Missing
Summary: Events ispired to Avengers: Infinity War
Pairing: Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader
Warnings: I think it’s appropriate to tell you that there will be some spoilers
Feedback is always appreciated.
“Miss Stark?”
I look up from the paperwork on my desk; they know very well that when I’m working, I don’t like being disturbed.
So, if Alex entered with a certain hurry – whit his face pale and sweaty – in my office, it means that something very serious happened.
“Alex, what’s up?”
Alex continues to rub his hands, and this makes me feel more and more uncomfortable. By now, I have known him for many years, and I can decipher every gesture of his. I urge Alex to speak again.
“Something happened…to his brother, Mr. Stark.”
I immediately stand up; I knew something was wrong, I felt it. Still, I spoke with Tony just this morning, and it sounded like it was all right.
I immediately go out of my office, and entering the car, I head for my brother’s house. Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Pepper, who barely sees me, runs towards me, hugging me tightly.
“Pepper, what happened? Where’s Tony? ”
“We don’t know. A man came out of… an opening, saying he wanted to talk to him. You know how Tony is, he immediately accepted, and followed him. From that moment… I haven’t seen him again.”
A man… who can ever be? After the fight between Tony and Cap, things seemed to be back to normal, but actually, it was chaos. Cap has escaped, and with him all the others, previously imprisoned in the Rift.
Nobody knows where they are, at least Tony believes so.
If my brother had discovered that I was – and I am still – in contact with Steve, Tony would complain as usual that I don’t follow the rules, that I should be more careful, because the government could find me etc etc…
When he signed the Sokovia agreements, I was very surprised; Tony is the kind of person you can’t give orders to, especially if is the government that gives orders. But after Ultron… he’s completely changed.
Should I call Steve? Perhaps he sents the unknown man who took Tony. Or it’s not that bad, and calling Steve would be an exaggeration.
I don’t know exactly what to do; I can’t think clearly right now.
Suddenly, I feel strange tremors around me, and a kind of a huge circle opens before me and Pepper; from the inside comes a person who I don’t know.
I remain completely speechless, when I notice behind the stranger, another person.
Someone I haven’t seen in a long time.
“Bruce?”
Pepper is surprised just like me, to see Dr. Banner; even though S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost hope, Tony was still looking for him. Nobody knew, except me, and Steve.
“Bruce! Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you… for years!” I say, hugging him.
He has completely changed; the haircut, and his face… looks a lot sadder. He must not have had a good time, in any place he has been.
“Y/n, it’s nice to see you again. But we don’t have much time, I need your help.”
Bruce asks me to go with him – even if he doesn’t seem to be asking me. He also seems to have changed character, behaving in a more authoritarian, and serious manner. It’s no longer the old Bruce, who was afraid of losing control of his alter ego.
I turn to Pepper, and I tell her to find a safe place to hide. Tony has become much more paranoid lately, so much to create ‘safe houses’ all over the country, for situations like this.
Pepper tries to protest, she would like to come with me; she wants to know what happened to Tony, and I understand that. I want to find my brother as much as she does.
But Tony would kill me – literally – if I put Pepper in dangerous situations; he’s already too worried about me. Fortunately, I’m as stubborn as my brother, and I managed to convince him to be part of the Avengers.
I don’t wear ‘Iron Man’ style armor, but I learned a lot from the Black Widow, and now I can use bow and arrow, thanks to Hawkeye.
After convincing Pepper not to follow me and Bruce, I’m ready to enter into the strange vortex where Bruce came out, with the man – who has not said a word.
I wonder what’s going on; my brother disappeared into thin air, and then Bruce reappears, after years no one had seen him.
“So, can you explain to me what’s going on? Do you know where my brother is?”
The place where we find ourselves… is the Avengers headquarters; well, at least it was a long time ago. Now, it’s just a structure that the government uses to give orders to its new 'soldiers’, people with superpowers who have decided to sign the agreements.
While Bruce’s unnamed friend disappears, my newfound friend walks quickly back and forth, rubbing his hands nervously.
“Thanos. Here’s what happened. Thanos is looking for the Infinity Stones.”
I have already heard about the Stones, relics almost as ancient as the universe, scattered in space. They are very powerful, and very dangerous.
“I thought Thor found them. He was looking for them, and…”
“Thor! I was with him when Thanos attacked us. I don’t even know if… he’s fine.”
Bruce looks down, visibly frightened; Thanos is approaching the Earth, maybe Thor is…
And Tony has disappeared.
“One of the Infinity Stones was in London, it belonged to a sorcerer. He disappeared with Tony. Probably the followers of Thanos took them.”
I close my eyes, I try to assimilate the Bruce’s words, one by one; however, I can only think my brother, probably imprisoned in some spacecraft.
“He will come back; there are other Infinity Stones to be found, and one is on Earth.”
All these events… it’s happening too fast; we were not ready. Tony knew that. It was like a strange feeling for him, as if something horrible was approaching.
Oh, how he was right.
Bruce approaches me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He tries to console me, but it’s not easy; about an hour ago, I was sitting at my desk, thinking about my work, and at Tony and Pepper’s wedding. And now I’m here, with the end of the world around the corner, and without my brother.
“Y/n, we will find Tony. But now, we need reinforcements.”
Bruce looks for something in the pockets of his jacket, then he takes a phone, which I recognize immediately.
“Tony gave me this. There is only one number, and I tried to call, but…”
“… it doesn’t work.”
Steve gave me the phone, the last time he and I saw each other; along with it there was a letter, and Steve had asked me to give it to Tony.
I did it; but Tony never called. Not that there was a need. However, I was hoping for a peace between the two, but nothing.
Actually, the phone… it was just a test.
For Tony. If he tried to use the phone, then he was ready for a surrender.
And I would be the one who would deliver the peace message to Steve.
But the years have passed; sometimes, I caught Tony looking at the phone, as if he were going to use it. But in the end he put it in a drawer and closed it.
“We must warn the others. Rogers, Vision, Fury, Hill… Natasha.”
Bruce hesitates before saying the last name; she and Nat didn’t leave on good terms.
Suddenly, a strange warning signal begins to sound; Bruce looks around, trying to figure out what’s going on. I, on the other hand, know it perfectly: it’s a call. In fact, in the center of the room, suddenly appears a hologram: it’s the U.S. Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross.
“Miss Stark. Dr. Banner, we’ve been looking for you for a while!” says Ross, visibly surprised by Bruce’s presence.
Probably he called because he received the news of Tony’s disappearance; what I wonder, is what his intentions are.
“Miss Stark, I’m very sorry for the disappearance of your brother. We will do everything to find him.”
…liar. I know exactly how the government works; Bruce? They never really looked for him. They simply pretended to be nothing. Hulk has been just a problem for them, and the fact that he disappeared was just good. One less problem for the government.
“Sir. The problem is much more serious. Something… someone threatens our planet, and we need… reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements? And for what, exactly? Tony Stark has disappeared. That’s all.”
I look at Bruce, completely shocked by the words of the Secretary; I wonder what he had done a few years ago, when he had to choose whether to sign the agreements or not.
On the other hand, I’m not at all amazed by Ross’s words; it’s not the first time that he has already looked the other way, before a threat.
He uses his 'soldiers’ only for personal purposes.
“Are you joking, are not you? Thanos is always closer, and we have to protect people.”
“The earth has been at peace for many years, Dr. Banner. There is no danger, since your group of heroes in disarray no longer exists. My orders are clear. There will be no reinforcements, for something that doesn’t exist.”
It’s just as I expected; Ross, who refuses our requests. Fortunately, I have already done something.
“It doesn’t matter, sir. I don’t need his help, because I have already called mine.”
I signed the Sokovia agreements, but only because Tony asked me – and Steve, too – for my safety.
However, even if I wrote my name on a piece of paper, it doesn’t mean that I have to follow all the rules written on it.
Before Ross can speak, someone enters the room, and we all turn.
Steve stops in the middle of the room, right in front of Ross’s hologram, obviously furious from Rogers’s entry. The latter is accompanied by Nat and Sam, and behind them is Wanda, who holds Vision, clearly injured. I walk towards the two guys, helping Vision to sit down; I check his superficial wounds, and they look pretty serious.
Meanwhile, Steve talks to Ross, and when he understands that he no longer has control of the situation, more furious than ever, his hologram disappears, ending the call.
I breathe a sigh of relief; fortunately Steve and the others arrived just in time, or I think I would have sent a government agent to hell.
Steve approaches Bruce, and he greets him warmly; it’s a long time since the two are not seen. The reappearance of Dr. Banner has more or less upset everyone, especially Natasha; in fact, the girl greets Bruce, but in a rather cold way.
Bruce tells the others what he has told me, and I feel the shivers running down my back; if only I think of Tony, alone in space, surrounded by enemies.
Steve tells us that they were attacked too, but that they managed to get away with it.
Despite me and Bruce trying to help Vision, he seems to get worse, probably due to some internal problem. So, Steve decides to warn T'Challa and go to Wakanda.
If they have healed Bucky from mind control, they will certainly know how to cure Vision.
Before leaving, we all decide to make some reforings. I head to my old room, maybe there are still some of my uniforms in the closet.
While I’m changing, I hear someone knocking on the door, and after giving permission to enter, I see Steve on the edge of the door.
Since he arrived at the base, we haven’t even had time to look into each other’s eyes.
I missed him a lot; the last time we met was about six months ago. Tony was busy with an Iron Man convention, and I could sneak out of New York, and spend a few days with Steve.
“Can I come in?” he asks me; the usual Steve, kind and polite.
“If you can? I wondered when you’d come.”
He smiles, and approaches, then he wraps his arms around me.
Damn, just having Steve by my side makes me feel calmer. As if the world and its problems didn’t exist.
“How are you?”
How am I? As if my brother had disappeared into thin air, and a crazy murderer is about to eliminate the whole universe.
“I just wish… Tony was here.” I say, trying not to cry.
So far I have tried to maintain control, not to… bring me down, before all grieve for what has happened to my brother.
Being a good leader.
But now, here in the room, alone with Steve. The walls in which I am buried fall to pieces.
It seems to be going better when Steve puts his lips on mine; to my nervousness are mixed butterflies that are formed in my stomach. It’s always like this, every time Steve touches me; I feel like a little girl in her first crush. I try to be a normal person, but with Steve – who, by the way, knows how I feel when he behaves this way – it’s impossible.
“You know, as much as I find you damn sexy with the beard… it pinches.”
Steve laughs, and kisses me again, exploring my face, then down the neck, and on the collarbones, teasing me, until I laugh.
“Steve, stop it. You tickle me!”
I hit him in the stomach, and he pretends to be offended, massaging his muscles.
That’s how things should go; Steve and Tony making peace, my brother at home, my boyfriend by my side.
But we are about to leave, because a new war is about to begin, and my sixth sense tells me there will be losses.
Losses that will make everyone suffer.
“Will it hold the barrier?”
Come to Wakanda? Let’s say it was not a brilliant idea. Shuri, T'Challa’s sister, is taking care of Vision, but in the meantime, dozens of alien spaceships have appeared in the sky.
T'Challa activated the barrier around the Wakanda boundaries, but hundreds, thousands of monsters, and anthropomorphic creatures emerged from the spacecraft.
“What the hell are they doing?”
Arrived in Wakanda, at least we found Bucky; Steve had warned me that he was much better, and seeing him again made me happy. I wanted to meet him in different circumstances.
When I found out that Bucky killed my parents… I was angry, but deep down, I had known it for a long time.
The Winter Soldier killed the people who hindered HYDRA’s plans, and my parents were those people.
Even Tony knows that it’s not really Bucky’s fault… but it’s Tony Stark that we’re talking about.
“What the hell… what are they doing!?”
I follow Bucky’s gaze; Steve, Nat and T'Challa tried to talk to the followers of Thanos, but it was useless.
“I think… they rush against the barrier to weaken it, so they can knock it down.”
“Smart.”
“Bruce. Dude, don’t compliment the bad guys.” I say to Dr. Banner, locked up in the Hulkbaster’s armor. He uses that because… well, he and his alter ego are not much in tune after the fight with Thanos, and now Hulk prefers to hide; I didn’t think he was so coward.
“If they continue like this, Wakanda will remain unprotected.” Steve says, turning to T'Challa. He’s right; the enemies seem to increase, and the barrier begins to flicker.
Then, T'Challa tells us to get ready, and he orders someone to lift a part of the barrier – the one in front of us.
The monsters enter, running like madmen towards us.
The war begins.
Thor.
When we all saw him appear in the middle of the battle, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Bruce even shouted for happiness.
But if Thor’s arrival made us rejoice, the arrival of someone else made us shudder: Thanos.
In all his size, he walks towards us, looking gloomy. He doesn’t stop to watch the battle around him, he doesn’t look for his henchmen.
He doesn’t mind.
He only cares about the Mind Stone, in the Vision’s forehead.
Each of us tries in every way to stop him, but with his glove, and the Stones that he already owns, for Thanos we are only tiny ants.
When he is in front of me, I know I have no hope; I’m probably going to die.
But before Thanos makes his move, he stops to look at me, as if I were his old acquaintance.
“Another Stark. You never give up, fight a war, even if you know you’ve already lost it, even before you started it.”
Another Stark.
Thanos knows where my brother is; Thanos met Tony. However, he is not here now, my brother hasn’t returned.
“Where is my brother? Tell me!”
“It doesn’t matter. You will die anyway.”
Before I can ask my brother again, Thanos takes a step forward and pounces on me.
I try to avoid the blow, but he manages to hit me on the right side. I sketch literally far from the ground, and I crash into something I can’t understand what it is.
Instinctively, I press a hand on the wound, which is bleeding more and more. I look around, I see nothing; I must have also taken a blow on the head.
If until now I heard the sounds of the battle, all of a sudden, there is total silence.
I don’t think I’m dead, or yes?
After a couple of painful efforts, I finally manage to get up from the ground; I take a few steps near the trees, towards… I don’t know exactly where.
Right now, I would like Tony to be by my side; instead, he is missing somewhere, alone, without me.
“Y/n.”
I turn around quickly – too fast, because I almost fall back on the ground – and I see a figure approaching me. When it’s just a few steps away from me, I can recognize Steve; I literally throw myself into his arms, bursting into hysterical tears.
“Everything is alright.”
“Steve. It hurts so much.”
At the beginning Steve can’t understand what I’m talking about, but when he looks down and notices my wound, I feel him shiver under the palms of my hands.
Wrapping the arms around my body, Steve lifts me off the ground, holding me like a bride.
“What happened? Where is Thanos?”
Steve continues to transport me, probably to the medical laboratories. I repeat the same question several times, but Steve doesn’t want to answer me.
Something happened, and if Steve doesn’t want to tell me, it’s something horrible.
Everyone is dead; almost all.
Bucky, Vision, Wanda, T'Challa…
Thanos arrived, and death sucked them like a chasm.
Next to my bed, there’s Nat, sitting on a chair with the eyes closed; she probably stayed so long by my side that she fell asleep.
She told me what happened, just before I closed my eyes to rest.
I woke up about ten minutes, but the idea to get up can’t take over; I can’t get Thanos and his words out of my mind.
He didn’t want to tell me where my brother is, but he didn’t even say he died. So there is still hope that he’s still alive.
I want to see Steve; I don’t know where it has been since he left me in the operating room. I want to know how he is, after what happened; his friend Bucky died, once again.
It must not be easy for him to see an important person die, more than once.
But as soon as I try to get out of bed, Natasha’s eyes widen, watching me.
“Don’t even think about it, Y/n. You have to rest.”
“I want to see Steve. Now.”
“Now I’m going to call him, but you stay in bed.”
Natasha leaves the room, and when I know she is far enough away, I get up. With a bit of effort, in the end, I can stand up – holding myself against the chair.
I barely approach the window leading to the terrace, I still feel very tired, as if Thanos was still throwing me against the tree.
“You should stay in bed.”
I jump – almost falling to the ground – and when I turn around, Steve is already by my side, helping me get back to the bed and sit down.
“I don’t want to stay in bed. I can do it.”
“Really? I don’t think so.”
I roll my eyes; I know he’s right, but I hate the fact that he’s right.
But if before I was worried about my brother, now I can’t think about anything else. Tony has not only disappeared, but after the devastation that led Thanos… many died, and Tony could be among them.
“Don’t worry about your brother. He’s probably building some armor to get home.”
“Are you sure? Only a few days have passed, but it’s as if months have passed. I can’t go on without my brother. I need him by my side.”
“Y/n, I know Tony is alive. I feel it, and you know it’s like that too. He will be back very soon.”
Although Steve tries to convince me, he can only calm me down a bit. Maybe he’s right, and Tony’s fine, or maybe he’s wrong, and my brother – or at least his body – lies somewhere in the universe.
I hug Steve, while he helps me relax; I spent so much time thinking about Tony, that I completely forgot that he lost friends too. Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Vision, T'Challa. Thanos has razed half the universe, and left us with a void in the heart.
“I’m sorry. For our friends. We will find a way to bring them back.”
“We will find a way to save everyone. Bucky, Sam… and Tony too. We will all save, as we always do.”
