Summary: As Tony Stark flew towards the Chitauri portal he had only one person on his mind: his son, Blaine Anderson. Blaine was Tony's best kept secret. That is until the aftermath of the Battle of New York causes the Avengers to lie low in Lima. But what Tony didn't know was that he wasn't the only one whose life was going to change. AKA the time that the gleeks met the Avengers and made a crazy weird family in the process.
Pairings: Established Clintasha and Pepperony. Hinted Puckleberry, Blam and Skyeward relationships. Pucktana, Puckleberry, Brittana, Pezberry friendships. And as always, Blamman bromance with The Science Bros and their plus one (Clint).
Warnings: Language, I guess, because I have a potty mouth damn it. Also a strong possibility for crackish behaviors, Sam being a fan girl and Kurt bashing. Spoilers for The Avengers, all of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and up to season four of Glee.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except typos! Those are definitely all mine. This is set at the end of the season three of Glee and the end of The Avengers.
Author's Note: An update! Miracles can happen! Uh, not much to say. Hope you all enjoy.
Who We Are
Blaine was not, as they say, having a good day. Okay, that was actually the understatement of the century. He was having a horrible, rotten, and no good with a chance of dying day. He grimaced as the virus burned its way through his system. It was an interesting design. From everything that Maya felt the need to share with him while they waited for Killian to bring his dad around, the virus had the capacity to heal. It could even regenerate lost limbs. It could be a medical breakthrough… if it wasn't for the fact that it was dangerously unstable. There were also the side effects. The super strength and the other abilities. Blaine understood the importance of a drug like Extremis… but he couldn't help but feel like it was an attempt to play god. And that rarely ended well.
He heard the raised voices before he saw the faces that went along with them. He sat up as much as the straps on his gurney would allow to see his father and Clint being dragged into the room. Tony was struggling against the men holding him as well as shooting off increasingly more vitriolic statements at his captors. Blaine was about to question why his father was being louder than usual when he caught sight of Clint. The archer was quiet and pale as they dragged him along. He wasn't fighting. In fact, Blaine suspected the tight grip of the big burly minions that AIM employed was the only thing keeping Clint from hitting the ground. And judging by the weary look on his face and the paleness of his skin, Clint looked like if he dropped, he wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon. But everything changed the moment both men laid eyes on Blaine.
"Blaine!" Tony shouted, finally shrugged the men off enough to make it to his son's side. Blaine saw tears welling in his father's matching eyes. He knew he looked the same. "I'm so sorry, kiddo. I never meant for this to happen."
"You never meant to be a super genius who's incredibly good at what he does?" Blaine joked weakly. He was rewarded with a feeble laugh from Tony.
"No, I never meant for you to get caught up in any of this," Tony motioned with his hand.
"I have to say… this is not exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to be special" Blaine said, prompting another sad laugh from his father. "I don't blame you for this dad. I know Sammy and Puck don't either."
He felt his father brush a shockingly cool hand over his face. The sadness didn't leave his eyes. "I'm starting to think that maybe your mother was right. Maybe I'm not good for you. Maybe you would've been better off if I never met you."
"Hey," Blaine snapped, dragging his father out of his maudlin thoughts. "I would not be better off without you, Dad. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. The only thing that comes close is when you let me live with you full time. So you can just stop right there. Best thing that ever happened to me. Mom doesn't…. Oh, no, mom."
Tony tilted his head to the side. "What about your mother?"
"Maya shot her, Dad. She shot her. Mom was working with Dr. Hansen to drug us. She put the bastardized version of Extremis in our water and our food. She got Sam and Puck too. And then when Mom finally got a clue, Maya shot her."
"What the hell, Hansen?!" Tony roared, looking up at his former fling. The woman at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Trust me, no one in this world wants to shoot Annette more than me. But even I wouldn't do it in front of her kid. Our kid."
"I didn't want to shoot her," Maya explained. "But she was protesting and delaying my escape. I had no choice. Time is not on your side when it comes to Extremis."
"And that brings us to why we're here," a new voice chimed in smoothly. Blaine watched as his father and Clint both tensed. Oh, so this guy was the boss. He was tall, blond and looked smug as hell. Blaine really couldn't wait until they took him down a peg or five. "You will fix the formula or your son and his friends will die."
"I fix this and we go home," Tony said, firmly. Blaine looked between his father and the new douche on the scene. "No games, Killian. I'll fix the formula but that's it. You let us go. All of us."
"Of course," Killian agreed with a wide smile. "I'll even do you a favor. Consider it a token of my complete sincerity." Before Tony could even open his mouth to protest, Killian was pulling a gun out and aiming at the completely surprised Maya. "An eye for an eye and all that."
Maya collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud. Blaine stared at the small hole between her eyes with wide eyes. Tony cursed loudly while Clint slumped further onto the goons still holding him up.
"You're welcome," Killian said after the heavy silence stretched on.
"You seriously expect me to thank you for shooting the only person who could help me stabilize the formula that I need to help my kids?!" Tony snapped.
"You're the great Tony Stark. You really want to try and convince me that you need assistance in stabilizing the formula? You could solve it on your own. Maya would've only gotten in your way. No, she far out lived her usefulness."
Blaine could see his father's brain working a mile a minute. He even registered the part where Tony came up with the solution.
"Killian, if I may," Tony ground out. "There is one other person who could help me. His name is Bruce Banner. He's better at genetics than I am. Plus if you dosed Sam and Puck with this stuff, he's probably already working on it himself. Between the two of us, we can come up with a stable version of the virus quicker than I could alone."
Killian clenched his jaw. "Very well," the man shrugged after a few. "You won't try anything stupid. You know what's at stake. I don't have to threaten you in that regards. But in case you forget, remember that it's not just the life of your son and his friends but also the life of your precious teammate that hang in the balance."
Clint let out a soft grunt as the two thugs finally released him. He slumped down against the gurney where Blaine laid. Killian motioned for the minions to release the leather straps holding him down. As soon as he was free, Blaine scrambled up to make room for Clint to be comfortable. The archer gave him a weak smile in thanks.
"I'm going to fix this, kid," Tony promised, wrapping him in a quick hug. He pulled away and tapped Clint on the forehead lightly. "You, stay awake until I get back. I know you're tired but I need to you stay with us for a little longer. Keep Blaine safe for me?"
"Always," Clint murmured, exhaustion heavy in his voice. As Tony was led away from them, Blaine shifted his focus to the severely injured and still bleeding man half sprawled across the gurney. "Hey, Mini Stark?"
"Yeah?"
"I ever tell you about where I grew up?"
Blaine racked his brain. "No, actually I don't think you did. Was it someplace fun?"
"Totally," Clint cracked a grin. "When I was six, my brother and I ran away and joined the circus."
At first, Blaine was willing to discount that as the blood loss speaking but the more he thought about Clint the more it all made sense. Okay, so maybe this keeping each other alive while they waited for Tony and Bruce to save the day wouldn't be entirely awful. He shifted Clint's head so that it was resting on his thigh. His hand absently brushing through the matted blonde locks as Clint told him the origin story of the Amazing Hawkeye.
Tony raked a hand through his hair for the fifth time that hour alone. He knew that the tic was annoying Bruce but the older man was smart enough not to mention it. That was one of the things he liked best about Bruce. The man was the quiet counterpoint to Tony's loud chaos. He knew when it was best to speak and when it was best to shut up and avoid all questions. As soon as the video connection was set up between him and the Tower, Bruce was all about science. He didn't comment on the bruises on Tony's face, the obvious stress around his eyes or ask about Clint and Blaine. He simply uploaded the data that he analyzed from the samples he took from the contaminated water and food as well as blood samples from Puck and Sam. He sat back in silence, looking at his own screen as Tony ran through Maya's notes and compared it to Bruce's findings and his own observations.
"We could do it," Tony murmured, breaking the silence for the first time in an hour. He wasn't worrying about Killian overhearing their conversation. Even though JARVIS was still down, Stark Tower was prepared to handle things like unwelcome attention. He knew their conversation was private. It said a lot about Killian's confidence in his leverage over Tony that he wasn't trying interrupt anyway. Smug bastard. "I could stabilize it. I could make it work and leave Killian with the perfect weapon."
"I don't need to point out all the ways in which that wouldn't end well, do I?"
"Definitely don't have to do that," Tony smiled softly. He looked at his friend. "How are Sammy and Noah?"
Bruce gave a tired chuckle. "Still not back to full strength but doing better than Blaine, I imagine. It's like they have the flu only with more fevers that literally burn. Also coughing up a lung is no longer a figurative term we will accept in this household."
"Oh, gross," Tony laughed despite himself. "Uh, how's Annette?"
Bruce rolled his eyes. "She's fine. Santana had another one of her whatever you want to call the thing that lets her know Puck is in danger. We got to all of them in time. Annette is alive and bitching. Which is great because so are Pepper and Natasha. They haven't left her side since she woke up. I finally had to banish Santana to the boys' room. She followed Pepper and Natasha earlier and actually had a notepad out writing down everything she heard. I swear her vocabulary for creative insults just expanded exponentially."
Tony laughed again, feeling both relief that Blaine's mother was alive and relatively well but also just to hear the antics going on at home. Damn, he really missed home right now. He glanced down at the samples from Sam and Puck versus the sample from Blaine. The virus was definitely having an opposite effect on the two hybrids over Blaine. Their bodies were successfully fighting off the effects of the Extremis. Tony was confident that within a few hours, it would be just a horrible memory for them. But for Blaine, it was becoming obvious that his body would take to the virus but it was a crapshoot whether he would be one of the ones that exploded or not. That's not the kind of chance Tony wanted to take. He needed to stabilize it. He needed to neutralize the Extremis to make sure no one like Killian ever got their hands on it.
"Bruce, what if there was a way that could stabilize the virus completely and neutralize everyone infected with the virus."
"For that, we would have to have a single subject act as a host for the newly created virus," Bruce mused. "That person would act as a carrier of sorts. They would be able release the cure for the virus and neutralize the others who carry the virus. It will shut down the virus in their systems and render them all normal again."
"Would it kill the person?"
Bruce shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. It would most likely mutate within the individual. Could make something better or worse."
"Don't know how it could be worse than puking up part of a lung," Tony replied, with a smile he didn't feel. "It was only part of a lung, right?"
"Yes, it was part of a lung that regenerated shortly after. Trust me, it was still gross. But, as disgusting as it was, it does seem to be having some positive effect on Noah's recovery from his unfortunate brush with death. He's almost back to normal. He hasn't reported seeing or hearing anything abnormal for the past twelve hours."
"That's good…" Tony trailed off. He tilted his head to the side. "Bruce, who were the people that Noah was seeing differently?"
"Uh, Steve, myself, Sam, Skye, Santana, Natasha and, oh… Blaine."
"Get him in here?" Tony asked. Bruce arched an eyebrow but called Steve and asked him to bring Puck upstairs. Five minutes later, a confused and slightly irritated Steve was wheeling a pale and gaunt looking Puck into the room. Tony winced. Puck looked he needed to be in bed. Tony didn't want to know how bad he looked before if this was an improvement. Still, Tony leaned towards the screen, noting the alert eyes looking back at him. "Hey, kid. How you feeling?"
"Like crap," Puck shrugged. "How's Blaine?"
"Kind of the same," Tony admitted. "I need to ask you about what it is you saw when you looked at Blaine."
Puck's brow furrowed but he nodded. "It was weird. It wasn't like what I saw when I looked at the rest of you. With Grandpa, I see the man he was before the serum. And with Uncle Bruce I see the Other Guy. But with Blaine, I don't see anything. It's blank. Almost like he's waiting for something to come along and wake him up. It's like in Pokémon. You know how Eevee changes depending on what stone you use. That's Blaine. He's Eevee."
"Did you just call my kid a Pokémon?!"
"Yes," Puck replied back with all seriousness. Tony bit his lip to stop laughing but couldn't fight the smile. He felt a little lighter when he saw Puck return a pale imitation of it. "What's this about anyway?"
"Well, long story short, we found a way to shut down Extremis for good. We're going to alter the virus to neutralize the viral markers in others. But the virus, it's likely to mutate. It could turn the host into something else."
"And you're thinking about making Blaine the host for this new virus," Steve guessed. Tony tipped his head. "It's up to Blaine, isn't it? I mean, shouldn't he be the one to make that call?"
"I don't exactly have time to discuss the finer points of this with him," Tony retorted with no real heat behind it. He knew this was unethical. He knew that Blaine should be completely informed before he went into this. This was more than the kid ever signed up for. Tony didn't know what would possibly happen to his son at the end of this. Best case scenario, he ended up with a stable version of Extremis and lived a normal life. Worst case, it mutated into something really bad and his son would end up living like one of those creatures in the sewer system, the Morlocks or something like that.
"You should do it," Puck said, suddenly. Tony looked up to meet the teen's gaze. Though his eyes might have been from Steve's mom, the resolve behind them was all Peggy Carter. "Blaine would want to do anything to help. You know it and I know it. He would want to help save the day. And he would take the risk. Besides, it doesn't matter what that virus does to him. He's still going to be Blaine at the end of the day."
Tony felt his lips twitch. "Yeah, you're right. He would want to do this. And he's still going to be him. Good call, kid. Nice to know you got some of your great grandmother and not just the Capsicle over here."
Steve rolled his eyes while Puck snickered. Bruce covered with a poorly time cough and then excused himself to retrieve something from the back of the lab. Steve's jaw clenched as muffled giggles emerged from the place they last saw Bruce.
"Well, now that we've solved that," Steve sniffed, though they all saw the smile on his lips. "I'm taking this one back to bed."
"But I just left bed!" Puck whined.
"Yeah, and now you're going back."
"Bed is lame!"
"Yeah, so is being hospitalized for the second time in a month," Steve shot back even as he wheeled the still protesting Puck out of the room. Their bickering eventually faded as they got on the elevator for the Infirmary.
Tony snorted. "Never a dull a moment, huh?"
"No, and I don't think it will be much better once you give Blaine that shot."
"Let's just hope whatever alien changes those guys are supposed to have don't happen any time soon. I don't think anyone is prepared to deal with five super powered teenagers."
"I'm barely able to deal with the super powered adults we already have," Bruce grinned. The smile slowly faded as he looked at Tony. "You ready to do this?"
"No," Tony replied honestly. "But for Blaine's sake, I will be."
With that said, the two men worked in silence on the virus that would ultimately shut down Extremis for good while also changing his son in a permanent way as well. Tony wasn't lying when he said that he worked better with Bruce. Sure, he probably could've come up with the formula on his own but it would've taken longer than he felt comfortable with. Blaine was literally on a countdown for his life. And thanks to Bruce's assistance, Tony completed an improved version of the virus that would completely neutralize any and all markers in the virus in anyone within a fifty mile radius initially. Gradually with time, that range would grow wider. Within a month, Extremis would just be a bad dream.
Tony pushed away from the lab table and knocked on the door where two guards were posted outside. He didn't need to say anything. He simply held up the syringe. They nodded and let him out, guiding him back through the maze like hallway to where his son and Clint were being held. Tony stopped suddenly as he looked at his little boy. His son. He was about to inject his son with a drug he never tested. He didn't know this was going to work.
"Dad?" Blaine asked, warily. He was sitting up now with Clint's head resting on his lap. Tony couldn't tell if the archer was awake or not before Blaine spoke but the blond head was now turned towards him. "Did you finish?"
"Yeah, I finished," Tony answered, stepping closer to his family. Clint sat up, looking beyond exhausted. He ran a hand through his hair.
"So that's it? We can leave now?"
"Not so fast, gentlemen," Killian's voice sounded. Tony grunted. "Now, Tony, not to say that I don't trust you but… I don't trust you. Inject your son."
Tony bit his cheek to hide the smirk he could feel growing. He knew that Killian would want Blaine to take the first injection. He made sure to meet Blaine's eyes even as Killian prepped the younger Stark for the shot. Blaine's brow furrowed briefly before he looked between the needle pressing into his skin and then his father. His lips ticked upwards and he nodded. Tony was never prouder of his kid than he was in that moment. Anyone who thought Iron Man was a hero clearly never met his son.
Tony pushed down on the injector before pulling his son into his arms. He leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. He initially winced at the heat pouring off Blaine's skin but he stayed where he was. He waited as the new virus started to work against the Extremis already present in his system. Blaine let out a small whimper as the changes started to take effect. Tony pressed a kiss against his rapidly cooling forehead even as he continued to hold on tightly. Five minutes later, Tony could tell that the new virus was working already. Blaine was dramatically cooler.
"It's working," Tony whispered. Blaine gave a shaky nod before slumping against Tony's shoulder. The genius' hand immediately flew to his son's neck where he felt a steady pulse. He could feel Blaine's steady breaths against his chest. The new virus was stabilizing Blaine's condition and would soon work to neutralize Extremis period. It would also likely mutate within Blaine but Tony was going to pick his battles at the moment. He could worry about that once he got his son and Clint as far away from this craziness as possible.
"Excellent work, Mr. Stark," Killian's oily voice spoke, breaking the peaceful family moment. "I never doubted you for a moment. Now I'm going to need you to produce another series of injections. I'm afraid we've fallen a bit behind schedule."
"No," Tony snapped, whirling around to face the man. "The deal was that I would fix this and we go home. I fixed it. I left you the correct formula. You don't need me."
"You see, that's where you're wrong," Killian tutted, pulling a gun from his pocket. Tony tensed, shifting in front of his son. "You see, I'm not an idiot, Tony. I know that you did something to the formula. What you did, I'll never know. But it won't matter. Because I'm going to give you a very good reason to undo it."
"What…?" Tony barely had a moment to process what Killian was saying before the man changed his aim towards Clint and fired. The archer let out a quiet gasp even as he was flung backwards from the unexpected blast. Tony ran around to the other side of the gurney to find Clint sprawled inelegantly across the floor. Blue grey eyes were open wide even as the man's shaking, trembling hands tried to press ineffectively against the bleeding wound on his stomach. "Clint! No! No, no, no, no! You didn't have to do this!"
"I think, you'll find that I did. You see I'm not a stupid man, Mr. Stark. I know that you did something. But if you didn't and I was wrong, it should be no small matter to whip up another batch of Extremis and heal your friend. But if I was right, and I believe I am, you won't be able to. And the death of the young Hawkeye will be on your hands. But what's one more death to a man like you? How much blood is on your hands already, Tony?"
Tony tuned the words out as he focused on stabilizing Clint. He tore off the bottom of the sweater he was wearing and pressed it against the wound as tightly as he could. Clint moaned at the contact and Tony apologized even as he moved Clint to see the wound. On the bright side, there was an exit wound on the back. But that was the only positive here. Clint was bleeding too much and too fast, especially when he couldn't afford to lose any more blood than he already had. Tony pushed the blonde's sweat and blood soaked hair out of the way as those familiar eyes stared up at him.
"Hey," Clint murmured.
"Hey," Tony choked. "Clint, I…."
"I know," Clint cut him off. He raised the hand that Tony wasn't pressing against his wound and pointed to his ear. Tony's brow furrowed even as he tilted Clint's head to the side and looked at his ear. He felt his jaw drop as he pulled out a tiny ear piece. "I heard you and Bruce."
"How did they not know you had a communicator on?"
"They did…." Clint winced, riding out a wave of pain. "Told them it was… hearing aid."
"Smart thinking."
"Was the truth."
Tony paused. "You're deaf?" Clint gave a weak one armed shrug. "Unbelievable. Remind me to very angry with you when this all over."
"Sooner than you think," Clint joked weakly.
"That's not funny."
"Not trying. I heard… I know that…. none for me."
Tony shook his head. "I'm not going to let it end like this. I'll find a way. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Coulson and Fury will murder me on the spot if I let you die here. Not to mention what Natasha, Puck and Darcy might do. So see, I have to save you to save my own skin."
"So selfless," Clint laughed before coughing. Tony chose to ignore the blood staining his teeth. Because he was going to fix this… somehow. He was going to make another virus, one that would fix Clint and everything was going to be fine.
He didn't even notice that Killian was long gone along with the rest of his goons. Tony had only one goal in mind as he stumbled blindly towards the lab where he left all of his notes. He had to find a way to save Clint. It wasn't just because he was terrified to come home without him… but mostly because he didn't want to go back to the team without him. It still blew his mind that he was willingly part of a team, part of a family but the fact that he willingly allowed Clint and Bruce to be in his orbit always caught him off guard. He was attached to them. They were the brothers he always wished he had. And he would be dammed if he let one of them die. Not now. Not after they made it this far.
Blaine woke with a gasp and the sudden and complete feeling that everything was different. It didn't look different, but everything felt… different. It was an odd sort of feeling. He didn't feel bad. Just... different. But as he looked around, his surroundings weren't any different than his impromptu nap. He was still in the same dreary basement hideaway he had been for the past two days. The last thing he remembered was his father giving him what he could only assume was a modified version of Extremis and then nothing. A quick glance around the room showed that he was alone. No father, no Killian, no goons… nothing. What the hell?
"Hey…. You awake yet?"
Okay, so maybe he wasn't as alone as he thought. Blaine swung himself over the side of the gurney towards where he heard the voice from and felt his breath catch in his throat. Clint was slumped against the wall. His previously pale features were practically translucent. A pool of blood was collecting on the floor by his hip. Shaking fingers were pressed tightly against a sluggishly bleeding wound on his stomach. Blaine crashed to his knees beside the wounded archer.
"No, no, no, what do I do?"
"Nothing… you can do. It's okay."
"No!" Blaine protested, loudly. "This is not okay. The bleeding, gaping wound in your side is not okay, Clint. I don't know what they taught you in the circus but this is not okay."
"It's going to be fine," Clint tried again.
"No, it's not. There is an eighty percent chance that if you don't receive medical treatment in the next ten minutes, you will die. Although even with medical treatment, given your previous injuries, the complications you're likely to suffer will likely impair you from having a normal, functioning life."
Clint arched an eyebrow, staring back at him with pained eyes. "That is oddly specific," he murmured.
"Uh, yeah. It is. I think that the Extremis is still working."
"Yeah, it is."
"But wasn't Dad supposed to stabilize it? It shouldn't be working like this."
"Set up a new virus. Mutated, stabilized you and neutralizes everyone else."
"But that means…." Blaine trailed off because he didn't even want to think it. Clint gave him a sad smile. "No. Clint, no."
"None for me.'
Blaine shook his head. "No, I won't accept that. I'm not going to let you die here."
He didn't bother waiting for a response. He stood up and made his way to the makeshift lab Maya was working on prior to her untimely death. He forced himself not too look at her body which lay not too far from where he was standing. Instead, he focused on the computer in front of him. He turned it on frowning as the password prompt came up. He sighed, raking a hand through his hair and trying to think about what password the genius turned lackey to a psycho could've used when the computer unlocked itself.
"The hell?" he murmured to himself. He felt his jaw drop slightly as files began to open at random on the desktop. It wasn't until the file labeled Extremis Notes opened that he even realized it was him. He was doing this. He was controlling the computer. And now that he had given it a thought, he realized that Maya's computer wasn't the only thing he could control. The steady humming noise he heard since he woke up seemed to be connected to computers. Maybe even all electronics. He was definitely going to toy around with that later…. After he saved Clint.
He studied the open document in front of him. He saw the formula that Maya was using and he could see how it was wrong. He somehow just knew the ways he could make it right. But if what Clint was saying was right, then any attempts to recreate the virus the way it should've been would fail because his father set Blaine up as a means to destroy it. So no, if he was going to save Clint (and he would), he was going to need to re-engineer the virus completely. He was going to have to create something totally new. He glanced over his shoulder. Clint gave him a weak thumbs up. Yeah, that would have to do for now.
Blaine would later be mind-blown by the way that information just made itself available to him. He was able to access information on any computer within the network system, including the notes that his father used to make the virus he gave to Blaine. Using that information and the information Maya had before she died, Blaine made short work of creating what he sincerely hoped was a new and improved version of Extremis that wouldn't be affected by whatever Tony did to him. Blaine held the syringe in his hands as he turned to the now too still Clint and hesitated. He knew what his father must have felt earlier standing in front of Blaine. It felt like he was playing god, almost. And not the fun kind of god, like Thor. Like the big one. They were interrupting the natural order of life. He looked down at the syringe in his shaking hand and the one that was in his pocket. The natural order of things. But… sometimes it was necessary to save the ones you loved. He kneeled in front of the archer.
"Clint?" no response. Blaine's eyes drifted down. Oh no, he wasn't breathing. Shakily, Blaine pressed his fingers against Clint's neck. It took more seconds that he would ever be comfortable with later, but he felt it. It was weak and thready but there. He was still alive but barely. That was enough to remove any and all hesitation from Blaine. The archer might hate him later but he would be there later to hate him. Besides, Blaine was pretty confident that Natasha and Puck would definitely be on the side of doing what it takes to bring Clint back. With them on his side, Clint didn't stand a chance.
So before he could talk himself out of it again, Blaine found a vein on Clint's damaged body and gently eased the needle in. With a quick exhalation, he pressed down on the syringe and prayed to every deity in the world that he wasn't too late. That he got it right. Because he couldn't afford to screw this one up. His dad would blame himself for losing Clint. He would lose himself in his work just like Howard before him. Blaine couldn't lose Tony like that. He wouldn't. But that meant that the stupid dramatic archer needed to wake the hell up and be okay because otherwise…
Clint lurched upright with a huge gasp of air that promptly turned into a coughing fit. Blaine eased him into a better sitting position before stepping back. He could see the Extremis glow flickering under Clint's skin. Blaine didn't know how long it was supposed to take to settle but he was willing to give the older man all the time in the world. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was actually barely fifteen minutes, Clint slumped against the wall, breathing heavily. Blaine watched as his breathing slowed to a normal pace and color started to spread through his complexion again. Still he hadn't said anything. Blaine took a chance and put a hand on Clint's arm and squeezed lightly. His skin was slightly warmer than usual but Blaine found that it was similar to his own temperature now. It was working.
"Clint?"
"Yeah, I'm here. Don't worry," Clint mumbled. He blinked a few times before squinting. "My ears hurt. And everything is like HD clear. Like super HD clear. But seriously…. My ears! Why is everything echoing?!"
"What's wrong with your ears?"
The archer winced at the sound of Blaine's voice. He reached into his ear and pulled out what looked like a tiny communicator from his left ear and then another from his right. And holy crap were those hearing aids?!
"You're deaf?!"
"Yeah," Clint replied. He paused. "Well, I was. But I can hear you just fine without these now. So I guess I'm not anymore?"
"Oh, wow. Dad is going to kill you for not telling him you were deaf all this time."
"Yeah, I know," Clint smirked. He blinked looking around the room. "Huh, so this is how Extremis works, huh?"
"Kinda. I just modified it a bit. It's not the exact original strand or even the one that dad modified me to fight against. It's a unique strand. It's to help repair significant tissue damage but not to do all the crazy extra stuff."
"Damn, and I really wanted to breathe fire and go boom," Clint grinned. He rose to his feet with all his usual grace. Blaine glanced over his body to see that most of the bruising and cuts were gone. If Blaine hadn't seen Clint with his own two eyes just three hours ago, he wouldn't know the man was knocking on death's door. He looked healthy… well except for all the blood coating his clothing and skin.
"Let's get out of here. You need a shower."
"Right, that's the priority right now," Clint laughed. "But you're right. Let's go find your father. He's probably worked himself into a panic thinking I'm dead and you're a mutating freak from hell." Clint stretched. "Also see if you can use that new computer brain of yours to find us a ride out of this place."
"Already done," Blaine smirked. "Aunt Natasha, Uncle Steve and Mom are already on their way. I sent them a signal with our location. Natasha just confirmed that she received the coordinates and that they're on their way."
"When you say Mom, you mean…."
"Pepper, who else? Like I really hope that Maya didn't kill my real mom but she did kind of sell me out to her. She definitely got my best friends poisoned. So she's kinda not my favorite person in the world right now."
"You'll figure it out, kid. But I do agree with the whole Pepper thing. She's been more of a mom to all of us than your mom."
"Word," Blaine agreed with a small grin. "Now, let's go find, dad. He's down on level two. Apparently Killian thinks we're both non issues because that's the only heavily guarded corridor."
"And you know this how?"
"I'm tapped into the security cameras."
Clint raised an eyebrow. "You figured that out really quick."
"I am a Stark."
"That you are, buddy. That you are."
Tony failed. That was the only way he could explain it. He saved his son and killed Clint in the process. He thought that he had outsmarted Killian but the man was one step ahead of him the whole time. If he wasn't an evil terrorist who just murdered a former colleague as well as his best friend, Tony might have appreciated the man's genius. But the fact remained that he did in fact just murder his best friend. So yeah, he wasn't really in an appreciative mood. He glanced around the room and winced. He did try when he got back in his lab to try and find a way to bring the Extremis virus back but all attempts failed. And he knew the longer it took, the less time Clint had. By his estimation, Clint was already gone. Stomach wounds were slow killers but they were almost always killers. So he trashed the lab in a fit of rage and slumped against the wall waiting for Killian to appear bragging about how he took out Hawkeye of the Avengers. Because he shot him. He shot him in the stomach and that was always a fatal shot this far away from non psychopaths and hospitals. Except apparently for now.
"All of this for me? I'm flattered."
Tony's eyes flew open at that sarcasm laced voice. That was impossible and yet. He blinked again and again only to find that the image hadn't changed. An all too smug looking blond archer flanked by an equally smug Blaine stood in the center of the room. Clint looked around the destruction with a raised eyebrow.
"I'd like to think that some of this was for me," Blaine chimed in.
"Dude, he knew you were alive. I was knocking on death's door like ten minutes ago. God, you Starks are so needy."
"I regret healing you."
"No you don't," Clint scoffed. He tilted his head and looked back to Tony. "Bro, you feel like getting up anytime soon? No offense but this has been the trip from Hell and I'm too ready to go home to my bed and my girl and a shower."
"Clint?!" Tony stood up, walking towards the younger man. "How is this possible? I saw you. Killian shot you. You shouldn't be alive, much less walking and talking and how?"
"Suffice to say that you and Bruce were right. The virus mutated in Blaine. He bonded with the virus and it upgraded his super brain. So he made a special for Clint batch of Extremis. Got to say, not to inflate your ego or anything, but your kid is pretty damn amazing."
Tony agreed with that statement whole-heartedly and he would tell Blaine that in just a minute. But in that moment, all he could say was, "you're okay. You're alive and okay." He pulled the archer into an embrace. It said a lot about everything that had experienced in the past few days that Clint didn't even fight him. He wound his arms around Tony's waist and relaxed into the hug. Tony held him for a moment longer before letting him go. "You're okay."
"Yeah," Clint mumbled, raking a hand through his dirty hair. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"And you," Tony said, turning to his son who was politely letting his father and favorite uncle have a moment. "You're freaking amazing, kid."
"Thanks, Dad," Blaine choked out before being yanked into a hug as well. He squeezed his kid tightly. "We're okay now, Dad."
"Yeah, I know. It's just that you two… you're bad for my heart."
"Well, it's a good thing we can take care of ourselves now, huh?" Clint chimed in.
"Yeah, I guess so," Tony agreed, still not letting go of Blaine. The reality that he came dangerously close to losing his son was just starting to settle in. It was too close. He almost lost him. His youngest. His baby.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"Can we go home now?"
"Hell yes!" Tony laughed, pulling away with a smile. "Let's get the hell out of here. I assume one of you called for a ride."
"Yeah, in a matter of speaking," Clint grinned. He slung an arm around Blaine's shoulders. "You're going to be insufferable aren't you?"
"Yes," Blaine answered with complete sincerity.
"Well, well what do we have here?"
Tony cursed at the sound of Killian's voice. God, he seriously hated that man. But while he was loathe to even see the man again after all the havoc he caused, Tony couldn't deny that the look of confusion on his face at the moment was priceless. Clint smirked. And it was in that moment that Tony remembered that underneath the goofy, carefree exterior Clint projected, the man was actually one of SHIELD's finest. He was a spy, an assassin and a damned good one. He was dangerous before Blaine injected him with the modified Extremis virus. Tony grinned. This almost made everything they just went through worth it.
"I shot you!" Killian continued, not knowing how to read the room. "You should be dead by now. I shot you!"
"You know if I had a dollar for everyone's that ever said that to me, I'd be richer than Tony," Clint shrugged. "And yeah, you shot me. It hurt. I didn't like it. I told you there was no way that you were going to walk away a winner. And I meant that. Payback time, bitch."
Killian was grossly unprepared for how quickly Clint moved. Tony found himself cataloging the changes in his friend. Definite increase in reaction time and agility. Clint was a force to be reckoned with before but now? Killian could barely keep up. Although that might have had less to do with Clint's newfound prowess and more to do with his grinning kid. Killian paused long enough in the onslaught that was Clint to notice.
"What did you do?!"
Tony looped an arm around Blaine, pulling him against his side securely. "What I meant to do all along. Stop you. Blaine is a walking, talking cure for Extremis."
"But then how…"
"Clint has his own version of the virus. The Blaine special," Blaine retorted. Clint glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. "Dude, give me a break. I literally just made the thing. I'll think of a better name for it later!"
"I'm just saying… it lacks pizazz."
"Why do you even know that word?" Tony mumbled. Clint rolled his eyes.
"Suffice to say that Clint now has a hybrid version of Dr. Hansen's original work but better. So better than yours and not neutralized by mind. He's his own kind of person now."
Clint smirked, kneeling down in front of Killian. Though he was facing away from them, Tony could still see the slight glow of Clint's eyes. Judging from the way that Killian looked like he was about five seconds away from destroying his stupid Armani suit, Tony had a feeling it was every bit as frightening as Clint intended it to be.
"Hey? Do you think we could stop at Burger King on the way home? I'm freaking starving?" Clint asked, glancing over his shoulder again. The glow was fading away in his eyes leaving behind wide, slightly worried blue gray eyes. Tony found himself smiling slightly.
"We can stop anywhere you want."
"Why does he get anything he wants?" Blaine protested. "I'm the one that did the hard work. If it wasn't for me, he would totally be dead."
"Blaine, you love Burger King."
"Yeah, but I just feel like it would've been nice to be considered."
Clint rolled his eyes. "Where do you want to stop?"
"Burger King."
Tony shook his head and ignored the bickering children as he looked for something in the midst of the wreckage that would help him to tie up Killian. The man was practically petrified in his spot. Losing really didn't seem to settle with him. Still, he wanted him tied up before he started getting bullet happy again. Though he had a feeling that they would heal.
"Wait, what are we going to do with the Extremis stuff? I mean I know I work for SHIELD and they would want a chance to study it but… I just think that…"
"He's right," Blaine added. "No one should have this kind of information. Extremis, even the Blaine special could be really dangerous in the hands of the wrong people."
Tony sighed. The scientist in him wanted to disagree. Wanted to argue about all the lives that could be changed with that kind of information. But Killian was living proof that they were right. The fact that Happy was in the hospital was just further explanation.
"Wipe it."
Blaine nodded. He walked over to the overturned computer station and put a hand on it. It sparked to life and Tony watched as information passed over the screen at a dizzying rate. Blaine's eyes were blank as he went through the systems wiping all evidence and information regarding the Extremis virus. Tony was going to have a parental panic moment about that later. For now, he settled for being impressed as all hell.
"That's it," Blaine shrugged. "All proof of the virus is gone." He absently patted his the pocket on his jeans before looking at Tony with a defiant look on his face. Tony arched an eyebrow and shrugged. He had no idea why Blaine was holding on to a sample of the virus but his kid proved he was more than capable of making good decisions. He would let him have this one. He trusted that the kid had a good reason.
"Alright, boys, let's go home!"
Pepper held onto Blaine the entire ride back to the Tower. She kept him tucked under her chin as the emotional and physical exhaustion finally caught up to him. Tony was holding onto both of them. His head was heavy against hers as he finally felt safe enough to sleep. Steve was up front flying the plane with careful supervision from Natasha. The only reason she was letting him have a chance at all was because she had her arms full of a sleeping archer. She looked like she was tempted to fly anyway until Tony let her know just how close they came to losing Clint for good. Suddenly she didn't seem to want to let go either.
The plane touched down three hours later. Thankfully, no one had to wake them as the landing woke all three men. Tony yawned, stretched and immediately sought out Blaine and then Clint. Once he was satisfied that they were both still here and still alive, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Pepper pressed a kiss against his cheek. She knew this wasn't going to be easy for him. But she was going to be by his side every single day.
"Welcome home Masters Stark and Agent Barton."
"JARVIS!" Tony smiled at the sound of the AI's voice, seemingly settling a little more. Pepper smiled. "Missed you, buddy."
"I missed you as well, sir."
"J, how is…."
"I'm pleased to report that Mr. Hogan has woken up and appears to be on the mend," JARVIS reported.
Pepper let out a quiet sigh. She hasn't even thought about Happy since Tony and Clint went off the radar. But she was glad to know that their friend would be okay. She was taking both Tony and Blaine to see him in the morning. She wasn't taking them now because they both looked like they were seconds away from falling asleep on their feet. Although she noticed them both perking up as the elevator doors opened to reveal the rest of the anxious and worried team.
"What? No balloons?" Blaine grinned. Puck, Santana, Donnie and Brittany rolled their eyes but still couldn't keep the smiles off their faces. Sam bit his lip before pulling Blaine out of the elevator and looking him over for hidden injuries or life threatening wounds. Pepper recognized the look of anxiety on the teen's face. She was wearing that same expression just a few hours ago. She totally sympathized.
Clint and Natasha disappeared shortly after exiting the elevator. Not before Puck and Clint exchanged adorable and awkward hugs. She would worry about the young assassin but she knew that Natasha had him well in hand. Not to mention, she knew that Natasha was most likely taking him to see Ward. The agent insisted on staying at the Tower until Clint came back. He spun it as wanting a SHIELD presence there until Clint returned but Pepper knew it was because he was worried about Clint. The two men had an interesting relationship that was definitely going to pick apart with Natasha during their next brunch but for now the only relationship she could focus on was the one hopefully happening in front of her.
"I'm fine, Sammy," Blaine assured him. "I'm actually more than fine but that's a story for when I'm less exhausted and why are you still looking at me like that?"
Sam opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind. He closed his mouth so quickly, Pepper could hear his teeth click. She saw the internal struggle flash across his faces before he muttered something along the lines of 'screw it' and crashed his lips against Blaine's. If Blaine was at all surprised, he sure didn't show it. His hands immediately rose to bury themselves in Sam's hair, deepening the kiss into something not at all appropriate for right in front of his parents. But hey, he was kidnapped two days ago. Pepper was going to let him have that one.
"Pay up, assholes!" Santana crowed, clapping her hands together in obvious joy. Puck arched an eyebrow.
"How the hell did you win?"
"Bruce and I both picked immediately following the next big crisis," Santana reported, flinging her arm towards the very oblivious couple.
"That already happened. You know when Donnie almost died. When I actually died."
"That was a SHIELD crisis. This was a family crisis. Yours didn't count. This did. So everyone needs to pony up!"
Pepper couldn't help but giggle as several eyes turned to her to act as judge. She shrugged. "Santana does raise a point. Not that your death wasn't important, Noah."
"This family sucks," Puck muttered, fishing around in his jeans for whatever money they agreed to put up for this.
"This family is awesome," Santana corrected, already counting her winnings. "Now shut up and let I'll let you borrow half to take Rachel out somewhere fancy."
"Yeah, this family is pretty awesome."
Pepper grinned letting the bickering fade to the back of her mind as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She turned to meet Tony's gaze. "Hi, stranger."
"Hey, yourself," he whispered, kissing her briefly. "So my son is making out with his best friend. Should I be alarmed?"
"Nah," Pepper snickered. "I'd be more alarmed if they weren't making out. Like how much more was it going to take?"
"Am I seriously the only person who didn't see that one coming?"
"No, because you saw it coming," Pepper said, raising an eyebrow. Tony grinned. "You like Sam. You know he's good for him."
"At this point, anything is a step up over Kurt. But you're right. I do like Sam and I do know he'll be good for him. And I'm actually happy that they're finally together."
Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just when I think I can't fall in love with your more, you go and say something really adorable."
"Keeping you on your toes," Tony grinned, leaning forward. Pepper smiled against his lips and closed her eyes.
"Ew!" Blaine's voice cut through their moment. "Gross. Get a room you guys."
"Seriously, kid? Weren't you just making out with the Blonde Wonder over there?"
"That's different."
"How, you little hypocrite?"
"You guys are my parents! No one wants to see their parents making out. That's just wrong."
"Facts," Brittany nodded.
"Why do I put up with any of you again?" Tony asked with a fond smile.
"Because you love us," Sam, Santana, Blaine, Brittany and Puck replied in unison. All that time in glee club really paid off after all.
"That was a rhetorical question, you little nightmares." He rolled his eyes. "You know what we need?"
"Like three days of sleep?" Bruce suggested in a tone that implied he would be making sure that Tony got that sleep whether he wanted to or not. Pepper has mentioned how grateful she is that Bruce came into their lives, right? Because she totally was.
"No, we need Disney. Where did you guys leave off?"
"Uh, I think we were up to Aladdin."
"J, cue up Aladdin. And order about a dozen pies from Ray's. Oh, and donuts. Donuts help everything."
"As you wish, sir."
Pepper wanted to protest. Tony, Blaine and Clint really needed to get some rest. But she could tell that none of them were going to be sleeping easily anytime soon. Not to mention, it was unlikely that they were going to want to be away from the others for too long. Even now, she saw Clint and Natasha slinking back in the room. So Pepper bit down on the protests and followed her family into the common room that was soon transformed into a makeshift lounge.
The kids were tangled together in a massive cuddle pile on the pillow and blanket covered floor. Natasha and Darcy were snuggling Clint between them. Steve was sitting to the right of the kids with his back resting against the sofa where Bruce and Thor had set up camp. Tony and Pepper settled on the loveseat across from them. Cooper plopped down on the floor next to them. His head was tilted back and Tony occasionally ran a hand through the dark brown hair, relaxing them both. Pepper rested her head on Tony's shoulder as the movie started.
There would be a lot of questions later. They would need to explore the full extent of Clint and Blaine's enhancements. They would all need to give statements about Killian and the phony Mandarin. But for right now, they were all together for the first time in what felt like forever. And Pepper was going to take that as a victory and worry about everything else later. She snuggled deeper into Tony's embrace. He kissed her forehead gently before resting his head against hers.
Yeah, it was perfect.
*The end for now. Also yay, Blam? Yes, the syringe that Blaine kept is important and will come up again very soon. Like next chapter soon? I put the question mark there because I honestly don't know, you guys. I never know. Anyway, hope someone out there enjoyed. All jokes aside, things are calming down for them for a bit. That is until I start the next big arc which is already have planned out. So this story isn't going anywhere. It's really just beginning.