FIC: Cap-Iron Man Big Bang: Tie Your Heart to Mine, Part 5
Title: Tie Your Heart to Mine, Part 5
Author: alexcat
Artist: KakushiMiko
Universe: MCU
Rating (both fic and art): Fic - Explicit, Art - General
Word Count: 27804
Warnings: Heart attack, one violent but not too graphic death
Notes: This story began as a short story and bloomed into something else altogether. Like most fans, CW and IW left my heart broken so I decided to fix them. This is my fix (or one of them anyway).
I’d like to thank my hubby for letting me bounce ideas off of him and for putting up my frantic writing in the last days. I also want to thank him for reminding me that it was MY story to tell.
I also want to thank both of my betas. It was such a hot mess, that I needed two: athletiger and [personal profile] nuinzilien. It reads more like a story now, thanks to you two!
My artist is KakushiMiko and you’ll see her great stuff throughout the work and at her link! Thanks so much, Flo!
Fic Summary: Tony wants Steve Rogers and sets out to get him. The relationship they begin is more than either is ready for as the events play out from the aftermath of the attack on New York to the attack by Thanos and its fallout. Can their love survive? Can they survive?
~~
Part 5
Part Five
2028 - New Avenger’s Tower, New York City
“I think it’s ready this time,” Tony Stark told Bruce Banner. “Lang is coming in to test it this afternoon.”
“Is it safe? For Lang, I mean?”
“Well, he says so.”
Tony and Bruce had been working on getting Rogers out of the Quantum Realm for ten years. After deleting Hank Pym’s research, they heard that Pym had passed away suddenly and they’d had to start over from scratch when they decided to try to bring Steve home.
Scott Lang and his mother-in-law, Janet van Dyne, helped them on their research, but after having spent as much time as they had in the Quantum Realm, neither would go back in if they could avoid it.
Lang had agreed to do a test of the suits, though.
Tony looked much the same except his hair had gone gray and he’d not had it colored. He had not married either, though he’d been seen about town for years with Miss Potts, who was still CEO of Stark Industries.
Tony still couldn’t talk about Steve and not many were brave enough to mention him.
Except Bucky Barnes. In the years following the attack by Thanos, Bucky had become a citizen of Wakanda and its king had negotiated a pardon for Barnes in the US. He had also petitioned for Bucky’s back pay up until he surfaced as the Winter Soldier in the 1990s and had gotten it for him. Barnes had chosen the life of a shepherd in Wakanda, though he had been called on a few times as one of the Avengers.
Stark had been surprised that Natasha Romanov had stayed in Wakanda and become a part of the Dora Milaje. She had moved out to the farm with Barnes a year later. He couldn’t help but think Steve would be pleased that his best friends had found one another.
Bucky never approached Tony Stark, except to send him an actual written apology. He never even knew if Stark read it. For the record, Stark had read it, but only because Steve loved Bucky so much that he’d been willing to give up everything for him and did so more than once. While they would never become friends, Stark had forgiven him as much as he could. He just didn’t tell him.
Bucky called Stark.
“It’s Barnes.”
“I know who you are. What do you want?”
“I want to help you get Steve back.”
“I don’t think you can help us.” Stark didn’t want his help, but in reality, they had no one to get into the suit when they sent it into the Quantum Realm. Steve would be furious if they even asked Lang.
“I’ll go into the Quantum Realm. I’ll get him out. I only want to save him.”
Stark knew this to be true. The real Barnes indeed loved Steve Rogers as a brother.
“All right. We have the suit and everything ready. When can you be here?” Tony assumed he was still in Wakanda. His phone did not show a location.
“Five minutes?”
A little surprised, Tony answered, “Uh, okay, sure. Let me get Bruce in here and we’ll see if we’re ready. Lang was coming in to test the suit but you might as well, if you’re going to do this.”
Bucky arrived within minutes.
Banner greeted him with a warm handshake. That was just Banner.
Barnes wore his hair long still, pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He had a few gray streaks and a wrinkle or two, but he looked remarkably young. Tony wondered if Steve would still look young and beautiful.
“Hello, Stark.”
Stark realized he simply couldn’t pretend Barnes wasn’t really there.
“Hello, Barnes. I - There has been - Look, Steve loves you more than anyone, so I can tolerate you.”
Bucky nodded. “Natasha is here, too. Can she come in?”
Tony was glad to see her. She was still quite beautiful and as dangerous as ever in jeans and a Captain America t-shirt. He hugged her and kissed her, as did Bruce. Her hair was red again.
“So are you going to bring him out today?” she asked.
“Maybe. If he’ll come. You know Steve,” Tony told her.
She smiled at Tony and touched his shoulder. “I miss him, too, every day.”
Bruce and Natasha helped Bucky get the suit all hooked up and ready for its test run.
“Can I carry you home in my pocket?” Natasha asked Bucky once he’d ant-sized himself.
“Can I make it even smaller?” Bucky asked.
“Yes, but not too much, yet.”
He became smaller still. Tony and Bruce asked him questions, had him test all the buttons and switches, and seemed satisfied with the answers. Then he became normal sized again.
“Okay, even though he doesn’t have a beacon, his suit should show up for you anyway and you should be able to talk to him. Tell him it is safe to come home, that the stones were all hidden by trusted people and they are all far away from each other, the gauntlet was destroyed and Thanos has been dead all these years,” Tony told Bucky as they made another test run before they would send him into the Quantum Realm. “Then give him the second beacon.”
“If anything feels odd or off, tell us to bring you out,” Bruce said.
Bruce grabbed Tony’s comm. “Tell him that Tony needs him back. He’s pestering the rest of us to death.”
Bucky laughed, saluted and he was tiny again, then too tiny to see. They sent him in and he reported how strange things looked. He was quiet for a long time, though the monitors indicated that he was physically all right.
“Can you hear me, Stark?” Bucky asked.
“Loud and clear.”
“Bring us out.”
Tony thought he’d stop breathing. Or have a heart attack like he had ten years ago.
Bucky and Steve came out of the machine. They reverted to normal size. Steve pulled off his helmet and looked at Tony.
Tony didn’t move or say a word. He stared. Steve looked almost exactly like he had ten years ago. The only difference was the blond was gone from his dyed hair and his dark hair had a white streak in it. It was over his left eye and it went all the way back, almost as if someone had painted a white stripe on his head.
Steve dropped the helmet and ran the short distance to Tony, pulling him into his arms and kissing him, not paying any attention to anyone but Stark.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Steve said. “I missed you so much, every minute.”
Tony just held on. Tight.
Natasha stepped up and hugged Bucky. “Let’s go to another room, let them be alone for a bit.”
After they were alone, Steve pulled back and looked into Tony’s eyes. “I never dared dream that you’d get me out.”
“I never stopped trying. Bruce and I have been working on this for ten years.”
“Hey, your hair is gray.”
“I’m old, Cap.”
“Not too old. Fifty-eight maybe?” He kissed Tony’s cheek. “I’m a hundred and ten, sonny.”
“Let’s go see Bruce, Nat and your pal, Bucky for a few minutes, then let’s go to my penthouse and stay in bed for a month.”
“Can we get delivery? I want pizza from Brooklyn. And I want to watch baseball.”
“I want to get in your pants.”
Steve grinned at him. “Oh? Maybe we should do that before pizza and baseball.”
Tony kissed him and they left the lab arm in arm.
This entry was originally posted at https://alexs-storybook.dreamwidth.org/188987.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Author: alexcat
Artist: KakushiMiko
Universe: MCU
Rating (both fic and art): Fic - Explicit, Art - General
Word Count: 27804
Warnings: Heart attack, one violent but not too graphic death
Notes: This story began as a short story and bloomed into something else altogether. Like most fans, CW and IW left my heart broken so I decided to fix them. This is my fix (or one of them anyway).
I’d like to thank my hubby for letting me bounce ideas off of him and for putting up my frantic writing in the last days. I also want to thank him for reminding me that it was MY story to tell.
I also want to thank both of my betas. It was such a hot mess, that I needed two: athletiger and [personal profile] nuinzilien. It reads more like a story now, thanks to you two!
My artist is KakushiMiko and you’ll see her great stuff throughout the work and at her link! Thanks so much, Flo!
Fic Summary: Tony wants Steve Rogers and sets out to get him. The relationship they begin is more than either is ready for as the events play out from the aftermath of the attack on New York to the attack by Thanos and its fallout. Can their love survive? Can they survive?
~~
Part 5
Part Five
2028 - New Avenger’s Tower, New York City
“I think it’s ready this time,” Tony Stark told Bruce Banner. “Lang is coming in to test it this afternoon.”
“Is it safe? For Lang, I mean?”
“Well, he says so.”
Tony and Bruce had been working on getting Rogers out of the Quantum Realm for ten years. After deleting Hank Pym’s research, they heard that Pym had passed away suddenly and they’d had to start over from scratch when they decided to try to bring Steve home.
Scott Lang and his mother-in-law, Janet van Dyne, helped them on their research, but after having spent as much time as they had in the Quantum Realm, neither would go back in if they could avoid it.
Lang had agreed to do a test of the suits, though.
Tony looked much the same except his hair had gone gray and he’d not had it colored. He had not married either, though he’d been seen about town for years with Miss Potts, who was still CEO of Stark Industries.
Tony still couldn’t talk about Steve and not many were brave enough to mention him.
Except Bucky Barnes. In the years following the attack by Thanos, Bucky had become a citizen of Wakanda and its king had negotiated a pardon for Barnes in the US. He had also petitioned for Bucky’s back pay up until he surfaced as the Winter Soldier in the 1990s and had gotten it for him. Barnes had chosen the life of a shepherd in Wakanda, though he had been called on a few times as one of the Avengers.
Stark had been surprised that Natasha Romanov had stayed in Wakanda and become a part of the Dora Milaje. She had moved out to the farm with Barnes a year later. He couldn’t help but think Steve would be pleased that his best friends had found one another.
Bucky never approached Tony Stark, except to send him an actual written apology. He never even knew if Stark read it. For the record, Stark had read it, but only because Steve loved Bucky so much that he’d been willing to give up everything for him and did so more than once. While they would never become friends, Stark had forgiven him as much as he could. He just didn’t tell him.
Bucky called Stark.
“It’s Barnes.”
“I know who you are. What do you want?”
“I want to help you get Steve back.”
“I don’t think you can help us.” Stark didn’t want his help, but in reality, they had no one to get into the suit when they sent it into the Quantum Realm. Steve would be furious if they even asked Lang.
“I’ll go into the Quantum Realm. I’ll get him out. I only want to save him.”
Stark knew this to be true. The real Barnes indeed loved Steve Rogers as a brother.
“All right. We have the suit and everything ready. When can you be here?” Tony assumed he was still in Wakanda. His phone did not show a location.
“Five minutes?”
A little surprised, Tony answered, “Uh, okay, sure. Let me get Bruce in here and we’ll see if we’re ready. Lang was coming in to test the suit but you might as well, if you’re going to do this.”
Bucky arrived within minutes.
Banner greeted him with a warm handshake. That was just Banner.
Barnes wore his hair long still, pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He had a few gray streaks and a wrinkle or two, but he looked remarkably young. Tony wondered if Steve would still look young and beautiful.
“Hello, Stark.”
Stark realized he simply couldn’t pretend Barnes wasn’t really there.
“Hello, Barnes. I - There has been - Look, Steve loves you more than anyone, so I can tolerate you.”
Bucky nodded. “Natasha is here, too. Can she come in?”
Tony was glad to see her. She was still quite beautiful and as dangerous as ever in jeans and a Captain America t-shirt. He hugged her and kissed her, as did Bruce. Her hair was red again.
“So are you going to bring him out today?” she asked.
“Maybe. If he’ll come. You know Steve,” Tony told her.
She smiled at Tony and touched his shoulder. “I miss him, too, every day.”
Bruce and Natasha helped Bucky get the suit all hooked up and ready for its test run.
“Can I carry you home in my pocket?” Natasha asked Bucky once he’d ant-sized himself.
“Can I make it even smaller?” Bucky asked.
“Yes, but not too much, yet.”
He became smaller still. Tony and Bruce asked him questions, had him test all the buttons and switches, and seemed satisfied with the answers. Then he became normal sized again.
“Okay, even though he doesn’t have a beacon, his suit should show up for you anyway and you should be able to talk to him. Tell him it is safe to come home, that the stones were all hidden by trusted people and they are all far away from each other, the gauntlet was destroyed and Thanos has been dead all these years,” Tony told Bucky as they made another test run before they would send him into the Quantum Realm. “Then give him the second beacon.”
“If anything feels odd or off, tell us to bring you out,” Bruce said.
Bruce grabbed Tony’s comm. “Tell him that Tony needs him back. He’s pestering the rest of us to death.”
Bucky laughed, saluted and he was tiny again, then too tiny to see. They sent him in and he reported how strange things looked. He was quiet for a long time, though the monitors indicated that he was physically all right.
“Can you hear me, Stark?” Bucky asked.
“Loud and clear.”
“Bring us out.”
Tony thought he’d stop breathing. Or have a heart attack like he had ten years ago.
Bucky and Steve came out of the machine. They reverted to normal size. Steve pulled off his helmet and looked at Tony.
Tony didn’t move or say a word. He stared. Steve looked almost exactly like he had ten years ago. The only difference was the blond was gone from his dyed hair and his dark hair had a white streak in it. It was over his left eye and it went all the way back, almost as if someone had painted a white stripe on his head.
Steve dropped the helmet and ran the short distance to Tony, pulling him into his arms and kissing him, not paying any attention to anyone but Stark.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Steve said. “I missed you so much, every minute.”
Tony just held on. Tight.
Natasha stepped up and hugged Bucky. “Let’s go to another room, let them be alone for a bit.”
After they were alone, Steve pulled back and looked into Tony’s eyes. “I never dared dream that you’d get me out.”
“I never stopped trying. Bruce and I have been working on this for ten years.”
“Hey, your hair is gray.”
“I’m old, Cap.”
“Not too old. Fifty-eight maybe?” He kissed Tony’s cheek. “I’m a hundred and ten, sonny.”
“Let’s go see Bruce, Nat and your pal, Bucky for a few minutes, then let’s go to my penthouse and stay in bed for a month.”
“Can we get delivery? I want pizza from Brooklyn. And I want to watch baseball.”
“I want to get in your pants.”
Steve grinned at him. “Oh? Maybe we should do that before pizza and baseball.”
Tony kissed him and they left the lab arm in arm.
This entry was originally posted at https://alexs-storybook.dreamwidth.org/188987.html. Please comment there using OpenID.