𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 || 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

PARTIES HAD NEVER BEEN JAXON'S CROWD. No matter if friends were there or not, he hated the entire idea of parties. He knew no one expected much from him. Only for his time and a chance to catch up for old-time sake. Then again, he knew only a handful of people here. Most members of the Avengers he didn't even know on a personal level or level of speaking.

He didn't want to be here.

The irony is, at a time before Talon, the Avengers, Natasha and Quantum, he wanted to attend things like this. He wanted to get out of the heat of Afghanistan and be back home with his sister where he felt like he belonged. Be at each of her birthdays and spend time with her. A time that he was wasting away in those deserts hunting down men who threatened the lives of the world with their ideals. Now, some may see that as justified, but Jaxon had always been homesick when it related to Sharon.

But now, he wanted to go back. He wanted to be in that heat. He wanted bullets flying past his head. He wanted the danger of the battlefield. It's where he thrived. He rejected the idea of normalcy when he had abilities that suited the ideals of war more than expensive parties and champagne. And finding people who understood that or seemed to immigrate gracefully into this lifestyle was fairly rare.

Living outside the wire felt more natural than anything he had going for him inside.

That's why he stuck to the pool table with Steve and Sam. The both of them likely understand fully what the man was wrestling with. But he couldn't help his gaze from occasionally flickering to the bar where Natasha and Leah were. Of course, the adult was serving drinks with the 12-year-old sitting at one of the stools talking to her. A smile seemingly cemented to Natasha's lips as she joked around with the little girl who indeed did look quite cool with a standard white button-up, tie, and dress pants.

"So, when's it happening?" Jaxon shook away from his thoughts to turn his attention to Sam. The man grinned, motioning back to Natasha. "You guys figure your stuff out?"

It fell under the obscurity of already demanding thoughts that plagued Jaxon's attention. Although what he said in that changing room was the truth, he couldn't place a state of being in the relationship he and Natasha were in. It was complicated. More complicated than either man would even begin to understand. But since the dressing room, Natasha seemed to be handling herself with ease despite what he wished for.

Jaxon let out a long sigh, glancing back at the woman and squinted his eyes in thought. "It's something," he answered, swirling the drink in his grasp. "After Washington and taking command of Talon, it's hard to justify averting my attention to something else. And she has the responsibilities of the Avengers."

The man laughed, jabbing a finger at Jaxon as he said, "You know, since the moment I met you, you have not taken a moment to rest," Sam observed, amused. "You need some light in your life, man! She is the perfect example of that."

Jaxon scoffed, leaning on the edge of the pool table, watching Steve line up a shot with the cue. "What I need is another mission." Sadly, that was where Jaxon was mentally. He wanted out of there and looking for another target. Slowly whittling down a tree of threats and finally arriving at the spearhead and killing the man. It was built in his blood. It was all he knew. "And as far as I can see, you don't have a woman on your hip, Sam."

The man feigned offence, looking to Steve who shrugged in amusement. Showing there wasn't going to be any picking and choosing from him. But his gaze did flicker to Jaxon as he said, "But the fight isn't everything, Jax. Eventually, we all need to plan to settle down," he said. "I just hope you realize it before it's too late."

He nodded, motioning with his chin past Jaxon, a knowledgable look in his eye. Jaxon frowned, turning his gaze to find Bruce leaning against the bar talking to Natasha. Leah mindlessly toyed with a champagne glass, uninterested in the man's presence. Freezing the glass and creating intricate designs from the frost.

Ugh, why is he so creepy?

Jaxon masked his smile behind his glass of scotch, humming in agreement with the girl's thoughts.

Jaxon, are you gonna say hi?

His smile slightly faltered with eyes finding Natasha's. It only lasted a moment but her thoughts were easily empty in the short few seconds. It left Jaxon standing at his full height, watching the woman carefully.

Truthfully, Jaxon hadn't been able to sit straight since Solkovia. Time for Banner's lullaby. Jaxon knew that Bruce harboured some sort of feelings towards the assassin. The way his eyes lingered on her told enough. Or how he held an unneeded amount of eye contact. Any expert who'd been in relationships long enough could tell the doctor was head over heels for the woman. And even though Jaxon felt a thorn of jealousy press into his flesh he managed to resist any urge to make his possessiveness be shown.

After all, they weren't dating. Not much he could do about it.

"Icicle!" Leah spun around in her chair, smiling when she found Jaxon's welcoming smile. He placed one hand on the bar and one hand on her shoulder, smiling mischievously. "Wanna learn some pool?"

"Hell yeah!" Leah hopped off the chair where Jaxon placed both his hands on her shoulders.

"Is that a good idea?" Natasha mused, earning the pair's attention.

"Oh, of course," Jaxon replied, frowning in faux confusion. "I'll even teach her how to dislocate a person's knee with a cue stick, and Sam will be the guinea pig."

"Awesome!" The girl raved, already pulling the older man toward the pool table with Sam in her sights as her victim.

Nonetheless, Natasha didn't at all seem thrilled by the idea judging by the curve of her brows and eyes sharpening. Sending a warm smile toward the woman, Jaxon reassured, "I got her, Nat. Just worry about..." His gaze shifted to Bruce with a faint twitch of his upper lip. "...you're little conversation with Doc."

He turned around before he could see or hear Natasha's response. Natasha watched him take a pool stick and begin to demonstrate the method by taking an unwilling Sam Wilson as tribute.

"You weren't wrong about his passive-aggressiveness." Banner hummed, taking a sip from his drink. "Maybe his files check out."

"He's just adjusting." Natasha poured herself a glass. "Sadly, his powers don't give him enough insight into a person's real intentions."

Time went by for the party and eventually, the casual partygoers drifted out with the core members of the team left to enjoy the night in their home. Everyone had a hefty consumption of alcohol, causing conversations to be blasting in every direction. But Jaxon sat on the couch with Leah by his side, who was slowly nodding off from the exhaustion of laughter she had shed with Sam running from her as she chased him with a cue stick.

For what it was, Jaxon had enjoyed himself. It'd given him a chance to catch up with Sam and Steve while having brief bursts of laughter at Sam's animated conversations. Or with Leah pestering Rhodey about why he wasn't named 'Iron Man 2'. And the man replied in the most clueless and offended way he could, which only made Jaxon laugh more.

The night was good for it being considered another day off for him. Free to let loose while MI6 likely made another target package for him. And with the team surrounding a table centralized on the second landing of the main lounge, he savoured the time.

With the consumption of alcohol, Clint had shown his clear skepticism about the ability to lift Mjolnir. Ane even when Natasha or Jaxon tried to reassure him that there was no trick to it, he persisted. "But it's a trick!" Clint exclaimed, motioning to the weapon with a pair of drumsticks that Jaxon was confused as to when he got them.

Thor laughed, a wide grin spanning across his face as he handed a flask to Steve. "No, no, it's much more than that."

Clint scoffed. "Whoever be he worthy shall haveth the power," he said in a horrible impression of Thor's accent with hands outstretched toward the weapon. He waved him off with a scoff. "Whatever, man! It's a trick."

Seeing as the man wouldn't relent on his stance Thor motioned with his hand, an offering to the archer. "Please, be my guest."

Most of the group looked at Clint, an expecting look on their faces as the man sat stunned by the invitation. "Really?" He asked, earning only a nod of confirmation from the god of thunder whose grin stretched wide across his face.

The moment Clint stood to his feet, comments were thrown in every direction.

"Oh, this going to be beautiful," Rhodey said, grinning.

"Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony added, earning a collective of laughs from the group.

"No shame in checking out early, brother," Carter commented.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint told Thor.

As he grasped the weapon with one hand and pulled, it didn't move. No matter how much strength he put into it, it didn't move a smidgen. Which was expected as he was a mere mortal compared to the Asgardian.

Clint laughed to himself,  tapping the hilt of the weapon with a shake of his head. "I still don't know how you do it!"

"Smell the silent judgement?" Tony teased.

Bringing his cup to his lips, Jaxon bounced off of Tony's comment, "I bet it's just bothering you, ain't it?"

"Please, Stark, Jax, by all means," the archer motioned to the pair, offering their chance to show themselves worthy.

Tony had been the one to take the offer whilst Jaxon raised his hands in surrender, smiling in amusement. Standing to his feet, Tony unbuttoned his vest cooly, which made the group laugh. "Oh, the kid gloves are comin' off!" Jaxon exclaimed, shifting in his spot as the group chuckled.

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge." He hooked his hand through the fabric attached at the base of the handle. "It's physics," he added, grasping the handle with both hands. "Right, so, if I lift it, I- I then rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course," Thor confirmed casually, almost seeming uninterested in the hysterics of the billionaire as he sipped his mead.

"I will be reinstituting prima nocta."

Placing his foot on the edge of the table, Tony gave one good pull and the hammer didn't move. Looking at Jaxon, the man cleared his throat. "Help?"

Jaxon motioned to the kid sleeping against his chest, pursing his lips with the corners tilting into a mischievous smile. "Sorry, man. I got a bigger and far more dangerous task."

Huffing in annoyance, Tony took his hand out of the band. "I'll be right back."

What followed was Tony using one of his repulsor gauntlets to pull the hammer. When that found no success, he egged Rhodey on to help, bringing him on the vast list of people unworthy of wielding the weapon.

And when Bruce was encouraged, he had attempted, finding the same result to extend to him as well. But when he tried to 'Hulk Out', all that occurred afterward was a steady awkward silence. Awkward smiles and awkward laughs fall from other's lips.

Finally, it landed upon Steve when Natasha shot the offer down quickly. Everyone's eyes were fixated on the man, hoping that their supersoldier would have the best chance at being the new king of Asgard. And while others didn't take notice, Jaxon had seen the hammer faintly tilt as a faint screech of the raw material scrape against the glass coffee table. Nothing that could warrant him ruler of Asgard. But it had been enough to wash the smile off Thor's face for a fraction of a moment.

With a smile, Steve stepped back and Thor let out a laugh, "Nothing."

"All deference to the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, but it's rigged." Tony sipped his beer.

"You bet your ass," Clint agreed, patting Tony's shoulder.

Before anyone could say anything else, Maria pointed at the archer, her eyes focused on Steve. "Steve, he said a bad language word."

Steve sighed, bowing his head for a moment before looking up at Tony. "Did you tell everyone about that?"

Smiling in amusement, Tony chose to deflect the question. Instead, he looked at Thor with a grin. "The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code. Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints is, I think the literal translation."

"That is a fascinating theory, Stark. I have a simpler one," Thor said, standing to his feet. Unlike the others, he lifted the hammer with ease like it was anything else. He smiled, "You're all not worthy."

As the group groaned in response, hating the response, a painful screeching appeared in Jaxon's ears. Like a frequency was being broadcast through the intercom in the lounge. Wincing, he looked at the others, wondering if it was just in his head. But when finding them to have also heard the noise, his suspicion grew.

"Worthy..."

The eerie voice had drawn the group's attention with the addition of heavy metallic footsteps. The source had been one of Tony's Iron Legion bots. It was mangled, easily dismissed as scrap from its leaking oil and destroyed exterior.

"No." It waved its dismembered arm. Limping its way to turn to the group. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"Stark," Steve said.

"Jarvis," Tony replied, frowning at the sight of the bot.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or was I a-dream," the bot continued.

"Reboot Legionnaire OS. We got a buggy suit."

"There was this terrible noise. And I was tangled in... In... Strings."

Despite his better half telling him to keep his eye on the opposing threat, he shifted in his spot to gently shake Leah awake. Natasha joined his side as well, rubbing the girl's arm to help soothe the interruption of her slumber. "Leah, hey, time to get up, okay?"

"What's going on?" The girl muttered, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

He couldn't respond as the bot spoke up, cutting through the conversation. "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

Steve frowned, taking a step forward. "You killed someone?"

"Wouldn't have been my first call," the bot commented without missing a beat. "But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor demanded.

A faint squealing could be heard before Tony's voice said, "I see a suit of armour around the world."

Bruce looked at Tony, realization was evident in their eyes as Tony stood there, mind spiralling as Bruce became the one to speak up. "Ultron."

They weren't able to explain the rest of the group as the bot, named Ultron, spoke. "In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready," Ultron replied.

Shifting Leah behind his back, Jaxon looked at Tony. "Are we going to wait for him to make the first move?" He whispered, body tense and ready to start moving as soon as possible.

"I'm on a mission," Ultron announced.

"What mission?" Natasha inquired.

The bot looked up at them. Those glowing blue eyes and mouth imposed a menacing aura around the bot that wasn't intended with its creation. As Tony had wished it to be, it could be another promising path toward world peace. But a fraction of control.

Ultron trained its eyes on the group. "Peace in our time."

Without warning, three Iron Legion bots flew through the wall behind Ultron, using their repulsors and firing upon the group that quickly scattered, looking for weapons and cover.

Jaxon worked quickly to keep his body between Leah and the repulsor blasts. Powers formed a forcefield around them that absorbed the attacks as they ducked behind one of the many tables in the lounge. Leah screamed in fear, hugging the man's side in a vice.

From behind the bar, Natasha's head popped up for a moment. "Jax!" The man had very little time to prepare himself for the toss of the pistol she passed. But he caught it with ease, pulling the slide back before letting it snap back in place as he peeked out from cover and took potshots at the Legionnaire.

Retreating behind the not-so-reliable table that they'd been hidden behind, Jaxon turned his gaze to Leah to find her forming something within the space between her palms, a mist blossoming from the smooth orb taking full shape. And without so much as a warning, the girl tossed it over the table with a grunt.

They watched it go through the air before hitting the bot and causing it to freeze almost instantly. The power of the thrusters shut down as the frost spread through the suit, causing it to fall and hit the ground, shattering into a million little pieces.

Looking at the girl, Jaxon held out a fist, panting, but his smile never faltered. "Beautiful toss, Icicle." The girl rolled her eyes, giving the man a fist bump.

Once the group had dealt with the last two bots, everyone emerged from their cover and took in the chaos that had burst out on their peaceful night. Jaxon kept Leah close as their gaze went to Natasha who had snuck up the steps with Bruce, and found her to be uninjured by the fight.

"That was dramatic," Ultron commented, mocking amusement found in his voice as everyone looked at him. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?"

Looking down, Ultron picked up one of the destroyed Legionnaires and scoffed. "With these? These puppets."

He crushed one of the bot's heads, exposing the intricacies of its head before tossing it aside. "There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction."

Thor didn't hesitate to throw Mjolnir, destroying Ultron's body–breaking apart into chunks of destroyed scrap. Leaving the room in a steady and tense silence.

But before he would power down, his voice came in a menacing waver that held the completion of a threat no one was able to imagine the fracturing future it would create.

"I had strings, but now I'm free"