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"You okay?" (Y/N) found herself asking to the younger girl in the jet back that would take them back to New York, back with the rest of the team.
Wanda raised her head when she heard the voice calling for her, and she easily slumped her shoulders. (Y/N) could tell she was slightly ashamed of her past actions, so she sat down across from her and gave her a small smile. (Y/N) wanted to show her that she could open up to her, despite their differences and how she made her see her worst nightmare.
"You can talk to me, okay?" she tried again. "We're on the same side now."
Wanda sighed and played with the rings on her fingers. The red cloth that she had worn over her shoulders was now placed on her legs. "All we wanted was to change the world," she finally confessed, her accent noticiable. "We wanted to get back at Stark for what he did to us."
(Y/N) didn't have to be a genius to know what had happened to make them despise Tony that much, and it's not like she could defend him. What she did know is that he's ashamed from his old way of running his company, and is trying to own up to his mistakes, even if he doesn't do it in the right way.
"I know," (Y/N) managed to answer, nodding along with her words.
"Why do you care for him?" Wanda unexpectedly asked, a sense of confusion in her tone.
"Hmm?"
"Stark," Wanda clarified, perking up, which implies that this was something she really wanted to know the answer too. "I saw it in your nightmare. You care about him. Why?"
"He's. . ." (Y/N) couldn't find the right words. "He's important to me. He's been for a very long time."
"But do you know what he's capable of? How much damage he's done? How — "
"I do," (Y/N) cut her off, a slight defensive tone coming through. "What I also know is that he learns from his mistakes. He's proved that to me a thousand times."
Silence was Wanda's only response. (Y/N) couldn't help but feel guilt because of this. She had wanted to empathize with the girl and somehow ended up in a debate. This wasn't what she wanted.
"Look, what I'm trying to say, is that he, just like you realize they've made a mistake and try to redeem yourselves," she paused, trying to let her words sink through. "It's what makes you the good guys now. Try and think of that."
Wanda was still silent in her spot, playing with her rings, and (Y/N) decided to let her be for the meantime until they got to the tower. She made her way to the cockpit where the called-in agent was piloting, with Steve by the side.
"We're almost arriving," Steve announced before his eyes flickered between Wanda and her. "What did you tell her?"
"Nothing for you to worry about," she told him, brushing him off. "Just changed her perspective of someone."
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They arrived at the empty tower, rushing through its floors and hallways in a hurry. (Y/N) just hoped they weren't too late in stopping them from opening the Cradle, since they didn't know what was inside it or how much damage it would cause if it wasn't stopped.
"I'm gonna say this once," Steve stepped first into the lab, making the two scientists's heads turn toward him and who was accompanying him.
"How about 'none-ce'?" Tony retorted back, moving his eyes anywhere else besides (Y/N).
"Shut it down!"
"Nope, not gonna happen."
"You don't know what you're doing."
"And you do?" Bruce spoke up, gesturing to the twins behind them. "She's not in your heads?"
Wanda moved away from her position behind (Y/N), walking forward. "I know you're angry."
"Oh, we're way past that," Bruce taunted, his tone calm but his words were angered. "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."
The threat made Wanda take a visible step back.
"Banner, after everything that's happened — "
"It's nothing compared to what's coming!" Tony announced loudly, stepping away from the monitors to look at them properly.
"You don't know what's in there!"
"This isn't a game!" (Y/N) tried to make them reason.
"What, you're siding with him? Instead of me?" Tony questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.
It was an impulsive thought that he voiced out loud, and (Y/N) couldn't stop the visible hurt washing over her face at that accusation.
Pietro, exhausted from all the arguing, did a quick lap around the lab in a blink of an eye, disconnecting everything that kept the Cradle with power. A look of horror flashed in Bruce's eyes at the sight of this, just as the sound of the power shutting down came to his ears.
Pietro held a loose cable in his hands. "No, no. Go on," and he dropped it to the floor. "You were saying?"
A gunshot rang through (Y/N)'s ears and just when she was trying to figure out where it came from, the bullet appeared right in front of Pietro's line of sight. This, of course, made the glass floor underneath him collapse, and bring him down to the forgotten robot workshop.
"Pietro!"
Clint pressed his foot against his legs and looked down at him with a taunting look. "What? You didn't see that coming?"
A quick sound was emitted from the computer, and a hint of light came out from inside the Cradle, alarming Tony all at once.
"I'm rerouting the upload." He turned his back to the others and was already pressing keys to start the power all over again.
In a panic, Steve did the only thing he could think of and that was throwing his shield toward the computers, making it bounce from corner to corner. Because of this, Tony raised his palm and the gauntlet of his suit attached itself to his body, preparing to fire a blast toward Steve. Since he didn't have enough time to take cover, Steve was thrown back because of the blast and rolled in the ground.
(Y/N) couldn't help but let out an annoyed sigh. "Seriously?"
The back plate of the armor attached itself to Tony next, and (Y/N) balled her fists to make them glow and prepare herself for any further attack. From the other side of the room, Wanda was ready to conjure a red blast at Tony, but was quickly restrained by Bruce.
He placed his arm around her neck from behind and whispered down in her ear. "Go ahead, piss me off."
Clint appeared from around the corner with a loaded gun, waiting for the right opportunity to fire. Steve got up from the floor just as another part of the armor got to Tony, and both were ready to fire a blow at the other before a golden ray of light was shot between them and knocked them both back.
"Can you both stop?" a yell was followed after the blast, and it made them snap their heads in the same direction.
Tony and Steve stared at the source of the unexpected attack, and (Y/N) was standing with her hands still raised in the air, her eyes glowing just like her hands too.
"This is what Ultron wants," she said, her voice indicating that she had ran out of patience. "He wants to tear us down from the inside. So, stop acting like children and try to figure this out!"
Everyone in the room stopped their attacks against the other at her words, silence filling the lab. Wanda slipped away from Bruce's grasp once he was distracted in his own thoughts, meanwhile Steve and Tony got up from the floor. It was implied that they were getting their heads straight and away from the anger, but just as calm was setting, a sudden crash of a window caught their attention.
Thor flew into the lab, his red cape blowing in the air behind him as he jumped above the Cradle. He raised his hammer in the air to summon all the lightning he could, even after ignoring the call from Bruce that told him to wait, and redirecting it to the Cradle.
A warning of overpower appeared on the computer, and just as the lightning disappeared from the tower, whatever was inside the Cradle broke out and knocked everyone off their feet. A synthezoid landed outside of the Cradle, smoke covering parts of his red and metallic body, slowly rising to his full height and inspecting his surroundings. All everyone could do was stare in awe, but then (Y/N) noticed the yellow stone engraved in his forehead, and could swear she'd seen something like that before.
Before anyone could react, the synthezoid flew forwards into Thor and he, reacting quickly, threw him aside to avoid getting attacked. He crashed through a window and nearly was thrown into the outside air if he hadn't paused himself and levitated in midair.
(Y/N) joined Thor's side in a minute, preparing herself for any form of attack this new body could do. She and Steve watched how the synthezoid stared down at the city below, and halted in her step when Thor raised his hand to signal for them to wait.
Thor left his hammer in the table, and the others moved into the scene to get a better look too. A form of clothing appeared over the body, and the synthezoid lowered himself into the ground softly and took a look at his surroundings.
"I am sorry," he spoke, and (Y/N) realized the voice sounded quite familiar. "That was. . .odd."
He turned to look at Thor with a polite nod of his head. "Thank you."
The god did not offer a verbal response but instead nodded his head. The synthezoid rolled his shoulders and a cape shimmered down his body, one with a metallic gold color.
"Thor," Steve called his attention. "You helped create this?"
"I've had a vision," Thor began, looking back at his teammates that were waiting for an explanation. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and its center is that."
He pointed at the stone engraved in his forehead, the one (Y/N) had noticed before. Bruce, who was frowning, voiced his confusion. "What, the gem?"
"It's the Mind Stone," Thor explained, and it finally clicked in (Y/N)'s head. That's why it looked familiar. "It's one of the six Infinity Stones. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."
"Then why would you bring — "
"Because Stark is right," Thor cut Steve off.
"Oh, it's definitely the end times," Bruce said and (Y/N) had to restrain her snort because of that.
"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron."
"Not alone," the 'Vision' interfered, taking steps forward in the room.
(Y/N) quickly realized why did the voice sound so familiar to her, it was one she heard almost every day until now. "He sounds a bit like JARVIS, doesn't he?"
"We reconfigured JARVIS's matrix to create something new," Tony explained to her, getting closer to the synthezoid to the point of looking up at him.
(Y/N) heard Steve's mutter from beside her. "I think I've had my fill of new."
"You think I'm a child of Ultron," the 'Vision' continued walking through the room.
"You're not?"
"I'm not Ultron," he said, conflicting on what to say next, like he wasn't sure of his identity just yet. "I am not JARVIS, I am. . .I am."
(Y/N) locked eyes with Tony, who was standing across from her with Bruce, both conflicted on what to say to the 'Vision'.
"I looked in your head," Wanda announced her presence to him, and she raised her head to lock her eyes with his. "And saw annihilation."
He lowered his head just an inch. "Look again."
Clint scoffed and entered the room, anger laced in his tone. "Her seal of approval means jack to me."
"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they came from the Mind Stone," Thor spoke up once again. "And they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side — "
"Is it?" Steve interrupted, and then faced the 'Vision'. "Are you? On our side?"
"I don't think it's that simple."
"Well, it better get real simple real soon."
"I am on the side of life," the 'Vision' declared. "Ultron isn't. He will end it all."
"What's he waiting for?" Tony asked him.
"You."
"Where?"
"Sokovia," Clint was the one to answer Bruce's question. "He's got Nat there, too."
Bruce took cautionary steps toward the Vision, his eyes never leaving his form. "If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be — "
"What will you do?" the 'Vision' inquired, as if he was deeply curious. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain. But that pin will roll over the Earth. So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others."
He stared down at his hands. "Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go."
To everyone's surprise, the Vision easily grabbed the hammer from the table and handed it to Thor, as if it were just another weapon. Thor took it away from his hands with surprise written on his eyes, just like everyone else stood in shock.
This made (Y/N) grin behind her palm. "Oh, I like him already."
Thor awkwardly gripped the hammer in his hands, pressing his lips to a thin line. "Right."
He walked past Tony and patted him in the back. "Good job."
Thor disappeared in the same direction the 'Vision' did, walking into the dark hallway of the tower. Everyone else was left in the common area in silence, waiting for someone to say something.
"Three minutes," Steve broke the silence. "Get what you need."
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Since (Y/N) was already in her suit, she had enough time left for her to tie her hair up in a way that it didn't cover her eyes when she flew through the air, knowing it was a problem she wanted to solve for days. Once she was ready — she also grabbed extra ammo for Natasha once they find her in Sokovia — she made her way to the wing where the jet was waiting.
Tony was there too, indicating he was done with uploading his new AI now that JARVIS was gone, and (Y/N) could've sworn his eyes lit up once he saw her coming his way.
"Sorry about earlier," she said first, joining his side.
"Nah, don't worry," he shrugged her off. "I now understand why you did it. Although it hurt like hell though."
"Can you blame me?" (Y/N) told him. "You two were acting like preschoolers on a playground."
"He started it!" Tony defended and (Y/N) gave him a look, making his eyes widen in realization. "Right."
"Mmm-hmm."
Tony turned on his heel to fully face her now, hands placing themselves on her shoulders as she lifted her eyebrows in questioning his actions. She could easily read his emotions, though she couldn't decipher why there was hesitancy in his eyes.
"You know, I was thinking," he started again. His hands stopped rubbing up and down her arms and stopped on her forearms.
"That's never good."
He gave her a deadpanned look before continuing. (Y/N) found it quite enjoyable to see him trembling, since she was used to see him being confident. "If — I don't know — after we're done with Ultron. If you'd allow me to take you on an official date?"
(Y/N) couldn't mask her shock. But then, that shock easily transformed into a grin. "Are you nervous?"
"Can you blame me, woman? Have you seen yourself in the mirror?"
"You flatter me, Tony," she grinned. "And I'd like that very much."
He perked up, shoulders lifting too. "Really?" he proceeded to clear his throat and regain his posture again. "I mean, of course you agreed."
(Y/N) flashed him another smile of her own once she saw the others making their way toward the wing too, so she knew they'd have to cut the conversation short. Even if Natasha wasn't there at the moment, she'd find a way to know what had happened and then tease her about it when they came back.
Steve and Bruce were the first ones to get to the jet too, and they discussed a plan for when they arrived so they wouldn't get caught off guard.
"No way we all get through this," Tony spoke first. "If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. There's gonna be blood on the floor."
Steve gave him a smile. "I got no plans tomorrow night."
"Oh, but we do," Tony gestured to himself and (Y/N). "So, please, a little consideration would be nice."
A frown covered Steve's face and (Y/N) elbowed him on the ribs to make him change the subject. Tony cleared his throat and opened his mouth again. "Anyway, I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."
"That's true," the Vision passed behind them. "He hates you the most."
i love tony and y/n's banter, idk about you guys.
okay, so a thought came into my head. you know how people joke about thor, bruce and tony being vision's parents, right? so, if y/n's dating tony, does that make her kind of vision's stepmom? it's just a thought that's been bugging me, so please tell me what you think
-see you soon, bex <3