Y/N went straight to search for Tony after getting off the call with Coulson. All she wanted was a hug. She found him in his lab, no surprise there. Quietly, she came up and wrapped herself around him from behind. Tony tensed before realizing who had latched themselves onto him.
"You're home," he tried to turn around to face Y/N, but she held on tight. "You okay, honey?"
"Fine," she mumbled into his back. "Just don't want to let go yet."
Tony chuckled. "How about you loosen up a bit and let me hold on to you too?" Y/N complied, letting Tony turn in her arms and hold her too. He pressed a kiss to her head.
"We found it."
"What?"
"We found the scepter. At least, we think know where it is. Maria's calling the team together for a briefing tonight."
"Good. We need to get it out of their hands as soon as we can."
"Yes, but I was kind of hoping for just one night that I could sleep in our bed."
"After, sweetheart. We'll both be able to sleep better after." He gently moved her head up so that he could place a kiss on her lips. "I have something for you."
"You do?" Y/N pulled back slightly so that she could see his face.
"Yeah. A suit."
"A suit? Like one of your Tom Ford 3 piecers or an Iron Man suit or a swimming-"
"A swimming suit? Really? You know that I like it better when we good skinny dipping." He placed kisses down her neck.
"Tony!" She giggled. "We don't have for this!" She tried to push him away. "We're going to be called into a meeting any second now."
"Alright, alright. But after we get the scepter back, we're going on vacation."
"Agreed."
~~~
The team was assembled quickly and rushed to Sokovia. There was no more time to waste. The closer they got, the more Y/N could feel the Mind Stone that was housed in the scepter. Y/N was suited up in her new suit designed by Tony. He had modeled off Natasha's and Y/N's old suit that suit had made. Thankfully, the red and blues used weren't as bright as her original suit, making it more subtle. When they landed, Tony took off to the sky, Y/N and Steve took off on their motorcycles, Nat and Clint headed to steal one of HYDRA's trucks, and Thor went straight out into battle. As they fought, a code green was called, meaning the Hulk was needed.
"Shit!" Tony exclaimed through the comms.
"Langauge!" Steve scolded. "JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?"
"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield," JARVIS informed. "Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken."
"Loki's scepter must be here," Thor said. "Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last."
"At long last is lasting a little long, boys," Natasha commented.
"Yeah," Clint agreed. "I think we lost the element of surprise."
"Wait a second," Tony said. "No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?"
"I know," Steve muttered, throwing his bike at some of the soldiers driving up. "It just slipped out."
"You Old Man," Y/N chuckled as she continued towards the building, firing at soldiers and dodging them as she went.
"Clint!" Natasha shouted through the comms.
"We have an enhanced in the field," Steve stated.
Y/N jumped off her bike as Steve spoke. As she was in the air, some one zoomed past her, throwing her to the ground. She groaned as she hit the ground.
"I think I've found the enhanced," Y/N groaned.
"Clint's hit!" Nat yelled. "Somebody want to deal with that bunker?" Hulk's roar was heard before anyone could respond. "Thank you."
Stark, we really need to get inside," Steve said as he fought.
"I'm closing in," Tony responded.
Y/N stood up, looking around the area for the enhanced. Suddenly, the blur past her again, throwing her up in the air. She quickly created a portal over to Thor and Steve, who weren't too far away. She landed on her feet behind them.
"Drawbridge is down, people," Tony announced.
"The enhanced?" Thor asked Steve.
"He's a blur," Steve answered. "All the new player's we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't."
"Yeah, he just tried to take me out for the second time," Y/N said, pulling the attention on her.
"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys," Nat stated through the comms. "We're gonna need evac."
"I can get Barton to the jet," Thor said. "The sooner we're gone the better. You and Stark secure the scepter."
"Copy that," Steve responded.
Thor noticed the HYDRA soldiers. "Looks like they're lining up."
"Well, they're excited."
Steve secured his shield and Thor hit his hammer against the shield. The force of the lightning knocked down all the soldiers.
"Find the scepter," Thor ordered before flying off.
"And for gosh sake, watch your language!" Tony teased.
Steve sighed. "That's not going away anytime soon."
"Oh for sure," Y/N chuckled.
Y/N and Steve hurried to the base.
"We're locked down out here," Natasha informed the team.
"Then get to Banner," Steve ordered, taking off his helmet. "Time for a lullaby."
"How many helmets have you lost?" Y/N asked.
"What?"
"It's just a question. You seem to take them off anytime there's a big fight. I'm just wondering how many helmets you have made in a week."
"Really, Y/N? Now?"
"What? It's a valid question."
"Do you two really have to do this now?" Nat groaned.
"I'm with Red," Tony added. "Y/N, I need you."
"On my way."
Y/N made her way to the mainframe room, where the Iron Man suit was in sentry mode, guarding the place. Tony was looking around the room.
"I know you're hiding more than files," Tony muttered. "Hey, J, give me an IR scan of the room, real quick."
"The wall to your left," JARVIS replied. "I'm reading steel reinforcement and an air current."
Tony and Y/N walked over to the wall. "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door, please be a secret door..." He pushed and the wall opened. "Yay!"
"You know you're a two year old, right?" Y/N commented.
"A two year old that you put up with."
"True."
The two heading down the secret passage. As the descended, Tony, a little bit a head, paused to grab hold of Y/N's hand. She have it a reassuring squeeze as they headed further down.
"We have a second enhanced," Steve warned over the comms. "Female. Do not engage."
As they entered into the large room at the end of the passage, Y/N's breath hitched.
"Guys, I got Strucker," Steve said.
"Yeah..." Tony said, him and Y/N looking up. "We got... something bigger."
Hanging from the ceiling was a large Chitauri leviathan from the Battle of New York, along with other things from the battle. They walked around, noticing that HYDRA had been making armor or robots of some kind. As Y/N was looking down at the metal, Tony noticed what they came here for. Tony tugged at Y/N's hand, getting her to notice it to, along with the buzzing in her head.
"It's..." Y/N whispered as they stepped towards it. "It's calling to me... Tony..."
He held onto her hand tighter. "Thor, I got eyes on the prize," Tony said as they stepped up to it.
Suddenly, Y/N sensed her. A young woman stepped behind Tony, waving her hands near the sides of his head.
Y/N spun around to catch her, but she was already gone. She immediately turned her attention to Tony, who seemed dazed. He had let go off her hand and had turned around. He suddenly stumbled into the table.
"Tony," Y/N called, worriedly. "Tony."
He flinched away from her touch when she tried to get his eyes to focus on her. Beads of sweat formed on his hair line, running down his face. Tony knelt on the stairs, before suddenly snapped up.
"Tony," Y/N called again. He clenched his eyes shut before meeting hers. His eyes were full of tears. "Tony, what's wrong?"
Breathing heavily and still sweating, Tony looked back up at the Chitauri leviathan before eyeing the scepter. His hand shot out, calling a gauntlet to him.
"Tony!" Y/N tried again.
The gauntlet formed to his hand and arm as he went around the table. He swiped the scepter from where it was being held, staring at it. Y/N watched with fear. What had just happened?
"Tony," she called again. This time he listened. "Let's get out of here. Please."
He nodded, coming over to grip his free hand in hers as she opened a portal into the quinjet. They entered the quinjet where Tony handed off the scepter to Thor before moving to pilot the jet, leaving Y/N to wonder what had happened down there.
Steve and Natasha watched over Clint as Thor watched over the scepter's case and Bruce retreated into himself, putting headphones on to block everyone out. Y/N found a seat in the back, trying to stop herself from staring at Tony. She watched and listened as Natasha moved to sit in front of Bruce.
"Hey, the lullaby worked better than ever," Natasha said, trying to comfort the man.
"Just wasn't expecting the Code Green," he responded.
"If you hadn't been there, there would've been double the casualties. My best friend would've been a treasured memory."
"You know, sometimes exactly what I want to hear isn't exactly what I want to hear."
"It's not you I don't trust."
"Thor, report on the Hulk."
"The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims," Thor answered proudly. Y/N rolled her eyes, Natasha glared, and Bruce groaned in despair.
"Uh, but, not the screams of the dead, of course. No no, uh...wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and, and uh... and gout."
"Hey Banner," Tony called. "Dr. Cho's on her way in from Seoul, is it okay if she sets up in your lab?"
"Uh, yeah, she knows her way around," Bruce responded.
"Thanks." Tony muttered somethings to JARVIS before making his way over to where Thor and Steve were looking at the scepter. "It feels good, yeah? I mean, we've been after this thing since SHIELD collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but..."
"No, but this...this brings it to a close," Thor stated.
"As soon as we find out what else this has been used for," Steve said. "I don't just mean weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?"
"Since he got hold of the scepter," Y/N said from behind them. They turned to face her. "The scepter is capable of many things." Her eyes lingered on Tony. "Human enhancement is honestly the least we should be worried about."
"Banner and I'll give it the once before it goes back to Asgard," Tony said, ignoring Y/N. "Is that cool with you?" Thor nodded. "I mean, just a few days until the farewell party. You're staying, right?"
"Yes, yes, of course. A victory should be honored with revels," Thor said.
"Yeah. Who doesn't love revels. Captain?"
"Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA," Steve responded. "So, yes, revels."
~~~
Y/N portaled to her room as soon as they reached New York City. She immediately got in the shower, trying to wash of the sick feeling that was itching at her. When she was finally washed up and ready to leave the room, Y/N went searching for Tony. She wasn't surprised to find him in the lab, hard at work with Bruce.
"Can I have a second of your time, Tony?" She asked, coming up behind him.
"I'm a little busy at the moment," he replied, not even looking at her. "Maybe later."
"It won't-"
"I said later."
Y/N was taken back by the harshness of his tone. Tears collected in her eyes. "Fine." She disappeared into her room, and cried herself to sleep.
What had happened down there? What on earth had Tony seen?
~~~
Tony spent the next 3 days in the labs with Bruce. He sighed as he left the lab, his project having failed, and headed to his room to get ready for his party. When he arrived, Y/N was in the bathroom doing her hair.
"Hey, honey," he greeted, going over to give her a kiss. She stepped away from him. "Woah, what did I do?"
"What did you do?" Y/N repeated with a scoff. "You can't really be serious?"
"Um... I am?" Tony winced.
"I can't believe you." Y/N shook her head, heading into the bedroom.
"Can you at least give me a hint as to what I did?" Tony followed her.
"You've been ignoring me since Sokovia."
"I have not. We both have just been busy."
"No. You have been busy. You've clearly been trying to keep your mind off something."
"Have not."
"Oh really. Okay." Y/N nodded, folding her arms across her chest. "Then tell me what happened in Sokovia."
"I don't know-"
"Cut the bullshit, Tony. Something happened down there and you've been acting strange since. I thought we agreed no secrets? Or did that only apply to my secrets?" Tony looked away from Y/n, clenching his jaw. "Thought so. So predictable."
"Y/N, just-"
"Are you going to talk?"
"I'm still trying to process what I saw."
"And you think that I can't help with that? I've seen my share of things too, Tones."
"Yes, but... But this was different. This felt real."
"Then just tell me you're struggling instead of pushing me away. I thought we were over that, for both of us. I thought we were doing better."
"We are."
"Then be honest with me." She took careful steps towards Tony, gently grabbing his hands. "What did you see?"
"Us. The team... Everyone but me dead... Banner, Nat, Thor, Clint.... You... All dead on a pile of destruction. Steve was... Cap was dying. Before he died he... He told me that I could have done more. That I could have saved them... Saved you..."
"Oh, Tony," Y/N cupped his face with one of her hands. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I threw myself into the work. Trying to find a way to save everyone."
"You can't save everyone."
"Yeah, but I can try."
"Tony... Don't put all that on yourself. Let me carry some of it." She tugged his head so that their foreheads met. "I love you. And I don't want you to go through anything alone. Just like you don't let me go through anything alone."
"What would I do without you?"
"Honestly, I have no idea," Y/N teased. "Good thing you don't have to find out."
"Good thing." He kissed her nose. "I'm sorry. I'll try harder to let you in."
"Now," she kissed his lips, "go get ready for your party. I'm going to go down and make sure that the preparations are happening."
"Okay." Tony pulled Y/N into him, kissing her again. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Y/N smiled as she stepped away, walking into the portal she formed behind her. Closing it, she looked around. Her brows furrowed together when she realized that she wasn't in the big common area, she was in the lab.
"What the-"
That's when she saw it, the glowing light of the Mind Stone inside the scepter. Y/N began to take slow steps to it.
"What's got you acting up?" Y/N whispered.
Her hand reached out to it. Her fingers danced in the light, barely touching it, before she was suddenly transported from the lab to the Mirror Dimension.
"How the-"
"You're portals have been very successful," the Ancient One stated from behind her. She spun around to face the wise woman. "You've mastered it much faster than I ever expected."
"I had too," Y/N responded. "For my family."
"Of course. Now, are you ready for your next lesson?"
"My next lesson? Right now? I'm kind of in the middle-"
"There is no other time. Especially after tonight, things will never be the same."
"What do you mean?" Y/N stepped towards the Ancient One. "What happens tonight?"
"I can not divulge the future. But I can do my best to help you prepare for it."
"What do I need to do?"
~~~
"Well, you know, the suit can take the weight, right?" Rhodey said.
Rhodey was in the middle of telling Tony, Thor, and Maria a story, the party in full swing. Tony kept glancing around for Y/N, who had yet to make her presence known at the party.
"So I take the tank," Rhodey continued, "fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, 'Boom! You looking for this?'" Tony and Thor just looked at him blankly. "Boom! Are you looking- Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills."
"That's the whole story?" Thor asked.
"Yeah, it's a War Machine story."
"Well, it's very good then." Thor laughed. "It's impressive."
"Quality save. So, no Y/N? She's not coming?"
"She's supposed to be," Tony glanced around again.
"Hey, what about Jane?" Maria asked. "Where are the ladies, gentlemen?"
"Well, Miss Rogers has a world to save."
"Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in," Thor added. "Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer."
"And the things Y/N does has made her one of the most known people on Earth. It's pretty exciting."
"There's even talk of Jane getting a... um, uh... Nobel prize."
"Yeah, they...they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together," Maria said before faking a cough. "Testosterone! Oh, excuse me."
"Want a lozenge?" Rhodey asked.
"Um-hmm."
"Let's go." And the two of them walked off.
At the same time, Steve and Sam were climbing up the stairs, heading to the next level. Steve was telling him about the fight in Sokovia.
"Sounds like a hell of a fight, sorry I missed it," Sam commented at the end.
"If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called you," Steve apologized.
"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy."
"Be it ever so humble."
"You find a place in Brooklyn yet?"
"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn."
"Well, home is home, you know? How's Y/N doing?"
"Better. She's... she's had it rough since SHIELD fell but I think things are going to start looking up."
"Have you kept her informed about our missing persons case?"
"I can't hide that from her. It wouldn't be right."
"Even about the recent discovery?"
Steve sighed. "I should tell her. I should tell them both. But she's happy right now, with him, and I can't take away that. I also can't bare the thought her memories of Bucky or Ho-"
"Hey, Cap," Tony called, coming up behind the two men. They spun around to face him.
"Hey, Tony," Steve greeted, hoping Tony didn't hear anything. "This is my friend Sam." Steve gestured to his friend, who held a hand out to Tony. "The one I told you about."
"Oh," Tony responded, taking Sam's hand. "The pararescue. We could use your skills." They dropped hands.
"Like I just told Steve, Avenging is your world. Too crazy."
"Right. Cap, have you seen your sister?"
"Not tonight," Steve replied. "Why? Is something up?"
"She disappeared from our room a couple of hours ago to help the staff prepare, but I haven't seen her at all tonight."
"I'll help you look."
"No, no. You don't have to. I bet she's around here, just hiding from me. Let me know if you see her."
"I will and I'll tell her you're looking."
Still puzzled, Tony headed to his lab. Maybe she was in there? Or he could at least track her in there. As Tony entered the lab, he was immediately confused and on guard. The lights were off, but there Y/N was, clear as day, setting the scepter down.
"Y/N? Honey?" Tony called, making his way toward her.
She spun around, clearly not expecting anyone. "Tony, I-"
"What were you doing?"
"I was on my way down to help the staff prepare when I ended up in the lab. I- The scepter. It was glowing, calling to me."
"Honey." Tony grabbed Y/N's arms, rubbing circles with his thumbs. "Why didn't you call me?"
"Before I knew it, I was in training again. Learning about what the scepter had for me."
"Are you alright?" Tony studied her face.
"A little tired, but I need to make an appearance at the party."
"Or we can just skip the party and you can rest and tell me more about what happened?"
"We can't skip it, Tony." She shook her head. "After everyone is gone, I'll tell you everything."
She slipped her arm through his and began guiding them out. Tony grew concerned as they started down the stairs and it became clear that Y/N was leaning into him. Tony didn't say anything, he simply made sure that he was steady enough himself to help her around. He was in awe of the way she seemed to be acting as if she had all the energy in the world around everyone. But in the brief moments in between talking to people, he could feel her deflate and lean into him. Tony turned and kissed her temple.
"You okay, honey?" He mumbled against her skin.
She nodded. "I'm fine," she whispered.
"Liar." He pressed another kiss to her temple. "Let's find you a place to sit." Tony led Y/N to an empty couch, guiding her to sit down. "I'll go get you a drink."
All she could do was nod, her mind too tired from all the training the Ancient One had put her through. Y/N leaned back into the couch, closed her eyes, and remembered what she was just put through.
"This is a skill you must carefully use," the Ancient One warned. "If used for the wrong purposes, in the wrong hands, this skill can be dangerous."
"Yeah... I'm really not sure I want it," Y/N said, unsure. "Being able to read minds and control them. I... no one should be able to do that."
"True. Unfortunately, that is not how the universes work. You must master this quickly. It's needed."
"Why? What is happening tonight?"
"Y/N," Tony's voice broke through her memory. Y/N blinked, eyes meeting Tony's very concerned ones. "Hey there, sweetheart." He sat down beside her. "You had me worried."
"Oh, I'm sorry." She pushed herself up to sit up straighter on the couch. "I was just...."
"Just what?"
"Just thinking about how lucky I am." She plastered a smile on her face, grabbing his hand. "About how much I love you."
"Liar," Tony said, but it made Y/N flinch. Because he didn't say it out loud, he said it through his thoughts. "I love you too." He picked up her hand, kissing the back of it. "Ready for bed?"
"No. I want to stay out. I've already missed so much of the party already."
Tony sighed, making it clear that it wasn't the answer he wanted. He was just concerned, like how she was with him. He promised himself right there, that he would get Y/N out of town as soon as he could. They needed a break, together. They hadn't had one in a while.
"Okay, honey. As long as you're feeling okay."
Honestly, Y/N was exhausted. She was trying so desperately to keep everyone thoughts out of her mind. And so far, she was doing fairly well at it, she just knew it was going to take some time to get used to her new abilities.
"I'm fine, Tony. Just fine."