Enjoy!
"Wait...you and dad split up? When the hell was this?" I asked.
I stared at Pepper in shock and disbelief, wondering when my father and her were beginning to have problems in their relationship.
And I was so certain they were gonna get hitched too.
Knowing those two, they probably went their separate ways because they thought it would protect each other. You do recall that whole Killian issue, correct?
I understand the idea of protecting your loved ones more than anyone...but...it just feels weird that they're not together anymore. I feel...sad, like my family is just...
Like it's falling apart?
"Tyra?"
I blinked several times and snapped out of my daze to glance over at Pepper yet again. It was amazing how Pepper even dealt with my father after all of these years, most people would have left a long time ago.
But Pepper wasn't just anyone else.
"I know this must be a lot to take in, but I don't want you to feel like this was your fault in anyway, or your father's. This was no one's fault, okay? This was just something that happened and we only agreed that this was temporary to see where the two of us stand- -" Pepper started.
I held up my hand to stop Pepper from ranting any further, trying to be as neutral as I possibly could in this situation. Even though Pepper and my father were broken up, Pepper would always have a special place in my heart and I had to be supportive of her.
"It's okay. I'm just shocked, you know? You guys have been through so much together and...I just kind of thought you guys would always be together I guess. If this makes you guys happy...then it's okay." I breathed out.
Pepper looked at me in concern as she placed her hand on top of mine.
"You're taking this rather well. I half expected you to hate me." Pepper lightly scoffed.
"Why would I hate you? You're like...like my mom..." I mumbled softly.
Pepper seemed shocked from my statement, before she blinked away tears and looked away for brief moment to compose herself. After a minute, she turned back to face me, giving me a warm smile before giving my hand a gentle and comforting squeeze.
"Well, no matter what, whether your father and I are dating or not...We'll always be here for you. Don't forget that. You have so many people that care about you. If you ever want to talk about anything..."
"I know." I gave her a small smile.
"So...let's pay for this check and get out of here, huh?" Pepper let out a chuckle.
"Sounds like a plan."
I thought you were gonna give me some good tips on how to fight. Not criticize my every move.
I threw another hard punch at the punching bag as sweat trickled down my forehead.
I am giving you good 'tips', you just choose not to listen.
NO YOU'RE NOT, YOU ASSHOLE! YOU JUST KEEP MAKING SNIDE COMMENTS!
My god, you are infuriating at times. Perhaps you should just- -
"GOD SHUT UP!" I snapped.
I breathed in deeply, my frustration and anger evident in my expression. I let out a sigh of aggravation as I stared down at the punching bag that was currently broken on the floor, the contents inside the punching bag spread out in front of my feet.
"You uh...you alright there?"
I froze and slowly turned around to find Steve and Sam stare at me with both confusion and concern.
They saw all of that didn't they? God damn it...
"Yeah, I'm...fine." I breathed out. "Why?"
"Well considering you were just yelling and breaking that poor punching bag...I'd take a wild guess and say you're not so fine." Sam pointed out.
"Yeah well...he started it." I joked awkwardly.
Steve came in the gym, coming over to me after putting a towel and water bottle on a bench nearby.
"You seem really tense. We can...go somewhere and talk if you'd like." Steve offered.
"I can wait. You seem like you could use a good work out. Don't think I haven't noticed you slacking lately." I joked.
"Tell you what. Meet me out of the facility in about a half hour and we can just go grab a bite to eat. I know you like a good cheeseburger." Steve suggested with a smile.
I felt my face heat up, unsure if it was because of my work out, or if it was because I was still shy around Steve.
Despite our little chat...
"Um...yeah. Okay." I stammered.
"What? Do you have plans I don't know about?" Steve chuckled.
"Nah. I'm... free. Totally free. I don't have any plans... I never do really...not that that means anything! I have friends!" I blurted out.
Sam turned his head away, his hand over his mouth as he tried to stifle his laughter.
"I'm just gonna go before this gets more awkward than it already is and I make a bigger ass of myself. Good talk, Rogers." I blushed.
I gave Steve a pat on the shoulder, nodding at Sam as I quickly walked out of the room with my head hung down in embarrassment.
"I swear to God, you both are so awkward it's almost adorable." Sam burst out laughing.
Oh fuck my life...
I inspected myself in the mirror, seeing nothing but flaws with my appearance.
My god I need to get my hair done sometime...
You look fine, rather flattering actually...
Holy shit you just gave me a compliment.
Shouldn't you be meeting up with the Captain by now?
"Where the hell are you going dressed like that?"
I felt my face heat up just as I made it to the elevator and turned around to see my dad at the minibar nearby.
I'm only wearing a nice pair of jeans and my favorite blouse...it's nothing flashy. Jeez...
"I'm just going to grab a bite to eat." I answered.
"You look a little dressed up, hell you even put on makeup. Who's the lucky guy...or girl?" Dad raised an eyebrow.
I haven't been with a woman since...Victoria...
"Who says I'm meeting up with anyone?" I huffed.
"Sweetheart, I know this type of behavior, and I can sense the bullshit meter going off the charts right now. What? Afraid I'll embarrass you?" Dad teased with a smirk.
"Psssh...noooo." I laughed awkwardly. "I'm just...gonna go now. I'll see you later."
"Uh huh...well have fun! Don't do anything I would do!"
"Yeah, well it's not even a date so whatever!" I replied.
I stepped into the elevator, and fanned my face, hoping my blush would fade away soon before I would meet up with Steve.
I can't believe that just happened. I'm fucking 26 years old...
Eventually, Steve and I had made it to that same 1950's themed burger joint we always seemed to end up at. I watched the dark clouds outside, hearing thunder in the distance as I saw a flash of lightning.
I wonder if Thor's on Earth again...
I sipped at my milkshake, and dipped a french fry in the ice cream before eating it as I contemplated the thought of Thor's whereabouts.
"Did you just...dip your fry into that shake?" Steve asked.
I tensed up, glancing over to see Steve smiling as he stared at me in amusement.
Just play it cool. Don't say anything stupid.
"Don't knock it till ya' try it." I blurted out.
Yup...stupid.
"I'll keep that in mind." Steve chuckled.
"So...you and Sam have gotten pretty close recently." I changed the subject.
"What are you implying exactly?" Steve raised an eyebrow.
"I wasn't really implying anything! I swear!" I blushed.
God I'm making a fucking fool out of myself!
I couldn't agree with you more.
Oh fuck off.
I just love your use of the English language sometimes.
"I just see Sam as a good friend. He's really been there and...we work pretty well together out in the field." Steve told me.
I nodded dumbly, trying to think of what to say next that didn't sound incredibly idiotic, but Steve had spoken up first.
"So what was that thing with the punching bag earlier?" Steve asked. "You were kind of...talking to yourself..."
"I was just a little tired and dehydrated." I smiled sheepishly. "I feel bad that you saw all of that..."
"Dehydrated huh? I guess that could be it." Steve pursed his lips as he gave me a knowing look.
Steve kept eyeing me, giving me that look that urged me to come forward like I typically would do. Millions of words flashed through my mind as I tried pondering for a brief minute, trying to figure out a way to phrase everything about the voice in my head in a way that didn't make me sound completely insane.
So far...nothing is coming to mind. I'm gonna sound like a complete weirdo aren't I?
Most likely.
"I just...I don't want to...say the wrong thing here and look like I'm crazy, okay? Especially after we just patched things up between us." I sighed.
"Listen, I'm not here to judge. You can talk to me about anything remember?"
"I...I finally managed to come to Wanda about it fairly recently but uh...lately I've been experiencing some weird shit." I admitted.
"What kind of weird shit would that be? At this point nothing really surprises me anymore." Steve prods gently.
"Well, there's this voice in my head that's been talking to me...and I don't know if it's someone talking to me telepathically, or if I've somehow developed a split personality of some kind, but I've been working through it and Wanda's been helping me out with it a lot." I confessed.
I paused and watched Steve carefully, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Steve's face was almost blank, his expression nearly impossible to decipher as we both fell silent for a period of five minutes. The silence was almost unbearable, and I half expected Steve to just laugh it off as if I was joking, but I kept the most straight face I could muster in order to show him that I was absolutely serious. I could feel myself trembling from the mere suspense of Steve's reaction, and for a brief minute it felt like déjà vu. It was almost like I was being brought back in time, when the people closest to me had thought that I was extremely frantic and paranoid when I suspected Obadiah of using terrorists to murder my father, and also hiring someone to murder me so Obadiah could take over Stark Industries. Either way, I found myself thinking that I didn't want to wait for Steve's reaction any longer. I didn't want to lose Steve, but I felt like in that moment, everything was over.
I can't tell whether or not he thinks you're insane.
Fuck...I just ruined everything.
I blinked away tears as I felt like a complete and utter moron, quickly getting up from my seat as I slid out of the booth. I slammed a random dollar bill onto the table, averting my gaze from Steve who appeared to be in shock from the sudden action.
"Uh, forget I said anything, okay? I'll just grab a taxi and see you later alright?" I blurted out.
I made my way out of the restaurant, hearing Steve shout my name repeatedly as he tried catching up with me. I pulled my jacket closer together, walking faster as I whizzed by other civilians along the sidewalk. I shivered from the rain as I realized about the storm, and tried to force my tears away.
I shouldn't have told him. I'm such an idiot...I'm stupid...so fucking stupid. Maybe I am going insane, maybe I belong in a fucking mental institution.
I nearly screamed in panic when I felt someone grab my hand and whirl me around. I found myself staring at Steve in shock, and let out a whimper, internally cursing at how pathetic I must appear right now. Steve pulled me in for a hug, ignoring the looks of other people that passed us. Steve pulled away after a minute, wiping tears from my face, not that it really mattered or made a difference because of the rain. Soon enough, the rain-pour grew more intense, and it almost felt like we were in the middle of some sort of hurricane as people were trying to get out of the streets. It was almost hard to even hear myself think because of how loud the rain-pour was.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run out like that! I've just been going through some stuff, and I don't know whether I'm crazy or not anymore!" I cried. "I don't want you to think I'm some weirdo that needs to get her head checked- -"
"I don't think any of that!" Steve cut me off. "Tyra, there are so many people that are different and nothing like that is surprising to me anymore! There's aliens and gods...and people with special abilities! It's hard to wrap my mind around it sometimes, but god damn it, I don't think you're crazy!" Steve yelled over the heavy sound of the rain.
"You don't?!" I practically sighed in relief.
"Tyra! We've fought an alien army, an army of robots, Wanda and Pietro! There's a lot of stuff I've seen that I can't explain, but I don't think you're crazy!" Steve assured me. "Now let's get out of this rain!"
Steve grabbed my hand, pulling me down the sidewalk until we made it to his motorcycle.
The ride home was almost exhilarating and refreshing. I had never felt so relieved before, so reassured, that I wasn't seen as insane. Sometimes I forgot how many people in my life aren't exactly normal either, but who wants to be normal anyway? Steve made me realize that I had to accept all aspects of myself, and also reminded me that all of us were different and unique in our own way as cheesy and cliche as that sounded. Plus with other worlds and galaxies, and gods, hearing a voice in my head wasn't exactly a huge deal anymore considering all that we've seen and experienced together. As Steve and I stood in the elevator, our clothes soaked from the huge thunderstorm that was currently taking place outside, we merely stood by each other in comfortable silence, almost as if no words needed to be said between us. After the elevator opened to the dormitories, for Avengers and other agents of the newly reformed SHIELD alike, I grabbed Steve's hand to stop him from going. I felt myself shiver from how warm Steve seemed to be considering how the both of us were soaked to the bone.
"Steve, thank you...for being there for me." I finally spoke up.
"You don't have to thank me. I'll always be there, and you know that." Steve smiled.
I gave Steve's hand a gentle squeeze before reluctantly releasing it from my grasp. I stepped out of the elevator, heading for my room with Steve following me closely behind, probably to go to his room.
"Do you wanna watch a movie or something? I could make us some hot chocolate after we change out of these clothes..." Steve asked.
I glanced at Steve in surprise, before I cracked a smile.
"Sure. Come back over to my room and we can watch Star Wars. Sam's told me you've been avoiding it." I teased.
"I wouldn't say avoiding it..." Steve chuckled awkwardly.
After that night, it had been more than a week or so since Steve and I had seen each other, as the both of us were overwhelmed with work. I kept finding myself busy in the labs, helping my father with projects he'd been working on, taking solo-missions that needed to be done, and having some sessions with Wanda to help me deal with the voice in my head. After being sent up to my room by my father from being in the lab all day, I had gotten a much needed shower. I was currently typing away at my laptop, trying to see if there were any leads or rumors concerning Bruce's whereabouts. I incredibly missed the timid but intelligent man, hoping that he would one day return to us, but found myself shaking my head from such wishful thinking.
I just need to accept that Bruce doesn't want to be found.
I was interrupted as I heard knocking at my door and shut my laptop before going to open the door. Steve and Sam stood there with friendly smiles, each holding a pack a beer.
"We've got a mission tomorrow. We were hoping you'd come with us." Steve spoke up.
"Just don't go breaking any punching bags and we'll stay golden." Sam joked.
That was a horrible attempt at humor.
I gave Sam a playful glare and folded my arms as I cocked my hip to the side.
"That was a half-assed attempt at humor, Sam, but okay. Whatever floats your boat, Ponyboy." I retorted.
"Ponyboy?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
"You made a reference to The Outsiders without even knowing it? My god..." I sighed in disappointment.
"I just read that book several months ago. It was pretty good." Steve nodded.
"Even Steve gets the reference, Sam." I rolled my eyes.
"Are you done being as sassy as your father, or are we gonna go drink some damn beer?" Sam laughed. "As witty as you are, I think I've had enough sass for the day. I just want to unwind a bit before our mission tomorrow."
"You started it." I pouted childishly.
"Alright, let's just calm down and go watch TV alright?" Steve chuckled.
FLASH!
I stared in between the two groups of people before me, people I had come to respect and love, whether as family or something more than that. Wanda stood over by Steve, Sam, Bucky, Scott, and Clint, all while glancing over at me with guilt in her expression as well as disappointment. Over to the other side of me stood Natasha, Peter Parker, T'Challa, Rhodey, Vision, and lastly my father. There was never a moment in my life that I felt so conflicted, wondering what the right choice was, questioning my loyalties to my friends and family. I always knew what was right and wrong, and I never hesitated for so long like this, but this time, I was merely at a loss for words. I couldn't even begin to figure out how we had ended up here, fighting against one another.
"Tyra! Get your ass over here!" Rhodey yelled worriedly.
The face piece of my dad's armor finally pulled back, revealing the heart broken and frustrated look on his face.
"Don't do this." My dad muttered softly.
I blinked away tears as I was faced with this ethical dilemma. The logical aspect of my mind was telling me to go over to my dad, and spare myself from all of the trouble I'd be getting into if I chose to side with Steve and not risk going to prison for fighting alongside a fugitive.
Should I choose Steve, a man that I've fallen in love with...?
Or side with my father, whose been there for me through thick and thin, loving me unconditionally...?
Both of them have always been there for me, both of them I consider to be my best friends, and now I have to choose sides.
"I can't...I can't." My voice cracked. "Guys...please...let's stop this right now."
"You know it's too late for that." Bucky spoke up.
I looked over, seeing the saddened look on Bucky's seemingly expressionless face. His face might have held no expression at the moment, but his eyes spoke volumes in how he felt. I could tell that he didn't think he was worth all of this trouble, but I knew he was innocent in all of this. In my heart, I knew who I should be siding with, and at the time, it only felt right. All I had to do was prove Bucky's innocence and all of this would be over, and he could finally be free to live his own life. That alone made this choice feel a little worth it after all.
"Dad...I'm so sorry. I just need to do this, I'll explain it all later okay? You just have to let me do this." I mumbled softly.
My dad's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting me to slowly inch over towards Bucky and Steve. He finally cried out, as a last ditch effort to stop me from getting into anymore trouble. I knew he was only doing this to protect me, but it didn't make it hurt any less.
"Don't you dare move! I won't be putting my own daughter in prison! Don't make me do this!" Dad snapped.
I whirled around, staring at my dad in utter shock as he raised his arm at me, the repulsor beam starting to light up for being prepared to shoot at me.
"Then go ahead and shoot at me." I grew serious as I stared at my father.
"Tyra! Move!" Steve yelled worriedly.
FLASH!
I woke up sweating, panting and breathing deeply, taking in gulps of air like it would be my last breath. I felt my heart beating as I glanced around my dark room, realizing that Steve and Sam were gone. I looked over at my alarm clock, reading that it was four in the morning and internally groaned.
I have a mission to go to in a few hours, and I know I'll be tired from lack of sleep...god damn it.
That was a rather intense vision.
You saw all of that? I don't even know what to make of it. Either way, I'm scared...something big is going down.
You better plan ahead then, and make sure it doesn't happen. Or at least try to alter the outcome.
And how the hell do I do that when I don't even understand what the hell was going on?
You'll figure it out. Hopefully before it's too late. You're really clever, and when you put your mind to something, you can easily solve everything.
"Miss Stark? Shall I fetch someone? Your heart rate is going at a very abnormal speed, I do believe you are having an anxiety attack." Friday spoke up.
"I- -I can't...not now." I whimpered.
"Miss Stark. Close your eyes and take a slow deep breath."
I gasped and nearly panicked until I saw that it was Vision that was now currently sitting at the edge of my bed.
"D- -don't fucking do that!" I stammered.
"I apologize, Tyra. I was just troubled by your current state and wanted to see if I could perhaps assist you in anyway." Vision gave me a small smile.
I nodded frantically trying to take a deep breath as Vision had suggested, before blinking away more tears. I never felt so much guilt, it felt like I was being consumed by it.
"Would it be okay if I held you?" Vision politely asked.
I nodded again, not even acknowledging what Vision said before I was being gently pulled into his arms. For the first five seconds, I felt like I wanted to thrash and scream, but something within me had compelled me not to. I wondered if it was something that Vision was doing, and at this point, it wouldn't really surprise me. I slowly began relaxing in Vision's arms, with my breathing slowly, but surely returning to normal after a period of five minutes.
"What's happening?" I mumbled tiredly.
"You need not worry. It is a technique I read from a book. It was rather insightful. Is it working?" Vision said.
"Yeah...thanks. I'm sorry for snapping at you, I was just- -"
"You don't have to explain yourself. I understand, Tyra." Vision cut me off.
"Vision...thank you for coming in here. Just maybe knock next time instead of phasing through the wall?" I joked lightly.
"It is a habit of mine, I apologize for alarming you." He smiled lightly.
I yawned again for what seemed to be the tenth time as I remained in position, trying to enjoy my coffee as I stayed under cover and waited for Steve's orders.
"Jeez. You're yawning is making me tired. Did you get any sleep last night?" Natasha muttered into her earpiece.
"Define sleep." I joked.
"If you are having trouble with sleep. Do not hesitate to come and get me. I will help you...you know that." Wanda mumbled.
"I didn't want you to deal with my tired ass all night. I'll be fine. This coffee is helping me perk up. It's actually pretty damn good. I think I might have accidentally ordered the espresso. Either way...it's delicious." I lowered my voice, smiling into the small cup as I took another sip.
"Alright. If you're done talking about coffee and espressos, could you tell me what you see?" Steve cut in.
There are law enforcement behind you, or what you call police officer's. Along with a small station.
Without glancing up, I repeated everything to Steve from what the voice in my head had informed me.
"There's police officer's surrounding us, a small station. It's not a bad target." I said.
"Wow...I'm impressed. You didn't even look up." I could already imagine the smirk on Natasha's face based off of her tone.
"There's an ATM in the south corner, which means..."
"Cameras." Wanda lowered her voice.
"Both cross streets one way?" Steve asked.
"So compromise the escape routes." Wanda suggested.
"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen, he isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that ranger over half way up the block?" Steve continued.
"You mean the red one. It's cute." Wanda answers.
"It's also bullet proof, which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us." I smirked.
"You know I can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda sounded annoyed.
"Looking over your shoulder needs to become a second nature." Natasha lightly scolded Wanda
"Anybody ever tell you, you're a little paranoid?" Steve chuckled softly.
"Not to my face. Why, did you hear something?" Natasha joked.
"Eyes on target, folks. It's the best lead we've had on Rumlow in 6 months. I don't want to lose him." Steve grew more serious.
"I can't wait to kick his ass." I smiled.
"If he sees us coming there won't be a problem, he kind of hates us." Sam spoke up.
"Sam, see the garbage truck? Take it."
"Give me X-ray. Max capacity, the truck's loaded for max weight, and the driver's armed." Sam observed.
"It's a battering ram." I realized.
"Go now." Steve sounded worried.
"Why?" Wanda asked.
"He's not aiming at the police." Steve noticed.
I made my way to the Institute for Infectious Diseases, already spotting Steve and Wanda there. I quickly caught up with them and began jogging next to them as we approached the building.
"Body armor. AR15s, I make seven hostiles." Steve noted.
"I make five." I noted.
"Sam- -" Wanda spoke up.
"Four. Rumlow's on the third floor." Sam cut her off.
"Wanda. Just like we've practiced." Steve put a hand on her shoulder.
"What about the gas?" She asked.
"Get it out." Steve ordered.
"Rumlow has a biological weapon."
"We're on it. Come on Tyra. Let's go." Natasha demands.
Natasha tugged on my hand, signaling for me to follow her.
"I've got four! They're splitting up!" Sam realized.
"We've got the two on the left!" Natasha said.
"OUT OF THE WAY! LOOK OUT!" Natasha yelled.
I remained silent, only trying to focus on my targets. When my legs were starting to ache, I finally used my rocket boots, grabbing Natasha along the way as I made my way over to Rumlow's men.
"Drop it. Or I'll drop this. Drop it!" The man yelled.
"He'll do it!" The other man assured us.
It wasn't long that both of Rumlow's men were taken down, thanks to Sam's little robot friend, as I'd like to call it.
"Payload secured. Thanks, Sam." Natasha smiled.
"Don't thank me."
"I'm not thanking that thing."
"His name is Redwing."
"I'm still not thanking it."
"He's cute. Come on, pet 'em!"
Your friends are in danger. You might want to hurry along.
I quickly turned my rocket boots back on, flying aimlessly as I ignored Natasha's shouting behind me. It felt like it was in slow motion when I saw Rumlow in another area of the city trying to detonate a bomb attached to him in attempt to take out Steve.
"STEVE!" I yelled.
Steve turned around and was surprised to spot me, and before he could even object, I tackled Rumlow, and using my strength, had flown high up into the air while holding onto him.
"You cunt! You're not stopping this!" Rumlow shouted.
"That's what they all say, you bastard! Except for the cunt part, that was just uncalled for!" I smirked.
FUCK ME!
My smirk faded instantly when I realized that my rocket boots short circuited, causing me to fall as they turned off. Wanda noticed what happened and while quickly thinking, had used her power to hold Rumlow in the air so he wouldn't follow me down. I could tell with the intensity in her eyes that Wanda was using a lot of her power to just hold Rumlow up in the air and hold the explosion in as well. No matter how hard Wanda had tried, however, it didn't seem to be enough as Rumlow finally exploded in the air with the bomb attached to him. The shouts of citizens below had scared me, but I wasn't able to think about casualties once a chunk of debris hit me on the head on the way down, causing me to black out almost instantly. Steve's eyes widened as he saw my unconscious body falling to the ground at a fast speed, and quickly took action as he ran towards me. He jumped high enough that he was able to catch me, but soon enough we fell to the ground together. Steve was panting, and out of breath as he inspected me, checking for any wounds. The huge gash on my head was bleeding, but was already healing itself as I slowly regained consciousness.
"Thank god." Steve breathed out.
Steve hugged me as soon as my eyes fluttered open, and I moaned in pain, causing Steve to pull back.
"Your wound is healing. You'll be fine." Steve assured me.
"Fuck that hurt." I groaned. "What...what happened?"
I looked around, before glancing up, seeing a portion of a building just gone all because of the explosion. I felt guilt immediately, wondering if this was all of my fault because I was so worried about saving Steve amongst many innocent bystanders from Rumlow. I then saw Wanda on her knees, tears in her eyes as she looked at me, and at the result of the explosion.
Shit...I fucked up.
You did what you could.
But at what cost?
Several weeks later...
I stayed at the lab as soon after we had returned from Nigeria, still shaken up from what had occurred. Natasha and Sam gave me looks of curiosity as well as suspicion, wondering how I knew Steve and Wanda, among the other citizens of Nigeria, were all in danger from Rumlow's bomb. As far as Natasha knew, I just took off without explanation. I tried explaining that it was just another 'vision' that I had, but I could tell that Natasha didn't believe me this time and knew there was more to my story than I let on. I called my dad every few hours, trying to check in on him as I inspected my rocket boots again for what seemed to be the billionth time, only to have his phone go straight to voicemail. Reluctantly, I turned on the TV and was shocked at the anger and outrage of Wakanda's King T'Chaka among many others.
"Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occurred." The news reporter stated.
"Our people's blood is spilled on foreign soil. Not only the cause of the actions by criminals, but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocent, is no victory at all..."
"The Wakanda king went on to..."
I blinked away tears before turning back to the TV again.
"What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeria? And what went on in Tyra Stark's mind as she thought to bring this fugitive in the area of the explosion?"
Are...are they saying I planned this with Wanda or something?
It seems that way actually...
I quickly turned off the TV, breathing heavily as I knocked my boots over to the side. It was no secret that I felt guilty about the entire incident, but now, it felt that I was directly to blame for what happened, and for the lives that were lost that day.
"Fuck..." I muttered softly.
I hit my forehead with my balled up fists repeatedly as I fell to the floor with tears in my eyes, barely holding it together. I could try and claim that I was only trying to save everyone from Rumlow, but deep down, the truth of it all was that I was scared about losing Steve and was there to save him. I felt like an incredible asshole and realized that despite of my good intentions, that it only resulted in the loss of lives.
How the fuck do I live with this? People died because of me...
"God damn it. It's all my fault." I cried.
"Miss Stark? Are you alright?"
I looked up to find Vision kneeling in front of me before I shook my head as I let out a sob that I'd been holding back. Vision gave me a look of sympathy before gently embracing me.
"It pains me to tell you while you are in such a state, but your father has returned...and with a guest."
I wiped my face quickly as I pulled away from Vision.
"Who is this guest then, huh?" I asked.
"The Secretary of State." He replied.
"I can only tell this is going to end so well." I said sarcastically.
"I can tell your father that you're not feeling well." Vision smiled.
"No, it's okay. I just have to pull myself together." I breathed deeply again.
I stood up from the floor, looking a reflection of myself from the table surface and fixing up my makeup.
I don't even know why I bother with makeup sometimes...
I agree. You don't really need it that much...you look fairly decent without it.
Thanks...I think?
"Oh. Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my batting swing. Turned out, it was the best round of my life because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You've...fought for us. Protected us. Risked your lives. While a great many people see you as heroes. There are some...who would prefer the word vigilantes." The Secretary of State told us.
"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha smiled dangerously.
"How about dangerous? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals, who routinely ignores sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind them. New York. Washington DC. Sokovia. Lagos."
One after another, the Secretary Ross had tossed pictures of the damage caused in the areas he'd listed where our battles had taken place. Wanda immediately glanced away after seeing the picture of Sokovia.
"Okay, that's enough." Steve spoke up after noticing her discomfort.
"For the past four years, you operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution. The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries. It states, that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations Panel, only when and if that Panel deems it necessary." Secretary Ross finished.
Holy shit. What?!
"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that." Steve argued.
"Tell me Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences, compromise, reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground." Secretary Ross retorted.
"So there are contingencies?" Rhodey spoke up.
"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. So, talk it over." Ross told us.
"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha asked.
"Then you retire."
The silence in the room after Secretary Ross had left was almost unbearable. After two minutes, though, it wasn't long before my teammates were arguing, all while I sat in silence. Surprisingly enough, however, my father was disturbingly quiet throughout this entire ordeal. It made me more nervous that he wasn't saying anything at all, or even making a little snide comment or joke, which made me come to the conclusion that there was something that really upset him earlier.
"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor which is more than you have." Rhodey snapped.
"So, let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they low-jack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam scoffed.
"117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like 'No, it's cool.'" Rhodey gave Sam a look of disbelief.
"How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam asked.
"I have an equation." Vision spoke up.
"Oh, this will clear it up." Sam rolled his eyes.
"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of noted enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during that same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commissive rate."
"...are you saying it's our fault?" Steve muttered.
"I'm saying there maybe a casualty. Our strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict...breeds catastrophe. Oversight. Oversight is not an idea that could be dismissed out-of-hand." Vision concluded.
He's...he's not exactly wrong...
"Boom." Rhodey clapped his hands together.
"Tony...Tyra, you're both being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal." Natasha eyed the both of us.
My father and I exchanged glances before looking away from each other, before my father stood up to lean against the wall.
"That's because he's already made up his mind." Steve said.
"Boy, you know me so well." My dad scoffed.
And here we go...
"Actually, I'm nursing my electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain...says Humphrey."
My dad glanced over at the coffee machine and sink as he fiddled with both.
"Who's putting coffee grounds the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" He muttered to himself.
Dad finally projected an image onto the TV screen nearby of a man, seeming to be in his early twenties, looking about my age.
"Oh, that's Charles Spencer by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig. An intel plan for the fall. But, first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul. Before he parked it. See the world, maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam. Sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer, building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia."
I perked up at that, but refused to meet my father's gaze, afraid of where this little conversation was heading.
"He wanted to make a difference I suppose. I mean, we wouldn't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, we're boundless, we're no better than the bad guys."
Holy shit...I wasn't expecting this from my father at all. Tony Stark hates fucking rules...the death of Charles Spencer must have hurt him real bad.
"Tony...if someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve muttered.
"Who said we're giving up?" He raised an eyebrow.
"We are, for not taking responsibility for our actions. These documents are just shifting the blame."
"Sorry Steve. That...that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the world security council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA." Rhodey cut in.
"No, but it's run by people with agendas and agendas change." Steve replied.
"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing them." My dad said.
"Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign these, we surrender our right to choose. What if this Panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go. What if's somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us. We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own." Steve finished.
"If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later. That's a fact. It won't be pretty." Dad glared at Steve.
"You're saying they will come for me." Wanda muttered.
"We will protect you." Vision put his hand on Wanda's.
"Maybe Tony is right. If, we have one hand on the wheel that can still steer." Natasha said.
"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss our ass a few years ago?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just...playing the field. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win our trust back." She shrugged.
"I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" My dad looked at her in surprise.
"Oh, I want to take it back." Natasha frowned.
"No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. I'm impressed by what you did. Case closed. I win." Dad smirked.
I sat down and thought back to my vision from earlier, wondering if this was related in anyway, if it was the Sokovia Accords that would lead to driving the Avengers apart. Either way, I didn't want to choose sides, and I certainly didn't want this to divide us. However, while I saw my father's side of things, I could also make sense of Steve's perspective of the situation as well. I wanted to be logical and side with my father, but something deep within me was compelling me not to.
I wonder how Bucky ties in with all of this? My vision claimed that Steve and Bucky are fugitives...but how did that happen?
"So what's going on in your mind right now?" Rhodey asked me.
"Who says I have an opinion?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Right, like I'll believe that. Now come on and speak up. We won't be mad at you." Rhodey assured me.
"Do you really want my honest opinion?" I smiled thinly.
"Actually, yes. The more input we have, the better." Rhodey rubbed my back soothingly.
"I...I honestly think this entire situation is bullshit." I blurted out.
Everyone glanced at me in surprise as I stood up from my seat and began walking towards the exit.
"Where the hell is this coming from?" Dad asked. "This is far from a joke, Tyra. This is serious."
"I never said it was a joke. It's all bullshit. You guys can do whatever you want, but I already know where this is headed, and I don't want to be apart of it." I glared at them.
"And where do you think this is headed?" Sam scoffed.
"We're going to be divided right down the middle. The world needs us to stay strong and united. This fucking Sokovia Accords is going to start a damn war between us. We don't need that. If we can't work through this together, then we're already doomed to failure."
"You can't honestly believe that." Natasha stared at me in disbelief.
"It's already happening. You guys just don't realize it yet." I muttered softly. "My father wants to support it, and Steve is against it. I see both sides to it, but I'm not ready to make any sort of choice like that."
"You can't take it back. What happened." Wanda spoke up.
I stared at her in surprise, knowing immediately of what she was talking about.
"I blame myself too, but...it wasn't just your fault. We did the best that we could. Don't let that one event cloud your judgement." Wanda told me.
"I won't. I'm taking everything into consideration." I nodded.
"This is the most serious that I've ever seen you." Steve commented. "I'm proud." He gave a small smile.
"When the situation calls for it, it's times like these that you really have to be serious. This...this is not a joke. I can see both sides, and I'm conflicted, and I really need to think this through. I'm on this team for many reasons, and I'll do my part like everyone else."
"Alright. I can respect that." Rhodey nodded in approval, and also respect.
"If I'm thinking this through, all of you have to do the same. Just fucking sleep on it before coming to your conclusions, alright? And that goes for everyone." I glared at my team.
"...you saw something didn't you? Had one of your little visions right?" Dad cut in.
"So what if I did?" I raised an eyebrow.
"What did you see? What's making you act this way? You say we're already doomed as a team. Where is this coming from?" Dad looked serious.
"I just remember being in the middle, all of us were against each other, and you were trying to make me choose between you and Steve. I just...I felt so much guilt and have never felt so conflicted before in my life. I don't even know what the fight was about, but I already have a feeling it's just starting. I've never had a problem with ethics or morals, choosing what the right thing to do was, but whatever this fight was about...it left me at a loss for words. I feel like I might sit this one out, maybe retire as an Avenger."
You're not serious are you? You sound almost like a coward.
Call it being a coward, but I don't know what to do, right now it's probably best that I stay out of this battle.
"It's almost scary seeing you so serious." Natasha commented.
"Ditto." Sam nodded.
"So you're just going to leave? Just like that?" Steve spoke up again.
Steve almost looked heartbroken, his expression almost pained, and that was enough to make me feel guilty.
"Don't...don't give me that puppy face, Rogers."
"Oh shit. She called him Rogers." Sam muttered to Wanda.
"You can't just run at a time like this. We need you." Steve said.
"I doubt that. I'll probably fuck something up and end up getting in the way." I scoffed.
"That's not true and you know it." Steve assured me.
My dad finally interjected, giving both Steve and I a small glare.
"Are you two dating or something?" Dad's eyed widened, before he snapped his fingers like he'd had an epiphany. "You went on a date with Rogers! That's who you've been seeing!"
My face burned with embarrassment, and I tried really hard to keep my voice steady.
"The fuck are you talking about? We...did not..."
"So...did you two sleep together?"
"OH MY GOD! You're bringing this up in front of everyone?! Also, NO. We didn't sleep together, you horse's ass! Don't worry! I wouldn't want to embarrass you, dad!" I snapped.
"It's not my fault you're acting so weird about this entire situation! You say you don't want to choose between us- -"
"Because I care about you all, you freaking dumbass!" I yelled angrily. "I'm going to leave before this gets more weird! See you later!"
I slammed the door shut behind me, not daring to look back.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Natasha gave Tony a pointed look.
"...I don't want her to be biased based off her feelings for Star-Spangled Banner here." Tony pursed his lips.
"You forget that I'm right here, Tony." Steve grumbled.
"And you forget that I'm a father." Tony retorted.
"A very abnormal one maybe." Wanda muttered.
"How about we just leave Tyra alone for a minute? She said she wanted to think about this and weigh her options. If what she says is true, we all have a lot to think about as well." Rhodey stopped them from arguing anymore.
"He's not wrong. We have to make sure we're all on the same page." Natasha said.
Steve felt his phone vibrate, and glanced down at a text message he received.
"I have to go." Steve blurted out.
Without another word, Steve left the room, knowing that he was needed elsewhere.
Hey guys! I'm back finally! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to publish online like this one! Let me know what you think, I love what you guys have to say!