It took awhile for me to snap out of the trance Steve had left me in. The party raged on around me as I recounted the events of our interaction, trying to make sense of it all. Only I couldn't. I had no explanation as to why he would have left me with his jacket or why he was able to bother me so much when I was normally too thick-skinned for jerks like him to to get under it. I shook my head, deciding that I needed a distraction as soon as possible but when I stood up off the stool something fell out of Steve's jacket pocket, clattering to the ground. I bent down, hastily picking up the object off the floor.
It was small and round, made out of some kind of gold colored metal. There was a small latch on the side and I flipped it open, praying I hadn't damaged it. Turns out it was some kind of vintage looking compass, I had never seen one like it. On the inside of the cap there was a black and white photo of a woman. I didn't recognize the face, my curiosity starting to reach peak levels of interest. A million questions ran through my head, all pushed to the side with one overwhelming observation. She was absolutely beautiful.
I quickly shut the lid, stuffing it back in the pocket. All I had wanted was to make sure I hadn't broken anything but I couldn't help feeling like I had snooped in some sort of way. That I had moved curtains I should never have had access to, peaking into a small window that looked straight into Steve's private life.
Doing a quick scan of the room I searched for Steve. I didn't want to keep his jacket, especially knowing now that he had left something in it that was most likely valuable to him. Nobody carried around an object like that at a party if it wasn't important, or held some kind of sentimental value. I wanted to return it to him immediately, only Steve was nowhere to be found.
For a while I lapped the room looking for him, occasionally getting pulled into conversations with fellow coworkers or friends of Tony's guests. I had no idea where he could have disappeared to but he was definitely no longer in the living room. It wasn't until around one o'clock in the morning, when the room started to clear out that I found him again.
I had bumped into the man who I had seen Steve play pool with. Turns out he was Sam Wilson the name triggering my memory as to why he looked so familiar. I had seen the footage of him fighting at S.H.I.E.L.D HQ the day it had fallen. He was an ex-military man and a close friend of Steve's, although I had heard Nat complain about him on more than one occasion. He had noticed Steve's jacket in my arms and when I asked if he had seen him, he responded with a coy smile. I did my best to assure him that I only wanted to return the jacket but based on the way he kept calling my "Steve's girl" I had a feeling he didn't believe me.
Only Tony's main team members and a few close friends remained now. Most were gathered around the couch and Sam had asked me if I wanted to join the group there when Steve pushed through one of the doors that led from the hallway where the restrooms were located. His normally neatly gelled hair was mussed out of place and an additional button from his shirt had come loose. Then a blonde girl in a gold dress stumbled out from behind him giggling slightly as she rushed for the exit, her cheeks tinted pink and her hair similarly out of place.
I pursed my lips, telling Sam I needed to talk to Steve before walking over to him, the leather of his jacket feeling suddenly contaminated, having the itch to wash my hands. It was silly, I know, since he hadn't been wearing it while he was off with the other girl but it felt dirty now all the same.
"I've been looking for you." I began, keeping a good three feet between us and holding out the compass for him to take. "I wanted to make sure you got this back."
I forced myself to keep my tone unaffected. After all, Steve could fool around with whoever he wanted. I was just annoyed that for even one second I had let myself be fooled into thinking that maybe he wasn't exactly who he had just proven himself to be. I had expected a sarcastic remark, was waiting patiently for another inappropriate comment to spill from his lips. What I hadn't expected was for his cheeks to turn red as he reached forward, snatching the compass from my hand.
"How the hell did you find this, did you go into my room?" He snapped, shoving the compass in his front pocket. I thought I had seen him angry before, was incredibly used to his boring, sullen attitude but this was different. There was actual anger here. He was furious. Unfortunately for him, anger just breeds more anger.
"It was in your coat pocket. You're the one that left it with me." I argued.
What the hell was his problem? If he cared so much about the stupid compass maybe he should have thought twice about why it was missing instead of screwing some random blonde in a bathroom.
"And that gives you the right to search through it? What were you looking for some spare cash? An attitude adjustment? A hand so I can pull your stick out of my ass?"
I almost gasped, my breath catching in my throat. When I found my voice it was with an enforced and brutal cold that my words now came out with.
"I didn't look through it, I found it when it fell out of your pocket but please, feel free to never leave me with any of your shit, ever again. I don't know why you gave it to me in the first place." I balled his jacket in my hands with a glare, the hardness disappearing from his eyes as they widened slightly.
"Your fly is undone by the way." I added, shoving his jacket in his arms and heading for the elevator. I was so beyond done with this night. So tired of everything and anything to do with the asshole who had gotten on my last nerve. I just wanted to go home and I had almost reached the exit too when Tony's voice called out loudly across the room.
"I hope you aren't leaving without saying goodbye, (L/n)."
Wanting nothing more than to pretend I hadn't heard him and leave anyway, I sighed knowing he never would have bought that excuse. I turned back towards the group sitting by the chairs, steering clear of Steve and his now fully zipped pants.
I knew it wasn't going to be a quick goodbye. I tried to tell Tony that I needed to go home to check on my cat but he reminded me cheerfully that I couldn't possibly have a cat because my file said I was allergic. Whoopsies.
I was pulled down by Rhodes onto the couch next to him and entangled in almost another thirty minutes of conversation. I spent most of it doing my best to once again ignore Steve, who was making failed attempts at catching my eyes with his. I wasn't even mad at him, I just didn't want to be around him anymore. Every time I tried to take the opportunity to leave I would get sucked into another conversation.
Eventually, people started getting ready to call it a night, or at least they were until a loud, high-pitched white noise rang from the speakers. Confused and pained looks ran through the group, some stood up in shock while others flinched, hastily covering their ears. Tony took out his phone, scanning the screen to find the source of the sound until it became obvious to the whole group what had caused it.
Standing in front of the elevators was what looked like some sort of deformed, half-built version of one of Tony's Iron Legions. There were sparks flying through its body, wires hanging loose in every direction.
"Stark." Steve called out, partly in warning and partly in question as to whatever the hell was in front of us. Tony was calling out to Jarvis for assistance, who was being unusually and suspiciously unresponsive.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep." The android called out. His voice was some mix of robotic and human melodies, sounding both mechanic and emotional at the same time. "I think I was asleep, or maybe dreaming."
The group was tense and quiet, Tony still fiddling with his phone.
"Had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."
"You killed someone?" Steve asked whatever the thing was as it turned its head to face him. I saw Rhodes pull a gun out surreptitiously behind his back and Thor pick up his hammer.
"Wouldn't have been my first call but out in the real world we're faced with ugly choices." It took a few steps forward, looking like a child who had just learned how to walk.
"Who sent you?" Thor asked, his voice sounding contrastingly threatening in comparison to his normal joyful tone.
The droid made a whirring sound and then a click, as if playing back old movie footage. Then Tony's voice rang out loud, coming from its speakers saying, "I see a suit of armor around the world."
Multiple heads turned in Tony's direction in confusion as his eyes went wide in realization. He had clearly put some piece of the puzzle together, realized why this possessed looking robot, demon thing was crashing his party.
"Ultron?" Bruce asked the question as if he already knew the answer. I looked between Rhodes and Nat both of who looked as confused as I was but neither asked the question that was ringing in my head. What the hell is an Ultron?
"In the flesh." It confirmed. "I'm here to complete his mission."
Ah it's his name, good one (Y/n).
"What mission?" Nat stood up from her spot. I stilled. Something big was about to happen, I could sense it and so apparently could everybody else. A few more were trying to casually reach for weapons, others standing to their feet in anticipation. Ultron tilted his head looking at the group curiously before answering.
"Peace in our time."
Then the walls behind him exploded. More of Tony's half-assembled legions flying out from behind him and fighting breaking out across the living room.
It was mass chaos. I had been in fights before but nothing like this. I had only ever witnessed humans fight other humans. Seeing all of these super-powered individuals fight off a group of demonic robots was other-worldly and for a moment I was too shocked to move. I finally realized just how out of my element I really was. Nat and Bruce were running up the stairs, guns firing. Thor was smashing his hammer at every robot he could find. I saw Tony jumping off the stairs and landing on one of the flying legions backs trying to disable it with some sort of stick. Clint threw Steve his shield who then launched it towards another legion, sending it scattering in shattered pieces on the floor.
I watched in horror as loud bangs came from every corner of the room, my eyes catching one blast that had knocked Rhodes through the wall and off the edge of the building to land on the porch below. This was what finally pushed me into action, adrenaline kicking in. Seeing a pistol on the floor by the coffee table and grabbing it, I went tearing off in the direction of where I'd last seen him, calling out his name. A legion flew into my path, it's bottom half missing with its arms raised in my direction. The light in its hands was glowing and I knew that had to be a bad sign, so I started shooting blindly at the target in a panic, looking for weak spots in its armor. One of my bullets must have found one because the droid fell to the floor in a heap. I continued running until I heard another loud bang and saw the flashing light of the blast. Only this time I felt it too.
Suddenly I was flying backwards through the air, knocking into something painfully sharp and solid. My vision started spotting in and out. I heard a voice call out my name and I tried to cling to it but it slipped through my fingers and everything went dark.