Archive of Our Own ^beta

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die.

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

“Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

They were losing the battle, unfairly so too. What was new since Iron Man had left? Since Tony had left him. Steve sighed as he once again threw his shield against the opposing army of Ultron commanded robots.  A few went down but they were quickly replaced. Even the Hulk was getting tired. He kept valiantly smashing though.

Wanda went flying with a scream and Clint leaped up and caught her, just barely. Both of them crashed to the ground. He heard horrible snapping sounds and knew Clint’s wrist was broken if the slew of cursing was any indication. Pietro picked them up one by one and carried them to a small shop that the rest of them were being herded towards.

He took a step back and the army of robots in front of him took two forward forcing him another step back. With a snarl, Steve snapped his shield off and proceeded to fight some of the more daring ones with his own hands.

A blast went off that rocked him on his feet and he took up his shield and ran to the shop where Nat, Clint (who was somehow firing his bow one-handed), Wanda, Pietro (occasionally), and Bruce were. Thor had left them, promising help from Asgard. That had been weeks ago.

A concussive blast hit him and the back and sent Steve sprawling. The shield may cancel any kinetic energy but only if the energy actually hit him. His shield had been in his hands.

His hands hit the pavement beneath him and he felt the tearing through his gloves as he scrapes his palms. Getting back on his knees he’s hit again and this time his head bounces off the sidewalk beneath him. A shout from Wanda is his only indication he should move.

Rolling to his side he sees the robot land and the sidewalks cracked from the force of it. Pushing himself up and ignoring how tired his arm is he throws the shield from his position laying on the ground.

Embedding in the robot's chest Steve got up and forced his shield the rest of the way through before beheading the robot with his shield. The power drained out of the eyes and he sighed happily. Jumping through the broken window he lands in the little shop, it’s now he notices its a cafe.

Everyone has upended tables and made a barrier out of them. No one really cared or bothers to notice that Bruce is shivering and he has cuts marring his body. Steve doesn’t want to know how many hits Hulk took for Bruce to have them when he came out of it.

He turns to join their weak front line and he knows depp in his heart, this is it. This is where the Avengers and the millions they protect fall. He tightens his grip and swallows roughly. Nodding to his team one last time he whispers, “Avengers, assemble.”

Everyone nodded. They had no reason to disobey or wonder. They had only the mission ahead of them and they were going to do it. They all stood as one and readied their weapons it powers. They would go down fighting.

He throws his shield and everyone is surprised, even the robots when the shield freezes. It was enveloped in a red light before it slowly floated back to him. With slightly shaky hands he grabbed it. The robots all look up, towards something , before they get blown back by something Steve can only describe as a wave of energy.

The Avengers pause and wait for the robots to come back up but they never do. They all tentatively walk outside to see Tony Stark floating above them.

Tony is wearing a traditional wizard’s robe. The sleeves pooled around his arms and their gold trim shimmered in the light. The robe itself was a deep red, like his iron man suit once was. Instead of stars or writing formulas and symbols trimmed the robe. No one could say Tony Stark didn’t show his brain sometimes. The hood was down. He had on his red shirt with wrist wraps (once again, gold) and loose pants. His belt was gold with a Iron Man helmet buckle, a callback to the older days. His feet were in knee high black boots with gold laces up to his knees tied in perfect little bows. The heel on the boot was a few inches high. His hands were bare but the sleeves on his wrists and the wrist wraps ended right at the edge of the heel of his palm so there was no reason for gloves.

The man himself was impeccable as always. His beard was freshly trimmed and his bright blue eyes sparkled with mischief. His hair was freshly ruffled and the slight dark circles beneath his eyes were not really detracting from the way he was smiling like he was their saving grace, which he was, but that was beside the point. His feet pointed towards the ground as he hovered and held out his arms. He had arrived.

He landed with a soft thump in front of their semicircle. His boots click lightly against the asphalt as he walks forward to grab one of the Ultron heads before throwing them away in disgust. His face twists into something ugly and horrendous in Steve’s eyes for a second but it all smoothes out.

Everyone else is silent though, they have nothing to say as they look at Steve, minds unbelieving. Even he is having trouble going through what happened. The hardest part to grasp seems to be the magic use. He remembers the long nights Tony spent ranting about how magic was useless and just a carnival trick. That seemed years ago.

Tony finally turned back to them and Steve was once again struck by how blue his eyes were, They had always been this same blue, of course, but they were mesmerizing all the same. They were a light blue but always seemed to glow in dim light. He knew he was staring but he was a starved man for Tony.

“We need to leave,” Tony said, “Vision will be joining us enroute but for now we need to leave.”

He threw a energy bit down and it expanded into a platform that floated a few inches off the ground. It glowed red dimly against the overcast muggy sky. No one moved towards the platform even as Tony stepped on it and looked to them expectantly.

“Tony, what, how, why? ” Steve sputters, “Tony you abandoned us months ago and now you just expect us to hop on some platform that magically appeared and go with you to see some guy named Vision?”

Everyone nodded or hummed agreement before Wanda added, “Your magic is not like mine Stark I do not trust it.”

Tony sighed, scrubbed a hand down his face and said, “Look I left because I could see where we were ending up. We were going to lose because if Ultron got a hand on my suit it would be over. I trained, got better, and I’m back now, for good . Yes, Wanda, my magic would feel different. It’s drawn from the Earth whereas yours is drawn from within the self. We really do need to leave thought because I don’t know if you’re aware but Ultron is trying to kill me .”

Clint and Bruce shrugged as one before hopping on the platform. When they got on they light beneath their feet grew a darker red, like the energy was gathering and making itself denser where they stood. Little ripples went out from their feet like on a pond.

Tony threw a stone across the lake and it skipped once, twice, thrice, four times before sinking. Steve smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth. His arms were wrapped around Tony’s waist and his hands were splayed across Tony’s toned stomach. Gentle fingers teasing gave the barest hints of massages. Tony turned his head slightly to give Steve a playful glare but his smile betrayed him.

“You’re testing me Rogers,” Tony purred.

“Is that so? I suppose I just have to keep going until you snap,” Steve mused aloud.

Tony fully turned towards Steve and pulled him close by his collar and growled, “Watch it, Captain .”

“I am watching something, you,” Steve murmured against Tony’s lips.

Tony gently pressed his lips against Steve’s for a second and said, “Good choice, Steven.”

Steve gently placed one foot on the platform and, upon finding it sturdy, got on fully. Nat joined him and so did Pietro. Wanda looked skeptical but with some encouraging looks from her brother she joined them, her own magic swirling around her fingers. She still didn’t trust tony fully it seemed.

Tony stepped on the platform with them and raised his arms. They were encased in a dome and it floated up before pausing for a second.

Tony said, “Brace yourselves it’s about to get fast.”

This was all the warning they got before the bubble, dome, thing shot forward. From the ground Steve would guess they looked like a low flying airplane at the rate they were shooting forward. After a second they all adjusted. Wanda leveled a glare at Tony but he was busy on his phone that was displaying a holographic screen with seemingly random numbers scrolling through it on an endless scroll. The numbers were making Steve’s head spin.

Clint and Nat were watching the world pass by with sharp eyes and Bruce was steadfastly staring at the screens Tony had pulled up. Pietro was bouncing between a quiet conversation to assure his sister, looking out of the sides, and watching the screen.

Eventually they slowly came to a stop at the edge of a mountain range, the Urals if Steve had to guess from flight time from Rome (where they had just been). It floated down into a clearing where there was a mansion. There really was no other word for the sprawling estate beside them now. A red cloaked man stood outside it waiting for them.

The platform pushed into the ground before the whole thing faded out of existence. Tony began walking towards the man, clapping him on the shoulder as he turned and presented him with a large flourish.

“This is the Vision but he sometimes goes by Victor Shade. He is what I have spent my time creating and perfecting. He is how we will win the war,” Tony introduced.

Ten Years Later

Tony Stark was passed out in his bed beside his husband, Steve Rogers, who was also sleeping. This was soon to change if the two sets of footsteps running down the hallway were any indication. The thump-thump-thump of footsteps ended with the whoosh of a door opening.

There was a beat of silence before two children, both boys, jumped and landed on their fathers. Tony’s eyes shot open with a groan while Steve let out his own without opening his eyes. The day had just begun for the family. The war but a distant memory.