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She didn’t give it a second thought. One moment she was looking at the live video and the next, she was standing between the two large computer monitors in the raised center of the room.
She heard the reactions to her arrival - a lot of raised voices and cocking guns - but all the noise appeared in the background, like even her own body acknowledged that everything was second to only Tony.
But he wasn’t there.
There was the severe looking lady to her right, aiming a gun at her head. There was a tall blond loosely holding a large hammer in his hand. There was Bruce Banner, the man Tony had alway lauded about. Next to Bruce was Captain America… Charlie’s eyes fluttered back to his ostentatious uniform before she felt her blood pressure rise and turned to Natashalie. Natashalie with no Birdman. Fury was there - bloody Nicholas Fury himself. But where was—
“Charlie?” Her name was merely a whisper amongst the multitude of yells and threats, but to her, it was the loudest voice in the room. Slowly, her body turned, slowly her vision narrowed, until it was only Tony at the end of the walkway. He was panting, clutching a phone tightly to his ear and was in the process of lowering it.
“Charlie.” She watched as he said her name louder, more assured, no longer a question. He took a step closer, but she couldn’t return the movement.
It had been 412 days since she last saw his stupid puppy dog mug - a number she didn’t even realize she was keeping count of till this exact moment. He looked… different. He looked more tired, more grey hairs on the top of his head. But, he still clutched a fist at the side of his body when he was stressed, he still had the stupid goatee on his face, and he still looked at her like she was Charlie. Just Charlie.
“...Charlie…”
Charlie could see his mouth moving, but the only word she was able to filter through the state in her mind was her name. Then, she couldn’t see him because Fury and Coulson took up arms in front of the mechanic’s body. She wanted to smile at their positions because they were trying to protect Tony - somehow in the 412 days she was gone, Tony had earned their protection. But she needed Tony. She needed her friend.
Two things happened in the next heartbeat. One, Tony pushed his way through the human barricade; and two, Charlie took a step forward. Another heartbeat lead to another step. Then a third, fourth, and fifth step and suddenly she was right there, right in front of him. She could see his fist clutching even tighter at his side, his eyes inspecting her body up and down, freezing at the torn bloody shirt demolished at her naval but always returning to her eyes.
“How do I know it’s really you?” he asked with a voice barely even audible.
But Charlie didn’t have to answer because suddenly Prongs was there. Prongs was there because she hadn’t felt this happy - this safe - in 412 days and Tony was right there .
“I missed you,” her voice rang out. Her mouth hadn’t moved but Prongs had always had her back.
She watched him look at the silver apparition with an indefinable expression on his face, and for a moment she believed Prongs wouldn't be enough; it had been too long, the way she left... She swallowed down the lump in her throat, cursing herself to say something - anything - when Tony threw his arms around her and squeezed until her body ached.
“I missed you too,” his voice rumbled in her ear. In his sudden embrace, her head had been pushed into his shoulder. The familiar scent of his fresh cologne tinted with a hint of sweat, relaxed her tense shoulders. “Please don't—You can't leave me again.”
Her eyes watered, all her walls breaking down. “I want to go home.”
He squeezed tighter. “Then let’s go home.”
And with a loud pop, the duo left.