Hello everyone :) So here we are for a next chapter of this fic J
I hope you will like it. Please let me know what you think by review, I really need your opinion to know if I have to continue this fic or not…
If you find any mistakes in English (grammar or other) please let me know. I really want to improve.
Thank you :)
I don't own any of the marvel characters… Enjoy…
Chapter 3: Shawarma or not?
Thor and Captain America started to be surrounded by Chitauri. They were super-heroes, they were not supposed to lose hope but it was really a good timing to be desperate. Hawkeye was out of arrows, captain America seriously injured and Chitauri were still coming. Natasha found the way to close the damned portal but Stark got the "good-Stark idea" to pass thought the portal few second ago with a nuke on this back.
No later than one second after Steve started to discourage, all the aliens died instantaneity! It was a big release and a surprise for all of them. After a small feeling of happiness, they all focused on the open portal above the Stark Tower…
"Come one, Stark." whispered Natasha looking desperately at the portal. She knew him… Even more that the other members of the team. It was a jerk most often the time but she knew also that behind this, he was a good man, with a heart. And her better proof was that a smart woman as was Pepper Potts was in love with him. It meant that in somehow Stark could be good. And finally, after working with him in Stark industries and for this last 24 hours, she kind of started to appreciate him, which stands for something coming from an assassin.
Thor was a god and knew that fly into space with a nuke didn't give a lot of hope to come back, especially when you are a human. He knew that even if it was hard they would have to close this portal. They couldn't take the risk to see new aliens come to earth. And god only knew how much he wanted to protect earth! Earth was the planet of his evolution. Evolution as a king, and more important as a man. No definitely, even if Stark did a good action and even if he deserved to be honored for that, they couldn't wait more. So he looked at the only man who could take the decision, their "leader".
Steve could read in Thor's eyes what he wanted him to do. And moreover he knew that Thor was right. Steve was a soldier, he knew what it was to lose a man on a battleground. Even if Stark acted as a hero, he had to protect the rest of "his team" and above all the civilians.
"Close it" Steve told sadly to Natasha. Natasha froze for a second. She didn't want to seal the destiny of Stark. Anyway! She was an assassin, she couldn't follow her feelings. So she pulled her together and closed the portal.
The portal was closing slowly… Steve gasped, it was always hard to loose someone, especially when you just passed intensive 24 hours like that. 24 hours where you both was on a way to die more than one time. Each avenger felt the sadness filled them on their own way. They won, but in the same time they lose. They failed as a team… Suddenly, Iron man appeared at the last second. Natasha was released and she even gave a faint smile which was rare to see on Black Widow's face.
"Son of a gun" Captain America couldn't believe it. He made it! Stark made it.
The relief disappeared at full speed on Thor's face. "He's not slowing down" he said starting to whirl Mjölnir in the air. At the same time, Hulk grabbed Iron man. Hulk landed on the ground and threw Stark on asphalt. Thor and Steve ran to him.
"Is he breathing?" captain America worried asked. Thor snatched Iron mask from Tony. His eyes were closed, his arc reactor was so grey with any dot of shining blue. Steve came closer to him… He was not breathing. He touched the arc reactor. It was still grey, any humming noise came from it. It was silence, so silence, too silence and everyone knew that when Stark was here, it was not supposed to be silence. Sadness was filling them again. Hulk didn't know what sadness was, he just knew anger, and at this moment he felt anger filling his heart! Hulk was not supposed to have any feelings, but Banner who was deep inside obviously had. That's why Hulk jumped to catch the falling Iron Man and that's why Hulk felt so angry about the Tony's death!
"gggrhhh" grumbled Hulk in fury. At the same time Tony came to life
"Ahhhhhhhh" yelled Stark. The cry of Tony was punctuated by a Hulk's growl.
"What the hell?" Tony gasped completely lost. Steve and Thor cracked a smile, they were so relieved to see that he was not dead!
"What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?" asked Tony. This time Steve gave a bright smile. Saw that he was making stupid Stark's jokes as usual proved him that he would probably completely recover. Steve thought about all they passed through and he panted, remembering all the feeling that he just got in few minutes only. From the panic of losing the battle, to the relief when Natasha found the solution for closing the portal, to the fear of the nuke coming on Manahan, to the bright idea of Stark to head it to the portal, to Stark disappearing into the portal, to the joy for the death of all the aliens, to the sad loss of Tony in the space, to happiness to see him reappear, to sadness of Tony death… And finally, he was not dead! It was really too much emotion for Steve, too much emotion for such short period of time.
"We won" Steve finally said, still panting… Yeah, few minutes ago he thought that they lost as a team but finally everyone was here and the world was safe, so yes they won!
"All right, yay!" Tony closed his eyes and rested his head on the floor. He was released, really released. During a moment, he truly thought that he would die. But finally he was there, with the other super-heroes, his team-mate and probably more than that after all they just went through.
"Hurray. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day." He tried to joke around as usual but he just rested again his head on the floor closing his eyes again. Stark would never show but he was really frazzled. Then as we just said, he would never show it, especially to them.
"Have you ever tried shawarma?" He continued, seems like he was fit as fiddle. Steve laughed, the playacting of Tony worked on Steve apparently. "There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is but I want to try it."
"We're not finished yet." Thor interrupted Stark in his chit-chat. They all turn their gaze on the Stark Tower. Yes, the chitauri were all dead but Loki was still there somewhere and they have to stop him.
"And then shawarma after." Stark finally concluded. Steve held one's hand out to Stark to help him to stand.
"Barton, Romanoff! Are you guys hear me?" asked Captain
"Yes" answered the both agent in concert.
"Ok, we have to capture Loki for good! Let's meat in the Stark Tower penthouse"
"Ok" they both agreed.
They finally found Loki, at the same place that Hulk let him minutes ago.
"If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now." Loki proposed seeing that he was surrounded by all the avengers. They were all gazing at him with sober-minded except Tony who cracked a smile at the Loki's reply. He just remembered their discussion before the battle started and giving a look to all his team-mate he was just happy and eased that he was right when he told to Loki that he hadn't any chance to win.
Tony saw Thor came closer to Loki and grabbed him. "You made a big mistake, my brother…" Thor's voice started to faint for Tony when his eyes landed on pieces of glass on the floor which looked like a smashed bottle of champagne. The thought of Pepper jumped in his mind. Events stringed them together so fast since he fall from the portal and woke up that he completely forgot about their last conversation. They were cut off when he passed the portal and he was not sure if she knew what happen next. He had to call her. He took a look to his Team-mate and he heard Natasha asked for some SHIELD backup.
"I'm going to remove the suit guys" he yelled at them leaving the room without waiting any answer from them. He reached one of the lab levels.
"Jarvis?" He asked, starting to remove the dead suit from him fragment by fragment.
"Yes, Sir" the AI politely answered.
"Can you call Miss Potts for me and put her on the screen please?" He asked removing one of his legs from the suit in pain. His body was painful from everywhere.
"I'm afraid that I cannot, Sir."
Tony's body tightened hearing Jarvis words "Why?" he started to yell gazing the ceiling "What happen? Is she safe?"
"I don't know Sir. Since the portal had been closed by Agent Romanoff, I lost all the exterior communication."
"How come? Do you know why Jarv?" Tony asked watching his bloody face in the mirror.
"I think the energy release by the Tesseract, when Loki's Scepter touched it, burnt out the entire network in Manhattan."
"This is really annoying… Is there any possibility for you to pass by the mansion in Malibu to reach her?" He wondered passing his hand in his hair.
"I'm afraid that I cannot, Sir."
"I'm disappointed Jarv, I was thinking that you can be more useful" said Tony teasing his AI.
"I'm sorry Sir."
"Can you tell me where was Pepper at the last connection that you got with her, before everything blew up?" He asked checking his entire body for injuries. He felt that he had at least 4 ribs bruised, certainly due to the gentle rescue from Hulk.
"For sure. On my last recording, Miss Potts was in the Stark Industries private jet flying to LaGuardia Airport. She is supposed to land in about 10 minutes but I'm not sure about the real timing because of the last events that happen in New York."
"How many time from here to Laguardia, Jarvis?" He asked walking to the elevator.
"About 30 minutes by car, Sir. But again, with the last events…"
"Jarvis, with the suit…" He interrupted his AI.
"Sir, I'm afraid that no one of your suit is ready for a fly."
"What do you mean?"
"The mark VII that you just remove is completely out and the mark VI is not ready for any fly."
"Shit! Find a solution Jarvis!" he maintained walking inside the elevator.
When he reached the floor where he let all the team, he found a helicopter from the SHIELD in front of his broken windows. SHIELD agents were everywhere in his living room. It's much worse than when I found my elevator… he pressed his lips together to this thought and rectified in his head… our elevator teeming with sweaty workmen. His gaze finally fell on Banner who was almost naked with just the rest of pants on his bottom. Tony smiled.
"Hey Buddy, not too cold?" He teased Bruce. Bruce looked at him with desperate eyes. "Ok come, it's funny, no? When he saw the silence from Bruce, he reached his bedroom and found some clothes that he threw to Banner when he came back in the living room...
"Thanks" Banner finally said to Tony grabbing the cloths on the floor.
After few minutes only, SHIELD agents started to leave the tower taking Loki with them. All the avengers met in the middle of the room. They were all so tired. They started to gaze at each other in silence. After long second of silence, Steve finally broke the silence…
"What about go to take this shawarma finally?"
All gazed at Stark in the same time waiting for his approval or something… He was supposed to be the comic of the team and this shawarma idea came from him at the beginning. But nothing came out from Tony's mouth. He was just like gaped. His mind was caught between say yes and go to eat with his new "kind-of-friend-team-mate" or say no, leave them and go to find Pepper…
