If I Can't Have You
Summary: The Avengers are the best band on the planet, with the best gigs and the most talented musicians in the world. That was fact. The world has long since accepted it. That is until an old friend comes for two of their members and the world is shaken as an old group comes back together once again to make waves. And not small splashes. Tsunamis! Friendship, love and family go a long way to break the chains of society, after all.
"I heard Rogers and his lot are trying to team up with that new band, Guardians of the Galaxy, for a collaboration on a new album but the newbies are hesitant to accept," Bruce said as Toni did her nails while leaning on her reading husband, who didn't give a damn about the former Avengers beyond his two friends that had once been unwilling parts of the toxic group and Thor who unfortunately grew on him. Toni looked up at her Science Bro and arched an eyebrow, showing she didn't really understand why the pianist and her fellow former Avenger even brought it up. Bruce just shrugged. "They're trying to set themselves up for our Infinity War album and apparently trying to get back into your good graces. With Fury abandoning them to the wolves and sharks and whatever other metaphorical animals to represent displeased fans and eager to start a smear campaign other artists and even more eager to publish them journalists and paparazzi, they've sunk real low."
"So they want to mooch off of her again? Idiots," Wong snorted from Stephen's other side, also reading a book. One he got Stephen as their wedding present. Because he had wanted it in the first place. Sneaky. Toni rather liked Stephen's best man. The man was a savage.
And he was right. The Avengers - if they can even still call themselves that - really were idiots. Like, cosmic level of idiots. Infinity War was something Toni had been in the works to set up since the Ultron concert. It was supposed to be all about gathering various bands that want to send out a message to the people, pulling them all under one banner and standing united, together as they delivered their music to the public. The Avengers had never really listened to her about it - not even Bruce, not completely, something he apologizes for almost every day now as they book their sessions, especially with bands and artists outside of SI's far reaching contracts - so now that it was upon them, they weren't ready and instead of leading the 'charge', they were equal to the newbies being brought in. Toni couldn't help but find the irony of it all absolutely beautiful.
They'll end up with only six minutes of stage time. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Not that they had ever been mighty. Not without Toni.
She couldn't believe that it was only about a year and a half since the Civil War concert and the fallout of the Avengers. People still talked about it like it happened yesterday, so it was at times hard to imagine so much time had passed so quickly. When Toni Stark, Iron Maiden, left the Avengers lineup with Bruce Banner in tow, the band got quite some backlash. Toni got some, too, but people were more interested in her new engagement with Stephen than why she left her old band behind in the dust. And when Thor decided to duck out, too, the Avengers started crashed and burned the Hindenburg style. The big muscular blond finally officially made that band with his brother and together with Loki's new girlfriend and even their older scary sister Hela as a 'Fuck you' to Odin, they made Ragnarok, a brilliant album. Though Toni was a bit annoyed with Thor for giving Loki her number so the black haired Odinson could bother both her and Stephen about the mastery of the violin. That ended in a huge violin showdown months later, days before the wedding. That ended up being a hit on YouTube.
And if that wasn't bad for the Avengers, Scott scuttled away as soon as the Civil War thing was over and went back to being part of the Ant Man & The Wasp duet he was before. Bucky also seemed more than glad to get back to Wakanda, where T'Challa, Shuri, M'Baku, Erik - or N'Jadaka, but he refuses to go by that name anymore - and Okoye welcomed him and one Everett Ross, which surprised people but everyone seemed to think them a really good group. T'Challa, too, didn't stay with them, as they should have known would be the case from the beginning, and Rhodey wanted nothing to do with them. So they were left without their lead vocalist, pianist, drummer and two song writers and composers, their only song writers and composers and, of course, they floundered. It only got worse as Fury took to managing Carol full time, Coulson took on a new band, Agents, and Hill returned to work for SI fully, under contracts and NDAs. Toni had no idea what they were up to these days besides trying to throw Wanda in Viz's face in hopes of getting closer to her again so they'd 'mooch off of her', to quote Wong's wise words, only for her cousin to dodge, avoid and decline every attempt before eventually asking JARVIS for a restraining order that the SI legal department was more than happy to serve.
Still ... "T'Challa will pull them in with him," Toni said casually, eyes returning to the tablet in her hand where she and JARVIS were playing chess. She ignored how everyone's gaze turned to her, so completely used to being the center of attention by now that it was practically second nature. "As a favor to Bucky. And since the Revengers," and they all couldn't help themselves from snorting at that. Whether Thor knew it or not, that was the biggest burn he could have given their old band, as the talk about the new Revengers put the Avengers into even deeper darkness. There was no way they will ever not find it funny. "Are the ones dragging the Guardians along, I doubt even Quill would be stupid enough to try and drag someone else with them, too. Well, no, he would be but Gamora would put him straight."
"Hypophyse, but I pity that woman," Stephen breathed with feeling, finally abandoning his book to focus on the conversation, drawing Toni closer to his body, much to her delight. She always did like her Stephen-cuddles. They were the best cuddles and snuggles in the world. "Surrounded by those idiots ... Poor, unfortunate soul."
"Don't go quoting The Little Mermaid on us now, Doc," Toni warned, poking his bicep, but the former neurosurgeon just snorted.
"Then don't let Peter talk us into watching Disney movies all the time and we have a deal."
"Let's see you say no to the kid when he gives you the puppy dog eyes," Toni retorted with a snort of her own, knowing it was impossible, especially if he teamed up with Harley. "Besides, Gamora has some backup now in her sister Nebula, so they're cool. They're strong women. They can take on the stupidity of men. I mean, I've been dealing with you guys for two decades."
"You can repeat that with a straight face when I don't need to remind you to eat," said Yinsen as he walked into the room with a tray of sandwiches and bottles of water for everyone, scowling down at the brunette. Toni just beamed at him and made grabby hands at him, mumbling a thank you around the first bite. She knew they were watching her antics with fondness and relief - well, maybe minus Wong, he didn't know her all that well yet, all things considered - because there was once a time when people practically had to stuff food down her throat in order for her to eat because guilt and loneliness used to make everything taste like ash in her mouth. Now, ever since Yinsen woke up, Toni's healthier appetite returned and she never made a fuss about people telling her to eat, especially if it was the man himself or Stephen. Guilt no longer tortured her - not as bad as before, at the very least. Yinsen had still lost a considerable amount of years from his life but he was alive and finally awake so Toni was just happy his physical therapy had gone so well and he regained full motion and muscle mass he had before Afghanistan. And with her finally surrounded by her real friends and family, especially with Stephen back, there was simply no space left for loneliness.
And speaking of Stephen ...
Her bold and unusual proposal at the end of the fireworks show that was closing off the Civil War concert was the event of the year of 2016. Everyone was talking about it. All of their fans could only say 'Finally!' or 'About damned time!' as their comments on social media pages or concert reviews, no matter how old or recent they might be. Those who followed them since Geniuses, like Mademoiselle Clea and Mr Dormammu, sent them all of their support, talking in interviews or on social media pages and blogs about how their chemistry had been obvious since day one. Most, if not all of their PhDs fans thought the same, the rest believing it developed over the last years of their band being together and then the distance and then the reunion finally set them on the right path of acknowledging their feelings. Even their fans from just a week or so before the concert said that the way they looked at each other wasn't how friends would. Some of the bolder - and ruder - young adult and teen fans even went as far as to tag #ohtheyf*cking and the like. Neither Stephen nor Toni liked how that tag was mostly associated with their little Phantom of the Opera performance at the theater but there was nothing they could do about that.
The biggest annoyance of all regarding their sudden engagement was Rogers. As soon as Toni had managed to drag the shell-shocked Stephen off of the stage and was greeted by their all too happy friends, her ex was there, saying some nonsense how they were only taking a break, that they were still in a relationship as though Toni hadn't made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with the cheating bastard. Rogers even went as far to try and kiss her but Stephen - bless Una Anciento for teaching him martial arts - literally knocked him out by flooring him and then spent twenty seconds glaring death at him before Toni had drawn him into a grateful kiss and distracted them. She hadn't wanted the great night to be ruined by anything or anyone and so she had just dragged her new fiance off to celebrate both the concert and their engagement.
If I Can't Have You was declared the love song of the year and got a Grammy in 2017, much to the delight of Stephen and the Mystic Arts. There had been a lot of partying and a lot of drinks and a lot of hot, steamy, private celebrations when the guests left. What was left of the Avengers hadn't been invited. It had been perfect.
Toni's and Stephen's relationship never change in its very essence. They still bickered and bantered, wrote songs together, reviewed scientific papers, watched cheesy sci-fi movies and went to the Phantom of the Opera together. They were still the best friends they have always been, the only difference they could now touch. As much as they wanted. And they had become nearly touch starved since they last saw each other so the change was welcome and nearly overwhelming. They'd never been shy about being too close together, as the concept had never existed between them, but there was now a whole new level to it. They held hands almost the entire day every day, as long as they were in the same room together. They hugged at random. Toni sat in her fiance's lap every time she could get away with it. They relished in their kisses, be they chaste or heated. Toni loved it the best that her nights were never again lonely or cold. It didn't matter if they stayed at her penthouse in Stark Tower or that Sanctum place of his, as long as he held her in his arms all night long, she didn't care.
And the sex was amazing, of course. They were Geniuses. And perfectly compatible. And had longed for each other for over a decade.
Oh yeah. The sex was amazing.
Their friends took a great amount of delight and glee in planning their wedding. Toni and Stephen were not allowed to have any say in the wedding, everyone being under the impression that they'd just go to a small church or skip even that and just sign the papers with a witness or two and be done with it and everyone was definitely not letting that happen, as they had been waiting for this day almost as long as the couple has. So Pepper, Susan, Christine, Una and Peter's aunt May were put in charge of all of the planning while everyone else had to keep them from eloping to do just that if they get too bored. So Toni and Stephen spent five months 'dating', mostly trying to ditch their 'chaperones' so they can enjoy some time together. They decided Carol was their best friend, as she distracted Rhodey and allowed them to sneak off and watch The Phantom Of The Opera a few more times - and they were even dragged into a show once, by none other than Mademoiselle Clea, so she and her husband could go on a well deserved and much anticipated vacation - and go to various concerts. Toni still couldn't get it through her head how rock legends the likes of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and so on could still ask for their autographs when she asked for theirs. It was sort of like an exchange and it became their thing over the years, especially after she performed Iron Maiden's Iron Maiden at their concert in 2008 after Afghanistan and then made her own Iron Maiden album. Most of their friends didn't find their antics amusing as they then usually had to track them down when they disappeared but were relieved just to have the chance to properly prepare the wedding they insisted of making it into the ceremony of the century.
And Pepper, the vicious, vengeful woman that she was, had scheduled it the same day as what remains of the Avengers managed to book a small concert. The turn up for the wedding promised to be overwhelming. The concert, not so much.
Toni still liked how their original vows they wrote themselves were made with science at its heart, poetic as it may have been to those who understood a word of it, while their first dance was not something that's ever been done before and there was very little chance it can happen again. Not unless two violinists decide to get married and write and play an original song while practically waltzing around each other. Toni loved how it had turned out, the two of them so close their violins were vibrating each other's notes as well as their own, stealing kisses and touches, challenging each other and yet in perfect harmony with each other. It had been as entrancing for them as it had been for everyone else. It was still the top talk show theme whenever they or any of their friends and family were guests. Pepper had really hit the last nail in the Avengers' coffin on the head with the date of the wedding in early 2017. Toni was so proud and Stephen had no complaints.
Still, it was quite frightening, the alliance that came from that period of planning the wedding. Pepper, Christine, Una and May should never become friends. Those women can take over the world.
And JARVIS, the traitor, had helped them every step of the way.
Still, it had all turned out well. After the Geniuses' first dance, Toni insisted on the 24 PhDs playing a few songs before giving over the floor for whatever band Pepper had arranged for. It had been a fun wedding all around. Wong was Stephen's best man, Reed and Bruce being a part of his side opposite Pepper, Susan, Carol and May. Toni had been walked down the aisle by both Viz, the only one left of her original family - because Edwin Jarvis was her family, the man who essentially raised her - and Yinsen, who was responsible for her still being alive and was as much her family as the other man was and she just couldn't decide. Not that anyone had anything against that. It was just a part of her and her family's eccentricities. Peter and Harley were their ring boys, though the two have spent the majority of the ceremony sending Stephen some last minute glare versions of a shovel talk before enthusiastically accepting him during the party afterwards. Rhodey wasn't far behind.
Carol caught the bouquet, so there was that. And Lang was the overenthusiastic crier through it all.
And the Avengers tried to crash the wedding, Steve even tried to get in on the part where anyone might object but Happy caught him, and none of it succeed so the wedding was a major success. Wong danced to Beyonce's Single Ladies, Kaecilius and Mordo actually came out of the Sanctum for the wedding, Una told some embarrassing stories about Stephen and everyone had a blast.
It was all good.
The honeymoon was even better, even though Harley and Peter somehow managed to be stowaways on her private jet as they flew out to her old mansion in Malibu.
The year following was even better. The 24 PhDs decided to stay together for good this time, since they were all finally all staying in New York. Stephen ran the Sanctum for Una with Wong, Kaecilius and Mordo as his constant companions given how close they've all become during their short journey as the Mystic Arts. In the end, the guys decided it was a good hobby but they preferred teaching people how to find their inner peace, though they do occasionally play here and there, mostly as an opening act for the PhDs. Rhodey and Carol finally got around to dating, Carol following Toni's example and just asking the Colonel out, though she admitted she got her courage from Stephen's stunt during the Civil War concert. Her cat, Goose, took nearly the entire year to stop glaring at him and Rhodey needed that same time to stop being freaked out by the thing.
Happy asked May out on a date. They've been going strong for five months now. Scott and Bucky became a part of their weird family, drawing Hope and an unwilling Hank Pym into the mess. Thankfully, Hope's mother, Janet, managed to convince the grumpy old man into a collaboration despite how much he still didn't trust Starks.
Stephen had shut that down in the best way possible. "Then it's a good thing she's a Stark-Strange now, so you can trust the other part of her." He had said it with a smug, fake-polite smile and watched as Pym gawked at him. Toni laughed her ass off.
Wakanda and the Revengers also assured collaborations with their companies, Vibranium and Asgard becoming valuable allies. Loki, Stephen and Toni still had many arguments about the violin and who plays the best. They founded their reluctant friendship on the fact they all think Romanov's full of shit. Pepper was asked out by T'Challa's younger cousin, Erik, two weeks ago. She seemed charmed. Bruce finally got the courage to try and make up with Betty. They decided to start off by repairing their friendship so she still had no idea how that was going. Johnny terrified everyone out of their minds when he asked Hela out and they started dating. He planned on proposing on their six months anniversary. Everyone's still trying to figure out how that worked, miraculously. Thor and Jane were going strong, despite some bumps in the road like the day Thor dragged in a fucking kangaroo and called it Bilgesnipe, or Bilgy for short. Somehow she ended up loving it the most. Loki and Brunhilde - the Valkyrie dudet - were still dancing around each other, which was getting fucking annoying and Toni figured this must have been what their friends felt like regarding her and Stephen. It was frustrating.
Anyway, Peter and Harley were being Peter and Harley, though they now had an alliance of sorts with Shuri, which was also fucking terrifying. T'Challa had invited them all to his and Nakia's wedding next month. Sue announced she was actually pregnant just yesterday, which was why they were all chilling out at their old haunting place, trying to recover from the hell of a party they threw the night before, everyone invited. Ben even invited his new girlfriend to meet his crazy family and she seems to like them, even if she can't see some of the shit they got up to since she was legally declared blind. Christine ended up going out with Barnes to a few dates. None of them know how that will turn out.
Viz actually started dating this girl - Mantis? Toni's not sure she got that right; it was a weird name but given the life she's led and the people she knows, she wouldn't be too surprised - and that's how they met the Guardians of the Galaxy, who they were slowly started to integrate into their group. It helped that Yinsen seems incredibly smitten by the one calling herself Nebula. Toni liked her. She was a badass and really loyal. They went out for drinks sometimes and practiced shooting out of various weapons together. She was Nebula's favorite out of the whole group.
It was all going good, even with the Avengers' few attempts to insert themselves back into Toni's life. She didn't really keep tabs on them anymore. Some of the others sometimes made comments or they talked about some shitty attempts to bring the Avengers back to the group they used to be like this, but that was the most of it.
She was too busy with her perfect life with Stephen and their new dog, Levi, to care about them. Una got it for them for their first anniversary and they were smitten with the over excitable, ever faithful and extremely loyal Alaskan Klee Kai. Toni still got all pouty when the adorable dog showed it favored Stephen over everyone else.
All in all, life was extremely good as she looked over her friends bickering and bantering about the idiocy of the Avengers, well, the ones that were awake. Most of them were all still pretty much knocked out and still not dealing with the hangover. She almost pitied them for having to drink Yinsen's homemade hangover remedies. Still, life was good as she leaned against her husband and hummed along to herself.
Life sued to be so different. Ever since her parents died and she took over SI, life had seemed dull and almost painful and she felt the need to numb it with parties, meaningless one night stands and alcohol. Now all of her real friends were back, she had finally said 'Fuck you' to the Avengers and life was looking up as she spent enjoying it day by day with all of the people who really mean something to her, namely Stephen. No more wasted time. No more empty nights. No more fake friends. No more pretending that money and fame can make up for all that loneliness she used to feel.
She looked up to Stephen when he started humming along to her chosen tune and she had to smile as she realized what it had been. Whether Stephen realized it, the feeling behind it was mutual. So she just leaned up and kissed her husband and dearest, bestest friend and oldest love before settling back in his embrace and finishing the song off in a whisper against his neck.
"Everything means nothing
If I can't have you."
THE END