him and slice through his skin, even as he was shot across the street from the force of the alien weapon, only stopping when he thudded against the wall. He groaned as the air was forced out of him.

At least the suit had kept him from getting cut.

"Ugh... The hell." The teenager shook his head, forcing himself back to his feet, clinging to the wall for just a moment as he blinked out dizziness. Remembering himself, he turned back to the bodega across the street, panicking when his head pounded. That wasn't from being hit, that was his spider sense.

The men ran out of the door, hulking along a cash register and a handful of cigarette packs, but the teenage girl had yet to leave and his head only pounded harder. Spider-Man dashed across the road, leaping through the already broken window, his breath catching as he caught sight of the purple thing sitting on the ground in the middle of the bodega. It whined, louder and louder.

Bomb. Bomb!

Peter's head shot around so fast he physically winced, but he caught sight of the teenager behind the counter. Working on instinct, he jumped over the counter as the whine reached its apex, wrapping his arms around the girl and pushing himself between her and the bomb. He squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as possible, gritting his teeth.

The world shook and she let out a surprised cry into his shoulder but didn't let go. Peter barely managed to hold down a whimper of fear. Be brave, be a hero. Be brave, be a hero. He could do it. He was fine.

He was fine.

Peter blinked his eyes open, moving carefully to peer over the counter.

"Dammit," he muttered. The rest of the windows had shattered, and just about every product in the store had been knocked back and now littered the ground. A tile fell from the ceiling, making him tense his shoulders. They'd gotten away. Some hero he was.

"I have a nickname for you, Peter," Karen said in his ear. He frowned in annoyance. Well, he had told her to tell him once the situation was over.

"Great," he snapped, stepping over the counter, his boot crunching on the glass. "What is it?"

"Peter-butter!"

"...Okay that's actually pretty good."

---

After double checking that the cashier was alright, Peter had fled the scene, cursing himself for how bad it had gone. Nobody had died, but that wasn't really the standard he was looking for. If anything, he'd really just made everything worse. Stupid, Parker, stupid!

The teenager sighed, dipping into the dark alleyway where his backpack had been left earlier. He grabbed it from under the crate of boxes where he'd hidden it, pressing the spider emblem on his chest, allowing the suit to cascade off of him. Frustrated, Peter ripped the mask off and untangled himself from the fabric at his feet, stuffing the items in his faded blue bag and jumping back into his own clothes, and, after a moment of hesitation, slipped into the hoodie that Mr. Stark had given him.

He pulled the bag over his shoulder and buried his hands into his pockets as he stepped out of the alleyway and back onto the streets in the direction of the Queens Pinehill Group Home for Boys. His brows were furrowed and his face squished into a deep frown. He couldn't believe he'd been given a superhero suit by literally Iron Man and he'd screwed it up immediately. He chittered nervously at the thought of Mr. Stark seeing what had happened at the bodega and realizing just how shit of a superhero his soulmate was.

As he was debating the likely-hood of Mr. Stark taking the suit back and never talking to him again for his screw up, his phone buzzed. Hesitantly, Peter pulled it out to find two texts waiting for him. One from Ned and one from Mr. Stark.

He clicked on the one from Ned first. The text app opened up to show Peter a grainy picture of him in his new suit followed by Ned's message of 'Excuse me??? tf is this?? tell me everything rn or im going to die'

Peter smiled faintly, making a mental note to call his friend in a few minutes. With a deep breath, he clicked on Mr. Stark's message.

Mr. Stark: I saw the news. You okay?

Peter blinked. He wasn't mad? He chewed on his lip as he sent a response, 'All good. Sorry I freaked you out.'

Mr. Stark texted back almost immediately, 'No problem. Just glad you're good. Text ya later, kiddo.'

And that was that, Peter supposed. No...no nothing, really. He'd expected a lot more resistance or opposition from the billionaire, but he wasn't mad that he hadn't gotten any. He was about to call Ned when his phone buzzed again.

Mr. Stark: 'P.S. You can talk to and text Karen through your phone. Knock yourself out, Peter-butter.'

Well, that was embarrassing. But still kinda cool.

With a shake of his head, he finally dialed Ned's number. His friend only picked up after two rings with a breathless greeting.

"Yo, what the hell is up with that suit? Did Mr. Stark make it for you? Are you super hero buddies now!!? Officially his sidekick!!?"

Peter smiled, shaking his head in amusement as he stopped at a streetlight. "Yeah, Mr. Stark made it for me. It's cool right? It even has an AI!"

"It has an AI!!? Please, please, tell me you'll let me look at it."

"Duh. Yeah, you can look at it. We can go to your house after school." Peter thought for a moment, thinking of the alien weapons. He'd messed up today, probably disappointed Mr. Stark, but if he could take the whole operation down... "Besides, I need your help with something."

Ch 1 // Ch 2 // Ch 3 // Ch 5 // Ch 6 // Ch 7 // Ch 8

#friendly neighborhood exchange #peter parker #tony stark #Iron Man #spiderman #irondad #spiderson #irondad and spiderson #ironman fanfiction #spiderman fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #soulmate au #platonic soulmates #not st*rker

41 notes · View notes

gothamsglam · 4 years ago

Text

Can I have Your Name? (a SamBucky ficlet)

for @samshield hope you enjoy 😘

(also on ao3 under @/the_fifth_marauder101)

---

“Thanks, can I have your name?” asked Bucky with a charming smile on his face, pulling out a sharpie. However, instead of writing on an empty class as the poor customer thought, he scribbled down “Tony” on one of those ‘Hello, my name is…’ stickers.

“That’s a wonderful name by the way,” Bucky compliments, because fck you Steve, he can be polite.

He fcking told Steve going into customer service was a great idea. Idiot wanted to continue doing door to door shit, or, even worse, mope around forests for wandering travelers. He told him it wasn’t the 1400s anymore, and to grow up. Damn the supernatural council and their ‘hunt in pairs’ rule, he will go rouge and leave Stevie, he will do it.

“I’m this close,” Bucky had hissed, holding his fingers in the air so Stevie could see,

“Your fingers are touching,” Steve deadpanned.

“Exactly.”

The man doesn’t look up from his flurry of typing, “Thank you, it’s a family name.”

“Sure,” Bucky replies quietly “Alright, your order will be right out,” Bucky grinned, replacing his name tag with the new one without looking away from the brown-haired customer. The second the tag sticks to his shirt, he feels a refreshing rush of energy. Kind of like what he imagines those ‘caffeine/sugar rush’ those damn teens keep harping about.

“Thank y—” The customer—Tony—looks up from his phone to flash him a grin, only to have it fall from his face when he sees the name tag.

This was the fun part. Bucky didn’t break eye contact, maintaining it with the same smile, only now he could tell it felt eerie to the human. Like something wasn’t right.

The man’s brown eyes flitted up and down between Bucky’s face and the name tag, before he surged forward, “What di—”

“Have a good day,” Bucky bit out, still keeping the smile and cheery customer service tone. His eyes were blank, he made sure of it. Honestly, this whole song and dance was unnecessary. Stevie usually just wrote the name tags, and then stuck them on as he was making the drinks. Their shop was typically slow enough that there wouldn’t be people behind to question why the tender had a new name. But Bucky loved to fck with humans. What the hell else was he supposed to do? He’s been alive for 70 generations, let him have his fun.

However, today was a bit different. Another two walked into the shop, Bucky didn’t see it as much as he felt it. Bucky kept his back turned, hollering “Welcome to Stars and Stripes, I’ll be with you in just a moment,” over his shoulder as he made the three drinks. What asshole ordered three drinks?

Bucky’s question was answered when he saw the two men walk over to Tony’s table. One of them kissed Tony on the cheek and the other just faux-gagged before giving Tony a hug as well. Bucky called out the order, eyes tracking the way Tony mumbled something to the two men and both reacted oddly, as they probably should. Bucky would expect no less.

Apparently, he jinxed himself, because the man who hugged Tony came to pick up the drinks.

“Nice name,” said the man.

“Thanks,” Bucky flashed his uncanny valley smile and offered nothing else. The man winked and then walked back to the table.

Bucky did not look at his ass, he didn’t.

---

The next day, the man comes in. Not Tony, but other guy. The cute one.

“Hi my name’s Jacob, how may I help you today?” Bucky asks politely.

The man, to his credit, didn’t bat an eyelash, “Hi I’ll have three—” And he rattled off the same order that Tony had. Bucky resisted the urge to frown, maybe it was just a two-time thing? This group has only come into their shop once before, what are the odds of it happening again, for a third time?

“Perfect,” Bucky slid the receipt across the counter, “Can I have your name?” Bucky asked, as he reached for a pen.

“Nope,” the man replied.

Bucky froze in his moments, “What?”

The man shrugged, face showing nothing but politeness, “I’m the only person in this store, you’ll be able to find me.”

Bucky was stunned as he watched him walk back to the spot the trio was in the other day. As he sat down, the man gave a nod of acknowledgment to Bucky, who was still staring.

His brown—almost hazelnut with the light of the sun—eyes stared into Bucky’s own, and in them all he saw was mischief.

Fck.

---

For the next two days, Bucky kept a—subtle, he wasn’t obsessed or anything—watch out for Tony or The Man. And for those two days, he didn’t see hide or hair of them. Bucky figured they must have been college students from nearby campuses, wandering in when Starbucks was too full, which happens often enough. Then on the third day, he returned.

“Hey, Jacob” greeted The Man, his smile so bright—so bright that Nat would have burned like she does under the sun and threaten to bite the man in the jugular. Bucky, who was too gobsmacked to even deliver his customer service opening, stared at him.

“Not Jacob,” Bucky said, his voice strangled.

The Man chuckled, his eyes sparkling with the same look from the first day he ordered, “Ok ‘Not Jacob’, may I have—” And repeated the same order from the last two times.

“Um, right, uh” Bucky stammered, face growing hot as The Man raised an eyebrow at him smugly, “Can I have your name?”

“Put Redwing,” The Man said, shrugging. The corner of his lips pulled upwards into a happy smirk—how can a person have a fcking happy smirk?—, not that Bucky was only looking at his lips or anything.

“Redwing?” Bucky asked, stupidly. Because why ask, idiot, why ask for clarification? He read somewhere that the psyche is powerful enough to make the body do things, like fake pregnancies. Whether that’s something only reserved to humans is up for debate, but maybe, if Bucky doesn’t ask and lives in blissful ignorance, he can feed off of a fake name. But no, because he’s a bloody fool, he asked.

“It’s my pet’s name,” The Man answered, then looked tilted his head, giving a sheepish smile, “Or at least, that’s what I want to name a pet, I don’t have one.”

“Right,” Said Bucky, suddenly feeling empty in ways that have nothing to do with hunger, “Your order will be right out.”

Their conversation was longer than normal, so when the man went to sit down, the couple came in moments afterward. All three sat in the same place as before.

‘Oh no,’ Bucky thought in dawning horror, ‘Regulars.’

---

“Falcon,” grins The Man, now foregoing any attempts to be subtle and simply being a little shit.

Bucky looked at him, face void of any amusement. At this point, he’s shucked the polite customer service voice and snarked back and forth with the regular like there’s no tomorrow—only in this situation, there is a tomorrow, there always is tomorrow.

Their staring contest probably goes on for a bit too long, judging by the way Tony and his boyfriend—Bucky can feel comfortable calling the two a couple, based on how disgustingly affectionate the two get in the cafe—walk in.

The Man flashed a smile and turned away to greet the couple. An audible ‘Rhodey!’ reached Bucky’s ears. Now, finally, he has a name for one of the dark-skinned men, the one who kissed Tony’s cheek and was currently walking in with said Tony, arm around his shoulders. Only Bucky doesn’t feel that familiar warmth pool in his gut, refreshing his energy levels.

‘Oh,’ Bucky thinks, and watches as the man—his regular—laughs with his friends but also how his eyes flit back to peek at Bucky as names are spoken. ‘oh, loopholes.’

Bucky is so screwed.

---

The names his regular gives become increasingly goofy, and Steve teases him about how flirty they get—Bucky absolutely didn’t have a favorite, and it absolutely wasn’t Angel. But Bucky only believed Stevie when he got a number instead of a random moniker.

“What?” Bucky short-circuited.

The man just sighed, “Come on, I gave you my number, work with me here.”

“You finally did it, huh, Sam?” Tony called out from where he was typing away on his computer, which rested on Rhodey’s legs. Rhodey, who was sprawled out in one of their chairs, nudged Tony with his foot, “Shush, let them have this.”

‘Sam,’ Bucky thinks, and all he can come up with in his blue screened mind is, ‘Perfect’.

In his phone, the name Sam’s contact is under is ‘Angel’.

Steve heckles.

---

“How did you know, Angel?”

Sam looks at Bucky, and Bucky’s struck into silence, The whole world falls around them in muted sounds and lights fade into balls of blurry color, because as they lock gazes all Bucky can notice is Sam’s eyes. Sam’s eyes—his wonderful, soul-deep eyes that shine with mischief and laughter, that glow so bright and rival the heavens when the sunlight reflects off it just so—are sad.

“My friend,” Sam says quietly, “Riley. He was one of yours.”

Bucky nods, and reaches out with his metal hand—an injury from decades ago and a gift from a shapeshifter who hissed that his debt was repaired before slithering off into the night—pulling Sam closer to him. They watch the sun go down from the top of the roof, the stars revealed one by one, twinkling against the darkness of the dusk.

---

(One day, Bucky will ask for Sam’s name again, specifically his last name. Only then, will Sam reply honestly.)

---

AN: This is a more bastardized version of faeries/fae, I just made up my own creature for what Bucky and Steve are. Simply because I just wanted to write a little ficlet about SamBucky and didn’t do much research. Don’t think too hard about it :)

(and the link to the Tik Tok I saw on tumblr that inspired this is also linked on my ao3 fic)

Hope you enjoyed!

-vix

42 notes · View notes

justsomeoneunordinary · 4 years ago

Text

An “Assassin”

Day 2 of @winteriron-week: Assassin & Recovery

T, 2.3k, Crack, Humor, Sam Wilson Is a Little Shit and We Love Him for It, Background Sam/Nat, Team as Family, Bucky Is an Idiot in Love | AO3

(Day 1 / Day 3 / Day 4)

—

Muzzy is not a word Bucky thought he’d describe how he feels like with ever since he got injected with that bastardized version of the Super Soldier Serum. And yet it’s exactly how he’s doing after waking up and being blinded by the brightness all around him. A groan leaves his lips as he closes his eyes again.

Fucking hospitals and their stupid bright lights.

There’s a snort to his left, followed by a “Finally, you’re awake.”

Bucky slowly turns his head and blinks up at Sam who’s seated at the visitor’s chair, a grin plastered on his face, all shiny glinting teeth and tooth gap. The sole sight of the mischief in those black eyes is enough for his memories to come back.

And boy, do those hit harder than a truck on the highway.

“Oh man, that was hilarious.” Sam’s grin widens even more at that and Bucky can feel his cheeks heat up. “Can’t wait to tell the rest of the team what happened. I even got a video of it!”

Oh, hell no. Sam is already taking his phone out but before he can click on the video, Bucky shoots him an angry look and growls, “Don’t you even dare.”

He tries to get up in a sitting position, so he can throw a pillow for emphasis but with each movement the room spins even more and he loses orientation anew. Faintly, he feels a pain in each of his joints, but his head is too dizzy to register it properly. God, the last time he had been like this was in 1937 when he got high in the queer bar down the street of Steve’s and his apartment with that tiny guy from the neighborhood who knew to give one hell of a blowjob.

“Sure. I already quiver in fear,” comes the deadpan reply.

What an ass. Not for the first time does he wish to kill Sam. Just a little bit. As a treat.

So, he pulls his winner card: “You tell anyone what happened and I tell Nat where you hid that strap-on of hers she’s been missing so much.”

Sam’s grin immediately falls at that, changing to an expression of pure outrage. “You son of a bitch.”

Hah, checkmate. Bucky still can’t feel any of his face muscles, so he doesn’t know if they’re doing the right thing, but he imagines he’s grinning smugly right now.

“Have you even seen that strap-on? That thing is deluxe! You wouldn’t want that up your ass either!”

No, Bucky had not seen it, and he’d like to leave it that way too, thank you very much. But knowing Natasha, he can only imagine what it must look like. She tells him much more about their sex life than he’d ever want to know. And he still doesn’t know why she tells him these things of all people, instead of Clint or Wanda or hell, even Tony (Tony would absolutely participate in any sex talk there is (Bucky wouldn’t say no to sex talk when Tony is involved in it)), but he suspects it’s her own way of hobby torture.

Sam wrinkles his nose while he gets up, flips him the bird and says, “Fine, you win.” Then he walks to the door and Bucky squints at him, because there’s no way it would be that easy, Sam would definitely want to have the last word—

“Good luck explaining to Tony what happened, because he’s waiting outside already,” Sam tells him while opening the door, winking at Bucky and leaving the room, his snickering still lingering in the halls outside.

… Fuck.

Okay, he’s got like… ten seconds before Tony comes in, he can easily just climb out of the window and up to the roof. He just needs to get out of the bed which shouldn’t be a problem, broken bones or not, because he’s a high-profile assassin and—

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Busted.

“Trying to disappear before you can see me?”

Tony blinks at him and Bucky blinks right back, because seriously, what the fuck Barnes? He didn’t mean to say that, it just… slipped out.

“Well, that doesn’t sound like a good idea. You might have enhanced healing, but you broke nonetheless more bones than you have in your body, I don’t think getting out of that bed any soon could end well for you. And it would be such a shame too. After all, I brought you a get well soon balloon.”

And sure enough, there it is. A red balloon. With a ‘get well soon’ inscription in golden letters. Bucky feels quite touched by this gesture. Tony thought of him. He brought him a balloon. In Iron Man colors even. That has to mean something, right?

As Tony comes closer, Bucky seizes the opportunity to appreciate the way Tony’s suit hugs his figure perfectly in all the right places. If Tony were his, he’d unwrap him out of it as if he was a present. He’d trace the material with his fingers, take slowly each layer off and soak in every inch of newly revealed skin.

“Hey, I know I look irresistible, but there’s no need to drool, Buckaroo.”

Damnit. Bucky would like to order a shot in the head right about now, please and thank you. He tries to wipe the drool off, but neither hand does what he wants, so he settles for living in shame forever.

“So,” Tony sits down at the same chair Sam had been just a minute ago, “can you tell me what put you, a Super Soldier, in such a state?”

This is exactly the question Bucky had been afraid of. See, Bucky has a tiny little bit of a… problem.

It started only three weeks after he had moved into the Avengers Tower on a completely ordinary and uneventful morning. Bucky had sat himself down at the kitchen bar, as always on the second last chair on the left side, which was the exact right angle for him to get a look at Tony’s perfect round bubble butt when he would come and bend over the counter to get himself coffee, so his pants would stretch over that wonderful butt and Bucky would have an eyeful of perfection without being creepy about it, because he was “just sitting there” and “looking normally straight ahead”.

On that particular morning however, had Tony loudly cursed after opening his coffee can, and whirled around to glare at each Avenger with a look that promised murder and bloodshed. “Which one of you used the last bit of my coffee and then didn’t even tell J.A.R.V.I.S. to order more of it?”

The answer to that was obvious. No one else would’ve done something risky like that but Clinton “I have a death wish” Barton. Which wasn’t something they would tell Tony, because no one on this team was a snitch.

Well, and then Tony’s eyes landed on Bucky and it took only three seconds of having Tony’s full attention, that he blurted without a second thought, “Clint was it,” and even pointed with the finger towards him. That earned him a gasp and spluttering and an utterly disappointed “How could you? I thought we were sniper buddies!”

After that there was a pattern. One Nat didn’t take long to notice and confront him about it.

“You can’t lie.”

“What? Of course I can lie.” Which was true. You can’t be a high-ranking assassin and go on undercover missions without being able to lie—you’d die on the spot.

“Fine, I correct myself: you can’t lie at Tony.”

Which Bucky denied vehemently and then didn’t talk to Nat for a month.

Fact is though, which it always is when it comes to Natasha Romanoff, that she was right. For some even to him inexplicable reason, Bucky is simply unable to not tell Tony the truth when he just looks at him. And it’s absolutely ridiculous, because Bucky should be able to. He is the Winter Soldier. The Fist of HYDRA. Instructor of the Black Widows in the Red Room. A weapon—a ruthless killer responsible for numerous assassinations. Tony’s big brown eyes, shining golden in the hospital’s light, framed by those surreal long eyelashes, which makes him the most beautiful person in the entire world, should not be a reason for—

“Sam bet that I wouldn’t manage to roller skate and I had to prove him otherwise.”

… Damnit. Bucky doesn’t need a mirror to know that his face is redder than a tomato. The memory of it alone fills his entire being with embarrassment and Tony knowing what happened makes this situation definitely not a single bit better. He still can’t believe it happened in first place. Bucky is a well-trained Super Soldier! A pair of ugly shoes with some tiny wheels on it should not have been his downfall, for fucks sake!

Tony tilts his head at that, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait a moment. What exactly happened then? Did you just… fall?”

Bucky gulps and focuses on Tony’s tie pattern instead of answering. There are little Hulks on it. He likes it, it’s very Tony.

“In my defense; there was a staircase,” he murmurs at last, still not looking up. The Hulks on the tie wear purple pants. He’s pretty sure Bruce would like that tie too, he’s got a dorky humor like that, even though he’d never admit it.

A few seconds of complete quiet pass, and when Bucky finally does look up, he can see Tony’s corner of his mouth twitch, until he apparently gives in to his urge and throws his head back, laughing so hard that tears of laughter start forming and running down his cheeks.

Bucky wishes for an instant divorce. Sure, this might be the most beautiful sound he has ever heard in his life, but he still wants a divorce.

Not that they’re married or something—or at least not in real life. Bucky did dream of it once, though. It was a spring wedding. Nat and Pepper were their “best men”, because neither wanted Steve and Rhodey to hold a speech. The decorations were in Arc Reactor blue. It was very beautiful, people even cried.

“You are something else, Bucky Barnes,” Tony shakes his head, the humor still audible in his voice, and a look in his eyes, that could almost be described as fond.

Bucky takes the divorce-wish back.

“Now see,” Tony begins as he gets up and slowly gets closer to Bucky’s bed, “you’re not as subtle as you think you are.” He sits down at the edge of the bed an sends him one of those brilliant smiles, that make Bucky’s head all dizzy and his heart sing with want. “Those looks you always give me are unmistakable.”

Tony takes that weird looking pudding from the nightstand and starts opening it up. “And all this time,” he continues, “I waited for you to finally make a move.” At that he rams the spoon with the pudding right into Bucky’s mouth without any prior warning.

Bucky almost chokes and it’s only thanks to his control over his reflexes that he ends up swallowing the pudding, instead of spitting it out. He coughs a few times and looks up at Tony in shock and disbelief. If this is how Tony takes care of injured people, Bucky doesn’t have any interest to ever do a nurse role play with him.

Tony gasps in indignation. “Are you telling me you would not want to see me in a nurse costume?”

This time Bucky does choke. On nothing but his own spit.

He imagines Tony in one of those tight short dresses, his legs all exposed, wearing heels as well as rich red lipstick and—and stops before his blood can rush anywhere south.

“Yeah, thought so,” Tony smirks and proceeds to slam another spoonful of pudding into Bucky’s mouth. At this point Bucky doesn’t know if his face is red from embarrassment, horniness or almost chocking, but red it sure is.

“Where was I again? Ah right, so I waited for you to make a move, but had to face reality, that you’re just too chicken to do anything about your crush on me. Which is kind of ironic, because aren’t you supposed to be a feared assassin or something?”

Bucky’s brain officially short-circuits at that, because Tony did… what?

“Yes, yes, I figured out your little secret, keep up with the class, I don’t like repeating myself. So anyway, this is me—” another spoon makes its way down his throat— “asking you for a date, because you apparently weren’t going to.” And Tony smiles at him so brightly, Bucky is sure he could lighten an entire country.

Bucky holds his breath and waits to wake up, because this can’t be real, this must be a dream. But when after a while nothing happens, but Tony’s smile slowly falling apart and making room for an unsure expression, he asks, “A date?”

“Yup.”

“With me?”

“Preferably, yes.”

“Okay,” he croaks, so he doesn’t do something dumb like start crying from happiness for example or jump at Tony who’d crush under his weight.

“Okay?”

Bucky clears his throat. “Yes, okay. I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“Okay.” And back is that smile finally Bucky would like to kiss one day.

“Now that that is settled,” Tony digs into the pudding again (fucking hell, is that still not empty?), “how about a deal while I take care of you, since we have to wait until you have healed anyway before we can go anywhere: you tell me where Wilson has hidden Nat’s deluxe strap-on and I tell the rest of the team that you got your injuries from a heroic fight protecting civilians against a criminal. Hm, what do you think?” The glinting mischief in Tony’s eyes when he winks at Bucky is unmistakable.

Bucky thinks that this is the best day of his life.

#may writes #winteriron #buckytony #starkbucks #tony stark #bucky barnes #WI WEEK 2020 #WinterIron Week

96 notes · View notes

that-damn-girl · 4 years ago

Text

(Extra #1) Bucky and The Bed

Completed

~Takes place right after ch.10

Chapter 10

Bucky and The Bed Masterlist

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x (cis)fem!reader

Words: 700+

Summary: You and Bucky are stranded in the middle of a snowy nowhere when there is an ‘electronic blackout’ during your mission. With no back ups or any way to contact your team, you take refuge from the worsening weather in the only cabin you find in miles. Not to mention, with no power, Bucky has become your personal heater and there’s only one bed.

Chapter type: Fluff. Crack fic.

Chapter/Trigger warning: Language. Implied sexy times.

A/N: The part linked above is the final chapter. I wrote this very short fluff at the end which I hadn’t planned, but now I don’t have the heart not to post it. So it’s added as “extra.” Hope you like it!

Bucky didn't get a reply. Pin drop silence followed. Had it not been slight static which only his sensitive hearing could pick up, he would have thought the comms weren't working. But slight static was present, even if you couldn't pick it up. The line was connected, but for some reason, he didn't know what, he wasn't getting any response.

Bucky glanced at you in case you had heard anything. You shook your head. Bucky was about to repeat himself when a voice crackled through the comms.

"Uhhhh……"

A long silence followed. Bucky was wondering what the hell was going on when a sound poured through the comms again.

"Are you guys…done?"

It was a different voice. Rhodey and Sam, Bucky realized. It hit you at the same time, your wide panicked eyes meeting his own.

They had heard! Oh lord, they had heard both of you moaning at the top of your lungs!

A deep blush covered your already flustered cheeks, embarrassment engulfing you whole. Bucky seemed to have the exact same reaction, his cheeks turning a dark red which you would've found cute had it not been for your current situation.

Before either of you could say anything, FRIDAY chimed, "Judging by the lack of high pitched screams, my system concludes that Agent Y/L/N and Sergeant Barnes are done with copulation, Captain Wilson." As if having a teasing mind of her own, the AI added, "For the moment."

It wasn't possible for you to blush any harder. But you did. Your cheeks felt on fire with the amount of blood rushing into it.

"Thank you FRIDAY," Rhodey jumped in to save both of you from further embarrassment, "That'd be enough for now."

With a strange voice, as if unsure whether to laugh hysterically or kill you both, Sam tried to sound as professional as possible when he said, "A jet is en route to your location. The expected arrival time is T minus 6 hours. Scott volunteered to fly the jet and bring you two back."

"I'm...glad?" You said, unsure how to react. You were happy to know that you'd be taken back to the compound soon, but the embarrassment clouding your brain kept you from comprehending and celebrating the news.

"Yeah, um, we just wanted to let you know that. Hope you two are safe." Rhodey said.

Sam quipped from the side with his signature smirk, "Oh, they're more than fine."

"Scott will contact you soon. Establish a line with FRIDAY if you need anything else." Rhodey hurriedly said before disconnecting.

You hid your face in your palms. "I can't believe that happened."

Bucky pulled you on his lap, his hand petting the back of your head as you further hid yourself in his neck. After overcoming the momentary shock, he chuckled. "Wow...Out of all the ways I thought we'd tell our friends, I never imagined they'd find out this way."

You chuckled too, "Me either," You continued after a pause. "It's going to be one hell of a talk when we will tell the others."

Bucky hummed his agreement. "I'm worried about Sam though. About how he would react." He said, biting his lips. "You're practically his family at this point. He might get really overprotective over you."

You pulled back to look at him and laughed, "That'd be very cute of him if he'd become overprotective of me." You interlaced your fingers with his, squeezing his palm. "I know Sam. So relax. He'll understand and support us, I'm sure of it. He might kick your sweet ass though, but he will still support us."

Bucky laughed along with you, believing your words and. He had faith in the bond you shared with your best friend. If you said Sam would understand, Bucky had no doubts about it. He also didn't doubt that his ass was due for a whipping by the new Captain America.

Bucky knew he'd endure anything and everything, whether jokingly or seriously, if that meant he got to be with, to love you forever and ever. He had been fortunate enough to gain a friend like you, to have you love him as he loved you.

Because in the end all that mattered was he trusted you and you trusted him. You loved him and he loved you.

Forever and ever.

A/N: I know the ending sounds really cheesy. But the main chapter 10 is what the actual ending is. This is just for fun. Enjoy I guess :P

The divider is made by @writeyourmindaway

Epilogue

Blog’s Main Masterlist || Taglists

Thank you for reading!

#bucky #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes x reader fluff #bucky x reader fluff #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #only one bed #crack fic #bucky barnes series

135 notes · View notes

wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

Text

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch39: The Reunion Part 2: Hey, Kiddo.

Intro: Help arrives in the form of an unknown face, and after almost a month of searching, Tony returns to Earth where he is re-united with his sister.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: Please heed the warnings… @angrybirdcr hit me in the feels with these ones...

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 39 Part 1

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“More census results.” Natasha said, tapping a button as Steve walked into the room, coffee in his hand, Katie following.

“I thought when you said you had news that someone had answered that fucking pager.” Katie mumbled, running a hand through her hair and Steve looked at her, taking a deep breath. He felt her frustration too, the excitement at having finally got the thing working had been short lived, as nothing came from it, at all. It simply continued to send the signal for a good two days on end, no one answering and Steve found himself wondering if whoever was on the other side had been dusted too.

Natasha ignored her completely as the 3D globe flashed up in front of them, along with numerous digital displays of numbers that kept rolling, and rolling increasing in front of their eyes.

Steve placed his mug down and sighed, leaning over the table so he could get a closer look “God, this is a nightmare.”

“I’ve had better nightmares.” Katie mumbled, her eyes on the ever increasing death tolls.

“Hey.” Rhodey appeared in the door and they all turned to face him. “So that thing just stopped doing whatever the hell it was doing.”

“The pager?” Katie asked instantly, her eyes widening.

Rhodey nodded, and in a flash she moved, pushing past him and darting out of the room, Natasha hurrying behind her.

“They’re keen.” Rhodey quipped and Steve took a deep breath before he shook his head.

“I’m not sure how many more knocks they can take, Rhodey.”

Rhodey simply clapped him on the shoulder as they too headed to the lab, to find Bruce already explaining.

“Whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out.” Bruce said as they all stared through the glass sided container at the pager that had been running for the last few days.

“I thought we by-passed the battery?” Steve spoke from where he stood a few steps behind Katie.

“Well we did.” Rhodey replied. “It was still plugged in it just… just stopped.”

Steve looked up to his left before he glanced back at the item and took a deep breath “Re-boot it, send the signal again.”

“We don’t even know what this is.” Bruce began to protest and Katie cut him off, turning to look at him

“Fury did.”

“Katie’s right, just do it please?” Natasha stated, as she too turned from the object to look at Bruce. “Tell me the second you get a signal, I wanna know who’s on the other end of that thing.”

She turned to leave the room and Katie followed her with her eyes before Nat stopped dead due to the presence of a blonde woman she had never seen before in her life. She was dressed in a red and blue combat suit of sorts which had gold shoulder pads which led into three golden stripes across her chest, culminating in a gold nova-style star of some kind. Katie felt a little bit indignant at the sight if she was honest.

That star style had been given to her. And she didn’t like people taking her stuff.

Lucky gave a bark as Katie nudged Steve. He looked from the pager, to her, followed her gaze and immediately straightened up, drawing himself taller as he turned to face the woman as she eyeballed Natasha and spoke clearly.

“Where’s Fury?”

“He’s not here.” Steve stepped forward putting himself in between Katie and the newcomer as he eyed her up and down. “I’m sorry, and I don’t mean to be rude but who are you?”

“Name’s Carol, Carol Danvers.”

“Carol Danvers?” Katie frowned, moving so she was stood alongside Steve as she instantly recognised the name.

“What is it?” Steve asked and Katie turned to face him.

“When we took down Hydra at the Triskellion, Fury had the retinal scan we used hidden under that name, Carol Danvers.” Katie turned from Steve to scrutinise the small woman in front of her. “You were important enough for him to page when people started to vanish, and important enough for him to use your name to hide a clearance under.” She paused, looking straight at the woman before she repeated Steve’s question. “Who are you?”

“A friend.” Carol said, vaguely. “Me and Nick go way back. I gave him that pager so he could reach of me in case of emergency, I haven’t heard from him in over twenty years so I’ll politely ask again, where is he?“

"Dead.” Nat stated simply and Carol’s face slipped a little bit.

“Dead? I don’t…how?”

“Thanos.” Katie replied and Carol frowned.

“Thanos, the mad Titan?”

“You heard of him then?” Rhodey looked at her.

“I’ve been tracking him for a while.” Carol nodded. “Ever since he decimated Xandar, but he slipped off radar about a month ago.”

“Well he slipped off your radar and onto ours.” Rhody continued. “Came to Earth, wielding his infinity stones and…”

“He’s been chasing Infinity stones.” It was a statement not a question as Carol closed her eyes, her voice almost a groan.

“And he found them.” Katie sighed “He found them, and eighteen days ago he used them.”

“Well that explains it.” Carol bit her lip, her eyes flicking again to the now defunct pager.

“Explains what?” Steve questioned.

“It’s been chaos out there for the last couple of weeks.” Carol turned back to him. “I’ve been getting distress calls from all over the galaxy.”

“Distress calls?” Nat asked, her eyes still narrowed slightly. “What-“

“I have powers.” Carol cut her off and Steve could tell she was picking her words carefully.

“Powers?” He pressed. “So you’re enhanced?”

“Not intentionally.” Carol smiled a little, and then the dots suddenly connected in Katie’s head and her eyes widened.

“Project Pegasus.” Katie whispered, and Carol arched an eyebrow at her. “The incident that shut it down, that was you?”

“What the hell was Project Pegasus?” Bruce asked.

“It was a joint initiative between NASA and the Airforce to analyse and study new aircraft engines.” Rhodey answered, frowning.

“To the public.” Kate added softly. “In reality it was the cover used for the project to study the Tesseract.”

Steve let out a groan. “Why does everything come back to that damned cube?” “Yeah well that ‘damned cube’ and I had an accident, and I absorbed its power.” Carol sniffed as she rubbed at her temple. “Has Fury never mentioned me to you guys? Not even once?” They all shook their heads.

“That’s a bummer. Especially seeing as you’re named after me.”

“Named after you?” Steve frowned

“My pilot tag” Carol smiled slightly as she looked round “I was Captain Carol ‘Avenger�� Danvers. You are the Avengers, right?”

“What’s left of them.” Rhodey folded his arms across his chest.

“You were Fury’s first Super Hero.” Katie looked at Carol, cocking her head slightly, studying the woman some more. “You’re what inspired him to put a gang of us together.”

“Apparently so.”

Before they had chance to question her further, Rocket walked in.

“Is that a racoon?” Carol frowned, staring at the creature who looked up at her, raising his eyebrow before he sarcastically replied.

“You want a photo or summin?”

Carol stayed that evening and they sat up late into the night as she explained everything about who she was, what had happened between her and Fury in the Nineties and for some reason, Steve and Katie both felt they could trust her. It was a boost, if anything, to have someone else on their side.

The next morning after a rest and food, she was preparing to set off again and had given their spirits somewhat of a lift with her promise to do what she could to help find Tony.

“I’ve got places I can try, favours I can call in, people I can speak to.” She said, scanning a photo of Tony into her device on the wrist. “And then I’ll go wherever the trail leads. If your brother is out there, and your friends, I’ll find them.”

Katie nodded.

“You should be calibrated to our coms.” Bruce looked up as Carol tapped again at her arm and nodded.

“I’ve boosted your scanners and your signals too.” she said.

Silently Natasha, Steve and Katie walked her out of the facility, Steve taking Katie’s hand in his as they rounded the corner that led to the doors. They swung open, revealing the now dark sky and Steve noticed Katie glance up, something which had become a habit, almost as if she was hoping to see a sign Tony was there. Which of course she never did.

Suddenly, Natasha gave a gasp whilst Steve jumped backwards, pulling Katie with him as Carol lit up like she was on fire, but when he looked closer he noticed it was some kind of bright energy that engulfed her as she hovered off the floor and turned to look at them, her eyes full of humour.

“Yeah sorry, should have warned you about my party trick.” she chuckled slightly.

This woman had some power, and it made Steve wonder why Fury had never introduced them to her before. But that was a question for another day.

“I’ll be in touch.” She said and with that she was gone, as fast as she had arrived, shooting through the air like a star, leaving Lucky jumping up and barking in her wake.

Natasha looked over at Steve and Katie, and rightly reading the situation decided to leave them alone “I’m going to let Pepper know what she said about finding Tony.” She nodded to the couple and wandered back towards the doors as Katie looked back up again.

“Sweetheart?” Steve questioned, and she turned to face him, her eyes full of tears.

“This is it.” she shrugged “This is the best chance we’ve had, and probably will have and…” She couldn’t think of the words to explain how she was feeling. She was excited, excited that they had a plan. But then there was also a feeling of dread in her chest. Dread about what it was Carol was going to find, if she found anything. She wrapped her arms tightly round Steve as he pulled her to him, holding her close.

“Keep hold of that hope.” He said gently, his hand stroking through her hair. “Keep hold until we know any different.”

*****

“Titan is a mess.” Carol sighed, her hologram flickered slightly. It was three days since she had left the compound and this was the first they had heard of her since and it wasn’t great news. “There’s clearly been a big fight here but there’s no sign of anyone now. I have a few more potential leads though, so I’ll follow them up.”

“Sweetheart.” Steve sighed gently, turning to Katie who shook her head, pulling away a little. This had been her last hope, that Carol would find something. But they were still none the wiser and every day that past Tony’s chances were getting slimmer. After a moment or so she took a deep breath, reaching up to wipe at her eyes and she turned to Steve.

“I’m gonna go back to the apartment.” Her voice cracked. “I need a shower.”

“Alright.” Steve nodded and to make sure he understood that she needed space, not from him, but just to be alone with her thoughts, she reached up, gently touched his cheek and stood on her tiptoes to kiss the whiskers that adorned his chin and face. Steve watched her go before he turned back to Natasha who was bent over looking at something on a tablet.

“What you looking at?” He asked and Nat glanced up at him with a sigh.

“Potential sighting of Clint.” she turned it to face him. He squinted at the still on the screen. Sure, it looked a bit like Barton, but he couldn’t be certain. “I ran a facial recognition. Got a few hits, but we all look so different now, we all are so different now.” Natasha shrugged.

Something about that line powered home to Steve as he headed back towards their quarters an hour or so later. The arrival of Carol four days ago had galvanised the group into remembering who they were, even if they didn’t feel like it anymore. They were the Avengers. Fury’s greatest plan, and the ones to whom the survivors of the snap were looking to for direction.

Steve had realised recently that shield or no shield, he needed to be Captain America, even if he didn’t want to be. He had to lead his team from the front lines, not as a vigilante that fought the bad guys from the shadows, hiding from a government that had declared him the enemy. It was time for him to step up again, become who they needed him to be.

He walked into their bedroom and saw Katie was flat out on the bed, Lucky by her side. Gently he worked the covers up around her, flicked on the lamp on the night stand and gave the dog a quick pat before he pulled off his black sweater and moved into the bathroom glancing in the mirror. He scratched at his chin and gave a sigh.

Captain America didn’t have a beard…

*****

Katie woke up five or so minutes later and stretched, her feet kicking at the blankets which had been pulled up around her. She blinked and looked around, Steve’s black sweater was tossed over the back of the chair and she could hear running water coming from the en-suite as the door was slightly ajar. Climbing out of bed she strolled over to the bathroom door as the water stopped and she nudged it open further to lean against the frame, just in time to see Steve raise a towel to dry off his face. When he lowered it she could see the reflection of a familiarly clean shaven jawline.

The beard she loved so much was gone.

He locked eyes with her in the reflection of the mirror, almost nervously. Deep down Katie had known this was coming, it was only a matter of time seeing as he’d settled back into his role as leader of the Avengers as easily as he had left it.

She smiled and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his toned waist kissing his muscular shoulder which was bare thanks to his white tank. Wanting to be closer to him she pushed up on her toes to nuzzle behind his ear and his eyes closed when she kissed the side of his neck. He shivered a little at the contact, dropped the towel to the sink and turned in her arms loosely wrapping his own around her.

Katie just stared at him for a moment taking in his cleanly shaven face, the familiar sideburns, and sharp jawline.

“Come on, get it over with.” Steve rolled his eyes and Katie gave a sigh.

“You know I really loved that beard,” she looked up at him, “can’t believe you murdered it.”

“Murdered it?” Steve raised an eyebrow, as she reached up to gently take his smooth jaw in her fingertips.

“Yes, murdered it. But I’ll let you off, because you are incredibly handsome.”

Steve smiled a little crookedly and leaning down, connected their lips in a soft, slow kiss that quickly became heated, when his tongue touched hers. His hands slid down the length of her back, over her ass, his fingers skating the back of her bare thighs which sent a fire coursing through her body, drawing a soft groan from her as he continued to kiss her, hard, he realised how much he needed this.

They both did. Both were desperate to fill that gaping hole and emptiness they had both been feeling for the past few weeks, and as always, it was in one another they sought that solace.

Katie slid her hands down, tugging up his top briefly as Steve moved his kisses down the side of her neck. Her fingers grazed his hips then hooked into his belt to begin undoing it but his hands gently stopped her.

“Sweetheart.” He swallowed, his breath deep. “I don’t want to hurt you, you know after…”

“You would never hurt me, Stevie.”

Her voice was a soft whisper and Steve looked down at her once more, and then he knew he was kidding himself. Over three weeks it had been since they’d made love and that was too fucking long for his liking. His lips crashed onto hers but before they could resume where they had been, they were both jolted as, suddenly the air was filled with a loud rumbling.

Curiously Steve reached out to steady the mirror over the sink which was shaking, and then the entire building started to rattle.

Man and wife looked at each other in confusion and Katie cleared her throat.

“FRIDAY?”

“Something has entered the atmosphere, Mrs Rogers” The AI responded calmly, “A vessel is being brought towards the facility.”

No sooner had FRIDAY finished, there came a banging on their door, before they heard it open and Rhodey loudly calling their names. Katie shot out of the bathroom and into the hall, Steve hot on her tail, grabbing his sweater off the chair and pulling it over his head as he headed into the living room.

"It’s Danvers.” Rhodey looked at Katie who took a deep breath. “Kiddo, she found him.”

Katie’s chest began to heave, she felt like her heart was going to pound out of her ribcage. Her hand flew to her mouth as Steve dropped a hand to her shoulder.

“Alive?” She managed to whisper.

“He was when she found him.” Rhodey replied gently.

Without a further word, Katie set off sprinting through the facility, not waiting for anyone. The blood was pounding in her ears, her heart thumbing in her chest as she burst out onto the lawns, where Pepper was already waiting, staring up at the sky. As Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Rhodey all came to a stop besides the two women, the massive space ship rounded the corner, carried by Carol who was encased in a golden orb of light.

Katie gently took Pepper’s hand in hers and squeezed her fingers, neither of them moving their gaze from the ship, as it made its way to the ground, deposited onto the grass. With a hiss the ramp dropped and there he was, being supported by a blue woman. He looked weak. He’d lost a lot of weight, needed a shave, a shower and he looked so pale.

But he was alive!

Katie let out a soft cry, her hands flying to her mouth and Steve swore as he spotted instantly how bad Tony looked. He sprinted forward, passing Katie who was rooted to the spot, and ran up the steps, taking Tony’s weight off the blue woman. Tony gripped his arm and looked at Steve, before turning his head to watch where he was going.

“I couldn’t stop him.” He said quietly.

“Neither could I.” Steve replied.

“I lost the kid.”

“Tony, we lost.” Steve said gently. As he looked at his brother-in-law he saw there was guilt and fear plaguing Tony’s face in a way that Steve had seen before, in his own face when they’d returned from Wakanda. He stood still as Tony studied him for a moment, before he swallowed.

“Yeah, is err…” Tony looked up and his eyes fell first on Katie then Pepper who, following a gentle, nudge in the back from Katie, took the last few steps towards him.

Katie stood still, watching as Tony visibly sighed when he saw them both, and it felt to her like she was seeing the sun for the first time, as Pepper gently pulled her brother into a hug, wrapping her arm around his neck to hold him close as she sobbed against his hollow cheek.

Steve looked at her, his eyes shining with tears and Katie realised she was shaking, violently. Unable to stop her shudders, the tears continued to fall thick and fast and she tore her eyes from Steve’s as Pepper pulled away slightly from Tony. With one arm round Pepper and Steve supporting him on his other side, he took a couple more strides forwards and then he was in front of her.

Katie stared back into his brown eyes, brown eyes that belonged to their father and she took a huge, shuddering breath which was punctuated by a little choke, as the sheer emotion threatened to overwhelm her completely. It had been almost 2 years since he had seen her, and whilst she felt utter relief at seeing him alive, she was also scared, frightened about what he was going to say

But, when he opened his mouth, he only had two words for her.

“Hey Kiddo”

The sound of his familiar greeting broke Katie completely and she let out a loud sob stepping forward. As she gently wrapped her arms round him she cried into his shoulder, babbling her apologies.

“I’m so sorry Tone, I’ve missed you so much.”

Tony brought a hand up, resting it on the back of her head, his own voice choked slightly as he pressed his face into her hair. “I’m sorry too, I’m so sorry my beautiful girl. God, I missed you.”

*****

“I need a cheeseburger.” Tony grumbled, and Katie’s face split into a grin as Pepper took hold of his hand from where she was sitting by his bed in a chair.

“Maybe in a few days, pal.” Banner smiled as he gently patted Tony’s shoulder. Katie looked up and Bruce jerked his head to the door of the room. She followed him out and the pair of them were joined by Steve and Rhodey who had been hovering at the back of the medic bay.

“He’s lucky.” Banner looked at Katie “The wound in his abdomen missed everything major and he appears to have fought off most of the infection thanks to Nebula, but I’ve given him a course of IV antibiotics to be on the safe side. He’s slightly dehydrated and a little underweight, but other than needing a lot of rest he should be fine.”

“Thanks, Bruce.” Katie smiled as she looked back through the window into the room. Tony had his head lay on the pillow, tilted in Pepper’s direction, a weary grin spreading across his face as they talked.

“I’m gonna stay with him.” Katie looked back to Steve. “Do you mind?”

“No, of course not.” He shook his head.

She then turned to Rhodey. “Can you make sure that Nebula and Carol get some food and a place to stay?”

“Sure.” Rhodey said as Steve pressed a kiss to the side of Katie’s head

“I’ll be back later to check on him.” Bruce nodded.

Katie watched the three men leave before she walked back into the room. Pepper and Tony both looked up at her as she sat on the edge of Tony’s bed.

“Pep, could you give us a minute?” Tony asked. Pepper nodded and stood up, touching Katie’s shoulder once as she left, the door clicking shut behind her. Katie turned back to her brother who reached out with his cold hand and wrapped it around hers

“Kiddo, I’m so sorry.” “So am I.” She whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “There hasn’t been a day over the last two years I haven’t thought about you, Tone.”

“Shame. I wanted to call so bad, but…” He trailed off, his voice cracking. “Stubborn ass hole, remember.” “That’s the Starks for you.” Katie smiled.

“What I said to you in Siberia, it was unforgivable.” Tony’s brown eyes locked onto hers, shining with tears. “And I know it sounds stupid but I didn’t mean any of it, not really…“

“Rhodey told me why you said it.” She swallowed as she looked down, her tears falling onto the sheets “I should have told you about mom and dad.”

“None of that matters now.” Tony shook his head, gently giving her hands a squeeze.

She fell silent again, wiping at her face, before she took a deep breath, steeling herself as she knew she had to tell him what had happened to her in the Snap. Because if he found out of someone else…

“Tony, there’s something you need to know, before anyone else tells you.” She looked at him.

“What?”

“When Thanos…when he came to Wakanda…” the tears still fell “I was…I was pregnant, but we didn’t know and…” “Was? Oh no.” Her brother’s face scrunched up as his hands wrapped even harder round hers. “Kiddo I’m…” “Don’t.” She shook her head. “Don’t say you’re sorry, please.”

“I am sorry. Sorry I wasn’t there with you.”

“You’re here now.” She looked at him. He smiled and opened his arms and she lent down next to him, gently laying her head on his bony chest, closing her eyes and relishing his presence. It was as if the past two years had never happened, as she simply lay there whilst he comforted her, the way he always had done.

“Nice hair by the way.” He quipped, making her chuckle.

“Thanks. Part of my disguise.” “Mmmm doesn’t work. Can still see your face.”

“Steve grew a beard.” Katie looked up at him

“Spangles? A proper one?” Tony cocked his head to one side, eyebrow arching.

“Yup.” Katie nodded. “It was pretty impressive to be fair. I’ll show you a photo at some point.”

Pepper returned to the room at that point and Katie sat up, moving off Tony’s bed, pulling another chair up from the corner. He lasted approximately twenty more minutes before sleep overwhelmed him and he closed his eyes, out for the count.

“You should go.” Pepper looked over at Katie. Katie started to protest but Pepper cut her off. “I know you think you’re invincible, but you’re not. Maybe Steve won’t put his foot down with you over this but I will. You’ve had an ordeal, we all have, but you especially need to look after yourself. Go to bed.” “Damned.” Katie frowned “When did you get so bossy?”

“Comes from living with him.” Pepper jerked her head at Tony “The amount of times I’ve found him collapsed over a computer.”

Katie smiled fondly before she clocked the stern look Pepper was giving her and stood up. “Fine, I’ll go. But…” “If anything changes I’ll get FRIDAY to call you straight away.” Pepper smiled, nodding. With a deep breath Katie dropped a kiss to Tony’s head and left. The rubber band that had been wrapped around her chest for so long had slackened, but getting Tony back was the tip of the iceberg. She knew that the next step would be to find Thanos, and none of them would rest until they did.

****

After making sure Carol and Nebula were settled, and thanking them both for what they had done to get Tony back to them, Steve walked back to the apartment, grabbed a beer and headed out through the patio doors into the large garden area to let Lucky have a mooch around. He felt much better than he had in ages, like someone had slotted a large piece of the puzzle back into place. Once Tony was stronger, maybe they had a chance of finding Thanos and reversing all of this.

And then, well, maybe he and Katie could have a shot at being a family.

He took a pull from his bottle and looked out over the grounds. It wasn’t a bad place to bring up a kid, he supposed. Or maybe they should get their own place, just like they almost had three years ago. The more he thought about it, the more he started to think that was the better option. Did he really want a kid surrounded by all of this? More to the point, he found himself wondering if he wanted himself surrounded by this anymore. A year or so ago, he’d have jumped at the chance to get back into the thick of it, but now, well, he just felt tired.

He’d fought for so long, given so much, maybe it was time to get out, take a back seat like Tony had.

Taking a deep breath he finished his beer, called Lucky back to him and headed back inside. He’d just thrown his empty bottle into the recycling and was contemplating heading back to see how Tony was, when the door to the apartment opened and Katie stepped inside. She looked tired, but almost, dare he say it, happy.

“Hey.” He greeted her as she shut the door. “How is he?” “Sleeping.” She crossed the hall towards him “He’ll be out until the morning I expect.” “And you?” He asked, opening his arms.

She smiled, stepping into his embrace. “I’m okay. What about you?” “Me?” he asked.

“Yeah.” she looked up at him. “Everyone seems hell bent on making sure I’m ok, they seem to forget you.” Steve took a deep breath.“It’s not important.” “It is to me.” Katie looked up at him.

“I’ve got you.” Steve shrugged. “And long as I do I’ll be fine.” “You’ll always have me.” She smiled gently, and then Steve hadn’t got the foggiest how it happened, but they were kissing again, picking up where they had left off earlier that evening in the bathroom.

The kisses grew almost violent as they both poured every bit of emotion into one another, each one clawing at the other with a desperate touch. Steve fell towards Katie, pushing her back into the wall which separated the hallway from the kitchen area and pressed himself tightly against her. She slid her hands up beneath his top, her nails digging into his back, stinging his skin enough to elicit a deep, guttural moan from his throat. At that noise, Katie let out a high pitched moan of her own as his hands skimmed down to the back of her thighs, fingers digging into her flesh as he gripped tightly, hoisting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and couldn’t help but mutter rapidly into his ear, amid tight, short gasps. “I need you Stevie, I need you, please.”

He dropped his lips to her neck, trailing his teeth along the arch of her shoulder. “I need you too.” His voice was dark and deep, which made her moan even more, and he didn’t wait for a response before hoisting her higher and carrying her into the bedroom where he dropped her down onto the bed. His hands gently reached down and they separated long enough for him to remove her top, Katie repaying the favour as she pulled his jumper and vest off in one move before she threw her arms around him as his lips dropped again to her neck. He popped the buttons on her denim shorts and slipped one of his hands down under the waistband, into her panties and she bucked at his touch as he gently played with the flesh letting out a groan as he found her ready for him, slick and hot.

“Fuck.” He mumbled as her hand fell to the buckle on his belt, their mouths still tangled together as he kissed her hard, needily before he tugged on her knees, pulling her flat down. Taking her shorts and underwear off in a swift glide down the bed, he shimmied out of his jeans and boxers, Katie taking the chance to hastily remove her bra before he fell onto her once more, using his knees to push hers apart. He propped himself on his elbows and dropped down to kiss her, slamming his teeth into hers in desperation as she was clawing at his back, arching up as she groaned into the kiss, his name falling from her lips as he pulled away slightly.

“You’ll tell me if I hurt you?” He looked at her. She knew he was worried, so she gently reached out, running her finger over his once again smooth jaw line.

“Promise.” she assured him. He swallowed thickly and as he worked into her, she let out a soft moan as he started to move, slowly at first, almost patiently as she hiked her legs up around him. He wanted to take it slow, he really did, but he found he couldn’t, and Katie didn’t want him to either. She was urging him on and soon they were fucking with avaricious force, both chasing a gratification they hadn’t felt in weeks, and the more he gave the more she wanted.

Her hips met his with every drive forward he made as she writhed and mewled underneath him and it wasn’t long before she felt herself beginning to tumble. Steve could read her body signs better than she could herself and as her breath began to quicken, he pressed his mouth back to her neck, groaning himself

“You feel so good, so fucking good.” His mouth nipped at her ear as he spoke “I love you so much, baby.” And that was it, with those words she was undone.

“Stevie.” His name tumbled from her lips, in little more than a squeak as she tightened round him again and again. Then, as the heat burst between her legs and the lights exploded in front of her eyes she let out a short gasp, her nails digging further into his back, smarting the skin as she succumbed to her high.

Steve kept thrusting through her orgasm, the coil in his own belly tightening more and more. “Katie, fuck!” he closed his eyes, his head dropping to her shoulder and he spilled himself into her with a jerk and a moan before his elbows slowly slipped out from under him and he collapsed on top of her, their breathing coming in ragged gasps as they both lay delirious from the utter carnal nature of it all.

Katie’s hands gently trailed up Steve’s back and into his hair to begin their usual caress. Steve loved these tender, intimate moments that followed the sex, as much as the act itself. Gently, he moved his head to slide his nose against hers before he kissed her softly, tenderly this time as they held each other close.

Skin to skin, soul to soul, the pair of them as together as they could be, each lending the other a soothing reassurance that whilst they were still grieving, and would continue to grieve for however long they needed to, they hadn’t lost everything.

They still had one another, and as long as they did, they would be okay in time.

**** Chapter 40

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #steve rogers smut #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

58 notes · View notes