Chapter 11- War
Kurt gave Steve's arm one last tug. "Not that I don't love you in that suit, but are you sure you have to go?"
Steve smiled lightly. "I'm the Captain, Kurt. The strategist."
"I'll take good care of him, Kurt. Promise," Bucky interjected before turning away as though nothing had happened. Steve had finally capitulated and let Bucky join the fight, admitting that he did have more combat experience and would be a useful cog in the machine.
"If I could, I'd just sit here with you until it was all over." Steve kissed Kurt.
Kurt leaned into him. "Just do that instead," he whispered.
Tony let out a high whistle. "Hey, lovebirds? There's a city to protect out there and we need to get going.
Kurt sighed. "See you later? Is that what you say?"
Steve shrugged. "How should I know? Last time I said goodbye to someone, I didn't wake up for seventy years."
Kurt managed a smile. "Comforting."
"Kurt, I—."
"Don't make any promises. Please. I don't want your potential last words to me to be a promise."
Steve bit his lip. "I love you."
Kurt kissed him quickly. "I love you, too."
Clint groaned. "And what are we? Chopped liver?"
Kurt smirked. "I love you too, Clint."
Clint preened. "That's all I needed to hear."
Steve reluctantly pulled away from Kurt and waved a quick goodbye to Santana, who shot him a dangerous glare.
"If anything happens to Widow, I'm coming for you Rogers."
Steve gave a mock salute and a chuckle before heading out of the door with the other Avengers. It was all very cavalier for something so potentially catastrophic. Kurt could almost pretend that Steve was just going to the store and would be back any minute.
Pepper walked up behind them both. "It never gets any easier to see them leave."
Santana whirled around, eyes wide. "Forget them, you're Pepper fucking Potts. As long as you're safe then I don't care about anything else."
Pepper giggled. "I may be Pepper fucking Potts, but I'm also technically your roommate."
Santana let that realisation kick in. "Holy shit. I gotta text Quinn."
Pepper took Kurt's hand in hers. "Don't worry about them, Kurt. I mean, that sounds stupid, but they're going to be fine. They're a good team, you know. They're the Earth's Mightiest Heroes for a reason."
Kurt sat on the luxurious couch and tried to get comfortable. He grabbed the control panel from the coffee table and switched on the news.
Pepper stared. "They just left."
"I want to see if they've spotted Loki. I want to know where that bastard is as much as I can."
Santana curled up next to him, head on his shoulder. "Pepper's right, you don't need to worry about them. They know who the danger is, they've come up with a plan, it'll be fine."
"You don't know that, Santana!" Kurt exclaimed. A second later, he softened. "I'm sorry. So much has happened in the past few weeks and I just can't shake the feeling like something bad is coming. I know I need to think positive, but I can't."
Pepper smiled sadly. "I've been through this a few times. Tony always assures me that they've got it handled and I keep my eyes peeled for any news. I worry and he comes back. They're not reckless people by nature, Kurt, they won't go charging into a battle they think they might lose. Things might be unpredictable, but they have experience. Take everything as it comes and don't try and think ahead of yourself."
Santana nodded. "Listen to Pepper Potts, Kurt."
Kurt cracked a reluctant smile. "I'm sorry. Do you usually sit with your eyes glued to the news?"
Pepper nodded. "Sometimes. I think that it helps, but you also need a distraction."
Santana quirked a brow.
"I don't suppose you want to see the inside of my closet."
Kurt and Santana were out of their seats before she could say anything further.
Steve sprinted around the corner, launching his shield into the face of yet another alien creature whose species had yet to be determined. He had a feeling that Thor would know, but just where was Thor these days? He looked for any signs of thunder, but found nothing.
He did see Natasha, accurately firing her pistols at them. He shook his head slightly at the lack of effect that they were having before she whipped out her nunchucks, twisting them around her body. It wasn't for a few seconds that Steve realised they were highly sharp and electrified at the edges. Those aliens didn't stand a chance.
With a light chuckle, Steve realised that he was actually fighting aliens. Even though their main priority was to get to the sceptre and Loki and shut the portal as soon as possible, the aliens were in their way and attacking civilians and wasn't that more important in the short term? They had decided to have Steve, Nat, and Clint in charge of the sceptre location, while Tony, Thor, Hulk, and Bucky handled the invasion itself. But until the former three got to the sceptre, it was all hands on deck until the invasion was stifled. Then Fury would send in the S.H.I.E.L.D specialised cleanup crew to try and repair some of the heavy damage to the whole city. The plan was in motion.
"Nat!" Steve barked, launching his shield into the space behind her, watching it clatter into the alien that was fast approaching her.
Nat twirled and ripped the shield out of its guts, tossing it back to Steve, who caught it with ease.
"Thanks," she muttered before sprinting in the opposite direction.
Steve tossed his shield behind him, watching as it sailed right through an assembly line of aliens, blue liquid splashing everywhere. He wiped his brow and ran to retrieve it. One of these days, he would be sure to ask Tony if he could make it like a boomerang just in case his physics was off during one particular throw.
For now, he would settle with doing the work that needed to be done. Right now, that was finding the sceptre, getting everybody back alive, and returning to Kurt in one piece.
After the wonderful closet excursion, Kurt, Santana, and Pepper were on the couch, looking at the TV which they had placed on mute. The reporter's voice was grating on Kurt, and he could glean any information from their visuals. Whenever Steve disappeared from the shot, his heart sank. Any of these times could be the final time he saw him. He knew he was being overly paranoid that the Avengers could handle it, but it was a panic that he didn't know how to handle just yet.
"Does it get any easier?" Kurt asked Pepper, who had made herself a glass of wine.
Pepper drew her mouth into a tight line. "Believe it or not, it does. You haven't seen them in action on a grand scale like this, they're really good at what they do. It never gets easier letting them go, but you eventually learn to realise that they're always going to come back to you."
Kurt nodded.
Pepper turned to Kurt, appraising him gravely. "You have to be sure you can handle this, Kurt, and it wouldn't be a smudge on your character if you said that you couldn't. It's not a normal life for anyone, watching your significant other go off to fight intergalactic battles with their friends. You have to be ready for what's coming or else it's going to affect you and Steve going forward."
Kurt sighed. "I know. I just need to get through this one and I'll be okay. I'm not used to this."
Santana smiled. "Nobody expects you to be. It's completely bizarre, but you just have to get through it."
"You'll have people who understand, Kurt. Lean on us."
"I wouldn't want to crease your Prada," Kurt shot back, smiling easily.
"What about you, Santana? What are you going to do now?"
Santana exhaled deeply. "I haven't said this out loud yet, but I think I want to go to college."
Kurt beamed. "That's great! I'm proud of you."
"I haven't even applied yet," Santana groaned as Kurt hugged her.
"But we know you'll get in anywhere you want. You were the best in our class, which you know is very hard for me to admit."
"Thanks, Kurt. I love you."
"I know that was very hard for you to admit."
"You know it really was."
Pepper rolled her eyes fondly at their friendship as they turned back to the television.
Pepper's mouth parted as she watched Tony Stark fall from the sky.
Tony's limp body sailed through the sky and straight into the Hulk's waiting arms. Steve was willing to bet the armour had been at least a little dinted being thrown against the Hulk's boulder-like muscles.
Hulk rested Tony down on the floor as gently as he possibly could and growled.
They leaned over him, not so much as to crowd him, but enough to be able to see.
"Did I win?" He croaked, eyes fluttering open.
They heaved a simultaneous sigh of relief as Tony came back to consciousness.
"We won, Tony," Natasha smirked. "Thor took Loki back to Asgard and the Tesseract is safe. Thor said he'll probably be able to convince his father to banish Loki from the other realms."
"Brothers," Clint shook his head disparagingly.
Tony exhaled deeply, wincing as the pain spiked through his chest. "We really decimated Manhattan, huh?"
Steve looked around, seeing the unfortunate collateral of their battle with Loki and the Chitauri. "The clean-up crew on en route and they'll take it from here. We're good to go."
Hulk took this moment to acquire some privacy while he turned back into Bruce.
"Can you walk?" Bucky asked as Tony heaved himself to his feet.
"Just about. Pepper's going to be furious at me."
"She'll just be relieved you're alive," Clint shrugged.
Everyone eyed him. "Have you met Pepper?"
Bruce appeared in front of them once more, green tinges dotted around his body. He was wearing shorts with no shirt.
"Okay, who lost my shirt?"
Clint pouted. "I gave it to Nat."
Natasha shrugged. "I used it to strangle an alien."
Bruce chuckled. "Fair enough.
Steve put his arm around Bucky. "Let's go home, punk."
Steve appeared in the doorway and it took precisely three seconds before Kurt was barreling into his arms, head pressed against his strong chest.
Steve winced uncontrollably.
Kurt pulled away, appraising him sternly. "You're hurt."
Steve licked his bloody lip. "I can handle that now that I'm back with you."
Meanwhile, Tony casually strolled over to Pepper, realising that they had indeed been following the battle through the news stations' coverage of the events.
"You tossed a nuke into space."
Tony nodded, grinning. "That I did, Pep."
"You almost died." Pepper folded her arms.
Tony's smile faded. "I've almost died before."
"That is not helping." Pepper snapped before pulling him in for a long kiss.
Natasha scanned the room, noticing that Santana hung back, as though unsure of what to do. She didn't have any intense attachments to anyone besides Kurt, who was currently lifted into his boyfriend's arms, nestled in his neck. She watched on, happy for her best boy, but couldn't help but want for something.
Her relationship with Dani hadn't been progressing at the rate she thought it would. If Santana was truthful with herself, which she always strived to be, she would say that she didn't think that she liked Dani as much as she thought she would. Their budding romance had been something out of a TV show, but the development of their relationship had somewhat stalled. Whether that was because of their busy schedules at the diner or just a lack of chemistry she couldn't be sure. Either way, it wasn't something that she felt that she wanted.
She wanted Brittany, but that was out of the question. Her Instagram was invaded with "cute" pictures of her and Sam. It was weird because she always thought that she would end up with Brittany and Kurt would end up with Sam, and here they were in New York dating different people. Well, Santana supposed that Steve was as close to Sam as Kurt could have gotten without actually dating the boy.
She liked Steve a great deal and thought that he was actually the kind of boyfriend Kurt really needed. He was supportive, thoughtful, and had a killer body. If Natasha Romanoff wasn't currently in the room, even Santana would've been looking twice.
The woman in question sidled over to her, roping her into a wordless hug. Natasha's strong arms squeezed around her and she gasped, feeling a deluge of emotion pour out of her. All of the worry and anxiety that had been swirling around her had finally caught up with her. Natasha had somehow known that she was stressing even when Santana herself had no idea. Nat had rubbed a spot on her back that had triggered something in her, allowing her to feel everything that she would usually bottle up.
Nat's voice rumbled in her ear. "It's okay to let yourself feel things. I know what it's like you don't."
That was all Santana needed. She knew that others were similar, like Kurt who actively repressed his emotions from others, but always felt them internally. Santana had been so used to not wanting to feel that she shut them off from even herself. Knowing Natasha's past and her experiences, she knew that the woman was quite similar in disposition to herself. Having someone like that tell her that it was fine to let herself feel something meant a lot to her.
She already felt so much lighter, like she could take on the world. With her new plan to attend college, it felt like her life was finally heading somewhere. She had great friends, a new house (if you could even call it that), and a spark inside her that she didn't think she had ever felt before.
"Thank you," Santana whispered as Natasha let go of her.
Nat just smiled and vaulted over the back of the couch, allowing herself to take a moment of relaxation. After all of the jumping and fighting and running, she deserved a break.
"Now that New York is getting back to the way we like it, what do you say we make dinner and take a beat? It's been a long day for everyone," Pepper crowed as she clung tightly to Tony.
Everyone muttered murmurs of agreement, even Bucky who seemed to be invigorated by the action. He stood away from everyone else, allowing himself his own moment of calm before he walked into a storm of socialising and laughter, something that wasn't coming naturally to him anymore. He didn't just want to hide in the gym anymore, he wanted to at least try to assemble himself back into regular life. Steve would see that he was more than capable of going out into the field without relapsing or breaking down and that was a big step in his lifelong recovery. He accepted that he would never be "normal", whatever that was supposed to mean, but he could at least be a version of himself that could function. One that he could stand to be around for the rest of his life.
Kurt approached him cautiously. "Bucky…"
Bucky brought himself back to reality and grinned. "Just thinking about pizza."
"Fine, but I'm making a salad too," Kurt pouted, grabbing his hand.
Steve appraised the scene with a smile. Not a lot made him happier than his boyfriend and best friend really establishing a connection. Bucky understood Kurt in a way that most people didn't and Kurt knew that Bucky didn't need fixing, something that Steve himself was still struggling to grasp. Bucky had more than proven himself in the field and he seemed to be doing fine. Steve made a note to give the man more credit, rather than just worrying ceaselessly about him.
Kurt and Bucky walked arm-in-arm to the kitchen, with Santana, Nat, and Clint following. Pepper and Tony stood in a firm embrace, unmoving.
Bruce turned to Steve. "You got a good one."
Steve smiled. "I really did. You really saved us out there today."
Bruce waved a hand. "Maybe the Hulk did."
Steve shook his head. "No, Bruce, you did. Just because the Hulk does something good it doesn't take that away from you."
"If he did something bad, you wouldn't blame me, though, would you?"
Steve shrugged. "Maybe not, but we have to take our victories where we can get them."
Bruce punched Steve's arm and sighed. "Now that Bucky mentioned pizza, it's all I can think about."
"You think Thor's okay?"
"Steve. Relax for one second. You're the leader of this group, but you're not our mother. Thor can handle himself just fine and so can we. We did a great thing today, let yourself enjoy the aftermath until the next thing happens. Spend some time with Kurt and congratulate yourself on a job well done."
Steve thought about that as Bruce followed everyone to the kitchen. Kurt was chopping up some cucumber while Bucky rifled through pizza menus. Nat and Clint were fiercely debating the merits of pineapple while Santana watched, secretly pinching chunks of lettuce from the bowl Kurt was assembling. Bruce conversed with Tony, while Pepper found herself next to Steve, arms folded.
"How was he today?" Steve muttered.
Pepper smiled. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Kurt was fine. He had a few moments of panic, but we managed to talk him down. He's going to be able to cope with this, which is good for you."
"I hate putting him through it. All that worry and uncertainty."
"It's either that sometimes or you not be with him at all. It's your choice, Steve. I know you think the world of Kurt, that much is obvious, but you keep discrediting him. It's the same with Bucky. These are two people who have been through so much in their lives and are stronger than you think. Trust them."
Steve nodded sombrely as Pepper joined the others.
Steve didn't know what exactly was going to come next for them, but he was perfectly fine living in the here and now and trying his best to keep things peaceful and together. The more time he got to spend with Kurt the better.
