A/N: Hi...Hello, how are you? I'm great. Vibin' with life. Drowning in life. But hey, we've all been there right? Well here's a new chapter. I promise you'll get more than one this year xD Thank you Sarah!

Disclaimer: This plot is mine, the Marvel Universe is not. I thought we've established this already?

Chapter 12: Now or Never

June 11th, 2037. 537 E 6th St, Lower East Side, New York City, New York. 10:37 am.

Antonio pulls his car in close the to curb in front of the Barton's building. His eyes wander through the windows at the apartment building, knowing that the moment he walks inside he'll have to say goodbye to this place. This place that has been his second home through the years—his escape from the extravagance of his world and family's lifestyle. Because whether it makes sense or not, the Barton's house, though mostly chaotic, was peaceful compared to his. It was homie, and friendly. No one expecting him to meet a standard or perform. Just hanging out with his best friend and her crazy parents…but he said goodbye to that a while ago.

Antonio musters up some courage and hops out of his car, proceeding to enter the building. He climbs a flight as easily as he can without irritating his asthma. His hand slides up the rails, catching on every chip in the wood's polish. He remembers all the conversations had on these steps, all the races to the top his almost passed out from. Kassidy only raced him when she didn't want to talk about something, and like the good friend he is, he chased her. Even if it hurt his lungs. He laughs as he finally tops the stairs of the fourth floor and arrives in front of a deep, violet door. The paint has chipped at the hinges and is worn around the knob. The silver plating on the numbers 42 have flaked off, revealing the black underneath. Antonio takes in a breath before knocking. He mentally prepares himself to see their home in boxes as he hears footsteps approach from the other side of the door. The door swings open and close as Bobbie ushers Antonio in.

"Howie, tell my daughter that she has to have a permit to keep weapons in her new apartment!"

"They're not weapons, they're recreational tools!" Kassidy yells from another room.

Antonio is not sure what he just walked in on but knowing the Bartons, it must be something ridiculous.

"Any recreation tool in your hand is a weapon, besides a bow and arrow is considered hunting equipment, therefore a weapon! You have to have a permit to keep those things on property."

"And where does it say that?" Kassidy asks, still in her room down the hall.

"In your lease!" Bobbie yells.

Soft footsteps come from hallway as Kassidy finally enters the living room. "Hey Antonio. Please tell me you brought those boxes?"

For the first time since he entered the apartment, Antonio gets to speak. "They're in the back of my car. I could only fit a few—I brought the ones the robotic arms come in."

Kassidy laughs. "How did you even fit any in that little car?"

"I drove the hatchback today."

Kassidy rolls her eyes and smiles. She waves him on to follow her to her room. Bobbie mutters something under her breath, still stuck on the permit thing. Antonio doesn't quite understand why she's making a big deal out of it, because who is really gonna go through Kassidy's belongings when she moves in to know if she has a bunch of bows and arrows? Aren't they blunt tipped anyway?

"My mom has been on me all morning about this permit thing, and frankly I'm over it." Kassidy and Antonio turn into her room at the end of the hall. He stops and the door, taking in the mess of a room in front of him. He fears of stepping on something sharp and waits for Kassidy to navigate him through the bags of clothes and half-filled boxes of belongings. Her room isn't usually clean, but this is a new level of disassembled for her. However, he did expect it to be more of a mess. It's been a long time since Kassidy has had to move, but at least it's up a few blocks and not across the country.

"Wow, you uh…you're really doing this."

Kassidy looks at him with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean? Did you think I'd stay here by myself while Mom goes back to Shield?"

Antonio rubs his neck. "Well, no, but I just, I guess I really hadn't wrapped my head around it until now..."

A weighted sigh escapes her lips. They both look around her room, taking it all in. Her lavender painted walls once covered in boards filled with pictures of them are now bare. The bookshelf her dad stained himself is now tipped on its side and empty. Her clothes are tied off in trash bags, and her bed is completely disassembled. The track and gymnastics trophies, ribbons and medals that once adorned her dresser, now overflow a cardboard box in the corner.

Antonio walks over to the box and squats down beside it. He pulls out a gymnastics trophy from seventh grade. Midtown went to division finals that year because of Kassidy. Clint stepping in as coach that year did wonders for their team, but only because Bobbie threw his name out there to the school board after the other coach quit. Antonio chuckles to himself, remembering what a weird semester that was.

"What are you laughing at?" Kassidy asks, walking over to him.

"Remember when you almost beat up Trent Jones that semester because he said gymnastics was…what did he say again?" he nudges.

Kassidy rolls her eyes and sits next to Antonio. "He said it wasn't a sport. I also remember dad saying 'we can't go to finals if we're suspended, Kassy.'"

"Clint was always pretty serious about your competition," says Antonio.

A faint smile pulls at Kassidy's lips. "He pushed me because he knew I could be the best. Dad had a lot of plans for me moving forward…" she trails off. Her eyes are fixed on the trophy still in Antonio's hands, but her thoughts obviously elsewhere.

It's been almost four years now since Clint died. Antonio remembers how many people showed up to the funeral—it was standing room only aside from the family in front. Even the King of Wakanda came all the way across the ocean to be there for the Bartons. Antonio and his family offered a space for Kassidy to escape if she needed to get away, but often time she and Antonio would simply go out. They would roam the city until she stopped crying or got tired, whichever came first. Or, they were at Stark Tower, hiding out in the Terrace watching T.V. The Barton's world had been shattered and Antonio could only watch as his best friend slowly drifted farther away from him, like a Sparrow trying to escape a storm. She was carried off by a wind neither could fight against. Kassidy didn't lose her father, she lost her whole world. Clint was her atmosphere, the air she breathed. The sun and moon set in him. Antonio loves his father, but he would take Kassidy's place if it would give her back what she lost when Clint died.

Antonio brushes his hand against Kassidy's, coaxing her back to reality. "I'm gonna go grab us something to drink."

Kassidy nods, stretching her arms out above her head. "And a snack, I can't pack on an empty stomach."

The young Stark laughs and walks down the hall, headed for the kitchen. Upon entering the living room, he finds Bobbie crisscrossed on the floor, sorting through a mountains of movie chips. They are scattered on the rug in front of her, with two separate piles to the left and right of her.

"You two have been awfully quite back there. Been making out or something?" she says with a sly smile.

Antonio's feels heat flushing his face as he quickly stammers into a new conversation. "Wha-what no! Never, I don't know what you…what are you doing with all those?" He gestures to her mess on the floor.

"I'm just joking. I'm picking out which of Clint's movies I'm allowing Birdy to take with her—there's a lot to go through. He collected so many of these stupid chips to replace all his DVDs." Bobbie looks up and notices her daughter isn't with him. "What brings you in here?"

"I was gonna grab us a snack so we could get to work."

"You may need some help, the kitchen is kind of in a mess right now," she says. Rising to her feet, she leads Antonio into the kitchen.

She was right about the mess. Boxes are stacked on the kitchen island, full of pots and pans and dry goods. The cabinets are practically empty, save for a few boxes of crackers and cereal. Antonio looks around at the kitchen he spent so much time in, now skin and bones. Bobbie shoves a box out of the way of the fridge, rummaging around inside. Antonio scanned for an open spot to sit on the counter and found a little spot next to the stovetop. He hopped up and squeezed into the space, having crates on one side and the stove on the other. Patiently waiting on Bobbie to get their snacks, he swings his legs back and forth off the counter, watching her navigate around the kitchen.

"So, I hear you got accepted into MIT," Bobbie says. She moves from the fridge an overhead cabinet across from Antonio.

"Yeah," he rubs his neck. "I won't be starting for a little while, but I think I'm gonna take some of my initial classes online…"

"I'm sure Pepper is happy about that," Bobbie says. She grabs a bag of cheesy crackers and closes the cabinet, setting their goodies on the counter as she leans against it to face the young Stark.

Antonio chuckles. "Yeah, she said if I left her right now while Dad's in the middle of a brainstorm year, she'd go crazy." They laugh and chit chat about what Tony is working on for the next Stark Expo, which is always a chaotic time for Antonio's home life. The conversation drops off with everything said, and the two stare at the tile flooring for a while.

"So…how do you feel about going back to Shield? Are you excited?" Antonio asks.

"Yeah, I'd say I'm excited. It wasn't easy to quit teaching, but I was at the middle school to make Kassidy's transition easier after we moved. Now that she's an adult—well, both of you—I think it's time for me to move on."

"I get that. Moving on can be hard sometimes," he says. He wonders why he said that, if anyone knows how hard it is to move on, it's the Bartons. After everything Bobbie and Kassy have been through. He's preaching the to choir.

"Yeah," she pauses. Bobbie's eyes meet Antonio's, his racing thoughts stopping for a moment as she offers a kind smile. "Howie, can I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure Bobbie, anything."

She purses her lips as her brow furrows, like she's looking for the right words. "I know you have school coming up soon, and I want you to focus on your education because it's super important…and I know I don't have to ask you, but could you—could you make sure Kassidy is taken care of?"

Antonio opens his mouth to speak but she cuts him off.

"She forgets to eat sometimes, and I know she wants to go to college but I'm afraid she won't take care of herself without me pushing her to, I mean—she can barely keep her room clean, much less keep an apartment clean. I know she's an adult and I'm scared enough of leaving her to stay because let's face it, staying will only make things worse but I just…" She sighs heavily, but something in her voice tells Antonio that she's still holding something back. "I just don't want her to lose all the progress she's made by isolating herself."

Antonio smiles. "She won't be able to get rid of me by moving out."

Bobbie chuckles, a sad smile pulling at her lips. "I know, and you have no idea how much it's meant to me that you've been there for her all these years. But you know how impulsive she can be, and I just want her to stay safe, as unlikely as that is."

"I think she's past doing stupid things," he says with certainty on his expression.

"Glad you think so, but I know my daughter, and Clint's genes are strong in her," she says. Antonio watches her ocean eyes drift towards the kitchen doorway, like she's waiting for Kassidy to come through. "Please, keep an eye on her. Make sure she eats. Make sure she sleeps. And try, if you can, to keep her out of danger…I just, I can't lose her too."

Antonio locks eyes with her. Kassidy Barton is a headstrong, stubborn, pain-in-the-butt sometimes, but she's all he cares about. He knows Kassidy is all Bobbie cares about too. With determination in his electric blue eyes, he hops off the counter and wraps his arms around the strong woman tearing up in front of him. Her arms slowly return the hug as she sniffles her tears away.

"I'll do my best, Aunt Bobbie. I promise I won't let anything happen to her."

Thursday, September 18th. 10:40 am. Present.

Antonio slumps at his workbench, making absentminded doodles on the dry erase tabletop. Memories of a promise he made years ago swirl through his brain as he presses harder and harder on the marker's tip. You had one job, made one promise, he thinks. He should've known he wouldn't be able to keep a promise like that, not with the likes of a Barton in the mix.

The young Stark furiously scribbles nonsense on his tabletop, pressing hard against the marker with every stroke. Of course, he couldn't keep Kassidy out of danger when she was choosing to be in its path. Of course, he couldn't keep an eye on her while he was at college. He could've done school completely online, but his degree wouldn't allow it. He knew moving to Massachusetts for a couple of years would hinder him keeping his promise, but he trusted that Kassidy had become responsible enough that he didn't have to worry about her. Of course, he was wrong. Of course, she would intentionally do something stupid and dangerous and not tell her best friend. Of course, she would put her life on the line from some sense of justice, or personal vendetta or whatever reason she convinced herself of to become a vigilante. Of course, she left Antonio out of the most important thing in her life…of course she did.

The marker snaps under the pressure and ink bursts on the table as hot tears stream down his face. He quickly wipes his face and runs to grab a rag to clean the mess he made. This is why I have markers on auto-order every month, he thinks. The smears the ink on the table instead of wiping it away, making a bigger mess than before. His breathing heavies as he puts his shoulder into wiping the table off, feeling in a lump in his throat as the tears threaten to return. He shakes his head and fights them, wiping harder against the tabletop, but the ink isn't going away. He stops and looks at the broken marker, reading the word "permanent" on the label and realizing that the ink isn't going to ever come off. He stops wiping and chokes on his own mistakes. He can't stop crying now. The tears are coming stronger, stronger than his ability to shove down his problems. He sinks back onto his stool, clutching the rag is his hand until his knuckles are white. His weeping falls on an empty garage. His cries in the presence of shadows. His heart breaks in the company of cars and fragments of a suit of armor. He broke a promise to someone he cared about and can't help the girl he loves because she won't let him.

And Director Johnson chose me to be a hero? Pathetic…I can't even help my best friend and she thought I could help her save the world? She must be crazier than I am.

Antonio rests his head on the edge of the table, staying clear of the now dry marker blotch. His tears are mostly dry, but he wipes his nose that's still running. His eyes are closed tight, not wanting to look at the mess around him, not wanting to look at anything at all, afraid to cry tears he doesn't have. With his head still on the table, he throws the rag across the room where it lands on a robotic arm. The arm comes to life, assuming that Antonio needs it to work on something.

"No, no, go back to sleep mode. I'm not making anything," he says, his voice craggy.

The arm sinks and curls into a sad arch, looking disappointed that it wasn't needed. Join the club, Antonio thinks.

On its charging dock on the other side of the room, Antonio's holowatch starts binging. He lifts his head, squinting to see why it's popcorning. Someone must be sending him a lot of messages.

"Jarvis, if that's Kassidy, I don't care what she has to say."

"While you do have fifteen missed calls from Ms. Barton," Jarvis starts, "your most recent messages are from your father."

Antonio sighs. "What does he want?"

"He wishes to inform you that young Mr. Banner has woken up, his fever has settled, and he is in stable condition."

"Did he say if he was...mutated?" He raises his head and walks over to where his watch is perched.

"No sir. He did mention, however, that Doctor Banner and the Gamma Unit team is looking into it. He also wishes to know how you are doing."

Antonio scoffs. "How I'm doing?"

"Also, your father is making his approach to your house," Jarvis says. "I took the liberty of unlocking the front door."

"Wait, what?" The sound of the front door creaks through the garage as Tony steps through the doorway.

Antonio panics. No, no, no! Dad can't see my work, i-it's not done yet! He looks over to his work bench with the blueprints he "borrowed" sit out in the open. He runs and snatches it off the table, rolling it up and stuffing it in his messenger bag on the floor. He grabs a tarp and blankets the armor rack, covering the few finished pieces it holds. There's no time to pick up the random scraps of armor scattered about before his father is standing in the doorway. He sits down at his workbench hoping to look natural, but he's out of breath from sprinting around the room. Tony pokes his head in and looks around.

"I wasn't interrupting anything was I?" Tony says. He takes each step down into the garage cautiously.

"No, no! Not at all, please come on in, I was just…I was just drawing some uh, some doodles of new ideas, not that they'll go anywhere," he chuckles nervously. He watches his father's eyes as the catch on the marker stain, the scraps on the floor and finally Antonio's tear-streaked face.

"Sorry I didn't let you know I was coming over, I just felt like dropping by," he says. He steps over chunks of metal on the floor and comes to stand across Antonio's workbench.

"Do you ever let me know your coming? And sorry about the mess, I haven't had a chance to clean up this week…"

"Yeah, it's been a little crazy," Tony says, tucking his hands in his pockets. "I stopped by because I wanted to check on you, but looks like I'm a little late…Did you get my message about Blake?"

"I just looked at it before you walked in," Antonio says. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"We're not sure right now, but as far as we can tell his DNA is intact." Antonio can see the concern on his father's face, but it's not for Blake. Neither of them want to address the obvious question about the atmosphere of the room. At least, Antonio thought his dad didn't want to talk about it until he did. "So, have you talked to Kassy?"

"I don't want to talk about her," he snaps.

"Howie, I know you're upset but you have to see things from her side—"

"You mean how she's been lying to me for who knows how long about being some street hero? No dad, I don't want to see things from her side! It's bad enough I've been kept in the dark by my best friend, but now we've got bad guys tearing up the city after so many years of silence. Surely, I'm not the only one concerned that the Director of Shield wanted a bunch of unqualified young adults to help her do her job?"

"I'd hardly say you guys are unqualified…" Tony says.

"Why doesn't she just ask you and the other Avengers for help, huh? Why us?" Antonio says. His voice still cracks from crying earlier, a crack too obvious for his dad to ignore.

"What Avengers, Howie? There's hardly any of us left. Steve's gone, Clint's gone, Bruce can't Hulk out anymore, and Hank is in a mental institution…there aren't anymore Avengers left to help. I mean there's me, Natasha and Carol, but Janet is in no condition to suit up." His words aren't harsh or filled with emotion, but calm and logical, which surprises Antonio. "Antonio, Johnson already asked us for help…she consulted me and the others months ago about the possibility of a new threat. She asked us what the best plan of action was and while we didn't want to involve you guys, we knew there weren't many options available."

"What do you mean? She literally has an entire organization at her fingertips, how were the options limited?" Antonio asks. His eyes lock onto Tony's anxious movements, as if he's asking him to spill top secret information.

"I thought she explained it...but there's more to it than that. She doesn't have many people she can trust, so we said that she could trust you, and James and Kassidy. You guys are a power trio. If anyone could rise to the challenge, it would be you three. We gave her permission to approach you," he says.

Antonio knows his father is waiting for a response, but how does he respond? What can he possibly say to his father at this point? In Antonio's mind, the Avengers are the only ones who could ever fight the bad guys. They're the only ones who could ever be heroes. They took down Hydra, they took down aliens, they took down every ill-intent person under the sun and the idea of them not able to serve is unthinkable. Terrifying. In his mind, they are the only option. But Tony is right, they haven't been an option in years.

"Dad…I get James, he's a soldier, but he's been gone so long. And as much as I hate to admit it, I understand asking Kassidy…even the glowstick guy makes sense! But me? I don't see how you can offer me up as a hero when you won't even give me a position at the company."

"Antonio," his dad starts, "you know that's not true."

"No dad, I don't because no one is telling me anything! First you, now Kassidy…Maria won't even answer her phone." Antonio eyes begin welling with tears. "I wanna know why everyone is keeping me in the dark.

Tony sighs and walks around to where Antonio is sitting. He wraps his arms around his son as Antonio rests his forehead to his chest. "Howie, no one is keeping you in the dark, at least, not intentionally." The sniffling young Stark loosely put his arms around his dad while Tony pats his back, not sure what to do with his adult son in tears.

"Look, if you really want to know why I haven't solidified your position at Stark Solutions yet, then I'll tell you. But you have to stop crying." Antonio pulls away and wipes his face, nodding. Tony offers him a hanky from his pocket and rubs his back.

"I uh…" he sighs, "I didn't give you anything yet because in all honesty, I was waiting to see what you would come up with on your own. I wanted to see what your armor would look like and what you would do with it. I wanted to you step out on your own and work with Daisy."

Antonio's eyes snap open wide, shock riddling his features. "You…y-you knew about…there's no way, I kept it under lock and key! It was supposed to be a surprise," he stammers. "I was gonna present it to you after it was finished."

Tony chuckles. "I know I wasn't supposed to know about it, but you're not very sneaky—never have been. You're too honest. You get it from your mother."

"But—"

"I know you took something from the Vault too," Tony says, bumping his foot against Antonio's messenger bag next to the table. "Didn't think I'd have camera's in there?"

"Well I…I mean, of course you do…"

"Howie, I knew you were working on something special. I'm not even mad about the blueprints. I paused fast tracking your career at the company because I wanted you to discover all that's available to you. You don't have to be under me all the time to make me proud, I'm already proud of you," Tony says, his eyes roaming the room.

Antonio looks up at him in disbelief. It's been a while since he's seen his father like this, so open and honest. Instead of Tony's mind being in twenty different places, it's right here with his kid and nowhere else. Even though he hasn't met Antonio's eyes, this moment is still special to him.

"I told Daisy you'd be a good fit if she decided to form a team because of how limitless you are. You can literally do anything you set your mind to and you're crazy enough to try it. You get that from me. I don't think you'd be a good hero…I know you're a good man, which already makes you a hero."

"Dad…I don't know. I don't have powers and my suit isn't even finished yet because I couldn't complete it without borrowing your schematics. How much help could I possibly be to the Director of Shield?" Antonio says, more wondering out loud than asking a question. His father smiles graciously at him, and he wonders what's going through his head.

"Howie, you're an idiot."

"Wait, what?" he pulls back. That's not what he was expecting to hear. Tony just laughs and pats his shoulder.

"Don't overthink this. Trust yourself and what you can do for once in your life, you're a Stark, remember?" Tony says. He starts towards the steps leading into the house. "Oh and before I forget, here." Tony pulls out a business card from his pants pocket and extends it to his son. Antonio rises and meets him at the steps, taking the card from his hand.

"Give her a call today, she's waiting to hear from you."

Antonio watches his father disappear into the house, leaving him with an equal amount of questions and answers. He looks down at the card in his hands and reads the print, giving him the name of a doctor who works for SHIELD. Her phone number shines in silver metallic on the cardstock. He's not sure what he supposed to say if he calls her, or what Tony meant by finding his own way. He didn't particularly accept that as an answer to why he hasn't been officially hired on. Oddly enough, for the first time in the last week of confusion, he has a small flicker of hope. Maybe I can do something to help, he thinks.

He walks over to his now fully charged holowatch and latches it around his wrist. He takes a detailed scan of the room, determined not to be sad and clean. He slides the business card into his pocket and picks up the scraps off the floor, placing them on the table behind the armor rack. He tidies and rearranges and moves things until he's satisfied with the feng shui out his workspace. The final cleaning step is to sweep the room, which Antonio doesn't mind. He likes sweeping. It's monotonously stress relieving. Better than busting markers or making a bigger mess. He swings the broom back and forth across the concrete floor, creating a pile of dirty and fuzz and slivers of metal in the center of the room. As the floor becomes increasingly cleaner, his watch starts going off again. He pauses, assuming it's Kassidy again, but when he looks at his notifications, it's an unknown but somehow familiar number. He pulls out the little card his father handed him earlier. The numbers match. With a shaky voice, he answers and is met by an older female.

"Mr. Stark? This is Doctor Cassandra Lang, do you have a minute to talk?"

A/N: So, you ready for what's next? Yeah, me either.

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