Chapter Text
Steve had felt bad for avoiding you, he really did. But he just couldn’t get the image from his head of you on that concrete floor. The dazedness in your eyes concerning, and everytime he remembered the blood on your face he winced.
Logically, he knew that you were fine, and it was only a concussion. He knows that, yet it was his job to keep you safe, especially with how it was your first mission.
If he was truly honest with himself, that wasn’t the entire reason he was avoiding you. He kept thinking back to just before the mission, when you were so close, and it made him groan because he was bad at deciphering feelings on the best of days.
So yeah, he was kinda sorta avoiding you.
He was working on it, okay?!
~~~~~~~
You were laying on your bed, trying to process the information that had just been dumped on you. Opening that voicemail was a bad idea, and you knew it was, but you just couldn’t help yourself, because even with the slightly rough history between the two of you, you never could stop yourself from helping her.
You were glad that this was at least keeping your mind off your mission. Or at least, it was. Now all you could think of was the sound of the grenade against the floor, and stopsaveprotec-
Your breathing picked up, and suddenly it was like you were drowning. You shook heavily, trying to figure out what was going on, but it was like you couldn’t process anything, mind moving a mile a minute.
It took you a second for you to register the hands on your shoulders, and you glanced up from your huddled form, (When did that happen?) to see a concerned pair of warm, brown eyes looking down at you.
“Hey, hey. C’mon Spyro, focus on me, and my breathing.” Tony placed a hand on yours, and dragged it to the pulse point on his neck. “Breath with me, okay? In, out.” You tried, but it was like everything was underwater, your mind moving too fast and like molasses at the same time.
Eventually, the glassiness in your eyes receded, and when Tony realized this, he pulled you into a hug. You blinked, finally processing the situation. “Tony? What are you doing here?” You asked, still thoroughly confused.
He pulled back, and you lamented the lack of warmth for just a second. “Y/n, you’re here to be monitored for your concussion, so Friday let me know when your vitals signals showed you were having a panic attack.” You nodded, scrunching your eyebrows. A panic attack hadn’t really happened before, nervousness, sure, but nothing like what just happened.
“Oh.” You said, not knowing how to respond.
He finally cracked a small smile. “Yeah, Oh. Look, how about you get some more rest, since you obviously haven’t since Thor dropped you off.” He said, and you nodded. When he went to leave, you made a small noise, and he turned back around.
“Could you maybe, stay here? Just for a bit.” You were still shaken, but you didn’t want Tony cracking wise as he so often did. You weren’t expecting his eyes to soften, and for him to come and sit by the head of the bed.
“Alright, get on in.” He told you, and you nodded, scooching down into a comfy position, and smiled as Tony laid down beside you. “Now remember, sleep only. You haven’t taken me out to dinner yet, so…” He trailed off, and you smacked him lightly.
You could deal with those kind of jokes, you thought as you drifted off.
~~~~~~~~
When you woke up, it was to a knock at the door, and you grimaced when you realized you were alone. (You did say only a bit.) “Come in.” You told whoever was at the door.
Wanda and Vision stood at the door, each holding a delicious smelling plate of lasagna. They entered, the door automatically closing behind them. “Hello Y/n, how are you?” Vision asked, perching himself in the armchair in the room.
You gave him a weak, but true smile. “I’ve been better, but I’m almost good to go.” He passed you the plate and you gave him your thanks. Since they were both a couple years younger than you, it was as if you had adopted these two as your own. You had become Wanda’s support, and helped Vision with clarifying human emotions he couldn’t understand.
Wanda came to sit with you on the bed. “We figured you could probably use a bit without the others trying to coddle you.” You hmmed at her, already starting to eat.
“So, what have you guys been up to in the last couple days?” You saw Vision perk up in his seat a little, and it made you smile. Even if he was originally an AI, he had been becoming more with each day, and it was amazing to watch.
“Wanda and I have begun watching Supernatural, and though I do not understand some of the references made, I enjoy the storyline so far.” You listen intently as he describes the plot of the series, even if you’d already seen it to season 5. Wanda would pipe in between, filling in pieces that Vision did not.
Soon enough, dinner was gone, and when you yawned, they gathered up the dishes. You gave them both a large hug before they left (Vision was still a tad awkward with hugs, but you were working on it.), and went to sit on your bed when they were gone.
The day had been emotionally exhausting, and you fell asleep with little effort.
~~~~~~~~~
The next day, you tried to get into the gym, only for Friday to bring you to the common room instead. When you entered and no one was there, you decided to take advantage. With the weather growing colder, you had been wanting to make something warm and with unhealthy amounts of sugar.
“Friday? Could you play the RWBY soundtrack?” You asked, already scrolling through potential recipes on your phone.
“Of course miss Y/n.” The opening song for the second season played as you found something that looked too good not to try.
Now it’s time to say goodbye,
To the things we loved, and the innocence of youth,
How the time seemed to fly
From our carefree lives and the solitude and peace we always knew
You sung very lowly, as you began gathering ingredients. You never particularly thought you were any good at singing, but you enjoyed it nonetheless. As you put in your brownie/chocolate chip cookie in a pan, you heard the opening chords to a song that had always made you sad.
You changed the playlist, not wanting to get emotional at that moment. “Friday play Victorious by Panic, please.”
You relaxed when the more upbeat song came on, and belted out the lyrics as you cleaned up your mess. You were left to your own devices until a little after you had pulled your creation out of the oven. Turning around, you almost bumped directly into Thor, who was looking at the brownie/cookie as if it were the most delicious thing in the universe.
He shook his head slightly, and looked down, as if he only just noticed you. “Ahh, Y/n? You look as radiant as the sun today, we may be able to train together sooner than I thought!” His complement made you blush heavily.
“I hope so Thor, anyways, do you wanna help me try out the stuff in the pan?” The whole reason for baking was for it to get eaten, right? And Thor could probably tear through three of those things.
You always enjoyed Thor’s company. He was a good storyteller, and held much more depth than most people saw. Handing him his plate, you looked up at him only to see his eyes boring into you. “Y/n, what is it that troubles you?”
You gave him a weak smile, knowing it wouldn’t work, but needing to try anyways. “I’m fine, just a bit tired still.” Even though you knew he wouldn’t accept your poor excuse, you were surprised to find him suddenly holding your wrist.
“I may be dense at times, but I am brother to the god of lies. I can spot a poor one when I see it.” His eyes were a stormy blue, and you could see the hundreds of years of gain and loss, life and death, that was normally so well concealed. “Please, you know that I am always willing to assist in times of strife.”
“It’s, well-” You tried to come up with a way to explain it without going into detail. “My mother is getting married.” Looking away from his eyes, you could tell he was confused.
“M’lady, as often as I am lost when it comes to Midgard traditions, is this not a good thing?” His hand had loosened around your wrist, and you pulled away just slightly.
Snorting, you went to grab the emergency scotch Tony kept behind the crackers on the bottom shelf in the corner. “Yeah, well, your confusion is somewhat warranted. I know I’m supposed to be happy for her, but that’s kinda hard considering who she’s marrying.”
“Do you not approve of who she has chosen?” You laughed slightly as you poured yourself three fingers, and then added another for good luck.
“You could say that. Me and him go back a bit, and we’ve never liked each other. It’s always sat between dislike and hate. I didn’t even know they were dating, not until last night.” You downed the entire thing, trying to focus on something other than the conversation.
He frowned at you then. “Do you talk to each other often?”
“Not since I turned seventeen. She wanted me to cut contact with my Dad, and I told her she could shove it. Told me to leave, and not to come back until I saw Dad the way she did.” You glanced at the bottle, (You could already feel some of the effects of the glass, but you thought another glass wouldn’t kill you.) before pouring yourself another four fingers.
“If that is so, why is she telling you who she is marrying? Or even that she is engaged?” He asked, and you almost missed it while you were downing your second glass.
“I'm only guessing, but was probably all the groom’s idea. He’ll never pass up a chance to egg me on.” You mumbled, deciding that sitting would be a good idea.
Thor tilted his head. “Is your mother aware of the relationship between you two?”
Debating on whether or not it was worth drinking directly from the bottle, you shook your head. “Nope, I doubt she told him, and I haven’t spilt the beans.” Deciding you could pay Tony back later, you took a large swig from the bottle. “Alright, enough of me being a sad sack. I’m going to go back to bed. Thanks for the company, and enjoy the food.”
You got up, and started to make your way back to the elevator, when you stumbled, pitching forward. (Vaguely you can hear your inner Alex saying ‘I told you so.’) Before you can hit the ground, a pair of strong arms gripped you around your waist, pulling you back into a standing position.
Looking backwards, you saw Steve standing right behind you, a mix of concern and relief on his face. “You okay Y/n?”
“Yeah Steve, I’m just freaking peachy.” You couldn’t be bothered to deal with your feelings for him right now, to buzzed and just in general frustrated.
His hold loosened on you, and you stepped out of his arms. (His arms truly were one of his best attributes, your mind whispered to you. Along with his abs, that face, and oh can’t forget his eyes.) Turning around to face him, you saw that he was just standing there with his arms outstretched, like he wanted to pull you back to him. You shook these thoughts from your head, knowing that from the last couple days of silence that he didn’t want anything like that with you.
“Could we find a place to talk? Alone maybe?” He asked, and you saw over his shoulder that Thor seemed to be giving Steve a dark look.
Knowing it was a bad idea, you nodded anyway. “Sure, we can go to the roof. Shouldn’t be too many people up there this time of day.” The two of you made your way to the elevator, and you were completely blaming your blush on the alcohol.
You were silent as the elevator moved upwards, trying to sober yourself up for a conversation that would no doubt be exhausting. Every now and then, you would see Steve glance over at you, before glancing away guiltily.
The elevator doors opened, and you swiftly exited, making your way to the far corner of the roof. Even though you could tell no one else was there, you wanted to be as far away from any recording devices as possible.
Sitting down on the edge of the roof, you let the cool wind help calm you down. Kicking your feet, you waited as Steve came to seat himself across from you. You didn’t look up at him as you spoke, your mind running at a mile a minute.
“So, what’s up Steve?”
A nervous chuckle was heard, and a part of you was glad that he was feeling similar to you. Nervous and uncertain. “Well, it’s about what happened, um-” He cut off for a moment, before taking a deep breath and forging ahead. “What happened, right before the mission. Look, Y/n, I really do think you’re a great woman, and I-” His voice faltered again, and you almost felt bad for him.
A large sigh was audible before one of his hands cupped your jaw, forcing you to look into his eyes. “I’m not good when it comes to pretty women, as I’m sure you can tell.” You giggled, and he relaxed slightly. “But I really like you, and I was wondering-”
“Capsicle! Have you seen Y/n, Friday said she was out here with you…” Tony had burst through the elevator doors, but stopped short when he saw how the two of you were sitting. Steve’s had on your jaw, faces inches away from each other, blushes from both sides. His normal cocky grin slipped for just a moment, before coming back full force.
(If it was a bit more plastic than usual, who would know?)
“Ahh, I see. I’ll leave you two kids to it then! Remember to use protection!” He hollered over his shoulder as he promptly returned to the elevator, intent on working in the lab for the next couple days.
Frowning at the billionaires strange behaviour, you turned back to Steve. “You were saying?”
Steve blushed, his momentum gone. He was now aware just how close the two of you had become, noses almost touching, and Steve could feel your breath against his skin. “It’s, it’s nothing. I’m sorry I haven’t been around since the mission.” He told you pulling back, and you mourned the loss of heat.
You smiled up at him. “It’s cool, I was just worried that we weren’t friends anymore.” Steve felt his his heart turn to lead. “We are friends, right?” Your hopeful eyes were to much for him to handle, and he nodded.
“Yeah, friends.”
~~~~
The next day you were finally allowed back to your place, no longer needing the supervision. (You appreciated their concern, but it had gotten old quick, and exhausting.) Sighing as you closed the door, the auto lock clicking shut behind you, before quickly going to the kitchen. It was rainy and cold outside, thunder rumbling in the distance, and you definitely didn’t want to work.
It was time for tea, movies, and absolutely not thinking about anything avengers related.
Thankfully there were no world ending events that night, as you were curled up on the couch (With your favourite blanket you got from your Nana.) while the opening of the Hunger Games started playing on your tv screen. Snuggling further in, you got ready to be angry at Peeta’s existence once more.
About the time Katniss volunteers herself, your mind drifts back to Steve. And Tony. Annnnddd…… Thor. It was at this point you’d like to point out that they are unfairly attractive, and any thoughts you may have about them are not your fault.
It’s just, you didn’t know what to think about it, because there was no way it was feasible with even one of them, never mind all three. Slapping yourself on the cheek lightly, you brought your train of thought back under control.
No. Movies. Tea. No avengers.
You refocused on the movie, hoping that your mind would actually listen to you for once. But of course, ten minutes later, it popped back up.
But what if?
Getting frustrated with yourself, you decided maybe if you discussed why it was a bad idea out loud, you would stop the stupid ideas.
“No, there is no possible way that it could happen. They’re all basically perfect, and that’s not what I am. I can’t have a crush on them, it is not allowed. C’mon Y/n, you work with these guys! Professional workplace conduct, you know better than to flirt with your coworkers!” You realized that if anyone could see you they’d probably think you were insane, talking to an empty room.
Whatever. Not like there was anyone to see you have a meltdown.
~~~~~~~~
Vision sat in the living room with Wanda, continuing to watch Supernatural, when the elevator doors opened and Tony stormed in. The android turned to see him stomp into the kitchen area, rummaging through the upper cupboards, pulling out a large bottle of what he presumed to be alcohol. Knowing that this wasn’t too far out of the norm for the genius, he turned back to his show.
The next time the door opened, another set of heavy footfalls were heard. Vision again turned to see Thor sitting across from tony who had already made his way halfway through the bottle. Thor pulled out his flask, and took a large swig.
Tony and Thor didn’t seem to realize the other was there, too busy trying to drown their own sorrows (He guessed, he wasn’t quite sure. He’d have to ask Y/n the next time she was around.) to notice. The red android was concerned, Tony’s rate of alcohol consumption could be harmful if it continued for much longer.
Wanda tugged at his arm, drawing him up off of the couch. He followed without complaint, though he tilted his head in confusion. She made her way to the elevator, and it opened just before they reached it, a distracted Steve Rogers getting off.
Vision was starting to become concerned that something had been going around, like a cold at this point, but didn’t argue getting pulled into the elevator.
“Wanda, what is wrong with the Captain, Thor, and Tony? Are they not well?” He asked, and Wanda gave him a small knowing smile.
“Don’t worry Vis. But things around here are going to start being more interesting.”
~~~~
Steve was, confused. He didn’t understand why he was acting like he was a 15 year old asking out his crush. The first time he had seen you it was like getting sucker punched. You were so kind, ready to help if one needed it, and able to dish out just as much as you got.
At first, he thought you were just being polite, but he had thought maybe it had changed. But then Tony interrupted just as he had finally gotten the proper courage.
He walked off the elevator into the common room, barely noticing Vision and Wanda as they passed him. Wandering over to the fridge, he opened it and pulled out the makings for a sandwich, setting up on the counter. It took a minute before he registered the two heavy sets of glares boring into his back.
Turning around, he saw both Thor and Tony giving him dark looks, and seeming pretty intoxicated. “What’s wrong?” He asked.
Which was apparently the wrong thing to say, as thunder crashed outside and Thor growled lowly. Tony just laughed with no humour.
“Nothing’s wrong, it’s just awesome. You know, perfect story book ending. Knight in shining armour shows up, girl swoons and falls into his arms. Could write your own fairy tale.” He ranted, pulling the bottle of vodka closer as if to take another swig.
Steve pulled the bottle out of his arms, taking note of how empty the bottle already was. “Tony, I have no idea of what you’re talking about.”
The dark haired man scoffed. “Sure you don’t. I saw you with Y/n. Acting all cozy, take it you two are already an item.” He spat the last word and Steve was taken aback.
“Wait, you-” He was cut off by Thor now.
“Yes, we have feelings for Y/n. Not that it matters now, as she clearly prefers you.” He said mournfully.
The super soldier’s eyebrows furrowed. “You guys, we aren’t dating.” They looked at him skeptically. “I mean, I’d like to, I’m not going to lie.” He sighed.
Tony looked at the other two. “Well than how are deciding this?” He asked.
Thor shook his head, uncertain. “I do not know, brother Stark.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps sister Natasha could ask Y/n for us?”
Steve shrugged his shoulders, figuring that Nat already knew the answer, but he still feared the answer. When they looked over at Tony, only to see him face planted into the table.
“I’ll carry him to his room. Shall we speak with sister Natasha tomorrow?” Thor asked, hauling the unconscious Tony over his shoulder. Steve only nodded, still too much on his mind.