Chapter 2: Currently Fearing the Reaper {Avengers x Fem!Reader}
~Part 7~ The Life of an Avenger: Destiny Arrives
Summary: The reader struggles with her new-found power after Doctor Stephen Strange helps her to re-connect with the Power Stone much to Bruce Banner’s controversy. This could mean the difference between life and death for half the Universe once Thanos steps up to reclaim his prized possessions from Earth right in the Avenger’s own backyard: New York City.
Words: 6340
Warnings: **INFINITY WAR SPOILERS** and swearing
A/N: I love writing with Infinity War as the backbone! I think I might be making the plot thiccer than I have to, but you can bet your beautiful ass I’m gonna do it anyways. And before you comment, yes I am well-aware that the POV situation is incorrect and plays fast and loose with the rules when it comes to filling plot points. Now, if I was a professional novelist, this would be an issue, but this is a Tumblr fanfic, so…get over yourself, or don’t read it xx
TONY’S POV
An hour into the day, and Tony was already a mess. He didn’t even wake up a mess which was his typical protocol. To think he was halfway down the Happy Trail to not being in an absolute spiral of self-loathing and misery when this wizard came in and destroyed everything. For God’s sake, he was planning to have a baby with his future wife!
“Tony Stark, my name is Wong. You need to come with me,” Wong announced himself as he stepped through his portal that flickered flames of white magic into Central Park where Tony and Pepper had been taking an early morning stroll, something so normal one second, and then…
“I’m sorry, you giving out tickets to something?” Tony taunted the sorcerer who remained vigilant.
“We need your help. I fear the fate of the Universe is at stake,” Wong proceeded urgently.
“Who’s ‘we?’” Tony scoffed, staring in disbelief as one of his best friends emerged from the portal, the man’s eyes betraying an intensity of panic that Tony had never seen before. “Bruce?” Tony coughed in surprise as Bruce crashed into Tony, gripping his shoulders to convey the complete loss he was at. “What the hell is going on?” Tony demanded from Wong who shook his head.
“Dark times are upon us, Mr. Stark, and you are among one of the few people who may be able to stop it,” Wong admitted, but Tony needed more than that to put on the suit and jump into action.
“Look, if that’s all I’ve got to go on, then the Dark Times are always upon us. Ever heard of Global Warming?” Tony pegged Wong, but Bruce pulled back to look at Tony, tears brimming his eyes.
“Tony…it’s so much worse than before,” Bruce divulged. “And (Y/N)…”
“What about (Y/N)?” Tony prodded Bruce, his heart leaping into his throat at the mention of her name. “Is she with you?”
“She’s got the Power Stone back,” Bruce answered, shocking Tony. “Loki gave it to her.”
Looking into Bruce’s eyes, Tony felt the presence of an anxiety attack fill his belly like bugs desperately trying to escape from a jar, but the lid was shut tight. Tony turned to Pepper with steely eyes, a masked expression Pepper recognized and saw right through. He was in pain.
“I’m so sorry, honey, but I have to go,” Tony choked out to Pepper who approached him with a worried expression and a knowing smile on her face.
“You’re always sorry,” Pepper sighed, placing her hand on Tony’s chest. “But, this sounds serious. Besides, I expect you’ll make it up to me.”
“Another giant stuffed rabbit?” Tony attempted, smirking at her frown before kissing her cheek. “I’ll think of something.”
“I’m sure you will,” Pepper acknowledged with a quick nod as she let Tony go, praying with every piece of herself that this was a quick fix. It almost never was, but she always hoped.
Stepping through the portal, Tony was met with a load of Sci-Fi nonsense about Sakaar, Asgard, Thanos, and a whole fifth-grade-trip-to-the-planetarium-lecture on Infinity Stones that he wouldn’t have believed had he not survived what he’d survived so far, yet the words just wouldn’t connect in his mind, especially considering most of his mind was taken up with one important question:
“That’s great and all, and I plan to deal with that mess of words you just offered me once I can wrap my head around ‘Devil’s Anus,’ but first…I need to see (Y/N). Where is she?”
“Stephen is seeing her now,” Wong answered ominously as Tony threw him a look.
“Doctor Stephen Strange, another sorcerer who apparently runs this place, is helping reconnect her ‘spirit,’ or something with the stone,” Bruce explained as best he could to Tony who looked like a deer caught in headlights. “I know, I tried to stop her, but…it’s (Y/N). She does what she wants.”
“That stubborn, little…she knows better than that,” Tony cursed, turning to Wong. “Hey, you! Yeah, any opinions on all this, Mortal Kombat?”
“I’ve seen Stephen save Earth once before. I do not expect any less this time around.”
“So, he’s done this before? That’s where he was after he disappeared from his medical practice? Protecting Earth in this Hell Dimension?”
“Dark Dimension,” Wong corrected. “And, I suppose in simple terms, yes. He fought Dormammu to preserve Earth from his collection of planets by enforcing the use of the Time Stone.”
“…it’s like when we learned about Thor and Loki for the first time. Thought they would be the weirdest of it, but nope,” Tony muttered to Bruce who nodded in stunned agreement. “So, how long has he been, you know, wizarding?”
“Long enough,” Wong defended his friend, but before Tony could comment, the entire Sanctum rumbled as if a thunder cloud erupted directly beneath their feet, shaking pictures off the walls with crashes that paled in comparison to the far-off echo of a girl screaming in immense pain that sent Tony into a panic.
It was (Y/N).
“Where is she?” Tony started out quietly, pacing the room in search of the source, then turned to Wong with rage in his eyes like flashing warning signs. “Where the hell is she?” Tony shouted, charging the sorcerer. Bruce tried to calm him down, but he was inconsolable. “Show her to me!”
“She’s in good hands,” Wong promised. “Stephen must not be disturbed in the middle of his-“
“I don’t give a damn what we’re interrupting. She’s in pain and I’m pissed off,” Tony vouched as his Iron Man hand wrapped around his open palm that faced Wong, danger written across his reddened face. “I’m not asking again.” Bruce might’ve wanted to talk things out, but desperate times…
Taking a large surrendered huff, Wong’s hands smashed into something mid-air that caused a ripple effect like a JARVIS hologram of some sort…but much more Charmed than Tony liked.
Between the shattered glass, Tony could make out two figures that appeared to be doing some kind of séance, disappointingly without candles or a Ouija Board. Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light that sent both people tumbling to opposite sides of the room, but Tony immediately recognized the wild (Y/H/C) hair that belonged to the only person, besides Bruce and Pepper, that really understood him. His person. His person that he betrayed for reasons that didn’t make sense to him anymore as he watched her examine her hands that were alight in amethyst magic that he’d never seen on her before but was equally impressed by until he noticed how labored her breathing was…as if she was about to have another heart attack.
Bolting through the portal without a second thought, Tony tried to approach (Y/N) by calling out her name, not sure how she was going to react to him.
Her eyes immediately flickered up to his, but they weren’t her eyes. They were projecting amethyst light like she was being possessed by something beyond Earth which only scared him further until she blinked out the light to focus on him, instantly boring holes into his skull as she made a fist that sizzled with vengeful magic.
Yep, that was more like (Y/N).
Tony smiled awkwardly, leaning against one of the pillars. “So, not too happy to see me again. Understandable, understandable…” Tony trailed off as (Y/N)’s eyes refused to cease in their intensity, making Tony swallow nervously, himself not very good at apologies. “I know we had our differences, but you’re not gonna try and kill me, right? Your best friend? The Ass in Iron Ass?”
“I’ll try my best,” (Y/N) snarled, her eyes still on him.
“To not kill me, or…?” Tony tried to joke, but his confidence staggered.
“We’ll see,” (Y/N) deadpanned.
The silence in the room was deafening, until something tapped on the wood flooring with a thump. It was soft, but the sound reverberated against the walls with everyone’s heavy breathing. It wouldn’t have been noticed if Tony hadn’t been staring directly at (Y/N)’s face, tears rolling down her cheeks until her hair hid her agony, but Tony had already seen it.
“(Y/N)…I-I am so sorry…” Strange struggled to begin as Tony remembered he was the one who did this to her. With anger coursing through his body, he took a step towards the broken wizard and opened his mouth to say something, but (Y/N) beat him to it.
“You should have warned me,” (Y/N) croaked through her swollen throat, watching Strange’s eyes brim with shocked tears from the floor across from her.
“I-I didn’t know that that was what the spell entailed. The Dark Dimension is…darker than I previously thought,” Strange tried to explain, but (Y/N) was over it.
“You had no right to what you saw,” she countered. Tony couldn’t tell if it was rage or fear that was shaking her body, but he could tell she was moments from exploding.
“When the book said you would face your worst fears, I had no idea they would be that detailed and that your fears would be…forgive me, (Y/N). Are you alright-“
“Don’t touch me!” (Y/N) screamed, backing away from Strange who tried to reach out to her, but in seconds she was up and running out of the room, dodging the crater in the staircase to get to the second floor of the building. Knowing she needed time to herself, Tony charged Strange instead.
“What did you see?” Tony demanded as Strange tried to pull himself together, wiping at his eyes.
“More than I should have. I don’t understand how one person can have so much…pain,” Strange pieced together, his eyes shifting quickly in his head, dizzy from (Y/N)’s nightmarish memories. He knew now that what had happened to his hands was entirely his fault, but (Y/N) …she didn’t deserve what had happened to her. Not by a long shot.
“And you still shouldn’t. Whatever you saw, it doesn’t sound like you got her consent to see it. Pretty sure that’s a crime somewhere over at Hogwarts,” Tony retorted, nose-to-nose with Strange.
“Tony Stark…what a pleasure it is to finally meet you,” Strange condescended, finally regaining his whit. Just because he was apologetic towards (Y/N) didn’t mean that he was towards her friends.
“You as well, Doc. Came to complain about my lack of Acceptance letter in the mail as a kid, instead found you harassing my best friend. Care to explain yourself?” Tony posited, leaning against the staircase banister, resisting the urge to look towards the second floor as Wong stepped forward with a tired look on his face.
“I already explained to you that Stephen was helping (Y/N) to-“
“Helping?” Tony scoffed at Wong. “You and I clearly have different definitions of helping someone, because that…that was a scene straight out of Insidious if I’ve ever seen it.”
“Insidious?” Wong puzzled, but Tony shook his head.
“Yeah, didn’t think so,” he muttered to himself as Bruce made himself known.
“Tony, I tried to stop her. I meant to find you before she went through with…you know, what you just saw, but I wasn’t convincing enough.”
“And what exactly is it that I saw, Doctor?” Tony pegged Strange who’s face had become stone.
“I did what I had to do,” Strange swore. “It’s best for her, and definitely best for what’s coming.”
“Thanos,” Bruce finished for him. “The Other Guy fought him after we left Asgard, and Tony…not even he was a match. Thanos threw Hulk around like a dog’s chewtoy.”
“Well then, if Thanos needs all six stones, then why don’t we stick this one down the garbage disposal?” Tony attempted, pointing to the Time Stone around Strange’s neck.
“No can do,” Strange answered. “We swore to protect the Time Stone with our lives and now (Y/N), just as she had decided to do, has the burden of protecting the Power Stone.”
“I don’t doubt that she can do that. She’s been doing it for years, but…you don’t know her like we do,” Tony argued, his own heart weighed down by what he now felt he could have prevented. “She deserves better than being hunted down by aliens 24/7. We got her away from that shit until you dragged her back into this Freak Show. I hope you find peace in that.”
“I don’t enjoy doing what I did, but it was the right call,” Strange persisted. “You’ll see soon enough if you can deflate that ego of yours for more than two seconds…douchebag.”
“I’ll deflate mine when you deflate yours,” Tony bit back, eyes leveled with Strange who glared back at him, letting the sexual tension…I mean, just normal tension…build.
“…seven million three hundred and two possibilities-“
“AKA the amount of times you’ve granted someone’s three wishes?”
“AKA the amount of possibilities I’ve foreseen in this future war we are to have with Thanos in which only one I’ve seen us won…and in that one I saw (Y/N) wielding the Power Stone.”
“And doing what with it?” Tony asked, but Strange shook his head.
“That’s as far as my visions have taken me so far, but I plan to try and look further into the future once we end this useless banter we’re in.”
“It’s only been useless due to your lack of the fine details,” Tony retorted coldly as he finally looked up to the second floor, his patience running out entirely as he looked towards Bruce. “I have to go talk to her.”
“Are you sure? It really didn’t seem like she was in the mood for…you,” Bruce questioned nervously, but Tony brushed him off.
“Well, that needs to change,” Tony muttered, leaving out because I won’t be able to handle this chaotic situation otherwise. Not without her.
After evading the pit in the staircase, Tony found her hugging her knees next to the oversized window, chin digging into her right knee with her hand clutching her chest as her eyes and dried tears reflected the silver light outside. It was a position of defeat, of defense. She looked hollow.
Tony felt sick. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to be. (Y/N) was his rock, his person.
The guilt was overwhelming, and he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to fix this problem.
(Y/N)’S POV
She shouldn’t be crying. She shouldn’t be afraid of things that had already happened to her. Things she’d convinced herself that she’d gotten over. It was downright embarrassing after just been told she had to defend Earth from yet another Power Trip from space. As if she was some flawless hero-type that just lived to fight crime and have their face plastered on inspirational posters in school libraries. Like Steve. In fact, four years ago she was the one causing the crimes. Petty crimes, but still. When did this bullshit shift happen and how did she make it stop?
But after, what? Six days on no sleep and almost nothing to eat and having just been through a virtual reality game of Fucked Up Shit from My Past: Hoarder’s Edition, she’s bound to lose her mind. She couldn’t think straight, much less stand up straight. She slid her back down the wall next to her new favorite aesthetically-pleasing, melodramatic window, gulping in breaths and pinching herself to keep from passing out. Staring towards the ominous sky, she damned whatever Universal Force was tricking her into this shit.
Not that it was all about her, but she felt convinced the joke was on her, and the punchline was just around the fucking corner. She just wasn’t sure if she was ready for it this time.
She heard unsure footsteps climb the stairs after her a few minutes later, already knowing it was Tony. She knew it was useless to pull herself together. He’d seen her do worse.
Eyes still out the window, she felt Tony sit across from her, his own eyes watching her carefully.
“Are you hurt?” Tony asked after a few moments, knowing she wouldn’t answer him honestly, and instead of receiving a sarcastic response like he’d hoped, she simply pulled her hand from her chest to wrap under her knees. She hadn’t even known she’d had her hand there, holding herself together from where she was ripped apart in her nightmare. As awful as it was to discover, it had become an automatic habit for her.
Tony sighed in the wake of her silence, deciding honestly was his best way to go. It was his only to get her to open up to him in the early days of their friendship, and if it ain’t broke… “I haven’t been able to sleep,” Tony admitted, receiving only radio static as he laughed humorlessly. “As if that’s something new, I know. I know. But the reason I couldn’t sleep was because I didn’t know if you were alive…” Tony choked up, his eyes falling to his lap as (Y/N) blinked away a stray tear. Tony looked back up to her with another laugh, thinking of the cake that was sent to him, the same moment he knew she was okay. “Well, not until I received your gift, ‘you’re tacky, and I hate you.’ As always, your way with words has left me breathless, (Y/N)…but I still couldn’t sleep. There was always that voice in the back of my head and you know what it said to me? It kept telling me how wrong I was, and how right you were. That’s not an easy thing to admit, but (Y/N)…I mean it. Every word of it. Just please forgive me and when this is all over, come home. I don’t care about the Accords just come-“
“You pushed us out,” (Y/N) broke, her voice cracking with the effort. “You made us run. Made us criminals. And now, now when the Universe hangs in the fucking balance, now you apologize?” (Y/N) demanded, silencing Tony immediately. She shook her head with tears in her eyes.
“No. I decided that the moment Rhodey hit the dirt,” Tony answered darkly, his eyes trailing out the window as well in memory. “And when I woke up to find you in the snow…all I wanted was to save you…but Steve took your body before I could fix…” Slowly, Tony pulled out (Y/N)’s necklace from his pocket, the necklace he found under Steve’s broken shield after the regretful fight in Siberia that almost took her life. The sapphire pendant caught (Y/N)’s attention as it mingled with the light, casting a reflection on the window’s glass. With trembling fingers, (Y/N) caressed the silver chain from Tony’s hand, her mother’s necklace, and pressed it to her lips as her body fell into Tony’s arms that held her tight to his chest. Kissing the top of her head, he let her cry on him as she had allowed him to for so many years, quietly rocking her until her breathing became more stable.
“If you want to talk about it…” Tony whispered as (Y/N) sniffed, letting Tony support her.
“I was back under the knife…under Hydra. It was like I was a little girl again…alone and afraid. It felt like every bit of confidence I’d built up had never existed. Like I was theirs for the taking…which I guess I was. They did pay a hefty price for me,” (Y/N) joked darkly as Tony rubbed her arm, but she shook herself off, wiping her eyes. “But like I said, the Universe hangs in the balance. We don’t have time for my bullshit-“
“It’s not bullshit,” Tony interrupted, but (Y/N) shook her head.
“It is. All that happened years ago, and I’ve moved on, and…and don’t roll your eyes at me, I have,” (Y/N) smacked Tony with a laugh, both knowing they were too fucked up beyond repair. “Whatever. Besides…I have to apologize to you, too-“
“No, you-“
“Yes, I do. I fought fire with fire. I should’ve expected to get burned.”
“And apparently I shouldn’t have gone off my meds,” Tony joked.
“We all make mistakes,” (Y/N) shrugged, but was clearly still in deep pain. Tony recognized it, but also realized they were short on time and energy. “How much are you caught up on?”
“Too much, but also not nearly enough.”
“Perfect, we can work with that,” (Y/N) retorted sarcastically as she made her way towards the stairs, but Tony stopped her one last time.
“I just need to know what I’mworking with. Are you okay to handle this? Hey! No bullshit. Are you okay?” Tony asked, leveling his eyes with hers, not letting her look away from him.
“No,” (Y/N) answered candidly, not even expecting her own answer. “But I don’t really have a choice now, do I?”
“It doesn’t look like it,” Tony sighed sadly, then smiled at her. “But it does look like you’ve got your fire back,” Tony nodded as he held the amethyst locket that rested on (Y/N)’s chest in a pendant similar to Strange’s that intertwined with (Y/N)’s mother’s necklace. “Things could be worse. At least this Thanos character doesn’t have it.”
“And let’s keep it way,” (Y/N) smirked with a cock of her eyebrow, making Tony grin as they joined the new team downstairs in the foyer. Bruce paced nervously, flicking his eyes up to (Y/N) as he asked her a silent ‘are you okay’ that (Y/N) nodded to without a word as she looked towards Strange who seemed unsure of what to say, so she let him off the hook.
“I know that you didn’t mean for any of that to happen,” (Y/N) assured him. “You just caught me off guard…which isn’t an easy thing to do, so I guess a congratulations are in order, sir,” (Y/N) saluted him as he rolled his eyes, allowing some of the tension be relieved of the room. “So, Thanos. He’s coming. He’s evil. He’s probably ugly. What the hell do we do about it?”
“Botox?” Tony offered jokingly, but (Y/N) was quick.
“Maybe later. I’m waiting for my forties,” (Y/N) responded immediately making everyone laugh. “But no, seriously. From a scientific standpoint, are Steve and I even going to age? You know, because of the super soldier serum. I swear that man hasn’t earned a wrinkle since the day we first met,” (Y/N) rambled as she walked around the room in deep thought. “I mean, because I can’t wait to age. Like, I can’t wait to grow old with Steve and our highlight of the month is our weekly trip to Target, or Costco, or something. And we rent those little scooter/cart things, but not as jokes because we actually need them. But also as a joke because they’re fucking hilarious. And then we get home and eat…whatever old people eat, like vanilla wafers and pretzels all day and watch the sunset in our Tommy Bahama lawn chairs…but we don’t actually watch the sunset because we fall asleep at like four o’clock in the afternoon. And like-“
“Holy shit, (Y/N)!” Tony yelled out, trying to stop her as he leaned over a table in a chorus of laughter with Bruce, Wong, and Strange. “We get it. You’re ready to get old. Shit.”
“I know, I know. The point about Thanos, uh…damn, where is the point and why can’t I find it right now?” (Y/N) mused out loud to herself, but Bruce helped her out.
“The point is, we have these stones. We know where they are. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone and we have to find him. Now.”
“Yeah, well that’s the thing…two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder,” Tony answered. “He’s offline.”
“Wonder why,” (Y/N) taunted darkly, then shook her head. “No, wait. He was on your side. Seriously, why?”
“I found out about him and Wanda playing house somewhere in Scotland,” Tony groaned. “When I first designed Jarvis, I never thought he’d become so…evolved.”
“Aw! I’m so happy for them! Like a weird Bonnie and Clyde type of thing,” (Y/N) gushed. “That’s pretty fucking cute.”
“No, it’s illegal,” Tony deadpanned, but (Y/N) was still smiling.
“That’s what makes it so cute. I approve. Not that my approval matters, but she’ll get an earful when I find her.”
“Okay, is anyone going to explain to me what the hell happened here while I was gone? Like the part where you almost killed her in Siberia? Care to explain that, Tony?” Bruce shouted at Tony and (Y/N) who stared blankly at him, until Tony turned on (Y/N).
“You never told him?”
“Obviously, I told him the important bits,” (Y/N) retorted darkly, making Tony narrow his eyes at her, then she threw her arms up. “We didn’t have time! We were on a mission to kill Thor’s sister in space! We had bigger fish to fry than trying to explain Ant Man. Plus, I got distracted by Valkryie.”
“Who the hell is Valkyrie?” Tony exclaimed at (Y/N) who shot right back.
“Look, all I’m gonna say is that once I saw her fight, I wasn’t sure I was straight anymore.”
“Were you that sure to begin with?”
“Not since Rihanna, no, but I feel like we’re getting off topic again.”
“You don’t say?” Strange spoke up sarcastically, rubbing his temples. “Is this how your team always functions?”
“No, but it’s how we always dysfunction,” (Y/N) smirked as Bruce put his face in his hands.
“You have no idea what I’ve been through over the years,” Bruce moaned as Tony tried to high five (Y/N), but she walked right past him, suddenly becoming very stoic which killed the vibe of the room. “But for the past two years, I haven’t been here so…fill me in.”
“Are you sure you want to know?” Tony asked, and Bruce hesitated, but nodded anyway. Tony launched into the Sokovia Accords and what went down in Lagos, Berlin, in the airport, in Siberia, going into detail where he could, but brushing over the pieces that still weren’t resolved. (Y/N) chimed in for certain pieces, but remained quiet for most of the explanation, instead curiously roaming the room looking at the strange artifacts from who even knew where? Strange and Wong began to tell a bit of their own story with Dormammu, providing context for who everyone was becoming allies with until Tony mentioned becoming a father. The sound of metal pinging the ground interrupted the conversation where everyone looked to the back corner of the room to find a very sheepish looking (Y/N). Playing it cool, she “inconspicuously” walked over to a large planter where she tossed a small piece of whatever she broke inside, whistling towards the ceiling as she wrapped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels.
“Oh, hey guys!” (Y/N) laughed nervously as she noticed them all staring. “I was just…looking at the artifacts-“
“Priceless artifacts,” Strange interjected, making (Y/N) even more sheepish.
“Yeah…yeah, those priceless…artifacts…” (Y/N) coughed awkwardly, then went back to the same desk to look inside the drawer past the knob she just broke.
“(Y/N)!” Bruce chastised her as he shook his head, walking over to grab her by the arm.
“What, it’s already broken?” (Y/N) complained in a situation that reminded Tony heavily of the good old days back in Stark Tower. It was frustrating to know that things might never go back to the way they were. He choked back a tear, keeping his face neutral as he snorted at her.
“That doesn’t mean breaking it more is the solution, punk,” Tony teased her.
“Yeah, but I want to see what’s inside! I want to be over there!“ (Y/N) yelled just as a vortex of black rimmed in purple light swallowed (Y/N) into the ground, making her appear a few terrifying seconds later over by the desk. Clearly, everyone was shook. Even Wong looked shook.
“…but I was…and now I’m…” (Y/N) muttered numbly, pointing from Bruce to where she was, then narrowed her eyes at Strange and Wong. “Alright, which one of you fuckers did it?” Strange and Wong just shook their heads in awe. “No? Neither of you decided to add this to your magic show?”
“(Y/N)…I think that was the stone,” Bruce pointed out, making (Y/N) look down to the after-glow of the Power Stone that was now settling on her chest again. With a smirk, (Y/N) lifted her chin high to address the men as she princess waved at them, blowing them sarcastic kisses. “Thank you, thank you! I’ve officially surpassed all of you peasants with my greatness. You’re welcome for allowing you all to witness my upgrade. Excuse me while I single-handedly go take down Thanos,” (Y/N) joked as she made her way towards the door, but Bruce took her by the arm again.
“Not just yet,” Bruce laughed. “We still need to find Vision.”
“Well, who could find him?” Strange asked.
“…shit…probably Steve Rogers,” Tony replied, looking up to (Y/N) as Strange just about lost it.
“Funny thing is, he was already here,” (Y/N) sighed, making Tony cock his head. “Yeah, that’s probably why Doctor Fancycape over there is losing his shit. Him, Sam, Scott, and I came here to escape, well…you,” (Y/N) choked as Tony looked at the floor in guilt. “I told you, you and your government friends made us run pretty far.”
“I never meant for things to get so…complicated,” Tony shook his head.
“Yeah, Tony. Turns out life is complicated. I know, I’m surprised too,” (Y/N) retorted, quickly turning the dark conversation light. “But, not like in a good way. Like a, surprise! Happy birthday kind of way, but more of a, surprise! Your dog is dead, kind of way.”
“You learn something new every day,” Tony responded with a half-smile that didn’t really reach his eyes. “But still, it’s not that easy. Cap and I fell out hard. We’re still not on speaking terms.”
“Tony, listen to me,” Bruce cautioned as he approached Tony. “Thor’s gone. Thanos is coming. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to, or not.”
“He’s right, Tony,” (Y/N) chimed in, then shrugged. “Besides, you already have half the power couple. What’s one more?”
“A whole power couple?” Tony teased her.
“Hmm, math. I’m impressed.”
“Yeah, not exactly the kind of math that I want to be doing. You, I can handle, but Spangles?” Tony scratched the back of his neck. “I almost caused the end for not one, but two of my best friend’s lives, and one of those happened to be his alter-ego. Couldn’t be more different than him, yet more perfect…”
“Is that the speech you’re gonna give at our wedding? Because it sucks,” (Y/N) deadpanned.
“Would you just let me…” Tony groaning, running a hand over his face as (Y/N) took a step back. “I just don’t know if I can face him after everything…” Tony let the statement hang in the air.
“Do you have a way to contact Rogers, or not?” Strange asked. “Because I can’t seem to find him in any of the portals I cast. I can try a locating spell, but those will take a few days to-“
“Don’t bother,” Tony interrupted as he sighed. After a moment of hesitation, he slipped the flip phone Steve sent him from his pocket. (Y/N) just stared at the little silver piece of the 90’s and gawked, concealing the moment she almost dropped her jaw by clearing her throat.
“First of all, I refuse to get sentimental about that,” (Y/N) stated into the silent room, making Tony smile at her awkwardness as she swallowed. “I can’t believe you still have that.”
“It was the only way to contact you and Steve…of course I still have it,” Tony admitted.
“Stop it, alright?” (Y/N) choked out, not masking her emotions as well as she would have liked which made Tony’s heart inflate with hope. “Or else I might actually forgive you. Which, then I would never forgive myself for being a pushover, which I’m not.”
“No, you’re not,” Tony agreed as they held each other’s eyes. (Y/N) rolled them to break the contact, crossing her arms across her chest.
“I’m still mad at you.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“Well? You gonna call him, or not?”
Tony dropped his smile immediately, scrunching her eyebrows down at the phone as he opened up the only contact programmed into the device. The name projected from the screen like a voice demanding to be called. He’d wanted to call for months now, but…but the time never felt right. He always felt like even if he were to call, that he wouldn’t know what to say. He knew he wanted to apologize to (Y/N), but it wasn’t her phone. This was Steve. Completely different story. And he knew for a fact that Steve would always answer, but it wasn’t really him that he wanted to talk to. He did, but it was always-
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” (Y/N) yelled impatiently as she tried to grab the phone from Tony’s grasp, but instead the device clattered to ground at their feet where they both dove for it.
“(Y/N)! Why do you keep breaking things?” Tony shouted at her as they fought for control.
“Are you kidding me? This thing is more indestructible than your suits!”
“As upset as that makes me, you’re probably right,” Tony shrugged, but still held fast.
“Didn’t we just discuss how I’m always right?”
“Not always, just more often than I thought!”
“Well, I’m not wrong about this!” (Y/N) groaned as she froze Tony’s hand a bit in a little sting to make him let go. With a huff, (Y/N) smirked. “Let’s test this shall we?” (Y/N) taunted as she prepared to stupidly throw the phone at the wall just to prove Tony wrong, but Bruce stole it from her instead, holding it just out of her reach as Tony was still hanging on her shoulder, reaching for the device. “Hey!” (Y/N) called at Bruce, but he ignored her and went in to call Steve himself.
Suddenly, the air shifted. A dull hum droned above everyone’s heads from the hole in the ceiling where Bruce came crashing to Earth. (Y/N) followed Tony’s gaze to look at Strange who’s fringe was twitching with the pulsating energy that tugged at everyone’s guts like the push and pull of the ocean tides.
“Say, Doc. You wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair, now would you?” Tony asked Strange who watched his own wisp of hair dance ominously on his forehead.
“Not at the moment, no,” Strange answered as Tony and (Y/N) looked at each other, confirming each other’s suspicions that something was about to happen with the fear in their eyes. Tony squeezed (Y/N)’s shoulder to assure her as best he could as she began to walk towards the door, looking through the window to catch a glimpse of people rushing the streets in pure terror.
“All I have to say is, they messed with the wrong bitch at the wrong time,” (Y/N) snarled as she shoved her way out into the streets, her hair getting swept up by the whirlwind that gusted through the canyon made by the towering buildings on each side of the street. The sky was barely visible through the ash and dust that was a low-hanging smog that made the city feel more and more unbearably claustrophobic by the second. Car horns were honking as traffic became a stand-still, people abandoning their vehicles to escape whatever was in the skies behind them, their terrified expressions peering over their shoulders like a horror movie come to life. (Y/N) heard her team attempting to help people on the streets, but she was determined to see what she was up against. She marched into the middle of the road, becoming mesmerized by the hollow spaceship that hovered above the smoke and grime like a Death Star donut. Struck by the ship, (Y/N) failed to notice the car hood that would’ve sliced her own head off had Tony not tackled her to the ground, cradling her head in his arms as they went down.
Breaking from her trance, she looked up to Tony who looked just as relieved as she felt.
“Suddenly, I’m overcome with the feeling to forgive you,” (Y/N) breathed out as Tony pulled her to her feet, each steadying the other.
“Then don’t do something stupid like that, and I won’t have to save you again,” Tony quipped, making (Y/N) push him off of her as they both ran around the street corner to where the ship was hovering over the dead-stop traffic like an apocalyptic wasteland where the dust storm was worse than ever. Strange stood beside (Y/N), gathering his magic to wisp aside most of the smog, but the view wasn’t much better in the clear, finally getting the full frontal of the spaceship in all it’s petrifying glory. “Friday! Evac anyone south of 43rd Street! Notify first responders!” Tony called to Friday, but (Y/N) stepped out in front of him with her hands pulsating in a purple glow that sent chills through his body.
“Don’t bother,” (Y/N) growled lowly to Tony and Strange, cracking her neck as her eyes glared daggers at the ship, the stone beginning to levitate off her chest. “They either find their way home, or they find themselves in a body bag. No more than ten blocks out, or they’re dead. No more negotiations,” (Y/N) asserted as she gritted her teeth, paving the way through the ruble towards the electric beam of blue light about a mile down the street, the light in her eyes demanding a war to not just be fought, but to be won.
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