The Avengers: The Romantic Initiative
We enter the SHIELD helicopter. Steve Rogers has just finished his 3rd punching bag, having reduced it to pieces on the ground. All he can think about is Peggy Carter, but it's not about the loss. It's about the relief. It seems like he was supposed to be in love with her. People have kept asking him what it was like to lose a love like that. Rogers could feign sadness but we wondered: how can you be sad for a woman you never really loved?
Rogers went into his private locker room. Tony Stark was in his Iron Man outfit, sans helmet but with Ray-Ban sunglasses. He wanted to chat with the legend, face-to-face.
"You know it's not a work out if it's effortless to you" said Stark as he noticed a few sweat drops on Roger's physique.
"I just needed something to hit. Got a better work out for me?"
"Sorry we can't get a couple of Nazis for you." Stark's armor began to play AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" but he tuned the armor's radio to play Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street." But he lowered the volume to hear Rogers out.
"Funny. But I'm still dealing with this being the 2012 and all. I just don't have anyone anymore."
"I know what you mean. Things between me and Pepper haven't been so well. She's just been spending so much time with this local detective, Luke Cage… and maybe we're just using the relationship because we're too scared of the truth."
"I know what you mean," said Captain America, wide eyed and hopeful, "Sometimes I just don't feel like I'm the man people want me to be."
Tony leaned in. Rogers looked him in the eyes but turned his away.
"I can't," Rogers sighed painfully, "I know it's accepted nowadays. But I can't. I can't start this life. Not now."
"You just need someone to guide you. Someone experience. Someone who can help you live. I've left women at the altar. What happened to Peggy? She got married?"
"She's 90."
"Sometimes… that can be just as hard."
Captain didn't even hear the last part. He just needed to hear Iron Man say the things he needed to hear. He tore of the armor with his super soldier strength. Pieces of yellow and red armor hit the floor with loud clangs and clatters as the SHIELD tiled floors became eclipsed by clothes and armor. Tony ripped off Roger's shirt to reveal abs you could grate bricks off of. The dog tags came off too but Rafferty's sax on "Baker Street" kept on.
…. 3 months later…..
Tony and Steve were on a gondola in Italy, enjoying each other's company. It was a perfect day. Stark had paid for everyone to desert Venice and Steve was respected for saving Italy years ago, so no one questioned their intimacy out of respect. Stark was embarrassed that Rogers would wear a shirt with the American flag on it, but couldn't say much as he was wearing an Led Zeppelin t-shirt.
"You need to be a figurehead, Steve. You can't fight for freedoms and deny yourself this."
"It's my burden, Antonio" said Steve as he nuzzled into Stark's neck.
"I felt your burden, it's massive but if I can manage it, so can you. Why did you ever become a soldier anyways?"
"I want to be a part of something. In a place where people would care about me."
"You wanted to meet young men."
"Shut up, Antonio, you're cuter than your dad ever was."
The gondola passed a building where Black Widow and AIM agents were battling it out. She was just doing recon but these AIM agents decided to jump the gun and attack her. Black Widow was fighting 2 armed men. But she could handle it and the first man had a one way ticket to the bone yard courtesy of her fist in his throat. The second man didn't go down as easy but Black Widow broke his arm in three places. He begged for a mercy that did not come. But from the house, she spotted Tony and Steve and they spotted her. They knew what just happened: They were made.
… 2 days later…..
Captain Steve Rogers had just secretly finished tasting the whisky out of Tony's mouth in the SHIELD medical center. Their union was thunderous, not unlike Thor's abilities.
Bruce Banner's whole life was based on idolizing Captain America, researching the super soldier serum and working for the government. And now, he had just worked out the courage to tell Captain how he felt. But he saw Rogers and Stark getting dressed and his bouquet of flowers dropped to the floor. He wished he could be angry but the tears were stronger. Hawkeye spotted a crestfallen Banner and took him to the Hawk's Nest to be consoled. Hawkeye had not spoken to Black Widow for weeks. They were growing apart. The Hulk was the strongest there is…. But not today.
"I got chewed out by Fury today. I'm in danger of being stripped of my rank, Tony!" yelled Rogers with a passion of a thousand suns.
"No one said it was gonna be easy. Fury's threats, Thor's jokes, Coulson's jealousy…" chimed, a smarmy Tony Stark.
"How could you tell me that I would be lying to my country if you don't support me."
"Calm down, Steve. Pepper is still CEO, I can't break this to her now. "
"Is that all you care about? The money? That Stark Tower was built to clearly for over compensation!"
"I AM NOT OVERCOMPENSATING FOR THAT!"
"I meant your emotions, Tony. When will you realize your Dad was half the man you are!"
Black Widow at that moment walked by, her intent was to apologize to them for outing them to Fury. But it was not the right time.
"GO BACK TO YOUR MAIL-ORDER RUSSIAN WHORE MOTHER!" yelled Stark. He couldn't take this now. Black Widow ran with tears in her eyes. If they only knew the truth.
"Are you with me for real? Or are you trying to get back at Luke Cage. Call me when you grow up." Rogers stormed out. It was a ruder awakening than his rebirth from the ice.
"Don't get all Dawson's Creek-y with me, I can't save the world on a shoe string budget. I'm not Vanko!" Stark's charm did not work and Captain America kept walking away.
Stark was left alone once again. Asking the man he loved to turn his back on his former identity without having the courage to do so for himself. This was too bleak for Wild Turkey. Stark decided to take a ride in the suit to clear his head. There was a strange pain in his heart but not from the shrapnel.
Fury from his monitor room smiled. He sensed their rift. He knew their relationship was against the mission. The Avengers Initiative: bringing together a group of special individuals to save the world. He knew the cruel truth: The Avengers was a eugenics project meant to breed a new line of superheroes.