Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In the vast, green jungle, the peaceful sounds of birds tweeting and rushing water was suddenly shattered by a loud, violent roar and the cracking of gunshots.

A large, black blur suddenly flew through the underbrush, followed by many masked men a few moments later. These men skidded to a stop, looking around the large trees quickly. “Where did it go?” One of them demanded,”We can’t lose the experiment!”

The blur leapt out from the green bushes, a roar escaping as their huge paws slammed into the first man’s stomach, teeth sinking into their neck. The man screamed, falling to the ground. Two other soldiers cried out, turning their guns to the large creature and shooting.

The panther turned, running back through the trees. His sensitive hearing heard the man yell,”Don’t let it get away, shoot if you have to!!”

Running as fast as it could, the panther skidded around a tree, ignoring the leaves slamming into his face. He noticed a light ahead, and desperately hoped that there was some type of freeway or town that he could hide in. These bastards wouldn’t chase him around people, where they might be discovered. It was his only hope, the only chance he had for safety-

But as the black big cat broke through the trees, he let out a cry, skidding to a stop right at the edge of a tall, shaky cliff. His ears flattened against the back of his head, brown eyes staring down in fear. His body turned, trying run back into the trees before they caught up with him, but it was too late.

The men now stood near the edge of the cliff as well, using their bodies to block any escape from the open cliff. One of the closer men smirked, and declared,”Nowhere for you to go now, Stark .”

The panther’s body shuddered, his hackles raising as he hissed loudly. No! I can’t go back! You can’t make me!! The men moved forward as large paws moved backwards, and he released a violent roar.

As the soldiers moved forward and he moved back, the ground underneath them suddenly wasn’t as secure. The combined weight of a large panther and full grown men wasn’t easy for the cliff to hold. Tony realized this right away thanks to his sensitive paws. He quickly backed all the way to the edge, putting all his weight into the ground.

The rock crumbled below them. Tony’s body tensed, paws spreading out. But he didn’t let go, because falling to his death was better than whatever HYDRA was going to do to him. As the rock fell, his brown eyes stared at the panicked soldiers with pride.

The rock broke apart as he fell. But instead of falling for a while, he slammed into rock below it. His body flopped, rolling off the edge of the rock and tumbling down the rest of the mountain. He let out yowls of pain all the way down, until something cold and wet surrounded him.

It hurt, but the adrenaline was still pulsing through his body. He stood up, his wet fur dragging a bit. Frantically, the big cat looked around, before noticing something next to him. The river was much larger and deeper next to him, with a waterfall falling into it.

Why couldn’t I have fallen right there?! Tony wondered angrily, but didn’t dwell on it too long. He ran into the water, his paws paddling frantically and ignoring the burning pain in his body, he didn’t know how fast they could get down the cliff, he needed to move fast.

When his eyes caught the sight of something behind the waterfall, he quickly swam towards it. He pushed through the rushing waters, and found a small cave. Quickly, he pushed himself from the water, pressing himself as far back as he could, and desperately hoping they wouldn't be able to find him.

Curled up tightly, he listened as intently as possible. His intelligent eyes watched the movement beyond the waterfall, watching them pace and look around the river. Tony was thankful he stayed in the water, he didn’t leave any tracks.

It felt like hours passed by before he finally saw them gather together in front of the waterfall. He couldn’t hear a thing they were saying over the rushing waters, but he saw one man point, and they all rushed off together. Still afraid, he remained tense, waiting to see if they were going to come back.

After several long, painful moments, they didn’t appear in his vision anymore.. They were gone. Instantly, relief filled the panther’s system. The adrenaline vanished, his legs shaking a moment before giving way. He crashed to the ground, too exhausted to get back up. Finally.. I finally escaped..

The big cat released a huge, thankful sigh. It had been so long, he was so tired.. Tony didn’t even have enough energy to stay cautious any longer.. He just wanted to rest. His brown eyes slowly closed, as he fell asleep to the sound of rushing water.

-- -- -- -- -- --

Thankfully, when Tony woke up, he was still alone underneath the waterfall. The panther sighed in relief, before his left front leg began to throb. He growled slightly, pushing himself with his other paws. After testing the paw a few times, he realized he could still stand, but it hurt rather pretty badly. Of course, it was nothing compared to the other things HYDRA did.

Tony’s sleek, lean body turned, stalking towards the edge of the waterfall. He poked his head out slightly, brown eyes examining carefully. When he saw nothing, he waded out into the water again, swimming over to the shallow end. This time, lifting his head into the air. His black nose twitched slightly, as he sniffed the air for any scent of them. Any scent he caught was days old, so he then began to wade through the water.

Despite the pain in his body, he knew he couldn't stop stop. I have to keep going.. Tony thought with determination. I don't know when those sick fucks will come back, they want me alive, they won't just give up.

The panther cringed as memories of the pain and experimentations crawled into his brain, but shook his head quickly. No, he couldn't think about that. He was safe, and if he wanted to keep it that way he needed to remain vigilant.

Staying in the shallow water as to not make tracks, the genius never allowed his mind to wander again. He didn't know how long he had been asleep, they could be anywhere, he needed to stay alert.

The wilderness around him was obviously nervous about the appearance of the big cat. He could hear birds nervously chirping, and the sound of animals slinking around quickly, to avoid him.

His stomach was desperately clawing for some sustenance, but even his animal instincts knew that running away was the safer decision.

He looked around the large trees, he took a sharp left turn, deciding that he had gone far enough away. It was safe.. For now.

Tony’s sleek body sloshed onto the grass, which tickled his abused paw pads slightly. He brought his back legs up, shaking the water off them, and making his way through deep forest, long tail swishing above the ground.

Just as he passed through the large brush, he heard something else moving. He heard voices.. His ears rose on his head, paw stopping in midair. His sensitive hearing listened closely, trying to discern if it was the Handler and the other soldiers..

No, no.. That’s too high to be HYDRA soldiers.. Too high to be an adult.. He thought. His black paw slowly lowering to the ground as instincts took over. He lowered himself into the greenery, haunches raised. Then, the genius tured panther began to creep forward.

As he crept closer, ears flicking towards the noise, he started to realize what exactly was making it. It wasn’t Handler, or the soldiers… It sounded like something else.

It sounded like kids.

I haven’t smelt anything but forest for miles, how did they get all the way out here? He thought worriedly, his sensitive nose taking in the air once more as he crept closer, his head pushing through the trees to get a view of the group. He could see three of them.. And they weren't just any kids..

-- -- -- -- -- --

“We’re lost!” Lila exclaimed sadly,”How are we supposed to find mom now!?”

Cooper had taken a seat, his longer black hair falling into his eyes. “Why are you yelling at me?!” He snapped,”It’s Nathaniel’s fault anyways!”

The two year old in question didn't seem to care that he got them lost. Instead, he was laughing and clapping his little hands. “Green! Green!” He squealed,”We got trees!”

Cooper frowned at his brother, feeling a slight annoyance at the fact he got them lost.. Of course, Nathaniel was 2, he didn't know much better.

They had been heading towards the Wakandan palace. T’Challa was moving them into hiding because some asshole named Ross was hunting them down, trying to find their father. Of course.. The teenager muttered darkly. Clint seems to ruin everything these days.

But along the way their ride had to stop because of some technical difficulties. Nathaniel had apparently seen something interesting in the forest, and his little legs moved as fast as he could to get it. Cooper knew their mom was stressed, she didn't need to be panicking about Nathaniel right now. So he figured he would just be able to run in, grab Nathaniel, and his mom would be none the wiser.

But when he and Lila caught up to Nathaniel, they realized that they had no idea where they were. The three kids were surrounded by giant trees and large plants that covered their vision for miles.

Trying to wander only sent them in different directions with no real clue as to where their mother was. They were completely, and utterly lost.

Lila looked around again, messing with her  dark hair for the probably hundredth time in the last five minutes. “Maybe we should look around some more? Someone might find us!” She nervously suggested.

“No, we should stay here,” Cooper firmly declared,”What if we’re closer than we think, and we leave, and they miss finding us?”

“But if we’re closer than we think, shouldn't we just look around? Maybe we’ll find people!” She exclaimed, her hands shaking with anxiety.

“I know what I'm doing, Lila, okay!?” Cooper yelled,”Don't argue with me, I'm the oldest!”

Lila angrily stepped forward, pointing her finger in his face. “Just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you know everything!” She hissed,”You got us even more lost!”

Cooper and Lila continued to yell, arguing over their predicament out of fear more than hatred. Nathaniel watched his siblings for a moment, frowning at all the loud noises. It reminded the toddler of when mommy and daddy fought before daddy left. He didn't like that..

Suddenly, there was a small rustle behind him. Nathaniel turned around, his dirty blonde hair shaking in the small breeze, and tilted his head. It took a moment, but he saw it. There, in the bushes, he saw a big nose with whiskers and brown eyes staring out at him.

Instantly, his little mind was reminded of the cats on their farm. They weren't really pets, but his mommy let them stay and fed them because they took care of the rats. Nathaniel loved kitties, and seeing a super huge kitty was even cooler! He didn't know kitties could be that big.

Using his small limbs, he pushed himself onto his feet and toddled over to the green bush, giggles escaping him.

As he moved closer, the big kitty pushed his head all the way out of the trees. Oh! The kitty wanted to see him too! This made Nathaniel even more excited.

“Kitty!” He said happily, reaching the big black cat, his small hand reaching up to touch it, and..

“NATHANIEL NO!” Lila’s voice screamed, making the toddler stumble in surprise and fall back on his butt. Lila instantly yanked him closer, lifting him to her chest and backing away from the big kitty. Nathaniel instantly started to cry, his hands reaching for the kitty still.

Surprisingly, to Cooper, his sister’s scream didn’t scare off the panther. In fact, the big cat instead rose to his full height, creeping out of the bushes and into full view. Oh dear god.. He’s huge, it’s going to kill us! Cooper felt his heart trying to break through his chest, his hand scrambling to find a weapon.

As the panther padded closer, Cooper’s hand found possession of a large rock. He quickly moved in front of his siblings, and raised it above his head. “G-get away from us! I’m n-not afraid to hurt you!” Cooper yelled.

“No! Don’t hurt kitty!” Nathaniel sobbed, causing Cooper’s eyes to flick towards him for a moment. But in that simple second, the big cat had managed to take many steps closer.

“STAY AWAY!” Cooper yelled, throwing the rock as hard as he could. It crashed into the panther’s head, causing the animal to flinch, ears flattening against his head. Cooper could see the blood on the panther’s head from the hard hit, but surprisingly, the creature didn’t get angry.

Cooper’s hazel eyes watched him carefully as his breathing picked up, their eyes remained locked for several moments. The big cat’s eyes seemed.. Calm, and calculated, as if he was thinking of something.

The big paws moved closer, and this time Cooper didn’t move, he stayed perfectly still. Lila began to get nervous as well, and whispered,”Cooper..”

“Shh..” The older boy said, as the panther took one last step, before sitting down. It’s tail swished on the ground slightly, but other than that it remained still.

Slowly, Cooper reached his hand out, trembling slightly, and walking a little closer. Then, he slowly lowered his hand onto the top of the panther’s soft head. Cooper tensed, waiting for his hand to be bitten off… But nothing happened.

Opening his eyes, he moved his hand to it’s ears, experimentally scratching behind them. A loud, relaxed noise that Cooper wasn't expecting to hear escaped the cat, leaning into Cooper’s hand.

The panther seemed to forget just how heavy he was, however, as he and Cooper both toppled to the ground. Cooper cried out in surprise, sitting up quickly as he turned back to the panther. It was now rolling on the ground, it’s fuzzy belly visible as it let out happy noises.

Lila giggled, placing Nathaniel down. “Aww! He’s just a big sweetheart!” She squealed happily, moving over to rub the panther’s belly.

“Pet the kitty?” Their two year old brother asked hopefully, walking over, and looking at his siblings innocently.

Cooper let out a soft chuckle and nodded. “Yes Nathaniel,” He responded,”You can pet the kitty.”

Nathaniel let out an excited squeal, clapping his hands and running over to the cat, flopping on the middle of the panther’s belly. The cat’s tail thrashed for a moment, a surprised chuff escaping him, before he relaxed. Nathaniel smiled, running his chubby fingers through the fur.

The kids took in the warmth and safety the panther gave off, and started to relax for the first time in hours. The stress of their parent’s fighting, the trip to Wakanda, knowing they were being chased, and getting lost had finally caught up with them. They were all so tired..

Nathaniel was the first to fall asleep, curled against the panther’s belly. Lila want next, asleep next to the two year old. Cooper was last, petting the panther’s head a little longer before moving to the other side of Nathaniel, to keep the toddler warm, and allowed himself to relax into sleep.

After all three had gone to sleep, Tony lowered his head to the floor, his tail curling over the children’s backs protectively. I don’t know what they are doing out here.. Or where we are, but the least I can do is keep them safe until they’re found.. He thought. I know Clint and the rest of team Cap are probably searching for them. After they’re found, I’ll keep running. It’s not like they’ll realize it’s me, and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t care..

They already proved that much.. So why would anyone care enough to look for me?

Chapter Text

Cooper grew slightly aware as something cold pressing against his neck roughly, over and over, along with some loud chuffing. He groaned, keeping his eyes shut as he rolled over, trying to avoid having to wake up. “Five more minutes, Mama…” He grumbled.

However, Instead of his mother’s gentle voice scolding him, a loud, frustrated growl is what he got in return. It was enough to make Cooper jump into a sitting position, his eyes snapping open to look at who it could possibly be.

In front of him was the panther from yesterday. Cooper felt confusion, that was instantly followed by a sting of sadness as he realized that it wasn't a dream, they were really lost in the middle of nowhere.

He yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Sorry, buddy, mom always says I'm a really heavy sleeper and-” He pulled his hands off his eyes and noticed something. “Hey.. What’s wrong..?”

The panther let out a frantic mewl, his paws kicking up the dust as he turned his head to look around the bushes, before turning back to Cooper and letting out another frantic noise. The brown eyes were filled with panic, and ears flattened against his head.

Cooper narrowed his eyes, and worriedly asked,”What are you-” But then, there was the noise of rustling through the brush, and whispering voices. The teen’s eyes widened in horror, scrambling to his feet. “Oh shit, oh fuck, oh fuck,” He croaked, running over to his sister.

Shaking the girl violently until her eyes groggily opened, he then yanked her to her feet, clapping his hand over her mouth. The panther skidded over to Nathaniel, gently taking the toddler’s shirt in his jaws, and dashing into the bushes. Cooper quickly followed after the animal, desperate to get as far away from whoever could be in the jungle with them. As much as Cooper wanted it to be his mother, he knew that the chances of it being Ross were just as high.

The Panther let out a frantic growl, sliding down a small hill covered in leaves, before scrambling around some trees. The Panther continued to bob and weave through the brush so much that Cooper and Lila had a hard time keeping up, even though it was obvious the Panther was slowing down for them.

As fast as they were going, it was obvious someone was following them. The panther skidded to a stop after he ran around a fallen log, before skidding to a stop. His ears were raised slightly, as he looked at the spot underneath the log.

The voices were getting louder though, and Cooper began to panic again. “What are you doing!?” He whispered harshly,”We need to keep going! They'll catch us at this rate!”

The large cat let out an angry chuff, and then nudged the leaves slightly before pushing his way through them completely.

Lila gasped, and whispered,”Cooper, it’s empty under there!” The girl quickly dropped to her knees, crawling underneath along with the Panther. Cooper quickly followed, his hands slapping against the cold stone of the cavern underneath the log.

Luckily for them, the leaves bounced back into position, swaying a bit before calming down. Just as they did, they heard the footsteps echoing above them, and the shadows of guns against the leaves.

Lila let out a fearful breath, scooting closer to the panther in the darkness of the cavern. Her hands grabbed at his fur, burying her face against his shoulder. Nathaniel's body curled against the panther’s chest, shuddering but seeming to understand that crying right now was not a good idea.

Cooper looked back at the entrance one time before crawling over as quietly as possible, his hand grabbing another rock off the ground while he moved. As he moved to sit on his knees behind the panther, whom had moved to a crouched position, hackles raised and prepared at attack. Cooper raised the rock above his head, eyes watching the shadows, ready to defend his siblings at all cost.

There was the sound of crunching leaves for a little longer, no words were said by the people outdoors. Everything in the forest seemed to be quiet, waiting, fearing…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Holes suddenly appeared through leaves, bullets hitting the ground before bouncing back up. Lila screamed as Nathaniel cried out in terror, Cooper jumping up so quick he stumbled and fell back.

“I found them!!” A voice outside called, and that was all it took for the panther to spring into action.

He suddenly reared back, ears flattening as he let out a violent roar that echoed through the confines of the caver. His paws slammed against the ground as he threw himself through the entrance. His stomach slammed into the man in front, who let out a violent wheeze before stumbling backwards.

The man frantically started to shoot, too disoriented to aim correctly. The black blur in front of him leapt forward again, the large teeth sinking deep into his arm.

He fell to the ground, screaming as the claws dug into his ribs. He threw himself around on the dirt, frantically trying to escape the hold. “HELP ME!! HELP!”

Another soldier ran through the trees, eyes widening at the sight of his comrade. His gun was raised, aiming for the panther's head.

Before he could shoot, however, Cooper slammed his shoulder against the man’s, throwing all his weight into it. It wasn't that much, however, as the man simply stumbled back, before turning his enraged face towards Cooper, the gun in his hands now aimed at him.

A loud snarl cut through their gaze however, making the soldier turn back to his now unconscious partner. The Panther that had previously been on the soldier was now in front of him, raised as blood dripped from his jaws.

His eyes widened, turning the gun back to the Panther, but with his hands shaking violently. Before he could pull the trigger, however, he was on the ground, teeth tearing into his shoulder and tugging the chunk completely off.

As the Panther attacked, Cooper grabbed the gun from the unconscious man, and the one currently getting attacked, aiming it at the latter and yelling,”Hey! Shadow! Get off of him!”

The Panther’s jaws released after a moment, as he backed up and settled at Cooper’s side.

The soldier’s wide brown eyes stared at them, panting fearfully. Cooper felt afraid, but he kept a brave face on as he said,”You tell Ross that if he tries anything else, next time I won't stop Shadow from killing anybody! Tell him to leave us alone!”

The soldier stood up, his hand clutching at the gaping wound on his shoulder. He stumbled over to his comrade, lifting him up and beginning to limp away as quickly as possible.

Cooper kept the guns raised, standing in front of the cavern entrance protectively. Shadow stayed by his side for a moment, until the men were a ways away, and a mischievous look entered his eyes.

He took a deep breath, before letting out a loud roar. The men shrieked, before knocking each other down in their panic to escape, and tumbled down what was probably a rough slope into the forest.

Cooper barked out a laugh, before turning towards the big cat. Those brown eyes turned to look at him, before his ears rose up and he puffed out his chest proudly, seeming to be very pleased with himself. Cooper, in return, transferred the guns to one hand and patted the creature’s head. “Good boy,” He praised.

There was a rustle of noise behind him, causing him to turn quickly. It was Lila, who was holding Nathaniel close. “Are they gone?” The girl whispered, her shoulder slumping in relief when he nodded at her.

With his sister’s arms relaxed, Nathaniel squirmed out of them and ran over to the Panther, hugging him tightly. “Kitty! Kitty okay?” He frantically asked.

In return, the panther lowered his cold nose to touch the boy’s head, and released a gentle mewl, as if to assure the boy that he was okay. The little boy released a happy sigh as a result, and whispered,”Kitty okay..”

Cooper walked over to the hole, grabbing his sister's hand, and pulling her up. Lila looked around as she got out of the cavern, too afraid to care about the dirt and leaves on her body and stuck in her dark hair. Her eyes flickered towards Cooper, and whispered,”Are they gone?”

“For now,” Cooper responded,”Me and Shadow fought them off.”

“Shadow?” Lila echoed,”So we’re calling him Shadow?”

“I thought of it on the fly, okay?!” Cooper snapped,”But that's not what’s important. What’s important is that we get out of here before they come back!”

Lila’s bright eyes widened. “Leave?! Why should we leave? We can stay here for the night, it's getting dark anyways!” She exclaimed.

Shadow let out a loud growl, flattening his ears, and shaking his head. Cooper stared at the panther in surprise, before deciding it wasn't the weirdest thing he had seen, and turning back around.

“Shadow is right,” He agreed,”It’s dangerous to stay here, they can come back with reinforcements, and they know where we were hiding. It’s not safe here, we need to keep moving, we can stop when we get far enough away.”

His sister did not yet look convinced, a frown gracing her soft face. Cooper slumped his shoulders, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Lila, we have a panther with us, if anything happens, I think we’ll be fine,” He replied easily.

Lila looked over at the panther, whose intelligent eyes stared back at her with a powerful gleam, making her feel like a protective bubble had surfaced around them. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she said,”Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”

Cooper nodded his head, and then turned to look at Nathaniel. The two year old was giggling, clapping his hands and yelling,”Kitty! Kitty! Up! Up!” He then raised his hands in the air, waving them all over the place.

The teenager chuckled, looking at the panther. “You don’t mind carrying him, do you?” He asked, amazed as the panther blinked slowly, before nodding his large head. He smiled in return, picking the toddler, and placing him on the panther’s back.

“Okay, Nate, hang onto kitty’s back, okay? Kitty is going to carry you, okay?” He asked the bright eyed boy.

Nathaniel smiled widely in response, his hands grabbing at the scruff of the big cat’s next as he chirped,”Okay!!”

Looking at Lila, then back at the panther, the teenager nodded, and declared,”Let’s go.”

And with that, the quartet headed off into the trees, hopeful that they would find civilization soon, and in turn, find their family.

-- -- -- -- -- --

“How could you lose them?!?”

“I didn't try to!” Laura snapped at her ex-husband. “They were gone before I could do anything about it! Nobody saw them leave!”

“Why weren't you watching them!?” Clint demanded,”What if Ross has them right now!? How could you be so irresponsible!?”

“Irresponsible!? Ooh, so I’m the irresponsible one!?” She snarled,”You're one to fucking talk! You left us! You left us all for a fight that wasn't you're own! The kids would have had the opportunity to go missing if you had just stayed home and tried to be the father you always claim to be you.. YOU SELFISH PRICK!!! ”

Before Clint could escape the shocked silence that the comment had sent him into, the other Rouge Avengers had quickly moved forward. Natasha and T’Challa had both grabbed Laura’s shoulders, gently pulling her back while Steve and Sam moved to calm Clint down.

“Please, you two,” T’Challa responded,”No fruition will appear if you continue to argue. We must find the children before Ross does.”

Laura seemed to deflate at those words, taking a few deep breaths before turning her brown eyes to the ground, nodding in shame.

Clint, however, wasn't done. “Well, maybe you should call Stark and have him help you,” He hissed,”You know, you and that bastard seemed to have gotten really close since I was arrested.”

Rage seemed to flash through Laura’s eyes for a moment, before the emotion was replaced with confusion. “You… You guys don't know?” She asked.

Several eyes filled with the same emotion, while Steve’s own blue ones filled with dread. “Don't know what?” He worriedly asked.

“Tony has been missing for months..” She explained,”He was trying to help rewrite the accords and get Ross arrested, then suddenly he was just.. Gone.”

Steve’s eyes widened, his head turning to look around the room. Everyone else looked just a surprised as him.. Expect for T’Challa and Natasha.

“You two knew, didn't you?” He asked hesitantly, only to gain two nods in return. “Why.. Why didn't you say anything!? Dr. Banner told us how ruthless Ross can be, we’ve seen it for ourselves! Why didn't you tell us!?”

“There’s been no clues as to his whereabouts,” Natasha began slowly,”And.. I didn't trust that you would even care..”

Steve’s eye twitched in confused rage, as he exclaimed,”What!? Why would you think I wouldn't care!?”

“You left him in Siberia, Captain,” T’Challa replied,”I had hoped you would have taken him with you, but you left him to die. If I hadn't had the idea to double check before I left, he would have frozen to death. I saw no reason to inform you that he went missing after you pulled a stunt like that. ”

Steve opened his mouth to argue, before it clicked shut as he realized that he didn't have a real argument. Keeping his shoulders squared, he lowered his head, acknowledging that they were right.

T’Challa’s eyes bore into him for a little longer, before he turned towards the others. “We don't have time to argue. We have to find the children before Ross does. Tony is going to have to remain second priority for now, because I'm sure that he can take care of himself. If he was captive, it's possible that he already escaped. Right now, we’re going to create search parties for the kids, and find them as soon as possible. Understood?”

There were muttered agreements, before everyone followed after the king towards the conference room to figure out a plan.

As they walked, however, Steve felt extreme guilt that he hadn't expected to. Tony was missing? Did something happen to him beforehand? Why didn't he call? Why didn't Steve try to reach out?

He knew T’Challa was right, they should focus on the kids, they had an idea of where they might be. But that did settle all of Steve’s thoughts. Tony was missing too, and whether or not he was in captivity, whether or not he escaped, there was a question that couldn't be answered.

Where was he now?

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Five Days Later

-- -- -- -- -- --

In the early morning, as the sky was sprayed with pinks, yellows, and purples among the soft blue, cicada chirps echoing throughout the still darkly lit forest.

Through the chirping, there was the sound of crunching leaves. Big paws landing against their delicate structure, a lean creature that matched the darkness of dawn. If one were to looking into the panther’s mind, however, they would find that it wasn't a creature at all, it was Tony Stark.

He climbed up the steep hill, raising his head high as his ears rose. His intelligent brown eyes examining the forest around them, checking for any sign of danger.

There had been a few more close calls, as Ross has raised the amount of soldiers searching for them. Thankfully, after the first fight, they had managed to elude the soldiers. But past that, nothing else had gotten better. They were still terribly lose.

Sensing no danger, his head turned towards the bushes that the kids had hidden in. He jerked his head, releasing a loud snuffle to announce that the coast was clear.

Cooper was the first to emerge, still holding the one gun they still had. The other had run out of bullets, and they made sure to dispose it where nobody could find it. His clothing was torn in several places, his hair sticking up and dirty, with several cuts in a few places.

Lila was even dirtier, her hair matted in several places, and her clothing even more torn. Nathaniel was the messiest, his clothes covered in mud and leaves, and he smelled horrible. Thankfully, he was asleep in Lila’s arms right now. But whenever he was awake he was fussy, and angry. He would thrash, pull Tony’s whiskers and fur, pull his siblings hair or even bite them. It was obvious he was hungry and stressed, but there was only so much they could eat out here.

As Cooper reached the top of the hill, his free hand scratched at Tony’s head as he whispered,”Good boy.” The genius purred at the attention, leaning into the hand, though his eyes remained alert.

The quartet continued down the hill, Tony taking the lead, though the children remained at his flank. He needed to keep them safe, despite the pain he was in. The genius knew that the sooner they were safe, the longer he could rest.

“Oh no..” He heard Lila whisper, and turned around to see what worried her. Of course, Nathaniel was shifting in her arms. Tony’s ears lowered against his head, waiting for the oncoming whining.

As the toddler began to fuss, Tony came upon another stream that cut through the trees. Releasing a large sigh, he let out a sniffle, trotting over to it.

Cooper immediately followed, moving down to cup the water with his hands, before splashing it all over his face. Then, he tried to drink it. When it tasted okay, he kept drinking, too dehydrated to think of anything else.

Lila sighed, trying to set the baby down. “Nathaniel, come on buddy, let's drink some water, you'll get sick if you don't!” She desperately tried.

“No! No! NO! NO! Mama! Mommy! NO!” Nathaniel screamed, flopping onto his bum and kicking his bare feet against the ground.

Lila let out a frustrated groan, so Cooper stood up, and knelt down to his brother. He picked him up under his arms, and firmly said,”Nate, drink some water!”

Nathaniel let out an angry scream, throwing his hands up and hitting Cooper in his eyes, before throwing them down and splashing the water. “ NO! I WANT MOMMY!” He yelled even louder, as tears began to tumble down his dirty cheeks.

“Well Mom isn't here!” Cooper angrily snapped,”And she won't be until we find our way to where other people are! And if you get sick on the way there, it'll take longer and mommy will be sadder! If we take to long, the bad guys might kill us!”

“Cooper!” Lila snapped,”He’s just a baby! Don't tell him that!”

Nathaniel grew even more distressed at his siblings angry voices, and began to scream even louder, his little knuckles red with how hard he was clutching. Tony turned towards him, nuzzling him to try and calm him down. But the baby simply grabbed his whiskers, tugging at the violently.

Through all the yelling and arguing, there was the sudden rusting of the leaves around them. Instantly, all four froze, and then panicked.

Tony’s teeth sunk into the baby’s shirt, dragging him to the closest bush. Lilia ran after them, diving into the bushes. However, Cooper was so caught off guard that when he turned to run, he tripped over his own feet, falling into the water.

Lila let out a frantic squeal, making Tony quickly put Nathaniel down and run over to the teen. He knew he couldn't get Cooper away fast enough, but he could protect him. Standing above the teen, he raised his hackles and snarled angrily, prepared to battle if he had to.

But, instead of a HYDRA soldier with an army behind them, a single person in regular clothes pushed through. Tony’s eyes widened, ears raising in surprise. He stumbled slightly, before moving to sit in front of Cooper, head tilted. The boy seemed to realize that, after he had stopped growling, that there was no danger. So, he sat up and stared at the person as well.

The young woman in front of them had her brown hair in dreadlocks, a purple headband, and was wearing a green safari vest with a purple shirt under, and green pants with brown boots. Her eyes widened in shock at Cooper’s condition, and started talking in a language that none of them could understand, and Tony couldn't even respond if he wanted to.

She seemed to realize that they didn't understand, and softly asked,”English?”

Cooper jumped slightly, before quickly nodding. “Y-yes, English,” He responded, getting to a standing.

The woman nodded, turning her eyes at the messy bush nearby where Lila and Cooper were hiding. “What are you doing out here?” She asked with a slight accent.

Cooper frowned suspiciously, turning to look at Tony. He obviously was afraid, and Tony didn't blame him, considering what they had been through. But, he nudged the boy, grunting slightly to try and encourage him.

Taking a deep breath, he shakily began to explain. “We got lost..” He started,”Us and our mom were going to King T’Challa for asylum from someone hunting us in America. My little brother ran off so me and my sister chased after him, and we got lost.”

He then placed a hand on Tony’s head. “But then we found Shadow, and he’s been protecting us ever since, helping us try and get back to mom.. He even saved us from some of the soldiers after us…”

The woman turned her eyes to look at Tony, before holding a hand out towards him. The genius felt an animalistic instinct, and leaned closer to sniff her. She smelled of soot and sweet smelling fruits, but no blood like the soldiers did. So, he allowed himself to rub against her hand, accepting her.

Cooper watched the whole interaction with wary eyes. He trusted the panther’s judgement like a lifeline. If she had passed his test, she was a good person.

Turning to the bush nearby, he called,”Lila! It's okay to come out! She’s safe.”

Lila and Nathaniel slowly emerged from the bushes, though the little boy was sniffling fearfully. The woman’s eyes softened, taking in the sight sadly.

“You poor things..” She said softly,”Don't worry, I'll take you to my village. We are small, but we have running water and electricity. You can rest there, and I'll see if I can contact the king.”

The quartet all seemed to melt with relief, Cooper most of all. But then, he remembered his manners. “Thank you so much!” He exclaimed,”I-I’m Cooper by the way, these are my siblings Lila and Nathaniel, and you already know Shadow.”

She smiled at all three of them, before she replied,”I am Asha. It is nice to meet you all. Now come, I'll take you to my village.”

She turned, moving through the large brush and then holding it back for them to follow. Cooper smiled, moving to pick up Nathaniel and walking through with a thankful smile. Lila went to follow, staying at the women’s side. Suddenly, she gasped.

“Oh, Miss Asha?” She nervously asked, hugging herself a little.

“Yes, child?” Asha replied.

Biting her lip slightly, then looking at the panther next to her. “Why weren't you scared when you saw Shadow?” She asked curiously.

Asha smiled at her, comforting the nervous girl a little. “That is very easy to answer,” She explained,”I saw how much he cared for you. The second he saw I wasn't one of your pursers, he stopped growling. It is very obvious that he cares for you very much, almost as if he was human.”

Tony raised his ears curiously, feeling a gleeful glow inside of him. This woman, Tony could tell she had good intentions, and it made him so relieved that they would have a safe place to stay for a while, and someone who was willing to help him. He would relax for a while, but he couldn't let his guard down completely.

Something told Tony that they definitely weren't out of the woods yet.

Chapter Text

As the warm, blissful water trickled down Cooper’s battered body, he knew that he was never ever going to take a shower for granted again. It felt as though the liquid was seeping into all his bruises and scrapes, peeling away at the dirty shell that seemed to cover him and tear away the nasty cocoon to reveal the boy that had been underneath it all along. He even used shampoo and conditioner more than once, not caring that it was the type that were advertised to girls. He was just happy to be clean.

Eventually, however, he had to get out. The teen shut the water off, wrapping himself in the fluffy green towel, and stepping into the steamy room. His reflection was overshadowed by the fog on it, but he knew for sure he probably looked way different than the boy Asha had found in the jungle.

There was something else on the counter, however, which caused the young boy to examine the granite countertop curiously. There, he saw a fresh set of soft, green pajamas and underwear, along with a brand new toothbrush!

Thankful for the new items, he quickly changed into the soft, wonderful clothes and brushed his teeth at least three times before he felt he had even made a dent in his bad breath.

After wiping his face down one more time, the young teen looked at the nasty pile of clothes on the floor. He didn’t want to touch them again, especially after just getting clean. But.. Asha has already done so much for us, it’s the least I can do.

Gathering the nasty clothes into his arms, he quickly tossed them in the laundry basket that already held his sibling’s outfits. Hopefully we can burn them. Cooper thought happily. I never want to see those nasty clothes again.

The teen then exited the warm, steam filled bathroom, enjoying the cold blast of air that hit him. It was a true blessing after being lost inside that hot, humid jungle for so long. He wandered towards the living room, enjoying the feeling of soft carpet between his toes as he exited the hallway.

Asha’s living room was very colorful, with mismatched furniture that ranged from a very puffy purple couch with stuffed animals, to rainbow christmas lights trailing along the lavender walls. Sitting on the very purple couch was Asha herself, now wearing a simple green T-shirt and black leggings, and Lila. The Wakandan woman was running a comb through Lila’s long hair, ridding it of any knots it may have previously held. Cooper knew Nathaniel was in Asha’s room, getting his first good nap in weeks. Finally, they were safe.

His sister’s much brighter eyes turned to him, a smile crawling up her face. “Hey Cooper!” She exclaimed, making sure not to move her head as Asha began to braid the long strands.

Cooper returned the smile, running a hand through his messy hair, before he looking around the living room curiously. He frowned, seeing no sign of the black panther that had accompanied them. “Where’s Shadow?” He asked curiously.

“Shadow is outside, in front of the door,” Asha explained while grabbing a hair tie. “I tried to invite him inside, but he’s refused me over and over. I think he is worried that your enemies may be still looking for you.”

Cooper frowned, his eyes turning towards the front window. “I know they are.. But he’s already helped us so much, he needs to rest too,” The teen sadly replied.

Asha tied off the long braid, before nodding in firm agreement. “I’m sure he would feel much better once all that grime is out of his fur, but first you have to get him to come inside,” She explained,”And your companion is quite the stubborn one.”

Cooper chuckled, unable to hide his amusement. A few weeks ago, he would never have imagined having a panther as a companion, or that an animal could actually be stubborn. But Shadow’s eyes were always calculating, thinking.. Almost as if he was a human. Now I understand why they’re so honored in Wakanda. They truly are amazing creatures.

-- -- -- -- -- --

The sun was beating down on his black fur, making him even hotter than before. If cats could sweat, he sure would be. But Tony refused to give up just because he was a little hot. He had to keep watching, and make sure they were safe. Neither HYDRA or Ross were going to give up, and he couldn’t let his guard down.

His sensitive ears lifted up at the sound of the door behind him. He turned, finding himself face to face with a much better looking Cooper. His shoulders weren't tense, and his eyes weren't guarded. He looked much more relaxed.

“Hey Shadow,” The teen gently whispered, to which Tony let out a chuff of a greeting, allowing the boy to place a hand on his back. He then began to rub up and down, the feeling on Tony’s making his chest vibrate with purrs.

Giving into the wonderful feeling of affection, he slumped down, resting his large head in Cooper’s lap. Those wonderful hands then began scratching behind his ears and in all the hard to reach places, allowing Tony to close his eyes and relax. They remained that way for several minutes, just enjoying the sound of people and nature.

As Cooper relaxed with the creature, he noticed his hand becoming brown with dirt once more. The panther’s black fur was completely dirty and matted with dried blood in some places. The teen cringed at the idea of being dirty again, before instantly feeling guilty. All I care about is myself.. What about Shadow? He’s been protecting us this whole time, he deserves to feel better too!

“Hey boy..” Cooper whispered, causing the cat’s ears to raise up, and one brown eye to open. “Let’s go inside, okay? It’s your turn to get clean!”

The cat huffed, his warm breath hitting Cooper’s still wet skin, before he motioned his head towards the village. Cooper instantly understood, and shook his head. “It’s okay we can relax for a bit. Asha is taking care of us, she’s going to call the palace and we’ll be home free. We’re safe now, so come inside, okay?”

Shadow stared at him with those intelligent eyes for what seemed like hours, before he tilted his head down in a short nod. He lifted himself off of Cooper, who in turn got up and opened the door. The panther sauntered in, and the teen made sure the shut the door as soon as he did in order to keep the cold air in.

Lila was still with Asha, and it seemed like the two had been in the middle of a conversation. When the preteen’s bright eyes caught sight of the panther, she instantly stopped. “Shadow!” She squealed, sliding off the couch and over to the lean cat. “You ready for your bath?”

The panther released a chattering noise, before butting his head against Lila’s stomach gently as if to say Yes! Give me a bath!

It turned out to be very easy to bathe the panther. He didn’t hate the water at all, and allowed the three to wash him clean of the dirt and grime that plagued his fur for so long. It was relaxing just letting his hands go through the motions. Right as they were finishing, however, his hands found a thick, hairless area right on the creature’s neck.

The teen frowned at the feeling, using both his hands to push away the fur around it. Shadow tensed at his movements, but didn’t move. Hidden behind his fur, Cooper found a pink, rough scar that was on both sides. “Asha?” He asked, his voice shaking,”What happened to his neck?”

The woman turned her head towards him, looking at the scars. He watched the blaze of rage fly through her eyes before being replaced with sadness. Her hands threaded through his fur, and Shadow lowered his ears, leaning into her hand. “Oh you poor thing.. How could anyone chain up such a magnificent animal?” She whispered.

Shadow whimpered, rubbing his wet face against her hand even more, and Cooper found his heart twisting. “Chains?” He whispered,”Why would anyone want to hurt Shadow like that?”

“People are cruel, Cooper,” Asha replied,”But the important thing now is that Shadow is safe, and so are all of you.”

None of them could see the torment going on within the majestic creature’s mind. The reminder of those chains wrapped around his throat As everything happened to him, as he was torn apart and stitched back together. It hurt.. It hurt so bad. He had been so alone, trapped and wishing for death. What had he done to deserve this..?

Suddenly, there were arms around his neck. He let out a frantic noise, about the thrash when he caught the familiar scent of Lila. The preteen’s hand rubbed up and down hi furry back, as she gently whispered,”It’s okay Shadow, the bad people can’t hurt you anymore. We’ll keep you safe forever and ever.”

A warmth flowed through his broken heart, before spreading through the rest of him. He lowered his head to rest against the girl’s head, a soft purr rumbling deep in his chest. He knew he would do anything for these kids, he would die for them.

Because after the hell he had been through, protecting them was all he had to live for.

-- -- -- -- -- --

All their searching seemed futile. No matter where they looked, Clint’s children were nowhere to be found. Not a hint of where they could be, and it made the tension between them all grow even more. T’Challa had no idea how to fix it.

That was what led them to their current situation, all resting in the king’s luxurious sitting room. Clint had his hands threaded tightly in his hair, bags under his eyes with Wanda by his side. Laura was quite the same, but she remained far away from him. Sam and Scott were less exhausted, but looking nervously at the group beside them. Natasha was by Laura, rubbing her back softly. The Captain, however, seemed quite unsure of himself.

It was quite obvious (to T’challa and Shuri at least) that the group was split between two factions since Laura had arrived. The mother’s obvious distaste towards Clint wasn’t the main factor though, it was her stories about Tony Stark. His supposed kind and generous actions, combined with his sudden disappearance, left many not knowing how to respond nor who to support.

The king was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts as another heart wrenching sob escaped the woman. “How could I let this happen?!” Laura yelled,”I’m a horrible mother!”

“Laura, don’t talk like that,” Natasha gently abdomished,”It was dangerous situation, it wasn’t your fault.”

“But I should have been watching them!” She exclaimed. Before she could go further on a tangent, Natasha quickly shushed her, shaking her head.

“It doesn’t matter right now, what matters is that we find them and bring them home,” She firmly declared.

A loud, frustrated growl escaped the archer nearby. “How!? We’ve been looking everywhere and there hasn’t been a sign of them!” He snarled,”How do we know Ross doesn’t have them already?!”

“Because, if Ross had the kids he would already be using them as a bargaining tool. As long as he’s quiet, we have time.” Steven suddenly interjected, knowing how far their arguing might go.

Clint turned to look at their leader, his emotions flashing from anger to fear. “You don’t know that!” He weakly exclaimed.

“We don’t,” T’Challa said,”But we do know Ross isn’t going to kill them. We need to hope that he wants them for a reason, like Rogers says. Until we know for sure we must keep looking and bring them back safely.”

“But what can we do to keep them safe if we don’t even know where they are?!” Clint angrily yelled, slamming his hand against the wall just as Okoye walked in the room. The women blinked silently, before wandering over to T’Challa.

“Your highness,” She whispered,”I have news, about the Barton children.”

All eyes turned towards her in a desperate flurry, the exhaustion on their faces completely overshadowed by the desperation to see the children again. T’Challa knew this could not wait, and motioned for his friend to continue.

“They were found by a young woman named Asha, she contacted the palace to inform us of her location,” Okoye explained,”I made sure only a few heard this news, and she is awaiting the arrival of rescue for the children in the Hatari village.”

“I see..” T’Challa nodded,”We shall head that way immediately. Prepare the jet.”

Okoye nodded, leaving the room quickly. The others in the room began scrambling to grab their things, desperate to pick up the children that had been missing for so long. As T’Challa stood, he felt a sense of dread flow through him. It all seemed too easy. It felt like something bad was about to happen.

That’s why, before joining the others in the jet, he grabbed his Black Panther suit, and then they took off.

-- -- -- -- -- --

His breathing was labored, terror exploding through him. The chains wrapped around him felt like he was suffocating. It hurt, everything hurt. Why did this have to happen to him?

Tony whimpered, the sound of footsteps invading his ears. He clenched his fists, struggling to no avail. Soon, those damn lab coats came into his view again. His chocolate eyes widened, pressing himself against the wall as far as possible, wishing he could just sink into it.

Those monsters enjoyed his fear, and chuckled towards him. “So, you survived again Stark?” One asked,”I’m surprised that your weak body is able to handle all this. But thanks to you, we are getting lots of results.”

“The power of this is greater than the other one we had,” The first scientist whispered,”But I’m curious.. Can we go farther?”

The second man smirked. “I wonder..” He whispered, before those eyes turned back towards Tony, that smile growing into the most insane, horrifying thing he had ever seen.

“Let’s find out together, Mr. Stark.”

-- -- -- -- -- --

Tony’s eyes snapped open, a frantic noise escaping him as he jerked awake. His breathing labored violently as he looked around. It took a few moments for his vision to clear, but he released a sigh of relief as he realized where he was. He was laying on the foot of the bed, Lila and Nate were cuddling on it. Everyone was safe, everyone was fine.

His brown eyes looked over, nothing the other side of the bed was moving. Cooper pushed his head out, wearily blinking as he looked around. When he saw the panting creature, he reached out to pat his head. “Hey bud, did you have a nightmare?” He softly whispered.

Tony made a soft snuffle, before he crawled over and nuzzled the boy. Cooper began rubbing his ear, and Tony relaxed next to him. “It’s okay, Shadow,” The teen whispered,”Nightmares aren’t real, you’re safe, we all are.”

The comfort helped Tony relax, forgetting about the pain he went through. He felt himself begin to drowsily fall asleep, when a smell suddenly reached his nose. It smelt like.. Smoke.

BANG!

Tony jerked up, Copper leaping up with him. The giant explosion shook the whole house, making the bed rock violently. Nathaniel began to cry, causing Lila to jerk awake as well. “C-cooper! What was that?!” She exclaimed. Soon though, her voice was drowned out by gunshots and screams.

Cooper’s eyes widened. Is it Ross..? Did he find us!? He gasped, whirling around and grabbing his sister. “Lila! Grab Nate! We need to find Asha!”

The girl grabbed their younger brother while Tony leapt to the ground. Cooper grabbed the metal elephant craft that was nearby, prepared to use it as a weapon. All three children hid behind the panther as they ran down the hall, and towards the front door.

Just as they turned the corner, an explosions sent debris everywhere, throwing them back against the wall. The front of the house crumbled like wheat, revealing the burning village outside of it. Cooper brought a hand over his mouth, coughing out the smoke that snuck into his lungs. That’s when he noticed something under the debris. His eyes widened in terror, before he yelled,”NO!”

It was Asha. Her lower body was completely trapped under the debris, face scrunched up in pain. Cooper quickly dropped the weapon, moving to dig at the hot debris. “It’s gonna be okay! We’ll get you out!”

Lila’s eyes were filled with terror, beginning to hyperventilate as she saw Asha was not even moving. She was just about to put her brother down and run to help when she saw a very large truck rolling up into her view.

“Cooper!” She yelled out, causing the boy to jerk up and realize what was happening. Instead of running, he grabbed one of the wooden planks, standing protectively in front of his protector.

The back of the truck opened, and  out ran several soldiers. All of them were armed. Tony felt panic go through him, and leapt in front of Cooper. His hackles raised, baring his teeth and growling.

“You'll never take us! I don't let Ross win!” He yelled. But as the soldiers approached, Cooper found that h3 didn't recognize those uniforms.

But Tony did.

That red symbol, those weapons, those trucks. It wasnt Ross.. It was HYDRA.

The soldiers all aimed at them except for one. He looked at Tony, a smirk crawling up his face as he held a hand out, pointing right at him as he spoke.

“Found you.”

Chapter Text

That red symbol, those weapons, those trucks. It wasn't Ross.. It was HYDRA.

The soldiers all aimed at them except for one. He looked at Tony, a smirk crawling up his face as he held a hand out, pointing right at him as he spoke.

“Found you.”

-- -- -- -- -- --

Tony felt his heart explode with terror, his limbs were frozen, mind covered in sludge. They found me.. I’m dead, they’ll take me away.. They’ll… His thoughts cut off as the unarmed soldier walked forward. The panther instantly stumbled back, his fur rising and pupils shrinking in complete fear.

The HYDRA soldier released a sadistic chuckle. “You thought you could get away from us?” He snarled,”You never had a chance, my little experiment.”

“Leave him alone, you bastards!” Cooper yelled from behind the panther.

The soldier turned his dark eyes towards the teenager. “Oh? And who might this be?” He asked curiously,”Could it be you’ve gone and gotten yourself attached to more children? Don’t you remember how that ended last time?”

Tony’s fear began to melt away, the fierce protectiveness he felt for the kids burning it away. He released a large growl, baring his sharp fangs again.

“Sir,” One of the other soldiers said,”I recognize him.. Secretary Ross has been searching for three children. Barton’s children.”

Cooper’s eyes widened, his bravery suddenly gone. The soldier, however, looked ecstatic.

“Oh… So even after everything they did to you, you still have a desire to protect?” He sneered to the panther. “How pathetic.”

The man’s sneer quickly grew into a smile. “But you just couldn’t help yourself, Mr. protector,” He gleefully declared. “But, you have siblings.. Don’t you? Find them.”

Soldiers advanced, but Cooper was prepared. He swung the wood plank he had been holding, causing it to smash against one of the nearby men. He grabbed his head, crying out in pain.

“You fucking brat!” Another yelled, grabbing Cooper’s brown locks and yanking hard. Tony released a growl of anger, trying to leap into action. But, the soldiers acted faster. Suddenly, a blurry thing went across his vision, and something cold was tightening around his neck.

The panther roared, thrashing against the tight feeling. Because of his movements, a clicking noise reached his ears. His brown eyes widened, hear icing over once more as memories flooded his head. The chains.. The chains… They had him! They were going to-

“LILA RUN!” Cooper suddenly screamed, slamming his legs against the soldier’s. It didn’t phase the bigger man a single bit, and he simply wrenched the teen’s head up, throwing him into the dirt. Cooper let out a cry of pain, which the soldiers only scoffed at.

He pulled his boot back, before slamming it straight into Cooper’s face. The impact sent the child rolling over, his bloodied, unconscious face now in Tony’s view. The panther released an anguished snarl, thrashing against the chains once more.

Seconds later, Tony heard the high voices of Lila and Nate. The two younger children were being pulled from the remains of the house, and thrown on the ground next to their brother. Lila instantly curled up into a ball, while Nate lied next to her sobbing.

Tony’s heart seemed to completely stop, his vision fading in and out. He couldn’t even will his body to move.

The unarmed soldier walked forward, staring at Tony the whole time. “You just never give up, do you?” He sneered,”If you had just given into our demands. This would have never had to happen.”

He snapped his fingers, gaining the attention of all the soldiers. “Our little experiment needs a reminder of who is master,” He declared,”Kill them.”

Lila’s scream, Nathaniel’s cries, the cocking of guns, and the roaring of flames fell on Tony’s deaf ears. His vision was red, and his ever spiraling mind suddenly formed a single, linear thought.

I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!

-- -- -- -- -- --

A chill suddenly flowed through the soldiers’ bodies, and a growl echoed through their heads. The soldier about to shoot Lila yelled in terror, dropping his weapon. “What is that?! It’s in my head!” He cried.

“I heard it to!” Another exclaimed.

The grunts continued to mutter in confusion, until they saw their leaders wide eyes aimed at the panther. His ears were flat against his skull, hackles raised, and fur raised. The big cat’s eyes were no longer brown… But a violent, glowing red.

The growls grew louder, and the soldiers watched in terror as red markings began to appear on his back, drawing all down his body until it reached his chest, forming a circle where the arc reactor would have been. Then, the growls stopped, and a familiar voice reached the terrified leader’s ears.

I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!

Before they could even register what was said, the panther threw his head up, and roared. Red circles flew from the animal’s mouth along with the eardrum shattering sound, slamming into the HYDRA soldiers, and sending them flying.

Trees were nearly ripped from the ground, grass whipping violently, and pieces of flaming debris was sent into the sky.

Cooper’s hazel eyes blinked open, but he was obviously still out of it, while Lila and Nate stared towards the panther in shock. Despite the sheer, raw power that the panther had just released, the three children were completely unharmed. What was that?! How did he..? Lila wondered, but shoved the thoughts away. This was their chance, they had to escape.

“Shadow!” She called.

The panther’s ears rose, the red in his eyes faded away (although the markings on his body remained with a strong glow) and he whipped around to face them. He released a hesitant mewl, quickly padding over to them. Nate’s sobs ceased, reaching out for the panther in utter relief. Lila held him back, though. She knew they couldn’t be distracted.

“Shadow,” Lila called again. “Cooper’s hurt! We have to get out of here before they come back-”

Nate interrupted them with a frantic scream. “No! Asha! Asha!” He cried,”Don’ leave her!” He begged.

The panther didn’t react to either of them, and simply turned, stalking towards the burning house Asha was still trapped in. As he walked, Lila could see the red glow return to his eyes. He released another roar, the red circles slamming into the house, and pushing the debris back.

Asha’s slack form was revealed, and for a second Lila feared her dead. Shadow gently sank his teeth into her jacket sleeve, pulling her away from the ashes of the house, and next to them. When Lila saw the gentle rise and fall of the woman’s chest, she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Thank God…” The pre-teen croaked, her bright eyes beginning to burn with tears.

Shadow quickly hissed, his brown eyes frantic as he made several frantic noises. When Lila simply stared at him in confusion, he lowered his large mass to the ground. “Oh.. Oh!” Lila finally exclaimed,”Okay! Let’s get out of here!”

She grabbed her older brother’s hands, pulling the dazed teen onto the panther’s back, along with Asha, Nate, and herself. She could see his strong legs shaking, but was too afraid to get off.

Just as the panther got to his feet, gunshots rang through the air. A pained screech escaped his mouth, flopping back onto the ground for a moment. Cooper finally jerked awake just as Lila screamed, watching the blood begin to pool around the panther.

“He’s down!” The familiar voice of the unarmed soldier called,”Kill the brats, but keep him alive!”

The panther’s resolve returned once more, as he forced himself back onto his feet. His whole body was trembling, but he wasn’t going to let them hurt another hair on the children’s head.

His whole body was burning, but Tony forced himself to run. The weight on his back and the hot flash of pain went through him every time his paws hit the ground. I have to keep running! I have to keep going! If I stop, they’ll be killed!

Just as they reached the lush forest, more soldiers burst from the brush. Tony’s brown eyes widened, scrambling to turn around and run the other was. But, he could see the figures ahead.. A cold realization filled Tony’s foggy mind.

We’re surrounded…

Then, something pushed away his human mind. It was instinct, and by now it was screaming at him. Run! Just Run! The panther side

Maybe it was his pain, or the exhaustion, or his desperate desire to escape. But in that moment, Tony had no other plan. So, he just ran.

 “Shadow!? What are you doing?!” Cooper yelled in fear, but Tony ignored him. His paws hit the ground, faster and faster, until the wind was whistled in his ears. Despite the frantic yells, he kept going. Waiting for the moment that the instinct spoke once more. Finally, a gentle whisper reached his ears.

Roar..

Instantly, Tony let out a full, deep, prolonged cry. The soldiers tensed, waiting to start flying again. But only one circle appeared, a completely solid, swirling red. Shutting his eye tight, Tony ran straight into the circle. The second he did, they all vanished, and the red circle vanished.

In the flaming forest, the soldiers stared at where he had once been with wide eyes. The forest was suddenly silent.. Finally, their leader angrily shouted,”What the fuck are you all sitting here for?! The experiment has finally shown results! Return to the base! We need a new strategy!”

“Yes sir!” The grunts chorused, running back towards their ships and cars as fast as they could. The unarmed man remained for a few moments, a dark smile coming onto his face.

“Things just got much more interesting..”

                     -- -- -- -- -- --

“I can’t believe they left me behind!”

“My Princess-”

“This is unfair! I could have helped!”

Okoye resisted the very, very, VERY strong urge to roll her eyes at Shuri while she stomped around the palace. She had come out of her lab just after King t’Challa and the Avengers went to look for Barton’s children. She was not happy when she realized she had been left behind.

“My Princess, you know you are needed here,” Okoye tried to help,”With your brother gone, you are technically in charge.”

“That’s not any better! He’ll be back in like twenty minutes!” The girl whined, stomping her foot again. “I was supposed to help!”

Okoye thought quick. “But if something unexpected happens, you are the one who will get to handle it,” She slowly suggested,”And then you’ll get to rub it in King T’Challa’s face. You love doing that, right?”

Shuri finally came to a stop, crossing her arms, and tapping her foot. Then, with a sigh, she muttered,”I suppose you’re right… But what are the odds of that happening?!”

As if the universe was answering her calls, a panther’s cry filled the air, and a large, red circle suddenly appeared in midair. A large blur flew out of it, several humans collapsing as the black blur kept rolling, a blood trail following it. As soon as they all hit the ground, the red circle vanished.

Shuri let out a cry of surprise, and Okoye quickly pushed the Princess behind her protectively. She stalked forward, spear at the ready to attack if anything dared to try and harm the royal family.

Instead of the enemies the bodyguard was expecting, she saw the bloodied, ash covered children that her king had just left to search for… And a blood covered panther, with a body covered in red markings which faded away along with his consciousness.

Shuri was the first to react. She ran over to the injured group, yelling toward the Dora Milaje. “Quickly! Get them all to the medical bay! Okoye, call my brother! Everyone hurry!” She ordered in a voice that rivaled her older brother’s.

Shuri watched the women pick up the children and the older woman with them. The bleeding panther next to them instantly started to try and stand, frantic noises escaping his mouth. The chains still wrapped around its neck clicking with every movement.

The teenage girl felt a sadness grow in her heart, and gently knelt next to the animal. Her hand gently reached out, slowly landing on the beautiful creature’s head. He tensed at first, whimpering even louder.

“Shh… Shh…” Shuri softly whispered,”It’s okay, brave one. You did a wonderful job, but now it’s our turn to help. You can rest now, We’ll take good care of everyone, okay?”

The panther’s frantic cries slowly stopped, relaxing against her hand. Shuri smiled at the sight, making sure to add,”And I’ll take very good care of you too, that’s a promise.”

For the first time in a long time, although Shuri had no way of knowing, the panther actually believed in that promise.

Chapter Text

Cooper found himself slowly returning to consciousness, his thoughts like a pile of mush. It only lasted a moment, however, before the memory of the attack exploded in his brain once more. His hazel eyes snapped open, throwing himself into a sitting position.

    He frantically looked around the room, only growing even more confused. This wasn’t the village that they had been attacked in… It was a hospital room. But it didn’t look very familiar to him at all. There were holographic projections instead of papers or computers, in a language he didn’t understand; The walls were a gray colors instead of the normal white associated with hospitals.

    Noticing another bed next to him, Cooper carefully slid outside of it and wandered over. It was Asha. She was looking worse for wear, but she was breathing. Part of the tension that had been building up in Cooper melted away, a sigh of relief escaping him.

    But when he turned to look at the other end of the room, he saw nobody else. The panic he first felt when awakening suddenly returned full force. “Lila? Nate? Shadow?” He croaked out, gaining no response in return. “Lila?! Nathaniel?!”

    Without thinking, Cooper practically flung himself out of the room. He ran down the hall, searching for any kind of exit from the facility. “LILA!” He called again, more desperate than before,”NATE!”

    When he still gained no response, he found his vision beginning to be blurred by tears, and his lungs were starting to burn. Instead to stopping, he forced himself to keep running. They have to be somewhere! They have to be!

    Cooper turned the corner abruptly, only to slam into the blurry form of a person. The teenager crashed to the ground, the sudden lurch managing to jerk him from his panicked state.

He blinked rapidly, turning his now clear hazel eyes towards the tall form about a foot in front of him.

    A tall young man with chocolate skin and gentle brown eyes wearing professional clothing. Oh… It’s the king! King T’Challa! Cooper realized, recognizing him from the pictures and videos calls from Clint. Next to him was a bald woman with a terrifying looking sphere and an orange, red, and gold uniform.

    The gentle brown eyes lowered to meet his, and he held out a strong hand for Cooper to take. After a moment of hesitation, Cooper took the offered hand, using the older man’s strength

“What a coincidence, I was just going to check on you. Are you alright, young one?” His deep, baritone voice asked.

Cooper, still slightly dazed, could only incline his head forward the slightest bit.

As if reading his mind, T’Challa softly said,”I understand you must be confused, and there are elements of your rescue we still don’t understand either. But I’m simply glad you and your siblings were found safe.”

A jolt of panic flew through his veins once more. “Lila and Nathaniel… They’re okay?” He asked.

“Yes, they got away without a scratch,” The king answered.

“I wanna see them,” Cooper firmly replied, not in the mood for formalities of any kind. Even though he really had no reason to doubt the man, the teenager just had to see his younger siblings for himself.

Once again, T’Challa seemed to understand his attitude perfectly. “Of course, young one,” He replied,”Follow me, I’ll take you to your family.”

Cooper didn’t miss the word family. His thoughts instantly flew to his mother, and a longing surrounded his entire being. He quickly followed after the King and the woman, hoping that this time they were really safe.

-- -- -- -- -- --

    As soon as T’Challa opened the door to the sitting room, he saw the young teen’s demeanor change completely. Within the room sat not only the Avengers, but Laura, Lila, and Nate Barton as well.

“Mommy!” The young Cooper yelled, throwing himself into his mother’s arms as relieved sobs fell through him.

Laura’s arms wrapped around the teen, burying her face in his messy hair. “Oh my boy! You’re okay! You’re all okay! Thank God!” She cried, momentarily letting go of Cooper to bring the other two children into the hug.

Out of the corner of his eye, T’Challa saw a desperate looking Clint take a step forward, only to be held back by an emotionless Natasha.The king tried to feel pity for him, but it was hard to when the Archer willingly left the family behind.

The family held each other close for several more minutes, and nobody had the heart to break them apart. It was the small voice of Nathaniel that finally did so.

“Kitty?”

Lila’s wet eyes opened up as well, looking up. “Hey.. Where is Shadow?” She asked.

T’Challa, although he had a sneaking suspicion, calmly asked,”Who is Shadow?”

“Kitty!” Nathaniel supplied helpfully.

Shuri, who was sitting on the couch nearby, asked,”I’m guessing Shadow is the panther you guys came here with?”

The older two children nodded, as if it was the easiest thing in the world to understand. The adults, however, were still extremely confused.

“Wait, wait,” Sam called out, holding his hands up. “I feel like I’m missing something… A Panther?”

Clint nodded. “Where exactly did you guys find a panther?” He asked, flinching back at the glare the older two gave him.

“We didn’t find him! He found us,” Lila answered,”When we first got lost, Cooper and I were yelling and Nathaniel walked right up to him! I freaked out and grabbed him; and Cooper threw a rock at Shadow when he got closer.”

T’Challa, Shuri, and Okoye all frowned at the statement, making some of the rouge Avengers frown in confusion at their reaction.

“But he didn’t attack us, instead he protected us!” Cooper continued,”He let us sleep on him instead of the dirt, and when Ross’ guys came after us, he helped us hide and attacked them!”

T’Challa’s frown faded away, as he softly said,”Sounds like you all found yourselves quite a protector. Don’t worry, Shadow is being well taken care of. Once he’s recovered, I’m sure he’ll be very happy to see you again.”

Cooper sighed in relief. “Good,” He answered.

“I do have a few questions, however,” T’Challa replied,”You say some of Ross’s men attacked you once. Were they also responsible for the village that got burned down?”

The teen frowned, looking as if he was trying to dig up memories of the horrific night. Lila, however, remembered everything. She shook her head, gaining the room’s interested even more.

“I don’t think those guys were after us . I mean, they knew who we were, but I think they were after Shadow,” She admitted,”They called him their ‘Little Experiment’ and we’re going to kill us and take him away.”

Shuri made a noise of agreement. “When they first showed up here, Shadow had chains around his neck,” She explained,”The poor thing was probably captured and experimented on.”

Lila’s eyes began to fill with tears once more. “Why would anyone do that?!” She demanded,”He- He is just a sweetheart! He only wanted to protect us! Why would anyone do that?!”

“Some people are just cruel, young one,” Okoye answered, placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “But in Wakanda, panther's are sacred creatures. Hunting or harming them is illegal. When we find them- and we will -they will be punished severely.”

The children looked very satisfied by her firm words; T’Challa wasn’t surprised, Okoye had a way with words.

“I’m still curious, how exactly did you guys get into the palace?” Shuri asked,”You came through a portal… Did you manage to outsmart them or something?”

Lila instantly perked up again. “No! It was Shadow!” She exclaimed,”Right when they were gonna shoot us, Shadow stared to get red lines on his fur and he roared super loud! Everyone flew super far away! And then he did it again to help get Asha out of the fire! And then he made the portal and brought us here!”

“How… Interesting,” Shuri whispered, looking at her brother. “That certainly explains why there were trying to get the poor thing back.”

Cooper’s fists clenched, and he firmly said,”I don’t care is Shadow is a super-panther or not. I’m going to protect him like he protected us. They’ll never hurt him again.”

— — — — — —

Tony’s brown eyes slowly managed to force themselves open, blearily examining the room around him. Although he wasn’t exactly sure at first, once he saw a member of the Dora Milaje walk past the window, he realized his instincts hadn’t let him down.

It worked. He thought, a large breath of relief escaping his lungs. I didn’t think it would… I didn’t even know I could do that

He lifted his head, wincing slightly at the soreness around his neck. Pulling his paws below him, Tony lifted the to his feet. To his surprise, he felt no pain where he had previously been shot. He lifted his back paws one by one, feeling not even a bit of discomfort.

Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, I am in Wakanda . He thought to himself. I can only imagine what kind of technology they have here!

The panther gracefully leapt off the large, metal table, and sauntered over to the door. To his luck, the door slid open as soon as he got close. Releasing a pleased chuff, Tony proudly left the room. Even though they probably don’t need me anymore, I want to make sure the kids are okay.

If Tony hadn’t already been to Asha’s village, he may have been confused as to why people reacted kindly to his presence. The doctors would softly greet him as though he was a normal human patient, or even give him a few scratches behind the ears, which Tony allowed.

Once he looked around his side of the medical center, he found that the kids were nowhere to be found. Maybe they’re in some other part. He guessed, trotting to the large door nearby. Before he could move to another section, however, the large door slid open; the person on the other side released a startled gasp, scrambling back a bit

Tony, confused at the reaction, took a few steps backwards and sat back on his haunches.

“I’m never going to get used to this place,” A gruff, familiar voice suddenly muttered, causing the panther’s heart to seize in shock.

    His wide, brown eyes slowly lifted up… And found themselves locking onto icy blue ones. Oh god… It’s.. It’s…

Bucky Barnes.

    The brunette man actually looked nervous as he stared at the panther; it wasn’t that hard for Tony to notice even when he himself was terrified.

    Waving his normal (and only) hand, the ex-winter soldier awkwardly said,”Umm.. Hi? Sorry I- Um… I’m trying to avoid someone. Is it okay if I come in?”

    Tony stood in the doorway for several seconds until he realized that Barnes was talking to him. At first, the panther was going to hiss or snarl at the man… But he doesn’t know who I am, it isn’t fair.

    With an affirmative chuff, Tony stepped out of the way. Barnes muttered an awkward ‘thank you’ before he hurried into the medical section. Tony watched him walk past four empty hospital room before simply settling on a bench outside of them, burying his face in his hand.

    Why do I care? He tried to tell himself. He can sit wherever the fuck he wants, it’s not my problem.

But when he looked back at the man, Tony could feel his heart being squeezed. The posture, the emotion, the desperate attempt of comforting himself, and making sure he was alone when trying to deal with his problems so no one else had to be burdened. He’s doing… Exactly what I do…

Tony slowly got back on his paws, sauntering over to the hunched over man. Once at the bench, he hesitated for a moment, before letting out a soft chuff.

Barnes jolted once more, which surprised the panther. He must be really thinking about something if he didn’t hear me coming…

“Oh… Um.. Sorry, did you want to sit here?” Barnes awkwardly asked, motioning to the bench he sat on.

Tony sent him an incredulous look, releasing an annoyed huff of air.

The man sighed once again. “Shit, sorry,” He muttered,”I just… I know that the Wakandan people are helping me but.. Everything is just so strange. I still hadn’t gotten used to technology used anywhere else, but this place is even more advanced! A-and panthers are just waltzing around all over this place!”

Barnes then huffed once more, resting his cheek in his hand. “I know Steve wants the old Bucky back,” He admitted,”He wants things to be like they once were… But they never will be. How could it? All of our friends are dead, Hydra changed me.. and I’ve seen… and done.. So, so much I never should have… I never wanted to.”

Tony’s eyes widened the slightest bit, his mind taking him back to his time as a prisoner of the Ten Rings. None of the other Avengers seemed to understand what it felt like to be a prisoner. Bucky does… He realized, not even noticing the nickname.

Slowly, Tony releases a small whine, lowering his head onto the bench next to Barnes, his chocolate eyes keeping on eye on the man’s pained face.

Unconsciously, Barnes’ hand went to Tony’s head, beginning to gently pet the soft, black fur as he continued,”I just want some peace, y’know? I know that sounds strange to Steve, coming from me… Bur people change. I just want some peace… But I’ll never get it. All because of Hydra. Why doesn’t anyone understand?”

Tony whined again, nudging the man’s leg. I understand… I really do!

Bucky’s saddened face finally turned to him, looking down at the wide brown eyes. “Sorry, panther,” He softly said,”You probably don’t care about any of this-” A loud, angry growl interrupted him, and Bucky couldn’t stop the chuckle escaping him. “Okay, okay, maybe you do care. Either way, thank you for listening.”

Tony released a soft snuffle in return, closing his eyes and letting the gentle yet calloused hand continue petting his fur. His eyes slowly closed, allowing himself to relax in front of someone who only a few months ago he had fought.

Who knew we could have so much in common?

— — — — — —

“Bucky!”

The panther jerked up, as did Bucky when the familiar voice rang through the air. His blue eyes turned, catching sight of a certain blonde super soldier.

To his surprise and confusion, the panther’s ears flattened against his head, lips curling to reveal sharp teeth. A hiss flew from his mouth, but it wasn’t aimed at Bucky. It was aimed at Steve.

The blonde stopped, confused eyes looking towards the creature in confusion. “Uh… What did I do?” He asked.

Bucky shrugged. “I dunno, I don’t speak panther,” He quipped. Although if I had to guess, I’d think that maybe he was listening to what I said..?

Steve frowned, before simply shrugging it off. When he stepped forward again, however, the panther released another loud hiss, tail slapping hard against the ground. The blonde backed off, and nervously said,”W-well… I wanted to let you know that we found Clint’s kids! You should meet them! I’ve been telling them all about you!”

Bucky sighed. Of course you have… He thought in annoyance, before deciding that he couldn’t really get out of the situation he was trapped in. His only other option was to keep sitting on a hard bench. I wish this was more a more difficult situation…

Knowing Steve probably wouldn’t let up, Bucky pulled himself to his feet. “Alright, I’ll meet them,” He said,”Go in ahead.”

Steve looked like he wanted to deny Bucky’s request, but then the panther growled loudly once more, and the blonde quickly went back out the way he came.

Bucky looked down at the panther, who had calmed down considerably after Steve left. His ears raised once more, chest puffing out happily, and a satisfied huff releasing through his nose.

The ex-winter soldier smirked, and asked,”So, not a fan of Captain America?”

Those brown eyes locked with his and, to his surprise, the panther actually shook his head no. Once again, Bucky found himself smiling. What a strange day it’s been… And it’s only ten in the morning!

“Well,” He grunted,”I better get this over with. Then I can actually have some alone time.”

Bucky started walking along, and was once again surprised to see the panther was following him. Strangely enough, he didn’t mind it. It’s nice to have company of someone who doesn’t expect anything of me.

If only he knew who was walking next to him….

Chapter Text

About two-thirds of the way to the room the rest of the Avengers were apparently in, Bucky suddenly slammed himself against the wall and groaned out in pain. He then slid all the way to the ground and began to shake.

Tony let out a panicked chirp, quickly turning around and pressing his nose against Bucky’s normal arm. What happened? Are you okay? He thought. Who do I have to bite?

Bucky didn’t respond, he just started shaking even worse. Oh no, oh no. Tony thought, opening his jaw and released a set of worried mewls while pressing his cold nose against the man’s arm. Please, what’s wrong?

“I don’t want to… I’m not ready…” Bucky suddenly whispered,”I don’t want to face them… I can’t! Why doesn’t Steve see that!? Why won’t he listen to me!?”

Tony suddenly understood a lot better. He sighed, lowering his head. You just said yes to get Steve off your back, didn’t you? He thought. And believe me, Steve doesn’t listen to anyone unless it’s what he wants to hear. But you probably have more experience with that then me.

Bucky was still shaking, and Tony could see that his knuckles were white with how tightly he was clutching himself. The panther began to panic as well, wanting to help the older man.

He looked around the hallway frantically, and then caught sight the stockroom. He quickly scurried inside, sinking his teeth into the nearest gray blanket and dragging it out of the room. The panther returned to Bucky, dragging the blanket over the man’s lap the best he could.

The super soldier gasped in surprise, pulling his hands away from his now red rimmed eyes and looking down. When he saw the blanket, a small smile crawled up his face. “Huh…” He muttered, grabbing the blanket and draping it over his shoulders, then turning to look at Tony. “Thanks, bud.”

Tony chuffed in response, nodding his head a couple of times to acknowledge Bucky’s thanks. He then moved by the super soldier, curling up against the wall himself. As he settled, he released a deep sigh and watched as his breath fogged up the shiny floor for a few moments.

“You know,” Bucky’s voice said from next to him, causing Tony’s sensitive ears to twitch. “You don’t have to stay with me, you can go if you’d like to.”

Nope . Tony thought to himself. You got yourself an service panther.

Knowing the super soldier couldn’t hear his awesome quips, Tony simply lifted his head, sent the man a look, and lowered his head back onto the cool floor.

Bucky was silent for a long pause. “Okay then…” He finally said, and Tony felt a hand begin to card through his fur. “I mean, I’m kinda glad you’re staying. You’re making me feel a lot better.”

The faint sound of footsteps made Tony disregard Bucky’s words. Due to his experiences during the past few months, he was quick to lift his head and look at who could be coming. Bucky, ever the observant, turned to face the one approaching them as well.

“Oh, Shuri…” The super soldier said quietly,”I thought you were with Barton and his family?”

Shuri? T’Challa’s sister? Tony realized, his ears raising in surprise. He sat up a little more, tilting his head the slightest bit, and listening to the two humans talk.

“Well, I was…” Shuri began,”But then Steve showed up and started talking all excited about you so I wanted to know what was up.”

Bucky wasn’t facing him, but his hand was still in Tony’s fur. The muscles were tense, his movements erratic, Tony could tell that Bucky wasn’t happy with what Shuri just said.

With a sigh, Bucky lowered his head down. “He wants me to go and see all the Avengers and Clint’s family… I don’t want to. I’m not ready but… He won’t leave me alone about it…” He whispered,”He doesn’t understand-“

“Or he’s just ignoring it, like how he ignored my brother and I telling him not to pressure you like that!” Shuri snapped, crossing her arms and beginning to pace. “You aren’t going down there, you need alone time and rest; doctor’s orders! And I’m the Princess so I double order it!”

She suddenly stopped pacing and raised her clenched hand up into the air. “I also order itching powder to be deposited in all of Steve’s undergarments for the remainder of the week!” She exclaimed in a tone that reminded Tony of someone giving a speech.

Okay, I like this girl. Tony decided, letting out a few chuffs of laughter at her over dramatic monologue.

Shuri’s ranting stopped at the sound of his noises, and she turned her curious eyes towards him. “Who’s this?” She asked,”Your service panther?”

Okay, I REALLY like this girl. Tony thought, releasing more amused chuffs before rising to his full height and nudging her hand. Sure enough, she began scratching in the perfect spot, just to the right of his left ear.

Tony practically melted into the hand. I guess I know why the other panthers don’t leave the palace, you guys know exactly where we can’t reach. He decided, letting the petting continue on for a little longer.

“Hmm… I don’t recognize you… That must mean you’re Shadow!” Shuri suddenly declared, making Tony jolt a bit at the name. “Hah! I knew it was you! Cooper and Lila have been telling us all about you!”

Tony’s ears jolted to their full height, and he looked into her eyes as he released a small mewl.

Shuri instantly grinned at the reaction she got. “I knew it!” She squealed,”Oh you just gotta go see them! They miss you a lot!”

They still… Want to see me? Tony wondered confusedly, looking at his reflection on the polished floor. But I… They are back with their family.. They don’t need me anymore, right? Isn’t that how it works?

Still, he wanted to see them, he needed to make sure they were okay. He backed up, swishing his tail and releasing hurried meows. Let’s go see them! Right now!

“Okay, okay!” Shuri placated, laughing at his suddenly frantic mood. “We’ll go in just a second, but first we should find Bucky somewhere nice and relaxing to be. Then you will know where to go in order to visit him.”

Tony stopped his impatient chuffs and quickly nodded his head, looking at Bucky silently. I know I was mad at you before, but I realize now that it wasn’t your fault… And… Well, we may not be as different as I thought.

Bucky looked at him, his own blue eyes seeming to stare into Tony’s soul. Then, he smiled, and got to his feet as well.

Together, the group of three left the hallway and went to find Bucky a safe place to relax.

— — — — — —

T’Challa was starting to wonder if death would be less painful than the tension that seemed to surround them was.

As soon as the kids ran out of things to talk about and their mother had as well, the room became extremely awkward. The kids absolutely refused to interact with their father, even Nate.

Anytime the man tried to make conversation with them, they would start up talking to literally anyone else and turn their backs to the man. Laura didn’t encourage their behavior, but she didn’t discourage it either. She instead spent the time holding Nathaniel and rocking him, the little one eating up all the attention.

All that Clint could do was stand a few feet away and stare awkwardly, twiddle his thumbs, and hope someone from his family would want to interact with him.

T’Challa almost felt bad for the man… Almost.

The king also noticed that the children seemed to be impatient about something… Or someone. They were constantly looking towards the door, as if hoping that the person they were looking for would emerge.

He knew exactly who they were looking for, they wanted to see Shadow. It is nice to see that the beauty of these creatures can be understood by American children who haven’t been exposed to them as much as Wakandan children have . He thought with a smile. But I don’t want them to see him until he’s all healed up, it shouldn’t be much longer.

As if on cue, the door suddenly swung open. His sister dashed into the room and then yelled,”EVERYBODY GET DOWN!” She threw herself behind the nearby couch before the grin on her face could give her away.

The Avengers all leapt to their feet and pulled out several weapons, looking prepared for anything. T’Challa couldn’t help but chuckle at their reactions and turn towards the children, for he knew exactly who was running toward the room. He watched as a large black blur zoomed into the room, but skidded to a stop in front of the kids.

Cooper, who had been bracing for impact with his eyes closed, didn’t react. The panther, who was practically shuddering with excitement, quickly let out a series of speedy meows. The second the sound reached the children’s ears, their eyes snapped open and heads whipped back around to face the big cat.

“Shadow!” Cooper exclaimed, throwing his arms around the cat and burying his face in the shiny black fur. “You’re okay! I was so worried about you!”

The panther nuzzled his head against Cooper’s shoulders and then opened his brown eyes, using his paw to reach out for Lila and Nathaniel. The two other children quickly hurried over and hugged the panther tightly as well.

The Rogue Avengers all stared at the panther, confused to it there was a threat or not. But at the sound of Shuri’s laughter from behind the couch, they exchanged embarrassed looks, and quickly put their weapons away.

T’Challa couldn’t help but feel a little satisfaction at seeing the rouge Avengers so embarrassed. That’s what happens when you act without thinking. He smirked,

“So, this is the famous Shadow?” Laura asked, approaching the creature and her children with a slightly nervous smile.

Lila quickly nodded, her eyes sparkling with glee and happily. “Mmm-Hmm!” She said,”He kept us safe!”

Laura listened to her daughter and slowly held her hand out in front of the panther. His intelligent eyes seemed to examine hers for a moment, his nose twitching as he smelled her. After a few tense seconds, he set his muzzle in her hand.

The woman sighed in relief, suddenly feeling a lot better about the big cat. She smiled and began to pet him as well. “Thank you for taking care of my children,” She praised.

The panther chuffed in response, leaning into her hand. Everyone in the room seemed to grow a little more at ease, and approached the scene with less caution than a few moments ago.

Clint smiled at the scene, and tried to make his own way over to the animal. “Yeah, we owe you a lot, thank you,” He said, feeling awkward about talking to a giant cat but not sure what else he could do.

Much to the shock of the rouge Avengers (and to the elation of everyone eyes), the panther’s happy attitude vanished the second Clint spoke to him. His narrowed brown eyes seemed to stare straight into his soul. Then, he turned his back to the archer with his ears flattened against his head.

Clint’s jaw hung, and his hazel eyes were wide with confusion. Did I just get the cold shoulder… From a fucking Panther!?

Cooper then grew a big smile on his face, and began petting Shadow’s head gently. “See, mom?” He casually said,”I told you Shadow was a good judge of character.”

Hurt exploded across Clint’s face, but none of the children acknowledged it. T’Challa decided that he’d had enough of watching from afar, he approached the quartet and knelt down to their level.

“Would you like to introduce me to Shadow?” He gently asked the children, noticing that the panther was already watching him with his ears cautiously raised.

The children grinned at the suggestion, seemingly excited at the thought of being the ones to introduce a king to someone.

Lila cleared her throat, and then proudly declared,”Introducing T’Challa, king of Wakanda to Shadow, the awesome panther!”

T’Challa smiled at her antics, and held his hand out- palm up -to the panther. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a brave and courageous soul,” He said.

The panther looked into his eyes, and T’Challa’s heart stopped. Those eyes… They were vast with intelligence. He seemed to be calculating everything at every second. The king had seen many panthers in his day, but never had he seen one that had eyes which shined like a humans.

As he stared, the creature seemed to grow nervous. He bowed his head, showing his neck to the king.

T’Challa quickly shook his head, placing his hand under the panther’s fuzzy chin and lifting him up. “Do not bow to me, Shadow,” He said,”Panthers are respected in the highest regard here. We are equals.”

Shuri snorted in response to his words. “Yeah right,” She teased,”We all know Shadow probably has better manners than you, bro.”

The children giggled again, and Laura allowed herself a few chuckles as well. To T’Challa’s surprise, even the panther seemed to be laughing; Sure it sounded more like cut off chuffs, but he was laughing.

This panther acts so human like… He wondered. Is that a result of those experiments we think he may have been put through? Or is it… Something else?

He decided to ponder those thoughts later, as he also noticed that the panther’s ribs were pretty visible. “How about we celebrate this day with a feast?” He decided.

“Um… I don’t mind that, but does it have to come with us?” The hesitant voice of Steve Rogers asked, pointing at the big cat with a nervous finger.

The panther growled in response, and the king had to stop himself from doing the same.

Shuri quickly glared at the man. “Are you deaf or just stupid, Rogers?” She demanded,”My brother just told you that panthers are very well respected here, and you call Shadow an it?”

Steve’s blue eyes widened, a blush climbing up his face as he stuttered, trying to find an answer that would save his skin.

T’Challa didn’t give him a chance. He got to his feet and firmly declared,” Shadow is responsible for saving Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel from a most painful death, in case you’ve already forgotten, Rogers. He put in a lot more effort to protect them than any of you so-called ‘Avengers’ did.”

The Avengers all stared at him slack-jawed except for Natasha, but he could see the emotions in her eyes. Turning back to the panther and his young companions, he motioned toward the door. “Follow me, young ones,” He said.

The children and Laura eagerly followed after him, leaving the Rouge Avengers behind. T’Challa didn’t bother to invite them to come with him as well. Maybe they can take this time to think about the things they’ve done.

— — — — — — —

After the sun had set and everyone retired to bed, Tony found himself lying on the edge of the bed. Laura, Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel were all sleeping in a large king bed together, and were curled up as close as they could be. They hadn’t seen each other in so long, they didn’t want to stay apart for long.

Tony almost felt like he was invading the moment; After all, he wasn’t part of the family. In fact, Tony was the reason they almost died in the first place. Those bastards came after him, and the kids nearly lost their lives because of it.

He sighed, his ears drooping sadly as he tried to shake the thoughts away. At least they’re safe and all healed up now... He thought.

But then images flashed through his head again; Not of the children, but of Asha. Of her trapped under the burning building, unconscious and with no way to escape.

Tony whimpered and suddenly found himself unable to stay laying down. He needed to see her, he needed to see Asha. The panther crawled off the bed and crept out of the room, following his own scent back to the hospital area of the palace.

The doctors didn’t panic at his appearance, they simply greeted him and a few patted his head. He chuffed back at them, thankful that he wasn't getting kicked out. He raised his head, sniffing the air for any scent of the person he was looking for. Eventually, he found one. It was an old scent, but it was the only one there.

He trotted over to the room, the door sliding open automatically. Tony’s wide brown eyes finally caught sight of Asha for the first time since the attack, and his heart instantly sank.

She was still unconscious, some of her hair was gone (most likely from the fires), the left side of her body had horrid burn scars, and Tony noticed that the blanket seemed flat in places it shouldn’t have been. His blood turned cold. No… Is she..?

Tony quickly bit the blanket, yanking it back until it was on the floor. His guess was correct, Asha’s left leg was gone, along with her left arm. He couldn’t believe his eyes, and the guilt seemed to be drowning him.

He whined again, placing his head on the bed and staring at the sight in complete despair. This is my fault… I did this . He thought in shame. I shouldn’t have let my guard down, I could have saved them all. But I let myself be lazy…

The panther’s ears lowered in sadness again, tail curling underneath him. She was innocent in this whole situation… Just an innocent bystander. A desperate desire raged through him. I don’t want her to have to live like this. She shouldn’t have to be punished for something she didn’t do. I want to give her back what those bastards took away.

Power suddenly seemed to flow through him, starting at the tips of his claws and going up his whole body. A red glow appeared in his eyes, and the red lines began to rise up his body. Things in the room began to shake, and monitors beeped frantically at the feeling of such power.

Tony didn’t notice anything happening in his environment, still thinking about his desire to help Asha. The red lines went past his eyes, up his snout, and onto his nose. Without even thinking, Tony pressed the glowing nose to Asha’s right side.

The red lines made their way onto her body and then traveled towards her wounds, which began to glow brightly. Nearly all of the woman’s body was overtaken by the glow, and the red hue at the edges of her stumps stretched out, forming into the shapes of limbs.

When the light faded away, her burn scars were gone, and her limbs had returned. Tony’s eyes returned to their normal brown color, and he looked at the woman in awe. I was just thinking about it and- and now… He swallowed back a lump in his throat. Did I do that?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clattering metal behind him. The panther’s fur rose up in alarm and he whipped around, ready to attack. Instead of an enemy, he found himself looking at Shuri.

Her eyes were wide with shock, jaw hung open, and hands holding empty air. On the ground was a metal tray that once held medical supplies, but now they were scattered all over the floor.

Shuri didn’t even seem to notice she dropped it; She rushed over to the bed and to Asha’s right side, grabbing at the limbs. She lifted them, bent the joints, and felt the skin all while muttering in awe.

“The red- and then they came back!” She exclaimed,”There’s not even a scar! She looks as good as new! I don’t- I’ve never seen-” The young girl slowly lowered the arm she was holding, and looked across the bed at Tony.

“Shadow… How did you do that?!”

Chapter Text

T’Challa was beginning to wonder if his family was cursed in some way. It always seemed that just when his life was starting to calm down, something new and almost always completely insane or amazing would happen.

He was still half-asleep, and had been getting his breakfast when Shuri burst into the room. “Bro! You’re finally awake!” She exclaimed, grabbing at his hand and dragging him toward the door. “Come on, come on! You have to see this!”

He groaned tiredly, barely trying to fight her grip except for a weak protest. “Shuri, please,” He grumbled,”At least let me wake up first, it’s been a long few days-”

“Don’t worry,” Shuri quickly responded,”When you see this, you’ll wake right up and the pass out from shock all over again!”

Now the king had to admit he was a little curious, so he gave an exaggerated sigh and said,”Fine, lead the way.”

Shuri grinned excitedly, and started to drag him again but then stopped. She turned around, grabbed a plate of lamb meat, and then ran out of the room. T’Challa exchanged a look with Okoye, and then followed after the girl again.

She led him all the way to her lab, and hurried inside. T’Challa followed her and instantly noticed several things. Firstly, Shadow was sitting on the exam table licking his paws; When he saw T’Challa staring at him, he let out a friedly meow, and then kept cleaning himself. The second thing he saw was several displays that seemed to be about the panther, and the final thing he saw was Shuri pick up several vials and then slam them against the ground.

“Shuri!” He exclaimed in shock, eyes wide with confusion. “What did you do that for?! I didn’t get you those vials so you could smash them! They were for expirients!”

The princess whipped around to face him and excitedly replied,”This is an experiment! Shadow, show him what you can do.”

Shadow chuffed in response and then hopped off the table, stalking over to the shattered remains of the vials. He lowered his head, pressing the tip of his nose against one of the smooth pieces of glass.

Then strange red lines began to glow on the panther’s body, from his paws all the way to his nose. Once they reached his nose, the red glow passed onto the glass and the pieces floated into the air, moving around and forming the vials again. The glow then faded away, revealing the perfectly fixed vials without any sign that they had been broken.

Shuri quickly caught the vials before they fell, and then displayed them to her brother. “Ta-dah!” She sang.

T’Challa’s jaw had dropped, his plate clattering to the ground. He slowly moved over to Shuri, taking one of the vials and examining it closely. There as no cracks, no markings. It looked as good as news.

“How in the…” He whispered, looking at the panther, then back at his sister. “How did you find out he can do this?”

Shuri’s eyes widened and she grew even more excited. “Oh my god, you won’t believe this,” She said,”I was going to check on Asha, and I found Shadow using his powers on her! He- He healed her like all the way! Her leg and arm are back, her scars are all gone! It’s crazy!!”

T’Challa’s eyes widened even more, f that was possible, and he looked at the big cat. “How in the world can he have that much power?” He questioned,”And… And where did it come from?”

“Somebody had to have experimented on him, I know it,” She explained,”There are track marks on his skin, under the fur, and the scar around his neck from chains that Cooper mentioned. I don’t think he got his powers willingly, but he sure is using them for good.”

The king looked at the panther again, this time with a softer expression. He gently pet the creature’s head, and softly said,”You are just full of surprises aren’t you, little one?”

Shadow let out a small mewl, leaning into his hand and drowsily blinking. Shuri quickly grabbed the plate of lamb meat, and giving a few sleeves to the panther.

As the creature ate, Shuri brought her brother to the holographic display. “I was wondering if you could look at the data I got from him,” She said,”It seems familiar… But I’m just not sure what it could be related to exactly.”

T’Challa looked at the data she got on his power, it’s potential, and the energy it let out whenever the panther use it. At first, T’Challa didn’t really know if he had ever seen such a thing, but then he expanded his thoughts from creatures using it to items that had it, or even humans. Wait a minute… I have encountered this before!

Without a word to his sister, he pulled up three more displays. One was Vision, one was Wanda, and one was the Tesseract. “Look at the similarities,” He told her, and moving out of the way as she jumped in front of her screens.

Her eyes darted all over the place, soaking up as much information as she could and then looking at Shadow’s file again. “No way…” She whispered,”It’s… It’s another one of those things.”

They turned to look at Shadow, who stared back at them with a mouthful of lamb meat. He tilted his head while letting out a nervous meow, and T’Challa knew he understood everything they had just said.

Kneeling down in front of the panther, he softly asked,”Shadow, do you remember how you got these powers.”

The pain that instantly appeared in those brown orbs gave him his answer, but the panther also nodded in agreement.

“And it wasn’t your choice, was it?” T’Challa questioned,”You didn’t want it, and yet it happened.”

Shadow’s ears flattened against his head, and he nodded again. Whines escaped from his throat, and his tail curled closely against his body. T’Challa was quick to pet the creature comfortingly, and quietly said,”Don’t worry, little one. We won’t let anyone hurt you anymore.”

“And if anyone tries to, you can roar them to death!” Shuri cheerfully exclaimed,”Cooper told me about that! I bet that was super cool to see!”

T’Challa felt he panther’s shoulders shake in what seemed like laughter, and the king let himself laugh a bit as well.

“Well, me and Shuri have a lot to look at right now it seems. I’m sure she’s had you up all night, so you should get some rest. Cooper, Lila, and Nate are probably missing your company right now,” He said.

The panther seemed to think for a moment, and then nodded. He walked up to them, pressing his head against one of their legs each and then sauntering out of the room. After the door slid shut, Shuri laughed. “He’s quite a character, isn’t he?”

T’Challa’s inquisitive eyes stared at the closed door for a few seconds before he replied,”Yeah… He really is.” The king then turned around to look at the research with his sister, but his mind stayed on the strange panther that resided with them now.

You are a very curious creature, Shadow… Are you even what we think you are?

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Tony walked down the hallway, his heart pounding against his chest as he thought of those two questions T’Challa had asked him. They were so small, so simple, and yet they opened up the dam that he had made, letting out the memories he had tried so hard to block.

“The syringes are sanitized, sir.”

“The laser is prepped.”

“Is the subject tied down?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And the RS is on standby?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then begin.”

The panther whimpered, leaning against the side of the hallway and shivering as the memories invaded his mind. He remembered thrashing, screaming, crying, the intense pain followed by a few seconds of peace before it happened all over again. Months and months and months of that before he escaped.

His ears flattened against his head, and he placed his paws on top of his head to try and block out the memories. They hurt to remember, they hurt so bad. And he still wasn’t free! They were hunting him, he had remnants of that… Thing inside him.

I suppose I should thank those bastards for that, at least. There was no way he would have escapes, saved the kids, or healed Asha without those powers. Still, nothing is worth the hell that they put me through.

His dark thoughts were cut off when he heard a door opening, and he quickly looked up. He saw Steve leaving one of the nearby bedrooms, and instantly turning to the guards nearby. “Have you seen Bucky?” He asked.

“No,” The Dora Milaje bluntly replied in a tone that made Tony think they may have spoken to Shuri about Bucky’s recent panic attack.

Steve looked a little frustrated at the response, and he quickly asked,”Well, do you know if anyone else might know? He’s my best friend, and I want to see him.”

Tony’s ears flattened again, a growl rising up in his throat. Just leave Bucky alone! Just because he’s your best buddy doesn’t mean he’s at your beck and call! He thought angrily, tail thumping against the floor.

“I do not, I have been at my post all day,” She responded cooly again, not even glancing towards Steve with any type of acknowledgement.

Steve sighed, and dejectedly muttered,”I’ll go ask around then…” He then wandered down the hall like a depressed teenager, and Tony found he couldn’t help but roll his eyes once Steve was far enough away.

Surprisingly, the Dora Milaje noticed his action and smirked. “I feel the same way about his behavior, little one,” She said,”Just be happy that you only understand English and don’t speak it, or I’m sure he would be interrogating you too.”

Tony snorted in amusement and nodded in agreement, he knew that Steve was probably desperate enough to try that. He looked towards the door that Steve had come out of, then back at the woman with a meow.

The Dora Milaje seemed to know right away what he was thinking; She opened the door and then said,”I think I heard someone calling me.” She then turned and walked down the hall, giving Tony free reign.

The panther padded into Steve’s room, looking at the luxurious bed and other amenities the Avenger got in the palace. I bet he isn’t grateful for it either… He thought with a growl, hopping onto the bed. Just like how he acted in the tower, as if he deserved everything just because he was Captain America.

He raised his paw, and flexed out his claws while admiring them. He then placed his paw against the bedspread, gently digging the claws into the fabric. If panthers could smile, Tony definitely would be.

Let me give you a little taste of what you actually deserve, Rogers.

-- -- -- -- -- --

“How curious…” Okoye muttered, looking at the data the two siblings had put together. “He has the same power… Does that mean there’s another stone?”

Shuri nodded. “There has to be. The Tesseract and Vision have the same kind of stones, and Thor told he Avengers there were more. It’s not unlikely that someone else got ahold of one,” She explained.

Okoye nodded, staring at the data and images of Shadow that Shuri made. “But… I don’t understand,” She started,”If they have the stone, why would they use it on a random panther?”

T’Challa decided that the she said that moment was as good as any. He looked at the two and casually replied,”I don’t think… That Shadow is actually a panther. I think he is something else.”

“Why do you say that?” Shuri curiously asked, although her tone implied that she may have been thinking around the same thing.

“He’s… Well, he’s more sentient than the other panthers here. Shuri, you told me he understood every complex thing or instruction you said. And he shows more emotions than most creatures here,” He explained,”And with Bucky, he was helping calm him down from his panic attack… It was as if he knew how to help someone who was having one.”

Okoye took all the information she had been given and curiously replied,”You… You think he’s human, don’t you?”

Shuri frowned for a moment, and then replied,”It’s not that far of a stretch, actually. If his powers can grow limbs back, make portals, or fix broken things good as new, it’s not that far a stretch.”

T’Challa and Okoye nodded, both agreeing with her analysis as well. The king pushed all the data into a file and said,”For now, let’s keep this between us. We can’t know for sure if we’re right, I’d like to do a little more observation before we act.”

“And telling the Rogues anything would probably just lead to them doing something reckless and stupid,” Okoye quipped.

Shuri and T’Challa agreed, and closed down all the displays. “Now, let’s go and finish having breakfast,” The king said,”It will be suspicious if we don’t make an appearance.”

The three left the room, and Okoye quickly hurried to his side. “But what will we tell the children when they see that Asha has her injuries completely back?” She asked.

“Well, Cooper and the kids have seen Shadow use his powers before. We’ll tell them the truth, that Shadow healed her,” He explained,”But they don’t have to know any of our other suspicions just yet.”

With a nod of understanding, the three Wakandans quickly hurried out of the lab and back towards the dining hall.

— — — — — — —

Natasha didn’t bother with going to get breakfast, she simply didn’t have the desire to. Life had strangely gotten much more stressful out of nowhere, even though they had saved the kids. Now they knew they were being hunted by Ross, and that he was willing to go after family members as well.

I guess that’s one good thing about my past, I don’t have any civilian family… But I still have my friends… She thought. And… I have a feeling that some people are already gone because of him…

She frowned and leaned against the hallway, her thoughts beginning to overwhelm her. She was starting to wonder… If Ross was willing to go as far as hunting down their families, could he… Could he be behind Tony’s disappearance as well?

Her hand went to cover her mouth, fear filling her heart. Even if we had our disagreements, he was still my friend… Nobody deserves whatever Ross has planned. And Ross hasn’t even publicly acknowledged that Tony is missing… Could he really be behind it?

Natasha was jerked out of her thoughts when she heard a curious mewl. She turned, and saw that strange panther staring at her, his intelligent brown eyes staring into her soul, and head tilted.

“Oh… Hey Shadow,” She said softly, adopting her cold exterior once more even though she was only around a cat. “Cooper and the kids are in the dining hall, if you want to go see them. I’ll go there soon.”

Shadow, somehow, managed to see right through her facade. He padded over to her and then plopped down next to her, cleaning his paw casually and pulling what seemed like pieces of fabric off of them.

Natasha watched him for a little while, noticing that his presence seemed to calm her quite a bit. She reached out, and began to pet the top of his head the slightest bit. Shadow tensed up for several seconds, and then slowly relaxed into her hand.

Emotions suddenly overwhelmed her, and she slowly slid down to sit next to the creature. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the soft fur. She couldn’t help but shake as she tried to fight against the sadness threatening to overwhelm her.

“Oh Shadow… I’m so afraid..” She whispered,”What happened to him? What if Ross has him? Why… Why did I leave him behind? He was my friend, we’ve been through so much together…. I just gave up on him! What if he’s… What if he’s dead and we’re too late?”

The panther whimpered in response, tail curling up around them. It was almost as if he understood what she was talking about… Who she was talking about… But surely that couldn’t be the case, he was just a giant cat, after all.

She pulled away from him, looking at those eyes. They were filled with so much knowledge, so much emotion… It was almost human.

“I think about him every day… And to hear from T’Challa that he is missing… I wonder what happened to him,” She whispered, leaning against the creature. “I think about what I did, how I left him. Should I have done something different? Could I have prevented this?”

Shadow growled a little bit, shaking his head. Natasha, surprisingly, found herself agreeing with him. “You know, you’re right…” She admitted,”Honestly, I think it was inevitable… There was always tensions, especially with Ross… He was just a bomb getting ready to explode.”

The panther snorted, as if to say ‘that’s an understatement’ and Natasha once again found herself feeling the same way. Ross has always been dangerous, even before SHIELD had informed her about him.

But her amusement was quick to fade away as she quietly whispered,”I just wish I knew where they all were… Tony, Thor, Bruce… I just want to know that they’re okay. But… But I have a feeling it might be too late for that.”

The panther looked at her again, but Natasha barley noticed. She was focused on her fingers as she continued,”I want to tell Tony that… That I’m sorry… I know those words aren’t really worth anything, especially after what I did… But he needs to know. What we- the rogues -did only made things even worse…”

Shadow’s eyes were as wide as a Panther’s could go, he seemed shocked by her admittance. He watched her for a moment, and the slowly nudged his head against her side while letting out loud mewls.

Natasha quickly placed her hand against the floor, chuckling at him. “Oh, I see,” She teased, ruffling his fur. “You’re telling me to stop moping and start doing something, right? You want me to stop acting like a child?”

The panther meowed again and nodded his head firmly, trotting ahead of her and then looking back at her while releasing another much more loud meow.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Natasha replied with a chuckle, pushing herself to her feet and then following after the creature. Despite all the weight on her shoulders, she was feeling a little bit lighter.

When the got to the dining hall, they were met by the rest of the gang and an incredibly irate Steve. He was holding a torn pillow that had barely any stuffing out of it.

“I was just looking for Bucky and I went back to my room and- and there was stuffing everywhere!” He exclaimed,”My bedroom was completely torn apart! I don’t understand how it happened! The door was locked!”

As if they were on cue Natasha, T’Challa, Shuri, Okoye, Laura, Lila, Nate, and Cooper all discreetly looked over at the panther with knowing grins on their face. The panther didn’t give them even a glance back, he was suddenly too occupied by cleaning his fur.

— — — — — — —

“We have to act soon,” The king said, pacing the room that held the Avengers and his royal guards in it. “Ross is going to keep attacking, we need to get evidence against him.”

Natasha, ever the expert on blackmail, quickly stated,”If we can get confessions or even footage of what he has been doing, the public will turn against him easily.”

Okoye nodded. “Exactly,” She said,”Then working on the accords the right way” she glanced at Rogers for a split second. “Will be a lot more easier, and you guys will be able to search for your missing teammates. But we need a plan first.”

The group nodded in agreement, looking between each other to see if anyone had any ideas. After a pregnant pause, Bucky (who had been sitting opposite of wherever Steve was) quickly raised his hand.

“You need to use me,” He declared bravely, despite the slight twinge of fear that could be seen deep in his eyes.

A heavy dose of whispers followed this declaration, but Steve was the loudest of all. “Bucky, no!” He said,”We- You can’t! He wants to hunt you down and- and kill you!”

“ That’s the point, Steve,” Bucky snapped back, silencing the other super soldier. “The easiest way to get him out of his hiding spot is to use me. And even if we don’t get him, we can get one of his soldiers. I’m sure I’m on the top of their priority list.”

The others all seemed to understand his idea better, nodding with agreement. Steve looked at them all like they were insane, and yelled,”There has to be another way!”

Clint seemed to finally have enough. He jumped to his feet and angrily snapped,”Like what, Cap!? Wanna drop my kids out in the jungle again and see if another giant ass cat will protect them while we wait for Ross to show up?!”

Steve closed his mouth quickly, and sat back down in his seat. Only after he sat down did Clint follow his lead and return to his chair as well, arms crossed and steaming with anger.

An awkward silence reigned through the room again until Shuri, with a frown, said,”It’s not gonna be as easy as that, bro. Ross isn’t the only one out here.”

Steve and the other Avengers exchanged clueless looks until T’Challa let out a knowing sigh. “Yes… There is the issue of Shadow as well…” He said quietly.

“What about him?” Bucky asked worriedly, his hand squeezing at the armrest of his seat and worry clouding up as he remembered the gentle creature who seemed to listen to him more than any other human.

Natasha turned to address Bucky directly. “When the kids first came back, they told us that their attackers hadn’t been sent from Ross… At least not the very last time. Cooper said that they pointed at Shadow and said ‘found you’ and tried to take him away,” She explained.

Bucky frowned even deeper, his human hand rubbing at his stubble covered face. “That sounds… That sounds like Hydra,” He admitted,” Way too much like Hydra.”

“And it’s obvious that they experimented on Shadow, those powers could not have come from the nature on Earth,” Shuri mentioned,”If they can do that much to a simple animal, I fear what power they might be hiding.”

Another somber mood fell over the room, everyone trying to process things they had heard. Then, Clint stood again, this time with a determined look plastered on his pale face.

“Even if that cat doesn’t like me, and even if my kids are still mad at me…” He began, cringing at his own admittance,”He still protected them when I wasn’t able to. We’ll take those guys out too; not just to get rid of another threat, but also to make sure that they can never hurt Shadow again.”

To the surprise of the Wakandans in the room, the Avengers all firmly agreed with the archer’s declaration. They quickly looked back over at T’Challa, suddenly eager for any instruction they would get.

T’Challa smiles proudly at them, and turned back to their display to start explaining the few plans he already had drawn up. But, despite his happy exterior, he held a slight rage deep within him at the sight of their willingness to fight. But not a rage for himself, a rage for someone else.

If only you were as loyal as this towards the teammates you managed to lose…

— — — — — —

“He’s fighting too much, administer the tranquilizer!”

“Sir, he’s lost too much blood already. He’ll die if we drug him up!”

“Do you think I care? We can revive him if we have to, that’s what the stone is for, remember?”

“But his heartbeat is already too fast-“

“INJECT HIM!”

Beep… Beep… Beep…

“In fact, it’d be good if he dies. Let’s see just how far this thing can go.”

… … .. …

Tony’s eyes snapped open, his chest heaving and heart pounding against his rib cage as it desperately tried to get free again. He thrashed against the bonds that seemed to surround him, whimpering in fear.

“Shadow? Shadow!” A familiar voice said, jerking him from his flashback again. He realized in that moment that the bonds around him weren’t bonds at all… It was an arm.

He looked up, and saw cooper and Lila looking at him worriedly. Turning his head around, he also saw he was in one of the Wakandan sitting rooms, the television playing what looked like a kids show.

Lila’s gentle hand rubbed behind his ears, while Cooper rubbed his side. “Sh.. Shh… It’s okay,” The girl whispered,”It was just a bad dream, everybody has them.”

“Even badass panthers have them,” Cooper explained,”But it’s okay, it’s all in your head. Nightmares are just mean dreams, nothing to be afraid of.”

Lila and Nate nodded in agreement, leaning forward and hugging the panther. Cooper followed, all relaxing against him with no tension at all. “Don’t worry, Shadow,” Cooper whispered,”You’re safe now.”

Tony mewled a bit, lowering his ears and trying to relax as well. Even as the kids started to fall asleep, he couldn’t seem to again. He kept repeating what Cooper said in his head, and tried to make himself agree with it… But he couldn’t.

I want to believe you, kiddos, I really do…

But I can’t escape the feeling that something bad is going to happen.

Chapter Text

Bucky felt extremely vulnerable and scared… But at the same time, he felt extremely determined. They were going to catch Ross, they were going to reveal to the world what he had been doing, and hopefully get their freedom back.

But in order to do that, they had to lure Ross and his goons out. That was why Bucky was outside of Wakanda’s barriers, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart against his chest.

You’re not alone… He reminded himself. Steve, T’Challa, and the Avengers are just nearby. As soon as they show up, the Avengers will all show themselves. It’ll be over quick.

He walked a little farther out into the forests and grass fields, knowing that Ross would be suspicious if he stayed right next to the barrier of Wakanda. Once he was a few hundred yards away, he noticed that there were more footsteps than before… These footsteps were different, they were being quiet but also just loud enough for Bucky to hear.

He forced himself to not look around, he knew who was sneaking closer, he knew who was coming for him. He was desperate to look at where he knew Steve and the others were hiding, but he didn’t want to give them away.

This will be over soon… Just stay calm… Bucky whispered, hugging himself and leaning against a nearby tree. He listened to those footsteps coming closer and closer and digging his feet into the ground to stop himself from running.

“Hands up, terrorist,” A voice behind him finally said, the click of a gun following his smug threat. Bucky made sure to whip around with wide eyes, acting like he had been caught off guard which, in all honesty, wasn’t as hard to do when he was already panicking.

The soldier smirked at him and shook a finger. “Hands up, like I said,” He snarled, clicking the safety off. “Wouldn’t want to have to kill you before you get what you deserve.”

Bucky frowned, the rage he had managed to keep hidden starting to shine in his blue eyes. He slowly raised his hands, taking a few steps backwards.

“Little ducklings shouldn’t wander far from home,” The soldier said, keeping pace with Bucky. “If they do, bad things might happen to them. Too bad that you didn’t figure that out yourself.”

The super soldier backed up a few steps again while he said,”If the King finds out that Ross is sending you here, you’re going to have a lot of regrets.”

The soldier snorted, following him again. “By the time that little ‘king’ notices anything, you’ll be in a nice little cell in the raft and his country will be learning what happens when you hide a terrorist from America,” He easily responded, looking very prideful at those words.

Bucky felt his heart thundering against his chest, but he forced himself to back away again. Almost there, almost there… He forced himself to talk. “Even if you get away with this, they’ll notice that I’m missing,” He said.

“You act like they actually care,” The soldier sneered,”You should have never taken their help, now you’ve just made it so more people will die because of what you did. Pretty sad, actually. I used to be a big fan of Captain America before he went rogue.”

He sighed, holding his free hand to his heart and then waving it dismissively. “But when you ally yourself with terrorists, you’re nothing more than scum in my book,” He said, pointing the gun at Bucky again. “And you are lower than scum. I’m gonna have fun watching you burn for what you did.”

Bucky sighed, shaking his head sadly. “You guys are so blind,” He muttered,”You follow Ross and his every word, but you never stop to think about the consequences. What’ll happen when all of the shit you’ve done is revealed to the public?”

The soldier in front of him snorted in annoyance and disbelief, and firmly said,”That isn’t going to happen!”

The super soldier lowered his hands the slightest bit, a smirk climbing onto his face as he asked,“Are you sure about that?”

A vibranium shield flew out of the nearby tree, slamming into the soldier’s wrist and sending the gun flying out of his hand. Bucky caught the gun and aimed it back at the soldier that was now wide eyed and shaking. He turned and tried to run away, but crashed right into the Black Panther’s chest and fell to the ground.

Steve and Natasha descended out of their hiding spots, weapons drawn and ready to attack at the second that the soldier tried anything suspicious. The man in question wheezed out in panic, scooting back and looking around frantically for an escape.

Steve lowered the shield that T’Challa had given him the slightest bit, and said,”Make this easy on yourself and give up peacefully. This doesn’t have to get ugly.”

The soldier didn’t panic any further, however. Instead, he gave a sadistic smile. “It’s too late for that, Rogers,” He sneered.

A spray of gunshots flew through the air, jolting the Avengers into a panic as they all quickly ran for cover.

“They have reinforcements!” Clint whispered through their earpiece as he pressed his back against the tree he was hidden in, threading an arrow into his bow.

T’Challa swore under his breath and grabbed one of the soldiers, throwing him into another nearby one before leaping to safety himself. “Is this a trap?” He asked aloud,”Did they know we were coming?”

There was no time to try and find an answer to the question as the soldiers began shooting at the trees widely, simply trying to hit someone. But all of a sudden, a red glimmer surrounded some of them and then they would go flying.

Bucky looked at the gun in his hand that he still had, and began shooting the nearby soldiers in non-lethal areas. We need to grab at least one of them. He reminded himself, leaping into another tree and grabbing the lowest branch, swinging his legs out and knocking a few more to the ground.

He landed gently and whipped around, finding a soldier staring right at him with his finger about to pull the trigger. Before he could, an arrow flew into his back, making him screech in pain and fall to the ground.

“Thanks,” He grunted into his own earpiece, snatching the gun from the writhing soldier just in case and running back into the fray.

He found Steve and T’Challa fighting side by side, knocking the last of the soldiers down to the ground. While Natasha bound the last few who were still conscious with the rope from her grappling hook.

Bucky panted a bit, it had been a while since he’d been in such a fast paced fight. T’Challa removed his helmet, and Clint and Wanda descended from the trees.

A rustle of the brush forced them to put aside celebrations; They whipped around and saw more soldiers coming out of the trees.

Clint groaned in annoyance and muttered,”Come on… You guys here for an ass-whipping too?”

The soldier in the middle narrowed his eyes, looking at the scene as he let out a sad sigh. “I didn’t want it to come to this, but I guess we have no choice.”

The soldiers on his side threw down a strange contraption which made a some kind of dome appeared around the group of soldiers. The Avengers all tensed up, looking around in preparation for a big attack.

Instead of an attack, however, the main soldier turned right towards Bucky… And started to speak. “Longing, Rusted, Furnace…”

Bucky gasped in shock and dropped his gun, hands threading in his hair. “NO!” He cried, falling to his knees.

“The trigger words!” T’Challa yelled, grabbing the shield from Steve and throwing it desperately at the forcefield. The shield was shocked violently and flung into the air like it was a toy.

Natasha gasped in terror and turned to Steve. “You need to get him out of here!” She ordered.

“Daybreak, seventeen, benign…”

The winter soldier thrashed against his own mind, his whole body feeling like an anchor even when Steve was trying to pick him up.

“Bucky! Don’t listen to them! You can break through it!” Steve exclaimed, but his voice sounded like it was underwater. His consciousness was fading away, it was so hard to listen…

All Bucky could seem to focus on the soldier… No, that was his handler… The handler whose orders he needed to follow.

“Nine, homecoming, one, fr-“

Just as Bucky stopped fighting and began to still, a red swirl appeared in the middle of the air and began to open further with a loud roar. The Avengers whipped around towards it just in time to see a familiar black form land on the grass.

Shadow was crouched low to the ground with his fur raised, making the glowing red lines look even more threatening, his teeth were bared and a low growl seemed to echo through the forest. The grass around the panther’s feet seemed to be swaying with the power, little bits of dirt floating in the air. His eyes were filled with rage, and glowing the same red as his powers.

The main soldier suddenly froze in his listing of the trigger words, looking shocked at the sight of the creature. “No…It’s you... How?” He whispered aloud, but that was all he managed to say.

Shadow roared, a deafening noise that sent a red blast of power slamming into the soldiers and their forcefield. It broke through the field easily, shattering their protecting and sending the soldiers flying with the trees and ground that were also torn up by the powerful roar.

They flew for several yards before tumbling to the ground, and then they didn’t get up. Shadow stayed crouched in attack position, panting hard with a low growl escaping him ever exhale. The Avengers, except for T’Challa, stared at his with dropped jaws.

Bucky wearily blinked, his cloudy blue eyes looking around in confusion until he caught sight of the red and black panther. The light of a memory broke through the darkness. “Shadow?” He croaked.

The panther’s ears rose up, instantly turning towards Bucky. He mewled a bit, hurrying over to the man and pressing his cold nose against the his cheek.

The brunette wheezed our a few more breaths as he realized just how close he had been to getting pulled back into his brainwashed state. “Oh god… Oh my god...” He croaked, looking at the panther. “Shadow… You saved me…”

Shadow chuffed affectionately and nodded his head. Bucky felt his eyes mist over, and he pulled the creature into a tight hug. He sighed in relief, pressing his face into the fur. The panther mewled back, and then rested his head on Bucky’s shaking shoulder.

The Avengers and T’Challa watched the scene quietly, not sure how to intervene on the moment that Bucky clearly needed. After giving the super soldier a little bit to calm down, the king grabbed one of the unconscious soldiers and said,”Come on, grab one of the soldiers and let’s go back to the palace. We have work to do.”

Steve slowly approached Bucky and the panther, kneeling down next to them. “Shadow, is it okay if I help Bucky back to the palace?” He asked.

The panther stared at him silently for a while and then slowly nodded, letting the super soldier help his best friend to his feet and started heading back to towards the forcefield. Bucky made sure to hold onto Shadow for as long as he could until they were too far away from each other.

T’Challa turned away from the scene and jogged over to the soldiers that Shadow’s roar had knocked away. He kicked the debris away and looked around until he found the soldier that somehow knew the trigger words.

Somehow, this man knows those words… I need to figure out how he came upon that information and why. He picked the man up in a fireman’s carry and turned around, prepared to head back as well… But then he saw Shadow.

The creature’s head was raised, ears twitching in as many different directions as possible, and his head was whipping around all over the place. Dread started to fill the king almost immediately. Something’s wrong…

It only took a few more seconds for Shadow to finally hone in on something, he looked to the left and froze. He whipped around towards T’Challa and let out a panicked roar. All of a sudden, metal disks whizzed through the air and attached to the panther. Red sparks exploded off of them and made the big cat screech in pain, falling onto the grass and thrashing violently for several seconds before going limp.

T’Challa dropped the soldier he had been holding and ran over to the creature and kneeling down. He looked at the metal disks and recoiled in shock. The disks had spikes and needles that were embedded in the cat’s skin and humming with energy. He tried to pry them off, but they only dug deeper into the skin.

Natasha quickly brought out her gun, Clint threaded another arrow, Steve passed Bucky to Okoye and said,”Take him back to the palace, please.”

Okoye looked like she was going to agree, but Bucky pulled himself away. “No..” He grunted our. “Not without Shadow…” The warrior woman hesitated for a moment before nodding in understanding, but still standing protectively in front of him.

“Show yourself!” T’Challa ordered, standing over Shadow protectively and looking around the forest for any sign of the attacker.

The bushes nearby rustled, and all the Avengers quickly aimed their weapons at them. All except for Wanda and Natasha, who kept their eyes on the areas around them that the others weren’t watching.

Finally, the heads of guns poked through the trees and brush. At first T’Challa thought they might be more of Ross’s men, but when they fully emerged from the forestry, he saw the red mark on their uniforms.

“Hydra…” Several of the Avengers whispered at once, mixtures of shock and even anger shining on their faces.

One of the Hydra men laughed. “Surprised?” He asked curiously,”I thought you would have remembered by now that cutting off a hydra head will only make two more grow.”

Clint groaned and rolled his eyes. “You guys say that every time and it sounds dumber and dumber each time,” He grumbled.

The man didn’t pay him any mind, he looked around the group and saw Bucky. The winter soldier glared, but the soldier didn’t seem afraid. “We’re not here for Winter, that’s not our part of our job, after all,” He said,”We have something better.” He motioned his gun towards the twitching panther. “That pathetic thing is our little passion project, and it seems you have stumbled upon him,”He said,”I would offer you a reward, but I think it’s reward enough that we’re not killing you. Just give us that thing, and we’ll let you go.”

“You’re not taking Shadow anywhere,” T’Challa growled back, flexing his fingers in preparation for a dangerous battle.

Instead of getting angry, the soldier actually seemed surprised. “You don’t.. You don’t know?” He asked. The group of heroes gave him a confused, frustrated glare. His surprise quickly morphed into amusement, and he laughed so hard that he had to lean forward and hold his stomach.

“I can’t believe it…” He whispered, standing back up with a dark smile. “Well then, this just got a lot more interesting…”

The hydra soldier whipped around to face the others who were just creeping out of the foliage. “Retreat,” He ordered.

Both the Avengers and the Hydra men looked confused. One of the braver soldiers confusedly said,”Sir… But we were ordered to get S-“

“I know what we were ordered to do,” The man hissed back. “I also know that I’m in charge of this mission. Retreat. Now.”

The other soldiers did as they were told with only a few confused glances exchanged, turning and walking back from where they came. The man in charge gave them another strange smile, and then wandered off into the foliage as well.

T’Challa heard an angered snarl and saw Clint start forward, he quickly grabbed the man’s wrist. “No Clint,” He firmly said,”It’s not worth going after them. For all we know, this could be some kind of trick.”

The man looked like he wanted to argue, but a firm look from a now unmasked king made him back down. Once T’Challa was sure nobody would take off after the terror group, he firmly said,”Let’s go back to the palace, we have a lot to do.”

— — — — — — — —

“Everything feels good, right?” Shuri asked Bucky, who was now sitting on her examination table. “You feel in control? Nothing is too fuzzy?”

Bucky gave a slow blink as he answered,”I just feel really exhausted… It’s… It’s been a long time since that has happened… I had hoped it would never happen again…”

“And yet it did, and that’s what interests me,” Natasha muttered from her spot in the corner. “And it wasn’t even Hydra who did it… It was Ross and his men. How did they get ahold of those trigger words?”

The Avengers were silent for a few seconds as they all churned the information around in their head. Then, Wanda quietly said,”They mentioned ‘that’s not part of their job’ when talking about Bucky… Do you think… Could they be working with Ross?”

With how crazy life had been for them recently, none of them dared to try and cast the idea aside. T’Challa even looked at the other examination table, where an unconscious Shadow was laying, thinking about the theories he had come up with during his discussion with Shuri and Okoye just a few days ago.

Shuri made a noise of agreement as she gently poked and prodded at the metal contraptions still hanging on tight to Shadow’s fur. “I can totally see that,” She said,”Otherwise it would be way too wack.”

The older Avengers shared befuddled glances while T’Challa simply gave a resigned sigh. “What my sister is trying to say is that she believes that HYDRA and Ross showing up at the same place and nearly at the same time is extremely suspicious and hard to write off as a coincidence,” He explained.

Once the Avengers understood, they found themselves all agreeing with her.

Clint seemed a little more frustrated. “But why?” He demanded,”What is in it for them to team up with Ross? That man is always trying to look like a perfect patriot. What would make him desperate enough to team up with HYDRA!?”

As hard as T’Challa tried to come up with an answer, even with the knowledge that they might had been letting Ross go after Bucky, he couldn’t seem to come up with an idea as to what would constitute as a fair trade.

“I don’t know…” He whispered aloud, before straightening up again. “But that soldier might. The second he wakes up, interrogation will start. There has to be a connection, I don’t know how there couldn’t be.”

There was a grunt from the exam table, and Shuri let out a triumphant noise. “I got it off!” She exclaimed, showing the now powered down metal plate to her brother.

T’Challa smiled in relief and replied,”Good, once you get them all off, set them aside for scanning. This is Hydra’s new technology.  Apparently, they’ve never seen it used before.” He motioned to the Avengers.

Shuri’s face scrunched up, and she looked at the metal incredulously. “ New?” She echoed, a smirk climbing up her face. She held the plate out towards the Avengers and smirked. “This is what you guys define as new? ”

Clint’s whole face turned pink as he defensively exclaimed,”That’s now what we mean, Miss Techno! We mean that we’ve never seen HYDRA use it!”

The young woman snickered in amusement at Clint’s reaction, helping the tension in the room ease the slightest bit.

But then that little peace was ripped away as Shadow suddenly began to thrash again. He threw himself around so hard that he rolled off the exam table and crashed onto the hard floor.

“Shadow!” Several people exclaimed, going to run to the creature’s aid. T’Challa was going to follow, but then he saw the red lines beginning to appear again.

He quickly moved in front of the people attempting to help. “Don’t touch him!” He ordered,”He’s hysterical, he may lash out. We need to wait for the powers to calm down, just like when he uses them.”

“But he’s never done that before!” Bucky said, pointing back at the panther.

The others followed his gaze, and found themselves unable to move as they watched those red lines expand. They turned even brighter and completely covered the cat’s body, nearly blinding all the bystanders and becoming nothing but a silhouette of shining red light.

The silhouette began to morph and change shape, the last of the metal plates clattering to the ground as the silhouette slowly began to settle.

When it calmed down, and the light began to fade, T’Challa instantly knew something was different. The form on the ground was not a big cat… Not anymore. Instead it was…

“Tony Stark…”

The shaking figure on the floor jerked his head up, looking at them with glowing red eyes underneath his messy hair as he gasped for breath. However, they were only able to stare at each other in shock for a few seconds before his eyes rolled back and he fell back down onto the ground in a dead faint.

Chapter Text

The Avengers, T’Challa, and Okoye all sat at a conference table staring at nothing, the tension in the room was so thick that not even Black Panther’s vibranium claws could have cut through it. Clint was the only one not sitting, as he was too busy pacing from one end of the room to another, running his hands through his hair.

It took several minutes for anyone to pluck up the courage to speak, and it ended up being Clint “So… This whole time… Stark has been Shadow...” He whispered,”This whole time… He’s been right under our noses…”

He buried his face in his hands with a groan, falling back into his chair. “Why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he try and tell us!?” He demanded. “He was with us this whole time! Why didn’t he tell us who he was!?”

“Considering what happened in Siberia, I would say we’re lucky he even tolerated some of your presences,” Okoye bravely declared without a second thought.

Several of the Avengers and cringed and lowered their heads in guilt, memories of the civil war and the harm they had caused to Tony even before things had gotten that bad popping up in their mind.

T’Challa was in shock, but not only for the same reason as the Avengers. I was right… I knew Shadow wasn’t an actual panther, I knew he had to be human… But I didn’t expect this!

But, the longer he thought about it, the more it made sense. Even before the king had suspected anything, he had known that Shadow was different than the other panthers. His chocolate brown eyes always sparkled with something more, and he was knowledgeable about things that he couldn’t possibly have known.

He recalled the story Shuri told him, about how she had found Shadow comforting Barnes during a panic attack. ‘It was like he knew exactly how to calm him down’ His sister had told him.

The revelation that Shadow had been a human- No, not just a human - Tony Stark this whole time left him struggling to understand how these events had taken place.

T’Challa wanted to follow Clint’s lead and groan in frustration, but then his mind helpfully reminded him of something. Perhaps we don’t have to try and understand… We have someone who can tell us what we need to know.

He got to his feet and firmly declared,”I think it’s time we spoke to the captive soldier we have. Don't you think?”

The Avengers guilty faces instantly changed into determination, and they nodded in agreement.

“I’m sure that with a little… Convincing… They’ll be willing to shed some light on the situation,” Natasha responded, and got out of her seat as well.

With a nod at her, T’Challa turned and walked out of the room. The Avengers quickly got up and followed the king towards the room that the soldier was being held. They didn’t speak, but they were all wondering the same thing…

Just how much could this bastard tell them?

— — — — — —

Awareness slowly returned to Tony, his limbs felt like jelly, his eyelids like lead. He groaned, struggling to get his eyes open, it felt like the most difficult thing he had done in his life.

When he finally opened them, the light attacked them with vigor. He quickly shut his eyes with a hiss, bringing up his hand to rub away the blur.

Wait…. His hand?

His eyes snapped open once again, staring at his paw- No… No it was his hand! He wiggled his fingers, turning his hand around to check every side of it. I’m human again… How…?

Tony didn’t have to wonder for long, because the memory of what happened finally caught up with the rest of his mind. He remembered it all, and the memories were painful.

He rolled onto his side in the hospital bed, curling in on himself with a whimper. He wrapped his skinny arms around his shaking body, trying to block out the images flashing at his mind.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t block them. He saw the needles, the saws, those computers, his cell, those evil faces.

Tony couldn’t handle it anymore. He threw the cover off of him, practically leaping from the bed. When he got to his feet, they shuddered violently and he stumbled forward, crashing facefirst back down onto the hard ground with a pained grunt.

The genius didn’t even try to get back up again for a few minutes, heaving air in and out of his lungs with effort and staring at nothing in particular.

The more determined part of his brain eventually worked its way to the front, and began to yell. Why are you acting so pathetic? Get up! Get up now! Before someone attacks us!

Tony groaned again, pushing his upper half off the ground and looking around. He saw a counter nearby, and quickly dragged himself over to it.

The man grabbed the edge of the counter and hoisted himself up onto his shaking feet, leaning heavily against the side of the helpful object and catching his breath. His brown eyes turned to look down at his feet, and chuckled a bit. No wonder they’re shaking so bad… When was the last time I walked on two feet?

His chuckling quickly turned into coughing, his throat too dry to handle much of anything. Water.. Water… He turned towards the counter and nearly sang in relief when he saw a sink and a faucet.

Quickly Tony turned the faucet and leaned further against the counter, cupping his hands and slurping up the water in the greedily until he got his fill. Once he was done, he shut off the faucet and leaned forward, finding that he was out of breath again. Man… My human body is so much weaker than I remember.

He lifted his head up, then froze with a gasp. Right behind the faucet was a mirror, and Tony found himself staring at a face that was so familiar, and yet completely unfamiliar at the same time.

His hair had grown out, and was falling into his eyes and brushing past his ears. His face no longer had the perfectly styled goatee, and instead his face was covered with the a small, itchy beard. When was the last time I shaved? He thought, scratching at the hair mutely.

And his scars… They were still there. Around his neck was the scar tissue that his fur had once covered. On his wrists were scars of the liking, along with track marks climbing up his arms, and when he looked down at his pale feet, he saw the same kinds of marks just above his ankles. Oh God… Just looking at them sent a flood of memories through his mind.

Tony’s cheeks were sunken in, the hospital clothing that he was wearing were struggling to hang onto his scrawny body. The pants held up only thanks to the elastic string tied around his waist. He didn’t look extremely starved, but it was obvious to anyone looking at him that he weighed much less than the last time he was seen.

It was so hard to look at himself; Not just because of his bad appearance, but because of how strange it was to see his human face. After so long being imprisoned in the darkness and so long trapped in a different form, his human face was like looking at a stranger.

He cringed and turned away, unable to handle the sight of himself anymore and looked around the room instead. He saw an exit, a way out! But… It was all the way on the other side of the room.

Tony groaned and wondered if going back to the bed was a better idea… But quickly threw that thought away. I can’t just sit here. Not when I finally human again!

He forced one foot forward, and nearly toppled over just from that. He flailed for a few moments before he managed to catch himself, planting both feet on the ground and panting. Everything seemed to take an extreme amount of effort.

Okay, walking bad, figure something else out. He thought, and slowly began to slide his bare feet against the ground while leaning heavily against the counter. Once the counter came to an end, he let himself fall against the back wall, and continued dragging himself.

After reaching the corner, he started creeping towards the door. Almost there… Almost there!

Just as he reached the control panel, the doors suddenly slid open. The genius jumped in shock, stumbling backwards with wide brown eyes. As his mind thought of the worst possibilities.

Before he could topple to the ground, a strong hand grabbed his and pulled him back up to a stand. Tony quickly reached out and put his hand back at the wall, looking towards his rescuer.

It was Shuri who had caught him, and she was now looking at him with a concerned eye. “Mr. Stark, why are you out of bed?” She questioned.

Despite the fact he had just gotten a drink of water, Tony couldn’t form any words. He cringed a bit, and gave her the best shrug he could muster with what little energy he had.

The young woman gave him a critical look, and then said,”Can you at least sit down there? I need to give you a checkup either way, especially now that you’re awake.”

Part of Tony wanted to fight and be difficult, but he recalled all the kindness that Shuri and her brother had given him. He didn’t want to be mean to them, not at all. So he gave a weak nod, letting her know that he was agreeing.

Shuri grinned widely and then continued,”Good! Now we’ll take this slow, I bet it feels weird to walk on two legs again.”

Tony snorted in amusement, finally starting to calm down and find his voice as he muttered,”You have no idea.”

The young woman giggled in response, helping him back over to the hospital bed. Once he was seated, she looking him up and down and asked,”How are you feeling? Are you feeling okay?”

The genius gave her a blank look and responded,”I feel like I got hit by the quinjet without my armor on. But other than that, I’m feeling okay.”

Shuri nodded again and then got the nearby machines, using them to give him a quick and easy checkup. Tony was relieved, he didn’t think he could handle any needles or anything of the sort after being attacked by the very people he had escaped from.

Once she was done, the young woman began her lecture. “You’re healthy-ish,” She explained,”You need to gain some weight, like really badly, you’re pretty much anemic right now. Some sunlight wouldn’t do harm either, but other than that your wounds are healed and you’re healthy.”

Tony gave her another nod, and softly replied,”Thank you for taking the time to do this. I’m sure you’re pretty busy.”

“Oh don’t worry about it,” Shuri said, waving him off with a smile. “You dealt with my little experiments and helped Bucky out, even after what happened between you. If anyone deserves to get their help returned, it’s you. And you get bonus points for actually thanking me for my work. Only Bucky, Natasha, and Scott have done that!”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m not surprised,” He said,”Steve never really thanked me when he and the others lived at the tower… I don’t think any of them did. Kinda annoyed me, to be honest.”

Shuri suddenly grew a mischievous look in her eyes, a fox-like grin climbing up her face. “Is that why you tore up his room, Shadow? ” She questioned, barely holding in her laughter.

Tony suddenly felt very embarrassed, but that was mainly due to the fact that he just realized he was blushing… And it was visible to people again. The princess burst out laughing and Tony quickly exclaimed,”I was just- I did- Hey! He had that coming! He’s lucky I didn’t have opposable thumbs, or things would have been even more destroyed!”

The young woman took several seconds to compose her laughter, and Tony allowed himself a small smile as well. He looked towards her and asked,”So, where is Robin Hood and his band of merry outlaws anyway?”

“They’re with my brother and Okoye,” Shuri explained, putting the machines she had used away. “They are gonna try and interrogate the soldier that we brought back, the one that knew Bucky’s trigger words.”

Tony’s eyes widened the slightest bit, and he felt anxious all over again. “Oh…” He quietly responded as a darkness entered his eyes. Shuri tried to see into those eyes, to catch even a glimpse of what he could possibly be thinking.

But before she could break through the barriers, Tony turned back up to her with a strained smile on his face. “Well, that’s bound to be interesting, right?” He cheerfully asked.

Shuri looked at him with a strained smile of her own, and chuckled weakly. “Ah, yeah… Interesting,” She whispered back, but she couldn’t stop herself from staring at the haunted look on his face. It made her wonder...

Just what did they do to you, Tony?

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

The second that they got to the soldier’s holding cell, T’Challa knew that their mission was going to be a lot more difficult than he thought.

Despite his situation staring at them from behind a forcefield, the soldier was smirking at them, his beetle-like eyes filled with nothing but sadistic glee. He seemed to think he already won, and that they’d never get anything out of him.

T’Challa let the Avengers file in and then he shut the door. Okoye stood guard at the door, narrowing her eyes at the soldier. The king knew she was trying hard to figure out what the man was thinking.

“Nice place you got,” The soldier said, breaking through the tense silence before they could. “Even the cells are nice, very fancy.”

He heard a growl from one of the Avengers, but he wasn’t sure who exactly had done it. Keeping his cool, the king casually said,”You know the trigger words.”

The soldier just smirked wider, scanning the group and noticing very easily that Bucky was nowhere to be found. “So, you’re letting that mass murderer escape justice? Even after he killed your father?”

Several of the Avengers cringed inwardly, and Okoye remained stoic except for the tightened grip on her weapon.  T’Challa didn’t let it get to him, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t let anyone working for Ross or HYDRA break him down.

“You know as well as I do that Bucky wasn’t the one who did that attack,” T’Challa said,”Tony Stark confirmed it as well.”

The soldier’s expression changed at the mention of that name to one of disgust, then glee he laughed aloud. “And where is Tony Stark now, hmm? Can’t tell anyone the truth when he’s missing,” He snarled.

“So Ross did have something to do with his disappearance?” Natasha prodded, sensing the satisfaction in the man’s tone.

His glee quickly shut down and his face morphed back into a frown. “I never said that,” He quickly responded,”All I’m saying is that without Stark in the way, we can do some real justice.”

“So your idea of justice is arresting men who have been proven innocent?” Steve demanded, looking like he was about ready to turn off the forcefield on the cell and tear the man apart.

“He’s only innocent to you , not to the public,” He said,”Haven’t you been watching the news? Everyone thinks you’re behind Stark’s disappearance, anyone who believed in you is either here or MIA, so nothing you could do will make you innocent in the eyes of the public OR the law!”

Clint suddenly gasped, turning red with rage. “So- So that’s why you went after my family!? So they couldn’t tell anyone the truth?! You were going to imprison my wife, my children, just so you could get away with this!?”

The soldier didn’t answer, he only smiled wider. Clint groaned even louder and started forward, only to be stopped by Natasha’s hand on his shoulder.

Wanda didn’t have as much of a handle on her emotions as Clint did. The archer was like a parent to her, and she couldn’t handle the fact that this man and his bastard of a boss were trying to destroy Clint’s life. She clenched her fists, magic swirling around as she angrily snapped,”That’s it!”

Storming forward, her magic flew past her fingertips and slammed into his head before anyone could stop her. She had been so enraged she didn’t think about what she was doing, and the next thing she knew, her vision went white.

— — — — — —

Then, the white faded away, and she found herself standing in an unfamiliar conference room. She frowned and tried to look around, but she found that she couldn’t. What’s going on?

Suddenly, her hand raised up and she saw that her hand was holding a phone. But the reflection she saw in that phone wasn’t her, it was the very soldier they had just been interrogating.

Oh my god… I’m… I’m in his memory! I’m watching his memories! She realized, cursing herself for her reckless behavior. The young woman started to try and think of a way out… But then the door opened.

The soldier looked up, and Wanda saw that there was a group of suited men sitting at the table and that the door was opening. In walked two very familiar faces. Tony Stark… And Secretary Ross.

“You need to listen to me!” Ross yelled at Tony the second the door shut.

Wanda would have cringed if she could have. Why is he always in a bad mood? She thought, and continued listening.

“I don’t care about your ideas for the accords, they are now wanted criminals and I will not indulge in any more talk of it!” Ross snapped at him, tossing what looked like a flash drive onto the table.

Tony quickly followed after him. “I may have signed the accords, but you have to agree that they’re flawed! It was rushed, messy, and a total disaster. If they can be fixed, then the Avengers can come back together under a better plan!” He explained.

“And why should I?” Ross questioned back. “All you guys have ever done is cause problems! Look at New York! If you had just let the government handle it-“

“Then the whole city would have been nuked! Every single time something major has happened, the Avengers were the only ones who could handle it!” Tony argued back. “Look! It doesn’t even have to be a full pardon, give them a small punishment, maybe less time on the field, but we can’t leave the world this unprotected!”

Wanda would have gasped if she could have. He was trying to help us? This whole time? But… I thought he hated us!

“And why not?” The Secretary demanded back. “You, War Machine, Vision, Spider-Man. Isn’t that enough?”

Tony looked like he wanted to pull his hair out, and Wanda actually felt anger towards Ross. She could see the obvious stress the genius was under.

“You don’t understand,” Tony hurriedly explained,”Something is coming, something bigger than any of us could imagine. If the Avengers aren’t assembled and ready, the consequences-“

Ross spun around to face him. “Enough! I will not listen to any more of your weak attempts to convince me at allow murderers and criminals back into our country!” He yelled,”This meeting is not about that! Unless you have something productive to say, leave.”

The man sat down in a chair, glaring down at it. The soldier that Wanda was inside turned towards another man, exchanging a nod with him. What is going on..? She wondered, suddenly feeling antsy.

Tony then narrowed his eyes. “I know you feel all high and mighty, but no matter what you do, Rogers and the others are still going to be proving their innocence with the people they help,” He stated,”And I won’t stop until the Accords are fixed and can allow us all to protect Earth legally.”

Ross sighed again, and muttered,”I figured you would get in the way of my plans, just like they did. But I can’t allow that, not anymore.”

Suddenly, as if those words were some kind of cue, several of the men at the table stood up, raised stun guns, and shot at Tony. The man didn’t even have a chance to react as the electricity slammed into his body, knocking him to the ground completely unconscious.

A smile grew on Ross’s face as he looked down at the genius, and he firmly declared,”Nobody is getting in my way anymore, not even Tony Stark.”

He grabbed the flash drive and dropped it on the ground, stomping it to pieces with his feet. He then turned to the men in suits who were still standing, and motioned to the unconscious man. “He’s yours now, just as we agreed,” He said,”Now, make sure to keep your part of the bargain.”

The older of the suited men gave a creepy smile and nodded. “Of course we will, never had a thought otherwise,” He promised, and then turned back to the other suited men. “Take him to our jet, I will meet you there in a few minutes.”

With a salute, the suited men declared,”Hail Hydra.” Then, they went over to Tony and picked him up, dragging him out of the room and out of sight. Wanda could only watch the scene helplessly as a bright light engulfed her vision all over again.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

“WANDA!!!”

The woman’s eyes snapped opened, a large gasp escaping her as she frantically looked around the room. It… It wasn’t the conference room, she was back in the palace, by the soldier’s cell… Except now she was staring at the ceiling, and many worried faces were looming over her.

She took several deep breaths and then flew into a sitting position, her hair falling into her face and red eyes wide with shock. She looked around widely for several seconds, until her eyes caught sight of the soldier again.

“You… You bastards!” She snapped, jumping to her feet as her powers swirled angrily around her. “You’re working with HYDRA! You helped them!”

The Soldier’s looked terrified, and leaned as far back in his cell as he could. The Avengers shared confused glances, they had not seen what Wanda had seen.

Clint carefully approached and said,”Wanda… What happened? What did you see?”

Wanda’s red eyes faded as she turned to face the archer and the rest of the group, finally realizing that they didn’t know what she was talking about. Turning back to the man, she angrily declared,”I saw a memory, his memory… Of what happened to Tony.”

She turned back to them again, this time with more anger. “He was trying to help us! He was trying to negotiate with Ross about the accords, and get us pardons! But- but it was all a trap. Ross made some kind of deal with HYDRA! He let them stun Tony and take him away! That’s why he went missing! Hydra took him away, and Ross let them do it!”

The Avengers exploded in response. Their guess had been right, Ross and HYDRA had been working together, and Tony had been a victim in their plans. Some were yelling at the man, while others were frantically talking amongst each other.

T’Challa couldn’t handle the chaos, not after just hearing such news. “ ENOUGH!” He boomed,”Panicking won’t solve anything for anyone! Stop it right now and think logically!”

The group of heroes quickly shut up, surprised by the strong voice that their friend had used. After a couple seconds of this silence, Scott broke through it enough to turn towards Wanda and speak. “Why did they take Stark?”

“I don’t know why Hydra took him, I didn’t see that part,” Wanda explained,”But- But Ross said that ‘nobody was getting in his way anymore, not even Tony Stark’”

The group turned back towards the soldier who was suddenly a lot less cocky; in fact, he looked like a cornered rodent.

Narrowing his eyes at the man, Steve firmly said,”You’re going to talk and you’re going to talk right now. What was the deal Ross made with Hydra?”

The soldier shook in fear, but still had the courage to shakily ask,”A-and if I don’t?” He puffed out his chest in a weak attempt to look intimidating.

Steve motioned back towards Wanda and the raw, red power still swirling around her fists. “If you don’t, I’m sure Wanda wouldn’t mind digging around and finding what we need from you,” He suggested.

“And this time, I’ll make it nice and painful,” The young woman promised, her eyes flashing red as she walked closer to the forcefield, raising her hand again.

The soldier squealed in fear as he pressed his back further against the cold wall. He quickly exclaimed,”Okay, okay! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

“Then start talking,” Natasha snapped, now twirling a sharp knife casually in her hands. Nobody was quite sure where the knife had come from.

The soldier nodded frantically. “Secretary Ross and Hydra are working together, it’s true. Ross wanted to get more glory and power, and HYDRA wanted to build themselves up again. They decided to make a deal,” He explained,”They’ve been working together even before Stark went missing.”

“So Hydra gave Ross the trigger words?” Sam questioned, gaining a quick nod in return. “But why? What was the deal?”

“I don’t know the whole deal,” The soldier quickly continued,”Only high ranking members of HYDRA and Ross’s group know. But I do know the main part of it. They traded their targets.”

The Avengers and T’Challa exchanged a confused look, and then turned back to the soldier. “And what exactly does that mean?” T’Challa questioned.

The soldier almost didn’t answer, seemingly conflicted. He wrung his hands together and shuffled his feet. Finally, after what felt like an eternity he declared,”Ross would get to hunt down Bucky along with the Avengers and take all the glory, as long as they got to choose a replacement for the loss of the winter soldier... They chose Tony Stark.”

Chapter Text

Tony shifted in the hospital bed, warily looking around the room. Shuri had left an hour ago, suggesting that he try and get some rest. He tried, he really did, but he couldn’t get any sleep at all, all he could think about was the Avengers.

He honestly didn’t remember changing back to human form, the last thing he remembered was yelling a warning to T’Challa and a blinding pain.

How did they react? Were they angry? Were they scared? He worriedly thought, scratching at the scar tissue on his wrists. What if they think I’m dangerous? What if… What if they lock me up just like they did?

Tony’s heartbeat started to pick up. He tried to shake the dark thoughts away, he tried to ignore the panic attacking his chest, but after all that he’d gone through it was hard to be hopeful.

His brown eyes flickered around the room, taking in every detail again. There’s only one exit, if they come in through there… I’ll be cornered, I’ll be trapped. Memories flashed through his mind of that cold, dark room that was his prison for so, so long.

He threw the blanket back again, stumbling towards the door and shoving it open. I can’t be trapped, I can’t be. Not anymore. I have to get away…

Tony didn’t even know where he was going, all that he really knew for sure was that he didn’t want to be anywhere near the Avengers. Shuri has said they were interrogating the soldier. If that bastard talked… What would they think of Tony?

He shuddered at his own memories again and hurriedly got out of the hospital ward and into the more familiar part of the castle. The place was huge, there were so many rooms and so many places to go. If he hadn’t traversed it so much as Shadow, he’d have had no clue where to go.

I’ll find a nice and empty room on one of the higher floors with plenty of doors and stay there. I’ll be safe there, at least for now. He thought, hugging himself and slowly walking towards a nearby elevator.

Before he could get any farther, the elevator opened on its own and four people walked out. Three of them were smaller than the fourth, and Tony felt his heart stop. It was Laura Barton… And the kids!

The group noticed him and gasped, freezing in place almost exactly like he did. For several seconds, neither of them could seem to break through the tension. It was only when Tony saw Lila mouth ‘Shadow’ that he grew the courage to speak.

“Look,” He forced out, his hands shaking. “I know how bad it looks… This whole time Shadow actually being… Me… So, I get it. I’m all messed up now, and you didn’t exactly come here with me, you came here with Shadow. You didn’t want me, I wasn’t who you knew.”

He took a deep, shaky breath. “A-and I get that. I get how disgusting I am after they did all this to me, and all the danger you got in because of me,” He explained,”If you don’t want to be around me, I understand…”

Tony lowered his head in shame, hating himself all the more. He felt like he had tricked the kids and Laura into caring about him after all the pain and trouble he caused. He didn’t believe anyone, especially them, would want to be around him.

Then, before he could dig himself deeper into a pit of bad thoughts, he heard Cooper scoff. “That’s the biggest load of horseshit I’ve ever heard!” He snapped.

Lila and Nate gasped in shock, Tony jerked his head back up, while Laura quickly abdomished,”Cooper Barton!”

“Well it is!” Cooper defended, and then stomped over to Tony. “Listen I don’t know why you feel this way, but stop it! I don’t hate you! I never could! You saved us from Ross and Hydra! You could have stayed away from us and saved yourself, but you saved us!”

Lila ran over too, standing proudly at her brother’s side. “Yeah! And you helped Asha, and you saved Mr. Barnes, and- and you’re just super cool!” She declared.

“I have to agree,” Laura added, her eyes filled with kindness. “I know you are trying to distance yourself from your other form, Tony, but you really shouldn’t. All those things Shadow did are all things you did. You are just as brave, as selfless, and as powerful as Shadow is because you are Shadow. And we see that, even if others don’t. As far as I’m concerned, you’re still part of our little family, panther or not.”

To emphasize this point, the woman walked forward, wrapped her arms around Tony, and pulled him into a warm, tight hug.

At first, Tony tensed up tightly and sucked in a panicked breath… But it only took a few seconds for him to melt into the warm embrace. Soon enough, the kids joined the hug as well. It was the most beautiful thing Tony had felt in a long, long time.

While they were close, Laura pushed back some of his shaggy hair and whispered,”No matter what the Avengers say, you’re a hero to all of us, Shadow. We love you, human or otherwise.”

Tony smiled even more and let out a quiet laugh. “That nickname isn’t going away anytime soon, is it?” He asked.

“Not for a long, long time,” The younger woman replied, the same mischievous smile on her face.

They stayed in that gentle hold for a few more seconds before Lila pulled away, grabbing and tugging at Tony’s upper arm. “Come with us! We’re building a blanket fort!” She declared.

“Oh, we are?” Tony said curiously, looking towards Laura.

Laura gave him a weak shrug. “Well, we were, but we ran out of blankets,” She explained,”So we’ve been trying to find more but I think we may have already taken them all.”

Tony looked down at the sad children, then back up at Laura with a grin. He held up his hands, now glowing a red color, and asked,”Why search for blankets when we can just make them?”

Lila and Nate’s eyes sparkled with awe, while Cooper threw his fists into the air and exclaimed,”Oh hell yeah!”

“Cooper Callum Barton!” Laura exclaimed again, spinning around to face her son. Cooper burst out laughing and sprinted back towards the elevator.

Tony and the other two kids laughed at Cooper’s antics and followed after them, the genius’s heart a little bit lighter than it had been before.

No matter what happens with the Avengers, or Ross, or HYDRA, at least I know I have you guys.

— — — — — — —

The room was filled with a shocked silence, many of them still trying to process what they had just heard. The soldier watched them with wary eyes, looking ready to run even further into his cell if the need arose.

Wanda sat on the ground nearby, her wide eyes staring at nothing in particular as she tried to recover from the sudden use of a lot of her energy and what she had just seen. “I just… I don’t understand,” She whispered,”He was risking so much…”

Clint ran a hand through his hair and continued her thought. “If Tony hadn’t been caught off guard, if he had told everyone what Ross tried to pull, everything he’s built up would have fallen apart,” He said. “It was such a huge risk, why take it?”

“Because if it worked, then he got rid of a huge thorn in his side,” The soldier responded from his cell. “He knew Stark had dirt on him going back to even when Bruce Banner first created the hulk, and he knew the public was more likely to side with Stark when he came public about still supporting you people.”

“And by pinning Tony’s disappearance on us, he’s get more support and even more power if he managed to catch us and turn us in, including Bucky,” Natasha said, catching on to Ross and his plan pretty quickly.

The soldier suddenly grew cocky again, a smile climbing onto his face. “And it worked too,” He declared,”I heard Hydra had lots of fun with Iron Man, and they made sure to make him nice and broken.”

“Uhhh… Who you calling broken?” Scott cut him off, shaking his finger. “Did you forget who kicked your ass just a few hours ago? Oh yeah! Tony fuckin’ Stark! And he didn’t even have to touch you!”

The man in the cell had the decency to look ashamed and embarrassed as he attempted to glare at them. T’Challa stepped forward and continued,”And now that Tony is back with us, he can clear the names of the Avengers and expose Ross and his treachery to the world. I hope you enjoyed feeling powerful while it lasted.”

The king turned back to the Avengers and walked towards the exit. “I doubt he can provide us with any more worthwhile information, let’s leave him to think about his actions for now,” He suggested.

The group of heroes seemed to agree, as they quickly filed out of the room with him. Okoye glared at the soldier one last time before locking the door tight and then hurrying to catch up with the king.

“What do we do now?” Sam asked curiously, thinking that he knew the answer but also afraid of what might come from it.

T’Challa sighed, his shoulders slumping down. As much as I don’t want to stress the man out… “We have to speak to Tony, we have to understand more about what they did and why,” He decided,”We can’t let either Hydra or Ross get away with this plan, no for any longer.”

The Avengers seemed eager to follow T’Challa’s plan, but the king couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive. How was he handling it all, now that he was human? What had Tony gone through while in Hydra’s hold? And… Did T’Challa really want to find out?

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Outside the hospital room, Bucky stood with his hands wringing together nervously. He knew this might be one of his only chances to talk to Tony alone, before the Avengers bombarded him.

What if he doesn’t want to talk to me? His anxious mind thought. What if, now that he’s human, he doesn’t need to be nice anymore? What if he still hates me for all the things that I did?

The super soldier quickly shook off those thoughts, clenching his fists tightly. No! Don’t think like that! He comforted me and saved me when he was Shadow! If he hated me, he wouldn’t have done that!

Nodding to himself, he took a deep breath and whispered,”Okay, you can do this. You can do this!” He took one more huge gulp of air, and then stepped into the… Empty… Hospital room?

Bucky frowned and looked around the room. It was completely void of life, the only sign that someone had been there was the thin blanket that now was hanging off the bed. What? The man thought, stepping further inside. Did I take a wrong turn? I swear I went to the right room!

“Oh! Hey Bucky!” Shuri’s voice called, breaking through his thoughts. He turned around and saw the young girl standing there with a tray of food, she glanced at the room but didn’t seem very surprised by it.

He nervously looked back at the room, the returned his glance to the girl. “Um.. Hey,” He softly said, motioning to the room. “Is this…?”

Shuri caught on quickly. “Tony’s room?” She asked, gaining a quick nod in return. “Well, it was. But, I think he made an escape. Not that I’m surprised, I was kind of waiting for that to happen. I wouldn’t want to sit around waiting to get interrogated either.”

“Yeah…” Bucky agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just wanted to talk to him now that he can actually talk back, and thank him properly. Do you know where he might have gone?”

The young woman hummed thoughtfully as she said,”I think he’d probably go to see the kids… Or maybe he would go hide. Honestly, I’d probably go do the second.”

Bucky nodded. “I see… Well, thank you for your help,” He said, turning and leaving the room. He decided to not go to where the kids were hanging out. He knew that the Avengers were probably going to beat him to it… And, honestly, he didn’t want to be there when shit hit the fan.

Knowing the Avengers, things are going to get sour pretty quickly...

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

When they returned to the common room, they were met by peals of giggles from Clint’s children. As the elevator doors opened, they found themselves freezing in place at the sight of a gigantic blanket fort that nearly spanned over the entire room… In fact, it looked more like a blanket castle.

“Whoa…” The king heard one of the Avengers mutter as they walked out into the common room. They could see Laura sitting just outside with a happy smile on her face, while the children giggled from the inside.

Lila suddenly poked her head out from the inside, cheerfully saying,”We need another pillow!” She grabbed what looked like a pebble and tossed it towards her mother.

The Avengers finally noticed that someone was sitting next to Laura as another hand reached out and caught the pebble. The figure leaned forward, revealing that it was none other than Tony Stark.

The man had a tiny smile as he replied,”Gotcha, kiddo.” His hand started to glow, making the pebble turn red and start to change form. But, before anything else could happen, Tony’s eyes snapped up as he caught sight of the Avengers. The powers in his hand stopped, and he seemed to freeze up.

Laura followed his gaze and saw the group of heroes, her own eyes narrowing the slightest bit. Her hand protectively took Tony’s free hand in her own, making a spike of mourning and jealousy pass through Clint.

For a full minute, the Avengers and T’Challa stared at Tony. Neither group managing to gather the courage to start the first conversation they would have had with each other in a very long time.

Okoye looked between the two groups and decided to probe the bubble of tension. “Mr. Stark, I want to thank you for your bravery during the battle yesterday,” She said.

Tony looked towards her in shock, not prepared to receive a compliment of any kind. A hue of pink came across his cheeks as he softly muttered,”I- Um… It was nothing really..”

The woman was glad she already had a straight face, as the response from Tony made her upset. Such a genius should not be shocked to receive kind words… She thought, exchanging a glance with T’Challa and saw that he noticed it as well.

“We spoke to the soldier,” Wanda suddenly said before anyone could continue in the gentle probe. The bubble of tension filled once again as Tony looked at her anxiously. She wrung her fingers together and continued,”I- I accidentally saw his memories… Of the day Ross let Hydra take you.”

Tony flinched at the memory, pain rising up on his features. Then, his expression turned into one of anger. “Accidentally?” He questioned,”So you’re still having trouble controlling your powers? And you’re still digging around in people’s heads? I thought you were ‘working on that’”

Wanda frowned, obviously not prepared for such a reaction. “I didn’t mean to! I’ve been trying really hard! But… He just made me so angry, and I… I used my powers on him…” She quietly admitted.

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Tony snapped back,”What if your powers had hurt someone else while you were angry? You can’t just be reckless like that, or use your power to invade someone’s mind. That’s no better that Hydra or Ross.”

Steve and Clint, angered by Tony’s criticism of the girl, went to jump to her defense. Before they could say a word, Wanda waved them off. “No, he’s right,” She said, looking down at her hands. “If I don’t learn to control it properly, and keep the people I’m trying to protect safe, then what kind of Avenger am I?”

The Avengers exchanged shocked looks and even Tony seemed surprised by her reaction. The man gave an approving nod, and then decided to switch the subject a bit. “So… You saw what happened?” He asked.

“The whole time, you were still trying to fix the accords,” Natasha replied,”You were still trying to help us and give us the freedom to come home… Ross didn’t like that at all…”

Tony snorted, glaring at the girl. “Yeah well apparently you guys didn’t like it either,” He pointed out,”When I tried to explain that to you guys before we signed the accords, you wouldn’t listen to me. But I guess now that you saw that I was still trying to pull you guys out of the hole you dug yourselves into, everything is totally okay, right?” His tone became sarcastic towards the end, while his eyes burned with enough anger to melt all the vibranium in Wakanda.

They cringed backwards at that, not really having a good defense for that either. T’Challa exchanged another glance with Okoye, starting to think that it was not a good idea to question Tony about his experiences right away-

“That’s not the point, Tony,” Steve suddenly declared,”The point is that Hydra took you and Ross framed us for it! They were working together the whole time!”

“Oh, and you think I don’t know that by now?” Tony asked, shakily getting to his feet. “Believe me, they bragged about that as much as they could while I was trapped in that hell. You don’t have to tell me what I already know! I remember everything that happened!”

“And what else did they do while you were there?” Steve pushed,”If you remember everything that happened, why don’t you explain to us what they were doing and why? Considering they wanted you as their new Winter Soldier, I’m sure you have a lot of information.”

That was definitely the worst thing he could have possibly said. Tony’s eyes widened, and he looked at Steve with his eyes glowing a slight red. “Oh… You wanna know, Rogers?” He sneered,”You really want to know!?”

The lines started to rise up on his hands again, his whole body shaking and power overflowing in the room. Wanda, who could sense the power, nearly fell to her knees from the pressure. Tony didn’t seem to notice, he was too angry.

“You want to know about all the torture they put me through!?” He yelled,”You want to know how many needles they stuck into my body?! How many times they made me scream! How many times they cut me up and then stitched me back together!? How many times they waited until my heartbeat stopped before they forced me to come back to this hell!?”

Several blankets and pillows started to glow red and then change form, turning back into what they originally were such as pebbles, pieces of fluff, stuffed animals, and other insignificant things.

Tony didn’t seem to notice as he was now panicking. His chest was heaving, hands shaking, and eyes staring at nothing in particular as he tearfully continued,”I wanted to die every day! I hoped that when they did let my heart stop that it would stay that way! I saw things… So many horrible things…”

Tony then laughed, it was empty and frantic. “But hey, now I’m here, right!? So now you can use me just like you did before! Who cares about being friends or trust, why don’t I just slave away for you like the old days!? Who cares about how I’m feeling? Who cares about the fact I thought I could trust you!”

He grabbed at his shaggy hair. “I actually hoped and prayed that you would help me! I thought that maybe, for once, I could rely on you. But you never came… You didn’t even know… you didn’t even check! You didn’t even LOOK!!” Tears started to fall down his cheeks as he lowered his head in sadness.

Guilt overwhelmed the Avengers, and even Steve looked remorseful. He gave a sad sigh. “Oh, Tony…” He whispered, reaching out and placing his hand on Tony’s shoulder.

The reaction was immediate as Tony yelled,” DON’T TOUCH ME! ” And shoved Steve back with so much strength that the man crashed to the ground in a painful tumble.

Tony began to panic even more as his body started to glow red again, being swallowed entirely the color… Objects began to float and swirl around the room as well. But then, as fast as it happened, the red glow vanished… Along with Tony.

The Avengers, The Wakandans, and the Bartons all looked around wildly. “Where did he go!?” Scott exclaimed,”He- He vanished again!”

“We have to find him!” Steve declared as he climbed to his feet, already trying to turn back towards the elevator.

T’Challa quickly grabbed the man and firmly said,”No you don’t. We have caused him enough distress for today. This was a mistake from the beginning, I should have known he wasn’t ready to speak about his experiences.”

“You did, your highness,” Okoye said, turning to glare at the Avengers. “But some people decided that they didn’t want to take it slow.”

The Avengers, especially the ones that caused Tony’s panic, quickly blushed in shame again. T’Challa shook his head with a sigh and then turned to Okoye.

“Have the other Dora Milaje keep an eye out for Tony, I doubt he will have gone far. We will leave him alone for today, and next time we broach this subject, we will take it carefully ,” He ordered, sending his own glare towards them.

The group of heroes dispersed, staying in the common room instead of trying to venture out further. Meanwhile the kids worriedly hurried over to their mom, hugging her as Lila asked,”Where did he go? What happened to Shadow?”

“He’s scared, sweetie,” Laura gently explained,”He’s been really hurt by a lot of people, and that can make a person really sad and scared. He’ll come back soon, we just need to give him time.” The kids were upset, but they seemed to understand. They cuddled closer to their mom with sad faces.

T’Challa sighed, finding he felt as upset as they did. He looked back towards where Tony had been standing a few seconds before and wondered...

If the torture Tony went through was as bad as he heard, how long would it take the man to recover? Would he ever recover?

— — — — — —

Bucky was casually walking around the upper floors, purposefully avoiding as many people as he could when he heard it. The sound was quiet at first, but it grew louder the further he got down the hallway.

It was panicked breaths and choked sobs, coming from a nearby room. The super soldier frowned and had a sneaking suspicion of who it might be. He hurried to where the sound was, pushing open the door.

Curled up in the furthest corner of the room was Tony Stark, his knees pressed up to his chest and eyes very cloudy. There were tears tumbling down his cheeks as he heaved air in and out of his lungs, his whole body shaking.

He’s panicking, he’s having a panic attack! What? Why? He thought, kneeling down next to the man and making sure not to touch him. “Tony? Tony! Can you hear me?” He asked.

The man’s eyes flickered towards him for a moment, another strangled noise escaping him as he struggled to try and control his breathing.

“Hey, Hey, it’s alright, I’ve been there,” Bucky said, giving a small smile. “And you and Shuri helped me, so now I’m going to help you. We’ll breathe together, and we’ll talk this out.”

It took a couple minutes of breathing exercises and Bucky’s gentle words, but eventually Tony’s breathing started to calm down and his eyes became more focused. Once he relaxed, the super soldier and the mechanic sat in silence for a while.

Eventually, Tony quietly said,”I yelled at Steve… Like, really yelled...”

Bucky hummed in response and leaned back against the wall. “I’ve done that before…. A lot. I feel like it’s a rite of passage at this point,” He joked.

Tony smirked the smallest bit and laughed at the joke, but a frown quickly overcame his features again. “He... He asked about Hydra.. I just… I have flashbacks about it… The pain… The screams… I don’t want to think about it…”

Bucky watched as the man held out his shaky hands, which were glowing a gentle hue of red. “They… They changed me… Not just physically, but mentally too. I’m not who I was before… And- And I don’t know what to do…” He let out a shaky sigh and then turned back towards Bucky. “How do you handle it?”

Bucky shifted a bit, facing the other man more. “Honestly? I don’t,” He admitted,”Even though I was with Hydra for seventy years, all the time I’ve spent since Steve snapped me out of has been running, hiding, and falling back into it. I haven’t had much time to just… Take it all in and figure it out...”

Tony listened to him intently and then lowered his head. “Yeah… I know how you feel…” He whispered, and they both fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. That was how long it took Tony to gather his courage to look back up at Bucky and ask. “Maybe… We can figure it out together?”

The super soldier looked at Tony in slight surprise. There had been many things he had been expecting the man to say, but that wasn’t one of them. The question left him feeling a warmth that wrapped around his heart, and pulled a smile onto his face. ”Yeah… We can,” He decided, leaning unconsciously closer to the genius. “I think I’d like that a lot.”

The older man smiled widely in response to the confirmation, looked back down at the ground, and said,”I’d like that too…”

Once again, they fell into silence. But it didn’t bother the two broken souls at all, because they knew that no matter what dangers they would face in the future, they would have each other.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take very long for T’Challa to track down Tony. With the Dora Milaje keeping an eye out for him, he knew it would only be a matter of time. 

After about an hour, he got a message that Tony was on the upper floors with Bucky. Apparently, they were just sitting with each other and talking. Why am I not surprised? The king idly thought, and then followed the given directions. 

He found himself upstairs near the laboratory, in one of the empty rooms that the place had. Of course, they were empty on purpose. Shuri’s experiments often went through many… Enthusiastic tests before they were completed. Everyone learned early on to keep their valuables in a safe place.

The king found the room easily, or was the one being guarded twice as much. Once again, he wasn’t surprised. The Dora Milaje had grown quite attached to Tony while he was in the form of a panther, and it seemed his transformation hadn’t changed that. 

When they saw him, they all nodded and moved out of the way. He was about to enter when he heard the sound of calm chatter. A little curious, T’Challa leaned against the wall and listened. 

“...And then everything blew up, right? I was sent flying and I crash landed in the desert,” The king heard Tony say,”And then I pulled myself out of the Mark I and wandered around the desert for like two days before I was found.” 

He heard the sound of Bucky giving a surprised noise. “Damn,” The super soldier replied aloud. 

“So, yeah, that’s how Iron Man started and how I got the arc reactor,” Tony finished, sending them into silence for a few minutes before declared,”Your turn. How did you become the winter soldier? Spangles never told me.” 

T’Challa cringed, nearly leaping into the room. What if that set Bucky off? Why was Tony so quick to ask about that time? Didn’t he know how fragile- 

“Well, it’s not as crazy as your story but basically I fell out of a moving train, lost an arm, and instead of first responders, I got Hydra,” The super soldier explained, catching T’Challa completely off guard. 

Bucky was okay with talking about it… He didn’t even hesitate. In fact, he sounds a lot happier than normal. He realized, guilt bubbling up in his chest. Perhaps… Have we been treating him too delicately?

At this point, his curiosity was too overwhelming. T’Challa pushed himself off the wall and knocked on the side of the doorway. The chatting instantly stopped, making him feel a little guilty as he entered the room. 

He found himself staring at quite a sight. Bucky was sitting back in the corner of the empty room, while Tony leaned against the wall next to him, his legs draped over Bucky’s own. They looked quite comfortable. 

But now that T’Challa was in the room, that changed. Tony’s whole body had tensed up, watching the king for any sign of a threat while all the relaxation faded from Bucky’s face. He looked much more depressed. 

They had been so happy just a few seconds ago, the black panther knew he couldn’t let that happiness be ripped away. He put a small smile on his face and walked further into the room. “So this is where you went, Tony,” He casually began. 

“Yep,” Tony replied quickly, crossing his arms. “Are you going to tell the Avengers?” 

T’Challa looked towards the door, and then back at the two men. He then lowered himself down to the ground, sitting cross legged in front of them. “No, I don’t think so,” He replied,”They can sit around and think about what they did.” 

Bucky and Tony exchanged a glance and then nodded, letting themselves relax a little bit again. T’Challa watched the strange exchange curiously, wondering just how close the two had managed to become after such little time. 

That didn’t matter the most, though, T’Challa had more important things to get through. Looking at Tony, he gently said,”I… I want to apologize for what happened earlier today. I shouldn’t have pushed you to answer such a question. Especially when you just changed back.” 

Tony looked at him with wide brown eyes, seemingly very surprised at even being apologized to. He tilted his head curiously as he quietly responded,”I… Accept your apology. Even though you weren’t really the one that set me off.”

“Still, I am the one that attempted to start the conversation. I should have known you weren’t ready yet and that the others wouldn’t notice that as easily. For that, I apologize,” T’Challa persisted. 

The genius seemed even more surprised that T’Challa didn’t take the chance to escape blame. He lowered his head and gave a quick nod, but didn’t speak about T’Challa’s words past that. 

Bucky looked towards the king and then back at Tony as he shrugged and said,”I suppose this is a good time to say I was looking for you to thank you, Anthony.” 

“Thank me?” Tony repeated incredulously. “For what?” 

“Uh… For saving my life?” Bucky easily responded, as if it was obvious. “If you hadn’t showed up and attacked that asshole, the trigger words would have worked on me. And I know you know from experience what happens.” 

T’Challa was surprised again when Tony didn’t cringe at the memory and instead chuckled. “Yeah… That wouldn’t have been good,” The genius causally agreed.

Bucky let out a small laugh in return, and then leaned back against the wall again. Meanwhile, Tony looked at both of them and asked,”So are we all done with thank yous and apologies? I can only handle so much appreciation in one day.” 

“Yes, I think we’re done for now,” T’Challa said, rolling his eyes in amusement at the sight of Tony’s snarky attitude finally peeking through. 

The genius grinned in response and then leaned back against the wall too, closing his eyes for a mere minute before he lurched back up. “Hey!” He exclaimed,”Why don’t I help you with that even more, James?” 

Bucky opened his eyes, staring at the man curiously. “Help me with what exactly?” He asked,”I’m not following you right now.” 

“I mean with the trigger words!” Tony elaborated,”With me and Shuri working together, I bet we could come up with something!” 

The king and Bucky listened to his suggestion, and then the king found himself smiling. “I think that’s a great idea,” He replied,”I know that Shuri has been very excited to have a chance to brainstorm with you ever since you changed back.”

Bucky was also grinning, but it slowly morphed into more of a smirk. “That would wipe the smile off their faces next time they try to use the trigger words and they can’t,” He thought aloud,”Ooh! Maybe I could even pretend like it worked and then swing around and sock them in their sorry fucking faces.” 

Both T’Challa and Tony laughed at the thought, already imagining the beautiful sight in their minds. 

“I’d pay a lot of money to see that,” T’Challa declared,”In fact, I think that would be one of the most amazing things I could ever see.” 

“If we’re lucky, maybe Ross will get cocky enough and I’ll get to watch him get a nice, pretty broken nose!” Tony said,”Oh, how I wish I could see that.”

Bucky snorted. “You and most of the human population wish they could see that, Anthony,” He pointed out.

Tony spread his hands out, waving his fingers. “Yes they do, and with science I can make that a reality!” He proudly exclaimed, leaning forward and grinning at the super soldier. “So, what do you say? Want to trust me and Shuri with this?” 

“I ain’t got nothing to lose,” Bucky replied,”Besides, If this works, the payoff will be worth any hassle.” 

Tony seemed to practically vibrate with excitement now, looking over at T’Challa with eager eyes. The king smiled and got to his feet, motioning for him to follow. 

It only took the trio a few minutes to get to the front of the lab. The second the lab slid open, Shuri was already in the doorway.

 At the sight of Tony, she threw hands up and victoriously yelled,”YES!” She grabbed his hand, dragging him in before Tony could even get a word in. “What took you so long?! I already have like fifty seven different ideas for us, we have to start right away!” 

“And I got a couple for you,” Tony managed to respond,”So let’s get this science party started!” 

T’Challa and Bucky sat nearby, watching as Tony and Shuri babbled about different science terms and experiments they didn’t understand. Still, it was nice to watch, it was nice to see Tony genuinely happy. The king hoped it would last for a long while. 

But deep down inside his mind, he knew that sooner or later the topic of Tony’s captivity would have to be brought up again… 

— — — — — — — 

“No! No you can’t just do that!” 

“Yes I can, especially since this deal obviously isn’t working!” 

Ross glared at the HYDRA man on the other side of the video call, slamming his hand down on the conference table. “You can’t end the deal just because you stupidly underestimated Stark!” He snapped,”That’s your fault, not mine!” 

“Stark isn’t the main reason and you know it,” The Hydra man easily replied,”It’s what he took away from us. That part of the deal is what I’m talking about. We don’t have it, and it’s what we wanted for the whole deal to work.” 

The man sneered at the figure on the screen, wishing he had the power to send his men after him. “And what do you want me to do about it? Stark and Barnes are both tucked away in Wakanda, there’s no way to get them out,” He pointed out. 

The hydra soldier gave him an annoyed glare, as if to say ‘I already know that, you idiot’. He looked down, and Ross panicked in fear that the deal was going to be stopped. 

“B-But If we find a way to lure them out, that may not be a problem!” He suggested,”Stark and Barnes both have weak spots. If we get together and exploit them, we maybe be able to lure them all out.” 

He leaned forward, a smile on his face. “And then, you get what you want and I get what I want,” He explained,”All we’ll have to do is work together for a little while. It’ll be just like when we got rid of Stark the first time.” 

The soldier looked past the camera, most likely at his superiors, and then nodded. “Fine, we’ll work together again,” He conceded,”But just until we have Stark back, and then we go back to not associating. How does that sound?” 

With ideas already swirling inside the secretary’s brain, he simply let out an evil chuckle. “That sounds perfect.” 

Soon, they would both have what they wanted back. And this time, there wouldn’t be any escaping. 

— — — — — — — 

Tony couldn’t believe just how long it had been since he had been in a lab like this one. Being able to babble about science with someone who understood it, mess with tools, and just work on any idea that popped into his head. God, he had missed it so much. 

And Shuri, she was amazing. Though the genius usually worked alone, he had to admit she was an absolute joy to work with. 

In a way, she reminded him of Peter. They were both so young and yet had such an amazing grasp on science and engineering.

The thought of the kid sent a spike of sadness through him. He hadn’t seen Peter in so long, how was he doing? Was Happy still keeping an eye on him? What if- 

“Hey…” He heard someone say, a hand resting on his shoulder and making him flinch in surprise. He looked up, seeing Shuri staring at him with concern in her soft eyes. 

“You okay?” She asked,”You just stopped talking all of a sudden.” 

Tony frowned, shaking his head a bit. “Sorry…” He muttered,”I just… I was thinking about people. I’ve been gone so long, I just hope that everyone is doing okay. Especially with Ross creeping around.” 

His only solace when it came to Peter was that the teen’s identity was a secret… But Happy and Pepper were vunerable. He hoped they were okay.” 

“I don’t think you have to worry too much,” Shuri tried to comfort,”You escaped, right? That might make Ross think twice before trying anything. You have a lot of dirt against him.” 

Tony instantly cringed. “Dirt is too clean for him,” He said,”With all the stuff he has done, I prefer to refer to the ‘dirt’ as raw sewage.” 

Shuri giggled in response to that, handing him back the screwdriver he had been using. They fell back into silence for a while, simply working on some random project of Shuri’s for a few more minutes Then, a thought occurred to him… 

“Hey!” He said, turning to Shuri. “What if we use that dirt now?” 

This not only got Shuri’s attention, but also Bucky and T’Challa’s. The two men quickly got up from their seat, coming closer to hear more. 

“Think about it!” Tony continued,”Ross has a lot of power, and he’ll keep abusing that power to try to get to us. If we let the world see who he really is, we might be able to take away some of that.” 

The young woman suddenly grew very excited, a grin exploding on her face. “And with both of us working together, we can make it so he can’t get rid of his problems easily!” She said happily. 

“Yes, exactly!” Tony agreed, looking at the two men again. “What do you guys think?” 

Bucky was already nodding along, eager for any idea they had that could get rid of their problem. Even if it wouldn’t completely rid them of Ross, it was a start. 

T’Challa looked a little more hesitant. “It is a good idea,” He began,”But where have you put this information? We can do anything until we have it.” 

“Friday has it,” Tony said,”She hid it in a folder that is buried deep in my private server. Only I know the password, and it isn’t written down anywhere except in here.” He tapped his head with a grin. 

Bucky gave him a smirk, obviously happy with how prepared Tony was. “It sounds like you’ve been gathering this information for quite a while,” He analyzed aloud. 

Tony instantly seemed to grow angry. “Yeah I have…” He muttered,”I don’t think you ever met him, James, but do you remember Steve ever telling you about Bruce Banner?” 

“The name sounds familiar,” The super soldier said,”He’s the one that turns into the Hulk, right? Steve said that he’s been missing since you guys defeated Ultron.” 

The genius nodded sadly. “Yeah…” He whispered, before shaking it off and continuing,”Ross has been trying to kill him ever since he first started Hulking out. The only reason he stopped was because he had heart problems.” 

T’Challa continued, noticing how frustrated the genius was getting even speaking about the subject. “And that is why Doctor Banner was always hopping from country to country, correct?” He asked. 

“Yeah…” Tony quietly answered, lowering his eyes down. He often wondered what happened to his friend. Perhaps he was still traveling around? Maybe he’d eventually come back? He couldn’t only hope. 

The genius turned his attention back to the more important things. “All I need to do is get Friday here and then I can get the information I have,” He explained. 

“What will you need for that?” T’Challa asked,”I can provide just about anything, especially for a project such as this.” 

Tony held out his hand, counting things on his fingertips. “All I’m going to need is a secure computer, a USB drive, and a little bit of time,” He explained. 

“Ooh! And some snacks!” Shuri added in, making her older brother give her an annoyed glance. She frowned, placing her hands on her hips and glaring back. “What? Hacking and causing an international incident will make us hungry. I’m just thinking ahead.” 

T’Challa rolled his eyes as he turned and walked towards the exit. “I’ll see what I can do,” He promised, just about to leave the open door when a thought occurred to him. 

Turning back around to face Tony, he slowly asked,”Can I… Inform the Avengers about your plan? I know that things are tense between you all right now, but it’s probably best that they are kept in the loop.” 

The genius cringed at the thought, but to T’Challa’s surprise (and relief), he also nodded. “You can,” He quietly answered,”But unless they have anything useful for this plan, tell them to stay out of our way.” 

I was going to tell them that anyway. T’Challa thought as he nodded, leaving the room and having Okoye follow him out. 

“Do you think this plan will work?” The young woman asked him. 

T’Challa gave her a hopeful smile. “With Tony and Shuri working together, I hold no fear that it will,” He declared proudly, only for his grin to drop a few seconds later. “Although, I think even Tony recognizes that it won’t get rid of our problem completely.” 

Okoye nodded in agreement. “Ross and Hydra,” She spat,”They are way too much like cockroaches for my liking.”

“Even a cockroach can be crushed,” T’Challa reminded her,”It will just take a little extra work.” 

The woman looked at him, then looked back down the hallway with a snort that turned into a laugh as she shook her head. 

The king looked at her with a tilted head, a frown on his face. “What?” He asked,”What did I miss?” 

“You sound like one the quotes on those ridiculous American calendars,” She teased him, a mischievous smile on her face. 

T’Challa wanted to deny the comparison, but he knew she was right. Instead, he simply let out an annoyed sigh and muttered,”Let’s just go. We have important news to deliver.” 

Okoye gave a noise of agreement and let him take the lead, the mischievous grin on her face the entire time. 

— — — — — — 

There were several different reactions when the king explained the situation to the Avengers. But all in all, it seemed like everyone was on board for the plan. 

“Do they need anything from us?” Steve asked eagerly, a little too eagerly in everyone else’s opinion. 

T’Challa quickly shook his head. “No, they have everything under control. We just have to sit and watch the fallout,” He explained,”But I’m sure that afterwards, we will all work on the next phase of this plan together.” 

Many of the Avengers nodded in agreement, except for Steve and Clint. The super soldier looked down with a sigh, and muttered,”I just wish that he would let us help. I know we can.” 

“Oh, you can?” Okoye piped up,”So I suppose you know how to get past a firewall, or dig through a mainframe? Or how to get through different private serves?” 

Steve frowned even deeper, quickly lowering his head even further as she listed all the things he knew he couldn’t do. “S-Sorry,” He whispered. 

Okoye gave a form nod, letting Steve know she had heard his words. She and T’Challa then turned to leave, they had stuff that needed to be delivered.

Before they could, however, they heard a frantic Scott call for them. “Wait! Wait wait!” He exclaimed, stumbling off the couch,”Can I come with you? I think I can help!” 

“Oh?” T’Challa asked, wondering why Scott had waited so long to speak up. “Is this about your engineering capabilities?” 

Scott hesitated for a moment, and then shrugged. “Well, yes and no? I mean, I can help with that but I can also help in other ways.” 

Sam seemed to catch on faster than the king. “Is this about that news reporter woman?” He asked, gaining a nod from the hero. 

“Who?” T’Challa questioned. 

“Just some news lady, but we have relayed information through her before. You could say she’s connected with the Avengers a bit,” Sam explained,”But people might be willing to listen to her a lot more than other reporters.” 

Scott nodded eagerly. “And- And I know lots of people who would be willing to transfer that dirt that Stark has around for very little cost,” He added,”You don’t go to prison without meeting some interesting characters.” 

Natasha slowly raised her hand as well. “I know some still active shield agents who would be more than willing to add fuel to the flame as well,” She mentioned. 

T’Challa exchanged a look with Okoye, who gave him a silent nod. The king looked back over and said,”I think that will be very helpful indeed. Come with me, you three. I’ll take you to Tony and Shuri.” 

T’Challa had been hesitant about the plan at first, he had worried that even with Tony and his sister’s skill, that Ross would still find a way to hide the evidence they had against him. Now, with several of the Avengers adding their own help, things were looking a lot brighter. 

You messed with the cat, so now you get the claws. The king thought with a smile. Look out Ross.