The Years Go By

Summary: After years of working on himself to be a man Sebastian could be proud of, and just as Blaine is ready to go back to Paris and finally read his letter, the universe throws a roadblock.

Notes:

This story has a lot more Avengers than I originally planned

Warning: Implied child abuse (non-specific).

Still on "Years and Years" from Seblaine Week. Almost to "Time Travel"

November 10, 2013

"Hey, Bow, let me talk to you a minute while Pepper and Britt say goodbye."

"For the final time, do not call me Bow! It's as bad as when Cooper calls me Squirt!"

"No can do, Bow Tie."

Blaine rolled his eyes as he subconsciously adjusted the material around his neck. Sometimes Tony reminded him of Sue Sylvester, McKinley principal and archvillain of the New Directions, in that he playfully/sarcastically/spitefully gave out personal descriptors depending on the situation and his mood. Hell, he had personally heard Iron Man call Captain America by 17 different names other than Captain America or Steve Rogers. But for him, nooo…that damn Bow or Bow Tie stuck.

"You sure you're ok?" Tony asked, well aware Blaine was burying his feelings about not being able to read Sebastian's letter while he was in Paris.

How was he supposed to stay mad when the man turned around and said shit like that? "I will be." As Blaine found himself being pulled into a hug, he willed himself to not get too attached. Except for Brittany, people tended not to stick around.

That's why when he began to feel an attempt at a heart-felt speech brewing, he knew he had to deflect. "If you really want to help me feel better, you could finally make my light saber."

April 30, 2014

Blaine never missed Sam, Steven Rogers/Avengers obsessive fanboy, more than in this moment. Maybe he could have explained the bomb Tony just dropped on him.

"Hydra? Hydra? Like the super crazy Nazis Captain America fought in WWII, Hydra?"

"Yes, and that's not the worst part."

"How can actual fucking Nazis not be the worst part?!"

"That list of names I told you about, the one supposedly for surveillance but was actually for elimination…"

"Let me guess. You were on it."

Tony let out an annoyed grunt as he shook his head. "As crazy as this sounds, I'm pissed I wasn't." When he took a dramatic pause Blaine became nervous and evidently for good reason. "Bow, you were."

WHAT…THE…FUCK?!

"Me? ME? What about Britt, not that I want her to be on this list but she's the genius who one day decided math was boring and began working with nanotechnology because they're tiny and cute like me. Her words."

"She wasn't there. You've done a remarkable job keeping her under the radar."

"Then how? Why me?" The color drained from Blaine's face as he realized the answers to his own question. "My father is involved in this, isn't he?" The non-response he received was all the confirmation necessary. He hadn't punched anything other than the heavy bag since he broke Finn's jaw, but Blaine instinctively turned to the wall behind him. However, Tony's Iron Man instincts were faster as he managed to grab hold of him, pinning his arms to his sides before any damage happened.

Well, at least physical damage.

Once Blaine calmed somewhat, Tony asked for an explanation "You want to tell me why you were attempting to break your hand?"

"No"

"It was a rhetorical question."

It took another couple of minutes before Blaine could form coherent sentences. "Long story short, my mother and brother told him I was at MIT and was living with a girl. They denied it, but eventually my mother broke and told me the truth."

There was only one part of the statement Tony found surprising. "Your mom told you what they did, not Cooper?"

"Yup"

The increased tension in the boy's body caused Tony to drop that line of questioning…for now. "So, did they mention me to him?"

"Just your quote/unquote scholarship program. I never told them, or anyone else, about knowing you or how Britt's a genius. Everyone still thinks I got into your fake program due to my perfect college entrance exam. "

"Good idea, clearly, but I still don't understand why he would do this."

"He hates me and wants me dead."

"Bow…"

"Don't Bow me when we both know the truth."

Couldn't argue with that. "Ok, but I still need to hear from you what happened."

Blaine sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. "Since Britt needed to attend Lord Tubbington's latest intervention, we went back to Lima for Winter Break. I was planning to spend the holidays with the Pierces but Mom begged me to come for Christmas. Then Cooper called and said he'd be there to hold back her crazy. I had a bad feeling but agreed to spend Christmas, only Christmas, with them."

"Bad feeling?"

"Yeah, bad feeling and I should've trusted my instincts. When I got there that morning, guess who is sitting on the couch?"

"You're kidding" spilled out, even though Tony knew he wasn't.

"Nope. The minute I walked in, he announced he was moving home because, in his words…Since I stopped being a fag we could be a family again. When I told him he misunderstood, Britt's just a friend and I'm still a gold-star gay, he came after me. One strategic upper cut to the chin put him on the ground."

"Did your mother or Copper say or do anything?"

"Nothing, but I never gave them the chance. I was out the door 10 seconds after I heard the thud."

"Bow..."

"Why, why should I have given them a chance to explain? They know! They know what he'd done..."

Tony held on tight as Blaine sobbed until there were no more tears then turned him in his arms, loosening his hold but not completely letting go. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You publicly gave a terrorist the address to your Malibu beach house which he proceeded to blow up. Then you let everyone believe you were dead for about 3 weeks. You were kind of busy."

"Oh yeah, that happened. Well, I'm here now and I'm going to take care of everything. Go pack. You and Britt are going into hiding for the time being."

"But…"

"I'll talk to administration about your classes."

"Tony…"

"Bow, this is not an option. Barton is taking you two to a safe house he says Nick Fury set-up off the books at SHIELD."

2 Months Later

Breaking News!

CEO of Anderson Investments, Thomas Anderson, arrested on 127 counts including money laundering, racketeering and theft. He is facing upwards of 312 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

June 1, 2015

"You couldn't just build a light saber. No, you had to build an army of Dark Troopers, one who became sentient and decided the best way to save humanity was to eliminate humanity?!"

"I did not build Dark Troopers."

"Ultron lifted an entire country into the sky!"

"It wasn't an entire country"

"Tony…"

"Bow, not now. We need to make a plan so what happened to that Wanda girl doesn't happen to Brittany."

"Tony…"

"Damn it! Pepper left me because of Ultron! Can we please drop this fucking conversation for now and make a plan for Brittany?"

Did not see that coming

"I'm sorry." Blaine didn't know if it was because of Pepper or that he'd been relentless in poking Tony with Ultron commentary. "So, why you are obsessed with this Wanda?"

"I'm not obsessed, I'm…concerned. Ice Pops called her and her brother Enhanced Individuals."

"You mean enhanced like Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner? So, what? Brittany is a genius, like YOU, not an (air quotes) Enhanced Individual."

"According to the Thunder God, on his planet science and magic are the same and Wanda can do magic by doing this twisty finger thing (Blaine tried hard not to laugh at the demonstration). Red…"

"Fascinating but, last I checked, we don't live on Asgard. I still don't see the connection."

"I just don't want…" Tony wished Pepper was with him. She would know what to say. But, that was a problem for another time. "The new Secretary, Thaddeus Ross, we have history. Not good, not bad, just history. However, at one point Banner dated his daughter so he's not a fan of the Avengers. Rumor has it he's pushing legislation through the UN to start a registry of these so-called Enhanced Individuals."

"Again, Brittany isn't an Enhanced Individual, she's a genius…like YOU."

"Well, Wanda wasn't one either until she came in contact with the Mind Stone."

November 8, 2015

"Where's Brittany?" Tony asked from Blaine's laptop screen.

"In the basement with Dr. Miller working on her nanobots. By the way, the new fire suppression system is working great. Only one of her explosions required an extinguisher."

"Good to know."

"Yeah, who would have guessed something as tiny as nanobots could make such a big explosion. Now, is there a reason you Skyped me today of all days?"

"There's a couple of reasons. First of all, how are you doing? You never asked for the plane to go to Paris, so…"

"Next."

Tony sighed but didn't push. Maybe his gift was a bad idea. One way to find out. "I will be at your graduation next month. Still can't believe you beat me by earning a degree from MIT in only 2 ½ years."

"My degree is in Management. You graduated in 3 years with several degrees in both math and science. Big difference."

"Tomato-tomato. Just accept that I'm proud of you Bow."

Considering his actual father had had Nazis try to kill him, Blaine readily accepted the acknowledgment of his achievements from his adopted father-figure. "What's the next reason?"

"To discuss where you're going to live once you leave MIT. I talked to Britt, and she said she doesn't want to be genius anymore. Said she misses dance…and sex."

"You definitely spoke to Brittany" Blaine managed to say through his laughter. "The Hydra list scared her. Thankfully, when we were at the farm, Laura was decoding SHIELD files for hidden Hydra…shit!"

"I knew Barton's wife was an agent!" Tony cheered while giving himself a high-five.

Blaine was confused. Evidently, the information he let slip wasn't as Top Secret as he thought. "Except for Natasha, I thought the Avengers didn't know about Clint's family."

"We recouped at the farm after Ultron had Wanda fuck with our minds." Tony waited for Ultron and/or Wanda comments but Blaine let them pass. He appreciated the gesture. "Can we get back on topic? I know Britt plans to go back to Lima for a while and then figure it out from there."

The other day, Brittany told him she wanted to try living without him, even if that meant moving in with her parents. She owed Blaine at least that much. The problem was while Brittany had a home to go back to, he didn't. "I don't know where I'm going to go" Blaine admitted. "I thought I might stay with Clint, Laura and the kids while I tried to find a job."

"What am I…chopped liver?" Tony asked while feigning disappointment.

"Truthfully, I never considered asking to stay with you. Britt and I have always been your dirty little secret and I assumed it was going to stay that way. The farm is the closet I've felt to having a real home since…"

Ah, maybe his gift wasn't a bad idea. "Since Dalton?"

"Yeah, since Dalton."

As if on cue (or his house was bugged which was highly possible) a conversation bubble popped up on Blaine's screen. It was an overhead picture of Dalton, but something wasn't quite right. "What the hell is this?"

"Did you know before Dalton was an academy, it was a personal home? A really big home, but a home?"

"Yes, but it burned down so none of that matters." Tony didn't say anything, waiting for Blaine to have his epiphany. It didn't take that long. "Holy shit! You rebuilt Dalton?!"

"Happy graduation, Bow."

"Tony…"

"The house and grounds are yours but I do have a favor to ask."

"Tony…"

"Wait until you hear what I have to ask first. Some rather sensitive items of mine are stored in the basement. I'd like to keep them there until I find a more permanent solution. If I'm going to win Pepper back, I have to, not stop, but cut back on being Iron Man."

"And the tower or the compound won't work for storage?"

"If…when I get Pepper back, I plan on selling Avengers tower and buying her a real house. I can't put this stuff at the compound because I don't want to put Rhodey in the middle of my pissing contest with Ross."

"And what better place to hide everything than in the middle of nowhere, in bum-fuck Ohio, with your dirty little secret?"

April 15, 2016

"Get Clint out of prison now!"

"Can't do it, Bow."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because he's not in prison-prison. Ross put him and the rest of Rogers' Merry Crew in a super-secret, super-max prison in the middle of the ocean. But Ross did say he would give Barton and the Giant Gnat house arrest because they aren't who he wanted."

"He wanted Wanda. Didn't he? DIDN'T HE?!"

"Bow…"

"No! YOU had me hiding Britt off-grid for years so she wouldn't wind up exactly where Wanda is now! How could you do this to her?"

"Bow…you don't understand."

"Then come to Dalton and make me understand."

"Can't, I'm on my way to Siberia."

May 1, 2018

Blaine sat on one of the couches directly across from Dave Karofsky. While Dalton was his home and no longer a school, the Warblers Commons was an exact replica pulled from his memory. It was the last place he saw Sebastian.

"You really think you're ready to go to Paris?" Dave asked after listening to Blaine's reasoning.

"I do, but instead of November, I was thinking January for Bas' birthday. I'll have to make arrangements for someone to look after Dalton but…yeah, that's what I want."

What Blaine almost let slip was he needed to talk to Tony. The billionaire had reunited with his CEO, they were even engaged. However, complications from Berlin, the Sokovia Accords and the demise of the Avengers made moving the items in Dalton's basement impossible. So much so, Tony hired him to manage and care for the technology. The people in his life knew Blaine worked from home, they just had no clue how he made his living. Despite this arrangement, and even after Clint went home on house arrest, his relationship with Tony wasn't as close as it once was. It didn't help he was slightly (ok, not-so-slightly) jealous of Iron Man's new protégée, Spider Man. Of course, Blaine was sure Tony could say something similar because of the new father figure in Bow's life.

"You know Xavier will want to go to Paris with us."

Sebastian's father was devastated by his death. Gut-wrenching guilt for basically blackmailing his son to go to law school and not live out his dream to become a dancer consumed him. It was so bad Sebastian's mother left him and moved back to Paris permanently. Then, when Blaine moved into Dalton, Dave asked if he could bring him by.

The three of them still have lunch together every Wednesday and dinner every Sunday.

"I figured. He…"

Dave stopped when the entire room became shaded in a red hue, almost like an alarm. His anxiety didn't improve when Blaine called out...to absolutely no one "Saturday, what's the threat level?"

The threat level is currently Initiate Order 66. Beginning lockdown sequence in 10, 9...

What the hell? "Initiate Order 66? Blaine..."

"It means shit hasn't started yet, but it's about to get catastrophically bad. You need to leave! Now! Go head straight home."

7, 6, 5...

"I'm not leaving you alone like this!"

Blaine couldn't hide his frustration knowing there was nothing he could do to get Dave to leave. "Saturday, delay lockdown by 10 minutes."

A holographic screen appeared with a timer counting down 10 minutes. As this happened, Blaine walked over to a framed picture of him with Sebastian and Warblers from the day they met and took it off the wall, revealing a safe. He quickly removed the contents.

It was Blaine's letter from Sebastian.

"Swear…swear on your friendship with Bas and the fact he would kick your ass, no matter how much bigger you are, if you betrayed me."

"Ok, but what am I swearing to?"

"That you will never, ever, tell anyone, not even Xavier, what you're about to see."

"Blaine…"

"Swear or leave. You've got 30 seconds to decide."

Dave took the letter and held it to his heart. "I swear."

"Saturday, cancel lockdown delay."

Suddenly the bookcase on the back wall pulled forward and separated, revealing an elevator. "Blaine…"

"I'll explain everything once we get to the basement."

"You have a basement?"

30 Days Later

"Bow? What are you doing here and why is there a cat at the end of my bed silently judging me?"

Blaine was snapped out of his twilight sleep by the sound of a familiar, but weakened, voice. He'd volunteered for the night shift, convincing Pepper to finally get some sleep in an actual bed. She hadn't left her husband's side since she, Rhodey, a blue half-cyborg woman and walking/talking racoon brought Tony to Dalton on a spaceship. Yes, he said spaceship. Pepper said something about coming sooner but the others had just returned from some mission in space with Captain America, Black Widow, Thor and a woman who was a human weapon of mass destruction. It obviously didn't go well because the racoon (Rocket?) was non-stop with the one-liners on what an epic failure it was.

He never asked for the full story, he didn't want to know. His brain was stretched to its max with aliens (other than Thor and those who invaded NYC in 2012), Infinity Stones and how half the universe vanished into dust (including Brittany, his mother and Cooper, Laura and the kids, his ex-boyfriend and his father, and 95% of the people he knew in both the Warblers and New Directions). Thankfully, Dave and Xavier were still with him.

A month ago, all of this would have been inconceivable. Now? Now, the world…hell, the universe, was a much different place.

"I'm here because this is my home. Pepper brought you to Dalton to recover in peace. No one's looking for Iron Man in bum-fuck Ohio. Luckily, social media sites are still down because I'm pretty sure my neighbors would've been quick to post pictures of a spaceship landing in my back yard. It's been hard enough thinking of reasonable explanations to calm them down. And, that cat is the infamous Lord Tubbington."

As innocent as Blaine's statement seemed, the genius immediately understood the subtext. "Not Brittany too" Tony groaned, closing his eyes to fight tears. Yet another of the kids he had sworn to protect…he couldn't.

He felt his hand squeezed and reopened his eyes to a familiar sweet smile, reminding him one of his kids had made it. Although, at this point Blaine looked more like a 40 year-old man. Maybe it was the beard. "You need a shave."

"So do you."

The two of them chuckled and held on tight to each other's hand, disagreements of the past no longer relevant. Still, Tony had to ask "Bow, have you heard from Clint or the wife? Nat…" The look on Blaine's face said it all. "Clint or…?"

"His entire family, right in front of his eyes."

There was nothing else to say.

Blaine stood to leave but a weak pullback from Tony stopped him. "I'm just going to get the doctor. You've been asleep for a really long time."

"No, it's…it's…"

Blaine sat back down and gave Tony water to sip, hoping to calm him once again. "Hey, hey, it's ok. I won't go until you're ready."

"Thanks" Tony did drink the water, but it was Blaine's assurances that calmed him. "What I wanted to say is…you were right."

"Of course" Blaine replied with the sarcastic smile Tony missed. "But what exactly am I right about this time?"

"I should have made a light saber. People were always getting their hand cut off in your Star Wars movies."

NOTES:

On WandaVision, it was implied Wanda had powers prior to Hydra experimenting on her with the Mind Stone but AoU was almost 10 years before that.