Hey everyone, before I begin with this oneshot I wanted to give a quick disclaimer about this story. This is my very first Marvel Rivals fanfic and first oneshot in a while, first story in a while to be honest. I've been a fan of Marvel for a long time, ever since I was a kid, and Marvel Rivals has taken up a huge portion of my life. I do not own any Marvel characters, just my OC.
-000-
In the midst of all the conflict and craziness that and his 2099 counterpart put the heroes through, some have been able to make the best of a bad situation. One such hero was Roadblock, or Raphael to his new friends. During the Timestream Entanglement, Roadblock's universe was tragically lost, one of the few universes that was destroyed during the event. While the loss was tragic, Roadblock couldn't grieve over the loss of his friends and family, he had to join the rest of the heroes in finding a way to save everyone else's universes. But during his time, he's made new friends, people he could call friends and family. There was Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man, his witty charm being much needed in a crisis such as this. Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, a fellow armored Avenger whose intelligence and tech expertise has allowed Roadblock to upgrade his suit in ways he never dreamed of. Steve Rogers, or Captain America, an inspiration for Raphael, the very reason he donned his own suit and shield in order to become Roadblock. And finally, there was Doreen Green, or as she's known as Squirrel Girl, whose optimism and never-say-die attitude has been a constant light in the darkness that Roadblock's life has been thrown into.
-000-
Now, Raphael has been assigned as backup, a position he was used to since he was better suited for support and defending the base. Usually, he was alone while guarding the base, setting up Avenger's Tower's defense systems and going about his day. Today seemed to be a normal day, the defense systems were set up, and his comm was nearby in case Iron Man or Captain America called him. But then, he saw some sudden movement from the corner of his eye. He grabbed a nearby wrench and approached the corner of the room cautiously, as he slowly moved and turned the corner, he saw…
"Tippy-Toe!?" Roadblock exclaimed.
Tippy-Toe was a small white squirrel, and the furry companion of Squirrel Girl. Tippy-Toe would never be anywhere Doreen was not, which meant only one thing, Squirrel Girl was here at base, and the two of them had been assigned to defend the base.
Suddenly, Roadblock feels a tap on his shoulder. Turning around ready to swing his wrench, he sees the bubbly, freckled, buck-tooth smile of Doreen Green, aka Squirrel Girl.
"Hey there, Raph!" Doreen greets, waving a hand at her armored friend. "Someone's feeling a bit jumpy, eh big guy?" She asks taking the hand holding the wrench and lowering it to his side.
Roadblock shakes his head; his heart was racing for a moment before the feeling of her hand on his calms his nerves. "Sorry about that Doreen, not used to having someone else here with me, thought you might've been a vampire that snuck in here." He explains putting the wrench back on the workbench. Tippy-Toe scurries past Roadblock's feet and climbs up Squirrel Girl's leg before perching on her shoulder.
Squirrel Girl chuckles before moving slightly closer to him, whispering to his ear. "Maybe I am a vampire, and you just didn't notice, now I can suck your blood." She whispered with an exaggerated Dracula-like voice getting a chuckle from Roadblock.
"Nah!" He says with a laugh. "You're too chirpy to be a vampire. You'd have to be more feral, and you know…have wings." The two then shared a good laugh.
-000-
The two of them had become close since they met during the vampire invasion. Squirrel Girl was battling Dracula before the vampire lord used his hypnotic powers to take control of Squirrel Girl's squirrel friends. Before she would be devoured by the ravenous squirrel army, Roadblock, along with Iron Man and Moon Knight would arrive to rescue her, she tried to explain to the three that she was battling Dracula and trying to defend a giant Asgardian squirrel by the name of Ratatoskr. While the three of them believed she was battling Dracula, only Roadblock had some belief in her story about Ratatoskr. The two of them had been able to find solace in everything that has happened, she told him stories about her many accomplishments against some of the most powerful villains in her universe, while he told her stories about his adventures in his universe before it was destroyed. Since then, the two of them have been close friends, battling side by side, sharing their knowledge of their respective universes' heroes, and trying to always stay positive and find the good in others, especially in times like this.
-000-
As their laughter subsided the room fell into silence, the ambience cradling the two in a gentle embrace. The two locked eyes for but a moment, but the moment was just enough for the two to become lost in each other's eyes.
"You're staring." She states with a giggle.
A faint blush grows on his face, he turns his head to cover his face. "S-Sorry." He stutters. "I just...never noticed you had such pretty eyes; they look like emeralds."
Her eyes widen slightly, and a blush forms over her freckled cheeks. "Aw, thanks!" She exclaims, a grin forming on her face. He smiles back at her, getting a playful jab to the chest. "So, what exactly do you do around here while everyone's out in the field?"
"Honestly, the defense systems do all the heavy lifting, I just stay inside and watch the cameras. Any vampires get too close, the turrets fire rounds of silver bullets, courtesy of Blade and Punisher's supply. It won't kill them, but it'll be enough for them to get the idea to stay away." He explains showing her the many monitors set up, displaying the interior and exterior of Avenger's Tower.
Squirrel Girl's eyes widened, sparkling with excitement. "Wow!" She gasps. "Tony really upgraded this place up. It's almost like playing a video game." Her voice rises with enthusiasm, her eyes darting between monitors. Roadblock couldn't help but chuckle, Doreen's enthusiasm was always so infectious. As the two watched the monitors, an air of silence began to form, only the sound of the audio from the monitors could be heard. After a few minutes of silence and distant screeches through the monitors, the silence between them broke.
"What was your universe like?"
Roadblock blinked, caught of guard by the sudden question. "What?"
"What was your universe like?" She repeated, her smile faltering. "Before it…y'know…" She adds, her voice dropping to a somber whisper.
The question was a bit of a sore subject for Roadblock, while he was able to get past it and move on from what had happened, it didn't take away the pain it still left within him, the emotional scars that can never fade away. "It was…similar to this universe, y'know minus all the vampires." He explains, his voice is a bit strained. "I was a member of the Avengers at least an honorary member, and they were just like the Avengers of this universe. But that was then, things are different now." He adds, trying to lift both of their spirits.
Doreen smiles slightly, her eyes gaining their light back. "Maybe your universe might have survived." She says, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We might be able to find a way to get you back home." She adds applying a gentle pressure as she squeezes his shoulder.
He shakes his head, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. "Doreen, I appreciate what you're saying, but even if my universe survived, I don't think I can go back. This universe needs me, these people need me, and honestly…I don't think I can say goodbye to any of you." He adds a blush rising to his face. "Even after everything that's happened, I can at least say I've found some good in all of this."
This gets a smile from her. With a giggle, she leans her head to the side, resting it against his shoulder. She sighs, seeming more content after hearing his answer. "You know…I feel the same way." She says her tail swaying lazily behind her.
Roadblock looks at her, noticing how heavy her eyes were drifting, seeing her face growing sleepy as the peaceful aura the two give to each other washes over her. He smiles, his eyes drifting back to the monitors. His sighs happily, though he may have lost his world, his friends, and family, Roadblock now has something greater to fight for, a new world he can call home, new friends to fight side by side with, and a second chance to protect the things and people that are the most precious to him.
-000-
And that's that, my first Marvel Rivals oneshot. A little trivia, I am a massive fan of Marvel, from the comics, movies, cartoons, and video games, and since the release of Marvel Rivals, it has been the only game I've been playing since then. Now, as for the characters, Roadblock is an original character I made way back in the day, and Squirrel Girl has become my main since the release of Marvel Rivals, so I thought it would be perfect to throw the two together. Plus, and this goes for anyone else who wants to write their own storylines, with the plot of Marvel Rivals being all about multiverse shenanigans, it opens the door to introduce original characters. With that all said and done, thank you all for reading up to the end, if you want to see more, just write it in the reviews. Thank you all so much and you have yourselves a wonderful day.
-Kris ;)