Made of Stone (Steve x Reader) - Part 2

MAJOR SPOILERS AGE OF ULTRON



2015, New York - Avengers Tower day of the party

 

Music was echoing through the Avengers tower while you were making your way inside the living room. It was packed with people. You had thought it would be a small get together, but you should have known Tony would go full out.

You softly hummed along with the music and looked around you, trying to spot any of the Avengers. You hadn’t seen them since you had all come back from the mission. They had all suggested you’d stay in the tower to rest, but before any of them could ask you to join the team, you had gone to your home in Brooklyn. You needed to clear your head and decide if you wanted to continue this life after everything that had happened.

'[Name]!' Natasha cried out to you from the couch, waking you from your strain of thought. She was sitting next to Tony's friend: Colonel James Rhodes, but she waved you to come over anyway. 'I didn't think you'd come anymore. You look great. How's your arm?'

'Hi Natasha,' you smiled, making your way through all the people. 'I'm fine, thank you.'

'I don't believe we have met yet,' Rhodes said, standing up to shake your hand. 'James Rhodes.'

'[Name] [Last Name],' you replied, shaking his hand.

'Pleasure to meet you,' he nodded, while seating himself down again. 'So, I was just telling miss Romanoff a War Machine story. Would you care to join us?'

You looked at Natasha, who returned your doubtful gaze and you laughed softly realizing she hadn't called you over for nice conversation.

'Actually,' you started, getting Natasha by the hand. 'I really need to steal Natasha from you for a few seconds. Girl stuff.'

Rhodes nodded. 'Of course.'

You pulled Natasha from her seat and waited with laughing until he had gone off to get himself a drink.

Natasha sighed. 'He is the nicest guy, but if I had to listen to one more War Machine story I would have killed someone.'

You laughed softly. 'He means well, that's what matters.'

'I am glad you came. The team was a bit worried you would go back home and leave us.'

You nodded, knowing that you had thought about that. Never coming back. You had even packed all your things and had booked a flight to your parents' house, who lived on the other side of the country. When you were waiting for the taxi to bring you to the airport however, you had changed your mind. You couldn't just leave the Avengers like that. Not until the twins were captured. You had decided you'd stay until then. If they would still have you of course.

'But your part of the team now,' Natasha continued, 'so I knew you'd come back.'

'I wasn't so sure myself...' you mumbled, but you weren't sure she had heard it, as Clint called out for her. 

'I’ll talk to you later, okay?' she asked, but it was more of a statement as she walked away immediately.

You sighed, wiping the wrinkles from your dress. You had put on something nice quickly and you hoped you blended in with all the model like girls that were walking around here. You got a drink from the bar and walked up the stairs, seeing Steve and Sam (Steve's friend), standing just a few feet away.

'Did you find a place in Brooklyn yet?' Sam asked Steve, sipping from his drink.

'I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn,' Steve sighed, looking at his friend.

'Well home is home you know...'

'Hi gentlemen,' you interrupted them. 'Enjoying the view?' 

They both turned around, curious to see who had intruded their moment.

'[Name],' Steve whispered, looking at you with a surprised frown on his face. 'You came back...'

You nodded, walking a little closer to the both of them. 'I'm sorry I left right after we landed, but I needed some time to think...'

'So...' Sam started. 'I'm gonna get myself some ice cubes. I’ll see you in a sec.'

You smiled, seeing there were more than enough ice in his drink. Steve noticed the same thing and shook his head, knowing his friend was trying to set him up with you. It brought a smile to both your faces, knowing that was never going to happen. Not because you didn’t like each other, but you were both just not looking for anything. Yet.

'You don't have to be part of the Avengers if you don't want to,' Steve started, as you were both looking down at the party. 'No one is forcing you, but I think you'd make a great addition to the team. You're a good agent and with S.H.I.E.L.D. gone we could use some reinforcements.’

'Thank you,' you replied, sipping from your drink. 'I knew by taking this mission I'd put myself in the position where I'd have to choose between this life,' you pointed your glass in the direction of the party. 'Or a life I never really had... A normal one.'

Steve nodded, clearly understanding what you were talking about. He had once had to make the same choice. 'Have you made the choice yet?'

You turned your head towards him, smiling sadly as he looked at you hopefully.

'I need to clean up Strucker's mess. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I'd just pretend none of it every happened.'

'We need to clean up his mess,' Steve corrected you. 'If you really decide to stay... it's we.'

'I appreciate that, captain.'

'Steve is just fine,' he smiled. 'I'd like to think that outside of all the missions I still have a life. Can I get you another drink?'

You laughed softly, nodding at his words. 'I’ll walk with you.’

You made your way down the stairs together, talking a little more about what you needed to do in order to find the twins and reason with them. It was nice to know that Steve agreed with you. The twins were too valuable to lock up in a cage again or to ‘get rid of’. But how were you going to convince them that you weren’t the enemy?

You walked into the bar downstairs where Thor was talking to the war veterans Tony had invited for Steve. You didn’t know if Steve actually knew any of them, but once he started a converation with them, you could see he enjoyed talking about times long past.

‘Steve, let us drink and honor our victory. At long last Loki’s scepter will return to Asgard,’ Thor exclaimed, getting a small vile of God knew what from his pocket. ‘Lady [Name], pour us a drink!’

You laughed softly, shaking your head. If it weren’t for all the veterans standing around you and Steve looking at you apologetically, you would have told him to do it himself. Now you just nodded instead, getting behind the bar and pouring everyone a glass of whiskey, including yourself.

‘I gotta have some of that!’ one of the veterans told Thor as he opened the vile and poured a little in Steve’s glass as well as his own.

‘Oh, no… You see this was aged for a thousands year,’ Thor said. ‘The barrels were built from the wreck of Rumhill’s fleet. It is not meant for mortal men.’

‘So was Omaha Beach, Blondie. Stop trying to scare us, come on!’ one of the other veterans said.

Thor looked at Steve and you, wondering what he should do. Steve just shrugged his shoulders and you thought it would be funny to see what would happen and if this ‘drink’ really wasn’t meant for mortal men.

‘Alright…’ Thor sighed, taking the drinks from everyone’s hands and pouring in whatever was in his vile. ‘Lady [Name]?’ he asked, the vile still in his hand. ‘Care to join us?’

‘Oh, I think I’m good,’ you smiled, thinking it probably wasn’t such a good idea to join them. Thor was used to this sort of drink and Steve’s metabolism worked too fast for him to even feel a little bit drunk. You on the other hand… You would probably have to be carried back up the stairs. No, it was better to decline.

‘To freedom!’ one of the veterans cried out, raising his glass.

Steve’s eyes locked with yours and he smiled at you as you both echoed the words.

‘To freedom…’

You took a small sip from the whiskey, feeling the cold fluid go down your throat, burning the whole way down to your stomach. A few moments went by, while the veterans were still laughing and talking. You started to think Thor had just tried to scare them, until they all started mumbling to each other, wobbling on their feet.

Thor laughed, emptying his glass in one large sip. ‘On Asgard we would have shared another, but let us leave these brave men alone to join the revels upstairs.’

‘How do you feel?’ you asked Steve as you both followed Thor up stairs. ‘Last time I checked you were also mortal. Just really hard to kill…’

Steve smiled, laughing softly, looking down at his drink. ‘I’m fine. It doesn’t taste very nice, but I’m fine.’

‘At least you are still on your feet,’ you replied, looking over you shoulder to see the security guards drag the veterans out of the bar. A small smile curled your lips. ‘I’m going to mingle. I’ll see you later.’

Steve nodded, watching you as you walked away from him and made your way into the living room towards Tony and Clint, who you hadn’t seen or spoken to yet. You didn’t notice the smile on his face as you started laughing at one of Tony’s jokes and you didn’t know that from that moment on Steve loved the way you laughed.

The party went on for a few more hours and you didn’t see Steve again until everyone except the Avengers, Rhodes, Maria Hill and Doctor Cho, had went home. You had all moved towards the couches in the living room, sitting around the table, talking and laughing with each other as if you had been friends for ages.

You were sitting on the couch next to Steve and Thor and you were laughing at something Steve had just said, when Clint started talking about Thor’s hammer.

'The whole hammer thing... it's a trick, isn't it?'

'Oh,' Thor laughed. 'It's much more than that.'

'Whosoever, be he worthy, shall have the Thor power,' Clint said, pointing at Thor's hammer and putting on an Asgardian voice. 'Whatever man! It's a trick!'

'Please,' Thor smiled, 'be my guest.'

He invited everyone to try and lift the hammer, but of course they all tried and failed (even though you thought the hammer moved when Steve tried to lift it). Thor also turned his gaze to you and Natasha, but you both looked at each other, rising your eyebrows and telling the Asgardian God that that wasn't a question either of you needed answered.

'It's biometrics, right?' Tony suggested, not willing to admit that neither one of them was worthy of lifting Milnjor. 'Like a security code?' he continued 'Whoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints" is, I think, the literal translation.'

'Yes, well that's a very, very interesting theory,' Thor objected, looking at everyone and easily lifting the hammer from the table. You smiled shaking your head, wondering why such an arrogant man could be so worthy. 

'I have a simpler one,' Thor continued, turning the hammer around in his hand. 'You are all not worthy.

Everyone started laughing and you smiled as even Steve snorted, shaking his head. Your smile quickly dissapeared when a loud, high-pitched beep echoed through the room.

A weird feeling spread through your stomach as your powers told you there was someone else in the room. Something else.

'Guys...' you whispered, pushing yourself from the couch. A robot was standing near the elevator, seemingly talking to itself.

'Worthy?' It seems to repeat. 'No...'

Everyone turned their attention to where you were looking.

'How could you be worthy?' the robot said. 'You're all killers.'

Steve also pushed himself from the couch, stepping in front of you, in case something where to happen.

'Stark?' Steve said seriously, looking at Tony shortly, before turning his gaze back to the robot that was standing before you, telling you he had been asleep.  

Tony called out for Jarvis, but there was no respons.

'I was tangled in strings...' the robot mumbled, while you felt your heart beat violently in your chest. This thing was made of metal, but somehow it talked like it was human. 'I had to kill the other guy... He was a good guy.'

'You killed someone?' Steve asked, his eyes shifting to the back of the room where is shield was stored. You knew as well as he did that it was too far away to protect anyone if the robot decided to attack. 

Steve slowly put his arm in front of you, pushing you further back. That way he could protect you more easily if anything were to happen. You swallowed hard, knowing that you might need to use your powers. Something told you this robot was not what it seemed to be.

'Who sent you,' Thor asked, clenching his fist around his hammer.

The robot played a tape recording of Tony's voice and Bruce immediately called out it's name: Ultron.

'I'm on a mission...' Ultron spoke again.

'What mission?' you asked, slowly reaching for the knife that was hidden away underneath your dress (once an agent, always an agent).

'Peace of our time...' he exclaimed.

At the same time other robots emerged from the ground, shooting around them and coming your way. Steve's arm folded around your waist and he pulled you towards him, kicking the table up.

A large blast sent you both flying through the room. You were knocked against the ground hard and for a few moments everything went black...



TO BE CONTINUED... </i>