I'm just pumping new stuff out, aren't I? Well here's a BTR/Marvel type story, The Avengers style. ;) Tell me what you think and enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own anything else apart from the plot of the possible short story! I wish I owned Steve Rogers though...! :D

James wasn't much like his parallel universe counterpart, Anthony Edward Stark.

He wasn't a playboy, for one thing. As a proud demisexual, going to bed with a stranger absolutely repulsed him. He wanted to share that bond, that emotional as well as physical attachment with someone he loved. As much as his generation seems to disregard self-respect all for a quick fuck, that wasn't his style period.

Plus, being known as a playboy isn't all that great. It worked great for Tony, but not for him.

James David Diamond was a genius, from what his teachers always said when talking about him. He spoke five different languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Italian. He was great at keeping his mother's financial information up-to-date, triple checking every document for accuracy. Even though his mom's empire was built off cosmetics, he was more into numbers and tinkering with machinery than lip gloss or extensive skin care cream.

Being a Diamond he did take care of himself, working out every day and and eating right, taking care of his face and hair, etc. but to follow in his mother's footsteps? He loved her, absolutely adored her but his heart belonged to science.

Well, guess that was one thing he shared with Tony. Other than the daddy issues...

Moving on...!

He wasn't exactly a philanthropist either. His mom's business, which he had worked at part-time until the incident, donated huge sums of money to local and out-of-state charities, struggling schools, and soup kitchens. Brooke Athena Diamond wasn't a selfish woman; a lot of money she had, but would choose to go eat Subway with her son than to place a reservation at a snooty, expensive restaurant. James, at his mother's insistence, was the face (and brains) of the charity operations. What he donated came from the inheritance he was to receive when he finally turned eighteen; he saved up a pretty decent chunk for college, but it was no skin off his bones to give a couple thousands for a good cause.

So maybe, indirectly, he was a philanthropist but he wasn't a billionaire like Anthony Edward Stark. A thousand-naire, if such a thing existed, maybe but not with blood, sweat and tears poured into the weapons department.

His mom fought with hairspray, not guns.

So in short, Tony Stark: billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist.

James Diamond? James Diamond: a ordinary boy with brains, some pennies to his name, anti-playboy with a big heart.

Another thing he shared with his parallel universe counterpart, though? Oh right, that one thing!

He was also Iron Man. Or Iron Lad since he wasn't technically a man yet...nah, best to just stick with Iron Man.

He was also Iron Man, his universe's Iron Man. That meant he too was a superhero, a teenage superhero. And that he had needed the arc reactor to keep him alive.

The catch though, was that all of this had happened out of his control.

He never wanted to be Iron Man. All he wanted was to be himself.

But that changed several months ago, when a powerful, tall man in dark clothes by the name of Nick Fury traveled to his universe and revealed his ultimate fate.

That sure took some explaining, to him and his mom.

-Page Break-

"Why didn't you come to the meeting Fury called for?" James didn't look up from his work as Kendall addressed him, too in the zone to put down his pliers. And way too in the zone to lower the volume of his music (he was more a Maroon 5 fan, but Tony's obsession for AC-DC was kind of rubbing off on him). But then again this tower was HIS tower; this was his workshop, his safe haven from his life as an avenger.

He didn't need to adjust anything for anyone else other than himself. The only other person that came down here was Logan, but that was because they were both major science geeks.

He usually had his robots and JARVIS to keep him company, to remind him to sleep and eat and shower, pretty much take a break from his work from time to time.

"Didn't think it was necessary." He responded simply as he finally turned around, wiping his greasy hands off on his jeans. He shrugged, indifferent to the disaster that was his appearance. He always wore an old shirt and jeans when working, plus the smell of motor oil mixed with grease was (surprisingly) refreshing to him.

This workshop, a small comfort after having to leave his mother, his home behind for the Avengers Tower. After having to leave everything he knew and loved to live with strangers, become Iron Man and balance his hero and personal lives evenly.

It was a heavy stress on him, to become someone he never wanted to be...

"It was important, James. The meeting was to discuss new recruits, those who would be in the next generation of heroes. Fury wasn't happy that you blew it off." Kendall pointed out softly, bottle green eyes shining with concern. James hid a smirk, once happy hazel-green eyes dark with bitterness.

"According to Tony, he's had his ass chewed out by Fury millions of times. That's his way of showing love."

"You're not Tony, though."

"But I am Iron Man. At least in our world I am; I have the arc reactor, the brains, the money I'm his twin on those terms. He's just older is all."

"James, what's really bothering you?" Kendall took a seat on the couch James had taken down there in case he felt tired and couldn't manage up the stairs for his bed. The brunet sighed and met the dirty blond's face once more, mouth in a thin lip.

"I'm peachy, Cap. Just peachy, if not a little sweaty."

James was this world's Iron Man. Logan was The Hulk. Carlos was Hawkeye. And Kendall was Captain America. Of course, like James, they didn't experience the same hardships as their "mentors" but had battle scars all the same. Logan had to work double to control his emotions, particularly anger and anxiety. Carlos had to sharpen his hand-eye coordination in order to be worthy of the title "Master Marksman". And Kendall, while he wasn't built like the perfect soldier, still raked in the other benefits of the super serum.

But they didn't have to sacrifice their families, like James had to...

'According to Fury, I'm more on his radar than the others.' The brilliant boy thought coldly. His train of thought was broken however when Kendall spoke again.

"We're a team, James. What affects one of us affects us all as a unit. We have to work together, and help each other out however possible."

"Kendall, I don't know how to make this any clearer: I don't play well with others. This is why I usually come down here, alone; even though this workshop, this tower is MINE...I don't care about any of it! My whole life I was normal, just a dorky kid on the block! But then the incident...This piece of technology is what is keeping me alive, Kendall! Do you have an arc reactor in YOUR chest, huh? Do YOU have to deal with this bullshit, having to take on a superhero identity against your will?! Sure you guys had no choice either, but fuck personal opinions right?! Everyone assumes that because I'm Tony's "descendent" or whatever that I have it easy! News flash, Capiscle, I don't! I haven't seen my mom in months; so much technology around and I can't manage one fucking phone call?! I'm sick of being an avenger, I'm sick of being forced into a role I didn't ask for and now I'm getting sick of you! Get out, get out!" James clutched at his head, eyes shut tightly. He had an iron grip at his hair, tears streaming down his face at this point.

Kendall, alarmed and now extremely worried, ran to the older boy's side and tried to put an arm around him. James snapped in return though, glaring daggers.

"Don't touch me."

"James, I'm sorry! I mean, I didn't notice just how much you were keeping in, but please! Please, let me help you!" The blond exclaimed, going into leader mode now.

"N-no, fuck off Golden Boy! If you won't leave, then I will!"

"Sir, I don't think you should use the suit in your current emotional state." JARVIS stated in his cool, monotone voice. James sniffled, wiping at his watery eyes.

"JARVIS, not the time."

"James, wait!"

But it was too late. With a weak-hearted scowl, James's face was soon lost behind the Iron Man face plate, his entire body encased in vibrant gold and red. The ground felt like it was shaking under Kendall's feet, the brunet not caring much that he broke one of the glass walls of his workshop.

He didn't care about the shattered window, he didn't care that JARVIS was nagging (he can manage to nag even with his crisp, pressed voice) at him through the suit.

All he wanted was to leave, and now.

"JAMES! JAMES, COME BACK PLEASE!"

'Leave me alone...!'

-Page Break-

"He broke through the wall and left, just like that?" Carlos echoed Kendall with wide, soft chocolate eyes.

"That's not everything but basically, yeah. I tried to stop him but...he, he wouldn't listen to me." The dirty blond mumbled dejectedly, sitting down on James's workshop couch with his head in his hands.

Carlos turned to Logan, hoping his gamma radiation expert of a lover could hazard a guess as to why James left so suddenly.

"He told you that he missed his mom, right Ken? That he hasn't seen or spoken to her in months?" He asked, getting a short nod from the younger boy.

"And that...he's tired of being forced into a role he never wanted, Logan. He doesn't want to be Iron Man; he hates depending on the arc reactor, he hates that he's had to give up his mom, the only family he's ever had, and...he hates being an avenger. He never wanted this, guys..."

"We didn't either, Kendall. None of us expected nor wanted this, but we had to suck it up and go for it." Carlos began to point out, only to stop in his tracks at his friend's hard look.

"Do you talk to Mama and Papa Garcia, Carlos?" Kendall asked, tone off.

"Huh? Well yeah I do, every morning and every night before bed. They wish me luck on my training."

"And you, Logan? Does your mom call you every day and night?" Logan bit his lower lip, looking ashamed.

"S-she texts me too, all the time..."

"So don't you two see? James doesn't have what we have: the chance to talk to or even see his mom. Our parents, they're just good old, average hard-working folks. James's mom is too, but she's the queen of a very popular company, especially in the Mid-West. Yeah, the four of us had to move out to The Big Apple and yeah the four of us had to give up everything of our old lives...but we still have our parents. Fury, so not to risk Mama Diamond's life, probably cut James off from her since he's technically the head of this universe's Stark Industries. He's famous, she's famous; what villain wouldn't chance her life to get to Iron Man?"

Carlos and Logan's faces paled, the realization brought about by Kendall's passionate speech making guilt bombs fall into their stomachs.

"James has no family here, and instead of BEING the family he needed..." Carlos began.

"We ignored him, so caught up in our own little worlds that we were oblivious to our friend's suffering." Logan finished for him.

Kendall nodded and swallowed around the lump in his throat before he got to his feet, a firm grip on his shield.

"We all screwed up and failed James. We can't turn back time and fix the past, but we can prove to him that we DO care. Guys, there's a tracking system in our headset communicators; let's find James and fast, the condition he's in right now...there's no telling what could happen to him. He's a great fighter but it's our fault he's out there alone, let's make it right."

"You're right, Captain." Logan said, expression now determined, fresh as he got to his feet and began to work his tech wiz magic on getting James's coordinates, with JARVIS's help, via his computer.

"We have to find James!" Carlos exclaimed with a punch through the air, downloading the information Logan was pulling up into the mini-database programmed into his sunglasses.

Kendall pulled the cowl of his suit over his eyes and hair, speeding towards the elevator. "I got the coordinates! I'll track his location on land, you two take the skies! Block all S.H.I.E.L.D. access from outside the tower! This is our mission!"

"Right!"

'The last thing I want is for Fury to have an excuse to chew James out a second time.' The dirty blond thought with a mental scowl, racing towards his motorcycle.

-Page Break-

James was drowning.

Falling deeper and deeper into the mouth of the dark, cool waters.

He reached out weakly, trying to move his heavily armored body but nothing worked.

JARVIS's voice sounded distant and echoey, as if from the other end of a long, dark tunnel. His vision grew blurry; his eyelids felt heavy; his head felt light, almost hallow.

He was drowning.

'H-help...' Was the last thought he had, before his head fell back. So did his arms and legs, eyes fluttering shut.