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There was something safe about where you were, you just weren’t sure why. You could remember a distinct sense of danger, but you didn’t feel unsafe now. Something was wrong, but at the same time you knew everything was okay. It made your stomach hurt. Or was that…you winced and opened your eyes to find the metallic ceiling of the Avengers tower above you.
“What happened?” you croaked. “Did I…?” You blinked slowly and turned to your left to see Wanda. Her hand was covering yours as Tony moved Dr. Helen Cho’s device away from you.
“It’s only been a couple hours,” Tony told you. “You’re gonna be fine.” There was no glare towards Wanda as you thought there would be.
You twisted your neck to see the rest of the room but found it empty. There were still shards of broken glass from Ultron’s attack on the tower, and beyond the closed door you could hear some kind of arguing. You tried to sit up and grunted as a shot of pain ran through you.
Tony pulled a chair up to the table and pressed a hand on your shoulder, making you stay down. It wasn’t hard, and you focused on keeping your breathing even. “Thor was…”
“Thor’s fine,” Tony told you. “Made a new friend even.”
You furrowed your brow and turned towards him. His hand was still on your shoulder, as if he thought you would try to move again if he pulled away. Maybe you would, you didn’t like the way the voices in the other room sounded. You could make out Banner and Steve, but not Pietro.
“He is safe,” Wanda told you. You looked to her, felt the warmth of her hands on your own.
“What are you doing?” you asked. “I can…you’re doing something to me.”
“It is you that is doing something,” Wanda told you. She glanced at Tony and then back to you. “You have little control.”
“You sound like Romanoff,” you stated. Tony smirked, and you couldn’t help but give a little smile yourself. When you didn’t try to move again he walked over to the table beside you and picked up a tablet. “What happened?”
“A shard from the box pierced through you,” Tony answered, holding a tablet in front of him. He only glanced up at you before flicking a finger across the screen. “You’re gonna be fine. Sore for a few days, but fine.”
“Pierced?” you questioned. Leaning up Tony grimaced at you. You shook off him and Wanda and slowly let your legs drop off the table. Dizzy but aware, you jumped as there was a loud bang on the other side of the door. It quickly slid open and Steve walked in with Banner on his heels—neither of them seemed happy with Tony as they glowered in his direction.
“Still blaming me for this?” Tony questioned. No reply. Tony confirmed, “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“This isn’t your fault,” you told the room. “It’s…”
“We do not have time to blame anyone,” Wanda cut in. “Ultron is preparing for war while we squander our time.” She stood and came around the table to stand at your side.
“By the looks of it he’s already prepared,” Steve said. “Sokovia doesn’t have much time.”
“Neither does Natasha,” Bruce cut in. His body seemed to be shivering with worry, his hands grasping at each other. “Ultron has her.”
“We’ll get her back,” Steve assured. But it was easy to see the doubt in his face.
Tony came in, oddly enough as the voice of reason. “He won’t just kill her. Not flashy enough.”
“You would know,” Steve muttered. His eyes fell on you, softening just a bit. You pursed your lips, hating that you’d already caused such a delay.
“Well we should go then.” While you knew Romanoff could handle herself, even without super powers, you didn’t like the idea of her alone with an army of psychotic robots. You tried to stand when Tony, Steve, and Wanda put theirs hands on your shoulders to hold you back. Your head swam with their sudden movement and you had to blink a few times to gain your composure.
“You need to stay here,” Steve said. Nobody tried to argue.
“I could help,” you stated.
“You can’t even stand,” Tony said, sending you a disapproving look.
“I can’t stay here,” you argued. But there was a coolness over your body you couldn’t explain. If you went into battle now you would only get yourself killed, or worse, someone else. “I want to help.”
“Rest up,” Tony instructed, “get ‘em next time.”
You raised your eyes to meet his, both of you thinking the same thing. If there is a next time. But you nodded. “When do you leave? Now?”
“You’re not staying here alone,” Steve said.
You squinted at him. “Why?” If there was ever a situation that needed all hands on deck this seemed like it.
“We don’t have time for this,” Bruce said. “Y/N, I’m sorry but we need to leave. Just…stay.”
A rush of wind brushed through the room and then Pietro was leaning on the table beside you. “We go fight robots now, yes?” There was a handful of blueberries in his hand and he popped a few in his mouth. Tony grimaced at him but didn’t object. Pietro held a hand out to you but you shook your head.
“I see you found the kitchen,” Tony said.
“No, these were in your room,” Pietro said with a grin. He threw the rest in his mouth before jumping onto the table with you. There was a one foot distance between you, but there was a heat emanating off of him similar to Wanda’s. His felt much more…anxious though. You gently pressed your hand on your stomach, feeling the sharp pain as your stomach churned with the thought of the coming fight.
“Sam’s going to stay with you,” Steve announced. “He should be here in five minutes and when he is we’ll be on the jet.” He gave a nod to the twins and Bruce, who nodded back. Bruce was first out the door, followed by Pietro after he gave you one last look. An unreadable look, but you thought it was something like disappointment. You imagined your face mirrored it.
Wanda touched your arm. “We will be back,” she told you. It was only so comforting. “We will talk then.”
You nodded at her as she left for the jet.
“Since when are we all friends?” you asked. Not that you were going to complain—the energy you felt from the twins was comfortable. You couldn’t remember the last time someone had made you feel comfortable. But as Wanda and Pietro left the room, so did that comfort. Your body felt pained and you squeezed the edge of the table with both hands to appear as strong as you could.
“You missed a lot,” Steve told you.
“I’m sensing I missed more than a lot,” you said quietly. You scanned the three men’s faces, finding they seemed more grave about leaving you alone rather than the fight with Ultron. “Will I get answers when you’re back?”
When Steve hesitated Tony answered. “Of course you will. And if he doesn’t give them to you, I will.” He stepped in front of you, moving Steve out of the way. Lowering his head he looked you in the eye, intense and serious. He pointed a finger at you. “I have one rule while we’re gone.”
You nodded for him to go on.
“Stay out of my room.”
You snorted a quick laugh and that seemed to be enough for him to leave you at the tower in the hands of Sam Wilson.