Work Text:
So much had happened in the short time between leaving Clint’s farm and getting back to Avengers tower. You’d expected them to tell you to pack your bags and head home, but apparently your ability was too much for them to let go of so easily. SHIELD wanted you to stick around, and so did the Avengers. Before you left the farm Tony promised that as soon as things were done you would get things figured out.
That was what made you come clean about what happened in the shipyard. You admitted to getting taken away by Pietro, and added that he hadn’t seemed interested in hurting you.
“So what did he want?” Natasha had asked from across the table. Her head was lowered but she kept her eyes on you. She didn’t pry much, or suggest anything at all, really. It was a simple question and you didn’t have a simple answer.
“He said he wanted to help me,” you mumbled.
“Help you?” Steve questioned from behind you. You heard him straighten in the doorway, more interested now. You nodded. He asked, “With your barriers?”
You shook your head, eyes falling on Tony. “Something else I think.”
Natasha followed your gaze, and soon so did the rest of the room. Clint, Director Fury, Dr. Banner, Steve, and you all stared at the billionaire. Tony pointed at himself. “What?”
“Pietro said I was confused,” you stated, more baffled by what he had meant. “He wanted to show me who the real hero was.” You added the obvious, “He doesn’t like you very much.”
Steve huffed and crossed his arms, shaking his head. “I can’t believe this.”
“What? I didn’t do anything he just—he’s kind of fast, it’s not like I could stop him—” you began to argue when Natasha cut you off.
“That’s why he didn’t hurt them in the woods,” Natasha confirmed to Steve.
“An why he whisked them away when the box exploded,” Clint added. You shifted uncomfortably in your seat.
“What?” you asked. “Does he want me to join Ultron or something because I’m not gonna do that.” Quietly you muttered, “Not like they’d want me now anyway.”
“The kids got a crush,” Tony concluded. Nobody paid you any mind now, all of them exchanging worried glances.
“I do not have a crush,” you denied. Natasha arched one brow at you as things clicked into place. “Oh, you mean…he’s seen me all of twice. How could he…?”
Everything after that was a blur of shared glances and ushering you back to the tower as quickly as possible. You weren’t sure how going back to the half destroyed place, controlled mostly by a computer, was going to be the best place for you. You felt even less safe when the Avengers showed back up a day later with a box that apparently held the new Ultron. Or at least, that’s what you learned from all the arguing.
You stepped into the lab to find Tony, Dr. Banner, Captain America and the Maximoff’s? You stood behind them and Steve, everyone in the room unaware of your presence.
“I’m gonna say this once,” Steve said. You stepped forward looking at the box everyone argued about.
“How about nonce?” Tony suggested. His eyes flicked to you a moment before he came around the control panel.
“Shut it down,” Steve demanded.
“Nope.” Tony’s pace was quick as he came down the few steps. “Not gonna happen.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Steve argued.
“And you do?” Dr. Banner replied. He looked at you a moment as well and you took another few steps forward until you were on Steve’s left. You didn’t know what was going on, or why the Maximoff’s were suddenly on your side, but none of this looked good. You leaned back to look at Wanda, curious about her abilities and wondering if everyone in the room had gotten over what she’d done. Wanda turned her head towards you and you quickly snapped back up, facing the coffin-like box. Dr. Banner continued, “She’s not in your head?”
Wanda stepped up. “I know you’re angry—”
“Oh, we’re way past that,” Dr. Banner interrupted. You felt the urge to stand with him, to take his side after what had happened but you couldn’t move. The room was growing warmer the more you stood there, the more you stood near Wanda, you realized. She was emanating the heat, and with that heat the world began to feel real again. Nothing was flat, and the rush of adrenaline made your head swim. Dr. Banner added, “I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade.” His tone gave you chills.
“Banner after everything—”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” you demanded. You had to stop yourself from covering your mouth as you realized those were your words. You had defended the woman that managed to nearly cripple the Avengers. All heads turned to you, most of the shocked. Pietro, however, had a small smirk on his face.
“Y/N,” Tony said, “you can’t actually—”
“I’m not taking sides,” you told everyone, “but if that’s how you’re going to behave then I don’t think you’re in your right mind. Not now, anyway.” You eyes drifted towards the box. “Not enough to make the right decisions. What happened was—”
“Is nothing compared to what’s coming,” Tony said. Wanda cut in, and then Dr. Banner and Steve, all of them talking at the same time. You felt a sharp pain run through your temples and you held one hand to your forehead, eyes squeezed shut.
You could feel their anger, hot and surging over your skin. It dug into like thorns, wrapping around every inch of your being until you couldn’t hear their voices anymore. You heard a ringing, a vibration through your body, and you stumbled towards the box. If anyone in the room noticed, they didn’t try to stop you—or maybe there was just too much pain for you to even feel their hands on you.
A gust of wind rushed past you and you opened your eyes. You were standing beside Pietro holding a large tube that had been connected to the box, with Dr. Banner on the other side of him. You’d somehow moved ten feet without even realizing it.
“No, no,” Pietro said, “go on. You were saying? Your friend is hurt and you argue over this?” He gestured to the box and then turned to you. The heat you’d felt moments earlier had dissipated, but you were still warm. Still in control, you thought.
“I’m fine,” you told Pietro.
“No, you’re not.” It was Tony that spoke. “You, get away from Y/N. Now.”
As Tony headed towards you there was a loud gunshot, and by the time you were able to blink the glass beneath Pietro’s feet had shattered and he began to fall. You didn’t think about anything—about how you’d just felt the thorns on your skin, or how the Avengers were fighting each other over something you couldn’t understand. All you thought about was the fact you didn’t want Pietro to get hurt—and you created a barrier beneath his feet.
Pietro flinched, expecting a fall but landing instantly on your barrier. He looked down, and so did you, finding Clint below you. Clint held his gun towards Pietro but didn’t take another shot and yelled, “What are you doing Y/N?”
Wanda came forward. “Pietro!”
He looked up at you and then to his sister, grinning. Tony was only a foot away from you when the computers began to beep, the screen reading, “Power Level Critical”, and he was distracted again. It hurt you a little to see him make the choice he did.
“I’m rerouting the upload,” Tony announced. You pursed your lips. You opened your mouth to speak when Steve threw his shield towards the computers, smashing it into them and creating sparks everywhere. Again, you didn’t think, and created a barrier around yourself, Dr. Banner, and the twins.
Wanda flinched back, her eyes travelling up and down as if seeing something. “What is this?” she whispered, looking to you.
“You can see it?” you questioned. Even you couldn’t see your barriers—only feel it.
“She is good, yes?” Pietro asked his sister. Wanda gave a small nod but all of you quickly turned as Captain America flew backwards after a blast from Tony’s suit. He only had his glove on, but the rest was coming fast, flying through a window and attaching to him—readying him for battle. Against Steve.
Wanda’s eyes glowed red when Dr. Banner grabbed her from behind, wrapping one arm around her neck and locked her arms behind her back.
“Banner,” you shouted. The red in Wanda’s eyes faded, but the anger in Pietro’s only grew. You grabbed onto his arm to stop him, since the last thing you wanted in this fight was for the other guy to show up, but your strength was nothing compared to Pietro’s. You lifted a barrier around him, locking him in place. He hit against the barrier before turning to you.
“Let me go!” he demanded.
“He won’t hurt her,” you stated. “Right Banner?”
He didn’t have a chance to answer as Wanda sent a blast of energy through her own chest and into Banner. He stumbled back and Wanda turned, sending more energy at him and knocking him to the ground. You dropped the barrier around Pietro, and then the one around yourself and the twins, holding one over Banner. You waited for him to begin to turn, but he didn’t, and you were soon distracted by Thor coming crashing into the room.
Thor leapt onto the box, drawing everyone’s attention as he lifted his hammer into the air. Lightning erupted around him, blinding you. You covered your eyes, peeking through your fingers for a glimpse at what was happening. He then knelt down and pointed the hammer at the box, sending the lightning into it. Wind whirled around you, and you had no idea what anyone else was thinking. Should you stop this? Should you join the fight against the Avengers? It felt wrong just to think.
“Wait!” Dr. Banner cried. Everyone stared in shock at Thor. The computers read, “WARNING, Power Overload”.
And then the lightning stopped, and there was a moment of silence before the box lit up and exploded. Thor was sent through the air, his hammer going with him. Everyone else ducked while you created another barrier around them and yourself. It had happened so fast, and Thor had been too close; there was nothing you could have done to help him.
A figure emerged from the box, surrounded by smoke and flashing lights. You studied their red and silver skin, the small yellow jewel on their forehead glowing.
“Y/N,” Tony said, eyes on you from across the room. When you looked to him you expected your gazes to meet, but he was looking at your stomach. In fact, everyone was, even the red man that had just jumped out of a box. You looked down and saw a long sliver of metal protruding from your stomach, baffled by it’s existence. Red seeped into your clothes, and as you realized it was your own blood your legs weakened.
“But I…I made a barrier,” you said, falling to your knees. Pietro and Wanda were on either side of you now, the edges of your vision darkening. You coughed and covered your mouth, getting it slick with blood. You gave a long blink, finding it difficult to keep your eyes open.
The red man leapt towards Thor, and that was the last thing you saw before losing consciousness.