Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’d taken Steve years to get to the top. He started out kinda low on the food chain, not super low since the boss before him favored military veterans and treated them with a lot of respect. The mob life hadn’t been what Steve had thought he’d be doing after leaving the military, but when his mom got sick and the medical bills started to take over the kitchen table he got desperate. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it as an artist so he went to the one man who he knew could help him.

Dr. Abraham Erskine was an old friend of Steve’s and had helped him get meat on his bones and into the army. Steve didn’t see why the doctor couldn’t help him now when he really needed it. Erskine gave Steve several options, but Steve wasn’t exactly happy with being stuck behind a desk all day. So Erskine introduced him to Chester Phillips, the boss before Steve. Chester was glad to have Steve around, as he was always willing to help out a fellow veteran.

So that’s how Steve started working for the mob. He started out as a bouncer at one of the clubs, which the girls really liked. He was nice, polite, and treated them like they were normal women, not some pretty girl there to entertain him in their underwear. He could take care of any guy who caused a problem too, easily throwing them out of the club. The job paid well and he was able to pay the hospital bills and get his mom a nice apartment with a great ocean view, which she really enjoyed. She also enjoyed Steve’s drawings and paintings that filled the walls of her place. About every week he came home with something new to add.

Chester didn’t have Steve do a lot of “dirty work” since he was new, though after a while he let Steve pick what he wanted to do. Steve was thankful for that when he didn’t have to leave his mom at random times and could go with her to doctor appointments or take her to the park. However, it did take him a while to tell her what he was really doing since he was a bit ashamed for doing it.

“It’s not the life I imagined you having, but it makes you happy doesn’t it?” Sarah asked. They’d gone to the park and were feeding the ducks when Steve told her the truth.

Steve blinked at the question, but nodded. “I do like it and it pays well. It’s better than being a secretary at a clinic.”

Sarah chuckled softly, though it was followed by a harsh cough and it took her a few minutes to calm down, “It does. I couldn’t believe you took that job. Honey, I don’t care what you do so long as you’re happy.”

Steve smiled. “I’m happy if you are.”

She smiled brightly, her eyes shining. “I’m happier now than I was when you were in the army. You’re home a lot more now.”

Steve nodded. “I am.”

Things were fine for a few months and it looked like Steve’s mom was going to get over the cancer and live a healthy life. One night while Steve was breaking up a fight he got a call. He wasn’t able to answer, but they’d left a voicemail and when he had a few minutes he listened to it. He’d been scared something had happened to his mom, but was shocked to hear the voice on the other line.

“Hey Steve, its Peggy. I’m assuming this is still your number and praying it is. I got back to the States yesterday and…” There was a long paused before she let out a heavy sigh, “I’m in the hospital. Room 302. Just come when you can.”

Steve almost dropped his phone. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more; the fact Peggy was back, or the fact that she was in the hospital. He wanted to go right then, but it was way past visiting hours.

So morning came and he took off work and went to see Peggy. He got her flowers from a local shop and hoped she wouldn’t mind them since she wasn’t really into flowers. He needed to bring her something, it felt wrong to go empty handed.

He’d made sure to go early so there were hardly any other people there besides the nurses and doctors. He stood in the doorway to Peggy’s room and just watched her. She was sleeping peacefully and he wished he would’ve remembered to bring his sketch book.

“Can I help you?” a nurse asked from behind him.

Steve stepped to the side and let her in. “Uhm…yeah. What happened to her?” he asked softly as he moved closer to Peggy’s bed.

“Roadside bomb. She’s the luckiest of her group to only escape with a burned leg. She won’t be going back that’s for sure though,” the nurse said, checking Peggy’s IVs and charts. “Do you want a vase for those flowers?”

Steve sat down while he listened to the nurse, shocked. He blinked and nodded. “Ah, yes please. Thank you.”

The nurse nodded and then left. Steve held the flowers close, feeling bad for having left Peggy back there. He’d served his time though, and had been shipped home. He would’ve gone on another tour, but had left the military to take care of his mother.

He sat there silently for several hours, not noticing when the nurse brought the vase or when a second nurse came in to replace Peggy’s IV bag. He might’ve fallen asleep, but was wide awake when Peggy shifted and opened her eyes. She looked at him, completely shocked. “Steve…..”

Steve didn’t say anything, just smiled and then hugged her gently, careful to not hurt her. Peggy smiled and hugged him tightly, so glad his phone number hadn’t changed. She didn’t have anyone else to call.

They sat hugging each other a while before Peggy let him go. “It’s nice to see you again Steve.”

“I would’ve liked it under better circumstances,” He said.

Peggy chuckled and noticed the flowers. “Those for me?” At Steve’s nod she smiled, “They’re beautiful.”

Steve was there for Peggy through everything and helped her the best he could, taking on a few bills she couldn’t pay. Chester had asked what Steve was doing since he was gone more than usual, and when Steve told him about Peggy he immediately offered to help. Chester did his best to get Peggy the job she wanted and she did get it, but after a few months she ended up hating it.

Chester offered her a job at the club.

“I’m not pretty enough to be a stripper. Besides I can’t dance with my leg,” Peggy said. She didn’t like the idea of being a stripper.

“I didn’t say you’d be a stripper. We could always use another bartender, one that’s used to keeping secrets. You could work in my private bar. There isn’t much walking around and if there’s any sort of problem my guys will be right there,” Chester said. Peggy wasn’t really sure. “Just think about it. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”

Peggy smiled softly. “Thank you.”

Peggy did continue to look for a job; even after taking Chester up on his offer. It was nice though, since she worked in the area set aside for Chester and his inner circle and they were all very polite and patient.

A few months after Peggy started working there, Steve started taking dirtier jobs. He wasn’t sure why; he’d taken one cause no one else was around and it had needed to be done. To Steve’s amazement, he liked doing it. Eventually he was doing at least one a week and Chester gave him a team. They ended up calling themselves the Howling Commandos, which Steve liked and thought was amusing. Later on they’d start calling him Captain.

~~

Tony Stark, heir to Stark industries and a genius. When he wasn’t out partying or drunk he sat in his lab and created some of today’s best technology. Tony had the good life; women when he wanted and all the latest toys. As a teenager Tony’s life hadn’t been as good; he got everything he wanted, except the approval of his father. No matter how rebellious or how great of an achievement he got he never heard his father praise him.

When Tony’s parents died in a car crash the company went to Howard’s longtime friend Obadiah Stane, leaving Tony to party his way through college. The company struggled under Stane’s control, and when Tony turned 21, he sobered up and took over, restoring SI to its former glory, while making some improvements. Stark Industries stopped focusing on making weapons and went into the medical business; creating supplies and machines that could be made accessible to the less fortunate in the world.

Obadiah didn’t like the direction Tony was taking the company and sabotaged Tony every time he could. Tony, being the genius he is, either countered or used Obadiah’s sabotage to his benefit, making the company better every time. Finally Obadiah had enough and had Tony kidnapped. The kidnappers were supposed to kill Tony, but weren’t prepared for Tony’s own plans. During the months he was imprisoned he built himself a suit, which he used to escape and return to take Obadiah down.

Tony hadn’t taken into account the desert and cursed himself for not after crashing into a sand dune when his suit lost power. Tony wandered the desert for days, thinking he should just dig himself a grave and lie down; no one was searching for him out here. Fate had other plans though and Rhodey found Tony.

“Look at who’s escaped death yet again,” Rhodey said with a grin, holding Tony up.

Tony let out a wheezing laugh. “Some sort of Final Destination shit. I’ll probably die from slipping in the shower.”

Rhodey shook his head. “Nah, you’ll die fighting.”

Rhodey took Tony back to civilization, got him cleaned up and helped him get back to pissing Obadiah off.

While Tony was gone Obadiah had taken over SI again and was doing everything wrong. Tony was determined to take it back and would die trying. With Pepper and Rhodey’s help he did take Obadiah down and managed to kill the man. It was too late for Stark Industries, as Obi had already destroyed the company and Hammer Industries took over.

Pepper and Rhodey took Tony out of town so he could gather himself and heal after his showdown with Obadiah. Despite the money in his back account and the knowledge still stuck in his head, Tony wouldn’t be able to take back SI and get it to the top again. Ever faithful Pepper stayed with Tony while Rhodey went back to the military, acting as an informant for Stark. Pepper made sure Tony lay low and they got a modest apartment together, while Tony did his best to network without attracting attention to himself.

A month later Happy knocked on their door, beaten, battered, and in desperate need of help. This fueled Tony’s anger even more and he knew something had to be done. After many arguments with Pepper, and Rhodey supporting him, Tony went to someone who had connections and could help him.

Yinsen had been as helpful as ever, even though he wasn’t sure what to do for a while. It took a few months, but he finally found someone who could help. Yinsen sent Tony to Dr. Erskine, who introduced him to Steve Rogers. Tony wasn’t thrilled about meeting Steve, a friend of his fathers; he’d heard his father go on and on about the Eagle Scout and what he’d done for his country and how he was a hero and all this other stuff Tony didn’t care about. Steve and Howard had been good friends, but Tony had never met Steve until now.

“Don’t mess this up Tony,” Pepper spoke as she fixed his tie. They were meeting Steve at some fancy benefit dinner and Tony remembered why he drank so much before these things. “He knows a lot of people and is a good guy. Yinsen wouldn’t send you to someone he didn’t trust.”

Tony sighed as he looked at Pepper. “My dad used to brag about this guy. People like him are usually stuck up and don’t want to help anyone.”

“Steve might be different. Give him a chance please,” Pepper said, her eyes pleading.

Pepper was right; Steve was different. He listened to Tony’s story and seemed ready to go after Hammer that very night. He spoke with Chester, who said they’d gladly help Tony in any way they could.

Tony wasn’t one to accept help very often, even when it’s offered. When Tony realized the protection Steve could offer for him and Pepper, especially Pepper, he grudgingly accepted it. When they moved into a more luxurious apartment, Tony could purr with excitement, happy to have some of his previous commodities again. Dr. Erskine arranged for Tony to work in a private medical research facility and had Pepper working as a secretary in one of his clinics during the day; at night Pepper worked as a stripped at Lady A, Steve’s club.

Steve and Tony butted heads with each other in the beginning. A lot. It wasn’t uncommon for anyone sitting around them to see, or hear, them argue about one thing or another. At first people would try to interrupt and calm them down, but eventually just gave up and let them argue. In the end they learned to argue more quietly, which resulted in them talking like normal human beings; from that they developed a tolerance and snarky friendship. Pepper and many others were glad that they’d stopped shouting at each other, most of the time anyways.

~~

Betty Ross and Bruce Banner had known each other since college and had worked together since their sophomore year biology class. The two were the top scientist in their field and any company would be thrilled to have them. But they remained with a small independent company that funded their research and didn’t bug them to do anything else. Oh course they didn’t know the company was selling their research to other companies. Bruce did find out after getting a few suspicious e-mails. It’d taken him a bit to hack into the company’s systems, but he did it and once he found out he and Betty quit, taking their research with them.

This caused some issues; most were with the military as they wanted the research to use it to make weapons. After a few explosions on several occasions that destroyed quite a few buildings they disappeared.

Betty and Bruce ran for a long time, seemingly always one step ahead of the military, and eventually they ended up in the slums of some town they’d never been to and were lying low. Betty knew they needed to find another place to stay and some way to make money. So she started asking around, begging, pleading, and on certain occasions, threatening, until someone referred her to Steve Rogers, who could be found at the Lady A strip club. She went during the day knowing they weren’t truly open, but still hoped someone would be there and they’d get her to Steve.

Luckily for Betty the first person she ran into was Steve, and after learning Bruce and Betty’s story he promise to see what he could do. He gave them the address and key to a better apartment and said he’d call them when he had something figured out.

Chester hadn’t been thrilled about harboring fugitives, but he couldn’t find it in himself to turn them away, especially after hearing their story. That and Bruce’s hacking skills really helped him out in a few jobs, earning Bruce a really nice apartment for him and Betty. Betty and Bruce both got to work with Yinsen and his research team, which gave them something to do during the day. At night Bruce was a hacker for Chester, and Betty decided to take up stripping with Pepper.

Bruce and Tony got along instantly. Tony was fascinated by Bruce’s research and did his best to help, lending a hand to Betty whenever she needed it. Steve and Pepper found it amusing how fast Tony took to the two scientists; it was also surprising how fast Bruce and Betty got attached to Tony in return, when considering how skittish they had been before.

Everything seemed to be fine and went well as Steve worked through the ranks, getting closer to the top and more protective over his little team. A year went by and then Steve’s mother’s health took a turn for the worst.

The cancer came back with a vengeance and within a few months Steve’s mother passed away. It was hard on him, though a small part of him was glad that she’d passed away in her sleep. On that day Sarah had called Steve and asked him to come over, even though it was out of the blue, Steve went. They’d talked for hours and Sarah had managed to tell Steve about her will and a few other things. Steve knew she’d known she was dying and he’d done everything he could to get her comfortable. He thought about Sarah’s apartment and wished they’d been there so she could see the ocean again; the hospital wasn’t the prettiest of places.

That entire day Steve did nothing but draw for her. When she’d fallen asleep that night he held her hand, and when her heart monitor stopped beeping he sat there for hours, crying silently. He stayed there until the nurses had taken her away, leaving him to prepare for the funeral.

Not many people attended, but Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Betty, Chester, and the Commandos were all there and did their best to comfort Steve. Chester let Steve have an entire month off to recover. Peggy and Pepper made sure he took care of himself. Steve spend most of his time in his mom’s apartment, wishing she’d lasted a little longer, but everyone had their time to go. Eventually he had to pack up everything and leave the apartment. He kept all of Sarah’s stuff and found a place for all of it in his place. Most of Sarah’s stuff consisted of his drawings, which he stored, not ready to face them quite yet.

After moving all his moms stuff he locked himself in his apartment. It took Peggy several hours of convincing to get him to go outside. He was starting to scare her with how he was acting.

On one of Pepper’s day to take groceries to Steve, Tony asked if he could do it instead. Pepper seemed a bit confused.

“A new face may make him feel better.” Tony gave the best reason he’d come up with. Really he just wanted to see Steve. He missed him.

Pepper nodded. “Alright. Here’s his key and what he needs. Tony, please be nice to him.” She gave him the key to Steve’s apartment and a grocery list.

Tony smiled. “I will be.” He took the key and list and headed out. He got Steve’s groceries and then went to his apartment. There wasn’t any way he was going to carry all those bags up there by himself so he headed up and went into Steve’s place. “Steve?” he called.

Steve, having not been expecting Tony’s voice, left his bedroom, in just his boxers, and gave Tony a confused look. “Is Pepper ok?”

“Oh yeah she’s fine. Just figured I’d help out a bit.” Tony shrugged a bit. “Would you mind helping me bring up groceries? I got a lot.”

Steve nodded slowly. “Yeah…just give me a minute,” he said and disappeared back into his bedroom. Tony couldn’t help but watch him go.

Steve came back, dressed, a moment later and they went down to Tony’s car and got all the groceries and then put them away. Once they were done Steve offered to make some breakfast, which Tony let him do even though he wasn’t hungry. He wandered the apartment and came to Steve’s desk, which had a bunch of sketch books and random drawings on it. Tony recognized Sarah in many of the stray papers littering the desk. There were quite a few of Peggy too.

“Have you ever put your work in a gallery?” Tony asked.

Steve blinked and glanced at Tony from the stove. “I did once. My mom thought it was really cool and would go sit in the gallery and people watch.” He let out a shaky sigh.

“You should do another one. In honor of your mom,” Tony said as he flipped through a sketch book. “Pepper knows all kinds of art people and I could pay for the gallery space. All you would need to do is get some pieces together. You have plenty here and-” He turned to look at Steve, but stopped talking with the way Steve had tensed up. “Or not…”

Tony bit his lip as he took a seat at the kitchen counter, remaining silent, letting Steve think and calm down. Tony was surprised Steve didn’t burn the eggs with how long he stood there. “Have any coffee?” he asked.

“I don’t have any cream or sugar,” Was all Steve said as he started the coffee maker.

“That stuff’s gross. Pepper puts it in her coffee and it always tastes horrible. Except for the peppermint kind she uses at Christmas. That stuff is good!” Tony said, smiling softly.

Steve let out a soft chuckle. “I’m used to military coffee so the store brands taste pretty good to me.”

“I’m not even sure what kind I used to drink….”Tony frowned as he thought. He’d never made coffee before losing his company. He did miss how good his coffee had used to be.

Steve filled two cups and served two plates, giving one of each to Tony. “Do you even know what you drink now?”

Tony shook his head. “Pepper does all the shopping. I think she changes brands every other time, though, cause I always see a different container.” He shrugged and started eating.

Steve chuckled. “Sounds like something she’d do. Do you notice a difference in taste?”

Tony shook his head, his mouth full of eggs.

Tony hung out at Steve’s for most of the day, trying to cheer him up and get him back to normal. Tony felt like he made some progress, but couldn’t be too sure. When he’d left, Tony told Steve to at least consider doing another gallery show, maybe even dedicate it to his mom. Steve nodded, but his expression was uncertain and filled with grief. Tony gave him a comforting smiled and left with a simple wave.

The next day it was Peggy’s turn to check in on Steve and was surprised when he called her, asking her to pick up some supplies from the art store he frequented before. He hadn’t painted in quite a while; Peggy thought is was nice he was starting up again. She hoped it was a sign that he was inching towards his normal self again.

Peggy went into Steve’s apartment and stood behind his ratty couch which was now located in the dining room. Steve had moved all his furniture out of his living room, laid down some sheets, and set up his easel in the middle of the large room. Several canvases were lined up; some had drawings on them, some had backgrounds and some were finished. Steve was working on a painting of the park he did about a year ago. Peggy’s initial shock deepened as she watched him place careful strokes on the image that was becoming his mother, back when she was happy and healthy.

“Steve?” Peggy asked, not sure what else to say.

Steve looked at her and smiled brightly. “Hey! Did you get my paints?” He rose to his feet and walked over to her, tucking the brush in his hand behind his ear.

Peggy nodded and gave him the bag of paints. “Wh….I guess you’re feeling better?”

Steve shrugged as he took the paints out of the bag and set them down beside the others. “A bit. It took a long time for me to actually get started though….”

“What made you start?” Peggy asked.

“Tony,” Steve replied. Peggy’s jaw almost hit the floor.

She blinked before she regained herself, “Tony? What did he do?”

“He said I should do another gallery show and dedicate it to my mom. I didn’t like the idea at first, but what better way to honor her?” Steve asked as her folded himself back down on the chair, facing Peggy with a smile.

Peggy couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t think there would be another way.”

Steve shook his head and went back to painting. Peggy stuck around for a bit longer, making sure Steve took a break to eat and shower. He was very excited to be painting and it made Peggy very happy.

She went back to the club, and the first things she did was hug Tony. “Thank you, “ she whispered.

Tony, and everyone else, was surprised. Peggy didn’t show random bits of affection like that. “What’d I do?”

“You got Steve painting again. He wasn’t to do a show for his mom,” Peggy said.

Tony smiled excitedly. “Awesome! I’ll talk to Pepper and we’ll get something set up! It’ll be awesome!” He skipped off to talk with Pepper in the back.

Chester chuckled. “Who knew a pig-headed genius could get Steve out of his rut?” He shook his head. Peggy smiled, glad Tony had done something.

Two months later they had the gallery’s grand opening and Steve was back to his normal self, which everyone was happy about. The gallery opening actually went really well and a lot of people showed up. Tony said it was all Pepper, since she was amazing with public relations; Pepper said it was Steve’s work. Peggy told Steve they were his best yet.

Everyone was there, dressed in suits and fancy dresses, enjoying the company of other artists and art collectors. Steve had talked with many of them; most were sorry for his loss, but were amazed at what had come out of it. Steve had everything focused on his mother; even the paintings of the ocean, and her old apartment were tied into the gallery exceptionally well.

Steve had just finished talking with a collector who wanted Steve to do a few paintings for him, when Peggy came over, looking amazing in a floor length red dress Pepper had lent her. “She would have loved this Steve.”

Steve smiled and nodded. “I’m glad I did this. It feels like a final goodbye.”

Peggy patted his shoulder. “It’s an amazing one, that’s for sure.

Steve nodded. “And I have Tony to thank for it.”

Chapter Text

Thor’s first day in America hadn’t been the best. He’d arrived a bit drunk and was wandering around the streets when he was hit by a car, then tasered. The hospital visit wasn’t any better; neither was getting hit by a car again.

Fortunately the car driver was a very nice, and attractive, woman named Jane Foster. She was a scientist and sometimes confused Thor with her big words as she talked about the stars. He never knew such simple things could be so complex. Her female friend, Darcy, was skeptical about him and seemed to always have a taser with her when he was around. He wasn’t so quite sure about her as the girl talked very fast and was always on her phone and taking pictures of him when he was eating, but eventually they grew to like each other. The older man she hung out with, Eric, was cool though, he’d go drinking with Thor and they’d sing old war songs together. Of course he was skeptical about Thor when they first met, but Thor proved himself to them early on.

The first few days were rough for Thor. It took Jane a while to figure out exactly what had happened as he didn’t like to talk about it very much and did his best to change the subject. After about a week she’d pieced it together; he’d gone and pissed off some guy and kinda started a war between his family and another. His father disowned him and threw him on the first boat leaving the docks. Thor’s lover, Loki, has no idea what has happened to him. Thor misses him the most.

-x-

“Of course he’s gay! All the hot ones are! It never fails.” Darcy exclaimed after Thor told them about Loki. Luckily Thor was in the kitchen helping Erik cook dinner while the girls were lounging in the living room.

Jane rolled her eyes as she flopped down on the couch and grabbed her journal, “Can you not talk about this? He’s obviously in pain and all you can think about is whether he’s dateable or not!”

“Oh like you weren’t thinking it! Jane, he’s hot. You wouldn’t be a true woman if you didn’t ogle over that body of his!” Darcy had her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised, making Jane groan and rub her eyes.

“We’re not having this conversation again. You have work to do,” Jane said sternly.

Darcy groaned and tossed her hands in the air as she turned and headed towards the workshop. “I don’t understand you sometimes!”

Jane shook her head and focused back on her journal to go over some new discoveries they’d made.

-x-

After a few weeks Thor seemed to have gotten over what happened, or at least he could put a good smile on his face when they went out. He was having some issues adjusting to life in America and quite a few people found it hard to understand his accent. There were a few things he did that also freaked people out, but Jane was quick to correct the behavior. Thor was a fast learner and picked up on quite a few things, including cooking. It was a pleasant surprise to Jane, Erik, and Darcy when they came home from a conference and found that Thor had spent the two days they were gone cooking and baking.

Darcy thought it was awesome since now there was an overabundance of cupcakes and cookies and she ended up in a bit of a sugar coma. Jane appreciated it since now they didn’t have to cook for like…a month. Erik was surprised that Thor picked up on it so fast and without help. Thor said the TV helped and they realized he’d discovered the food channel.

Jane thought Thor had had two nice days of cooking, until she found the garbage bag full of empty, crushed, beer cans. She thought that he was over this and decided they needed to have a long chat.

Jane went over to Thor, who was cooking again, and smiled lightly as she sat at the kitchen counter. “How many cases of beer did you go through?”

Thor froze and then turned off the stove and turned to face Jane, “I…I’m sorry. I received a call from my mother…”

Jane blinked, “Oh… You don’t have to tell me about it…unless you want to.”

Thor gave her a crooked smile. “My father was in an accident and is in a coma. Loki has also gone missing and his apartment was trashed. They’re not sure if he was kidnapped or if someone robbed him.”

Jane stood and went over and hugged him. “I’m so sorry.”

Thor hugged her back. “Thank you.” he said softly.

-x-

Thor was alright for about two months and then he became more distant. Then he started going out at night. At first it was just once in a while, then it became once a week, eventually he would be out for days and would come home very hung over and with a few bruises.

Jane did her best to stop him, but it’s hard to keep that much muscle in the house. So she started going out and looking for him in the wee hours of the night. Sometimes she would find him and other times she’d be looking until the sun rose and wouldn’t find him.

-x-

Jane was heading out one night and had to come back to get an umbrella and extra clothes for Thor. The sky threatened with huge flashes of lightning and distant thunder. As Jane headed out a light sprinkle came down, frustrating the woman as it was a cold rain.

Thor had gotten kicked out of a bar and was sitting on the curb, mumbling and crying to himself. He’d gotten a letter from Loki asking for help, but Thor couldn’t do a thing. He barely had enough money to supply his thirst. Most bartenders were refusing him service because he hadn’t paid them yet. This was starting to get the attention of the wrong people.

Steve Rogers wasn’t exactly the wrong person, but he did have to go out and collect the money a certain blonde foreigner owed to one of the bars he owned. He’d been looking for the blonde for about two weeks when he saw him sitting in the rain, on the curb, drunk and crying softly. He couldn’t find it in himself to take this guy’s money. So he came up with another idea and since Peggy was busy inside taking care of some business he walked over to the man. “Thor Odinson?”

Thor had been lost in his thoughts and jumped at his name. He looked up at the well-dressed blonde man and blinked again. “What do you want?” he snapped, his muscles tensing.

Steve noticed the other man’s muscles tense and assumed that this wasn’t the first time Thor had been approached by someone needing payment. Steve got a business card from his pocket and handed it to Thor. “I’m Steve Rogers and I’d like to help you.”

“THOR!”

The two blond men jumped and looked at Jane, who ran across the street and right up to Thor, “Oh my god, I’m so glad I found you. Are you ok? What happened?!” she rattled off questions and noticed his bruised cheek, which Steve hadn’t seen yet.

“I’m fine Jane. You didn’t need to come get me,” Thor said, patting her shoulder.

Jane went to say something else, but blinked as another woman joined them. She was fixing her shirt and put a few curls back into place. “I’m done here. Shall we go?” she asked the other blond.

Steve nodded to Peggy and looked at Thor and Jane. “He has my business card. If you ever need anything let me know.”

Jane nodded slowly. ”Uh…thank you.”

Steve nodded. “Do you need a ride home? Or to your car?”

“No, my car’s just down the street. Thank you for the offer though.”

Steve nodded. “Alright. Remember, if you need anything, just call.” He then went with Peggy to their car and they drove away.

Jane watched them go then got Thor to his feet and helped him stumble back to her car. She managed to keep him from passing out in the car and up to their apartment just in time for him to flop on his bed and pass out. Jane took off his shoes and made sure he laid on his side, just in case. She knew he wouldn’t get sick; the guy could hold his liquor.

She then went to find Darcy, who she knew was still up as the girl never went to bed before 3 on the weekend. She knocked on Darcy’s door and went in when the other girl beckoned her in. ”What do you know about Steve Rogers?” she demanded.

Darcy blinked and looking up from where she was laying on the floor. “Steve Rogers? I know he had a big art show a few months ago. I wanted to go opening night, but we were out in New Mexico. I did end up going and the guy is an amazing artist.” As she spoke she typed into her computer and looked at the results on the screen. “Says he also donates a lot of money to charity, donates blood once a month, goes and visits kids and veterans in hospitals, attend veteran events….in fact, he’s a veteran himself. Served for a few years….though it doesn’t say why he quit….”

Jane looked confused. “Where are you getting all that information?”

“His website! It’s got all his art work on it and tells when his next big show is going to be and where he has pieces up for display. That, and a quick Google search. He’s been in the papers a few times. Why?” Darcy sat up and folded her legs so she sat crisscross.

“He offered to help Thor. I just don’t want Thor getting into any trouble,” Jane said. Darcy nodded in agreement.

-x-

Natasha Romanov was part of one of the most feared groups of assassins and spies. It was hard to tell if they work for the government or against them, though they actually did a bit of both. Nick Fury worked for the government and did a lot of covert work and monitor gang and mafia activity in various places for the government. Under his control he had a variety of spies, assassins, and hired mercenaries who were sometimes too much trouble for him, but not for his right hand man, Phil Coulson.

Coulson made sure everything went according to plan and all his people came back alive. And if they didn’t he took care of that too. Quite a few agents joked and called him “Mom” because of the concern he showed towards those under his care.. Coulson really didn’t mind as sometimes he actually felt like a proud mother. Of course, there were other times where he wished he could ground some agents.

Clint Barton was one of those agents. He was a hired mercenary who did what he wanted when he wanted to. A superior marksman who could shoot anything put in his hands. It wass rumored he once escaped from a high security facility with nothing but some rocks, paper clips, and a few rubbed bands. Coulson had a hard time with trying to get the guy to do what he was told when he was told to.

That was until Natasha was introduced to him. At first Clint was a big flirt and still wouldn’t listen, but after several missions and a few hundred times being thrown down onto the training mat, Clint got that he should listen to what he told. Since Natasha and Clint had bonded so well, Coulson just kept them together on a team.

Now they’ve been together about eight years and this mission was just like any other. A simple rob-and-recover. Stealing something that had already been stolen and returning it to the rightful owner.

It was a nice building, Natasha as she scaled down the side of it from the roof. She saw plenty of places to grab onto incase her robe broke and she fell. Clint was covering her from a building across the street, and a techie was telling her where to go from a van two blocks away.

“Alright, you’re there. That’s the place. No one’s inside as they’re out at a party, and the security system has been disarmed,” the techie said over their com system.

Natasha drew a quick circle with her glass cutter, but became confused as it didn’t cut through like it was supposed to. “Did he get new windows recently? These are thicker than usual.”

“Uh….no….At least, it isn’t in his records.” Techie said, though had a few long drawn out pauses as he checked things on his computer.

Natasha sighed and gave the circle a good kick and before moving out of the circle. “Clint, can I get a little help?”

“What’s the magic word?” Clint sing-songed.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Please.”

An arrow flew past her face, easily shattering the weakened circle of glass when it struck. She entered quickly only to have to duck to avoid what she thought was a baseball bat. She whirled around and came face to face with another red-headed woman, who looked scared, but pissed.

“What the hell?!!” The light’s flicked on and Nat turned and saw Tony Stark standing there in his boxers, his hair a mess. “What the fuck are you doing here?!” Tony snarled.

Natasha was a bit at a loss for words. “I, uh….”

Tony waved his hand. “Take whatever you were sent for and then please leave. We’re having enough trouble sleeping without adding intruders into the mix.”

Pepper was very confused. “Tony, do you know her?”

“Oh yeah! In fact, you do too! Remember Natalia?” Tony asked, disappearing into the kitchen to get coffee, only to find it was two in the morning and Pepper would kill him if he had coffee, so he settled for milk.

Pepper had jogged in after Tony. “Are you serious?! That can’t be her!”

“Oh but it is! Your lovely assistant was a spy, and now she’s robbing us! Too late honey, we’ve been robbed of everything we own already! By a snake nonetheless.”

Natasha sighed. “Clint abort the mission. I’ll meet you back at base.” She went into the kitchen after the squabbling couple. “I’m not here to rob you. Unless you’ve stolen art work in the past month, which I know you haven’t.”

“Ah! So that’s why you’re here. The guy below us did. 1083 is the number. And the door’s over there. Now will you please leave?” Tony asked, his hand still pointing towards their front door.

Natasha headed towards the door, though was stopped by Pepper as the other woman handed her a business card. “We should catch up sometime when you’re not breaking into houses to steal art,” Pepper said and rolled her eyes as she heard Tony griping about the window, though she smiled at hearing Happy say something about how he could fix it.

Natasha was surprised and looked at the business card, which wasn’t as fancy as the one Pepper had used when she worked for Stark Industries. Nat chuckled softly as she thought about ‘the good old days’. “We definitely need to. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said and then left, through the front door this time. It felt odd to Natasha to do so.

Pepper went to the two boys in the living room, “Can we just leave it and have someone come replace it in the morning? Please?” She looked at the boys with begging eyes.

Happy and Tony looked from the window to Pepper and then at each other. Tony let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I guess.”

Pepper smiled warmly and patted his head before going back to her room, Happy following her. Tony looked at the window one last time before going to his room to attempt to get some sleep.

Outside, Natasha was heading towards the little building they were using as a temporary base, a bit rattled at tonight’s events. She didn’t know Tony and Pepper were even living in the apartment, though it explained why the window was so thick. Tony had always been paranoid of snipers and such, though Nat assumed it was just as much protection for Pepper since he hadn’t had the windows changed in his office until she became CEO.

Natasha went into the tiny apartment that was filled with computers and equipment and was greeted by Clint, stuffing pizza in his mouth and a very muffled, “What happened?”

Nat sighed as she started to take off her gear, “I entered the wrong apartment. It was Tony Stark’s.”

Clint chocked on his pizza and he needed a few minutes to calm down and breathe. “Stark?!!” He gasped and coughed for a few more minutes.

Natasha finished taking off her gear and stripped down to her tank top and pants. She stretched a bit and went into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of pizza and taking a small bite. “You gonna be ok?”

Clint gave her a thumbs-up as he gulped down a glass of water. “But seriously, Stark? What’s he doing in that part of town?”

Nat shrugged. “I’ll find out when I have lunch with Pepper tomorrow.”

Clint nodded. “Alright. Also you get to send Fury the report since I made dinner.”

Nat glared at Clint. “Ordering pizza doesn’t count as making dinner.”

“But it was your favorite!” Clint grinned.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She sighed and went to fill out the report and send it to Fury.

An hour later across town, Maria Hill looked up at her computer as it dinged, signaling she had a new report. She read through it and then quickly printed it out and headed up to her boss’ office, knocking before entering. “Sir, Tony Stark has been located.”

Nick Fury looked up from his book, both confused and surprised. “Stark? The Stark?”

Maria nodded and handed him the report Natasha had sent. “The one and only. He’s been under our noses the entire time.”

Nick nodded as he skimmed the report. “Stark must be under someone’s protection. Find that out who, and we’ll plan from there.”

Maria nodded and left swiftly, an idea of who to send already forming in her head.

Chapter Text

So I have been trying to write this next chapter for a long time and it isn't going well. Not only that, but a lot of things have changed. How I want to portray the characters and bring in some different things and have them deal with other stuff. I also have a new beta reader who has given me so many more ideas and there is a ton that I'd like to fix because when I have planned is fantastic. I'd just keep going, but there'd be tons of chapters trying to fix plot holes, so instead of doing that I'm re-writing this. I don't plan on posting anything until I'm done either. I've already started the re-write and it's going pretty good so far. And since my summer has finally calmed down I'll be doing a lot of writing. I will leave this up though. People seem to enjoy it and I'd rather not take this away. I haven't decided on if I'm going to keep the same name or not. I'll decide that after I'm done writing.

So thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this. Thank you for the kudos and for supporting me. Do expect the re-write to be even better than this, just be patient.

Thank for reading.
Maddie, aka pbg146