Lost to Arcadia

Arcadia was sometimes a forest, sometimes a desert, sometimes mountains, Arcadia was many things and nothing at once. It was the home of the Fae and it would do anything to keep its occupant inside. 

James Rhodes knew that, but still, he kept hoping he’d find a way out.

At this moment it was a wild forest. Rows and rows of trees standing still, nearly blocking out the light, but not quite: as the light pierced through trees and leaves, the ground was spattered with patches of light. Golden marks on the grass and earth, a beautiful sight really… And yet, it felt oppressing because no matter how much you looked for the sky or the source of the light you couldn’t find it.  

 The changeling plunged his hands into a river. In this peculiar place, the droplets of water rose, floating softly upwards to reach the sky like little bubbles of soap. The water tasted heavenly, a small mercy in this strange reality. After drinking his fill he stared at the water, his eyes blinking slowly at his reflection. How long had he been stuck here? How long since he and Tony have split? Did he find a way out at least?

A soft humming made him snap his head up. He tried to find the source of the sound but found himself at a loss. Slowly, very slowly he backed away until his back touched wood. He glanced around, making sure he was still alone (for now) and as fast as he could he turned to climb the birch tree he was against. 

Hide away. Hide away. Don’t let Them see you or They’ll take you back.

The humming was closer now but he was high enough to be out of sight. Among the branches and leaves, if he slowed down his breathing, if he didn’t try to look, They couldn’t see him. They couldn’t, please, They can’t find me again…

Hide away, hide away… Hide and seek, it’s time to play.

A beautiful woman appeared. Passing through the droplets that would get caught in her hair and clothes, making her look covered in pearls. She approached the tree the changeling had climbed. Barefoot, she didn’t make a sound apart from the song she was humming. A song she forgot the meaning of a long time ago. She raised a hand and stroked the bark tenderly before lifting her head, staring straight where James Rhodes was.

On her wedding finger, shone a beautiful golden ring.  

Beads of sweat ran down on Stark’s forehead as he tossed and turned. Shivers wracked through his body before he woke up with a gasp. As if he was waking up from a nightmare.  His stomach was still twisted in anguish and he felt like throwing up. 

But that could also be the huge amount of alcohol he had ingested last night. The nausea, the pounding in his head, yup, that was a lovely hangover. Because being a changeling couldn’t help you against the horrible consequences of heavy drinking. Wyrd is useless. Tony thought in a grumble. He tried to hide his head under the soft cushion before freezing in place. Soft cushion? The last thing he remembered was him trying to leave the pub Valhöl and Steve… Steve was there.

He rose suddenly, too violently before letting himself fall against the mattress again. Ouch. Yep, no sudden movement for the next few hours . He rolled on his back and opened his eyes again. The ceiling was indeed the one at Valhöll’s. That damn hawke was also there, sitting on the edge of the sofa where the mechanic was resting. 

“What do you want birdie? I have no worms for you.”

The bird seemed to narrow his eyes at that as if he was actually offended. Tony stared back for a few minutes before throwing the cushion at it with a “Fuck you” before hiding under the covers. Gosh, he felt horrible and he had to deal with the fucking ritual for Bucky’s prosthetics. He kept thinking about the how’s and what’s but he was at a dead end. His wyrd was too… Too metallic, too rough, too used to the steel and iron that makes Tony’s workshop and robots. He needed something softer and more organic. Another point of view one might say, a helping hand to point out what he was missing.

God, he was taking too long to find a solution. Guilt prodded through his mind as he recalled himself why it was so important he finished this arm: James was still stuck in Arcadia and Tony was the only one mad enough who could go look for him. Alas, Fury would never let him near a pathway to the Fae’s land if he didn’t have his end of the bargain. How long must his friend wait until he got out of this hell? 

Tony cursed and stood upwards, ignoring the pain in his head. He won’t achieve anything sitting on his ass nursing this hangover. As his feet touched the wooden floor, a voice made itself heard.

“Oh? Good morning Tony!”

The large frame of the thunder elemental appeared in the corner of the changeling’s eye. He must have just arrived in the room to check up on his impromptu guest.

“You have slept like the dead since we lay you on this sofa! Steve and Widow stayed up late chatting next to you and you didn’t even stir during their debate! 

“Widow and… Steve?” why the fuck did they stay by his side last night? Okay, to be fair he didn’t remember when he passed out so it could have been an early night but why next to him? 

Weird. He didn’t like Widow and he didn’t know what to think of Steve, so having them both in the same room while he was sleeping, drunk and vulnerable… Hum, me no likey. T hen again he did that to Steve at their first meeting so they’re even now. 

“What did they talk about? Did they talk about me? I know that they talked about me. What did they say?” he asked getting nervous with each passing second. Thor on the other hand looked like he didn’t see any problem about it.

“About Valhöl and the Court. How it works and how some changelings don’t feel comfortable with the system.

“So they did-

“No names were mentioned, my friend! If ever Steve can somehow see a link between your behaviour and obvious distaste against Fury-

“With reason…” grumbled the mechanic.

“Then that’s your own fault if you think about it.”

Tony spluttered out a few curses against the elemental who just smiled, with a teasing glint in his eyes. Thor handed then him a coffee mug, still steaming, as a peace offering. He did see Tony in a much worse mood anyway (many he was sworn to secrecy in exchange for a few services (wyrd couldn’t always fix terrible dishwashers)). He then raised his gaze to the bird of prey who had nestled further in the corner of the woodwork of the ceiling. After a short and silent exchange, Thor turned back to Tony, who was gulping down his beverage.

The iron changeling didn’t notice the complicit looks, took occupied by his drink and the pain repeatedly throbbing in his head. He glared at the clock on his phone before getting up. He needed to get back to work. He wasting too much time as it is.

“Thanks for the coffee. I’m not gonna impose on you any longer-

“Impose! Tony, I barely see you, it is a delight to have you with us before you run back to your nest!

“Workshop.” the older man corrected with a groan.

“Take a break, stay a bit longer! Plus, our gossipers will probably come back for brunch today.”

Tony narrowed his eyes at him before asking. “By “gossipers” you mean that all in black creepy spy and that himbo of a fairest?

“No….?” Thor blinked in confusion. “I meant Widow and Steve.

“Yeah sounds about right. Sadly, I have work on my plate so, another time big guy.”

“Of course!” Thor slapped him on the shoulder with a laugh. “After your work then! I’ll make you more doughnuts!”

That was a compelling argument, Tony noted. He offered a rare, sincere smile, at Thor before picking up his phone and coat before leaving the room. As he walked out, he realise that he was in one of the many rooms inside the maze of the Court. He cursed silently as he went and took the first turn. It’s not like he didn’t know how to make his way back, it just took quite a few minutes before finding the main entrance of the pub. Thank fuck he has spent enough time walking these corridors alongside Fury: he could find his way eyes closed, not that he would try.

As he took another turn he bumped against a mountain of flesh and muscle. He started a quick apology but it died in his throat when he had to stare up at the massive ogre that was looking down at him. Ogre changelings are just massive humanoids with few unhuman traits but the strength they behold makes it difficult for them to be at ease in a crowd or even in the most basic of homes. Sadly, unlike Tony who sought to be left alone, ogres yearn for others most of the time. It’s just the rest of the world who were too scared of them. As Tony stared at the hard lines on the other changeling’s face, the dark green shade of his skin making him even less appealing, he could easily understand why his pairs would steer away from them. 

“Mr Stark?” Gosh, you could see the Ogre was trying to speak softly and yet it still sounded too loud, taking too much space. “I know you must be busy but can I ask you something?” a large hand lifted itself and Tony nearly flinched away, scared of the changeling standing in front of him. But his distrust quickly disappeared when he realized that the Ogre was just showing him a simple napkin. 

A napkin where Tony had written his formula the night before… With some new corrections in the middle. 

“Wait, wait…” The mechanic snatched the piece of cloth and scanned the formulas. Once, twice, realising that this could actually be what he was looking for. “You did that? Wha-when, okay first:”

He raised a pointed finger at the man, trying to organize his thoughts into sentences.

“First: I did that last night so I’m not going to mention how you must have creepily lurked in the corridors waiting for me to wake up. Second, I have to ask are you one of Fury’s charged with spying on me because I will file a harassment complaint against all of you if that’s the case.”

“... I’m not one of Fury’s spies?”

“Oh my God this you don’t seem to be lying and that’s great because what you’ve written it’s great, I needed this and for fuck’s sake why didn’t I ask for help sooner-

“Well, it’s just a first try, I don’t really know the full extent of your project but from the bit and bobs I’ve heard and this I’m glad I managed to do something useful-

“What’s your name?” Tony cut in, stars in his eyes. Not everyone could actually make sense of his work, don’t even think about giving in good input. This looked like this new fellow was God sent to help him with his contract.

And if he could finish his contract, that meant he was closer than ever to finding Rhodes.

“Oh, uhm, Bruce Banner.”

Steve Rogers stood in front of the Carbonnel’s Garage, waiting for Bucky to arrive. He wasn’t surprised to see Widow already there, her slim figure half-hidden in the shades of the afternoon. When their eyes “meet” the woman gave him a slight nod but didn’t move to join him. 

It had been two days since the fairest last saw Tony and shared a long talk with the Widow… Natasha.

“Names are powerful, that’s why the Fae always ask our names first when they take us. That’s why most of us use nicknames, like Natasha, Widow… Tony. ” 

They bot turn to look at the sleeping changeling. The redhead woman continued:

“Again not everyone chooses to do so. Thor Odinson for example, that’s his real name. I know.” she smiled at the look the Fairest gave her. “I didn’t believe it at first either.”

Steve lt out a huff of laughter before drinking a bit of his tea. 

“At least I feel less alone. I thought I was going to have to change my name just to fit in.

“People will probably give you annoying nicknames. Though they can’t be worse than ‘Rocky’. 

“Don’t even mention it..” he groaned.

Both stopped when Tony shuffled in his sleep before settling on his side. Natasha sighed and pulled the cover over the Wizened.

“He only looks peaceful when he sleeps. If only he could be as sweet all the time.

“... What is it with this court and creeping around others when they’re sleeping?

“It’s my job to wander and observe. Just like it will be your job to train our future soldiers.”

The fairest’s fingers tightened around his cup. Yes. Yes, he knew it would come soon. The second Bucky gets his arm, Steve will have to pledge his unconditional loyalty to the Court. Oh boy...

“Why is Tony so… Untrusting of the Court? All the others don’t seem like they want to leave or be away from this place.

“We stay here because there’s nowhere else to go. Tony can hide away in his workshop whenever he wants, he still ends up passing by. You can’t really escape the Court once you know its existence. It’s the only place where you don’t have to hide. 

“But we are, aren’t we? Valhöl is just a hiding spot in plain sight. Filled to the brim with changelings who don’t know what to do with a world that forgot them. 

“That’s interesting for you to say. You weren’t forgotten by your family last time I’ve heard.”

Steve glared at the Widow. She offered him her trademark tilted head and continued:

“We will always need to hide away from the humans. But with your help, maybe we won’t have to hide from… Others.”

As this conversation fade away in his mind, Steve looked down at his ring and rubbed the gold gently with his thumb. Widow and Fury had let him keep it but he could see how all the others in the Court stayed away because of it. But he knew that if he took it off… No, he couldn’t even think about taking it off, his skin crawled at the idea. So much for blending in. 

Back with his human family, he felt alone because no one could possibly understand his pain. 

In the pack, they tried but it wasn’t the right place for him.

In the court, he felt alone because no one wanted him, too scared of what he could be. 

God, I miss you Peggy. 

The fairest sighed and heard a light chuckle right after.

“What did we say about moping and sighing? It’s bad for your wrinkles.”

Steve felt his mood lift up slightly and turned towards Barnes, who embraced him as a hello. The warmth of his body was a blessing and tethered him to reality. Steve never spoke about it or even admitted it out loud but he suspected that the werewolf was aware of it. They were closer than most brothers after all.

“You doing okay Stevie? 

“I’m good. And you? And the pack? 

“Been doing fine, same old same old. These lugs miss you, by the way, it’s been a while since you hanged out with the likes of us.” he teased with a toothy -or fang-y really- grin.

“I will, just need to mingle a bit with the Court you know? Mister Fury has offered a room in Valhöll for me to stay.”

He didn’t know if he should accept the invitation just yet. He knew why it would benefit them both, having him so close to the Court, but he didn’t want to change everything in his life just yet. It all went to fast since-

“I don’t really like it, man…” Bucky mumbled, leaning against the wall. “We could still cut the deal?

“No. If they can give you a better arm then Brock will stop challenging your Alpha title.

“Brock can challenge all he wants, it’s not up to me or him, the Commandos choose me. 

“Other packs won’t see you as a leader if you don’t do it by the rules Buck’.” Steve whispered, trying to keep this part of the conversation away from the prying ears of the Widow who tilted her faceless head towards them. Gosh, he hoped she didn’t quite hear them. He didn’t need the King of Changelings to know about the tension in their family. Sadly for him, Barnes wasn’t as discreet.

“Well fuck them!” he snapped. “I can still fight and make them listen if need to be. Also, those rules say to no one but werewolves can be part of a pack.” 

Two sets of blue eyes stared into one another, one with worry the other with determination

“And you were always part of my pack Steve. You’re my brother, you’re one of us. Changeling or not, no matter what they say.”

A small smile pierced through the fairest worried expression. He wished he could relax about his, well, Bucky’s pack. It was hard not to spend so much time with them anymore. He didn’t mind being away for Brock though. That man gave him the creeps every time he was around and he also never hesitate to comment how inadequate Steve was in their pack. In the howling Commandos, Bucky’s pack of werewolves, Steve managed to feel safe for a long time. When he came back from Arcadia when he got ‘changed’, he didn’t find anyone like him, he didn’t know who could help him. So Bucky brought him into this strange family, it wasn’t perfect but Inhumans had a knack for taking care of each other. They let him come when they were patrolling their territory, they treated him like one of their own. On the other hand, Rumlow always saw Steve as a threat, subtly complaining that having a non-shifter among them was useless and would even slow them down. Every snide comment he made, every time Steve tried to help, and only received the cold shoulder from him only made the changeling tired and discourage. Because in the end, no matter was his best friend said, Steve felt like he was leeching off of them. 

He needed to build his life outside the pack. Changelings should stick with other changelings, right? That’s what Widow said, you couldn’t stay away from the Court. 

Yet, for the moment, the only changeling who seemed the most accessible was the same one who insisted on staying away from their community. Who was the only one to sit down at his table with doughnuts and a drink when all the others looked scared of him.

“Hellooooo people ~” speaking of the devil, a sing-song voice caught their attention and they turned towards Tony who opened the door of his shop with a flourish swing. 

The mechanic bowed his head towards the Widow with a smirk.

“Madame, you’re here too, not really surprised, are you ready for the show?

“You seem quite chirpy for a man who drunk himself to slumber last night a few days ago. 

“Fine, you won’t get to see the show. Okay, boys!” Tony then turned to Steve and Bucky. “Get in and get ready. I have a big surprise for you!”

“You finished the arm, we know. That’s why you called us, remember? It was, like, the first thing you said. ” Bucky asked trying to hide his excitement behind the snark.

“... Godammit, that did kinda ruin the surprise. Oh well, me and my big mouth.” mumbled the changeling before he stepped to the side to let them in. “Come on in. No need to delay it anymore.”

Steve moved first. Quickly catching up next to Tony as the Wizened guided them back down to his workshop. As they walked, the blond couldn’t stop to think back about why Carbonnel agreed to help them. He remembered the shock and disbelief when they had to tell him he was supposed to make a prosthetic for a werewolf, the distrust when he understood that Steve was a fairest…

What did Fury offer to him? The King seemed to know exactly what you wanted and dangled it in front of you until you accept his terms. 

I didn’t even hesitate when he offered to help Bucky. And when king Fury said he would help me with my wyrd, Bucky accepted to become an ally of his Court. 

His was pulled out of his thought when he arrived and saw the large -green?!- giant that was benched over the workshop’s table, fiddling with tools that looked too small for his hands. The only person who didn’t seem to stare at the man in surprise was Widow who walked up swiftly to him.

“Banner, helping our local mechanic wizened?

“Yes! Yes, he did help!” Tony said, grabbing and lifting the precious arm above his head, ignoring how the ogre and DUM-E both stepped forward in case he dropped it. “And, oh my, he was exactly the push I needed.”

The mechanic turned and offered a huge smile to the ogre who gave back a small of his own.

“Glad I could help. It has been a while since I participated in such a project. A nice change.

“You hid your talent pretty well.” the Widow said. “I know you work as a science teacher at the local university, must be strange to settle down for so little with a mind like yours.

She tilted her head at Banner, probably trying to get a read on him, who shuffled a bit self-consciously. 

“I didn’t really hide anything: no one expects an Ogre to have a Ph.Ds in Biochemistry and Radiophysics. Also, being a university teacher is quite a peaceful job. Normal, just what we all want, don’t we?” he offered a sad smile.

The widow then asked if he was interested in sharing that kind of knowledge with the Court and the King, to which Bruce took a step back and mumbled.

“Fury already asked me to join his close council for his projects. And I already said I would think about it.

“Think?” Tony looked unconvinced. “You should have said no right away.

“Well, he doesn’t really take no for an answer. 

“Yeah, our King is a pushy asshole. 

“Tony.” Steve sighed at the insult. Was the vulgarity necessary?

“What? It’s true. Then again you were having a nap in his fucking garden so you’re probably on his good boy’s list. 

“I was having a nap because we were supposed to meet with a certain someone who came in a couple of hours late. And you wonder why he put you on the bad boy’s list.”

Tony send a smirk his way, seemingly proud of that fact. That mischievous expression made Steve smiled back and lower his eyes out of shyness. He shook himself off mentally before putting his attention back to Bucky who seemed impatient to try on the arm.

Bruce helped him settle the arm against his stomp, showing where to press so it fixed itself and how to take it off when he wanted to. As the Ogre activated the prosthetic, a loud hiss was made and the metal seemed to try and mould itself around the werewolf’s flesh who winced and tried to pull it back off. The Wizened stepped forward, hand raised to stop him:

“Don’t. It’s uncomfortable but ripping it away will make things worse. Our wyrd is just settling inside you.

“That’s NOT reassuring,” Bucky growled before taking a deep breath. “Fuck, what did I get myself into…

Widow took a few steps towards the brunet and lay a delicate hand on his shoulder.

“They wouldn’t have let you try it if they weren’t certain. It will work.”

Bucky gazed where her eyes should be, since he wasn’t a changeling he probably only saw her glamour and not her true face, and nodded before bracing himself to let the arm settle. Runes appeared in white on the arm before fading away. Steve could feel a pulse of wyrd in the arm and he whispered in awe:

“Does it really work? Can you shift with it?

“Only one way to find out.” Bucky mumbled and closed his eyes.

Shifting wasn’t like in horror films where the transformation would stretch for minutes with painful howling from the creature. In this reality, Bucky body turned quickly, fur recovering his whole body, his legs and arms twisting and snapping efficiently into paws and getting tangled inside his own clothes. Tony burst out laughing at the sight of the wolf wiggling out of his jeans, meanwhile, the others just politely waited for him to get back on his legs. Paws.

“Really Buck’? You couldn’t just take a minute to undress?” Steve drawled which got him a deep groan from his brother.

But the growl soon turned down when everyone look at the metallic arm, now leg, that clicked softly on the ground like a perfect paw prosthetic. It was still fixed and as the wolf tried walking around seemed comfortable enough for him. 

With a happy growl, Bucky started running, speeding under the people legs and bouncing on Steve who laughed back. It was perfect. They had finally their end of the deal! Steve turned towards the changelings, his cheeks hurting from smiling so much:

“Thank you. Thank you so much!

“Oh, I barely did anything!” Dr Banner said with a shy shake of the head. “Tony did all of the hard work first.”

The Wizened didn’t seem to listen to the compliments and thanks. Tony was looking at the arm as if it had all the answers to his problems. A chuckle passed his lips then a full belly laugh. The type of laugh that balanced between being one of relief and one of nervousity. he then turned towards Widow, pointing at her, a crazed glint in his eyes.

 “Tell that to Fury! I fucking did it! Tell him to get ready! I want my prize as soon as possible!”

The golden band on Steve Roger’s hand seemed to grow smaller. The fairest raised his hand with a gasp of pain. He looked at it with fear for a split second before the pain go away, the pressure relieving itself for now. A horrible feeling settled in his guts and he send a suspicious look at Tony Carbonnel who looked happy. So happy…

What is your prize? 

In another place, Virginia Potts was having a drink with a retired butler. She had a picture between her hands, the picture of a young man with a smile so similar. Her lips pursed she said:

“He called me Pepper. I don’t believe in so many coincidences do you?”

And poor old Edwin Jarvis, hands shaking with emotion, answered:

“You could be right. I want to believe you but how do you explain it then?

“That’s what I will find out.”