Reputations


When word spread throughout the rest of the team that the group called the Guardians of the Galaxy had arrived, everyone wanted to rush out to the lawn and see them for themselves, but Steve put a quick stop to the show before it could start. Pleasantries would have to wait until the business was discussed, given the rapid passing of every minute closer to their unknown fate. He left Stephen, Bruce, and reluctantly left Loki with the kids, meeting you in the hallway just outside of the infirmary to take you and Tony with Thor to meet this mysterious group of allies. He was trying to keep an open mind to who and what he was about to see, but since those first moments when he was brought back to life so many years ago, one thing he had learned was that he could never again be fully prepared for anything.

"That's a big ship," Steve whispered to Thor, standing together and waiting for the new team to emerge from it. "Tony's gonna be pissed if they tear up the grass."

"Tony doesn't care," the man of the topic broke in, "we have bigger things to worry about." Tony stepped forward towards the ship, looking for what could be the door to get inside. Unbeknownst to him, the Guardians were watching his every move, chuckling to themselves at his ineptitude until he finally found the door and knocked so loudly that the sound rang in their ears and forced them out.

"Hey, man, easy on my ship, alright?" Peter huffed, barging down the ramp before it fully opened to touch the ground. "I know you're a genius and shit, but you don't have anything on this rock that can fix it if you break it, I don't care how rich you are."

"Hold on, how rich is he?" Rocket asked under his breath, looking to each member of his team. "I mean, we could always just go buy a better one, right?"

"What's wrong with this one?"

"Nothing! I'm just saying, keep our options open, that's all."

"Excuse me, Mr. Quill?" Steve finally said, catching their attention. "If you wouldn't mind, we'd like to take you inside to talk about your offer to help? Thor tells us that some of you have dealt with Thanos before and could give us some information that we can maybe use?"

Peter turned to face Steve, and his mouth instantly fell open in shock at the man in front of him. He was transported back to his own childhood, the memories flooding him and forcing him to hold himself in this moment. "Well, slap my ass and call me Judy," he gasped, "you're Captain America. Holy shit, I used to love you when I was a kid. I had the coolest t-shirt with your face right across the chest, here," he paused, rubbing his hands over his pecs, "and I wore it almost every day until it just fell apart. I cried for a week. You were the dream, man."

"And I'm not anymore?" he smiled back pensively, the grin widening at the feeling of your hand moving to hold his arm. If there was nothing else in the world that he could count on, he could count on you for reassurance when he needed it.

"No! No, no, that's not...I didn't mean...I totally still love you..."

"Smooth, Quill. Nice save, dumbass," Rocket scoffed, laughing along with the rest of their team. His eyes met each one of them before he turned to look for Steve's reaction, but instead, he found himself watching you; you weren't smiling at all, and in fact, the sadness you carried took him aback. Maybe he recognized something that he saw in himself, or maybe he really was turning into a good guy after all, but no matter where it was coming from, as the joviality died down and the group moved to go inside, he stepped around Steve and kept pace at your side, remaining silent as you walked.

"So, you're...large," Tony began, looking at Drax, only a few steps ahead of him.

"And you are not," the Guardian replied flatly. "Why do they call you Iron Man, when you are clearly nothing more than a skin and bone, fragile human? I see no iron in your form."

"The suit and I are one."

"But iron is dense and very heavy for wearing in battle and maintaining flight. It's a poor choice on your part."

"It's actually a gold-titanium alloy," Tony tried to explain, but quickly found himself getting nowhere when Drax continued, his train of thought moving faster than Tony's answers. Drax shook his head, waving his new acquaintance off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Then you should be called Gold-Titanium Alloy Man. Your chosen title is very misleading."

"Are you always this maddening?"

"Yes, he is," Gamora answered for him, "but you get used to it."

"Kind of like how we've gotten used to you, Tony," Steve added with a smirk. He mimicked the same thing that Rocket had done seconds before, looking to you to see if you had joined in on the lighter mood, because he knew how much you needed it, but he found no recognition of it. He didn't really expect much, honestly; the stress level was higher than he had felt in a long time, and despite your stoic appearance, he knew you better than that, and it worried him that he soon might not be able to reach you if it went on much longer. "Honey, why don't you peek in on the kids and meet us in the conference room? Make sure that Loki hasn't tried a hostile takeover."

"M'kay," you muttered, releasing him to turn away as if you were moving in autopilot, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Mind if I tag along?"

"I am Groot."

You looked down at the furry raccoon beast and tiny tree creature, as Thor called them, and shrugged in agreement before continuing on with them in tow. As you walked away, Gamora quickly took your place walking next to your husband, watching you until you were fully out of sight before saying anything. She wasn't sure of her place in this new group, but there was something going on that made her feel compelled to speak to him now rather than after you had returned.

"Your wife is very strong," she began quietly. "She seems to be holding together well, considering everything that's happening."

"She's the strongest person I know," he agreed readily, "but I also know her better than anyone, and I worry that it's just a cover."

"Don't you believe her?"

"Like I said, I know her. I also know her father, and they're both as stubborn as anyone I've ever met."

"Who is her father?" she asked, shocking him that she actually didn't know.

"Tony?"

"Really? I never would have guessed." Gamora leaned forward enough to see Tony just past Steve, studying his features, his mannerisms, and even the gentle shifts in his tone of voice, and none of it rang true to her that you could be from the same genetic code. "They're so...different."

"They're like the same person," he argued, almost apologetically. "Trust me, if you hang around long enough, you'll see it. You'll never be able to un-see it."

~~~

"So, it's your kids they're messing with. Thor never got that specific," Rocket whispered, standing with you at the large window looking into the infirmary. The three of them were talking with Stephen and Bruce, with Loki sitting nearby and listening intently with a sharp focus that actually convinced you that he might be here to help. "They got powers or something? How did he get to 'em?"

"Um...yeah," you coughed quietly as he caught your attention. The sound of his voice was the first thing to break your concentration on the kids and make you blink since you had arrived there. "Brooke is a telekinetic, Anthony is an empath, and Grant is a pyrokinetic. They all studied under Doctor Strange a few years back, so they have other skills, but those are their primary powers."

"I am Groot," the little one softly gasped to himself as he too watched.

"Yeah, it must be rough," Rocket nodded.

"They're strong kids. They always bounce back."

"Sure, but that's gonna last only so long."

"I know."

Rocket laughed, sounding more like a disgusted grunt than anything that held humor, shaking his head in disbelief that your answer could come out of you so readily and as if you actually believed it. "The same goes for you, ya know?"

"What? I'm fine."

"Oh, right, I get it. You're one of those."

"I'm sorry?" you finally turned to fully face him, arms crossed tightly and glaring down at the scruffy rodent. "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, let's lay it out, shall we? You're married to one of those ultimate, strong, perfect in every way, do no wrong types of guys, and daddy is a self-righteous genius with a reputation that's hit supernova. I'm sure you feel like you have to hold your own just to keep up and find some value next to those two, right?"

"Wrong, Fuzzbutt, that's not even close," you snapped; even the small laugh from Groot didn't sway your retaliation. "I know my value, and Steve has never been a measurement of it. Dad raised me a hell of a lot better than that, so let's keep the ridiculous insinuations to yourself, okay?"

"Damn, I struck a nerve."

He might have, sure, but not so much that you were about to let it take you down. You had far bigger problems in front of you than the arrogance of someone who was clearly trying to make his mark. "What about you? Your tough-guy attitude must be to throw everyone off from what's really going on."

"For what?" he scoffed, trying to laugh you off, but you could see that you found a soft spot.

"You're hanging with a crew that's a little above your pay grade, and I can't imagine that there's a huge market out there for outlaw raccoons with an inferiority complex. I mean, come on, that rifle's bigger than you, so there must be a size issue that you're compensating for. I'm sure that if we make a run to the zoo we could find a quick hook-up if things are running dry off-world."

"There it is," he snickered, his hand up for a tiny high-five from his friend, "that's the (Y/N) that we heard about from Hammer Guy. That's the kind of fire we're gonna need around here if we stand a chance, so if we need to keep you pissed off, Princess, I'm your man."

~~~

It was only a few hours later when another, completely unexpected visitor arrived to the compound; Phil Coulson. He had been called in unbeknownst by the rest of the team, other than Steve, Clint and Natasha, three of his longest standing coworkers and friends who trusted him implicitly with the task they were charging him with. Quietly and stealthily, his car slid into the garage beneath the complex, in the dark of night. Pulling into the massive structure for the first time and seeing rows of cars that cost more than his entire life left him with shallow breaths and eyes wide with wonder. He knew that nearly all of them belonged to Tony, with only a very few exceptions. If he had more time, he'd look over every one of them, some reminiscent of his dear Lola, and place bets on which belonged to each Avenger.

But there was absolutely no time to waste today, and as he stepped from his vehicle, he was met quickly by the family of four. "I hope I'm not late," he greeted, a hand extended first to Clint, and then to Natasha, but she refused it.

"I wish you could have been later," she whispered, her lips pressed to Nikolas' hair as she held him tight. "I'm not ready for this. I'll never be ready for this."

"Honey, you know that we don't have a choice," Clint urged. "This is the only way to keep the kids as safe as possible."

"I know."

"Natasha," Phil joined in, "I guarantee you this, on my life and the life of every member of my own team, no one will know where they are. We're all ready to do this."

"I know that too," she sniffled, kissing her boy one more time before handing him to his father and moving on to say goodbye to her daughter. "Did you remember to thank Uncle Steve for letting you take Dodger with you?"

"Yes, Mama," Allie answered so softly that she was nearly silent. "I packed a bag with his favorite toys. He doesn't understand why we're leaving, but he'll be okay."

"Will you be okay?"

"If you promise me that I'll see you again when this is over," she answered with a crack in her voice that left Natasha broken and losing her composure. She wasn't easily shattered, but this was no ordinary situation, and she decided that the fight against her heart wasn't one that she would win.

"I love you so much, baby, you know that," she deflected, "and I'm going to do everything I can to get you back home fast. Your dad and I will miss you every second, and we already can't wait to come get you. But we need you to be strong, okay? Your brother is relying on you to help him and keep him safe because he's still so little, and you're such a big girl. He's relying on Dodger too, to be his buddy just like he is yours."

"He will be, Mama. I'll make sure of it."

"Nat," Clint whispered, nodding towards Phil when she glanced back his way. They were on a schedule to get the kids out of the compound and to Phil's plane that could get them out of the country under the radar, and the window was closing fast.

"Okay, give me another hug," Nat asked of her girl, "and never forget how much I love you."

"I love you too, Mama. You've saved the world before," Allie pulled back from her hold and smiled, her eyes moistened with tears, "the universe is just a little bit bigger, that's all."

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