Dawn of New Change

PREVIOUSLY ON: Dawn of New Change

Ultron and Co. all go to Klaue to get some vibranium. On the way there, they encounter the Avengers. This is where a fight takes place and the Avengers soon get the magic of Wanda, showing them their greatest fears. This will slowly extend to Taeyong and Bruce, who were supposed to stay in the quinjet.

Except, the plan has changed.

Tony blinked, feeling a dreadful ache in almost all his bones. The Veronica suit, designed to take out the Hulk, had cramped up around him and Tony felt suffocated. He groaned, lifting his head and looking around at all the rubble made by him and the Hulk. He heard the growling coming from his right and without much thought, extended his hand outward and punched him.

The Hulk fell backwards, finally closing his eyes and returning back to his usual self. Tony opened his mask, breathing in the cool air, before he choked and waved away at the dust that had gathered around him. Veronica hadn't worked, he thought immediately, slowly getting up and shoving different pieces of debris from his suit and around Bruce. Veronica was put in place, designed by both Tony and Bruce, to take on the Hulk if he ever went rampant.

But she hadn't worked and Tony had dragged the Hulk over different buildings, until he eventually found one without civilians, still under construction and smashed his way through it.

He fell out of his suit, hands coming up when he heard shouts and the marching orders of the South African military personnel called in to contain them.

"Sorry boys," Tony muttered, already assessing the situation and gathering an unconscious Bruce Banner into his arms. "Give me a suit," he said into his ear piece. Veronica's system had a suit already flying towards them and Tony let it curl around Bruce's body. "Okay, take him back to the quinjet." He ignored the outraged shouts of the citizens around him; the cries and the terrified faces. Tony just wandered back into his own suit, powering it upwards and taking flight for the quinjet.

When he made it to the rendezvous point, he found the Avengers all outside of the quinjet. Clint was trying his best to hold down a screaming Taeyong. Tony felt his blood freeze and he powered his flight repulsors to add another 12% before he crashed down in front of them. Taeyong was crying and thrashing in Clint's arms, screaming something terrible. Tony had never seen his kid like that before.

"DAD! DAD!" Taeyong cried, trying to claw at Clint's arm.

"I'm here!" Tony called, running over and stumbling his way out of the suit. "I'm here buddy, come here," he pulled Taeyong into his arms. Taeyong was still thrashing around, but he held onto Tony tightly; grip almost vice-like. Tony looked up and made eye contact with Clint who looked devastated.

"We think it was the girl," Steve said, voice low and damaged. He was blinking slowly, looking away, almost as if he was dissociating.

"Dad," Taeyong cried, falling over and pushing away. Tony didn't understand until Taeyong tilted his head sideways and threw up. Tony was already there, helping rub his back and patting his sweaty forehead. "Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad..."

"It's okay," Tony said, pulling Taeyong back into his arms, ignoring the sour smell or the fluids over his shirt. "I'm here, you're okay."

"I- I- I-" Taeyong hiccuped, furrowing his brows in frustration. "Dad," he cried again.

"It's okay," Tony looked back at Clint, nodding his head towards the quinjet. "Someone help Banner inside, we need to get out of here though." Tony bent down and lifted his son into his arms. Taeyong simply clung onto him, grip just as tight. Natasha brought out a shock blanket, draping it over Tony and Taeyong, before moving away and sitting in a dark corner as the quinjet started to lift off.

***

The flight on the quinjet was silent except for the incoming call from Hill. Tony untucked his hand from Taeyong' back, shushing him when the boy started to whine and quickly swiped at the call, accepting it. He wrapped his arms around Taeyong's body and stared down at his kid in regret, anger and just plain awe.

Tony didn't even listen to Hill as she started to talk, hoping that Steve would take lead on it as he wiped Taeyong's forehead. He had managed to wrestle Taeyong into a new t-shirt and wiped down his face but the boy refused to let him go. Clingy and childlike in a way Tony had never experienced before. Taeyong, Tony knew, had always been a little touchy with him, ever since they mended their stagnant relationship when he came back from Afghanistan. But Taeyong was touch starved, as their therapist explained.

It was also the fact that Taeyong's longing to touch and hug Tony came whenever Tony also needed it. He knew that whenever he was stressed Taeyong was always there to offer him his heart and unconditional support. Especially when he fucked up with Pepper, or Rhodey, or Happy. Taeyong just knew that Tony needed someone to be on his side and he took that role.

Tony had never seen the boy so codependent before. Tony was suddenly hit with the grief that he had never experienced this before. Taeyong as a baby, or a toddler, or even when he was starting to really grow up into the son he knew now. Tony buried his face in his son's sweaty hair and tucked him closer, Taeyong hummed. He had taken to staring at the wall with his eyes glazed over and Tony let him be.

He really was going to kill those Enhanced.

"The news is loving you guys," Hill said. "Nobody else is... Look. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest... but it's in the air."

"The Stark Relief Foundation?" Steve asked, head turned away from everyone.

"Already on the scene. How's the team?"

Tony looked back at the others. Natasha hadn't got out of her little dark corner until Tony moved to help Taeyong. Then she was immediately by his side and helping tend to the younger before she left back there. Tony tried to say thank you but she wouldn't respond. Thor was muttering and fiddling with his hands. Sometimes he turned to punch at the wall, no one stopping him and other times he would be picking at his skin, whispering words in a dead language Tony didn't know. Steve sat in his seat and stared down at the ground. On the occasion, he would close his eyes and then flinch, sitting back up and straight. Like a soldier on command, Tony felt sick thinking about his own PTSD and Steve's.

Bruce had taken to half lying down in the middle of the ship, back resting against their island. He had a feverish glow over his body and was also wearing a shock blanket. He had woken up a few minutes into the air and was silently watching the news with shaking hands and a glassy-eyed look. The only one out of the Avengers that seemed fine was Tony himself and Clint, who apparently, had managed to get a good knock in with the witch before her brother swept her off.

"Everyone's," Tony started, rubbing Taeyong's back. "We uh, we took a hit. We'll shake it off."

Hill was silent for a second, "Well, for now, I'd stay in stealth mode and stay away from here."

"So, run and hide?"

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer."

"Yeah well..." Tony tucked his chin over Taeyong's head, resting his eyes. "Neither do we."

NEXT TIME ON: Dawn of New Change

Tony felt himself gulp, trying to school his expression. "And I'm the man who killed the Avengers... I saw it. I didn't tell the team. How could I?" Tony kicked at the ground. "I saw them all dead, Nick. I felt it. The whole world, too. Because of me. I wasn't ready," he said, trying to breathe slowly. "I didn't do all I could."