Chapter 3
“You call every chance you get, all right?” Dean repeated for the hundredth time as he and Castiel stood by the elevators to send Sam and Natasha off on their second honeymoon. That’s the best Dean could do since he physically isn’t able to be in the range of an airport and chance seeing a plane. That’s why, he couldn’t see Charles off with Tony and Steve and he felt bad about that but knew that Charles would understand.
Even though he was the one to encourage the newlyweds to go on another honeymoon, it is painful to see them off now. Thor had left earlier for Asgard, and Bruce retreated to his lab right after that to bury himself there. And since Steve and Tony chose to drive to Westchester, it will take them a while to come back. So, it will be just him and Castiel in the entire tower after Sam and Natasha leave and that is just sad.
He wasn’t sure when that started, but after spending almost an entire year with the Avengers, it was now suffocating to be alone. He got used to being surrounded by that crazy, loud family now. Got used to basically having no privacy whatsoever and surprisingly he wasn’t bothered by it anymore. It was good. Really good. He didn’t know he wanted that in his life until he got it.
So, having the Tower so empty was heartbreaking, but at least it was only temporary. Soon, they will all come home and make the place a living hell again. Soon.
But for now, he needed to focus on seeing his huge brother off, who represents an excited, happy puppy from the moment he got married and Dean couldn’t even have the heart to tease him for it. Angel was rubbing himself on Sam’s leg as a goodbye, looking sad too to see them leave.
“Yes, Dean, I will call whenever I can,” Sam repeated patiently with a soft smile at his brother, he was too happy to be bothered by Dean acting like a worried mother. “We will only be gone for a couple of weeks. You won’t even notice we are gone.”
“I hardly doubt that.” Dean sighed as Sam just chuckled and hugged his brother goodbye. While Natasha hugged Castiel with a smile. They got even closer now, and that was deadly scary really. The both of them make a scary duo when they want to.
After that they switched so Sam could hug Castiel, while Natasha hugged Dean with a smirk.
“Acting like a huge mother again, bro?” Natasha teased him in the hug making Dean roll his eyes without commenting. No point in denying it really, it will be just a waste of breath. So, he just squeezed her tight enough to block her air supply for a few seconds in retaliation.
She chuckled at his childish revenge and broke the hug to raise an eyebrow at him, and he just scowled at her. Her smile softened as she patted his cheek gently.
“Take care of yourself until we come back.” She murmured with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. “Don’t get yourself killed or something. That will ruin our vacation and it will make me mad.”
“I can’t make any promises, but I will try my best to not get killed, until after you come back.” Dean rolled his eyes, before smiling and patting her on the head gently. “You two have fun. And don’t ever tell me what you will do. I will hate you forever.”
“No promises.” Natasha chuckled, while Sam narrowed his eyes at him as Castiel shook his head with a sigh.
With one last wave to the both of them and a pat on Angel’s head, Sam and Natasha finally headed out and Dean and Castiel were left alone.
They stood there silently for a few seconds, as Angel just waddled off to his bowl of food to eat happily away at it.
Dean turned to his husband, about to suggest a very fun way to pass the time as they waited for the Super Husbands to come back, but Castiel had other ideas.
“No,” Castiel stated even before Dean got a chance to say anything, as he turned to him with narrowed eyes. “I am still pissed at you.”
“What? come on, baby, don’t do that to me.” Dean whined as he followed Castiel like a dejected puppy as he started to march away from him pointedly. “I will be sad and lonely! Do you want me to be sad and lonely, you cruel, cruel angel? I knew you hated me; I just knew it. Everything between us had been just a lie! You played me! you-“
And that went on as Castiel continued to ignore him and found joy in following him around and acting as dramatic as he could.
***
“What do you think Charles was worried about?”
Tony asked Steve curiously from his place in the passenger seat in the car as they drove their way back home.
Even though Tony was very capable of driving just fine, even better than most, he usually preferred to be in the passenger seat, especially if it was Steve or Dean who was driving. He feels more content to leave them take the wheel and just be safe in the other seat. They were the only ones whom he let himself depend on when needed.
Steve took a few seconds to answer as he looked straight ahead at the long wide road in front of them. He was a very firm driver and took it very seriously with all its rules. It was quite adorable sometimes and sometimes very annoying to Tony’s reckless, ‘don’t give a damn’ concept of rules.
“I don’t know, Tony, but if Charles is worried about something, I tend to trust his instincts,” Steve answered with a worried frown, still focusing straight ahead. He didn’t glance over at Tony at all. “I reassured him so he could leave at peace, but his words worried me.”
Tony frowned. What was Steve so focused on? He kept glancing at the mirror every few seconds, even though there was no traffic behind them.
“I think he is just being paranoid.” Tony reasoned, trying not to let worry affect him as well. “Things have been quiet for a few months now, nothing major had happened so far, and no trace of anything happening. Maybe the world had calmed down finally for us to take a breather, right?”
Steve didn’t answer. He was focusing solely on the mirror now, not even blinking, just staring hard at it. Tony wasn’t sure he was even breathing.
“Right?” he asked again to get his attention, a little annoyed now. What was more important than him for Steve to focus on that hard?
Steve was quiet for a few more seconds and Tony was about to snap at him, but Steve suddenly frowned nervously and accelerated the car way too fast, which was out of character for him. He usually drives like an old lady. Everyone teases him for it.
“Woah! Steve! What’s going on with you?!” Tony was glued to his chair now, his nervousness skyrocketing. Yes, he can go full speed when he is in his suit, but in a car? He utterly freaks out because he is pathetic.
“We are being followed by something,” Steve answered tightly, as he kept glancing at the rearview mirror nervously.
“You mean by someone?” Tony corrected carefully, as he glanced at the mirror now, not seeing anything but a glowing red dot that was indeed following them.
“No, Something.” Steve insisted, driving even faster now to put more distance between them and their follower.” That is too small to be a car. Look it’s getting closer.”
Tony did look and Steve was right, it wasn’t a car. It was more like a glowing red ball. As it got closer Tony finally got a good look at it.
It was a blue fireball, the size of a basketball.
And it was fast. So, fucking fast! It caught up to them, rather quickly it was alarming.
“What the hell is that?!” Tony exclaimed indignantly, his eyes glued to that Fireball, trying to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
What was even more alarming was it seemed to be locked in on them. It moves wherever Steve moves the car, if he goes right, it goes right, if he goes left, it goes left, and so on. It was following them so stubbornly it was ridiculous. It’s like it has a mind of its own.
What was even weirder was the face it kept changing colors. When it was far, it was blue. When it gets closer it turns green then violet, but when Steve dodges it and puts distance between them again, it changes back to red.
That went on for too long. They were speeding down the thankfully empty road, and the fireball was refusing completely to lose them. Insisting on reaching them at all costs.
Steve was getting more and more nervous the longer this kept going on. He keeps dodging and speeding and avoiding it, but he can’t go on like this forever.
Tony was clinching his seat and trying to control his breathing from panicking. He hates being in a speeding car he really hates it, not that they have much choice right now.
He was cursing himself for not bringing a suit with them, it could have been a very useful way to escape right now. Even though a part of him suspected that even his Iron Man suit wouldn’t outrun that fucking ball.
He called for a suit anyway, but it would take its time until it reached wherever they were. Time, they didn’t have.
“You need to get out of the car.” Steve turned to him to throw that sentence at his face, looking at him with wide, wild eyes, as he got very very nervous from what was happening.
“What?!” Tony exclaimed incredulously, staring at his husband like he just lost his mind. “What the hell are you saying?!”
“I am saying I need you to get out of the car!” Steve repeated, looking increasingly agitated the more Tony questioned him. “I can’t lose that ball! It keeps following stubbornly and I don’t think for asking for our autograph! I need to at least make sure you get out of here safe!”
“I am not leaving you!”
“Tony! I mean it! You need to get out! I can’t go on forever! Go!”
“No!”
Steve growled and stopped the car harshly at the side of the road and reached over to pull Tony’s door wide open.
“Get out! Now!” Steve was looking positively panicked now, as he glanced over nervously at the ball keeping up to them since they stopped, its color changing to violet, turning slowly to fire red. “Tony, please!”
“No, Steve! I am not leaving you! I am not!” Tony shouted stubbornly, refusing to leave his husband. Even if they blew up to bits, then they blow up together! He’ll not have it any other way!
Steve looked at the approaching fireball, then glanced back at Tony, giving him an apologetic, desperate look.
“Forgive me.” He choked out with a desperate look on his face as he pushed Tony out of the car, then he arced the car so suddenly that Tony tumbled out to the hard road painfully and rolled over it violently that he sported a new set of scratches and bruises.
He ignored all that and stumbled up to his feet as he heard the screeching sound of the speeding car and yelled Steve’s name in desperation as he drove away from him at an ungodly speed.
Then the fireball flew right by Tony, completely ignoring him, as it speeded its way viciously towards the car, its flames bloody red now.
That either meant it was targeting the car, or targeting Steve only.
In desperation and panic, Tony brought his watch to his mouth and started yelling right into it.
“Dean!! You need to tell Cas to get us! Only he can be here fast enough! He needs to help Steve! Help him!” he screamed into his watch, nerves, and panic rolling all over him.
“Tony?! What’s happening?! What’s wrong with Steve?! Where are you?!” Dean’s equally panicked and concerned voice answered back to him immediately.
But before Tony could answer him, he heard the sound of a sharp explosion. He jumped and stared dumbly at the explosion where his husband was. Seeing the sharp glow of exploding, fiery red flames, lighting the entire area of nowhere they were currently stranded in.
Meaning that the fireball finally reached its target.
All he managed to do was scream Steve’s name, managing to stop the hearts of Dean and Castiel as they heard his scream through the speaker.