I absolutely loved The Next Avengers movie. Truthfully, James Rogers is the reason I first became a Nat/Steve shipper. Age of Ultron was tough for me because it took away my chances of seeing James Rogers in the MCU. I guess you could say this is my fix-it. My story picks up immediately post Age of Ultron and pretty much ignores canon moving forward. I hope you enjoy it.
I don't own the Avengers or The Next Avengers. They belong in Marvel's toy box, not mine.
Steve sighed as his eyes landed on Natasha. She was heartbroken, and he had a very strong desire to pummel a certain angry, green scientist. This was the second time today he had found her staring at a wall.
He slowly walked over and gave a little cough to make his presence known. It wasn't that a super spy like Natasha needed it to know he was there, but he felt less like a stalker when he alerted her of his presence. She turned and looked his direction, but she remained silent.
"Wanda and Vision did pretty well today. I don't think it will take them long to get on the same level as Sam and Falcon," he said, trying to make conversation. "Bucky seemed almost like himself. That's a plus," he added.
Natasha nodded. "We'll get them in shape."
"We will," Steve agreed. "How about you? Do you need a little time away like the others? You could visit Barton or look for Bru-"
"No, like I said this morning, he doesn't want to be found," she paused. "I don't want a break. I feel like I had a long enough break to last a lifetime. After Shield fell, I was a little lost for awhile. I don't think I found myself until I came here. Trust me, Cap, I'm better off with a team. I'm reckless on my own."
"I'm certainly not going to try and convince you to go. I need you, I mean, I need your help if you feel up to it," Steve said, suddenly feeling a little flustered. Deciding he needed to change the subject, Steve sighed. "The others have went to their quarters for the night. You want to come to my place and have some coffee. We can debrief and come up with some plans to get our recruits in shape."
"I'm going to assume you meant to say vodka and a movie and say give me twenty minutes to shower and I'll be there."
Steve nodded. "I don't think I have any vodka, but a movie sounds good."
"Don't sweat it, Cap. I'll bring the alcohol. You pop us some popcorn. See you in a few."
Steve couldn't help watching her as she walked away. He knew he needed to stop stealing these little moments. Staring at a beautiful but completely unavailable woman's backside wasn't exactly helping him fit into the world any better.
As he walked back to his room, Steve wondered if things might have gone differently if he and Sam hadn't been gone so long. Natasha had been at the complex for nearly six months with Bruce and, occasionally, Tony before Steve and Sam made their way back to the states.
Steve had thought about those few kisses they'd shared in D.C. every single night even though he never had the chance to actually talk to Natasha while he was away. Sure, he'd occasionally get a random text from her asking about the search or whether or not he'd called the blonde, but they never really spoke. He had kind of hoped he would have the chance to make his move when he came back, but it didn't take him long to realize he had missed his chance. He wasn't too upset about it at the time. He figured Bruce was probably the better choice for Natasha. Bruce wasn't a man out of time, and, when he wasn't a big, green Hulk, he was a pretty good guy. At least that's what Steve had thought before the fool had disappeared and broken Natasha's heart.
The popcorn had just finished popping when Natasha knocked on the door. "It's open," he called out as he poured the popcorn into a big bowl.
Natasha's hair was still damp and she was wearing yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt Steve assumed belonged to Bruce, and Steve had to quickly look down at the popcorn so he wouldn't notice her staring. She was the only dame, um, woman he knew who looked just as good in casual wear as she did all dressed up. He took a few breaths in and out. He really needed to get over this crush. She loved the other guy, even if the other guy was an idiot for leaving her alone.
"I've got vodka for me and a little something Thor left behind for you," Natasha said with a half-smile. "I try not to drink alone. It's not exactly a healthy habit. I also brought a movie you probably haven't seen. We might as well continue your education." She held up a movie.
Steve took the movie and read the title. "When Harry met Sally," he said with a grimace. "Doesn't sound as good as those Indiana Jones movies we watched in D.C. What's it about?"
"It's a sappy romantic comedy about a guy and a girl who try to be friends without romance getting in the way. For me, it'll be a good escape. For you, it'll be a good lesson in modern relationships. You've got to get out there eventually, Rogers."
"Let's not start that again, Romanoff. I don't have time for-"
"Actually, you finally have the time, and since my love life isn't going anywhere, I might as well work on yours. Put in the movie, Cap. I'll pour the drinks."
Steve did as he was told before joining Natasha on the couch. The movie wasn't half-bad, and Natasha seemed a lot more relaxed by the end of it. He wasn't sure if it was the little bit of vodka or the rough few weeks, but she was almost asleep on his shoulder. It felt good, maybe a little too good. Of course, that too good feeling might have had something to do with the mead, but Steve realized he probably needed to get Natasha out of his quarters before he did something stupid. She trusted him. He couldn't risk hitting on her while she was pining for Bruce, so he gently moved her head off his shoulder and stood up to retrieve her DVD.
"You look ready for bed and we've got an early morning tomorrow," he said as he handed her the movie.
"Yeah, I guess I better head to my quarters," she said with a yawn. "Thanks for tonight, Steve. I don't think I realized how much I needed a friend."
"Anytime, Nat. I'm not going anywhere," he said, adding a little more emphasis to the words than was probably necessary. "You're stuck with me."
"I think I'll manage to deal with that, Cap. We'll do this again soon."
Natasha left and Steve carried the empty popcorn bowl to the sink. It had been a good night. If all he could ever be to Natasha was a friend, he was determined to be a good one.
The Future
Eleven year old James Rogers looked on in horror as the Hulk took blow after blow from Ultron. He didn't dare look back at where his friends, his brothers and sisters, had fallen. They were gone, and he was in pretty bad shape himself. This was a battle they were not going to win. They had failed-just like their parents.
As the Hulk took his last breath, James closed his eyes and hoped death would come for him quickly. He must have blacked out, because when he came to he was back at the dome. It was cold. There was snow falling through the holes in the dome's shield. James sat up in his bed and tried to piece together how he had gotten back home.
Vision came into the room. "I was monitoring your vitals. Your body is healing itself. It will take a few days for you to fully recover, but we must act now. Ultron will soon realize we got away and come looking for us."
"Act now?" the red-headed boy asked. "The others, Tony, the Hulk, they are all dead."
"I am aware of the gravity of the situation," Vision replied. "We must enact the contingency strategy."
"What's that? How can the two of us go up against Ultron and his entire army?"
"We can not. We would fail. That is not the plan. Tony had another idea, but he deemed it too risky, too much of a sacrifice, to attempt. Now, we have no choice."
"Sacrifice?"
"Not of your life, but, yes, a sacrifice. He designed a machine capable of transporting one of you to the past. It would be a one way trip. Before today, it would have been unfair to ask any of you to give up the others and travel to a time when none of you existed, and the machine would not work on an adult or an android. But, things have changed. You will go back to the days just after the Avengers believe they had destroyed Ultron. Gain their trust and convince them to finish the job before Ultron can build his army in secret."
"I'll see my parents again?"
"You will, but, James, your parents were not together in 2015. I knew them. Actually, I was quite new myself. They were friends, but I do not believe they would be very receptive to the idea that they had a child together."
James frowned. "What do I need to do?"
"I'll tell you the plan while I calibrate the time machine."
Obviously, for this story, the end of The Next Avengers went a little differently. I hope you'll stick around and see how it plays out. More to come soon.