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cap_ironman2009-04-20 08:45 am
empty-splendor.livejournal.com) wrote in cap_ironman2009-04-20 08:45 am
Fic: When the World Came Down (3/5) Rated R
Author: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
empty_splendor
Title: When the World Came Down: Part three/five
Rating: R - For language and violence
Summary: Steve Rogers wakes up in a world changed from the one he left behind, a world obliterated by nuclear war and must learn to exist in the new world while he tries to fix his friendship with Tony Stark, or maybe explore it beyond friendship, as they with a rag tag team of avengers past and present fight one last time against one of their greatest foes.
Beta Used: yes, wonderfuljazzypom who put up with me, god knows why.
Verse: 616/with a MA spice
Archive: Whatever you'd like to do
Warning: There isn't a happy ending. I'll be more specific when it gets to that point, but... just so you know now, it doesn't end well.
A/N: I've done a bit of handwaving: No Skrull War, no current Dark Reign, no One More Day/Brand New Day and Peter has organic webbing. It's a brand new world and it does take place a few years after the Civil War... but all will be made clear in the story. :)
Part Three: Turn A new Page, Tear the Old One Out
Shea Stadium, Flushing, Queens, New York
Large panels of black glass were pieced together into a soaring colossus of a tower standing nearly three thousand feet above the ground with an antenna beaning a solitary red light at its very top.
Inside it housed a magnificent mainframe of artificial intelligence the likes of which no man could ever design. From the circular base of the cone shaped tower, leading upward, wall-to-wall consoles running thousands of volts of electrical impulses powered by one large generator. The generator connected to the main power system that once powered Queens and had only been hot wired and forced to work through sheer force.
Surrounding the monolith a bionic army awaited for the moment of activation. A few dozen of them worked tirelessly to transform the remains of the Shea Stadium into a hub of technological power. This location was to be the capitol city of a new civilization run and controlled by machines with one single entity at its heart.
Ultron, watching the progress from the top of the citadel, mused aloud.
“Men are weak. It took mere hours for them to turn on each other and destroy everything they built. One simple bomb was all it took, strategically positioned for landing from the territory known as Russia to the United States of America. A simple nuclear explosion of man built weaponry and the mighty species fell like pathetic fools. After that, I had noting to do but sit back and enjoy while they set out there biggest most powerful nuclear devices to destroy everything they’d worked to build. Their mighty empires fell one by one until there was nothing left but scattered survivors.”
As Ultron spoke, the images ran through his circuits, the rumble of earth as various places exploded into mushroom clouds, the anguished moans of people as they saw their mighty cities fell. New York, a city known for its grid of lights, descended into darkness.
"My father, weak human, if he could only see what I have wrought! And Vision! My weaker brother, brought down by the same humans he sought to protect."
The glow of top antenna of the tower brightened a bit as he laughed, savoring the moment when he knew he’d finally managed his greatest goal.
“Soon those survivors will be no more and this world will belong to Ultron. I am, " the machine mused, "the next Revelation. I will be the next Evolution."
*******************
Sam Wilson left the night before to meet up with Pepper Potts at the water plant. Since he could fly he knew it wouldn’t take him long to get there, using the cover of night to keep him hidden from any of the dangerous mutations that lurked outside the gates of Coney Colony. He took with him a couple of rifles, and what he had in Legos to help the two of them pay for necessities. Sam had tried to say good-bye to Steve, but Steve would not hear of it, and so they left it at a plan to speak to each other when Ultron was defeated.
Tony spent the night with Steve in his little compartment, using the sleeping bag Pepper had packed him to sleep in despite Steve’s request for him to take the bed. He’d declined the offer since he probably wouldn’t sleep much anyway. The next morning Steve had found him shaving the beard down to his usual van dyke and drinking from one of the glasses Steve had gotten from MJ and Peter. Tony had used some of the pure water to make instant coffee for them to “perk them up” for the journey. Steve also noted that he looked like Tony again. Steve prepared them a breakfast from the dry meals, despite Tony's disgusted disinterest in them, insisting that they needed the energy from a meal. Tony had reluctantly eaten. The morning had been easy, almost as if no time had passed and nothing negative hung in the air. Tony seemed a bit more relaxed than he had been back at the water plant, his mood lighter despite the journey ahead of them and what they had yet to face. Steve enjoyed his company again, and more than anything he wanted this to be their life again like days in the Mansion and the later time in the tower, when they could exist in each other's company like friends and partners.
"I really missed coffee..." Tony said as he finished off the cup. "That was my real motivation for purifying the water."
Steve rolled his eyes and then chuckled. "Of course it was."
When they met with Peter the three of them started a half a day journey to the territory known as Fort Colony. It was located in the neighbourhood of Brooklyn formerly known as Fort Hamilton and that was where Tony had last heard the Pyms had been with Carol Danvers.
Fort Colony was substantially more established than Coney had been; while Coney had started from scratch with the scraps left behind from the old amusements, Fort Colony had once been a base community for the US Army soldiers and their families. The people of this territory had a bit more to work with as most of the houses seemed to be fairly enacted or easily patched. As they headed inside, Tony noted the large tank in the entrance and reminded himself to check on its condition before they went off to battle.
Hank was the first man that Steve had seen that wasn’t sporting a full beard and hair longer than he normally kept it, but Jan’s hair was much longer than she’d normally worn it, hanging down past her shoulders. They didn’t appear to be nearly as worn as Tony or Sam had been, as they seemed to have things a bit easier in this colony than the one they had left behind. Their home was an actual house that had once been inhabited by a housewife and her military husband.
“Its very Army Wives,” Jan chirped as she sat at the kitchen table.
The only real damage done to the building was its missing roof so they converted the lower level rooms into bedrooms and left the upper level of the two story suburban lot untouched. The décor was clearly remnants of the family who’d occupied it before the war, with floral patterned furniture and matching dinette set, dishes that were bright and patterned with an ugly Posey print with matching glasses and magnetic alphabet letters on the fridge where Hank had spelled out F-a-r-t.
"That was the only word I could make out of the letters I had." He'd explained.
For a brief moment Steve was reminded of the time living in the mansion before the Avengers fell, before they had been torn to opposites sides of Super Human Registration. He remembered fondly the times of laughing and chiding while they recounted missions or days events. Moments in the beginning when they were still learning about each other. Jan sat with Hank smiling and stealing food from his plate. He batted at her hand to stop her and she giggled before drawing her hand back. Tony sat leaning back a bit in his chair, his fingers wrapped around a coffee mug almost protectively as if someone were going to take it from him at any second. Peter munched on his food like he hadn’t eaten in years, which in this case was likely to be the case.
“So you think it’s a good idea to go into Ultron’s operation and just… destroy it?” Hank’s voice interrupted Steve’s flashback.
“Well that’s the idea,” Tony sounded amused. “It’s either that or wait around until he starts looking for survivors. He won’t be happy until all of the humans are dead.”
Peter smiled a bit. “I can’t help but think of Flight of the Conchords.”
Tony tossed Peter an amused look before returning his attention to Hank and Jan. Steve smiled a bit at the spark he saw in Tony, it was similar to the one he’d seen at the water plant, a marking on his features of determination, of drive and the promise of something better to come. He knew it’d been a long time since any of them had felt that way.
“We’ll have to get Carol.” Hank said decidedly.
Tony halted as if he’d been prepared to thwart another objection.
“So are you in then?” he asked.
“I’m in.”
Jan grinned. “I’m in, too.”
Stark sat there, for the first time in a long time, swelled with pride, his back straightening ever so slightly as if he felt tall again after years of being beaten down. Whatever the out come they were ready to take the world back and that alone was enough for him. Even if they failed, and failure he knew was the more likely scenario, they’d go out fighting evil as a team again. It felt good to him; it felt right for the team to be coming back together in this time of need.
This moment felt right, this planning session on the fly. The five of them sat there, an amalgam of the Avengers teams, four from the original and Peter from the New. Steve was right back where he belonged at the helm of it all. Tony felt a warmth inside that he hadn't felt in years not just toward these friends of his, but toward the world in general. Steve was alive, they were Avengers again even without costumes going up against a common foe instead of each other. Steve and Peter were their allies and not their enemies for that and nothing more, Tony was thankful. No matter what happened with Ultron, they had this battle together as it should be.
His face wreathed in smiles, Tony prodded at Steve, and said:
“You’re going to have to say it, just once for old time's sake.”
With Tony's words the focus was on Steve. The camaraderie and anticipation for the battle to come, was almost palpable. Steve sat up; his shoulders thrown back, his chin thrust forward, nearly overwhelmed with the occasion himself. It wasn't until now that he remembered he was without his shield, the defining symbol of his alter ego of Captain America. Normally, this realization might have deflated Steve, but it was clear to him that none of his fellow Avengers seemed to let that bother them. He was still their leader. He was still their ally. He didn't need the shield to be a symbol to them. Steve Rogers was still their Captain America. He wouldn't let them down over missing his shield.
Steve didn’t hesitate, throwing his fist in the air, he yelled:
“Avengers Assemble!”
Carol Danvers hadn’t taken a lot of convincing. She was as surprised as everyone else had been to see Steve striding up with the group as if he’d never been gone. She, like Jan, had seemed less scathed by the world’s end. Her hair tied into a ponytail, wearing an old army jumper she likely found on the base. Tony had not finished a single sentence before she’d been game.
"You know I'll gladly help you kick Ultron's ass." she told him.
It was going to be a three-day journey to Flushing, Queens where Ultron’s base of operation was set up. Tony had only seen it once, in the early moments of its construction in the center of Shea Stadium. One the first night they stopped they discussed strategy for how they would take the robotic army by surprise.
“We’ll come in from behind, along the stadium itself… however much is left of it.” Steve noted the position on an old pre-war map.
“It’s still in fair shape as of the last time I saw it. Of course, who knows what kind of redecorating Ultron did to it.” Tony countered with a smirk.
Steve gave him a small smile in return but immediately returned to business.
“The best option is going to be going right for the power source.”
Hank jutted out his chin with characteristic resolve. “I made him. I’ll head for the power source, I’ve probably got a better chance of figuring it out…”
“I’ll help. I’ll be no good out in the battlefield without my armor anyway. Besides, you’ll need back up.” Tony interjected.
“The rest of us will cover you.” Carol added.
With a few more hours, they had a basic "plan". Tony knew that it was hard to plan for something like Ultron because in truth none of them had a clue what exactly they were going up against. Their foe was capable of just about anything. Ultron had seen the starting construction of the power source as he fed out of Manhattan and that had been nearly a year ago. There was no way to tell how much he’d done it that time. Tony was smart enough to consider that they were very possibly screwed.
Despite this, however, Tony couldn’t stop the smile from tugging at his lips when Steve went into leader mode.
“Get some sleep. We’ve got another full day of travel ahead of us in the morning.”
After the next day of travel, they set up camp almost a day away from Shea Stadium. They’d reach the location by mid afternoon and as far as Tony knew Steve had planned to literally hit the ground running from there. The closer they got the more somber the mood become. The Avengers set up camp before heating some of the strange future world packaged meals.
Tony sat by fire they’d managed to set up with a few dead logs they’d found on the path. There wasn’t much wood around these days, and he made a note to remember to try and carry some back… if they survived. He looked up from the fire when Steve made himself comfortable beside him.
“I would kill for quail with 50 year balsamic from Craft right now,” Tony groaned, poking at the dried food.
“Is that the restaurant where the waitress spilled wine on your pants?”
Tony laughed. “No that was Cru.”
Steve almost rolled his eyes. “I never could keep those fancy restaurants straight.”
Stark snorted a bit in response as he looked back at the fire. He closed his eyes feeling a bit more tired than he had a few minutes ago before letting out a sigh and opening them to look back at Cap.
“Remember back before we broke up… the team I mean… we used to have those big dinners at that mansion. Everyone would be there, you’d even drag me out of the office or my shop or god knows where. It was like… one big family dinner.”
“And everyone would manage to get along. No matter what was going on, what kind of random in quarrels we had… for that couple hours of dinner we were all at peace with the world and each other.” Steve picked up Tony’s train of thought.
“It was surreal. Having the house that full again. It’d been empty for so long.”
Steve put his hand on Tony’s shoulder. He could tell that the other man was lost in his own world as the visions of the past came flooding to the forefront of his mind. He didn’t know how much more Tony was going to say, so he kept quiet in case he started talking again without warning. He did just as Steve thought he was finished.
“We’re so isolated here now,” his voice was on the edge of being inaudible. “I wonder about what’s going on in LA… if there are survivors. Henry…”
Tony hung his head. “I hope he’s okay. I hope the team is okay.”
Though Steve wasn’t sure which team Tony was referring, he was familiar with Henry Hellrung, although he'd never really met the man personally.
He knew that Tony had been close with Henry from the days when Henry played Tony in an hour long drama on TV, and the nights of debauchery when both were still drinking. Steve knew it was Henry's help that had kept Tony sober, although he had no idea what "team" Tony was referring to. In that silence he wished he’d had an answer to Tony's question. He wished he knew if Tony’s friends in LA were okay so that he could ease his fears and his conscience. Having no answers, he simply gave Tony's shoulder a comforting squeeze.
“I always liked the hot dogs in the park.” Steve admitted.
It took Tony a moment to pick up Steve’s train of thought, but he smiled a bit as he caught back up. When Steve saw the smile the tension he was carrying in his chest seemed to loosen a bit though he didn’t even realize it had been there.
“Yeah hot dogs were good. I don’t care what they were made of or how long they’d been there. That and Ray’s Pizza.”
Steve laughed, “You can keep your quail in vinegar, Tony. I’ll take a big slice of Ray’s pizza any day.”
“You know… forget the quail. I’d join you for that pizza.”
“Get some sleep... Iron man.”
With a clap of his strong hand on Tony’s back, Steve stood and made his way toward his sleeping bag. He stopped briefly to glance back at Tony whose gaze had shifted down and turned back to the dying fire, glazed over as they tended to when he was lost in his own mind. After taking in the sight, he left Tony to his thoughts.
“Not Iron Man… not anymore.”
Steve was well out of range to hear the final sentiment.
To be continued...
empty_splendorTitle: When the World Came Down: Part three/five
Rating: R - For language and violence
Summary: Steve Rogers wakes up in a world changed from the one he left behind, a world obliterated by nuclear war and must learn to exist in the new world while he tries to fix his friendship with Tony Stark, or maybe explore it beyond friendship, as they with a rag tag team of avengers past and present fight one last time against one of their greatest foes.
Beta Used: yes, wonderful
jazzypom who put up with me, god knows why.Verse: 616/with a MA spice
Archive: Whatever you'd like to do
Warning: There isn't a happy ending. I'll be more specific when it gets to that point, but... just so you know now, it doesn't end well.
A/N: I've done a bit of handwaving: No Skrull War, no current Dark Reign, no One More Day/Brand New Day and Peter has organic webbing. It's a brand new world and it does take place a few years after the Civil War... but all will be made clear in the story. :)
Part Three: Turn A new Page, Tear the Old One Out
Shea Stadium, Flushing, Queens, New York
Large panels of black glass were pieced together into a soaring colossus of a tower standing nearly three thousand feet above the ground with an antenna beaning a solitary red light at its very top.
Inside it housed a magnificent mainframe of artificial intelligence the likes of which no man could ever design. From the circular base of the cone shaped tower, leading upward, wall-to-wall consoles running thousands of volts of electrical impulses powered by one large generator. The generator connected to the main power system that once powered Queens and had only been hot wired and forced to work through sheer force.
Surrounding the monolith a bionic army awaited for the moment of activation. A few dozen of them worked tirelessly to transform the remains of the Shea Stadium into a hub of technological power. This location was to be the capitol city of a new civilization run and controlled by machines with one single entity at its heart.
Ultron, watching the progress from the top of the citadel, mused aloud.
“Men are weak. It took mere hours for them to turn on each other and destroy everything they built. One simple bomb was all it took, strategically positioned for landing from the territory known as Russia to the United States of America. A simple nuclear explosion of man built weaponry and the mighty species fell like pathetic fools. After that, I had noting to do but sit back and enjoy while they set out there biggest most powerful nuclear devices to destroy everything they’d worked to build. Their mighty empires fell one by one until there was nothing left but scattered survivors.”
As Ultron spoke, the images ran through his circuits, the rumble of earth as various places exploded into mushroom clouds, the anguished moans of people as they saw their mighty cities fell. New York, a city known for its grid of lights, descended into darkness.
"My father, weak human, if he could only see what I have wrought! And Vision! My weaker brother, brought down by the same humans he sought to protect."
The glow of top antenna of the tower brightened a bit as he laughed, savoring the moment when he knew he’d finally managed his greatest goal.
“Soon those survivors will be no more and this world will belong to Ultron. I am, " the machine mused, "the next Revelation. I will be the next Evolution."
*******************
Sam Wilson left the night before to meet up with Pepper Potts at the water plant. Since he could fly he knew it wouldn’t take him long to get there, using the cover of night to keep him hidden from any of the dangerous mutations that lurked outside the gates of Coney Colony. He took with him a couple of rifles, and what he had in Legos to help the two of them pay for necessities. Sam had tried to say good-bye to Steve, but Steve would not hear of it, and so they left it at a plan to speak to each other when Ultron was defeated.
Tony spent the night with Steve in his little compartment, using the sleeping bag Pepper had packed him to sleep in despite Steve’s request for him to take the bed. He’d declined the offer since he probably wouldn’t sleep much anyway. The next morning Steve had found him shaving the beard down to his usual van dyke and drinking from one of the glasses Steve had gotten from MJ and Peter. Tony had used some of the pure water to make instant coffee for them to “perk them up” for the journey. Steve also noted that he looked like Tony again. Steve prepared them a breakfast from the dry meals, despite Tony's disgusted disinterest in them, insisting that they needed the energy from a meal. Tony had reluctantly eaten. The morning had been easy, almost as if no time had passed and nothing negative hung in the air. Tony seemed a bit more relaxed than he had been back at the water plant, his mood lighter despite the journey ahead of them and what they had yet to face. Steve enjoyed his company again, and more than anything he wanted this to be their life again like days in the Mansion and the later time in the tower, when they could exist in each other's company like friends and partners.
"I really missed coffee..." Tony said as he finished off the cup. "That was my real motivation for purifying the water."
Steve rolled his eyes and then chuckled. "Of course it was."
When they met with Peter the three of them started a half a day journey to the territory known as Fort Colony. It was located in the neighbourhood of Brooklyn formerly known as Fort Hamilton and that was where Tony had last heard the Pyms had been with Carol Danvers.
Fort Colony was substantially more established than Coney had been; while Coney had started from scratch with the scraps left behind from the old amusements, Fort Colony had once been a base community for the US Army soldiers and their families. The people of this territory had a bit more to work with as most of the houses seemed to be fairly enacted or easily patched. As they headed inside, Tony noted the large tank in the entrance and reminded himself to check on its condition before they went off to battle.
Hank was the first man that Steve had seen that wasn’t sporting a full beard and hair longer than he normally kept it, but Jan’s hair was much longer than she’d normally worn it, hanging down past her shoulders. They didn’t appear to be nearly as worn as Tony or Sam had been, as they seemed to have things a bit easier in this colony than the one they had left behind. Their home was an actual house that had once been inhabited by a housewife and her military husband.
“Its very Army Wives,” Jan chirped as she sat at the kitchen table.
The only real damage done to the building was its missing roof so they converted the lower level rooms into bedrooms and left the upper level of the two story suburban lot untouched. The décor was clearly remnants of the family who’d occupied it before the war, with floral patterned furniture and matching dinette set, dishes that were bright and patterned with an ugly Posey print with matching glasses and magnetic alphabet letters on the fridge where Hank had spelled out F-a-r-t.
"That was the only word I could make out of the letters I had." He'd explained.
For a brief moment Steve was reminded of the time living in the mansion before the Avengers fell, before they had been torn to opposites sides of Super Human Registration. He remembered fondly the times of laughing and chiding while they recounted missions or days events. Moments in the beginning when they were still learning about each other. Jan sat with Hank smiling and stealing food from his plate. He batted at her hand to stop her and she giggled before drawing her hand back. Tony sat leaning back a bit in his chair, his fingers wrapped around a coffee mug almost protectively as if someone were going to take it from him at any second. Peter munched on his food like he hadn’t eaten in years, which in this case was likely to be the case.
“So you think it’s a good idea to go into Ultron’s operation and just… destroy it?” Hank’s voice interrupted Steve’s flashback.
“Well that’s the idea,” Tony sounded amused. “It’s either that or wait around until he starts looking for survivors. He won’t be happy until all of the humans are dead.”
Peter smiled a bit. “I can’t help but think of Flight of the Conchords.”
Tony tossed Peter an amused look before returning his attention to Hank and Jan. Steve smiled a bit at the spark he saw in Tony, it was similar to the one he’d seen at the water plant, a marking on his features of determination, of drive and the promise of something better to come. He knew it’d been a long time since any of them had felt that way.
“We’ll have to get Carol.” Hank said decidedly.
Tony halted as if he’d been prepared to thwart another objection.
“So are you in then?” he asked.
“I’m in.”
Jan grinned. “I’m in, too.”
Stark sat there, for the first time in a long time, swelled with pride, his back straightening ever so slightly as if he felt tall again after years of being beaten down. Whatever the out come they were ready to take the world back and that alone was enough for him. Even if they failed, and failure he knew was the more likely scenario, they’d go out fighting evil as a team again. It felt good to him; it felt right for the team to be coming back together in this time of need.
This moment felt right, this planning session on the fly. The five of them sat there, an amalgam of the Avengers teams, four from the original and Peter from the New. Steve was right back where he belonged at the helm of it all. Tony felt a warmth inside that he hadn't felt in years not just toward these friends of his, but toward the world in general. Steve was alive, they were Avengers again even without costumes going up against a common foe instead of each other. Steve and Peter were their allies and not their enemies for that and nothing more, Tony was thankful. No matter what happened with Ultron, they had this battle together as it should be.
His face wreathed in smiles, Tony prodded at Steve, and said:
“You’re going to have to say it, just once for old time's sake.”
With Tony's words the focus was on Steve. The camaraderie and anticipation for the battle to come, was almost palpable. Steve sat up; his shoulders thrown back, his chin thrust forward, nearly overwhelmed with the occasion himself. It wasn't until now that he remembered he was without his shield, the defining symbol of his alter ego of Captain America. Normally, this realization might have deflated Steve, but it was clear to him that none of his fellow Avengers seemed to let that bother them. He was still their leader. He was still their ally. He didn't need the shield to be a symbol to them. Steve Rogers was still their Captain America. He wouldn't let them down over missing his shield.
Steve didn’t hesitate, throwing his fist in the air, he yelled:
“Avengers Assemble!”
Carol Danvers hadn’t taken a lot of convincing. She was as surprised as everyone else had been to see Steve striding up with the group as if he’d never been gone. She, like Jan, had seemed less scathed by the world’s end. Her hair tied into a ponytail, wearing an old army jumper she likely found on the base. Tony had not finished a single sentence before she’d been game.
"You know I'll gladly help you kick Ultron's ass." she told him.
It was going to be a three-day journey to Flushing, Queens where Ultron’s base of operation was set up. Tony had only seen it once, in the early moments of its construction in the center of Shea Stadium. One the first night they stopped they discussed strategy for how they would take the robotic army by surprise.
“We’ll come in from behind, along the stadium itself… however much is left of it.” Steve noted the position on an old pre-war map.
“It’s still in fair shape as of the last time I saw it. Of course, who knows what kind of redecorating Ultron did to it.” Tony countered with a smirk.
Steve gave him a small smile in return but immediately returned to business.
“The best option is going to be going right for the power source.”
Hank jutted out his chin with characteristic resolve. “I made him. I’ll head for the power source, I’ve probably got a better chance of figuring it out…”
“I’ll help. I’ll be no good out in the battlefield without my armor anyway. Besides, you’ll need back up.” Tony interjected.
“The rest of us will cover you.” Carol added.
With a few more hours, they had a basic "plan". Tony knew that it was hard to plan for something like Ultron because in truth none of them had a clue what exactly they were going up against. Their foe was capable of just about anything. Ultron had seen the starting construction of the power source as he fed out of Manhattan and that had been nearly a year ago. There was no way to tell how much he’d done it that time. Tony was smart enough to consider that they were very possibly screwed.
Despite this, however, Tony couldn’t stop the smile from tugging at his lips when Steve went into leader mode.
“Get some sleep. We’ve got another full day of travel ahead of us in the morning.”
After the next day of travel, they set up camp almost a day away from Shea Stadium. They’d reach the location by mid afternoon and as far as Tony knew Steve had planned to literally hit the ground running from there. The closer they got the more somber the mood become. The Avengers set up camp before heating some of the strange future world packaged meals.
Tony sat by fire they’d managed to set up with a few dead logs they’d found on the path. There wasn’t much wood around these days, and he made a note to remember to try and carry some back… if they survived. He looked up from the fire when Steve made himself comfortable beside him.
“I would kill for quail with 50 year balsamic from Craft right now,” Tony groaned, poking at the dried food.
“Is that the restaurant where the waitress spilled wine on your pants?”
Tony laughed. “No that was Cru.”
Steve almost rolled his eyes. “I never could keep those fancy restaurants straight.”
Stark snorted a bit in response as he looked back at the fire. He closed his eyes feeling a bit more tired than he had a few minutes ago before letting out a sigh and opening them to look back at Cap.
“Remember back before we broke up… the team I mean… we used to have those big dinners at that mansion. Everyone would be there, you’d even drag me out of the office or my shop or god knows where. It was like… one big family dinner.”
“And everyone would manage to get along. No matter what was going on, what kind of random in quarrels we had… for that couple hours of dinner we were all at peace with the world and each other.” Steve picked up Tony’s train of thought.
“It was surreal. Having the house that full again. It’d been empty for so long.”
Steve put his hand on Tony’s shoulder. He could tell that the other man was lost in his own world as the visions of the past came flooding to the forefront of his mind. He didn’t know how much more Tony was going to say, so he kept quiet in case he started talking again without warning. He did just as Steve thought he was finished.
“We’re so isolated here now,” his voice was on the edge of being inaudible. “I wonder about what’s going on in LA… if there are survivors. Henry…”
Tony hung his head. “I hope he’s okay. I hope the team is okay.”
Though Steve wasn’t sure which team Tony was referring, he was familiar with Henry Hellrung, although he'd never really met the man personally.
He knew that Tony had been close with Henry from the days when Henry played Tony in an hour long drama on TV, and the nights of debauchery when both were still drinking. Steve knew it was Henry's help that had kept Tony sober, although he had no idea what "team" Tony was referring to. In that silence he wished he’d had an answer to Tony's question. He wished he knew if Tony’s friends in LA were okay so that he could ease his fears and his conscience. Having no answers, he simply gave Tony's shoulder a comforting squeeze.
“I always liked the hot dogs in the park.” Steve admitted.
It took Tony a moment to pick up Steve’s train of thought, but he smiled a bit as he caught back up. When Steve saw the smile the tension he was carrying in his chest seemed to loosen a bit though he didn’t even realize it had been there.
“Yeah hot dogs were good. I don’t care what they were made of or how long they’d been there. That and Ray’s Pizza.”
Steve laughed, “You can keep your quail in vinegar, Tony. I’ll take a big slice of Ray’s pizza any day.”
“You know… forget the quail. I’d join you for that pizza.”
“Get some sleep... Iron man.”
With a clap of his strong hand on Tony’s back, Steve stood and made his way toward his sleeping bag. He stopped briefly to glance back at Tony whose gaze had shifted down and turned back to the dying fire, glazed over as they tended to when he was lost in his own mind. After taking in the sight, he left Tony to his thoughts.
“Not Iron Man… not anymore.”
Steve was well out of range to hear the final sentiment.
To be continued...
Avengers Assembled!
It's always amazing (and vexing) to see Ultron back on the scene, and I just want to hug Tony, and share some foie gras and bread and tell him that everything will be okay.
Thanks for posting. :*)'
Re: Avengers Assembled!
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Fantastic story as always my love <3
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“Remember back before we broke up… the team I mean…
Of course that's what you mean, Tony. Of course.
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Thank you for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed the calm before the storm. And I really wanted Hank and Jan to be happy, I miss Jan.
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Aww, Tony's starting to snap out of it. It's heartening to see how dearly he loves his old peeps, and how much good it's doing him to have them back.
I love the reflective quality to this, the natural pause that allows for quiet conversation. It's healing. :)
And I love Steve reassuming his mantle of leadership. It's quite graceful, really, and you can see that to Steve being a leader isn't just issuing orders but looking after people, too. He's quite lovable in this.
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*claps* tony shaved! i don't know why that made me so happy- but it really did.
I love that Hank just HAD to spell out a word- even if it wasn't necessarily one that he liked lol
Okay 1) Flight of the Concords FTW! :D :D and 2) the promise of something better to come-- *WAILS AND CRIES AND HITS YOU* /tantrum
*takes a breath* the original team more or less being there and all of them looking to steve as steve is able to reestablish his role as leader, as caretaker- and tony prompting him to say it i had to pause for a moment. that was wonderfully done.
also i love Carol.
Remember back before we broke up… *giggles*
HENRY! I hope he's okay too.
*settles in quietly as the calm before the storm slowly twists my heart in a vice*
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I know I told you already...Henry's fine, I'll never kill Henry.. or Pepper..
Now now, no tantrums.
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♥ at quiet moments together. :) YOU GUYS! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BREAK UP? T_T
(Also, this reminds me vaguely of The Next Avengers).
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(God I know and I saw it after I'd written the bulk of it and went... god this sounds like my story only without a horrible commie/american hybrid of Cap and Natasha...)